The Adhisthana Kula report, Addressing Ethical Issues in Triratna, is now available as a PDF file for download and printing.

Download the report here.

The Adhisthana Kula arose from a wish to acknowledge openly and respond effectively to issues from Triratna’s past. The members of the Kula worked together over the course of nearly four years to review historical difficulties in our community and find ways to address their lasting consequences. Towards the end of 2019, we published an update on the Adhisthana Kula webspace, stating an intention to summarise the work, making it clear what had been done so far and outlining next steps. It was a complex piece of work and has taken longer than was intended, but we wanted to notify you that the report has now been published, and you can read it here: thebuddhistcentre.com/addressing-ethical-issues

This report shares what we’ve found and what we’ve done in response, and though it will be an important step in our community’s engagement with these issues, we recognise that the work is not finished. With the publication of this report, the Adhisthana Kula is stepping aside and Triratna’s International Council Steering Group is commissioning a working group to oversee the next phase of this process.

This will involve receiving and responding to comments through consultation with the Order, using the Order Convening networks and Chapters as appropriate; as well as continuing to engage actively with past areas of difficulty or harm, and ensuring that we have robust systems in place to respond to whatever arises.

Centre Chairs, Presidents, Ordination Teams, and Public Preceptors have been notified of the publication of the report in order that they can engage with the material in their own fields of responsibility and networks. And, at the Mitra Convenors meetings in October they will discuss how to create contexts for Mitras to engage with and respond to the report.

Anyone who has comments and questions can contact the working group who will oversee the next phase of this work at next.steps@triratna.co.

We are committed to responding openly to any difficult issues within Triratna, and we encourage anyone else who has been hurt or harmed in any way to come forward. 

Anyone with Safeguarding or other ethical concerns in Triratna, past or present, is welcome to email safeguarding@triratna.community.

Download a pdf of the report here.

NB. The Next Steps group are proceeding with translations of the report.

On 16th February the Observer newspaper published an article referring to the Triratna Buddhist Community. The following letter to the editor was submitted in response and was published by the newspaper on Sunday 23rd February.

Triratna Buddhists respond to Observer front page

We were surprised and deeply disappointed to read the Observer’s piece about the Triratna Buddhist Order and Community last week.

Triratna is not a ‘sect’ in the pejorative sense, but an integral and well established part of the British Buddhist world, committed to Buddhist ethical values.

We have thoroughly investigated reports of our founder Sangharakshita’s sexual relations and, while the police confirm nothing they have been told is criminal, we do recognise some of his sexual behaviour was unethical - as did he when he apologised publicly in 2016. We sincerely regret the harm caused, are transparent about what took place, and are strongly committed to ensuring our safeguarding procedures protect everyone. We will continue this work in a spirit of openness and empathy.

We welcome thousands of people to our Buddhist centres every year to learn about meditation and Buddhism, to learn to navigate better the challenges of life. It is a privilege to offer this help and we endeavour to follow the highest ethical standards.

Ratnadharini
Chair of the College of Public Preceptors

Note: This is the original version of the letter sent to the Observer. They subsequently edited it and published it under a different title - ‘Triratna Buddhism is no sect’. 

Read the initial statement to the Observer article on 16th February

The Triratna Buddhist Order is committed to acting in accordance with Buddhist ethical guidelines, including those on avoiding sexual misconduct.

We take the reports of our founder Sangharakshita's sexual relations extremely seriously and have undertaken a great deal of investigation into what took place. We have been transparent about the findings, outlined in detail on our website: Triratna Controversy FAQ

Sangharakshita published his own apology in 2016. Although the police confirmed in 2018 that there was nothing criminal in what had been reported to them over the years, we recognise that some of his sexual behaviour was indeed unethical. As we said in a statement in 2019, we sincerely regret the harm he caused.

We are strongly committed to Safeguarding and are continually working to develop strong ethical guidelines and Safeguarding policies and procedures. We invite anyone who feels they have been affected to email our Safeguarding team at safeguarding@triratna.community.

We aspire to continue this work in a spirit of openness and empathy, in keeping with our values as Buddhists. 

Ratnadharini, Chair of the Triratna College of Public Preceptors

Adhisthana kula update, November 2019

We'd like to update you about the next steps of the Adhisthana kula work. These next steps formed part of a “Further Response from the Adhisthana Kula to the Observer Article”, published 28th July, and are listed at the end of this update. 

On 23rd August we issued a “Message of Apology and Regret” (point 1) as well as a contextualising note “Addressing our Collective History”. Although it became clear that such an Apology could only really be issued on behalf of the Triratna Buddhist Order by those people holding positions of responsibility, we want to continue to explore ways for other members of our Order to engage with the issues we are dealing with from the past as well as creating the conditions we want to take into the future.

The summary of our work is now underway (point 2). We have employed someone to help with this and hope this will be ready by the end of the year. We will publish this summary on our existing blog, https://thebuddhistcentre.com/adhisthana-kula, and longer term we intend to set up a dedicated website. We have set up financial provision for this continuing work (point 5).

When this review is completed and the summary ready, the Order convening network will be asking the Order if there are any gaps in our work, and we will ask Chairs and Mitra convenors of Triratna Centres to find ways of asking their community what else they need in order to feel that Triratna is a safe and inspiring community to practice within. We’re always happy to hear from anyone who is outside of these networks, by writing to us directly: next.steps@triratna.co  (points 3 and 10).

We have had some discussion about the membership of the Adhisthana kula, but although it is currently Ratnadharini and Lokeshvara who are most active in overseeing the review, we propose the members remain the same until the review is complete. Beyond that point we will review the membership of the kula and include a younger generation of Order members in this work (point 6).

Two points related specifically to Safeguarding (point 4 and point 7). Triratna’s overall Safeguarding officer, Munisha, has had two meetings with the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) and is now waiting for them to deliver two proposals; firstly, for an external reporting service, how it might work and who might provide it, and secondly, for a review of Triratna’s Safeguarding policies and procedures.

According to the SCIE there is currently no provision for external reporting in the UK – so this might take longer than we initially hoped. The SCIE say that some of the major churches are also considering how to put such a service in place. You can read more about SCIE and the work they do with faith groups here: https://www.scie.org.uk/safeguarding/faith-groups

There have been some initial discussions about training in ethical awareness for teachers and mentors, both for existing Order members, and those training for ordination (point 9) and more details will follow with the review.

We haven’t as yet developed a plan for how to have new forums for discussion nor have we consulted any external communications consultants (point 8), but we still intend to do this. 

The Adhisthana kula

This was our update from the 28th July:

A further update from the Adhisthana kula as to how we are addressing controversial aspects of Triratna’s past and what we are putting in place for the future.

Responding to the Past 

1. We will issue a clear statement of acknowledgement, regret and undertaking, inviting other Order members to add their name or support to it. (1 week)

2. We will summarise the work of the Adhisthana Kula in a way that is clear and readily accessible, on a stand-alone website, making it clear what we have done so far and our next steps. (3 months)

3. We will present this with clear pathways for comments, questions and suggestions. (3 months)

4. Anyone can report misconduct to our Safeguarding team at safeguarding@triratna.community. In addition, we will appoint an external body for receiving such complaints, for the benefit of anyone who feels more comfortable in reporting to an external body. (3-5 months) 

5. We recognise this work needs to be a priority (1-4) and will give it the resources it needs. (Ongoing)

Working in the Present

6. We will review the membership of the Adhisthana kula, bringing in a next generation of Order members with fresh perspectives and skills, who have joined the Order since the era in which many of the historic difficulties took place (broadly, this means the 1970s and 80s). (1 month)

7. Our current UK Safeguarding provision will be reviewed by the Social Care Institute for Excellence, to ensure it meets the Charity Commission’s requirements. (6 months)

8. In consultation with external communication specialists we will create new forums for discussion within Triratna, with a view to promoting greater harmony and engagement, and improve external communications. (6 months)

9. We will develop training in ethical awareness for teachers and mentors, both among existing Order members, and those training for ordination. (Initial plans 3-4 months)

Creating the Future

10. When this work is done we will assess, with others, whether a further external, independent review would be helpful. (6-7 months)

11. We will bring on a new generation of leaders, training and equipping them to share responsibility for taking our community forward. (Ongoing)

12. We will do all this whilst honouring our inheritance and recognising the gifts Sangharakshita and the elders of the Order created for us. (Ongoing)

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Since it was established in February 2017, the members of the Adhisthana Kula have been working together in response to renewed criticism of Triratna, and we recently published a ‘Next Steps’ document setting out how we intend to take this work forward. 

The first of our ‘Next Steps’ was:
We will issue a clear statement of acknowledgement, regret and undertaking, inviting other Order members to add their name or support to it.

It became clear that while many Order members appreciated our 'Next Steps’ and were in favour of issuing a statement, it would be difficult for any statement to reflect fully the wide range of views in the Order.

Today we are publishing A Message of Apology and Regret, which we have kept short and specific, signed by the Adhisthana Kula, in order to be as clear as possible. 

We recognise that there are other areas that still need to be looked at, including problematic attitudes from the past, for example around women and around families. We are setting up a consultation to make sure everyone in our Order has an opportunity to contribute. We hope their participation – and the experience of anyone in our wider community affected by these issues – will help us get a clearer sense of what still needs to be addressed.

Our second and third points were: 

• We will summarise the work of the Adhisthana Kula in a way that is clear and readily accessible, on a stand-alone website, making it clear what we have done so far and our next steps.
• We will present this with clear pathways for comments, questions and suggestions.

In order to keep up the momentum of this work another Order member will start working with us in October to produce an overview of the issues and a record of our responses to date. The College assistant will be working on a new webpage for this work. 

We hope this will show clearly what has already been done, and we will very much want to hear from people if they think there are gaps in our work or other areas that need to be addressed.

In the meantime, we will continue to work on our other next steps: responding to anyone hurt as a result of misconduct by any Order member; continuing to strengthen our safeguarding processes; and developing our procedures for addressing ethical misconduct, and training for Order members, to lessen the risk of future harm. 

With Metta

The Adhisthana Kula

Saddhaloka: Chair, College of Public Preceptors
Ratnadharini: Deputy Chair, College of Public Preceptors
Lokeshvara: International Order Convenor
Aryajaya: International Order Convenor
Dhammarati: Convenor, International Council
Parami and Mahamati: College members and former International Order Convenors

Read the Adhisthana Kula’s next steps

Read our founding intentions (2017)

Read about the history of all these issues as dealt with previously within Triratna

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Read about the background to this statement and our next steps in Addressing our Collective History

At the end of 2016 Sangharakshita published a statement of his regret and apology for occasions when, as he put it, ‘I have hurt, harmed or upset fellow Buddhists, whether within Triratna or out of it.’ He confirmed that he intended his apology to include anyone who was hurt, harmed or upset by his sexual activity in the period between the late ‘60s and the ‘80s when he was not celibate. 

