New FWBO Dharma Training Course for Mitras

Today, we're delighted to let you know about the launch of the online site for the new FWBO Dharma Training Course for Mitras. 

The permanent web address to bookmark for the new course is: www.fwbomitracourse.com

The new Dharma Training Course is designed primarily for Mitras ('friends') involved with the FWBO Buddhist community. The course aims to give people in the FWBO a thorough grounding in Dharma study and practice. It also makes an excellent general course for anyone interested in putting Buddhist teaching into practice in their life. 

The first year is now available online, with a full reference section for further context and engagement. We've formatted our .pdf files to print out for use in a study group, and also to make them easy to read, navigate and search on-screen.

The rest of the course is currently being developed by a number of members of the Western Buddhist Order. New modules will be made available as they become ready through 2008 and the beginning of 2009. Check out each year's page for an advance preview of what's in store.

At present, the course is being hosted on Free Buddhist Audio, and you can access it easily from there too via the 'Study' section.

We hope you'll enjoy using the online version of the Course, and that you'll make steady progress in your own Dharma studies.

with best wishes,

The Free Buddhist Audio Team

ps. The new site has been developed to enable a free service to be kept in place for all users. To help us keep the service free, please think about making a donation. Many thanks!

Karuna Trust 2008 report out now

The FWBO’s Karuna Trust raises over UK £1.5 million/year for a multitude of social and Dharma projects in India. They’ve just published their 2008 report (‘Karuna 08) – it’s a beautiful and inspiring piece of work. Look for it at a Buddhist centre near you, or check their website.

The report this year focuses on caste, “an ancient injustice”, and gives glimpses of many aspects of the work of Karuna’s many partners in India – ranging from publicising the many ongoing atrocities inflicted on low-caste people, to emerging initiatives to build a truly casteless society.

Karuna’s work is largely sustained by regular team-based door-knocking appeals all over UK. Through these, they have built up a network of over 7,000 committed donors and also learned how to make the act of fundraising into an intense and effective spiritual practice.

Check their Appeals website for a treasure trove of real-life fundraisers stories – and details of upcoming appeals. To quote just a fragment from Jo’s blog (Jo was on the June London appeal):

“There is something deeply irrational about volunteering for a Karuna appeal...it has no logic to it whatsoever! Why would I want to go out there on the streets risking feelings of shame, humiliation, rejection, anger? - but also, risking feelings of connection, openness, love, generosity, positivity? Sometimes I find the more positive feelings more difficult to open to. Take "Danny" that I met last night.…” Read more on Jo's fundraising blog...

Sadhu Karuna!

Relief - art exhibition in Birmingham

Following yesterday’s post featuring Valerie Witonska’s poetry, FWBO News has had news of a very different artistic exhibition by another member of the Sangha.

Mat, also known as Matnoo, from the Birmingham Buddhist Centre, is perhaps best described as a sculptor – his unusual artwork is made from precision engineered plastic using CNC equipment (computer numerically controlled equipment, to the uninitiated!)

His exhibition ‘Relief’, held in the Buddhist Centre, featured 10-15 pieces on a range of subjects including cartoon-like animals, portraits, Buddhist philosophy and also some interactive pieces, including a tardis-like box you could step inside and see endless reflections of yourself:a modern-day Vairocana’s tower...!

You can contact him at matnoo@hotmail.com or by phone - work his number out from his poster!

New poems...

FWBO News normally publishes exactly that – news, but it’s hard for mere pieces of news to capture the breadth and depth of people’s practice within the FWBO Sangha. We’re therefore pleased to offer you a poem, selected from ‘Is It OK Now?’, a new book of poems by Valerie Witonska (Val Blomfield), an LBC mitra and an experienced poet and playwright.

The poems track her progress through life and her exploration of Dharma practice. Manjusvara writes of them in his Foreword:

'Here are poems of love and poems of laughter. Poems of longing and poems of letting go. Gently funny and carefully wise, I hope they bring you as much pleasure as they have brought me. Let them break your heart and then rebuild it again'.

THE COOL CAVE
You can’t stroke me like a horse’s back.
I am nothing to do with ghosts.
There are no nativity scenes;
no curves and curlicues of theatre ceilings.

Don’t listen for reverberating chords.
Making sense of me won’t work.
When you try to look
your eyes swim.

I’m not interested in your stories
about me;
about yourselves.
You may chant into my silence:
I am the space in between the rocks.

‘Is It OK Now?’ was edited by Val's son Vishvapani and published using lulu.com, a print-on-demand service. It’s available at http://www.lulu.com/content/2896553.

New talk - Spiritual practice, efficiency, and productivity in the work-place

FWBO News is pleased to reproduce a talk recently given by Ratnaghosa to the warehouse workers at Windhorse:Evolution, the FWBO’s largest and most successful business.

Entitled "Spiritual practice, efficiency, and productivity in the work place", it’s reproduced here to give readers of FWBO News some insight into Windhorse’s ongoing exploration of the principles of Right Livelihood and the ways they seek to combine business success with spiritual development.

To take a quote almost at random from the middle of the talk –

“Efficiency, on the other hand, is conducive to good mental states and positive mental states are conducive to efficiency. This is a virtuous circle. Higher mental states are more creative and are likely to lead to elegant solutions and this is what we really want to achieve at Windhorse. We want to encourage the development of higher states of consciousness and see those higher states of consciousness manifesting in creativity, co-operation and satisfying relationships and results. And if we can achieve elegant creativity in our systems and teams that will encourage higher states of consciousness. It is like a Zen garden. The garden is created out of a tranquil state of consciousness and the garden in turn produces tranquillity in those who use it…”

You can read the talk via FWBO Features or by clicking here.

