One World, One Sangha - What’s Triratna done for me?

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One World, One Sangha - What’s Triratna done for me?

On Sun, 31 October, 2021 - 11:30

Liz_Bassett

I first went to the Glasgow Buddhist Centre in 2008. My life was ok, but I was looking for more meaning - something I could put all my energies into. I was going in circles. Sinhacandra, the Order member teaching meditation, reached out to me with kindness. And that made all the difference.

I still kept changing relationships and homes, struggling to get a foothold. The Buddhists seemed to know how to work with change though. And Mitra study helped me connect with something meaningful each week.

The Buddhist Centre Online was lifting off. I loved the Newsreel videos of Triratna projects around the world. My local sangha was part of a global movement and I wanted to be involved. In 2016 I took a job with FutureDharma, moved to Adhisthana and plunged into training for ordination.

As Amalavajra and I prepared to launch FutureDharma Fund we discovered its purpose was simple - to help us all express our Bodhisattva aspiration by passing on what we’ve been given.

This pandemic has brought our international sangha closer together. Thanks to The Buddhist Centre Online and the International Council we’re meditating and going on retreats and festival days together online. We’re sharing quality Dharma teaching through the Sikkha Project, and supporting our Indian sangha. We’re reaching thousands more people than ever before.

FutureDharma funded all this. But we’ve borrowed from the future to do it.

Our strengthened international sangha is a fantastic legacy from a very difficult 18 months. I don’t want us to lose it.

But if we don’t raise £50,000 by the end of this year we will need to scale back some of our Triratna projects.

The pandemic really did teach us that this is One World. Together we are One Sangha. If 1,000 people give £50/€60/$70/AU$ 90 - enough to pay for one of our Indian brothers or sisters to go on a 10 day meditation retreat - Triratna can continue to welcome many more people into our life-transforming Sangha. Just like it did me, 13 years ago.

If you have given to FutureDharma’s One World, One Sangha appeal, thank you. If not, will you give now?

With Metta

Liz Bassett

On behalf of everyone at FutureDharma Fund & India Dhamma Trust

P.S. - Please give what you can, even if it is much less or much more than £50/€60/$70/AU$90.

Tags:

#Dharma, #sangha, #FutureDhrma, #India, #IDT, #OneWorld, OneSangha

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