vajra bell newsletter - spring 2015

keeping sangha connected

SPRING 2015

MeetingBhanteConnecting with our teacher and founder Sangharakshita

Also inthis issue

Seeking Beauty A Gateway to Freedom by Narottama

Purification of a Stupa by Barry Timmerman

vajrabell

This has been a wonderful winter at Aryaloka at least for me

Despite being battered inconve-nienced and fatigued by the onslaught of February blizzards

I am lucky to have spent time at the cen-ter to appreciate its winter beauty I have seen the full moon rise while snowshoeing around the grounds at night napped on the couch during a blizzard cross-coun-ty skied with Arjava and shoveled snow off the roofs of Aryaloka and Akashaloka

The most amazing winter sight was that of two Tibetan monks wearing thin robes in cold weather conducting pujas to ded-icate the stupa to Dhardo Rinpoche The

younger of the two monks Dhardo Tulku Rinpoche is the successor of one of Sang-harakshitarsquos influential teachers Even though the young monk has never met Sangharakshita this ceremony was an ex-tension of the long connection and friend-ship between Bhante and the previous Dhardo Rinpoche

It seems auspicious that the ceremony occurred just prior to this issue where we consider the life and impact of Sangharak-shita The issue includes essays by four Or-der members ndash Sanghadevi Karunade-vi Vidyadevi and Surakshita ndash whose lives he directly touched Sangharakshita is a multifaceted leader He is a prolific schol-ar and artist publishing more than seven-ty books including biographies polemics collections of essays and extended lectures

wwwaryalokaorgcategoryvajra-bell

VAJRA BELL KULA

CO-EDITOR Mary Schaefermbschaefercomcastnet

CO-EDITOR David Wattdavidwatt1956gmailcom

ADMINISTRATION EDITOR Dh Vihanasarivihanasaricomcastnet

ARTS EDITOR Lois Sansmichaelandlois86gmailcom

CONTRIBUTORS

Dh Satyadasatyadastephensloancom

Carolyn Gregsak

cgregsakgmailcom

Peter Ingrahampingalumniunhedu

DESIGN Dh Rijupathaericwintercrowstudiocom

SpiRitUAL VitALity CoUnCiL

Amala (Chair)Vidhuma (Vice Chair)

ArjavaDayalocanaKarunasaraSurakshita

BoARd of diRECtoRS

Arjava (Chair)Barry Timmerman (Secretary)Elizabeth Hellard (Treasurer)

DayalocanaAkashavanda

AmalaJean CorsonTom Gaillard

Aryaloka Buddhist Center14 Heartwood Circle

Newmarket NH 03857603-659-5456

infoaryalokaorg wwwaryalokaorg

Find us on Facebook httpwwwfacebookcomAraloka

or on the Aryaloka Facebook Grouphttpwwwfacebookcomgroupsary-

alokasangha

Connect at The Buddhist Centre Online httpthebuddhistcentrecomaryaloka

vajrabellPreparing this is-

sue of the Vajra Bell has been another step deeper into my Bud-dhist practice and ev-er-expanding view of the Triratna Buddhist Order and the global connections it offers

At the retreat this past fall for wom-en in the ordination process I and my fel-low retreatants were inspired by a talk giv-en by Sanghadevi She shared her personal journey with Sangharakshita and encour-aged us to build our own sense of connec-tion to him

ldquoGiven the pioneering nature of Trirat-nardquo she said ldquoI think itrsquos important that we all read Sangharakshita as widely as possi-blerdquo Read his memoirs Listen to his talks his voice she said not just for our own sake but for the sake of others She described his writings as ldquodoorwaysrdquo through which we get to know him and what it means to be a Buddhist practicing the Dharma here in the modern world

I invited her to share her reflections on Bhante (I was delighted when she agreed) along with other Order members Suraksh-ita Karunadevi and Vidyadevi I stepped through the doorways they opened which gave me the chance to get to know more deeply ndash and with ever-growing appreci-ation and gratitude ndash Bhante and this ldquopi-oneeringrdquo tradition he has founded It has

been quite a journey Going through those doorways I also

virtually ldquometrdquo Manjuvajra one of the Or-der members who lived at Aryaloka in its early days and one of Surakshitarsquos first teachers Through a photo of Karunadevi he posted on Facebook I learned that he had just assembled a book of photos and reflec-tions of his travels with his spiritual teach-er Sangharakshita He shared his photo of Sangharakshita in front of the Golden Gate Bridge during one of his few visits to Amer-ica - and also by the Grand Canyon that vast vista that I had personally just visited this fall

As I read these accounts of Bhante and corresponded with people I was struck by how interdependent and connected we are with each other and the many teachers that guided and inspired Bhante on his journey

As Karunadevi writes ldquoBhante has done something revolutionary in the Buddhist world drawing on his vast knowledge of the Buddharsquos teachings and making the spirit of those teachings accessiblerdquo Itrsquos my respon-sibility I figure as a mitra and a practicing Buddhist in training to join the Triratna Buddhist Order that I get to know as much as I can about it and the inspiring teacher who opened this path for me