Report from "The Buddhist Contribution to building a Just, Democratic and Civil Society"

Gunaketu, chairman of the FWBO’s small centre in Oslo , Norway, has for long been active in the field of environmentally and socially engaged Buddhism. He is recently returned from Hanoi in Vietnam, where he participated in a United Nations’ sponsored conference called “The Buddhist Contribution to building a Just, Democratic and Civil Society: War, Conflict and Healing-A Buddhist perspective”

He reports -

"I was lucky to be invited to Vietnam to partake in a State sponsored Buddhist Conference. Some years ago UN recognised Vesak as an international holiday. Thailand promptly arranged a large conference to celebrate, and have done so the past few years.

"Last year Vietnam decided to host the conference in 2008. This was quite an historic event because the authorities in Vietnam have been restrictive with the practice of dharma. At the opening ceremony, the Chairman of the International Organizing Committee welcomed the previous Prime Minister and Foreign Minister who were instrumental in keeping him in house arrest for many years. Things change. Now, the Government are rebuilding Monasteries on a large scale. And at the same time, the Government took over the control with the organizing of the conference, last minute.

"An example of this was related to David Blundell who was not allowed to show a 28-minute preview of a documentary about Dr. Ambedkar that he was invited for, because some party official had to see it first to approve it.

"On the other hand Thich Nhat Hanh was welcomed back to Vietnam a few years ago, and he was invited as one of the keynote speakers. He had led a five-day retreat in Hanoi just before the conference, and when it was his turn to give his speech, his followers walked onto the stage, single file, slowly. First there were the brown clad nuns and monks. Then came the light blue lay people. The procession went on for many minutes and nearly 400 people filled the stage. Thich Nhath Hanh had come back en force. They chanted and Thich Nhath Hanh delivered an inspiring talk about listening and personal practice. It wasn't challenging to the Government. The other keynote speakers were Matthew Ricard, the author of the book “The philosopher and the monk”, and Phra Dharmakosajarn, the Principal at the Main Buddhist University in Bangkok, Thailand.

"As I stood with our small Norwegian contingent of four, in the main hall, with thousands of people milling around, I suddenly saw another recognisable kesa. There was Amoghamati from our Sangha in Germany! I was very surprised and delighted. Someone had told her that I might be there. This was in fact one of the highlights of the conference: To be among Buddhists from so many traditions, to meet someone from my own Order (we had not met before), to feel a strong connection and shared point of view, and from there to explore the conference together. Salutation to the good companion!

The main theme of the conference was: Buddhist Contribution to building a Just, Democratic and Civil Society. The sub themes were:

1. War, Conflict and Healing: A Buddhist Perspective
2. Buddhist Contribution to Social Justice
3. Engaged Buddhism and Development
4. Care for Our Environment: Buddhist Response to Climate Change
5. Family Problems and the Buddhist Response
6. Symposium on Buddhist Education: Continuity and Progress
7. Symposium on Buddhism in the Digital Age

"Amoghamati delivered a clear and inspiring presentation of Karuna in Germany under 3) Engaged Buddhism and Development. It was good to see the work they are doing in this context. I was invited to speak under 1) War, Conflict and Healing, with the title: Healing Conflict with Awareness.

"Due to the size of the conference with over 4000 participants, it was quite chaotic. There were for instance twice as many people invited to speak in sub theme 1) than there was time for. Many of us were therefore given just a few minutes at the end. Rather than contend with this, I offered to give my presentation in a slightly altered form under 3), as Amoghamati had told me that they did not have that many speakers, which I did. Unfortunately, this meant that I couldn’t carry out a participatory exercise I had prepared, but c’est la vie.

"In the plenary session the following day, the moderators from the various groups summed up their activities. The moderator from group 4) presented six points to care for the Environment. I asked if he would consider a seventh recommendation for a vegetarian diet, which he partly acknowledged and yet did not fully agree with. Ajahn Brahmavamso gave the concluding speech where he too emphasized listening and finished by saying that he was careful with the earth’s resources by not having children (including a wry smile).

"Then the conference was brought to a close with various congratulatory speeches and a modern classical concert composed for the occasion, which included in the middle of it some 50 monks coming on stage to chant. The other days of the conference were also concluded with cultural performances of modern dance and a traditional Vietnamese “Reform Play” about the life of the Buddha.

"Yours in the Dharma,
Gunaketu

Vijayamala and Vessantara begin three-year retreat

Last month FWBO News posted a piece by Vessantara outlining his plans and preparations for the three-year retreat he is beginning with his partner Vijayamala. They have now arrived, and we’re pleased to reproduce this update from Vijayamala herself.

She says -

“So here we are deposited with various retreat supplies in the foothills of France’s Massif Central mountains, on the brink of a 3-years-or-so retreat. It's actually a stunning location. I already knew we were on a beautiful hillside, quite far up (!), but doing a little bit of exploring soon revealed just what it meant to be where we are. We’re in undulating country, part of a massive plateau and if you go a couple of kilometres south or east this quickly falls away into deep deep gorges with a wide river looping through vast stretches of forested wilderness only accessible to the buzzards and kites. It's so quiet! It was good to look around a little. I won't see all this during the retreat of course, but it makes a difference to know what I am meditating on! We also climbed the Puy de Dome, not far from here, which is a stand-alone mountain from which you get 360 degree panoramic views. Again a very good place to get a sense of the mandala of beings stretching so far out all around.

