Sangha Snapshot 

Lisa McShane

In this new, monthly, feature, Matt McCarthy will be talking to sangha members, old and new, and finding out what makes them tick.

I was born and raised in Rotherham and came to Leeds to study social work.

I first visited in January 2012. My first impression of the Buddhist Centre was that it was small (in comparison to Sheffield Buddhist Centre). Small and cosy. Everyone was really nice.

I don't know if it's my favourite but I am very grateful for reading the book Eat Pray Love (although I thought the film was a bit rubbish). Originally I picked it up as a nice girly light-hearted read but it ended up inspiring me to meditate and seek out the Buddhist Centre.

I want to go to India to do a yoga and meditation retreat and I would love to learn how to cook Indian food out there. It's my favourite! I have plans to go next year with a friend.

I can do a wiggly thing with my toes.

You're invited to a fancy dress party, who do you go as?

People tend to enjoy dressing up as bees but I definitely wouldn't go as a bee because I have a massive phobia of them. They scare me! I saw a roller-coaster costume on YouTube recently that looked good. If I could make one of those I would wear that.

Invitation to Women Mitras from Tiratanaloka

Dear Mitra,

I'm writing to invite you to visit Tiratanaloka, our retreat centre in the Brecon Beacons, for a weekend event 8-10 March. 

Our programme is usually only for women who are training to enter the Order and for Dharmacharinis, but we want also to give any of you the opportunity, to have a weekend practising here together on the theme of "Why ordination? (why an Order)?" Whether or not you have requested ordination, are thinking about it, or are simply curious, we just want to open up the whole question for discussion, as well as have time to enjoy Tiratanaloka, our practice together and each other.

The weekend has an extra special dimension as it is also a fundraising event for our ordination retreat centre in the mountains of Spain - Akashavana.  Akashavana means "forest retreat of luminous space" and it is true to its name. Of all our beautiful Triratna retreat centres, it is probably the most conducive for meditation in terms of 'silence' - just the sound of birds and insects and the wind in the trees - and expansive space of sky and mountains. As you know it is where we hold our 3 month long ordination retreats and currently we are still paying off a loan with which we built the shrine room there. So all the income from this weekend (over and above Tiratanaloka's costs) will go to Akashavana.

At Tiratanaloka we have a sliding scale of cost for our events depending on income - the normal cost for the weekend is £125/90/65. As it is a fundraiser, please feel free to give more if you wish. For booking, see below.

The team for the weekend is Padmasuri, Santasiddhi, Subhadramati, Shraddhasiddhi (who was very recently ordained at Akashavana) and myself, Maitreyi. We come from different regions of Triratna in the UK - East(Cambridge) North (Sheffield) South (London) and West (Brecon) so between us we have a good sense of the wider sangha, both UK and mainland Europe. We very much look forward to meeting you and being on this weekend retreat together.

To book, please send a non-refundable £50 deposit, payable to Triratna Sarana, to Retreat Bookings, Tiratanaloka, Talybont-on-Usk, Brecon, Powys LD3 7YS, or pay by bank transfer (details on our website www.tiratanaloka.org). Any enquiries to office@tiratanaloka.org.uk or telephone 01874 676482 or 0845 345 8539 (local call rate).

With metta,

Maitreyi

A Window on the Wider Movement

(a quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln)

Sometimes people express their commitment by becoming Mitras - friends of the Triratna Buddhist Community and Order. Sometimes people ask for ordination and - very occasionally - someone gets ordained. The whole thing is given meaning by a deepening of practice, an orientation towards the Three Jewels that spreads from the Buddhist Centre out into our daily lives.

 "Each Triratna centre is an independent charity..." 

So how is it run? Each Triratna centre is an independent charity, which is run by a group of trustees - usually drawn from the Order members active in that area. In Leeds our trustees are both Order members and Mitras - so at present that is Samanartha, Dayaka and myself, along with Jenny, Ben, Debbie and Sarah. We meet each month to talk over the different activities of the Centre and any issues arising for the charity. The teaching program and support for the sangha is overseen by local Order members, and we follow the teaching of Sangharakshita and the Triratna Buddhist Community.

A small Centre can run without too much formality and organisational structure. The tradition that has evolved in most Triratna Centres is that they have a Chair and also men's and women's Mitra convenors and yet in Leeds we have managed for some years without these - or people have held the roles very lightly. It doesn't make too much sense in a small situation to be formal, and responsibility has simply passed amongst the Order members who are active in the Centre. But it can be helpful to know - who to go to if you want to become a Mitra, if you want to study, or to deepen your connection by joining the Order. Who can you trust will have time and welcome your questions? Having a Mitra convenor is a way of supporting sangha members and Mitras. Similarly having a Chair is a way to support the Centre and sangha as a whole. I'm no longer sure we count as a 'small' Centre, we have an active sangha with many things going on and a lots of potential to grow. In this situation it helps to have someone like a Chair who is able to hold an overview of the Centre - the physical building, the charity, and activities of the Centre - how it provides supportive conditions for us all to practice in.