I invite you to enter these doorways to learn more about Bhante his vision for the world and what he and Triratna offer you and thousands of others on this path to peace ~ Mary Schaefer

editors notes Mary Schaefer amp David Watt

VAJRA BELL2 SPRING 2015

continued on page 5

The Spiritual Vi-tality Council (SVC) has the happy yet challenging respon-sibility to oversee the spiritual well-being of the Aryaloka com-munity The SVC is still grappling with

how to go about its charge and define the tasks it must undertake

The SVC considers its responsibilities from three broad perspectives First we consider the range and quality of Dharma programs offered through Aryaloka - in-cluding the content who teaches it and the quality of teaching We examine the learn-ing opportunities for newcomers friends mitras and Order members Second we consider ways that Aryaloka supports the spiritual development of its members This

means understanding what supports are needed and are available to meet those needs Third we gauge the ongoing spiri-tual vitality of our community We attempt to understand what constitutes a spiritually vital community and thoughtfully look at ourselves to see how we measure up

All three are important and each pos-es its own challenges Of these the third perspective is the most slippery because it breaks new ground venturing into a dark area with only a dim light It is a task of a special and experimental nature The ques-tion is how spiritually alive is our Aryalo-ka community

What comes to mind when you think of being spiritually vital alive and well From a Buddhist perspective we might ask ourselves ldquohow free are we as a commu-nity from hatred craving and ignorancerdquo Howrsquos that for a global view The SVC con-

siders how to translate that question into something more concrete and specific

Harmony was a prized value among the historical Buddharsquos followers and remains so as embodied in the Triratna Buddhist Communityrsquos emphasis on kalyana mitra-ta (spiritual friendship) How do we look at harmony in our community Harmony is abstract so we need to translate this into specific behaviors

Are we kind to each other Do we com-municate clearly often and respectfully Do we appreciate the needs and feelings of others Do we listen thoughtfully to each other Do we resolve conflict among our-selves effectively Do we enjoy being in each otherrsquos company Do we meet often and in what groupings Are we thoughtful mindful of others Does this show in a way that is easily discernable Is our friend-

VAJRA BELL 3SPRING 2015

The Board of Di-rectors meets on the third Wednesday of each month to dis-cuss and decide is-sues related to the fi-nancial management repairs and mainte-nance administra-

tion marketing and development of Ary-aloka The Board works closely with the Spiritual Vitality Council to provide vi-brant spiritual programs and practices while maintaining the building infrastruc-ture and grounds

Dh Dayalocana gave an update from the Spiritual Vitality Council discussions

The possibility of using produce bullfrom local organic farmers for Aryaloka retreats Plans for a summer retreat for bullthe newly formed Young Sang-ha ndash a group of local Buddhists in their 20s and 30s who meet on the fourth Sunday of each monthA summer visit by Dh Nagabodhi bull

president of Aryaloka during the retreat for men in the ordination process Other UK Order members will visit this summer

The Finance Team reported on

The strong attendance at the multi-bullweek classes including the Path of Practice and Introduction to Medi-tation groupsEventbrite our new online reg-bullistration system is working well Wersquoll continue to monitor the suc-cess and user-friendliness of this systemIncome is ahead of budget While bullmost expenses are in line with ex-pectations plowing shoveling and fuel expenses are over budget due to the extreme winterThe Fundraising Kula is working bullon the Auction set for April 10thSpring plans include the comple-bulltion of Shantiloka the solitary cabin completion of the Stupa grounds maintenance and land-scaping and the creation of raised flower beds in the gardens

The Development Team proposed the following

Research the possibility of starting bulla ldquoSangha Carerdquo program at Ary-aloka This would be a network of mutual support connecting Ary-aloka sangha members who need temporary support due to illness surgery or other critical issues with members who can help with such things as preparing meals running errands or shopping for groceries The Development Team will share bulltheir findings with the Spiritual Vi-tality Council

Other topics discussed included

Revising and rewriting the websitebullA Board of Directors retreat in bullMay or JuneMonthly activity and project re-bullports from the Executive DirectorUpdated Order member informa-bulltion on our website

The next Board of Directors meeting will be Wednesday May 20 at 615 pm

from the board of directors Elizabeth Hellard

The Aryaloka Council and Board minutes are posted on the bulletin board at the foot of the stairs

continued on page 10

from the spiritual vitality council Dh Vidhuma


sangha notes

Friends Night

The Tuesday evening Friendsrsquo Night Winter Series featured three programs of study and discussion Tom Gaillard and Barry Timmerman led the beginner series on the Noble Eightfold Path Arjava explored death and dying from the Buddhist perspective in a group called Making Friends with Death and Satyada and his group dived into Buddhist ethics

Other special programsMeditation practice reflections on death and dying

In January Lilasiddhi led a one-day introduction on the Mindfulness of Breathing practice a core Triratna meditation form Karunasararsquos series Living Joyfully Dying Peacefully continues with discussions and contemplation of end-of-life issues for ourselves and others Vidhuma offered a Mindfulness and Health workshop and presented a survey of the benefits of meditation on physical and emotional health

Ongoing events Open meditation Arts and Childrenrsquos sangha

Eric Ebbesonrsquos drawing group meets the first Sunday of each month and explores the connections between the right-brained states of meditation and drawing All are welcome and no artistic experience is necessary On the second Sunday of each month Alisha Roberts leads the Childrenrsquos Sangha where our younger Dharma practitioners share stories and meditate together Rijupatharsquos new monthly series the Young Personrsquos Sangha Hangout offers a space for the under forty crowd Bodhanarsquos Tuesday and Thursday morning open meditation sessions continue as do the Friday evening practice gatherings

Dhardo Rinpochersquos visit

Dhardo Rinpoche made his second visit to Aryaloka to dedicate the now completed stupa honoring his predecessor He led ceremonial pujas and generously offered talks to Order members mitras and our community at large Look for more stories and photos of his visit in this issue ~ Peter Ingraham