“Everything here is very deeply green and lush, quite a tonic after all the last-minute preparations for leaving, which seemed to go on for months and quite different from the harsh weather conditions of the winter here (and to some extent spring and autumn too). There are preparations to do here too: weather proofing and painting the circus wagons in which we’ll be living, getting in supplies, finishing off bits of work, but it's all much simpler somehow and it feels wonderful to know I don't have to go anywhere for a very long time.

“My retreat program is shaping up. It's a real luxury to have so long, although when I look at what I want to engage with it doesn't seem very long at all!

“I will spend the first while focusing on the human condition; using the Four Reminders (the preciousness of human life, impermanence, conditioned co-production, and the sufferings of samsara) and also Bodhichitta. It's easy to reel off lists, but I want to spend real substantial time exploring these things in my actual experience, turning every stone to see what blocks my acceptance of these rather obvious truths. I started this process on the pre-retreat earlier this year and could take all of the next three years to scratch the surface, but I suspect there will come a time when it feels right to move on.

“I would also like have a good chunk of time, at least six months, focusing on metta and Bodhicitta. I'll probably keep it quite simple, using breathing alongside metta as a connection to life and also doing tonglen ‘exchange’ practice. Let's see if that can make any dent at all in my deep self-centredness - I hope so. At least I know that that way lies freedom!

“Then, if the time feels right, I will then enter a phase of focusing more fully on sadhana practice. What a chance to live so completely in a world flavoured by an enlightened perspective - again let's see what rubs off...

“It's all so much of an exploration. 3 years seems like a drop in the ocean, given that I have been attempting to practice now for nearly 30. Who knows what I will learn, maybe just a lot more things not to do, but I am ready for the adventure…

“We close the doors on August 5th and start retreat on the 11th (a Padmasambhava day), Probably by the time you read this. So it only remains to wish you all joy, health and wisdom over the next few years and in due course I look forward to finding out what trajectories some of your lives have taken over that time.

“Vijayamala

Bhante in Berlin

Amogharatna, chairman of the FWBO's Centre in Berlin, (known locally as the Buddhistisches Tor Berlin, or the 'Buddhist Gate' of Berlin) has sent us this report on their recent visit by Sangharakshita.

"On 14th July, Bhante arrived in Berlin for a short visit. He was accompanied by his friend Saraha, and they stayed in the men's community. Over the next three days members of the Berlin Sangha enjoyed several opportunities to see Bhante. His programme included going for a short walk each day and meeting individuals as well as a few special events.

"At the Sangha evening in Buddhistisches Tor Berlin on Tuesday he gave a substantial talk on “The Six Distinctive Emphases of the FWBO”, which was translated into German by Dharmapriya. This was a particularly appropriate topic for a Sangha whose members are geographically quite remote from other FWBOs, and the shrine room was filled to capacity with over sixty people. On the same evening he officiated at Peter Hirth's Mitra ceremony. A version of the talk is available here from FreeBuddhistAudio.

"On Wednesday afternoon Bhante performed a 'naming ceremony' for Samuel Phillip, Utpalavajri and Akasaraja's recently born son, and in the evening he had dinner with Berlin's men Mitras. On Thursday he had a meeting with Order Members from Berlin in the morning and in the evening had dinner with the women Mitras.

"So it was a busy time for Bhante, much appreciated by the many people who were able to see him, and for which they are all very grateful".

British Buddhism - now available in paperback!

'British Buddhism: Teachings, Practice and Development' is a key source for anyone interested in understanding more deeply the landscape of British Buddhism. It’s been in print for some years now, but only in hardback and at the somewhat unaffordable price of UK £65. However the paperback edition has just been released, and given that it refers extensively to the FWBO, it may be of interest to readers of FWBO News. A review was posted some time ago on the Reviews section of the FWBO News website.

The author, Robert Bluck, has written to FWBO News to say “the book describes and analyses a representative sample of the full range of traditions for the first time. It allows similarities and differences to be traced by tradition or by theme, and examines how Buddhism changes when moving to a new country. Written with the British Buddhist community specifically in mind, I hope it will encourage Buddhists in Britain to discover more about their spiritual friends in other traditions, and so promote the generosity, compassion and wisdom of the Buddha and his followers. I hope you find British Buddhism interesting, and I would welcome any feedback from readers.

“With all best wishes in the Dharma,

“Robert Bluck
“Associate Lecturer in World Religions, Open University”

For further information please see your local bookshop or visit www.routledge.com

Rijumati's travels, part IV: central asia, and beyond...

FWBO News is pleased to publish part IV of Order Member Rijumati's travel diaries, as he heads around the world after many year's work in Right Livelihood in Cambridge, UK.

Part IV follows him taking the slow train across the Russian steppes, visiting stupas in the remote datsans of Buryatia, and – after many adventures – taking the Korsakov ferry across the to Japan..

But it’s by no means all plain sailing – as he himself begins: “Arriving in Almaty was a shock, an almighty dose of culture shock…" Click here to read on…

New video released: TBMSG in India

‘Recurring Dream’ is the third in a five-part series of films by Suryaprabha, a Order Member who's also a veteran film-maker and chronicler of the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO) and its Indian counterpart the Trailokya Bauddha Mahasangha (TBMSG). He’s best–known for the much-loved four-part series on the FWBO’s history: this just-released film is part III of his latest and current project ‘Earth Rising, Heaven Descending’.

The five-part series of films is subtitled “on a search for a spiritually meaningful way of life” and in each film Suryaprabha captures the conversations, images, dreams, reflections, laughter, contradictions and craziness in the people that make up the FWBO/TBMSG Sangha in one or another part of the world. Part I set the scene, part II looked at America.

Part III, Recurring Dream takes him to India, and it’s great! If you’ve never been to India, it’ll take you there; if you have, it’ll take you right back there...