It has been a slow and difficult process for our community, individually and collectively, to come to terms with our founding teacher’s imperfections. Soon after Sangharakshita made his statement the Adhisthana Kula was set up to look into the issues it raised, and we have now begun a review of our work over the past two-and-a-half years. 

We want to begin by endorsing Sangharakshita’s apology more clearly than has been done before, with our own expression of profound sadness and regret for any suffering or harm that anyone has experienced as a result of the behaviour he refers to. We are deeply sorry for any hurt that has been caused as a result. 

Over the years we have learned as a community that sexual relations between people in the positions of ‘teacher’ and ‘student’ or ‘disciple’ contain a power imbalance that can lead to suffering. Consequently, we have developed ethical guidelines for preceptors (those conducting ordinations in our community) and for those in teaching positions.

We want to ensure that anyone with negative experiences of Triratna or concerns about our community is heard sympathetically, and that their concerns are addressed effectively and promptly. We will be putting in place further arrangements to give people the option of reporting any negative experience to an external organisation. 

We remain committed to ensuring that we have the necessary procedures and training in place to guard against unethical behaviour in the future, particularly through Safeguarding. Anyone wishing to report harmful behaviour is requested to contact Triratna’s Safeguarding Team at safeguarding@triratna.community.

Signed
The Adhisthana Kula (a grouping of senior members of the Triratna Buddhist Order)

Saddhaloka: Chair, College of Public Preceptors
Ratnadharini: Deputy Chair, College of Public Preceptors
Lokeshvara: International Order Convenor
Aryajaya: International Order Convenor
Dhammarati: Convenor, International Council
Parami and Mahamati: College members and former International Order Convenors
 

Read about Safeguarding in our community

Read more about the work of the Adhisthana Kula

On Sunday 28 July we posted a 'Further Response from the Adhisthana Kula to the Observer Article, July 2019'.

In our first step under ‘Responding to the Past’ we said:

1. We will issue a clear statement of acknowledgement, regret and undertaking, inviting other order members to add their name or support to it. (1 week)

We also indicated that we had “added timelines in brackets after each point as a rough guide as to how long each step will take. If something is taking longer we will communicate this, and why.”

It remains our intention to issue this clear statement soon, however it is requiring longer than a week. From 6th August there is a large gathering in the U.K. of several hundred order members for a convention, and we want to let you know that we have decided that it would be best to introduce our planned statement in that context first, before making it public. In this way we hope that our statement will best reflect the feelings and views of order members.

We thank all those who have contacted us subsequent to our two recent postings. As we have said,  we want to address whatever limits us as a spiritual community, and to be able to move forward with confidence and trust that we have fully addressed the issues and concerns of the past, without losing touch with all that is good.

Here is a further update from the Adhisthana kula about how we intend to take our work forward. Some of the steps we outline below are already in discussion or in process, and we recognise the need for much greater visibility of process and outcomes. We also recognise that we have been slow to implement some of our intentions.

A further update from the Adhisthana kula as to how we are addressing controversial aspects of Triratna’s past and what we are putting in place for the future.
Our initial response to The Observer article (21st July) concluded: “We remain determined to meet ethically all unresolved issues – past, present and future – based on a deep concern for the welfare of anyone affected negatively by their experience within Triratna”. Using this framework of past, present, future, we will outline the way we intend to take this work forward.  

We want to spell out very clearly what’s already been done, and also lay out what still needs to be done, and what plans we have for implementation.

As a result of the recent article there have been renewed calls for an independent review or inquiry as the only way to rebuild trust. Below are nine steps we would like to implement first, as soon as possible. After that, with the help of others, we will make an assessment as to whether a further or more substantial independent review is necessary.

We have added timelines in brackets after each point as a rough guide as to how long each step will take. If something is taking longer we will communicate this, and why.

Responding to the Past

1. We will issue a clear statement of acknowledgement, regret and undertaking, inviting other Order members to add their name or support to it. (1 week)

2. We will summarise the work of the Adhisthana Kula in a way that is clear and readily accessible, on a stand-alone website, making it clear what we have done so far and our next steps. (3 months)

3. We will present this with clear pathways for comments, questions and suggestions. (3 months)

4. Anyone can report misconduct to our Safeguarding team at safeguarding@triratna.community. In addition, we will appoint an external body for receiving such complaints, for the benefit of anyone who feels more comfortable in reporting to an external body. (3-5 months) 

5. We recognise this work needs to be a priority (1-4) and will give it the resources it needs. (Ongoing)

Working in the Present

6. We will review the membership of the Adhisthana kula, bringing in a next generation of Order members with fresh perspectives and skills, who have joined the Order since the era in which many of the historic difficulties took place (broadly, this means the 1970s and 80s). (1 month)

7. Our current UK Safeguarding provision will be reviewed by the Social Care Institute for Excellence, to ensure it meets the Charity Commission's requirements. (6 months)

8. In consultation with external communication specialists we will create new forums for discussion within Triratna, with a view to promoting greater harmony and engagement, and improve external communications. (6 months)

9. We will develop training in ethical awareness for teachers and mentors, both among existing Order members, and those training for ordination. (Initial plans 3-4 months)

Creating the Future

10. When this work is done we will assess, with others, whether a further external, independent review would be helpful. (6-7 months)

11. We will bring on a new generation of leaders, training and equipping them to share responsibility for taking our community forward. (Ongoing)

12. We will do all this whilst honouring our inheritance and recognising the gifts Sangharakshita and the elders of the Order created for us. (Ongoing)

We share a deep love and concern for our community with all those who choose to practise  within it. We want to address whatever limits us as a spiritual community, and to be able to move forward with confidence and trust that we have fully addressed the issues and concerns of the past, without losing touch with all that is good. We need to do all this within the spirit and ethos of our community, recognising our imperfections as human beings, acting with compassion and understanding, in order to transform suffering in the world.

With metta,

The Adhisthana Kula

Mahamati, Parami, Ratnadharini, and Saddhaloka (Triratna’s College of Public Preceptors) 
Aryajaya and Lokeshvara (International Convenors to the Triratna Buddhist Order) Dhammarati (Convenor of Triratna’s International Council)

With the assistance of Amaladipa and Munisha (Triratna’s Safeguarding team), and Candradasa (The Buddhist Centre Online).

For further information about safeguarding or to report anything please contact the Safeguarding team at safeguarding@triratna.community.

Contact the Adhisthana Kula at next.steps@triratna.co

View our work as a team to date

On July 21st 2019, The Observer featured an article critical of the Triratna Buddhist Order and Community. As senior members of Triratna, we wanted to respond to some of the content, and to the general areas of concern raised around the conduct of members of the Order as they relate to the wellbeing of anyone connecting with our community.

The Adhisthana Kula is a grouping of senior members of the Triratna Buddhist Order who hold particular responsibility for the wellbeing of our community around the world. It was formed in February 2017 in response to renewed concerns about past controversies within Triratna, including sexual misconduct in the 1970s and ‘80s by our community’s founder Urgyen Sangharakshita. In 2016, Sangharakshita wrote a statement of acknowledgment and apology about this.

Read about our work around misconduct in Triratna and about what we do and do not teach​

Read a further response to the article, outlining next steps in our approach to these issues

More recently, along with Triratna's Ethics Kula (including our Safeguarding team) we have come back together to engage with the work of meeting any new concerns that may arise, being as open and clear as possible using the following principles:

1. To prioritise the wellbeing of anyone coming forward with accounts of harm experienced within our community, past or present, providing clear and well-publicised channels for reporting them to us safely.
    
2. To ensure the Safeguarding policies and procedures we have in place at our Buddhist Centres meet the highest standards and are compliant with regulatory and legal requirements for charities in the UK. This includes making sure that wherever a case may be criminal it is reported to the police, without exception.
    
3. After legal process has been addressed, when reports of ethical misconduct are made and the parties involved ask for support, to provide processes for reaching meaningful resolution. (See below for more on Restorative process and the specific work of the Ethics Kula around disputed cases).
    
4. In cases of serious ethical breaches by members of the Order, to have clear policies and procedures around probation, suspension or expulsion.
    
5. To provide clear and consistent information about our work online and elsewhere (including its difficulties and challenges) in as open and transparent a way as possible when, as is often the case, issues of confidentiality are involved.
    

We were somewhat surprised therefore to hear from The Observer newspaper last week that they intended to run a new critical article about Triratna, based initially on someone having sent them a survey report by the Interkula group of Triratna Order members, which refers non-specifically to anonymous accounts of misconduct within our Order. We had seen the survey report some time ago and took note of its recommendations. 

We will write more in the next few days about this survey and its subsequent interpretation by The Observer, as well as addressing some other details and inaccuracies in the article.

For now, our focus properly remains on supporting individuals seeking resolution of past painful experience within Triratna, and on reviewing and updating annually our own Safeguarding practices and recommendations for when things go wrong in future (as they inevitably will at times in any community). 

As ever, we urge anyone who feels they have experienced harm in connection with our Order and community – and anyone who has anything they wish to bring to our attention – to please email us at safeguarding@triratna.community. 

A formal statement from our Safeguarding officer
Triratna's overall Safeguarding officer Munisha made the following statement to The Observer, some of which was used in the piece itself:

As Triratna’s overall Safeguarding officer I share the concerns of the Interkula and their survey respondents that misconduct in Triratna be addressed thoroughly and effectively. I and senior members of the Order have been working on this since 2015, and all our work is documented publicly here on Triratna’s main web platform: Questions around controversy
 

I’m extremely sorry if misconduct reported to any member of the Order was not properly addressed at the time. Triratna has had Safeguarding procedures in place since 2015 and today every Triratna centre in the UK has a Safeguarding officer to whom concerns can be reported. It’s recommended that Centres post details of how to reach this person on their noticeboards and websites.

The Interkula’s survey includes accounts of misconduct which we would be keen to address. However, some of these are references to misconduct experienced by unnamed others and we can only address a case where a named complainant is willing to tell us their story first hand. Since the survey was anonymous it’s not possible to identify and reach out to these respondents or the people they refer to, and the survey did not provide respondents with information on how to report to us.
 

However, given the confidentiality required in Safeguarding work it is possible that some third-party cases referred to by survey respondents have in fact been addressed without the respondents knowing about it. It is not uncommon that people report rumours or concerns about others which we have dealt with months or years ago.
 