The Dhamma Brothers movie was shown at a recent movie night and was well attended with lots of questions for the panel discussion after the screening The Khante Outreach program provides weekly Dharma meetings for men in the Concord State Prison for Men on Thursdays (Dharmamitra study) and Saturdays (open meditation) Satyada makes the monthly trip to Berlin NH to visit several mitras there Two new volunteers completed training and Susan DiPietro now regularly attends Saturday meditations Neil Harvey will also join us soon on Saturdays Thanks to both for volunteering

The Concord Menrsquos Sangha continues to grow Two men Mike and James became mitras at a ceremony held at the February retreat They started mitra study with Satyada on Thursday afternoons Satyada is starting a dharma library for the men at the

Berlin facility thanks to the generosity of a sangha member who did some ldquospring cleaningrdquo of her Dharma books Please consider donating used dharma books and magazines to Khante Outreach

You can extend the hand of spiritual friendship by serving as a pen pal to one of the incarcerated men Here are some excerpts from letters the men wrote about their pen pals

ldquoPeople who are incarcerated typically have very interesting stories to tell but almost no one who cares to hear themrdquo

ldquoI would like to encourage you to lift the pen and lend a handrdquo

ldquoLike any relationship it is important if you are interested in writing an inmate to listen to what is asked and what is offeredrdquo

Be sure to read the letters on display at Aryaloka Please contact Khemavassika (Khemavassikagmailcom) for more information

~ Dh Khemavassika

San Francisco has been having a warm early spring also known as a drought If you need to escape the cold itrsquos a great time to visit San Francisco Please consider bringing water

While yoursquore here you can join early risers for morning meditations on weekdays or various weekend day retreats depending on when you come You just missed a Hungry Ghost day retreat co-led by Danakamala who was visiting from New Hampshire and local Order member Danadasa We studied the Anusaya Sutta A series of weekend day retreats organized for young practitioners has been well attended

Weeknights offer various upcoming opportunities An Art of Meditation class is wrapping up on Mondays and Life with Full Attention and Essential Dharma five-week courses will pick up when that ends Wednesday Sangha Night continues on the theme of

communication Pasadini who was ordained in San Francisco recently passed back through town and led Sangha Night on the topic of Radical Goodness On Being Good Enough

A drop-in meditation course is offered on Thursdays and is open to everyone First Friday Film Night entertainment is ongoing This month we are also lucky to have an event called Spring Equinox Candlelight Yoga

Many of us look forward to Aprilrsquos week-long meditation retreat with Paramananda and Paramabodhi A Breathworks retreat is also coming to the Bay Area in June The focus will be mindfulness for stress pain and illness This will be the first time a Breathworks retreat is offered in the United States and registration is still open

The Center Management Team meets monthly to organize retreats and discuss ways to keep the center clean welcoming and organized Construction on Bartlett Street is ongoing but has not slowed us down ~ Mary Salome

ARYALOKA SANGHA(NEWMARKET NH)

SAN FRANCISCO SANGHA(SAN FRANCISCO CA)

CONCORD SANGHA(CONCORD NH)

translations and poetry He is a charismat-ic organizer who brought Buddhism with him from India and established what has become a transnational Buddhist move-ment He is a mentor who has had lasting loving mentoring relationships with many who have shared his life as reflected upon by these Order members

As part of the stupa dedication Dhardo Rinpoche performed a spell-binding Ti-betan puja honoring our previous teachers in the shrine room Later during a ques-tion and answer session with mitras and Order members the Rinpoche said that because of the relationship between his predecessor and Bhante he felt a deep con-nection to the ldquoVenerable Sangharakshitardquo He believes there are many ways to prac-tice Buddhism and that Bhante established an important path of practice for Bud-dhism in the West We celebrate that path in this issue

I am grateful as always for the en-thusiasm of our contributors kula mem-bers and correspondents The Vajra Bell documents the large and small changes in our sangha life - through retreats movie nights the childrenrsquos sangha and in many other ways Sunada and Dharmasurirsquos piece on the Outlying Sangha Retreat re-minds me how this place affects people even those who rarely come here It sup-ports our practice enriches and renews us

I dread mud season but I love spring I look forward to seeing you all on the Spring Work Weekend

~ David Watt


sangha notes

Happy spring That is said with a slight cringe as we fully understand the tough winter yoursquove had on the east coast May you see spring flowers popping their heads up soon and may we not have a rough wildfire season here due to a lack of moisture

We hit the ground running in January with a focus on sangha The sangha saw growth this past year and we are trying to keep the groups connected Introduction to Meditation and Buddhism last fall brought a committed group together to do the foundation year on Tuesdays We also have committed core groups on Wednesday Sangha Nights Thursday mitra study and a womenrsquos GFR group meeting every other Tuesday

How do we keep the groups

connected with all the busy lives we lead Every second Sunday we have a half-day meditation practice and once a quarter we have an all-sangha day All the groups suspend their meetings for this event so everyone can gather on one specific Wednesday Sangha Night We started another Introduction to Meditation and Buddhism class this month that is now full with fourteen students Itrsquos exciting to see moms coming to class together with their teenagers

We are having a retreat in May at Camp Child Many of you may remember this place as it was used for Going for Refuge retreats several years ago It has become available recently so we are glad to again have access to this place in the spring and fall The retreat will be exploring the Anapanasati practice and will be led by Karunakara