India is full of unlikely spectacles, and Recurring Dreams is full of them. Where else would a brass band accompany someone as they walked down the road to deliver a talk? Where else would you find a stadium full of people ritually dissolving the five elements in their bodies to leave only space? And where else could you see the grainy 50-year-old footage of Dr. Ambedkar as he led 300,000 of his followers away from Hinduism and to a new life as Buddhists?

In its 65 minutes Suryaprabha manages to pack in a great deal of serious and often very intimate content– we witness the hopes and aspirations of young orphans growing up in TBMSG hostels; the frank admissions of women living in a Buddhist community as they discuss between themselves their plans up until marriage (and beyond!); the rousing exhortations of Subhuti as he urges his listeners to initiate a “peaceful revolution”. We glimpse the appalling caste violence that mar the lives of many Dalits in India today, and end with the spectacular extravagance of an inter-caste wedding.

'Recurring Dream' is available from Suryaprabha’s company ‘Lights in the Sky’, the price being £15 for personal viewing and £44 for public showing. Highly recommended.

Click to watch a slideshow of the movie or to visit the Lights in the Sky website.

Contact details:
‘Lights in the Sky’, 72 Holloway Road, London N7 8JG
t: (020) 7607 9480

Review written by Lokabandhu.

Dharma developments in Amsterdam

The FWBO’s Amsterdam centre is over 20 years old and has quietly established itself as a significant element in the Buddhist life of the city, with some 8 Order Members living there. Gunabhadri became chairwoman last year, and has focused on developing and systematizing the Centre’s teaching, including developing teaching materials in Dutch.

She writes – “The main news as far as I am concerned from the Amsterdam Buddhist Centre is that we have just finished year 1 of our 2-year Buddhism course which we started in September last year. The course consists of various modules that people can either follow one-by-one in a linear way from 1 to 2 through to the last, or pick and choose and just follow some of the modules.. The second year modules will follow on from particular modules from year one - for example, in year 1 we have a module on the Buddha, in year 2 one on the Mandala of the Five Buddhas which will take people deeper into the theme of the Buddha. Other themes are: the Wheel of Life (year 1) followed by the Spiral Path (year 2); the Noble Eightfold Path (year 1) followed by the Wisdom Sutras (year 2); and the Threefold Path, the Sangha and the Bodhisattva Ideal. During the last year meditation modules were also part of the course.

“With the course comes a compendium of various materials in Dutch, which we are writing as we go along (including lots of material and quotes from Bhante’s lectures and other teachers in the FWBO). The plan is to use ‘new media’ more - to be able to do this we’ve invested in a new computer system, including a beamer, simple recording equipment, etc.

“In terms of Order members, there’s also been some changes - Amsterdam has ‘lost’ Sobhanandi who has moved to our centre in Arnhem and Sarojini is about to move to our centre in Gent in Belgium. On the plus side, Mokshagandhi, who is based in Amsterdam, has just been ‘born’ into the Order, and so has Amritapurna, though she is planning to go and live in Groningen (in the North of Holland) – while over in Belgium Bart van den Berghe is about to be ordained (public ordination date 24 August).

“So, we are happy with the way it is going and it feels like a new generation of people is getting involved with the Centre – of course it’s early days really.

"Please do come and visit if you are ever in Amsterdam”.

Brighton Buddhist Centre's 'Tibet week'

The FWBO’s Brighton Buddhist Centre is playing a major role in Brighton’s forthcoming Tibet 2008 Initiative, which will run throughout August starting next Saturday 2nd.

Pete Fountain, the inspiration behind the Tibet 2008 Initiative said, ”I hope that these events will encourage people to offer whatever help they can to other human beings. They can do this in the full knowledge that they are directly making a beneficial difference to another person's life; potentially to the extent of actually saving it.”

The programme aims to promote an understanding of the issues facing Tibetans, both in exile and in their homeland. It will also offer practical ways in which people can provide support for the Tibetan nationals.

First comes an evening where Tibetan refugees will share their experiences of life in Tibet through song and the spoken word – among those present will be Dorjee, a Tibetan refugee living in Brighton, who will be talking about his reasons for leaving his homeland, his 34-day journey walking over the snow covered Himalayas to India, and his life as a refugee living in Brighton. The Gangjong Doeghar performance group, many of whose performers come from the Karuna-funded Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Cultural Institute ITBCI, will also be performing.

Later in August there will be three Walking Vigils along the Brighton Seafront in Support of the Tibetan People – an opportunity to show solidarity with the Tibetan people's desire for greater freedom, to assemble together on behalf of those who cannot.”

Of special interest to those in the FWBO might be the last event, an evening showcasing “One Lama’s Mission to Preserve Tibetan Culture” – the lama in question of course being Sangharakshita’s friend and teacher Dhardo Rimpoche.

Many other events are also planned – more details on the web at http://www.brightonbuddhistcentre.co.uk/tibet.html

Rupavati emerges from nine-month solitary at Naga-Naga, Australia

Naga-Naga is a little-known FWBO women’s vihara in Eastern Australia, some way south of Brisbane. It was created upon land traditionally owned by the Dhungutti nation and developed as a place dedicated to women’s spiritual practise by its previous owner, Minmia, a senior Wiradjiri woman. When the FWBO took it over, they included in their vision their intention to provide support to women who are serious Buddhist practitioners, particularly those who are ordained or seeking ordination in the Western Buddhist Order; also to live in harmony with and to promote the well being of the land its inhabitants, both seen and unseen.

