On 6 March 2023, a Mitra Ceremony was conducted for Jananie Audimulam at her home, in front of her own shrine, in Singapore. This joyful event was a first for Singapore. The ceremony was overseen by Aryapala and joined by Zoe Lim and Scarlett Newton in person, as well as Nagasuri (from Sydney) via zoom.
Jananie is from Malaysia, but she has been living in Singapore since 2008. She first learned about Triratna from Zoe Lim as far back as 2014, when both were working in a public health school in Singapore. Over the years, logistical circumstances including COVID have prohibited Jananie’s in-person participation in Triratna events and retreats. However, these did not deter her connection to Bhante Sangharakshita’s teaching. In the first few years, she tried to access online classes and retreats organised by TBCO and existing centres / groups in the UK, in particular those organised by the West London Buddhist Centre. More recently, the access became more structured and tailored toward non-western needs as an Asian group is developing. The group is led by Aryapala and Sraddhapa, and joined by people from Singapore, Taiwan and Japan. The group meets every Monday (8pm Japan time / 7pm Singapore or Taiwan time)* for meditation and study. In addition, Jananie has also been studying online with Nagasuri, together with Scarlett Newton (from West Midlands, currently residing in Singapore) and Susana Kumagai (residing in Tokyo). These more structured training courses have further deepened Jananie’s understanding of the Dhamma and sealed her commitment toward becoming a Mitra.
We rejoiced in Jananie’s commitment to and faith in the Three Jewels and the efforts of all friends and teachers who have helped to manifest the first Mitra Ceremony in Singapore. Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!
*For more information about the Asian (outside of India) Triratna online group, please visit https://buddhism-tokyo.com/drop-in-class/