Happily humming along in Big Sky Country ~ Kay Jones

In March a small group from the New York sangha attended the dedication of the new stupa at Aryaloka with the current tulku of Dhardo Rinpoche and his attendant Sersang Also in March thanks to the good work of our real estate kula (Savana Luraschi Christopher Warnasch and Vajramati) we have a new space in Manhattan on Tuesday evenings for Sangha Night and mitra study Based on a recent survey Tuesday is the night

most New York sangha members are able to participate so we are looking forward to larger sangha gatherings beginning in April

We recently concluded a six-week series on strengthening our meditation practice led by Padmadharini She is heading off for six weeks to work for the White Tara Trust in Nepal After a few weeks of dedicating the new space and gathering the sangha the teaching kula will support Vajramati in launching a new program to be announced soon

~ Bettye Pruitt

The Spring issue you say Sitting here in mid-March looking out the window on a 33-degree day with blowing winds and frozen snow banks it is hard to believe we are writing the spring news

Nagalokarsquos Friendsrsquo Night sangha warmed the winterrsquos Wednesdays by coming together to study Not About Being Good by Subhadramati This book had a particularly warm reception with the group Members felt it practical simply

stated yet pointing to very deep practice We reflected on our practice and tried the suggested practices with the group

Dhardo Rinpoche came up to Portland for a visit in March Along with his attendant Sersang he attended Friendsrsquo Night at Nagaloka on March 11th and was met with a full house He spoke about his connection with Triratna through Sangharakshita the previous Dhardo Rinpoche and the building of the stupa at Aryaloka He answered questions about his life his studies his thoughts on being aware of the news out in the world as well as informing us about the monastery

that he has taken charge of and the school that the previous Dhardo Rinpoche built and looked after His visit was a highlight during our long winter

We begin a new Friendsrsquo Night study in the spring with Who is the Buddha by Sangharakshita We continue to have menrsquos and womenrsquos practice days and introduction to meditation days

Thank you to Bodhipaksa Khemavassika and Suddhayu for running events at Nagaloka Your support is greatly appreciated Check out our website to stay up-to-date at wwwnagalokabuddhistcenterorg ~ Gail Yahwak

ROCKY MOUNTAIN SANGHA(MISSOULA MT)

NEW YORK SANGHA(NEW YORK NY)

NAGALOKA SANGHA(PORTLAND ME)

editorrsquos notesContinued from Page 2


By Tricia McCarthy

Volunteers are the heart and soul of Aryaloka The falling snow took a night off in February allowing about seventy-five sangha members to come together at Aryaloka to enjoy a warm volunteer ap-preciation celebration and comfort food Arjava Elizabeth Hellard Bodhana and friends came through with their fine cu-linary skills offering pasta dishes egg-plant parmesan garlic bread and gar-den salad Being a chocolate lover I was thrilled to see the dessert ndash a delectable dark chocolate cake a perfect ending to a perfect meal

Following dinner the important work of volunteers was highlighted by sever-al active sangha members and all vol-unteers were recognized and thanked by name Some join us for seasonal work

days or special events Others help out by joining a kula ndash a group of volunteers gathered to serve a common purpose

Aryaloka has fourteen kulas work-ing together to keep our spiritual home safe strong and vibrant New kula mem-bers are always welcome for such areas as gardening fundraising desktop pub-lishing groundskeeping carpentry the arts working with children or communi-ty outreach ndash to name a few

If you have have skills or interests in any of these or other areas consider con-tributing your time and talent to Aryalo-ka Please call the office and we can con-nect you with the kula of your choice

A sincere thanks to all of Aryalokarsquos generous volunteers Whether you are an occasional helper or an active kula mem-ber your time and energy is appreciated Many hands make light work

By David Watt

Nordic Nirvana is the whimsical name for the winter weekend retreat led by the whimsical Akashavanda and the more lev-el-headed Arjava in February Five oth-er retreatants joined them to share an ideal winter weekend that included snowshoe-ing cross-country skiing hot chocolate delicious meals and naps on the couches

The woods around Aryaloka have a particularly deep stillness in wintertime especially when the snow is deep Snow-shoeing beside the river in silence we felt the full weight of the dead of winter bro-ken only by the rippling sound coming from spots of open water We watched the full moon rise over the river and spent time around the stupa looking up at the stars

On Saturday morning we snowshoed and skied along trails in a nearby conser-vation area While skiing Arjava and I had a typical male-bonding experience We got lost had trouble downloading the map onto Arjavarsquos cell phone and had to walk down a road to find the trail back to the car

The retreat was filled with the custom-ary comforting rituals - morning and eve-

ning meditation silence at night until breakfast Dharma study and opportuni-ties to speak to Order members one-on-one One of my favorite things was spend-ing time in the shrine room alone taking in the energy of the hundreds of thousands of hours that people have spent there med-itating

On Saturday night Akashavanda led

us in a Vajrasattva puja concluding with our standing around a fire in the driveway enthusiastically chanting the Vajrasattva mantra ldquoOm Vajrasattva samayamrdquo and eating chocolate-covered macadamia nuts The retreat ended as always with chores leftovers for lunch a feeling of affection for Aryaloka and the other retreatants and some bittersweet regrets that it was over

A Taste of Nordic Nirvana with Arjava amp Akashavanda

Appreciating the Generosity of Volunteers

By Dh Khemavassika

In January sixteen people from our Aryaloka sangha launched the Path of Practice program This group meets monthly to connect and collectively deep-en our practice in the Dharma

