Next Saturday sees the start of Triratna's International Urban Retreat 2015. The theme this year is the Greater Mandala - Sangharakshita's teachings on the spiritual importance of learning to waste time (and how live a life more beautiful, rather than one that is merely useful and efficient.) Join the retreat online.
Want to go on retreat next week? No time or money? This is a retreat you can do in the midst of everyday life at home and work, with others or by yourself online - or a mixture of the two. Many Centres are offering the retreat all or part of the week. Friends, Mitras, Order members; all are welcome.
It's the most international Internation Urban Retreat so far: though most of the online material is in English, the core text is available in Finnish, German, Russian, Polish, French and Spanish, and there is also some other material in Spanish and French too. There are led meditations and daily short talks from Order members in many countries.
The event is run by Triratna's European Chairs' Assembly (ECA) in partnership with The Buddhist Centre Online (TBCO). Putting it more personally, that's Mokshini, part of the Development Team employed by the ECA, working with Candradasa and Rijupatha at TBCO.
Putting it more geographically, that means a core team spanning Devon, UK and New England, USA. It really is an international retreat - and that's before I've even mentioned the 46 sanghas around the world who are taking part - 23 of them not in the UK.
As a member of the Development Team myself, I can attest to the enormously hard work Mokshini, Candradasa and Rijupatha are doing, getting all the talks, meditations, reflections, pictures, mantras and study material ready online for us all to enjoy next week. Sadhu, team!
Countries taking part
Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Spain, Germany, Finland, Norway, Turkey, France; Russia; Australia, USA, Mexico, Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England.