Dear Order members and friends,

Formerly one needed courage to attack institutions. Now one needs courage to defend them – and still more courage to create them.

This aphorism of Sangharakshita first appeared in print in 1998 in A Stream of Stars: Reflections and Aphorisms. However, as with many of his published aphorisms, we have no information about the context in which it was first said or written - it is quite possible that Bhante had jotted this down much earlier. Like any good aphorism this one invites us to reflect, indeed challenges us to do so. What does Sangharakshita mean by this? What caused him to have this reflection? More immediately, how does it relate to our own experience? In our life, have we attacked institutions? Which institutions, and why? Did that take courage? And have we defended them, created them, maybe are still doing so, and has this required courage?

Last time I wrote I was at Bodhgaya on our Order Convention, soon on my way to Nagpur for an International Council (IC) meeting at Nagaloka. Over that week, we began each day with a short presentation based on one of Bhante’s aphorisms, followed by discussion in small groups. This one was presented by Jnanadhara, our International Movement Co-ordinator. He drew to our attention that courage is “the ability to do something that frightens one”. He said that fearlessness is a quality of the Buddhas, it is something to aspire to. However before Enlightenment we definitely need courage, this is an indispensable quality that is needed to face whatever fears will inevitably arise, at least from time to time, in order to develop in a Dharma life. Appropriately, as we were at Nagaloka, Jnanadhara reflected on the courage of Dr. Ambedkar, saying that “it is really quite astonishing how incredibly trailblazing he was, to say what he thought in the face of opposition”. You can watch Jnanadhara’s talk here - and he showed courage in giving the talk, as he had been laid low the previous few days with a high fever, only re-emerging that morning and still not feeling well.

Religion cannot be taught it can only be caught.

Abhayadana, one of the women College members in India whose name means “She who gives fearlessness”, spoke on this subject. In this case the origin of the aphorism is a talk given in India in 1982 to College students at Siddharth College in Bombay. Abhayadana said that she had found the talk published in Marathi in a copy of an early issue of the magazine Buddhayan in her possession. (It is published in English in Complete Works volume 9 with the title Buddhism and Education). Bhante’s main theme was kalyana mitrata: “You have to catch the spirit of religion and you do this through the influence of other people.” Abhayadana’s talk connected with Jnanadhara’s when she spoke quite personally about how Dr. Ambedkar’s fearlessness had on many occasions in her life “given her inspiration to move forwards” and how for her “these are not just words but this is Babasaheb for me”. You can watch Abhayadana’s talk here - she also showed courage, giving a talk in English which she is not accustomed to do.

On the International Council the institutions we want to look after, defend where necessary, and explore creating, are of course Triratna’s institutions. The Council itself is made up of members from our primary institutions: the College of Public Preceptors, the Order (Order Convenors), and Chairs from some of our Centres. In addition a few Mitra Convenors are invited.

The IC brings together Area Councils from the six areas of our Triratna World, that is India, Oceania, Latin America, North America, Mainland Europe, and the UK & Ireland. Each Council has six members: two College members, two Order Convenors, and two from the Movement. In addition the IC has a ‘steering group’, comprising the international Order convenors, the international movement coordinator, someone else from the movement, and three College members - one of whom is the Chair of the College - with the Chair of the College being ex-officio the Chair of the IC. The IC meets in person approximately every eighteen months, and a couple of times a year for a day or two online. Area Councils also have their local meetings regularly.

The International Council’s aims are:

Effective consultation, decision-making and coordination – to facilitate strategy, effective decision-making, collaboration and coordination based on a high degree of consultation within and across the three key Strands and six geographical areas of Triratna.

Commonality, unity and harmony – to promote commonality, unity and harmony within the Triratna Community so that everyone can have confidence that they are participating in the same Movement.

Spiritual standards – to offer guidance and support so that all aspects of the Triratna Community, especially new developments, are rooted in our core spiritual values, which derive from Urgyen Sangharakshita’s presentation of the Dharma.

Ethical standards – to offer guidance and support so that all aspects of the Triratna Community exemplify high ethical standards in alignment with the precepts.

Guidance and support – to give those in a position of responsibility access to guidance and support from peers and more experienced Order Members.

This sounds like a lot of work, and in a way it is, but at the same time our meeting was marked by a strong sense of friendship, enjoyment in being together, and vision, very much supported by our venue at Nagaloka: one of the most impressive and inspiring institutions in our Triratna world.

Our IC Convenor Arthavadin is preparing a report which will be available soon and published on the Buddhist Centre Online as well as on our IC website. The theme of the meeting was Vision and Transformation, and topics covered included, amongst others, the New Society, wealth creation and Triratna Communications. Arthavadin will soon be handing on his responsibility after four years in his role, and at the end of our meeting we expressed our considerable appreciation for his convening of the IC over these years.

I would also like to express my appreciation to Aryajaya, who as many of you know stepped down as one of the International Order Convenors (IOCs) this month. One of her final tasks, after more than seven years in this post, was to work with her fellow IOC, Vajrapriya, and Ratnashila, one of the Indian Order Convenors, to organise the recent convention at Bodhgaya. Sadly, at the last moment she was not able to be present at Bodhgaya - however in a virtual sense she was, when, on the last afternoon of the Convention, speaking from the Adhisthana shrine-room and appearing on a huge screen, as well as hearing herself well rejoiced in, she reflected beautifully and with great depth about her time as IOC. This is available for Order Members, here. I would also like to give a shout-out here to Dayaketu and Candradasa from Dharmachakra for managing the technological challenges of this broadcast, which I gather were considerable.

Going back to Jnanadhara’s talk, he says that some people’s instinct is to attack any institution they come across, and that for him that was particularly the case at the age of twenty, when he first came into contact with Triratna in Wellington, New Zealand. At that time he strongly disliked institutions, resisting and attacking them, and he could also find fault with Triratna. But, he says, “there was something about it which resisted my ability to attack and criticise”. I think he puts it well, while acknowledging that no institution can be perfect, at the same time in Triratna “it is possible to find something which is perfect which shines through”. I think one could speak of the possibility of the transcendent shining through institutions in Triratna which on the face of it are merely mundane. This relates to something that Sangharakshita said in his 2009 interview “What is the Western Buddhist Order?”

Everyone will need to take care of that rather mysterious, indefinable spirit that gives the movement life and energy. Everyone must play their part in keeping the Order and movement alive, especially in terms of that indefinable element.

This could also remind us of the aphorism that Abhayadana spoke about: Religion cannot be taught it can only be caught, as no doubt we cannot really teach this indefinable element, it can only be caught.

Wishing all readers the best of months in this changing, rather unsettling world. Indeed Bon Courage! According to an online French/English dictionary, the closest meaning in English is "Hang in there!” or "You can do it!” or "Be strong!”

Mahamati

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