Order Convening Reports

ARYAJAYA | International Order Convenor

As Vajrapriya finishes his first full year as International Order Convenor, I have been in my last.  I really appreciate how fully Vajrapriya has stepped into the responsibility and engaged with all the varying activities of the Order convening world.  I’ve personally really enjoyed getting to know him.  He has thrown himself into the role with thoughtfulness and wholeheartedness.

I began the year with a visit to the Order in Australia and New Zealand – six Order days in six different cities in six weeks.  It was marvellous to meet so many of the Order there and participate in an Order retreat at Sudarshanaloka in New Zealand, Aotearoa.   I also had a few nights in the oldest solitary hut there – Chettul – which was a deep immersion in the bush – and highly recommend it. I enjoyed being in the Southern Hemisphere with the knowledge of moving back in a year’s time.

On returning to the UK, I began the nominations process for a successor to me.  I’ve worked with the Appointment Kula and the Public Preceptors, Ratnadharini and Mahamati.  The process has continued throughout the year as we’ve approached and engaged with suitable candidates.  I think it’s been a good process but one that hasn’t, as yet, borne fruit.  I think this may be showing a generation gap and many suitable people are also very fully engaged in their own contexts.  However, I remain hopeful that someone may emerge – sometimes you just need to leave a space.

I’ve ordained two people this year at Akashavana and, although not strictly Order convening work, I had some peak experiences of Order harmony within the Private Preceptor Kula.  As we have been exploring Order Harmony Online and that has been very present in my work, these experiences of harmony gave me a strong sense of what I think is meant by harmony in a Triratna context.  Key conditions were a high degree of common purpose, meditating and studying together, confession and generosity.  I wish for that degree of harmony in an online world too – it was so full of delight and mutual co-operation.

After Akashavana, I also enjoyed an Order weekend in Spain. It was my first time at Suryavana Retreat Centre and it was great to see the conditions Sudaka has created in the beautiful Spanish countryside.

I supported the International Leadership course at Adhisthana in the summer.  I was very involved in the first course in 2018 and I was impressed to see how much the course has developed since then.  The course is not just an immersion in leadership skills – led expertly by Arthavardin and Taravandana – but of community living and team work as well.

A highlight of my month is meeting with the Area Order convenors from the six Areas.  The regularity of the meetings means we build up a picture for what is happening in each area, the joys and challenges for the Order convenors there.  I really appreciate the work they do for the Order and their support for Vajrapriya and I.

The planning for the International Order Convention in India has been steadily increasing throughout the year.  It’s not long now until we will be sitting under the Bodi tree, at the Vajrasana,  chanting the Refuges and Precepts Indian style and touching into something of the Buddha’s enlightenment experience as an Order gathered together.  I hope the atmosphere will ripple out to the whole Order, not just those there.

After the International Convention I’ll travel on to the International Council in Nagpur.  Then back to Adhisthana and I will be finishing the role by the end of February.  There are too many thank yous for this short word count and so watch Shabda for that.  It’s been a pleasure serving you and Bhante’s vision of the Order, in all in the ways that I have been able to over the last seven years.

VAJRAPRIYA | International Order Convenor

This has been my first full year as International Order Convenor, and a year of continued learning. It is an extraordinarily varied life, jumping from one lotus pool to the next in quick succession. Those lotus pools are different groupings of Order members in different locations, working together to deal with issues, make improvements, and celebrate achievements. There is a lot of detail to manage, and I find it important to hold a big perspective while drilling into detail and difficult issues; and to take delight in cooperating with each particular grouping of noble, committed Order members.

One example of these groupings is the International Council Steering Group, which meets regularly to plan the activities of the International Council (IC), and currently, our next physical meeting in India after the International Convention. I am aware that many Order members don’t know much about the workings of the International Council. It is the body that draws together the threads of Order, Movement and Preceptors’ College, and tries to nudge forwards on a broad front, guided by its strategic priorities.

In the summer, Aryajaya and I joined some of the five week Adhisthana International Course, which is run every two years for about sixteen Order members in positions of responsibility around the world. It is a massive and generous service by Adhisthana, to support the development of upcoming leaders, and to give them the opportunity to make connections across the six Areas. Both the input and the friendships that developed were very valuable to me as well, and I’m in the happy position where I’m likely to see everyone on their home ground in due course.

Two short trips took me to Spain and Germany, taking part in Order weekends and meeting the diversity of Order members there.

I experienced the fabled Indian hospitality on my trip there in September: such generosity and attentiveness. It was an opportunity to spend time with Ratnasila – the new men’s Indian Area Order Convenor (see his separate report), and to meet Maitridarshini, who has just been appointed the women’s Area Order Convenor. The highlight was joining a retreat for most of the Indian Regional Order Convenors (ROCs), who will be very involved in organising the International Convention in January.

I’m left with such rich memories from those eighteen days in Maharashtra. My main impression is how well developed the Order “institutions” are: almost all Order members are in chapters, and almost all chapters have chapter convenors; chapter convenors meet regularly and have retreats; the Regional Order Convenors meet regularly on retreat / meetings, and are active in organising regular Order events. It is a very tight network.

Whenever asked, I tell people that I feel this responsibility as International Order Convenor is a tremendous privilege, and I feel grateful to everyone who makes it possible through giving Order dana. I really don’t take it for granted.