Triratna Leeds Buddhist Centre is a small part of a wider Buddhist movement, the

The Three Jewels

Small Centres grow, and we may find as we do so that structures become helpful in different ways. I took on being women's Mitra convenor in Leeds about 5 years ago. I confess to feeling rather awkward at the time but it really helped me as a fairly new Order member to go to the women's Mitra convenors meetings, and I'd like to think it helped women in Leeds feel more confident and supported. When I went as a guest to the European Chairs' assembly last summer it was with a similar question - how would it help Leeds Buddhist Centre to have a Chair?

"Being Chair means being a 'window' onto the wider movement." 

We haven't fully answered that question yet, and I guess there is only one way to find out. The Chairs assembly is an impressive gathering - intelligent, positive, thoughtful people sharing their experience of their Centres - large and small. It feels like a good place to take any difficulties that arise. It's also a place where ideas in the movement are communicated - papers from Sangharakshita and senior teachers, aspects of our 'system of practice', the young peoples' initiative and other new developments in the UK and internationally. Being Chair means being a 'window' onto the wider movement and also allows others to see us clearly - our own contribution, our uniqueness. For myself, I have to ask what it means over and above my paid work in the Centre (the Chair's role is a voluntary position). And it's very much about working with others in the sangha, sharing responsibility with the trustees and Order members. Perhaps for all of us the challenge is to find what we need for our own practice, our own community, and also to see beyond to how we can share the Dharma in the world.

Uddyotani

Jumble Urgently Needed!

Sangha Jumble Sale

One of our big fund raising efforts is coming soon...  

 

On March 16th 2013 at Chapel Allerton Methodist Centre we will be holding the annual Leeds Triratna Buddhist Centre sale of...

 

JUMBLE...... PLANTS....... CAKE...... BOOKS........

 

David writes: This year our lovely Jenny is taking a very well earned back seat so David Turner will be co-ordinating all aspects.  Those of you who have participated before know that the Jumble is good fun and also earns the Centre a useful chunk of money.

 

As usual we will need you help in various ways:

 

PRE-PUBLICITY:

* Can you put posters up in your locality, your place of work, your kitchen, or where-ever. Let me know.  I will get them to you.

* Leafleting in Chapel Allerton and adjacent areas.  We will spend a day putting leaflets through letter boxes.  Directly publicising the event and the Centre too.  We think this really drives attendance.

 

DONATIONS

We need:

 

* JUMBLE Ideally please bring your valuable unwanted clothes & possessions to Chapel Allerton on March 16th.  If necessary Andrew Nightingale has offered to store goods in his shed in Horsforth. You can take goods to him in Horsforth. You can bring the items to the Centre and Andrew or I will ship it up to Horsforth.  Or we can arrange to make collections.  My number is 0796 107 3063.  Andrew is 0790 661 1484. Fuel is expensive so be ready to wait for us to make efficient collection rounds.  It is our experience that big old TVs are very awkward to carry and do not sell so we don't want any this year. Finally please put everything in a sealed box that will make transportation and storage easier.

 

* PLANTS Lets gets some seedlings planted and have a nice table full of flowering plants and vegetables ready to sell.  This is something we have not done before and will be an interesting new angle on the day.

 

* BOOKS I question the merit of keeping a book that you will never read again.  Surely the wise would not cling to the treasury of insight and enjoyment held within the pages of a good book.  Instead the enlightened ones seek to share those riches with the world.  In this way we will have a huge and high quality book section.

 

* CAKE Speaks for itself.

 

 

  

 

HELP ON THE DAY

 

* Setting Up  The most important part of the day is opening the boxes, sorting the jumble and picking out and pricing the most valuable items. We will put out tables, have clothing rails, hangers and a mirror. We will start at at least 8am in order to open the Jumble at 11am.

* Door We will charge 20p to come in.

* Selling We will stand behind the table to serve, engage with customers and be willing to barter as time goes on.

* Kitchen Making and selling cups of tea, coffee, biscuits, etc.

* Clearing Up & Sweeping

* Dispersal of goods  All the unsold items will be reboxed.  We may keep a couple of boxes of the very best remainders for next year but otherwise we will disperse the rest to charity shops around the city as we make our way home.

* The sale will run till 1pm or 2pm and we will be out of the building by 4pm.

 

SO for all this we need your help!  

Please contact me for general volunteering activity.  My number again 0796 107 3063.  Please contact myself or Andrew for getting stuff to Horsforth. Andrew's number again

0790 661 1484.