It is the policy of Triratna’s central Safeguarding team that anything reported to us of a criminal  – or even potentially criminal – nature is reported to the police, without exception. Anything reported to us has been dealt with according to the requirements of law, the Charity Commission and Safeguarding best practice and thoroughly documented in case of external review. If there is anything we have not dealt with, this is simply because no complainant has approached us to make us aware of their experience, or we have not been able to identify and contact them. I would strongly encourage anyone who has not yet come forward with an account of their own experiences, or with information about cases involving others, to contact me at safeguarding@triratna.community or make a report to the Charity Commission at https://forms.charitycommission.gov.uk/raising-concerns/.
 

Keen to make sure Triratna’s Safeguarding meets the highest standards, in May this year the Safeguarding team began dialogue with the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) with a view to an external review of our work so far.

Safeguarding in Triratna and our responses to legal and ethical issues
Our collective work around addressing past ethical misconduct within the Triratna community has been broad and relatively deep:

Listen to a talk that evokes the kind of “Restorative” culture we have tried to uphold around all this work

Read a very comprehensive set of Frequently Asked Questions about our areas of engagement

View a full archive of previous attempts to address some of the same issues

Read the 2019 model Safeguarding policies for Triratna

We continue to encourage the formal reporting of harm or misconduct and, in full compliance with the law, we are committed to doing whatever is necessary in order to bring any issue to an appropriate resolution. We continue to strengthen our community's proactive Safeguarding work to ensure the wellbeing of all who wish to engage with Buddhist values as a way of making sense of life. 

Through the work of the Triratna Ethics Kula, our Order has also been developing new procedures enabling us to address more effectively instances where a serious allegation is made against an Order member which they don’t accept, and which cannot be addressed by legal process. This is work in progress and will develop as our understanding and experience grow.

Read about how this kind of approach has been applied within Triratna

As mentioned, much of this kind of work necessarily happens behind the scenes and often involves respecting confidences required by law or requested by someone making a complaint. With that in mind we will also continue to seek external input to the ways in which we address these matters, and to check that our work so far has been conducted in line with best practice.

We remain determined to meet ethically all unresolved issues – past, present and future – based on a deep concern for the welfare of anyone affected negatively by their experience within Triratna. If there is anything you wish to bring to our attention, please do email us at safeguarding@triratna.community. We will always be glad to make ourselves available to you. 

With metta, 

The Adhisthana Kula
Mahamati, Parami, Ratnadharini, and Saddhaloka (Triratna’s College of Public Preceptors)
Aryajaya and Lokeshvara (International Convenors to the Triratna Buddhist Order)
Dhammarati (Convenor of Triratna’s International Council)

With the assistance of Amaladipa and Munisha (Triratna’s Safeguarding team), and Candradasa (The Buddhist Centre Online)

From the Triratna Ethics Kula

We’ve had a lot of questions and requests for clarification in the Triratna Ethics Kula and we are keen to let people know more about our work, and to respond to some of the questions that have come our way. We hope then this FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) document will be a helpful start and provide some reassurance and clarity – we see it as possibly the first in a series where we share some of our thinking and aspirations with the wider community. We won’t always get things right so we ask that you bear with us and trust that we are doing our best, learning as we go along.

Saddhaloka - the College Chair
Jnanasiddhi - Restorative advisor
Munisha - Safeguarding Officer
Amaladipa - Safeguarding advisor
Aryajaya - International Order convenor
Lokesvara - International Order convenor
Ratnadharini - College Deputy

Read part 2 of this Q & A series

1. Why does Triratna need a Panel Process?
There will be situations where an allegation is made against an Order member which they don’t accept. In such a situation both parties (the person/people making the allegation – the ‘complainant/s’ - and the Order member) need an opportunity to describe their experience and have their ‘evidence’ tested. This is because we cannot just decide to believe the Order member or a complainant. Neither can we decide to just do nothing, as that is tantamount to believing the Order member. 

Other faith groups (the Catholic Church for example) have been heavily criticised for not taking allegations against priests seriously and not having rigorous processes in place to address allegations of serious misconduct. The Panel process was therefore designed to establish a mechanism for deciding, on a balance of probabilities, whether or not allegations against Order members in certain circumstances are to be accepted.

(Note: there is further explanation regarding the definition and meaning of a ‘balance of probabilities’ below at 2.)

The Panel process would be used only for cases of serious misconduct, which could place an Order member’s standing in the Order in jeopardy and where there are conflicting accounts and no other means of establishing facts. It was based on existing legal processes used within secular professional misconduct hearings but adapted for Triratna in order to be less adversarial. It was designed by OMs with professional expertise in these matters with an external judge acting as a critical friend.

Some Order members may feel that the Panel process goes too far down a secular route, some Order members may feel it does not go far enough in terms of objectivity, and some Order members will be content with what has been developed. What was clear was that Triratna needed a process for dealing with complex cases involving conflicting accounts; that the process needed to be as fair, just, transparent and kind as possible to all parties, whilst also being able to withstand external scrutiny from the Charity Commission and wider society; and all this while maintaining compatibility with our spiritual values and culture in Triratna.

Read the summary description of the Triratna Panel process

2. Is the Panel process a legal process?
The Panel process is legal in the sense that it is lawful. It is not however legally binding, nor is there an automatic right of appeal (see question 4 below) and nobody can be mandated to attend such a hearing as the entire process is voluntary for all parties.

There is nothing about the Panel process or the Adjudicating body that is illegal and two judges (one retired, one serving) both reviewed the process, and were happy to work with it as a legitimate internal means of addressing cases of serious misconduct in circumstances where other approaches were not possible.
 
It is informed by similar processes used in some public bodies in the UK (for example, the General Teaching Council) and it is designed to follow the principles of natural justice: 

1. Absence of bias: the presumption of innocence requires minimising conflicts of interest to enable the decision-makers to be impartial.
2. The right to a fair hearing: procedural fairness, reasoned deliberation and the critical testing of evidence.

As is normal in similar Panel processes outside Triratna, the burden of proof used in the Triratna Panel process is ‘on the balance of probabilities’, which is the standard of proof used in civil proceedings in the UK. We used this for burden of proof because it supports a more inquisitorial and less adversarial approach than the burden of proof in for example, a criminal court, (which is ‘beyond reasonable doubt’). Essentially, if an allegation is proven on ‘a balance of probabilities’ it means that the Panel (or Tribunal) found that that alleged event was more likely than not to have occurred on anything over a 49%-51% ratio. It’s impossible ultimately to ever find out the ‘truth’ in certain circumstances (especially in conflicting accounts between individual parties where there may have been no witnesses), so this test is used to arrive at the most equitable and objective conclusion and determine if something was more likely than not to have taken place. It is important to note that the decision making will be arrived at via consensus to reflect our culture in Triratna, so we would never have a situation where the decision from the Panel was split. 

3. Can parties involved in a Panel process be legally represented?
The Panel process is designed to address allegations of serious misconduct against Order members where the evidence in conflicting accounts needs to be tested. Both parties give their evidence in private to a Panel made up of an Order member with relevant professional expertise, the College Chair or a Deputy and an external legal expert (a judge or other lawyer), who weigh the evidence and decide on a balance of probabilities which account is more likely than not to have happened.

Since the Panel hearing is not a court there is no place for legal representation but there is a strong emphasis on support for all parties and they are encouraged to bring a friend for support if they wish.

Such a process provides a secular way of weighing conflicting evidence expertly in complex cases involving conflicting accounts without resorting to something like a court hearing - public and adversarial, with legal representatives engaged in cross examination. The Triratna process provides an opportunity for a private hearing, each party separately giving evidence just to the Panel of three people. To ensure transparency and fairness written statements are given to the Panel and made available to all parties before the hearing. The process is conducted ethically and kindly.

4. Is there a right of appeal?
If further evidence comes to light after a hearing that would materially change or overturn a panel decision, that could prompt an appeal to the College Chair and Deputies (not involved in the original Panel). This could result in a further Panel being convened to test the weight of the fresh evidence against the original finding. However, there is no automatic right of appeal just because any of the parties does not agree with the outcome.

Ultimately if an individual feels that the process was unsound or flawed they can apply for a judicial review, which would, however, scrutinise the process but not the outcome.

5. How are Panel members chosen?
The summary of the process includes a description of the criteria for membership of a Panel. 

Read the summary

The members of the Panel and Adjudicating Body are chosen by the Safeguarding Team and Ethics Kula with the College Chair and Deputies.
 
All the members of the Panel need, as far as possible, to have no conflict of interest. This means that they cannot be, or have been, for example, close friends, ordinands, preceptors, partners or fellow community members with the person accused or the complainant/s. Whilst this principle may seem to some Order members to be at odds with the spirit of kalyanamitrata, which we cherish, it is nonetheless a central pillar of natural justice. The principle of impartiality is critical to both perceived and actual fairness, in addition to which it is simply unkind to expect individuals with deep and close bonds to be objective enough to make weighty and potentially life changing decisions about their friends. We need to ensure there is enough distance for there to be sufficient impartiality in decision making.
 
The Panel needs always to include a judge or lawyer so that there is someone completely outside Triratna who also has professional skills in weighing evidence which gives the process additional objectivity, credibility and rigour and represents the view of wider society as a lay (ie non-Triratna) member. The other two members should be a member of the College and another Order member with relevant experience, for example someone who has sat on other such Panels in other contexts or has expertise with regard to the nature of the particular allegation under consideration.

6. Could an additional Panel member be picked at random from the Order in the same way jury members are picked in British courts? Could people with relevant experience nominate themselves?
The criteria and skills required of Panel members are very specific and therefore a member cannot be picked at random. See question 5 and the summary description for more details:

Where confidentiality is a priority we can’t let people nominate themselves because that would mean letting a lot of people know we were looking for Panel members. Likewise, the expertise required may be something we can be transparent about if it doesn’t give away the nature of the accusation, but it may not if it means telling a lot of people a Panel process is underway.

7. How are members of an Adjudicating Body chosen?
The Adjudicating Body must be the Chair and two of the Deputy Chairs of the College, but where there is a conflict of interest they will appoint another College member to act on their behalf. By conflict of interest we mean that they cannot be, for example, close friends, ordinands, preceptors, ex partners or fellow community members with the person accused or the complainant/s (see above, question 5).
 
Neither the Panel or the Adjudicating Body can be single sex. Given Triratna’s single sex emphasis we tend to have closest relationships with those of our own sex and we need to avoid bias, or accusations of bias, in any direction.

8. What is the relationship between the Panel and the Adjudicating Body?
The Panel is a secular process designed solely to test the evidence on a balance of probabilities. The Adjudicating Body looks at the Panel’s secular finding of fact in the light of our ten precepts and the person’s ongoing membership of the Order. Some behaviours place one outside of the Order and it is the role of the Adjudicating Body to weigh the seriousness of the Panel’s finding and decide whether a person can remain in the Order or needs to be expelled or suspended.