This is the first time the program has been offered and members have learned that weather conditions and a busy center calendar create opportunities for flexibility and forbearance

Members range in experience from a newly-arrived Dharma explorer to an Or-der member We all share a commitment to our group and to sharing our practice for a year

The group is closed to new participants for this year Please watch for updates in future issues of the Vajra Bell

Path of Practice Group Update


By David Watt

In early March some sangha mem-bers gathered at Aryaloka for the monthly movie night to watch The Dhamma Broth-ers a 2007 documentary about a medita-tion program established in Donaldson Correctional facility a maximum security prison in Alabama

Inmates with little or no meditation ex-perience were trained in the Vipassana technique and then plunged into a ten-day Noble Silence retreat The story is told pri-marily in a series of interviews with the in-mates meditation teachers (who moved into the prison for the duration of the re-treat) correctional officers wardens men-

tal health providers and inmatesrsquo relatives Though there are many takeaways from the film I found the inmatesrsquo capacity to develop compassion for their victims one another and themselves to be particular-ly moving

Following the film Bodhana led a dis-cussion about the Khanti Outreach Proj-ect and the sangha in the Concord State Prison Khemavassika and two alumni of the Concord sangha joined us The dis-cussion covered practical aspects of ar-ranging meditation sessions and retreats in prison the complex bureaucracy and politics involved and how sangha mem-bers support one another The former in-mates spoke of how much the visits and

letters they received lightened the bur-den of incarceration and how the Dhar-ma had transformed their lives Khema-vassika described the profound rewards of her work in the prison for the last ten years and the importance of enlisting more Ary-aloka sangha members to become visitors and pen pals

Great Movie Night and Discussion About Dharma in Prison

By Dh Sunada and Dh Dharmasuri

Whatrsquos the difference between an ordi-nary friendship and a spiritual friendship Thatrsquos the question we grappled with at our fifth annual Outlying Sanghas Retreat in January

Every year sangha members from New York Boston and Portland gather for a re-treat over the three-day Martin Luther King weekend All these sanghas are at least an hourrsquos drive from Aryaloka For New Yorkers it can be an epic six-hour journey

The idea for the event was hatched five years ago when Sunada noticed that many Boston sangha members especially new-comers felt shy or intimidated about go-ing on an Aryaloka retreat After all they didnrsquot know anybody there Since our sangha was too small to hold our own re-treat we booked a weekend when every-one could go together and invited oth-er distant similarly-sized sanghas Voila It was an instant hit Wersquove been getting to-gether ever since

The framework for this yearrsquos retreat came from Subhutirsquos book Buddhism and Friendship Subhuti explains that there are three types of friendship distinguished by what we value most in the relationship

Pleasure1 the main point is to have fun and enjoy each otherrsquos com-panyUsefulness2 each serves a useful

role to the other similar to busi-ness colleaguesPursuit of the good3 the relation-ship is a vehicle for encouraging the good and the morally beautiful in each other

This third type which Subhuti called the ldquobeautiful friendshiprdquo or kalyana mi-trata in Sanskrit defines spiritual friend-ship We spent the entire weekend unpack-ing what this might look like with each other and in our lives back at home

One retreat highlight came on Sunday morning when Dharmasuri and Vajrama-ti shared their own life stories around spir-itual friendship Reading and studying out of a book is useful but nothing brings a concept to life like heartfelt personal ac-counts Both very movingly shared their struggles and challenges and how friend-ship ultimately pulled them through

Another highlight was the quickly ar-ranged mitra ceremony on Sunday night for Chris Warnasch and Syma Afia They had wanted to celebrate their ceremony with their home sangha in New York so that friends and family could attend but they felt so inspired by the retreat that they decided to do it then and there We all thought that was a wonderful idea Both Chris and Syma said they felt lovingly held by this extended sangha gathered around them It was a truly beautiful evening that stood out as a peak moment of the week-end Itrsquos always great fun to shower our dear friends with rose petals

Though each yearly retreat feels won-derful and special this yearrsquos felt especial-ly so The focus on spiritual friendship helped us appreciate the beauty in each other more than usual We felt like we not only understood what it all meant in our heads but we also felt it in our hearts The weekend was a full immersion in beauti-ful friendship ndash complete with warm hugs and tears of joy - that we wonrsquot forget for a long time

Heartfelt Spiritual Friendship at the Outlying Sanghas Retreat

Photos courtesy of Dharmasuri

Please be sure Aryalokarsquos windows stay closed in

winter and remember to close them when leaving the

center in warmer months Thank you


By Dh Narottama Artists and philosophers throughout

history have sought ways to express the concept of beauty Plato considered beauty to be ldquotherdquo idea above all other ideas Aris-totle argued that when you practice virtue you aim at beauty There are many refer-ences to beauty in the worldrsquos religions and one level of Buddhist meditation is even called ldquothe beautifulrdquo Bob Dylan in his song Shelter from the Storm sings ldquoBeauty walks a razors edge one day Irsquoll make her minerdquo

Beauty was the focus of a week-long re-treat I attended in May last year at Adhist-hana in the rural English countryside with my fellow Order members from Aryaloka Satyada Surakshita and Vidhuma It was reported that upon hearing about this pro-posed Beauty and Eros retreat Sangharak-shita said ldquoBeauty is very important beau-ty is very importantrdquo