 

Thanks,

David

 

 

Book Review by Mandy Sutter

A father-son journey above the clouds

Zombies on Kilimanjaro by Tim Ward

Your guide will probably tell you," Ezekiel said, "that the name Kilimanjaro comes from kilima, the Swahili word for 'mountain' and jaro, the Maasai word for 'snow-capped.' But that's just for the tourists. We Chagga people who have always lived here, we believe the name comes from our own language: kilema-kyaro, which means 'Impossible to Climb.

So begins Buddhist writer Tim Ward's latest book, 'Zombies on Kilimanjaro,' a memoir about climbing the highest freestanding mountain in the world with his 20-year-old son, Josh.

And it's a good beginning, plunging the reader straight into the 'plot' of this gentle travel narrative. Will father and son reach the top and will they reach it together? This question is both literal and metaphorical. Following Ward's divorce from Josh's mother, father and son have had a troubled relationship.

Ward's description of the climb is very interesting. We travel in the company of guides and helpers, and meet some other climbers, some of whom reappear later on. Ward writes very well about the dramatic scenery and the physical effects of the climb on the body. He tells us something about climate change and its effect on the mountain.

There are also some wonderful reflections about his own father, and Ward is honest enough to show how he has inherited some of his father's most difficult traits, and how these have affected his relationship with his own son.

So far, so good. But although the opening chapters of the book are gripping, a fatal flaw soon appears: a tendency to relay in direct dialogue things that would be better shown in the book's action, or perhaps even omitted altogether.

Ward talks at length to Josh as they climb the mountain. What he says is interesting enough. He explains memes and makes some extremely courageous self-disclosures.

But the long, direct conversations come at a price. While they are taking place, the mountain disappears, Josh disappears and, ironically enough, the father-son relationship itself disappears. We are being told about events in the past instead of being allowed to witness how those events have informed the present and the living, breathing relationship between father and son now. Josh, largely relegated to the role of listener, becomes a shadowy figure. In contrast, I thought of Cormac McCarthy's The Road, and how the father-son relationship is so strongly established despite minimal dialogue.

But there is certainly much to enjoy in this well-meaning and heartfelt memoir. A week after reading it, what remains with me is the compelling description of the final ascent and descent, when there was no time or energy for conversation.   

This review originally appeared on www.wildmind.org 

Notes on Burning Incense by Bodhipaksa

This article is available in full at www.wildmind.org  (re-printed here with permission)

Obviously burning incense is not directly to do with posture, but there's an indirect connection. As part of our preparation for meditation it's common to settle down by going through some form of ceremonial ritual.

Rituals can be very simple of very complex. One of the most common forms of ritual action is to light incense. It's best if this is done mindfully. First one lights candles, and then the end of a stick of incense is lit in the candle flame. Usually we let the end of the incense burn with a flame for a few seconds, and then the incense is gently waved in the air. This has the effect both of extinguishing the flame so that the incense is now glowing as an ember rather than as a flame, and of sending a stream of smoke into the air. Some people will then bow before sitting for meditation.

I've always found that the choice of incense is important. Certain kinds of incense can produce a very calming effect, and we can very quickly build up positive associations with a particular scent, so that the mind becomes quiet and a retreat-like atmosphere settles around us.

The more refined the incense is, the more likely it is that it will have a positive emotional and mental effect. Japanese incense is generally more refined (and in fact the world of Japanese incense is like the world of wine, with a great variety of qualities ranging from merely good to connoisseur-level). Indian incense can be more rough and chemical-smelling. Tibetan incense is more natural, and although some is refined much of it is like a fire on a hillside. That's my experience; your mileage may vary.

The following is adapted from a press-release from Johns Hopkins University. It explains how certain kinds of incense have an effect on the brain... Read More

Courses in February, March & April

Meditation Course

Tuesday 5th February - 7.00pm to 9.15pm for 4 weeks

I n this course, we explore the 

An Introduction to Buddhism

Tuesday 5th March  7.00pm to 9.00pm for 4 weeks

This course introduces some of the basic principles of Buddhism and the Buddha's three-fold path of ethics, meditation and wisdom. Drawing on traditional sources and on our own everyday experience, the module aims to bring the Buddha's teaching alive in our daily life.

Cost for the course: £35/£18 concs. 

  
Practising Buddhism in the Modern World

A day introducing Buddhism and Buddhist practice with the Triratna Community. We will be looking at how the Buddha's teachings can be put into practice in our modern world, exploring Buddhism in relation to daily life, and looking at how faith and tradition work in the 21st century. The day will give a taste of different ways of practising, including meditation, mindfulness, discussion, chanting. Suitable for beginners and anyone new to the Triratna Buddhist Community.     

Cost for the course: £35/£18 concs.  

Online: follow this link
Email: enquiries@leedsbuddhistcentre.org
Phone: 01132 445 256  

Please note that the views expressed in this newsletter are the opinions of individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Leeds Buddhist Centre, theTriratna Buddhist Community (Leeds) or The Triratna Buddhist Order