SUBHADASSI | Ethics Order Convenor

I have been working in this role for almost four years now. Over the last year I have continued to have a deeper sense of understanding the role. I have also come to recognise more fully the impact that my being in this role has had on me. At times I have found it very difficult. This in part led me to give my notice – that I will leave the role in November 2025. I feel grateful to have had the opportunity to do this work, and to support the Order and movement in this way. And I also recognise that five years will likely be enough for me. Last year I reported that we planned to recruit a suitable candidate to work in the area of safeguarding. Unfortunately, due to a lack of interest in the role, we were unable to do this. The main areas of my work this last year have continued to be:

• engaging with serious ethical issues that arise
• supporting reviews of cases relating to serious ethical issues
• looking at ways to clarify and develop approaches to serious ethical issues

I continue to feel a lot of appreciation for the people I work with – I am very grateful for their kindness, their clarity, their encouragement, and their inspiring dedication.

SHANTAVIRA | Shabda Compiler & Distributor

Many thanks for all the cards, treats, and messages of appreciation for my work as Shabda compiler for the past fifteen years. The work has given me an appreciation of many people who make up the sangha that I might have lacked had it been left to me to keep up with Shabda by just reading it on my own initiative, as it were. During that time Shabda has developed in several ways in order to keep up with our rapidly expanding Order. Compilation was much simplified by the dropping of threads and articles a few years ago to focus on letter reports and announcements. The printing is now done professionally (though not always flawlessly). And my 24-year-old desktop MS-DOS computer still gives me faster and more efficient word processing than can be provided by Windows or macOS. I was a little worried about compiling the 180-page anniversary issue last year, but the machinery and Sunanda’s aged software all worked perfectly.   In 2024 an average of 1350 people downloaded Shabda every month (oddly this figure varies by up to 150 either way), and a further 400 paper copies are mailed out all over the world, a few of which are shared. Several hundred people prefer to read Shabda online without downloading it, so we don’t have firm stats for that. The vast majority of reports are submitted correctly, though I still have the unfortunate job of rejecting those that do not conform to the requirements of the compilation software. Hopefully that will improve with the switch to the submission of contributions online rather than by email. In 2024 the average number of contributors per issue rose from 72 to 92 letters, but the number of first-time reports plummeted from 61 last year to 31, despite a record number of ordinations; preceptors please note!   I wish my successor, Taranita, a long and happy term as your new Shabda compiler. Thankfully, the task will now be much easier to pass on to someone else when he wishes to do so.

Nirajadhi | Dana Manager

I am Nirajadhi and I started working in the International Order Office six months ago as Dana and Events Manager.  Part of my role is to collate some statistics about Order dana for our trustees annually, so I wanted to share some of the things that leapt out at me when I did this. There is a separate Order office in India so the data from there is not included in my analysis.

61% of Order members are currently donating dana – thank you!  This helps to keep the Order connected and flourishing internationally. Following an appeal to increase this recommended amount earlier in this year (as it had remained static for a number of years) this has meant a healthy increase in dana amounts.  Thank you to everyone who responded so generously.  The average percentage of Order members who are regularly contributing remains about level with other years.

Of course, there are lots of reasons as to why Order members are not able to contribute. We appreciate when Order members respond to our appeals by sharing more with us about what’s going on in their lives that may be affecting their capacity or willingness to contribute such as living off a pension. It’s evident that for some Order members, perhaps especially those ordained in the last four years, they are not sure quite what we do and how this Order dana is a bit different to dana which is asked for on a fundraising basis by other Triratna institutions. So this is something that I hope our report addresses.

However, we still have some challenges. As Order members, we need to deepen our understanding of Bhante’s and Dr. Ambedkar’s teachings. We also need to encourage more young people to join the Sangha, as the average age of our Order members is around sixty. Regular Order dana [for the Indian Order Office] needs to be promoted, and we need to move beyond just center-based activities. Five of our Order members are currently suspended due to serious breaches of precepts. They are working on their minds through a Papadesana Kula to understand their patterns, and this is proving effective. I am happy to share that we were able to appoint Dharmacharini Maitridarshini as the women’s Area Order Convenor this month. The appointment process went smoothly. We initiated the process in April 2024, and a few names were suggested. After careful consideration by the Regional Order Convening team and the Indian Public Preceptors Kula, Maitridarshini’s name was proposed for wider consultation, and she was ultimately appointed.

Our future plans include organizing order sadhana retreats, and study sessions on the “Seven Papers” in each region, visiting chapters, conducting workshops on ethical guidelines, and more. It’s a significant undertaking, but we will do our best with the support of our senior brothers and sisters. I look forward to seeing many of you at the upcoming International Order Convention in Bodhgaya. Until then, wishing you all the best and a happy new year for 2025.

Convention Pattern 2025–2028

The convention pattern is agreed by the Area Order Convenors in discussion with the International Order Convenors. The coming years will run as follows:

Goodbye for now!

We hope you’ve enjoyed finding out more about the work of the Order Convenors and the Order Office. We’re always happy to hear from Order members, so if you’ve got a question this report hasn’t answered, do write to us at orderoffice@triratnaorder.org.