Perhaps you know beauty and are fa-miliar with some ways that it speaks to you Perhaps you are aware of beauty as it weaves through the fabric of your world and provides seemingly endless flashes of pleasure harmony and growth in your life Opening to and looking for the beautiful in our lives can lead to freedom from a cling-ing self-view and negative emotional states It can give rise to joy and bliss and a deep-er sense of participating in the magic of the universe

An intriguing attempt to label beau-ty comes from the Greek word horaios from hora meaning ldquohourrdquo To the Greeks beauty was associated with ldquobeing in onersquos hourrdquo or ldquoof its timerdquo suggesting that for instance a peach at its peak of color and ripeness is expressing its deepest beauty An older person attempting to look young-er or a younger person struggling to appear more mature was not considered an expres-sion of beauty This sounds a bit like ldquosuch-nessrdquo discovered when Buddhists explore the realms of Reality

Three characteristics of beauty were drawn out at the retreat

First beauty is incomprehensible It cannot be nailed down packaged and pos-sessed It is beyond the intellectrsquos ability to know or grasp Beauty defies definition

Second beauty can be intensely plea-

surable delightful and inspiring It draws us in This path is always available you know it when you feel it It is a ldquowowrdquo ex-perience that seeks to be shared not just seeing something as pretty with a pleasing veneer It can also be subtle catching you off guard with a whisper

Third the object of beauty has the char-acteristic to transcend itself and draw us higher provided we do not try to ldquomake it minerdquo Subtle ego appropriation taints beauty changing it into something else You engage and participate in beauty when you allow the experience to unfold and then witness that unfolding

The path of beauty rises like a ladder from a pile of dukkha - with rungs of ever-higher stages - which transcends suffering and points to something beyond our every-day perceptions and preferences our likes and dislikes We can begin the search for beauty with our smallest experiences see-ing them as part of a larger experience that is always calling us

Edna St Vincent Millayrsquos poem Euclid Alone attempts to capture the meaning and significance of beauty She uses Euclid of-ten referred to as the ldquofather of geometryrdquo as an example of moving towards perfec-tion with a form or idea or principle that reflects a higher order of affairs She speaks of those of us who gabble and hiss about

beauty as we ponder ourselves staring ldquoat nothing intricately drawn nowhererdquo and do not see it The hero striving to awaken and seeking ldquoluminous airrdquo might catch a glimpse or distant sound of beauty

Euclid alone has looked on Beauty bare Let all who prate of Beauty hold their peace And lay them prone upon the earth and cease To ponder on themselves the while they stare At nothing intricately drawn nowhere In shapes of shifting lineage let geese Gabble and hiss but heroes seek release From dusty bondage into luminous air O blinding hour O holy terrible day When first the shaft into his vision shone Of light anatomized Euclid alone Has looked on Beauty bare Fortunate they Who though once only and then but far away Have heard her massive sandal set on stone

Seeking beauty The word ldquoseekingrdquo seems to point to desire (tanha) a thirst for something Isnrsquot desire unskillful What kind of desire are we talking about Letrsquos look at three levels of desire three levels or categories that are not definitive They overlap have gray areas and can be inter-preted in many ways It is in the ethical plane where our life energy (eros) comes in contact with the world and all it consists of inner and outer

The first level of desire is instinctual a semi-conscious desire for safety food or reproduction The second is the self-con-scious ego supporting desires The third is a longing for something beyond our physi-cal needs and preferences and our own spe-cial likes and dislikes The search for truth love beauty and the good can be seen as this third type of desire ndash to seek more re-fined states of skillfulness as we engage more deeply with the world Shantideva an 8th century Buddhist monk expressed his heartfelt desire to see the Buddha and reality itself ldquoConstantly constantly I long to see the Buddhardquo

The desire to engage with beauty is a positive skillful practice until we commit the common human mistake of attempting to appropriate it to build up our ego

Seeking Beauty A Gateway to Freedom



By Barry Timmerman

Editorrsquos Note Dhardo Tulku Rinpoche and his attendant Sersang visited Aryaloka in March to dedicate the stupa that contains precious relics from Sangharakshitarsquos teacher and friend the 13th Dhardo Rinpoche Here are sangha member Barry Timmermanrsquos re-flections on the visit and dedication

I write these words with appreciation and inspiration With Dhardo Rinpoche and Sersangrsquos visit to America and Aryalo-ka complete I share my personal reflec-tions here on the interactions conversa-tions and connections I made with these wonderful men This is what my eyes saw my ears heard and my heart felt

Khemavassika and I had the honor of picking up Dhardo Rinpoche and Sersang at Bostonrsquos Logan Airport Karma being on our side we found a parking spot direct-ly in front of Terminal E It wasnrsquot difficult to spot two Buddhist monks in maroon robes After introducing ourselves we de-parted Logan for a longer than usual trek back to Aryaloka Boston traffic invited us to practice acceptance patience and mind-fulness I felt a strong sense of responsibil-ity to transport these precious human be-ings safely and smoothly

After eighteen hours on airplanes (from Mumbai to London to Boston) our guests were tired but happy to be back in the US On the ride north there was quiet and re-spectful conversation with some napping (by Dhardo and Sersang not me) Sersang expressed joy at seeing snow and said he felt like he was home in Tibet where he had been a monk before coming to India Interpreting for Sersang Dhardo Rinpoche said Sersang had not been in Tibet for more than fifteen years ndash the last time he saw snow After Sersang arrived at the monastery in India he was asked to serve as Dhardo Rinpochersquos attendant Initial-ly the assignment was to be for three years Three years turned into fifteen years and then into a lifetime commitment