We’ll address criteria for probation, suspension and expulsion in a later document.
 
9. Why don’t you name those who sit on a Panel or Adjudicating Body?
It’s common practice that members of such bodies are not named. This is because there is a risk of their being lobbied or criticised, or worse, by those unhappy with the outcome of their deliberations. Having offered a service most of us would not want it is not fair they should have to fear such publicity, and such fear would make it harder to find Panel members for future cases.

10. What other processes could be used?
The Ethics Kula decides on a case by case basis the best possible route for dealing with any particular case, in the kindest possible way, where possible in collaboration with the Order member concerned.

Some cases are referred to the police, some cases can be dealt with using Restorative process if both parties agree, and some cases may go straight to probation, suspension or expulsion - if the Order member accepts responsibility for what has been alleged. 

Some matters are simply dealt with by an Order convenor or a person’s preceptor or kalyanamitra; where it’s possible someone is at risk of serious harm or causing serious harm to others it’s a matter for the Safeguarding team. If the matter has implications for a person’s membership of the Order it is referred by the Ethics Kula to the College.

Where the matter may be criminal the Safeguarding team always liaises with the police, but it is important to note that there are many reasons why the police cannot always pursue a criminal allegation. Two examples might be lack of evidence or witnesses, or the time elapsed since the alleged offence, meaning that there would be little or no possibility of securing a conviction.

11. Can Triratna’s process be adapted from existing UK ethical processes such as those used by the General Medical Council?
The Triratna Panel Process is adapted from existing processes used by bodies such as the General Teaching Council and in employee misconduct hearings.
 
We chose not to replicate a process such the General Medical Council’s oral hearings because they are a form of tribunal designed to address serious allegations against doctors and others who are bound by professional codes of conduct. Unlike in the Triratna process attendance by the parties is mandatory, the sanctions are legally binding and the hearings are conducted in public in such a way as to command significant legal resources in the form of barrister representation. 

As we have explained above, we wished to use a model more in tune with Triratna’s culture and values. 

12. How much transparency is possible or desirable, especially in cases where suspension or expulsion are being considered; and how do we balance transparency with protecting sensitive information, privacy and the protection of individuals?
Transparency may be ethical, where it serves the public interest and helps with building and maintaining trust; or unethical, where it would cause suffering – and in which case it is outweighed by the obligation to protect privacy. This is enshrined in article 12 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights (1948) and reflected in the law in many jurisdictions worldwide, including the European Convention on Human Rights and the UK’s 1998 Human Rights Act. The UK’s Data Protection Act 2018 requires that people be told only what they need to know. Clearly the Order needs to know when one of its members is not in good standing, but beyond that there is a legal and ethical duty to protect people’s privacy especially when they are suffering.

We could all ask ourselves:

• If I were accused of a very serious ethical breach would I want the hearing conducted in public?
• Would I want or expect the entire Order to know about it?
• Would that kind of publicity and attention be genuinely helpful to me, even if I did want it? 
• Would I think all other Order members had a right to know? 
• How would any victim of my misconduct experience this? 
• What would fear of such publicity do to the likelihood of others being willing to report allegations in future?

Discretion and confidentiality are motivated by kindness and a wish to protect from harm. Secrecy is unskillful because it is a deliberate attempt to conceal information in order to exclude others or to avoid negative consequences of honesty.
 
It’s notable that when someone is thought to be ready for ordination the entire Order is not told or consulted, and that wouldn’t be expected or generally thought practical. Instead small groups of Public preceptors are trusted to make the decision in open dialogue with local Order members, private Preceptors and friends of the person in the ordination process. Suspension and expulsion are a reversal of this process and are decided upon in a similar manner. 

Safeguarding
 
13. Does 'Safeguarding' have a specific meaning in UK law? Is there a danger that it is being used as a broad shorthand term for sexual misconduct?
‘Safeguarding’ is the duty of UK bodies to protect adults and children from various significant kinds of harm including sexual harm. It should never be used as shorthand for sexual misconduct, although there may be cases where sexual misconduct may prompt a Safeguarding response. See question 14 for more detail.

You can read the Charity Commission’s expectations of Triratna charities in England and Wales

It is important to emphasise that Safeguarding has both a legislative and regulatory basis. The law has evolved over the last 100 years to strengthen protection for children and adults at risk and invariably the law has changed and adapted in direct response to cases where children and adults were harmed. This background to Safeguarding is important to remember because it is iterative in that it seeks to learn from when things have gone wrong to prevent similar mistakes and harm happening in the future.

In the same way that health and safety law and regulation has developed as a result of appalling and life-threatening working conditions over the last 100 years, so Safeguarding law and regulation has responded to notable and tragic cases; for example the tragic death of Victoria Climbie in 2003 and the subsequent Laming report led directly to the provisions in the 2004 Children Act. 

It is important to remind ourselves that protecting people and Safeguarding responsibilities is a governance priority for all charities and Triratna charities in the UK are regulated by the Charity Commission who mandate that we take take reasonable steps to protect people who come into contact with our charities from harm.

This includes:

• People who benefit from your charity’s work.
• Staff.
• Volunteers.

It may also include other people who come into contact with our charity through our work.

So, while we are required to have effective Safeguarding we also see Safeguarding as a natural expression of the first precept and not therefore alien to Triratna culture in any way when undertaken in a considered and compassionate manner. Naturally this is how we engage with what can be, at times, very challenging work.

14. When is a case a Safeguarding process, a disciplinary process or just a question of ethics?
It may be all three, or none. 

Let’s take for example, the case of an Order member who repeatedly attempts to start sexual relationships with adults on introductory courses: this is a breach of the first Ethical guideline.

Read more about Triratna’s model Ethical guidelines

However, if any of those propositioned is, for example, in recovery from addiction, or has mental health problems or is a refugee, they would be considered “vulnerable” or “at risk”, and this would make it a formal Safeguarding matter. A case like this would be discussed by the Ethics Kula and could be dealt with in a variety of ways. (See question 10, ‘What other processes can be used?’)

The Triratna Safeguarding team (or a Centre’s Safeguarding officer) are the people responsible for making sure such concerns are followed up in a manner which is both in accordance with our precepts and publicly accountable; ie that we in Triratna respond with wisdom and compassion when people tell us they have been harmed, and if called to account by external authorities we can demonstrate that we reacted in a way which would be considered “reasonable” and responsible in court.

15. How can we trust such a process without greater transparency? Have we learnt lessons from previous controversial issues in the Order?
As we’ve explained, transparency is not always possible, and that means transparency can’t be the measure of how much Triratna has learned from the past. However, the fact that we went to the trouble of creating and implementing a Panel process, designed with external and internal professional expertise and chaired by a serving judge, should indicate a very clear commitment to learning from our past and being accountable. It shows that we are prepared to subject our processes to external scrutiny. (It’s worth remembering that Safeguarding is supposed to be internally managed and externally accountable.)
 
In addition Triratna now has model Ethical Guidelines, Safeguarding policies, a Safeguarding team (Munisha and Amaladipa) and an Ethics kula, and every Triratna centre in the UK (and some other countries) has at least one Safeguarding officer.

Read more about Triratna’s model Ethical guidelines

Read more about Safeguarding in Triratna

Read part 2 of this Q & A series
 
If this Q and A has prompted further questions for you please send them to us at: safeguarding@triratna.community

Version 2.0, published October 2018
- Added 14 new questions
- General minor textual changes to the introduction and text as part of incorporating the new questions.
- Correcting small details in older questions based on new information.
- Added a new section about the Triratna Panel Process work as part of Triratna Safeguarding.
- Updated the text to take account of Sangharakshita’s death in October 2018.

From the introduction 
We’ve assembled this FAQ in response to questions people have asked about historical controversy and unskilful behaviour in FWBO/Triratna, and the ways these are sometimes represented online. The main intention is to provide, in good faith, information we believe to be accurate. We wish to represent what are often complex issues in a fair-minded way without over simplifying, aware that other views are possible and are already well represented elsewhere. We’ll keep it updated regularly, adding new questions and answers from time to time as seems helpful.

If you have a question that isn’t covered, feel free to contact us any time and we’ll try to put you in touch with someone who may be able to respond: next.steps@triratna.co

Originally published April 2017. Updated with additional questions, October 2018. Download archive updated 29th January 2019 to include updated FAQ - häufig gestellte Fragen zu Kontroversen um Triratna (Version 2.0)

Other versions
Read the web edition

Lesen Sie auf Deutsch - Version 2.0 (PDF)

How Do We Have the Difficult Conversations?
Building reconciliation and a sustainable basis of trust for Triratna

We want to update everybody who has been following the work of the Adhisthana Kula. (See endnote 1.) This post will mainly focus on our considerations and conclusions as to whether some form of external independent inquiry was needed to look into difficult aspects of Triratna's past and culture.

Our wish is that the debates that were reignited following a BBC local tv report in September 2016, and the attention the Kula gave to these, were the beginnings of what we hope will amount to a culture change. We could describe this culture change as something like “not being afraid of the difficult conversations”.

Everything we have tried to do falls within this expressed framework of not being afraid to have difficult conversations; whether between individuals, within the communities focused around our Buddhist Centres, or the wider world and other interested parties; conversations about certain issues or norms that we need to identify, examine and evaluate. As we indicated in the first post on the Adhisthana Kula blog in March 2017, right from the start we have been learning to acknowledge, express regret for and learn from aspects of our culture which were unhelpful or harmful, as well as where they were good or right, but applied badly.

Read: Introducing the Adhisthana Kula

An external independent inquiry?
As part of our work we heard some requests for an independent process to help us move towards reconciliation and restoring trust. Some of these requests called explicitly for an external inquiry, so we want to share our thinking quite carefully on this matter.

Mindful of the harm caused to some in Triratna, and the concerns of many people about this, we took these calls very seriously and set out to establish how such a process might proceed and whether an independent inquiry would be a helpful part of it. We sought to research approaches and methods with an eye to what might be acceptable to both those in Triratna and those without, so that it might best build bridges and trust, as well as providing a platform for reconciliation and closure where needed.

We want to offer here the process we went through, as well as our thinking so far and the reasons for them, using four assumptions and principles as a framework:

1. Research: what methods have been used in comparable situations in other Buddhist traditions?
    
2. Seeking external opinion: from other Buddhist traditions
    
3. Safeguarding: supporting the work of Triratna’s Safeguarding team
    
4. Openness: placing as much as permissible of the controversial aspects of our past in the public domain

1. Research
Our aspiration was to try to help find a clear methodology to:

• help restore trust, where it had been damaged or broken
   
• foster reconciliation and closure where needed and
   
• provide a level of objectivity beneficial to everyone

As part of this, we were open to the idea of some form of external inquiry.

