Adhisthana Kula
Adhisthana Kula

Women, Men and Angels: A Personal Statement by Subhuti

By Subhuti on Fri, 3 Mar, 2017 - 14:07

Women, Men and Angels: A Personal Statement by Subhuti

By Subhuti on Fri, 3 Mar, 2017 - 14:07

Introduction by Parami
In 1994, a book called ‘Women, Men and Angels’ was published, with the subtitle: ‘An Inquiry into the Relative Spiritual Aptitudes of Men and Women’. It was written by Subhuti, a senior Triratna Order Member, with the intention of elaborating on an impression or ‘idea’ that had originally come from Sangharakshita. While I am sure this was not Subhuti’s intention, the book had a painful effect on many people – especially women – even causing some to...

Triratna News
Triratna News

Ordinations at Bordharan, India

By Munisha on Tue, 17 Jan, 2017 - 14:06

Ordinations at Bordharan, India

By Munisha on Tue, 17 Jan, 2017 - 14:06

We are delighted to announce the public ordinations of the following 12 women, at Bordharan Retreat Centre, Maharashtra, India on Sunday 15th January 2017.

Private preceptor Vijaya
Public preceptor Jnanasuri

Supriya Akshobhy - North Nagpur - becomes Nityashri, “Permanent glory”
Kusumlata Goutam - Dehradun, Uttarakhand - becomes Aryadarshini, “One who knows/sees the Arya - noble one”
Babita Bhan - Modinagar, Uttar Pradesh - becomes Ratnavajri, “A jewel-vajra”
Chandrakanta Bouddha - Dehradun, Uttarakhand - becomes Vinayadarshini, “One who observe the vinaya-discipline”

Private preceptor Jnanasuri
...

Western Buddhist Review
Western Buddhist Review

Finding Out More About Early Buddhist Women

By Dhivan Thomas Jones on Wed, 28 Dec, 2016 - 12:52

Finding Out More About Early Buddhist Women

By Dhivan Thomas Jones on Wed, 28 Dec, 2016 - 12:52

With this post we present another fine review by Sarah Clelland of a recent work of scholarship on women monastics in early Buddhism.

Alice Collett, Lives of Early Buddhist Nuns: Biographies as History, Oxford University Press, India, 2016

Review by Sarah Clelland

In Lives of Early Buddhist Nuns Alice Collett, now lecturer at Nālanda University in India, explores changing attitudes to women in Buddhism through the stories of six early nuns: Dhammadinnā, Khemā, Kisāgotamī, Paṭācārā, Bhaddā Kuṇḍalakesā and Uppalavaṇṇā. In the first half...

Triratna in the Buddhist World
Triratna in the Buddhist World

Triratna's women on the Buddhistwomen.eu site

By Munisha on Tue, 25 Oct, 2016 - 15:04

Triratna's women on the Buddhistwomen.eu site

By Munisha on Tue, 25 Oct, 2016 - 15:04

The Network of Buddhist Women in Europe is mainly a website (in French, English and German) providing a home for links to various Buddhist women teachers, groups and projects in Europe (and worldwide).

Earlier this year, through my work as Liaison officer, representing Triratna at the European Buddhist Union, I was asked to contribute a profile of a woman teacher from Triratna to the site’s list of female Buddhist teachers. I was delighted but replied that since we now have around 800...

Western Buddhist Review
Western Buddhist Review

What was it like for early Buddhist women?

By Dhivan Thomas Jones on Sat, 1 Oct, 2016 - 13:30

What was it like for early Buddhist women?

By Dhivan Thomas Jones on Sat, 1 Oct, 2016 - 13:30

Here, Dharmacārinī Vajratārā reviews a collection of scholarly essays exploring how it was for women in early Buddhism – at a time before feminism when nevertheless women were taken seriously as dharma practitioners.

