To be human is to be related to other human beings. We cannot live our lives in isolation; whatever efforts we make to develop as individuals are continually tested in the fires of our relationships with other people.
Spiritual Community
Triratna is a worldwide community dedicated to following the Buddha’s path together.
Meditation and Buddhist practice are things we do for ourselves. It’s a path of individual responsibility, and progress depends on our own efforts.
That said, practising meditation and Buddhism is much richer when it’s shared with a wider community in a spirit of friendship, encouragement, guidance and inspiration. The Buddhist term for the magic that happens when we do this is sangha, or ‘spiritual community’. Triratna is a unique sangha for the modern world.
Triratna started as the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO) in 1967 under the inspiration of a remarkable Englishman who was given the name Sangharakshita when he became a Buddhist monk in India. He believed it was possible for people to lead a full-time, committed Buddhist life in modern society, so rather than importing the lifestyles of Buddhist monks in Asia or continuing to follow a conventional, western lifestyle, the FWBO explored alternative ways to live and work with other Buddhists. Sangharakshita also believed that the context of communication and friendship was as important for most people as practices like meditation.
The value we place on community is an important part of everything we do in Triratna, from the way we think about urban centres, retreats and all our other activities. Over the years, people in Triratna have found ways to intensify this by living with other Buddhists in residential communities and work together in team-based Right Livelihood projects.
Five decades on, Triratna has developed into a thriving worldwide Buddhist movement that’s open to everyone, regardless of race, nationality, caste, sexual orientation or gender.
Resources
📖 'What is the Sangha?' by Sangharakshita 
📖 'Solitude and Loneliness: A Buddhist View' by Sarvananda