Among other projects they offer facilities for women to engage in long solitary retreats; FWBO News has recently received this report from Rupavati, newly emerged from a nine-month retreat there. She says -

“In June last year I was newly arrived at Naganaga Vihara. I was planning a nine-month solitary retreat – it was yet to begin and I was looking forward to a road trip first.

“All that is far behind me now. My retreat finished towards the end of April this year, and as I slowly emerged from that I gradually merged into the community and their annual May ‘Rains Retreat’. During my time alone everyone in the community - Megha, Padmalaya, Satyagandhi and Viryadana – had been a wonderful support, bringing me my weekly food shopping, replenishing gas cylinders and other requests as need arose. I am extremely grateful to them all, especially Satyagandhi, for creating such a safe and beautiful situation.

“The retreat itself was a huge internal adventure. Being continuously face to face with my mind for that length of time was a sobering experience. From where does it all come? As my awareness developed and intensified, as I engaged more and more deeply and fully with my sadhana practices and formless meditation, I felt sometimes as if I were inhabiting an alternative world or life, an all-enveloping hallucination. Then my awareness would return and I would remember the illusory nature of this existence too. I reflected often on Emptiness, something I had not done in years. Going deep into my body and looking at atoms that are more space than matter (remember the Tao of Physics?) and seeing form and emptiness. This was reflection not experiential but gave me a feel for the illusory nature of my body.

“Towards the end of the retreat I became aware that I was engaging with a much more subtle level of my body. What I have learned is ongoing, pathways yet to be explored, new doors opening in my practice.

“The caravan I inhabited was in a beautiful setting. From my sofa outside I could see the Macleay River and across to the mountainous hills opposite. Everything was lush and green as we had a very wet summer. I walked daily in the valley by the river, sometimes just sitting beside it watching it flow, and enjoying the multitude of wildlife. I walked late in the afternoon when the sun began to lose the intensity of heat, the sun slanting through the leaves of the trees and gleaming on the rich chestnut-coloured cows and their beautiful little calves. It has been quite a wrench to leave all that and engage with the world again.

“Now I am back in New Zealand, slowly relaxing into a very different beauty and serenity. I'm here until mid-October when I return to the UK and my life in London. Lastly I'll just mention how very much I enjoyed a sense of being in touch with the wider Order during my solitary – although I was alone I read the Order’s monthly journal ‘Shabda’ treating myself to a few letters or an article in bed each night. Much love to all in our Sangha.

“Rupavati

Public Ordinations in California

On 27th JULY three Ordinations took place at the start of the North American Order Convention at Jikoji Retreat Center with 28 Order Members present.

Rita Holmes of Aryaloka Buddhist Center becomes: Saricitta (pronounced Sarichittaa; stress falls on the "i" in citta), meaning: she who has a heart/mind like a waterfall (She who has a loving/kind heart/mind overflowing with metta and compassion that is cascading like a waterfall to all beings.

Sandy Bonin of Aryaloka Buddhist Center becomes: Vihanasari (pronounced Vihaanasaari; sress falls on the "a" in sari, meaning: Thrush at the dawn ( Thrush with a beautiful song singing with joy at dawn as the light of the Dharma enters the world. In both cases the Public Preceptor was Dayanandi and the Private Preceptor Dayalocana.

Dino Papavasiliou of Aryaloka Buddhist Center becomes: Danakamala (pronounced Daanakamala. Stress on Daa and ka, meaning: Lotus of Generosity. The Public Preceptor was Dhammarati and the Private Preceptor Vajramati.

SADHU!

New TBMSG centre opens in Delhi

News of India comes today via an FWBO blogger with her ear to the ground in San Francisco - in her journal Jai Bhim International she writes:

"we are rejoicing in the opening of a new FWBO/TBMSG dhamma center in delhi, the dhammachakra buddhist centre.

"the center officially opened last sunday, with an inauguration led by its director, dhammachari maitriveer nagarjuna (shown leading the puja, left).

"over 50 people came to celebrate the new space on the prestigious jnu university campus: university students, buddhists representing other sanghas, as well as families from the local community. may this sangha continue to thrive!"

The new centre will serve as a base for the ambitious plans of TBMSG's Dhammakranti Project for new Dhamma classes in the four neighbouring States of Rajasthan, Hariyana Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, besides serving as a community base and training centre. 

During the opening ceremonies Lama Sumati from Bodhagaya, a long-time friend of Maitriveer Nagarjun, spoke, reminding people about Dr.Ambedkar's teaching that:

1. Buddhism is difficult to practice, so one must be brave to practice the Dhamma.
2. Dr. Ambedkar wanted his followers to be brave to revive the Buddhism.
3. There is no short cut to practice, so we need to work hard for the Buddha's teachings.

The new centre's first major event is already in preparation,  a North India Youth Convention to be held under the auspices of the new National Network of Buddhist Youth - the dates are 11-14 September 2008, in Delhi.

New premises appeal for Ipswich Buddhist Centre

The FWBO's Ipswich Buddhist Centre has been seeking new premises - and it looks like they are well on the way to finding somewhere. We're happy to pass on this message from their Facebook site -

"Hello there all, in case you don't know we have found a new freehold building in a very prominent place in the town centre.

"We are the process of seeing who is interesting in helping us in a appeal to raise money to move and furnish to new centre to continue our work of creating a positive sphere of influence and help people to transform grow and develop.

If you have fundraising ideas, skills and would like to be involved please let us know. It is a very exciting development :-)

Check them out on Facebook.

FWBO News wishes them all the best!

Environmental Audit and action plan at the London Buddhist Centre

In 2007 the FWBO's London Buddhist Centre celebrated the year of Amoghasiddhi, the Green Buddha of Action and Fearlessness.

