The Buddhist Center: building community online
Steer to the Deep: introducing the Padmaloka one-year intensive retreat
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
  • Steer to the Deep: introducing the Padmaloka one-year intensive retreat
Sanghanistha writes from Padmaloka, Triratna’s retreat centre in Norfolk and home of the European men’s ordination training process. They’re planning a one-year intensive - a course of retreats and other events open to men who’ve asked for ordination into the Triratna Buddhist Order. He says -

“The course starts at Padmaloka with our Going for Refuge retreat at the beginning of July. After that we pack up our rucksacks and travel down to Devon to be part of Buddhafield until the beginning of October. We’ll be living the Buddhafield lifestyle for that time, outdoors, helping set up the conditions that support people to be able to engage with the Dharma. This will also include being involved with the Buddhafield Festival. After that we’ll change mode, still with Buddhafield, and…
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Buddha Festival 2013 celebrated in Nagpur
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
  • Buddha Festival 2013 celebrated in Nagpur
  • The Deeksha Bhoomi, Nagpur
  • Flower Mandala offering from Nagaloka, India
Ritayush writes from Nagpur, heartland of the Buddhist revival in India, where Triratna’s Nagpur Buddhist Centre recently celebrated their very successful 2013 Buddha Festival. Due to the success of their past Festivals in 2011 and 2012 they were able to hold the Festival at the historic Deeksha Bhoomi, site of Ambedkar’s historic mass conversion to Buddhism in 1956. He writes -

“It is very important that these three Buddha Festivals were organized at the Deeksha Bhoomi, where the historic mass conversion to Buddhism was done by Bodhisattva Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar on 14th October 1956. This event changed the course of the lives of millions of his followers all over India - and changed the political, social, religious & cultural scene of India. Buddhists here were very happy by the organization of the Festival. We experienced the high positive emotions & expressions by the thousands of people who…
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Dharmachari Baladitya: 1984-2013
Monday, March 25, 2013
  • Baladitya in Thailand
  • Dharmachari Baladitya: 1984-2013
We’re sad to report that long-standing Order Member Baladitya died unexpectedly of a heart attack on 8 March. He died in northern Thailand where he lived for five months of the year, 2 hours inland from Chang Mai. His wife, Orasa, arranged his funeral celebrations in Thailand according to local customs and his body was cremated in a local wat. As news spread around the world, two of his close friends, Dharmabandhu and Sumana, were at Vulture’s Peak in India, at the time of his cremation and did some chanting and recollection of him.

Baladitya was ordained by Bhante Sangharakshita in October 1984 at Il Convento, Italy. The practice given to him at ordination was Amitabha. He was 63 years old.
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Ordination in Sheffield
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
  • Kamalanandi's ordination ceremony in Sheffield. photos (c) Alokavira, www.timmsonnenschein.com
Ratnadharini writes with news of an ordination in Sheffield, UK, saying - “I am delighted to introduce a new Order Member to you: Gemma Lyus was privately ordained by Punyamala last Thursday morning, during a dedicated ordination retreat at Tiratanaloka; her public ordination then took place at the Sheffield Buddhist Centre last weekend, on Saturday 16th March - with myself as Public Preceptor.

She becomes Kamalanandi, ‘She Who Delights in the Red Lotus’.

Sadhu!


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The Dharma School Seeks A New Head Teacher
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
  • Children's parade
  • Peter Murdock in the classroom
The Dharma Primary School, Europe’s only primary school to offer an education based on Buddhist values (based in Brighton, East Sussex, UK), is seeking a new Head Teacher.

Current head Peter Murdock is preparing to move on after more than a decade of leadership at the end of this year. Since his appointment in 2002, Peter has taken the school through two successful Ofsted inspections (‘outstanding personal and social development’) and evolved the school’s unique approach to learning and self-development through the Buddhist practice of mindfulness. A practising Buddhist for 30 years, Peter has long been respected by staff, parents and pupils for his ability to make Buddhist principles relevant and accessible to all as “a practical way of living” rather than a religion or philosophy.


He said: “It has been an honour…
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