The two appear to have a complex re-lationship There is affection protection mentoring ritual and mutual appreciation There was much Tibetan spoken between them Sersang is a kind man with a know-ing twinkle in his eye and a frequent smile

What he lacked in English language skills he more than made up for in his ability to connect in non-verbal ways

Arriving at Aryaloka we carried lug-gage into Akashaloka where Perry Frank and Daniel waited for us A hot delicious meal simmered on the stove Over dinner Dhardo spoke of his family in Kalimpong and going to a Catholic school as a young child where he learned English At age five he was recognized as the reincarnation of the 13th Dhardo Rinpoche At age ten he began his studies at the monastery where he lives today

Daniel and I played guitars before din-ner and Dhardo enjoyed our playing He spoke of the musicality that runs through his family and how a family member in-vented the Tibetan guitar I told Dhar-do Tulku he would make an excellent gui-tar player because he has long fingers and strong hands He smiled and said maybe I could teach him how to play

Dhardo Tulku spoke of his predeces-sor the 13th Dhardo Rinpoche and how he had been convinced to become abbot of a monastery Initially because of health reasons he declined the offer Someone had gone to the Dalai Lamarsquos mother with whom the 13th Dhardo had a relation-ship He had provided her with healing pu-jas during times of ill health The ldquoHoly Motherrdquo as she was known to many was persuaded to ask Dhardo to reconsid-

er Because of his respect for her the 13th Dhardo couldnrsquot say no

We laughed about politics all over the world Sersang was especially joyful over dinner He loves noodles and the hearty vegetable soup had lots of them

Dhardo shared his own experience of being asked to be abbot of a small mon-astery in Darjeeling that had been with-out one for years The monks had lost their daily routines and rules and the place had fallen into disrepair Dhardo shared the challenges of reintroducing structure and rules for these leaderless monks all much older than he is He spoke of building im-provements and of helping the monastery become part of the community again

Before retiring for the night we final-ized plans to prepare the stupa for the pu-rification puja the next day We would work with Sersang who had brought rit-ual objects from India to festoon the stu-pa along with other symbolic additions that Aryaloka provided The next morn-ing Daniel and I woke early and did a Metta Bhavana meditation Perry prepared breakfast We were pleasantly surprised to be joined by Vajramati who had arrived late the night before and Vidhuma

Dhardo and Sersang had slept well and were well-rested After their morning ritu-al they joined us for breakfast There was joy and anticipation among us Vidhu-

Purification of a Stupa Visit and dedication with Dhardo Tulku Rinpoche



By Viradhamma

India is the homeland of the Buddha and hundreds of thousands of Buddhists go on pilgrimage there every year to see the places where he lived and

taught What is less well-known is that in recent years millions of poor people in India have converted to Buddhism as a spiritual practice and a path to escape the oppression of the caste system

DharmaJiva (Dharma Renaissance) is a non-profit organization that is working to raise awareness of this important Buddhist movement Since 2012 Dharmajiva has organized delegations of Western Buddhists for guided tours that visit the famous pilgrimage sites in northern India and travel to central India to experience the Buddhist revival that is transforming the lives of so many people

In northern India the DharmaJiva delegations are led by Manidhamma a Triratna Order member and experienced guide He is familiar with the sites at Bodh Gaya Sarnath Nalanda Rajgir Shravasti and Kusinara

In addition to his lectures he creates opportunities for group meditation ritual

and sutra readings at the different sitesIn Maharashtra (central India) the

delegations travel through Mumbai Pune and Nagpur and have opportunities to get to know people living in Buddhist neighborhoods The chance to see what life is like for ordinary Indian people is a unique aspect of the DharmaJiva program The tour also includes seminars on Indian history culture and society The delegations meet Buddhist teachers and visit schools clinics and meditation retreat centers During this phase of the trip Manidhamma is joined by Viradhamma an Order member based in San Francisco who has been traveling to India regularly since 2005

This coming October DharmaJiva is sponsoring a new delegation that will include an opportunity to participate in the annual gathering of hundreds of thousands of Buddhists at the Diksha Bhumi grounds in Nagpur This event celebrates the mass conversion ceremony led by Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar in 1956 Western visitors to the festival are welcomed with great affection by the Indian Buddhists

Participation in the delegation is open to Buddhists from all traditions and the planned itinerary runs from October 13th to November 2nd 2015 Anyone curious about participating in a trip to India is encouraged to email DharmaJivagmailcom or visit wwwbuddhist-tours-indiacom for more information

Join the Delegation to India

liness palpable to strangers as well as to those we have known well and for a long time We could keep questions like these flowing - about how we relate to each other as a community and to understand our vitality

Once we finish our inquiry into our communityrsquos patterns of relating to one another we must turn our attention to a more individualized study of our spir-itual vitality Are people in our com-munity meditating Are they moving beyond just sitting on a cushion to be-come aware of what moves through their minds Are they becoming in-creasingly aware of their own mental states and managing them thoughtful-ly Do they communicate with others about their meditation experiences

Next we come to questions about our values and how we live them Are we living our lives according to Bud-dhist values and precepts Are those precepts becoming ingrained in our behavior Are we becoming natural-ly generous with our time energy and possessions Are we honest direct and kindly in our speech Are we ldquoat peacerdquo with ourselves as well as with oth-ers Are we clearer and more insight-ful about our every action and how the web of consequences shapes us and our world