As part of this they focussed attention on taking practical action to address environmental issues, exploring how Buddhism teaches us to lead a more simple and less wasteful life, more in harmony with the environment.

And as part of that, over the last few months a series of ‘environmental audits’ have
been carried out in and around the LBC’s ‘Buddhist Village’, covering many of the businesses and
communities that are linked to the LBC as well as the centre itself. They have now produced a report summarising the main findings of those environmental audits – all of which include commitments to action, whether reducing direct environmental impacts, working in partnership with others on environmental issues, or by raising awareness of why and how we can all take action on the environment.

The report can be read in full here. Thanks to the LBC for permission to reproduce

New Paintings for the Padmaloka Shrine Room

In 2007 the FWBO's Padmaloka Retreat Centre began a new project to fill their main shrine room with large paintings of buddhas and bodhisattvas painted by the Buddhist artist Aloka. The main shrine room at Padmaloka is the heart of the retreat centre and is a source of inspiration to all who spend time there. And this project will make it even more inspiring!! It will become a place that progressively expresses the mythic depths of Padmaloka.

Aloka has been painting for much of his life and is concerned very much with creating images that speak to Buddhists living and practising in the modern world. So not only will this project create a wonderful environment at Padmaloka to practice in, it will also be creating a legacy for the future by providing the FWBO with inspiring images for the modern Buddhist practitioner.

In autumn 2007 Aloka began the first two paintings. Recently these were completed and are now hanging in the shrine room. They are of White Tara and Green Tara, both feminine figures of compassion, and are situated to either side of the shrine room entrance. There is no definite plan for what paintings come next – these will emerge as time goes on.

In order to continue this project Padmaloka is initiating a number of fundraising projects over the coming years. This year in August there is a special fundraising weekend event called “The Twenty Four Hour Garland of Mantras” .

Open to all men, this will involve among other things an intensive 24 hour period of mantra chanting, for which the participants will be sponsored. This will be a fantastic opportunity to deeply immerse yourself in the mysterious world of mantra and also to help call forth the paintings yet to come! If you would like to attend this event click the link above for more details.

Buddhafield Festival ends in beauty

The 13th Buddhafield Festival ended yesterday, with over 2,500 people heading home after a rich weekend on Buddhafield’s beautiful new site in the Blackdown Hills, Somerset. It was Buddhafield’s largest-ever festival and something of a risk given the new site and the increasingly uncertain weather of the British summer.

The Festival was dedicated the theme of the Six Elements – Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Space, and Consciousness, with rituals each day dedicated to one of the Elements. For Water, for instance, those participating gathered by the side of the lake for the recitation of verses of meditation. On the last night, for the closing ceremony and to celebrate the element of Space, many papier-mache hot air balloons were lit which flew up into the air and away – a beautiful sight.

Some photos can be seen in the attached slideshow or on FWBO Photos, FWBO News would welcome links to other online photos from the Festival – just let us know by posting a comment on this post. The slideshow takes you on a journey through the Festival, from arrival, to meeting the stewards, to the opening ceremony, the many shrines, a whistle-stop tour of a small selection of the hundreds of gems scattered through the site - and last but by no means least, a study of the remarkable paper stupa in the centre of the site.

Forthcoming Ordinations in the US

FWBO News is very pleased to announce the forthcoming Ordinations of two women, Rita Homes and Sandy Bonin, both from the Aryaloka Buddhist Center, New Hampshire USA.

Their Private Ordinations will be on Wednesday 23rd July during a week long Ordination cum Order retreat in California and the Public Ordinations will be at Jikoji Zen Retreat Center on the evening of Sunday 27th July. Their Private Preceptor will be Dayalocana and Dayanandi is the Public Preceptor.

SADHU!!!

Windhorse:Evolution part IV: Dana in 2008 - and beyond...

This is part four of a series of four articles on Windhorse:Evolution, the FWBO’s largest and most successful Right Livelihood business, based in Cambridge, UK.

In 2007-8 Windhorse’s dana totalled a remarkable £265,229, all given away out of the profits of the business to a multiplicity of projects across the FWBO, TBMSG, and beyond.  Part IV of this series looks at how Windhorse makes its decisions, and exactly what they chose to fund last year.  There's the Dana Fund, the Growth Fund, the Legacy Fund, and the Social Fund. 

Just one, the Growth Fund, was able to give money to a new FWBO group in Freiburg, Southern Germany, for continuing the development of close-to-nature camping retreats in Holland and Belgium, for publicity and basic expenses for new centre in Düsseldorf, Germany,  for cushions, mats, etc for the new Buddhist Centre in Krakow, Poland and equipment and publicity for new FWBO centre in Leicester, UK.


In India it gave publicity and equipment for new city centre premises in Bhusawal, Maharastra, and a major new Indian Buddhist Youth project building on previous two years of the ‘National Buddhist Youth’ gatherings, funding for a second year to continue working with Tribal people in remote areas, also to sponsor gatherings of leaders from different caste communities in India, , for a major extension of TBMSG activities in North India - and last but by no means least, for underwriting the cost of two Order Membes visiting a woman mitra running FWBO-style activities near Ulan Bator, Mongolia.

Click here to read the full report - which also looks at Windhorse's plans for the future - which include a clear “Donations Warning!” for 2009 and beyond.

Youth Dharma: upcoming event

In common with other Buddhist sanghas in the West, the FWBO attracted a lot of young people in the 60’s and 70’s, fewer in the 80’s and 90’s, and even fewer today. Why? Who knows – but we’d like to find out!