We began by reading reports (see endnote 2) from external inquiries from a range of educational institutions and religious communities. We could see some benefits: they provided a detached, authoritative viewpoint and were usually able to give a voice to those who had been hurt, harmed or neglected in their own community.

We found that these inquiries almost always operated alongside criminal court cases and within a framework where the most important questions appeared to be “Who is to blame?”, “What rules have been broken?” and, frequently, “Who needs to be punished?”

They rarely seemed to offer a way of repairing trust or connection within communities, nor did they seem to offer any clear way to deal with contradictory accounts of historical events.

Had the controversial aspects of Triratna’s past involved criminal allegations, we would automatically have instituted an external inquiry. The Triratna Safeguarding team (see point 3) have established that the police are well aware of the allegations against Sangharakshita and that nothing which has been reported to them is criminal. Any allegations against anyone else involving any possibility of criminality whatsoever have been reported to the police and/or Charity Commission by the Safeguarding team, where possible in consultation with those who may have been harmed.

Here, the requirements of data protection law and Safeguarding prevent us from giving any details, rather than any lack of desire to be transparent. (See endnote 3.)

In addition we have looked carefully at the recommendations arising from external reports into criminal sexual misconduct on the part of religious teachers and leaders in other traditions. While we are not complacent, we did find that Triratna was already implementing many of these. (See endnote 4.)

A couple of Order members recommended we contact An Olive Branch, a Buddhist organisation in North America which works towards reconciliation within Buddhist communities by allowing stories to be told. This we did, and we liked their principles. However, because they are based in North America and most of the work, healing and conversation we needed was in the UK, we - and they - felt their involvement would be impractical.  At the same time, we remain open to using or consulting with them in the future.

There being no comparable body within the UK or the rest of Europe, our continuing search led us to Restorative process. This is the process we recommended to our community. 

We were introduced to the methodology of Restorative process, firstly through Jnanasiddhi, an Order member who works in this field, and then through making contact with Janine Carroll, Director of Restorative Now. We felt this approach offered the best chance for real communication and reconciliation, in line with our Buddhist values. We have written about this already on the Adhisthana Kula blog (see: ‘Why the Restorative Approach?’ by Ratnadharini), but to summarise, in the words of Janine Carroll:

Restorative practice recognises the harm conflict causes to relationships, and seeks to redress this by emphasising that the ownership of both the problem and the solution lies with the key parties involved... a Restorative approach places relationships at the heart of the process with a focus on addressing harm.

We felt these principles aligned very closely with the ethical foundations of Buddhism as we understand them. This is commonly described simply as 'taking responsibility’, which means taking responsibility for the consequences of all of our actions, all our disharmony and its repair. The Restorative approach needs testing, so the early cases in which we have begun to use it are considered by us a preliminary “checking” of the methodology, which we intend to review.

Another reason we chose this approach is that it can be scaled up to work with larger groups of people (this process is called "Restorative circles”) not only with individuals or very small groups (when it is called “Restorative conversations”).

It is important to note that Restorative process cannot replace the proper reporting and prosecution of criminal allegations. If criminal allegations (or rumours or suspicions of criminal activity) arise in the course of Restorative process they must be reported to the Safeguarding team, who will report them to the police.

Listen to Ratnadharini and Shantigarbha talk about the Restorative Process in Triratna

2. Seeking external opinion
We decided to contact respected Buddhist teachers from other communities, to share with them the issues we are dealing with and our proposed responses; to seek their advice and ask their opinion – including about whether they thought we should commission an external inquiry. We also asked for any further suggestions or recommendations they might have.

Because these were private conversations we haven't published names, but we plan to go back and ask some of these teachers to do a final assessment and review of the Kula's work, and we may be able to publish this as a public document.

These contacts were in the form of one-to-one conversations with individual members of the Adhisthana Kula, and so far we have had six such conversations. Most of these Buddhist teachers already knew something of the history of Triratna and had been following, or were aware of, the Kula and the blog page we had established on The Buddhist Centre Online.

See: The Adhisthana Kula blog

The conversations are a little hard to sum up but we have arrived at four points:

1. They said we weren’t alone: other Buddhist communities have had similar difficulties.
    
2. They felt we were tackling Triratna's issues in a reasonable and appropriate way.
    
3. Nobody thought our situation merited an external inquiry, based on what they understood of the issues.
    
4. One person whose community had implemented an independent inquiry noted some benefits, but also thought it had reduced the opportunity within the community for really taking responsibility for mistakes from the past. 
    

3. Safeguarding
It became clear to the Adhisthana Kula that, alongside the reconciliation and Restorative work we proposed to do to address harm, it would be important to establish model grievance, complaint and conflict resolution protocols, to sit alongside existing Safeguarding policies and Triratna's Ethical guidelines.

Read: Triratna’s Safeguarding Policies and Ethical Guidelines, 2018

Triratna's Safeguarding officer, Munisha, has been developing model Safeguarding policies, practice and training for all its UK Centres since 2013, as required by the UK Charity Commission, law and nationally agreed UK Safeguarding requirements. She now has a Safeguarding team, which works as part of Triratna's Ethics Kula.

The Safeguarding team works with advice from external Safeguarding bodies such as Thirtyone:eight (previously known as CCPAS) who have also provided two training days for the Safeguarding officers and trustees of Triratna's UK centres. It also benefits from the expertise of a number of people within Triratna who work professionally in Safeguarding and criminal justice.

New model policies now in development in Triratna include those on bullying, whistleblowing, grievance and complaint, as well as for trans/non-binary people and those with disabilities.

Read: More about Safeguarding in Triratna

Contact the Safeguarding team: safeguarding@triratnadevelopment.org

4. Openness
So far our method has been to publish widely as much information as we can, some of it within Triratna, but most of it in the public domain on the Adhisthana Kula page on the Buddhist Centre Online.

The Frequently Asked Questions document is available to all on the Adhisthana Kula page. This is an extensive public document addressing controversial questions from Triratna’s past, compiled by the Adhisthana Kula and Triratna’s Safeguarding team.

Read: Triratna Controversy FAQ (N.B. This regularly maintained document will be updated with 14 major new sections and further updates in early November)

Aside from the FAQ and other Adhisthana Kula posts, and indeed before the Kula was set up, Triratna’s main web platform, The Buddhist Centre Online, had established an Order-member blog called ‘Stories of the Past and Present (Looking to the Future)’. This was created as an Order-only resource because some Order members told us explicitly that they did not want to post their story on a public space, and we felt this would encourage and support a high degree of openness and frankness. Order members were invited to tell their stories freely and allow comments from other Order members. So far there are 90+ stories and 1000+ comments posted, telling a full range of experiences - positive, damaging and mixed. Most of the stories related to, or referenced, the early decades of Triratna, especially the 1970s and 1980s, and have most relevance for those who were ordained or were around during that time.

We recognise that we haven’t yet had a dedicated space for Friends, Mitras, and ex-Triratna people, including ex-Order members, though various social media groups have been set up independently. We also haven’t yet settled on a formal way of telling some of these stories more widely, as part of our own collective history. This is something that we intend to address in the future.

We are still learning from this, and there are questions that we still have to answer satisfactorily. For example:

1. What kind of moderation is appropriate for such a blog?
    
2. Is it wise or helpful to include stories about current grievances, and how do we respond to these, both to the complainant and the ‘accused’?
    
3. The “Stories of the Past and Present” blog is only open to Order members, so we still need to get clear about what can we offer to others, for example those not ordained, or those who have resigned.
    

Conclusion
All members of the Adhisthana Kula deeply regret any harm caused in Triratna’s past and remain committed to the work of addressing this. We hope that the actions we have taken and will take, the advice we are grateful to be receiving, and the open, Restorative culture we are encouraging our community to build, will all help us in our efforts to build a more healthy and harmonious Triratna for the future; one that can continue to take the teachings of the Buddha out into the world.

Although since January 2018 the Adhisthana Kula has no longer been meeting regularly, we want to affirm that the work that the Kula participated in, with many others in our community, continues. We do not see it as “job done”. Three new groups take this work forward (see endnote 5):

• The College Chair’s Council is a new advisory body, established by the Chair of Triratna’s College of Public Preceptors to look at the key issues and principles of our community.
   
• The Restorative Working Group takes forward the work of addressing harm and difficulty.
   
• The Ethics Kula, including the Triratna Safeguarding team, is addressing all of the most serious ethical issues, and all the Safeguarding processes and training that have been developing since 2013.

We are confident that these three groups will ensure continuing improvement in our understanding of the ethical issues which have arisen in Triratna, and the measures needed to avoid such mistakes in future.

However, as the work of looking at our past continues and understanding deepens, there remains the possibility of external scrutiny should further concerns emerge which merit outside help.

Endnotes
1. From the first post, Introducing the Adhisthana kula: “In early February 2017 a group of six Order members began meeting daily at Adhisthana to follow up and engage further with the discussion of issues that have been raised; we are calling ourselves the ‘Adhisthana Kula’ (‘kula’ means something like ‘clan’). Between us we hold responsibilities in the major Triratna institutions and are able to be in communication with Sangharakshita. We will be consulting widely, and are following the debate already taking place online, but are keen to see more voices included in face-to-face communication throughout the Order and Community. We want to acknowledge the problematic aspects of our past, while not wanting to dismiss so much that is positive in what Sangharakshita and so many of us have managed to bring into being over the first 50 years of our community”.

2. For example see “An Abuse of Faith”, a report commissioned by the Church of England.

3. It is a UK Safeguarding requirement that any current or historical criminal allegation of harm to a child who is still a child at the time of reporting must be reported to the relevant child protection authorities, whether police or social services, with or without the child’s consent. However, in the case of an adult victim, or a child victim who is adult at the time of reporting, it is best practice for the process and degree of reporting to be agreed if possible with the person concerned.

However, in all cases nobody has a right to know any details except those few who need to know in order to deal with the matter effectively and prevent further harm. This is to protect the alleged victim from harm, and to avoid jeopardising police investigations. It is also a requirement that a person alleged to have committed a crime may not be named unless they have been formally charged by the police.

These are the requirements followed by Triratna’s Safeguarding team.

4. See the recommendations from the Church of England report in note 2, and those in the more recent report from the investigation of allegations against Sogyal Rinpoche and Rigpa.

5. The three new bodies:

• The College Chair’s Council (CCC) is brought together by the College Chair to support his or her work. It is not intended to become an executive decision-making body. Any proposals from the CCC would need to go to other bodies with the authority to implement them.
  
