Vinay Khirade comes from India and now lives in Cambridge, UK. He tells us what inspired him about the International Gathering, why he was motivated to start giving to FutureDharma Fund and what he hopes for Triratna in the future.

Biate and Jen from Bristol Buddhist Centre share their experience of the 2017 Triratna International Gathering at Adhisthana.

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The first of a fantastic series of three talks given at the Triratna International Gathering at Adhisthana, 25 August 2017

A poetic and uncompromising talk on the value of the Dharma jewel given on the Triratna International Gathering at Adhisthana, 26 August 2017

Dhammamegha speaks about Sangha as Dharma practice and how spiritual community and friendship with the admirable are part of our heritage in Triratna. A talk given on the Triratna International Gathering at Adhisthana, 27 August 2017

Daniel, 21, is from Dublin Buddhist Centre and asked for Ordination during the Triratna International Gathering 2017 at Adhisthana. Sadhu! Find out what and who has inspired him to take that step.

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The kids area at the International Gathering!

We had about 22 children coming to play with the kids area helpers every day, and we had a lot of fun. As the weather was so superb we spent a couple of mornings at the children's fireplace  - one morning we toasted sausages and gread, and the next we made twizzlers on a stick! Thanks to Meg for a superior recipe, and they were really yummy and just as sticky and messy as I remember them from past family retreats. 

Thanks for Debbie for the wonderful chocolate meditation! As well as raft building and other crafty activities by the fire.  

The kids tent provided a space for all kinds of arts activities, from flower garlands to making monkey masks, as well as board games, parachute games and of course in the afternoon the story telling and dressing up sessions with Dhiraprabha: Jayaraja  came over on the Friday and Sunday afternoon and Ratnaprabha on the Saturday, to tell their story and help the children act it out. 

We had a great time! Thank you to all the children who took part and were so engaged, to the parents who entrusted their children to us, and especially to the wonderful team of helpers! 

Micha joins us from Essen, Germany for the International Gathering. Hear about her Sangha's qualities, what she has been appreciating about the Gathering and her hopes for the future of Triratna.

THANK YOU to everyone who came, who led a workshop, who gave a talk, or who had a stall at the event; thank you to all those who were part of a team - Buddhafield catering team, Buddhafield set up, Adhisthana community and volunteers,  the Development team, the children's team -  it was a wonderful event and I am still basking in the glow of the warmth, laughter, inspiration, and the collective practice of a few hundred people who are all part of our Triratna Buddhist Community.  Memories of our shared time together will stay with me for a long time, and I am already looking forward to doing it again! See you all I hope, and many others too, in 2019 .... 

The pictures included here are from different people, including Stuart Sloter, Dharmabandhu, Sanghamani, myself and others ... thank you x

Sarah from Cambridge, UK, shares her reflections as the International Gathering draws to an end. "I hope we can keep creating that sense of magic..."

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Vassika leads the Transference of Merits in all the languages represented by the great gathering...

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On our last full day we heard from Triratna Hungary, with a presentation from mitra Tibor Derdak of the Dr Ambedkar High School, which offers gypsy girls and boys a way out of poverty and discrimination. As he said, quoting Subhuti, if the Buddha were to walk down the street in Hungary today, everyone would assume he was a gypsy.

Dhammamegha gave us an excellent talk on the importance of sangha and friendship: 'Wisdom's gathering: the difference that makes the difference'. Listen to the talk. (Video will follow.)

By way of light entertainment, actor and musician Ratnadhya afforded many of us an hour of hysterical laughter as he galloped and romped (with piano and song) through a series of parodies on well known classical pieces. As a performer, Ratnadhya is more widely known as Michael Lunts.

Meanwhile, the Abhayaratna Trust's regular afternoon tuck shop sold wholesome sweets and men in red T shirts magically appeared bearing free doughnuts.

Helped by Jayaraja, the children gave us a very funny account of the Buddha's meeting with a raucous yaksha, after which, as it got dark, a sevenfold puja took us into the world of Avalokiteshvara, including a mantra which suddenly seemed to develop magical richness. See what you think.

The puja ended with an offering sung by Arthasiddhi and the International Gathering choir, who have rehearsed every afternoon in the library.

Listen to an interview with the weekend's three main speakers.

And here are their talks again:
Prajnaketu: The Return of the Bodhisattava
Arthakusalin: Everything of worth is defenceless
Dhammamegha: Wisdom's gathering: the difference that makes a difference - 
 

Arthasiddhi and the International Gathering choir sing their offering at the end of the Avalokiteshvara puja

Dhammamegha speaks about Sangha as Dharma practice and how spiritual community and friendship with the admirable are part of our heritage in Triratna.

This Avalokiteshvara mantra from our final puja took an unusually inspired and energetic turn...

Sanghadhara talks to the International Gathering's three speakers: Prajnaketu, Arthakusalin and Dhammamegha.

Taking and editing pictures throughout the International Gathering, I've gradually become aware of a certain redness growing all around me.

More and more people are wearing red T shirts.

More and more people are taking out monthly standing orders to the FutureDharma Fund.

And people who commit themselves to monthly giving to Triratna projects around the world in this way get a free red "Pass it on" T shirt! (See the pictures.)

In celebration of generosity (and in search of attention) FutureDharma's volunteers are also giving out free doughnuts today. Some with custard. Some with jam. All vegan. I had two.

The world needs what we've been given. Pass it on.
Check out FutureDharma's website.
+Follow FutureDharma on The Buddhist Centre Online.

Panorama: Bhante and the International Gathering crowd on his 92nd birthday at Adhisthana.

It being Bhante Sangharakshita's 92nd birthday, at 10.45am all were assembled in the Adhisthana courtyard. As we waited we chanted the mantra sabbe satta sukkhi hontu (May all beings be well and happy!) Paramartha helped Bhante towards a chair, we sang Happy Birthday, he blew out the candles on a very small cake presented by Zoe Lim (the only mitra in Singapore) and Dhiraprabha presented him with a giant roll of birthday greetings from us.

Today, following on from the previous day's slot focusing on Triratna in central and eastern Europe we had Indian presentations: from Bharat Wankhade, a Karuna fundraiser who described his childhood in a Dalit village in India; and Vidyavardini, ordained this year, who talked of combating the difficulties women face in India.

The main talk of the day came from Arthakusalin (Ghent, Belgium). "Everything of worth is defenceless" is a stunning, poetic talk. Listen here. The video will follow in the next few days.

The afternoon saw a recital by Ratnadhya of piano music from Schubert and Chopin, followed by more workshops including a communication workshop with Jayaraja.

Before the puja dedicated to Bhante on his birthday, the children enacted the Jataka tale of the heroic Monkey King, narrated by Ratnaprabha, with musical interludes from the impromptu storytelling band.

Arthakusalin gave a poetic and uncompromising talk on the value of the Dharma jewel on the Triratna International Gathering at Adhisthana.