Sometimes the spiritual path is spoken of as starting with the experience of Dukkha, or unsatisfactoriness: we are sure that everyone experiences this and finds this painful, the young often more than the old. And sometimes the Goal is spoken of as ‘the Taste of Freedom’, again we are sure that all desire this, the young no less than their elders.

As a first step, in November this year, there’s going to be a weekend gathering of all those with an interest in this area. The weekend is open to everyone – of all levels of involvement and all ages. We’d especially like to get young people from centres along and hear what they have to say and encourage them to get involved. Please tell people at your centre about this event, and also come along yourself, even if you are no longer young! But just for the sake of clarity, the focus will be on folk in their teens through to the end of their twenties.

The aim is to create energy, confidence, inspiration, and ideas. Among other things we’ll be using ‘Open Space Technology’ to maximise everyone’s opportunities for contributions and learning. We hope to encourage centres, retreat centres, teachers, and preceptors to have this as part of their perspective on their work.

There are big questions to be addressed: how can we create a vibrant FWBO culture that inspires young people with the Dharma? What are young people looking for? How can the Dharma touch them? And how can we create a sense of community in which teenage offspring of Buddhist parents will want to get involved?

The weekend is from Friday 7th to Sunday 9th November; the venue is ‘Bilberry Hill’, a little way outside Birmingham, UK. And the cost is £50, including food and accommodation. (If you can’t afford to pay that, please pay less.) Full details will be sent upon booking.

To book, please send a cheque for £50, payable to “FWBO” to: Lokabandhu, 25 St. Edmunds Road, Glastonbury, Somerset, BA6 9HX, UK; or contact him on lokabandhu@fwbo.org
for more details.

Finally just to mention there’s a poster promoting the event, you can download it here. Please print and promote!

Windhorse:Evolution - the people...

This is part three of a series of four articles on Windhorse:Evolution, the FWBO’s largest and most successful Right Livelihood business, based in Cambridge, UK. The articles have looked at the ethos of the business and recent changes and challenges it has faced. Part III explores the experiences of some individuals working in it, while part IV (to be published on July 16th) will reveal the many projects funded by their current dana or generosity.

1.Gaining Confidence

Santosh Kamble (who has just been ordained, and is now known as Sanghanatha, 'Protector of the Sangha') works in the Windhorse:Evolution warehouse in Cambridge, known as 'Uddiyana'. He's from a small village in Maharastra, India, and this is his story...

"I came into contact with the Western Buddhist Order (known in India as TBMSG) in my childhood through the Asvaghosa project. They go from village to village, teaching drama, singing songs and telling stories to the most underprivileged children, to build their confidence. I went to those classes in my village when I was a child, and I loved the singing, drama and playing games, and I was inspired by their activities. They pick up some incidents from the Buddha’s life and tell a story or do a performance. Most of the songs are about the spiritual life. I made a connection with the teachers and Asvaghosa leaders, who are practising Buddhists involved in TBMSG".

Ten years later, and he's in Windhorse...  Click here to read more

Clear Thinking in Birmingham: 'Asking the Right Questions'

Coming up soon at the FWBO’s Dharmapala College in Birmingham is a new sort of retreat. Specifically it’s a “Level Two Clear Thinking Workshop” entitled ‘Asking The Right Questions’.

The course leader, Jnanaketu, says – “This short course will briefly review the main areas of clear thinking skills using material directly related to the Dharma – identifying and developing arguments, identifying ambiguity, hidden assumptions and fallacies, and formulating questions.  Using clear thinking in study groups is an area that I have been thinking and writing about over recent months. Two articles can be downloaded from the Dharmapala College website.


"Most of the time will be spent practising applications of clear thinking, which will probably include: examining ways of identifying and reflecting on views, practising the Elenkhos (investigating a topic by means of collaborative questioning), and using clear thinking skills to participate in and lead Dharma study groups effectively.

"Completely new for 2008 is 'Insight Dialogue', a very effective way of reflecting in pairs on short Dharma texts and views. I am also keen that we should cultivate metta (loving-kindness) in the course of practising these applications". 
The Dharmapala College is something of a new venture for FWBO retreats – they see their principle task as that of building a ‘Community of Enquiry’, describing it thus –

“Dharmapala College plays an active part in the emerging Buddhist culture in the West. Initiated by members of the Western Buddhist Order, it invites the participation of everyone inspired by the ideals of collaborative enquiry into reality and open-handed sharing of understanding and experience. With the ending of the two-year Dharmaduta Training Course, we have been shifting our main emphasis to developing a ‘Community of Enquiry’ as the core practice inspiring our teaching activities.

“By 'enquiry' we mean dharma-vicaya, understood as practice (bhavana) comprising both critical investigation and contemplative reflection, and culminating in an ever deeper experience of insight. Our notion of enquiry thus rests on a mutually reinforcing combination of study, meditation, and devotional practice. Most simply put, the “enquiry” aspect of our vision seeks to cultivate the four iddhipadas or bases of spiritual success: concentration of intention, of energy, of mind, and of investigation”.

You can read more about this on their website, and find details of their retreats (and many others) on our GoingOnRetreat website.  Highly recommended!

Sangharakshita’s Diary April - June 2008

Sangharakshita's secretary Dharmamati has sent FWBO News this account of Sangharakshita’s engagements and activities over the past couple of months. We're pleased to reproduce it here.

“Bhante's health: Since the problems with Bhante's heart in February he continues to improve. His energy levels are good as long as he does not overdo things. The treatment for the macular degeneration appears to have been successful and there has been no further deterioration in his eyesight.

"April: (continued from last report) The last report concluded with Bhante’s trip to Manchester.