  It has a core membership that includes the Chair of the College, one of the two Deputy Chairs, the Chair of the International Council, and the two International Order Convenors (currently this means Saddhaloka, Ratnadharini, Dhammarati, Aryajaya and Lokeshvara). Around this core is envisaged a wider, flexible, membership drawing in opinion and experience from those in the Order such as Centre Chairs and Mitra Convenors, visiting Order members from overseas, and Order members with professional skills such as facilitation or strategic thinking.
   
• The Restorative Working Group’s current membership is Jnanasiddhi, Shantigarbha and Ratnadharini.
   
• The Ethics Kula: current membership is Jnanasiddhi, Lokeshvara, Saddhaloka, Parami and the Safeguarding team, who are Munisha and Amaladipa.

See also 'An Update On Restorative Process In Triratna (October 2018)'

This is a report on the Restorative work undertaken over the last year within Triratna, which was introduced in the Adhisthana kula’s posts of 13th April and 15th June 2017, entitled “A Reconciliation process” and “Why Restorative approach?”

Read “A Reconciliation process”

Read “Why Restorative approach?”

Listen to our podcast on Restorative Process in Triratna

In 2017 Triratna’s Adhisthana kula undertook to:

1. Offer training in ‘Restorative’ practice within Triratna, as part of a process of learning to go deeper with difficult conversations; revisiting and learning further from past mistakes; and offering clear policies, protocols, processes and training to help us all deal with the challenges of community more effectively now and in the future.
    
2. Review Triratna centres and projects where there has been disharmony, to see what was done to address these at the time and whether there is anything more that can be done.
    
3. Offer a Restorative process with an external facilitator where there has been unresolved conflict, breach of trust, harm or disharmony between individuals.
    

Here is what the Kula has done under each of these headings.

1. Offering training in ‘Restorative’ practice within Triratna, as part of a process of learning to go deeper with difficult conversations; revisiting and learning further from past mistakes; and offering clear policies, protocols, processes and training to help us all deal with the challenges of community more effectively now and in the future.

In March 2017, the Adhisthana Kula, in consultation with Triratna’s College of Public Preceptors and International Council Steering Group, undertook to explore the potential for the use of “Restorative” skills within Triratna. This arose from awareness of a need to find more effective ways of addressing disharmony when relationships have become strained or broken down.

“Restorative” practice, or process, is a methodology that can be used in many situations “to prevent conflict, build relationships and repair harm by enabling people to communicate effectively and positively”. Having developed from a process used in the criminal justice system it has been successfully adapted for many other situations including schools, children’s services, workplaces, hospitals and communities.

In April 2017 at an international meeting of Triratna presidents, 22 presidents participated in a day’s training with Janine Carroll, an external specialist in Restorative process, 12 of whom went on to complete an additional two days’ training in July 2017. The training was much appreciated and several presidents have since applied their training to conflict situations in the centres where they are president.

Visit the Restorative Now website for more details on Janine’s approach

Introductory training in Restorative process also took place at the January 2018 meeting of the European Chairs’ Assembly. Further introductory days have been offered for Order members and Regional Order Convenors; further two-day training sessions are also being offered to Chairs and others. A network of those who have had the three days training is being formed, to offer mutual support and advice and have a pool of facilitators who can offer help when needed.

2. A review of Triratna centres and projects where there has been disharmony, to see what was done to address these at the time, and whether there is anything more that can be done.

Restorative practice may be used both to address matters from the past and current or potential difficulties. A Restorative co-ordinating group has been set up to monitor this work, whose members are Jnanasiddhi, Shantigarbha, (both professionals in this field) and Ratnadharini (a member of the Adhisthana Kula).

At present several Sanghas are using Restorative process to resolve past difficulties, the details of which are confidential to those involved.

A range of issues have  been referred to the Restorative co-ordinating group, who have followed through with a restorative approach. A notice has gone out in Shabda, outlining the work of the Co-ordinating group and how it can be contacted by those who feel a restorative process might be of help. 

3. Offering a Restorative process with an external facilitator where there has been unresolved conflict, breach of trust, harm or disharmony between individuals.

We began with those men who had sexual contact with Sangharakshita in the 1970s and 1980s.

This has been the source of much speculation, discomfort and uncertainty in Triratna, as well as a subject of debate and concern in the public domain. While Sangharakshita is still alive it is important to us to do as much as we can to heal the past. We therefore asked Janine Carroll, our external specialist in Restorative process, to work with us.

Our first task was to ascertain who we might contact and how. Over about three months we contacted a number of Order members from the 1970s and 1980s, when the Buddhist community was still very small and Sangharakshita’s sexual activity was well known. We cross-checked several times. As far as we can tell, 25 men were sexually involved with Sangharakshita over a period of 17 years.

We have attempted to contact all those men still living, using an intermediary first for those that have left the Order.

This work is confidential to those involved, but everyone contacted has been offered the services of the external facilitator, Janine Carroll. There have been three requests for a Restorative process, not all with Sangharakshita.

Sangharakshita has also met with Janine, the external facilitator, and has said he is happy that this work is taking place. Despite considerable publicity no other ex-partners have come forward, but anyone else is welcome to contact us at next.steps@triratna.co.

We have also offered Restorative conversations in other situations not connected to Sangharakshita, and we expect this to continue.

Janine has commented generally on the progress of Restorative work and training in Triratna:

This progress is encouraging and emphasises the merit in implementing this culture change, and the importance Triratna's leaders place upon the quality of relationships, and Triratna’s capacity to address any disharmony effectively.

Having introduced Restorative practice to Triratna in a relatively short time, we intend at the end of 2018 to review its integration and its alignment with our values as Buddhists.

See also, 'How Do We Have the Difficult Conversations?'

Ratnadharini and Shantigarbha give an excellent, practical introduction to using the Restorative Process in order to resolve disharmony within Triratna. Exploring its principles and its methodology, this short talk also provides a helpful overview of why the Restorative approach is considered such a good fit for a Buddhist community.

Recorded in India, spring 2018.

Follow the Buddhist Centre Podcast for occasional news and updates from the Adhisthana Kula: On iTunes  |  Other Podcast Networks

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Read more about how Triratna is applying Restorative Process:
Read “A Reconciliation process”

Read “Why Restorative approach?”

Read an update on Restorative Process in Triratna (October 2018)

See also, 'How Do We Have the Difficult Conversations?'

In this article, I want to explore my experience of being a Dharmacharini and a mother. The lifestyle that we live is significant as it creates the conditions in which we shall be practicing the Dharma and not all life styles are equally supportive of spiritual practice. The conditions in which we live will unquestionably have an effect on our Dharma life. Being a Buddhist in a secular, material society is hard. Being a mother is demanding so anyone who chooses to combine these is committing themselves to a challenging life and it is important not to underestimate this. If, however, you choose to become a mother then it is possible to work creatively with the conditions of family life which can present many rich opportunities for spiritual growth and development on the Buddhist path.

When I first encountered the FWBO in 1980, I did not have children but I had strong urge to conceive and have children in my life. Having been conditioned both by familial and societal expectations within the context of Anglican Christianity, I was shocked to encounter the fact that Buddhism seemed to have no place for the family and did not especially value it. The Buddha went forth from family life into the life of homelessness. The householder life is described as ‘cramped and dusty’. The place of family life within Buddhism is in contrast to that found in other religions such as Christianity where, for example, marriage is specifically for the procreation of children. Within Catholicism there is the cult of the Virgin Mary and in various New Age spiritual groups motherhood is given an inherently spiritual status. Furthermore, my dismay was increased by some of the prevalent attitudes which were given expression in the FWBO at the time and which I heard as being anti-family. These included statements like ‘it wasn’t possible to make spiritual progress as a mother’: a feeling that consciously choosing to have children was a backward step or not acceptable. Discouraged, I found myself on the horns of a dilemma and I was unable to reconcile my desire to have children with the prevailing attitudes I encountered and I wondered if this was a community within which I could practice. I felt unable to ask to become a Mitra and I was stuck. In 1983, I was invited to go to Holland to attend a weekend retreat. On the boat, I was able to talk at length about my dilemma with 2 Dharmacharinis and as result of that conversation my dilemma was resolved. I felt it was possible to practice as a Buddhist within the FWBO and have children. From that moment, on a sunny afternoon sailing over the sparkling North sea, I have never looked back.

In 1985, my first son was born and I was ordained 2 years later in 1987. The fact that I could be ordained as a mother with a 2 year old into a Buddhist Order has left me a with a profound debt of gratitude to Sangharakshita for his radical vision of the WBO/TBO. There was nowhere else in the world I could have been ordained in my circumstances as a young mother. My second son was born a few years later in 1993. My life as a Buddhist and a Dharmacharini has taken place within the context of family life and I have lived with my husband, Advayacitta, who is also a member of the Order. I have encountered nothing but support and interest in my family from friends, fellow Order members and Sangharakshita. I have never felt criticised or de-valued by others for the fact I was a mother. At times, I did compare myself unfavourably with friends who were leading a different life- style and were much freer to give their time and energy to Buddhist centres and retreats.

Being a Dharmacharini and a mother are inextricably linked, the one informing and shaping the other. I find it hard to imagine being a parent without the framework of the Dharma to meet the challenges and demands of parenting. The Dharma has definitely made me a better parent and my aim has been to bring up my children as well as possible so they can become kind and aware human beings with an ethical framework and an awareness that actions have consequences. Living in a family has also provided me with good conditions for practicing the Dharma. Following guidance from Sangharakshita, I have always considered myself a Buddhist first and a mother second which means that the central and defining reference point of my life has been the Three Jewels, The Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. This implies that all my activity/decisions are taken with reference to the Dharma. Hence, my decisions as a mother and the ways I have related to my children over the years and responded to the challenges that have arisen have been informed and influenced by the most meaningful and valuable thing in life, namely my faith in the Three Jewels. The framework of the 10 ethical precepts that I took at ordination has been invaluable in this regard.

Having children is an inherently human act. As a Buddhist choosing to have a child, it is important to be as clear as possible about our conditioning and motivation to conceive. Motherhood is part of the mundane and is rooted in our biological conditioning. There is nothing inherently spiritual about it. Family life is time consuming and tiring and takes much of our energy. It also has implications, which can be overlooked or unforeseen. For example, I did not appreciate the economic demands of raising children and the fact I would need an income that provided for the needs of the family, so working became another demand on my time and energy. Family life does limit your ability to be involved in activities for and with others. There are inherent tensions between family life and the demands of individual and collective Buddhist practice. So whilst being a mother does not prevent you being an effective Dharma practitioner, it can restrict your ability to engage with the Sangha and to go on retreat.

