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...
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.
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...
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.)
Being someone who only seems able to write when up against a deadline can be a little scary, as there comes a point when you just have to press ‘send’. This is what had emerged by 2am. It isn’t what I expected or set out to do, but what I happened to be reflecting on.
February has been spent mainly in zoom meetings and writing emails, with Covid lockdown beginning to...
Ratnavyuha, from Auckland, New Zealand, and Ratnadharini from the UK, discuss themes of Going for Refuge, Sincerity and Effectiveness in the first in a series of informal, personal, conversations between Public Preceptors about the Eight Guidelines for Ordination Training.
The Eight Guidelines offer a framework through which Order Members and Mitras can reflect on and communicate about their going for refuge and process of training for Ordination into the Triratna Buddhist Order. In this series, members of the Preceptors’ College from...
At the end of June I moved back to Adhisthana and though I like the simplicity of my cell-like bedroom cum office, people on the other end of Zoom calls have been commenting on the bare walls as, until recently, the only painting was above my desk and behind the computer screen.
Covid-19 and the topic of race and racism, have continued to be major concerns, both within and without our sangha. Both wake up calls...
