Tag: Ratnadharini

Chair's Letter – October

By ratnadharini on Fri, 1 Nov, 2024 - 01:00

Chair's Letter – October

By ratnadharini on Fri, 1 Nov, 2024 - 01:00

Dear Order Members and Friends,

This is the last update that I’ll be writing as Chair of the College of Public Preceptors so I’ll begin by writing about this current month and then go on say something about the last five years more generally.

Last month I wrote about my three weeks in New Zealand which was the first half of my trip to the other side of the world; my three weeks in Australia began...

College of Public Preceptors

Letter from the College – June

By ratnadharini on Fri, 30 Jun, 2023 - 15:42

Letter from the College – June

By ratnadharini on Fri, 30 Jun, 2023 - 15:42

Dear Order members and friends,

My experience this month has been dominated by preparing for, and enacting, a 150 mile pilgrimage from where Sangharakshita was born in Tooting, London, on 26th August 1925, to Adhisthana, Herefordshire, where he lived the last – and some of the happiest – years of his life, dying on 30th October 2018. Having had the inspiration for the pilgrimage, I realised I could share the experience with others and open it up as a fundraising initiative...

Buddhist Centre Features

A Pilgrimage from Tooting to Adhisthana

By Centre Team on Mon, 5 Jun, 2023 - 15:49

A Pilgrimage from Tooting to Adhisthana

By Centre Team on Mon, 5 Jun, 2023 - 15:49

Special event for Tiratanaloka Unlimited

Click + follow above for regular updates! June 12-22

Ratnadharini is walking 150 miles over 10 days, from Sangharakshita’s birthplace in London, to Adhisthana – where he died. Setting off from Tooting on 12th June, and arriving at Adhisthana on the 22nd, to raise money for Tiratnaloka [UN]LIMITED… Just in time to catch the pilgrims week and 108-hour circumambulation of his burial mound. She’ll be travelling as light as possible, but will...

College of Public Preceptors

Chairs' Letter – July 2022

By ratnadharini on Sun, 31 Jul, 2022 - 23:49

Chairs' Letter – July 2022

By ratnadharini on Sun, 31 Jul, 2022 - 23:49

Dear Order Members and Friends,

This month we hear from two of my deputy-chairs, Punyamala and Jnanavaca, who have recently arrived back from leading Ordination courses at Akashavana and Guhyaloka.

With metta,
Ratnadharini

***

From Punyamala:

It has been my great good fortune to spend the last 11 weeks at Akashavana, the forest retreat of luminous space, leading an international ordination retreat during which 18 women entered the Order.

It feels foolhardy to attempt...

College of Public Preceptors

Chairs' Letter – April 2022

By ratnadharini on Sat, 30 Apr, 2022 - 23:01

Chairs' Letter – April 2022

By ratnadharini on Sat, 30 Apr, 2022 - 23:01

See April’s ‘Features from the College’ here.

Dear Order Members and friends,

A year ago, someone rejoiced in my merits – and those of College members generally – as they put it: ‘out of the blue’. He said he was following up an intention to express gratitude when he felt it, and I’d like to take this opportunity to respond ‘in kind’.

Saddharaja has rheumatoid arthritis, and recently Covid on top of that, however he’s just...

College of Public Preceptors

Chairs' Letter – January 2022

By ratnadharini on Mon, 31 Jan, 2022 - 17:31

Chairs' Letter – January 2022

By ratnadharini on Mon, 31 Jan, 2022 - 17:31

Dear Order members and friends,

A week or so ago we received news of the death, at the age of 95, of Thich Nhat Hanh, founder of the Order of Interbeing and the Plum Village tradition of Engaged Buddhism, and well known for his teachings on mindfulness, peace and ecology. I still have my copy of ‘The Miracle of Mindfulness’ from 1988, when there were far fewer Dharma publications generally available in the west, and remember how...

College of Public Preceptors

Chairs' Letter – November 2021

By ratnadharini on Tue, 30 Nov, 2021 - 21:54

Chairs' Letter – November 2021

By ratnadharini on Tue, 30 Nov, 2021 - 21:54

Dear Order members and friends,

This month the annual international College meeting was a complex hybrid affair, taking place partly in person at Adhisthana, and partly online. Akasajoti came up with a schedule that not only took into account the different time zones, but also maximised crossover by shuffling us into different configurations; she even set up interactive zoom screen in the shrine room that meant we could all see and hear each other.

We began...

College of Public Preceptors

Chairs' Letter – September 2021

By ratnadharini on Thu, 30 Sep, 2021 - 10:22

Chairs' Letter – September 2021

By ratnadharini on Thu, 30 Sep, 2021 - 10:22

Dear Order members and friends,

It’s a while since I’ve written, as there was no September Shabda.

It’s been a delight over the past few months to see a series of ‘hybrid’ events taking place at Adhisthana,‘in person’ as well as online. People have appreciated being able to reconnect in that way again, as well as enjoying the beautiful environment and the opportunity to visit the newly opened Urgyen House and exhibition, and the...

College of Public Preceptors

Chairs' Letter – May 2021

By ratnadharini on Mon, 31 May, 2021 - 21:54

Chairs' Letter – May 2021

By ratnadharini on Mon, 31 May, 2021 - 21:54

Dear Order Members and friends,

Last month one of my deputies, Amrutdeep, wrote from his perspective about the effect of the Coronavirus pandemic in India. 16 Order members and over 35 Dhammamitras died in India in the last couple of months and it’s still pretty grim; if you’d like to help, you can read more about some of the ways in which you can give here.

Its poignant that over the past...

College of Public Preceptors

Chairs' Letter – March 2021

By ratnadharini on Wed, 31 Mar, 2021 - 15:23

Chairs' Letter – March 2021

By ratnadharini on Wed, 31 Mar, 2021 - 15:23

Dear Order members and friends,

The main international College meeting is in November and this year we are also meeting for a weekend in March and July, as well as parallel gatherings in our individual College Kulas. (The Kula system is intentionally flexible, to allow for the different number of people training for ordination in different parts of the world, as well as the geographic spread of Public Preceptors in each Kula.)

Apart from the option...

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