Being a mother can bring psychological benefits and can be integrating. It is a maturing and grounding process which develops a sense of responsibility. Parenting is a worthwhile and lifelong commitment which you have to follow through, whatever challenges may arise. It helps you to develop a flexible and adaptable attitude as children are constantly changing. As time for your own pursuits is limited it can help you focus on your priorities; it integrates the biological and it gives rise to an intensity of emotion from great joy to intense frustration.

Bringing up children provides many opportunities for spiritual growth and development if you can be creative and use them. Indeed, being with children can be a supportive context for spiritual growth. The Tibetans talk of family life as a 20 year retreat. I think there is some truth in this if, - and it is a big if, - you do not have to work full time in a worldly job as well as bringing up children. I have found it very useful to reflect on impermanence and the corresponding vimoksha mukkha*, the ‘signless’, as situations have arisen where I have needed to let go of being in control. The signless gateway, points me in the direction of letting go of thinking that I know everything and instead encourages a more open and fluid approach, becoming present in the moment and avoiding fixing either my experience or that of my son. The Buddha gives a succinct and rather mysterious teaching to Bahiya of the bark garment which gives expression to this:

'In the seen there will be just the seen, in the heard just the heard, in the imagined just the imagined in the cognised just the cognised. Thus you will have no thereby.'**

Being a mother is one long practice of letting go and encourages a fluid, flexible approach to life. I have found C Day Lewis’s moving poem “Walking Away’ helpful. It captures the poignancy and tenderness in the act of letting our children go.

It is eighteen years ago, almost to the day –
A sunny day with leaves just turning,
The touch-lines new-ruled – since I watched you play
Your first game of football, then, like a satellite
Wrenched from its orbit, go drifting away

Behind a scatter of boys. I can see
You walking away from me towards the school
With the pathos of a half-fledged thing set free
Into a wilderness, the gait of one
Who finds no path where the path should be.

That hesitant figure, eddying away
Like a winged seed loosened from its parent stem,
Has something I never quite grasp to convey
About nature’s give-and-take – the small, the scorching
Ordeals which fire one’s irresolute clay.

I have had worse partings, but none that so
Gnaws at my mind still. Perhaps it is roughly
Saying what God alone could perfectly show –
How selfhood begins with a walking away,
And love is proved in the letting go.

Living in a family has provided a rich context for my ethical practice, both in my own behaviour towards my children and husband, and also in guiding my sons with their own dilemmas as well as giving them a sense that actions have consequences. It can give you opportunities to deepen and expand maternal love into genuine metta by extending outwards from your feelings for your children to include others. In the Karaniya Metta Sutta, the Buddha says,

'Even as a mother protects with her life her child, her only child, So with boundless heart should one cherish all living beings; Radiating kindness over the entire world:'

Metta has many similarities with maternal love. Both are intense, nurturing and selfless and so as a mother you can work to extend your love so it is no longer self-referential and it becomes unbound and unlimited. This beautiful analogy, in the direct words of the Buddha, can help us to develop the boundless heart rooted in our experience of loving our children.

It has been imperative for my Dharma practice to be the whole of my life so I have needed to find ways to bring the Dharma into ordinary domestic activity like cooking, ironing, being with the children etc. Mindfulness and metta have been very important in this regard, as has reflection on the Dharma. I have also found it a crucial condition of my practice to have a regular time when I could engage fully with the sacred. For many years, this took the form of keeping one morning a week for longer meditation and reflection so I could really enter into the sacred realms.

I have also found it crucial to develop strong friendships both with women who have children and those who have chosen a different lifestyle. And to maintain a strong, loving relationship with my husband. My Order Chapter has been a weekly touchstone through all the ups and downs of life connecting me with my purpose in life to Go For Refuge to the Three Jewels.

It is helpful to have some responsibility outside the family in the sangha. I have led Mitra study for many years which has been a vital part of my practice allowing me to share the Dharma and my practice as well as giving a focus for my personal explorations of the Dharma.

The world is more present when you bring up children and you will need confidence, self-reliance and a strong sense of the Dharma to guard the gates of the senses. One condition which was important in shaping my family context was the fact I have never had a TV. This was accepted by my sons and was not a problem for them. (the world is now a very different place in this regard from what it was 30 years ago). I mention this to make that point that children accept decisions made by their parents which may be very different to those encountered by their peers, so long as we, as parents, are confident in our decisions.

I want to return to two important points about family life. Firstly, the amount of time and energy that being a mother takes. I think this is the main point to consider when thinking about having children. Understandably, when founding the F/WBO Sangharakshita wanted Order Members who could commit themselves as fully and wholeheartedly as possible to developing the Order and Movement. In the early days, he therefore did not encourage those without children to start a family. 50 years on, we are still a young movement. These days I know Order Members who are parents who are Chairs of Centres, Mitra convenors or live and work at retreat centres. In many centres there are regular activities for children and families as well as well-established, regular retreats for families. However, if you are a parent, life is a constant juggling act between competing demands. In life, we are always making choices and in saying “Yes” to one course of action, we inevitably say “No” to another. In choosing to have children, your ability to be involved with the sangha will be affected. You will need to be willing to embrace the tension between the demands of family life and your urge to engage individually and collectively with the Sangha. This is an on-going tension which never goes away and so you have to be willing to work with it as a crucial part of your practice and experience. The tension may attenuate when children leave home but in my experience it remains, even when children are launched in their adult life.

Secondly, we cannot gloss over the fact the Buddha went forth into the homeless life. As a mother living in the world, I have needed to fully and deeply understand the Buddha’s renunciation of the world and avoid the temptation to see it as a result of the social conditioning of his time. Early on in my life as a buddhist I found this difficult as I don’t easily resonate with the language of renunciation. My main approach was therefore to deepen my sense of the Beyond, cultivate beauty and metta, and extend myself beyond my sense of self e.g. one way I approached this was to reflect on Mamaki, who is described as the mine maker and is an embodiment of the Wisdom of Equality. She makes everything in the universe her own and feels for all living beings as though they were her own children, her own self. Reflecting on this figure and the possibility of seeing everything in the world as ‘mine’, has helped to weaken my narrow ego-based identification with things and grasping for them. I trusted that renunciation would take care of itself and this has proved to be the case. I now believe that when yathabhuta-jnanadarshana*** arises, i.e. the experience of seeing directly the way things are, there arises a turning away from the conditioned , from samsara. This is because you have seen through samsara and experienced the fact that the conditioned is dukkha, is unsatisfactory. Going Forth now has the taste of freedom for me.

As parents, whilst having our feet firmly planted in the world, we can be cultivating the conditions to Go Forth internally. We can Go Forth from identification with particular roles e.g. in my own case as a mother, psychologist, daughter etc. or particular views. We can also ensure that we are Going For Refuge to the true refuges that give ultimate satisfaction, namely, the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha and thereby avoid having unrealistic expectations of those things that are ultimately unsatisfactory. Going Forth can be a letting go of unrealistic expectations either of our children or of ourselves as parents. We can be aspiring to be in the world but not of it, knowing where true value lies, which gives us the freedom to respond skilfully and wisely to our children.

Sangharakshita’s vision of the Order is radical. He founded an Order that was neither lay nor monastic. This presents Order Members with the challenge of working out what this means. How do we lead a fully committed and authentic Dharma life whilst being in the midst of the world, as for example, with children. This is work in progress and I suggest that we are only at the beginning of the process of articulating and developing this within our Triratna community. Sangharakshita has given us a great gift but it is one that we have to accept and it is up to us to live out his vision.

In summary, as Buddhists we are going against the gravitational pull of the conditioned. The forces of greed, hatred and delusion are strong and never more so than in the present times. It is therefore crucial to live in a context that supports Buddhist practice. In choosing to have children, it is important to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of living in a family as far as possible and to be as clear as possible when taking that step. Living with children is a joyful and positive context in which to practice and can be a rich and fertile situation for spiritual growth. It can provide many valuable opportunities for reflection on the Dharma and practice. It is a path of loving and letting go. However, it takes a lot of time and energy and hence limits the energy you have available for other things like engaging with the sangha, going on retreat or taking on another big project. Within Triratna, we are still in the early stages of understanding the vision of the Order which Sangharakshita has given us. Those who are parents have an important part to play in deepening our collective understanding of what it means to lead a full and committed Dharma life within the world. My hope is that over the next 50 years in Triratna, we shall arrive at a much fuller and deeper understanding of what the Triratna Buddhist Order is and how it manifests in the world both individually and collectively as a vehicle for the Bodhicitta.

Punyamala December 2017

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*Vimoksha mukka - the gateway to liberation. Each of the the three laksanas has a corresponding vimoksha mukka e.g. for dukkha, unsatisfactoriness, the corresponding gateway is the unbiased. There is an excellent description of these in “What is the Dharma’ by Sangharakshita p65-68

**See the Udana for the story of Bahiya. This translation is by Woodward. A modern rendering is,'Bahiya, when you see something, just see it, when you hear something, just hear it, when you think of something, just think of it. Don’t worry about whether you like it or dislike it. Don’t praise or blame: just notice. That is the important thing. That is the way to happiness.'

***yathabhuta-jnanadarshana translates as knowledge and vision of things as they really are. It is the eighth stage of the spiral path and corresponds to stream entry. I am using the phrase here to denote the experience of profound and irreversible Insight into Reality, a profound experience of seeing through the conditioned. 

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Watch Punyamala in conversation about family practice  |  See more posts on practice in a family context

Another lovely conversation between old friends and Public Preceptors, Moksananda and Saddhaloka, reflecting on a life being both a parent and a practicing Buddhist within the FWBO and Triratna. 

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This is my personal story of my decision, as a Dharmacharini, as to whether or not to have a baby. It is explored within the mores (conventions) of the time in Triratna.

I was 20 years old, and in my last year at University, when I became accidentally pregnant. I knew that I did not want a child at that point in my life. I had thought, however, since I was a child playing with my dollies, that I would have children one day. I was a very troubled young woman and I felt that it would be a disaster for me and for the child, if I went through with it. I shut down and made my decision to have a termination. This was 1967 and legal abortion was not yet an option. The termination happened in secret, between me and a couple of people who helped and supported me. I will spare you the painful details, but suggest that you could watch the film Vera Drake, for some idea of that period in Britain, and of that experience.