Shortly after, Lama Lhundrup, the German Kagyu Lama who is overseeing Vessantara’s long solitart retreat, visited Bhante with his South African colleague. This was during a seminar Lhundrup was leading at Madhyamaloka on the Mahamudra. Bhante was pleased to find that the Lama believed that there was only one model for the spiritual life, namely the developmental model, that the doctrine of Tathagatagarbha represented a potential and not an actuality, and that it was his personal belief that there was a connection between Mahamudra and Satipatthana.

Towards the end of April Bhante visited the FWBO’s Amsterdam centre. He had three full days there during which he gave a Q&A session for Order members at the Amsterdam Buddhist centre and met with local sangha members both in small groups for meals and individually. Unfortunately on the second day Bhante, Ksantivadin and I came down with a particularly virulent stomach bug. Thanks to Dayapadma we were all well looked after and nursed back to health. This meant, unfortunately, that a trip planned to the Arnhem centre had to be cancelled. Despite this set back Bhante managed continue as usual, making the trip to Holland a success that was much appreciated by the local sangha.

May: The first event that Bhante attended in this month was the Women Mitra convenor's meeting, during which, over a period of two days, he led study at Tiratanaloka, on the chapter Guarding of Awareness from the Bodhicaryavatara.

This was closely followed by a visit from another Lama. This time, Lama Rangdrol, the only African-American Lama recognized by the first conference of Tibetan Buddhist Centres of North and South America. He had recently attended the seminar on Beyond Race and Caste, hosted by the San Francisco Buddhist centre. He came with his companion Rebecca Walker, who incidentally is the daughter of Alice Walker who wrote The Colour Purple and is an author in her own right. After the meeting the Lama told me that he had just experienced the most spiritually enriching half hour in his life!

Around the middle of the month Bhante was visited by a group of Going for Refuge Mitras from Dublin.

The next significant event was a visit to Lambeth palace for a meeting of religious leaders organised by the Archbishop of Canterbury. This was primarily a reception for the Dalai Lama. Gordon Brown, the Prime minister, was there to have a private meeting the Dalai Lama and the Archbishop prior to the meeting. After this he greeted the religious leaders, during which time Bhante got to meet him. The Prime minister departed and the meeting got under way. There were 21 delegates representing most religions in Britain (A fuller report of the meeting appeared in FWBO news on 7th July).

Before the meeting Bhante chatted with the Dalai Lama. It was the first time they had met for many years and the Dalai Lama remembered Bhante very well and also mentioned that he was well aware of the work of the FWBO with the Dalits in India. The highlight, for me, was seeing the Dalai Lama helping Bhante up the stairs, they almost danced hand in hand in a very playful way. Bhante also got an opportunity to chat to some of the other delegates including Ajahn Sumedho from Amaravati, Ven Tawalama Bandula from the London Buddhist Vihara and Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor R.C. Archbishop of Westminster.

Two days later Bhante gave a talk on the FWBO International retreat. The talk was on 'Growing the Spiritual Community' and looked at the factors that help grow and healthily maintain the Spiritual community. The retreat certainly met one of the factors, that of meeting in large numbers.

June: At the time of writing Bhante has just returned from Padmaloka where he led study for the 2005 Guhyaloka reunion retreat. He led 10 sessions of study over a period of 5days again from the Bodhicaryavatara this from the chapter on Kshanti or forbearance. He also attended the British Buddhist Landscape conference at Taplow Course - a report on this has already appeared in FWBO News.

Apart from the highlights above Bhante continues to meet individuals daily and working on the Spoken Word book, Nagarjuna's 'Precious Garland' with Samacitta.

Next month trips are planned to Sheffield, Berlin and the Men's Mitra convenors meeting at Padmaloka.

So as you can see despite the set-back at the beginning of the year Bhante continues to be quite active.

Dharmamati 16th June 2008

Windhorse:Evolution - a Buddhist business...

FWBO News is pleased to present part II of a series of four articles on Windhorse:Evolution, the FWBO’s largest and most successful Right Livelihood business, based in Cambridge, UK. The first article looked at recent changes and challenges it has faced, this explores the ethos of the business,.  Parts III and IV will examine the experiences of some individuals working in it, and some of the many projects funded by their current dana.  Most of the articles are taken from the W:E magazine, and are reprinted by permission.


Keturaja, Windhorse:Evolution's HR Director, talks to Tejasvini about some of the Buddhist flavours to be found at windhorse:evolution.  He says "Many of us have come to work at windhorse: evolution because we value working with other people who are inspired to practise the Buddhist path. Our ethos, and the five principles of the business are inspired by Buddhist practice..."

He goes on to talk of the renaissance in community living they are currently experiencing, and of the variety to be found between the dozen or more communities that are associated with Windhorse in Cambridge.  Also of their flexibility in paying people - and of the simple virtues - and challenges of living on their 'support package' as opposed to drawing a wage.  This is, perhaps, one of the most distinctive features of Windhorse and indeed the FWBO's 'team-based Right Livelihood' businesses generally.  As Keturaja says -

"...there’s a collective element in the practice of being on support. Most of support consists of allowances, which are just taken, but there are some elements that involve discussing one’s own needs, and I think that’s a useful reflection and clarification on needs and wants. We all have a relationship with money and how we use it, and quite a lot of our conditioning is tied up with our feelings about money. Somehow the support system draws out and reflects back one’s own conditioning in regard to it. Sometimes that can be quite challenging, but personally I have found that it helps make me aware of my own conditioning and deciding whether I’m happy with that conditioning or want to change it. For example some people find it difficult to ask about their own needs, and so the people involved in administering the support system practise being open and encouraging, helping people clarify what their needs really are".

Click here to read the full article. 

Part III will be published on July 14th.