Women in Early Indian Buddhism: Comparative Textual Studies

essays by various scholars, edited and introduced by Alice Collett

Oxford University Press, USA, 2014, 274pp., hback and ebook

Reviewed by Vajratārā

What were the attitudes towards women in early Indian Buddhism? Does textual analysis of early Buddhist texts corroborate the idea that early Buddhists saw women...

Triratna News
Triratna News

Ordinations in New Zealand

By Munisha on Sun, 18 Sep, 2016 - 21:16

Ordinations in New Zealand

By Munisha on Sun, 18 Sep, 2016 - 21:16

We are delighted to announce the names of three new Dharmacharinis ordained on 17th September at Golden Bay, New Zealand.

Public Preceptor Varadevi

Andrea Gill becomes Ujjalamati
(Pali - all short vowels)
Private Preceptor: Dharmanandi
Meaning of name: She whose mind is radiant

Public preceptor Dharmanandi

Kate Drury becomes Saccattha
(Pali - long second and last a)
Meaning of name: She whose goal is the Truth
Private Preceptor Varadevi

Natalie Grace becomes Karunajoti
(Pali -  long second a and long i)
Meaning of...

Triratna News
Triratna News

Ordinations at Akashavana

By Munisha on Sat, 17 Sep, 2016 - 16:19

Ordinations at Akashavana

By Munisha on Sat, 17 Sep, 2016 - 16:19

We are delighted to announce that the following women were publicly ordained at Akashavana, Spain, on Friday 16th September:

Public preceptor: Padmasuri

Claire Brown becomes Amrtavani (the third ‘a’ is long as is the final ‘i’).
Sanskrit name meaning: ‘She who plays the music of the deathless’, or ‘She whose song is limitless’
Westernised spelling: Amritavani
Private preceptor: Dhatvisvari

Anneke Dekker becomes Maitridaya (second ‘i’ is long as are second and third ‘a’).
Sanskrit name meaning: ‘Giver of maitri’
...

Triratna International Council
Triratna International Council

Buddhist Voices - Ratnashri and Vijaya From India

By Dassini on Mon, 8 Aug, 2016 - 08:41

Ratnashri from Mumbai and Vijaya from Nagpur talk to Dassini about their perspectives on the IC; being outside of India for the first time, and being inspired by the example of Dr Ambedkar to see learning and developing skills as having no age limit.

Vijaya shares her top 3 highlights from the meeting, the first being an approach to conflict resolution that builds confidence and supports individuals to see their own shortcomings in the light of the Buddha’s kindness.

Ratnashri ends the conversation...

Triratna News
Triratna News

Ordinations at Akasavana, Spain

By Munisha on Tue, 7 Jun, 2016 - 09:54

Ordinations at Akasavana, Spain

By Munisha on Tue, 7 Jun, 2016 - 09:54

We are delighted to announce the ordinations of the following women at Akashavana, Spain on Saturday 4th June:

Public preceptor: Parami
Kate Arrowsmith
becomes Dharmamayi (long ‘i’)
Sanskrit name meaning ’She who is filled with Dharma’.
Westernised spelling: Dharmamayi
Private preceptor: Punyamala

Hattie Johnson becomes Akasajoti (long first and second ‘a’s, long ‘i’) 
Pali name meaning: ’She whose radiance is like the sky’.
Westernised spelling: Akasajoti
Private preceptor: Vajratara

Minh Truing George becomes Amaradipa (long ‘i’ and long final ‘a’)
...

Triratna News
Triratna News

Birth of a book: Choosing childlessness

By Munisha on Tue, 3 May, 2016 - 23:51

Birth of a book: Choosing childlessness

By Munisha on Tue, 3 May, 2016 - 23:51

Kamalamani writes from Bristol, UK about her new book: Other than mother: choosing childlessness with life in mind.

In my late teens and early 20s I used to say that I would have children by the time I was 30. It was only on a Going for Refuge retreat at Tiratanaloka (in Wales) when I was 27 that I realised child-bearing wasn’t - and isn’t - compulsory. This realisation encouraged me to think and reflect carefully about the pro-natal nature...

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