This experience cast a long shadow over my life, emotions and health. Its effects are what brought me to the Dharma and to Triratna a few years later, when I was 24. I deeply regretted having had to make that decision, and I was troubled about it for many years. I was very clear that I did not want to be in that situation again, so I took great care with birth control. The contraceptive pill was not freely available, but a couple of close friends who had become pregnant and had had their babies adopted (a different kind of extremely painful experience) introduced me to their social worker, who put me on a trial for the pill. This involved me turning up at St Mary's Hospital sexually transmitted diseases clinic along with the local prostitutes. One day I saw a different doctor and he refused to renew my prescription, as he thought it would lead to promiscuity, even though I was in a stable relationship, and needed to be for the trial. His solution to the risk of pregnancy to which he exposed me was celibacy! When I later complained to my social worker she said "we hope that Doctor Lee is born a woman next time around!"

Meeting Bhante and the Dharma in 1970 was a life saver for me, and I soon became fully involved, living in a residential community, and working full time for the Centre. We were all very young, and we were trying to co-create a Movement and Order from scratch, which was wonderful and inspiring. However, we were full of youthful and naive idealism combined with very little life experience.

As activities became more single sex in the 1970's, it became obvious that there were fewer women in the Movement and not many Women Order Members. I did worry that if anyone had a desire to have a child and needed to leave (the building site situation at Amaravati women’s community, where we were living, was no place for a child) that everything would fall apart. I had read about the Ivy Benson Girls Band, a touring all women swing band of the 1940's. "Benson's band had a high turnover of musicians, as they frequently left to marry G.I.s they met while touring.” She once commented, "I lost seven in one year to America. Only the other week a girl slipped away from the stage. I thought she was going to the lavatory but she went off with a G.I. Nobody's seen her since." I thought this might be what would happen to us! Well, not with the G.I's, I guess!

My life was very full and I was enjoying my Dharma practice and creating community and was not thinking about having a child. I realize that I may not have been very sensitive to that desire arising in others, for which I am truly sorry. Later a friend told me that her desire for a child was so strong that her womb ached all the time and I thought that if that had been my experience; I would have needed to have followed that through. I am happy to say that she did later have a family.

In those days, as an Order, we could all get together in one room and discuss the development of the Order and Movement, as we did on early Order conventions. In 1973 Bhante began to run seminars, and while these always focused on a Dharma text, much of the discussion would be about how to live a Dharma life. This would include talking about everything pertinent; semi-monastic community life, single-sex, families, children, sex, relationships, relationships between genders, work, as well as meditation, study, and practice in general. We were exploring all aspects of our lives in relation to the Dharma, and learning in the process. Sangharakshita must also have been learning. We were his first students, or disciples, if you don't mind the word. We were his first female disciples, and we were so young. Yet some of those discussions became ideas, practices, even ideologies. I am asking those of you from later generations, to stand in our shoes, the way we were then, with empathy. We certainly debated all those issues amongst ourselves in the Women's Order. I can remember Order days devoted to discussing motherhood or not, and the relationship between motherhood and Stream Entry. In 1983 all the available Dharmacharinis went off for a month’s retreat to the Isle of Muck, during which, apart from meditation practice and study, we discussed issues relevant to us, which included children and the spiritual life. Some Dharmacharinis present were already mothers, and some would go on to have children of their own.

One thing to try and remember is how we viewed being an Order Member in those days. Sangharakshita had taught us that commitment was primary and lifestyle was secondary, and later that commitment was primary, the precepts were secondary and lifestyle was tertiary. However, there was a strong emphasis on Going Forth, and an understanding that if you came into the Movement with responsibilities that you would fulfill them, but that after ordination you would not take on more responsibilities, especially for a family. Sangharakshita’s wish was for Order Members to be as free as possible to pursue their own practice and to spread the Dharma. We needed to think about how this impacted upon, and would be worked out, for women in the Movement and Order.

To illustrate this I am quoting from another Dharmacharini’s memory, with her permission, of a conversation she had with Sangharakshita about this topic.

“Bhante wanted to make it very clear that he only wanted women to question whether they really needed to have children, once they were ordained. He didn't 'per se' think women shouldn't have children, or that it was a 'spiritual handicap' in any way. It was more that if you were free to choose whether to have them or not, as a Dharmacharini, he felt that we were so much needed in establishing the Dharma and that that would be a better use of our energies. But more than anything he wanted me to pass on that he felt it was absolutely imperative that women Mitras felt free to have children. As Order members we should strongly encourage Mitras and Friends to explore the issue, and to feel completely free to have children. He didn't believe it was an impediment to spiritual progress, and he had no qualms about ordaining women, who already had children, if they were considered ready for ordination, as had always been and continued to be the case. He went on to say he thought that for many women having children was a significant factor in helping them to get ordained as it was an integrating, and 'humanizing' experience, in the same way that having a career would be.”

This is why we discussed motherhood amongst ourselves and with the Mitras. There was an encouragement to try to be as clear as possible in an area where it is very easy to be unconscious. We were committed to a very full-on Dharma Life, consisting in high attendance at all Order events, community living, team based right livelihood, and teaching at our Centres. We also had very little money, and often insecure housing, which were not great conditions for starting a family.

In our discussions with Mitras we were interested to know whether the Mitra might be thinking of starting a family at some point. Ordination, from our experience, is a big spiritual experience, and one that needs some time to absorb. Motherhood is also a big experience and especially in the early days the baby needs full time attention. We felt it would be better to either have a child first and then get ordained after a couple of years, or when ready for ordination get ordained and then a couple of years later, start a family. Life, of course, cannot always be so carefully planned and in the actual event women have come back from their ordination retreat and become immediately pregnant, or found that they were on their journey to their ordination retreat. Several women have been ordained while pregnant. In the end each woman is different and in different circumstances.

We also realised later, that when people get ordained when they are young they cannot know whether or not they will want a family later on in life. Many Order Members have started families after ordination and have a strong personal practice and contribute fully to our community.

For many years I had a very full Dharma life with which I was happy. But the biological clock ticks, and in my late thirties I thought I should really think about whether or not I wanted a child. I had worked very hard over the years to forgive my youthful self for feeling that there was no choice but to have an abortion in my early 20’s, and to free myself from much of my painful childhood conditioning. I thought then, in my late thirties, that I would make a good mother. I am sure I thought about this decision as much as I could. I would have talked to my friends, reflected in meditation, and no doubt consulted my dreams. In the end I decided that I did not want to have a child. I also realised, however, that I did need to make a change in my life after thirteen years total immersion in Triratna life and responsibility. I went back to University for three years when I was 40, to study Religious Studies, which I loved. I went on a solitary retreat shortly after leaving College and realised that something quite subtle had shifted in me. It was like the question, shall I have a baby, that I imagine is always there, in women at least, at some level, had gone, or been answered. I have no recollection of being persuaded against having children but I do remember a Dharmachari suggesting to me that I should have a child because, otherwise, I wasn't really a real woman and would never feel fulfilled! Fortunately, that has not been my experience and I have never regretted my life choice.

Listen to a podcast conversation about mindfully choosing childlessness

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A great conversation between two friends who are also members of the College of Public Preceptors, exploring Punyamala's experiences around having children in the context of her Buddhist life within the FWBO and Triratna.

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One of the tasks the Adhisthana Kula set itself was to encourage people within Triratna to take a fresh look at some of those areas of practice and lifestyle that have been of real value and importance, and which sometimes have been put forward in an unhelpful way.

We look to build an Order and movement in which anyone who sincerely wishes to commit themselves to the Three Jewels can find a place and have something to give, whatever their lifestyle and background. In Buddhism, as probably in most other religious traditions, there is that perennial tension between renunciation — giving oneself fully and wholeheartedly to the spiritual task and to the service of others — and the pulls of society, family and security.

Over the next few days we'll be looking at some questions around family and a Dharma life. There is a short introduction from Saddhaloka (below), and we'll also have an article by Dhammadinna around her choice not to have children, as well as an article by Punyamala on her choice to have a family. We'll also share two videos, one of a conversation between Moksananda and Saddhaloka, and one of Maitreyi interviewing Punyamala.

Others have shared something of their experience on other forums, and what we offer here is not intended to be definitive, but rather a further contribution to an ongoing discussion. 

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Families in Triratna by Saddhaloka
When Sangharakshita founded the Western Buddhist Order he quite consciously and deliberately founded a unified Order, in which men and women took the same Refuges and Precepts, adopted the same practices, and could potentially hold the same responsibilities. It was also an Order in which commitment to the Three Jewels, was primary and lifestyle secondary. No way of life of itself precluded membership of the Order as long as it was in alignment with Buddhist ethics.

The newly founded Order and movement were soon attracting young men and women strongly influenced by the counter-culture of the 60s, and inspired to help create and build a ‘New Society’ based on Buddhist values. Centres, communities and right livelihood businesses began to emerge, along with single-sex activities. There was talk of a complete, committed, transformative way of life and a great deal of energy, enthusiasm and optimism was released. Anything and everything seemed possible! The mood of the times was experimental. There was already in the counter-culture a critique of the nuclear family and the exclusive couple, and many felt that it was time to do things differently.

Youthful idealism can be bright and innocent and it can achieve a great deal. It can also be naive, confused, rather black and white, and sometimes harsh. Those who by accident or design became parents, and those already with families who found themselves drawn to the movement, could find themselves wondering what they might have to contribute to the project when so much of the energy and inspiration seemed to be with those living the ‘complete life'. They could feel implicitly (and were sometimes explicitly) criticised for having chosen a ‘conventional’ family life. In theory it was a movement for anyone and everyone, whatever their lifestyle, but in practice it did not always seem quite like that. Many years on some still feel the pain of those times, which we have to acknowledge and express regret for. 

Forty or fifty years on it is a very different picture. Those youthful idealists who are still alive and still around are approaching and even entering into their seventies. Some of them did decide not to have children and to devote all their energies to working for the Dharma, and we have a lot to be grateful to them for. Others did become parents, including one or two who were once outspoken critics of family life! Even with their family commitments many managed to make a significant contribution to the Order and Movement, which again we can be very grateful for. Nowadays there is a great span of ages and lifestyles in the Order, and it is a minority who work full time in our Triratna institutions. There is a lot more human — and spiritual — maturity and experience that we can draw on and it is hopefully much more straightforward for anyone to find their place in our community, whatever their lifestyle.

However it is not just a story of time and mellowing attitudes. Involvement with a spiritual community is always going to mean challenges and difficult choices. Commitment to the Three Jewels is not something static. The Dharma always seems to ask more of us, to keep on asking us to go beyond ourselves in ways we never anticipated. There is this precious human life, this precious, fleeting opportunity to be made the most of. There is this suffering world and so much that could be done, that urgently needs to be done. And then there are our very human needs and desires and fears... for a partner, a family, a home, satisfying work, a reasonable pension. What to do? What to do for the best? Such questions will always be with us, and will need to be faced afresh by each generation and by each individual as they move towards committing themselves to the Three Jewels.

See more posts on practice in a family context