The SVC is just beginning to think about these questions I encourage you to help by considering them yourself What do you think about our commu-nityrsquos spiritual well-being Share then your thoughts with us The members of the SVC are Amala Arjava Day-alocana Karunasara Khemavassi-ka Surakshita and myself (Vidhuma) Contact any of us directly by e-mail or telephone Our contact information is in the office and will soon be available on the website You can always leave any communication for us with the Aryaloka office We welcome hearing from you

from the councilContinued from Page 3

Would you like to contribute to Vajra Bell or do you have feedback Wersquod love to hear from you Please contact any of our kula members

listed in the box on the right of Page 2


By Tom Gaillard

At a recent retreat for North American men in the ordination process at Aryaloka we studied the Ten Precepts that Order members take on at ordination The ninth precept particularly

resonates with me

I undertake the item of training which consists in abstention from hatred

Changing hatred into compassion I purify my mind

Some of us may feel that we donrsquot hate people Hatred is a strong word an extreme emotion that may have little relevance to our 21st-century American lives In earlier times hatred may have seemed more evident Consider Romeo and Juliet the tragedy of two wealthy Verona families locked in a longstanding feud In the first scene two Capulet servants observe ldquoThe quarrel is between our masters and us their menrdquo Soon therersquos a brawl and the townspeople gather round shouting ldquoStrike Beat them down Down with the Capulets Down with the Montaguesrdquo

These four servants have much in common Had they worked for the same family they likely would have been friends But they take on a longstanding family enmity as their own The populace doesnrsquot care whorsquos right or wrong They donrsquot care about the feud Theyrsquore just tired of the fighting This is a characteristic of hatred even those not directly included in hatred are ensnared by it

In his 2009 commencement speech at Kenyon College David Foster Wallace told a story of two young fish chatting and swimming along They meet an older fish swimming the other way who nods and says ldquoMorning boys Howrsquos the waterrdquo The two young fish swim on when one of

them turns to the other and asks ldquoWhat the hell is waterrdquo

We are all surrounded by our ldquowaterrdquo the conditions in which we live For the Verona citizens the water is polluted with hatred Wersquore never told what the feudrsquos about the cause doesnrsquot matter It just is itrsquos in the water The presence of this unseen hatred drives the play and leads the young lovers ndash and many others ndash to a tragic end

Few of our hatreds have such dramatic consequences For example my daughters and I love to cheer on the Boston Bruins We ldquohaterdquo their rivals and root for them to lose When the Brsquos go on the offensive and deliver big hits we cheer But sometimes when the rival is sprawled on the ice hurt we catch ourselves Do we really ldquohaterdquo that opponent so much that we wished him bodily harm

In another example donrsquot we ldquohaterdquo it when some jerk in front of us drives really slowly Especially when wersquore in a hurry Arenrsquot we justified in riding their bumper But notice how our emotions change when we realize that the person is heading in our direction and even turns into the driveway and parks next to us at Aryaloka

Driving and sports rivalries are not that far from hatred Sangharakshita tells us the ldquogeneral sense of the word (hatred) is that of wishing evilrdquo Rooting for hockey players to get hit sounds uncomfortably close to wishing evil In her book Not About Being Good Subhadramati defines hatred to include a whole grab bag of emotions ldquoirritation resentment passive aggression blame righteous indignation rage at other people or even at inanimate objectsrdquo If we donrsquot thank we ldquohaterdquo people can we honestly say we donrsquot feel irritation or resentment At least once a week Once a day Hopefully not once an hour

In Subhadramatirsquos words ldquoHatred causes our perspective to narrow Our fixed attitude causes us to interpret the actions of our lsquoenemyrsquo only in negative termsrdquo

By cherishing our differences our ldquorightnessrdquo we conflict with those

who donrsquot align with us Our tools of mindfulness and hatredrsquos antidote ndash compassion ndash help us generate a more skillful response

Returning to that slow driver letrsquos consider

I notice my agitated state which opens up a number of possibilities Perhaps the driver isnrsquot driving this way just to annoy me Hersquos just driving slowy Driving this slowly will only cost me a few seconds or minutes Irsquove been given a tremendous gift ndash a drive without the risk of a speeding ticket and a reduced chance of an accident I notice things that otherwise would have gone unremarked in my mind or in the surroundings

We can cultivate an open perspective more formally while working with our ldquoenemyrdquo in stage four of the Metta Bhavana practice Our negative feelings may be based on elements of this personrsquos behavior in a particular environment Are there other ways in which the person contributes positively to the world Are there other attributes we can appreciate about this person This individual has a family a social life a community life that we may know nothing about In our hatred we see only a narrow part and focus our ill will on an even smaller portion By expanding our narrow perspective through the conscious application of compassion ldquohatredrdquo opens to an appreciation of the whole person

There are many difficulties in our ldquowaterrdquo Hatred isnrsquot always arbitrary as with Romeo amp Juliet or trivial like sports rivalries or erratic drivers There are wars and sworn enemies fighting over territory resources and beliefs President Obama recently observed ldquoThe worldrsquos always been messyrdquo He went on to say we notice it more now because of social mediarsquos immediacy Perhaps thatrsquos a benefit of our online society it brings us closer to the brutality and destruction caused by hatred In that recognition we have an opportunity to develop ever-stronger responses based on compassion

Reflections on the Ninth Precept

TRIRATNA CENTERS IN NORTH AMERICA

Newmarket NHPortland ME

Cambridge MA

New York City NYMissoula MT

San Francisco CA

Seattle WAPortsmouth NHVancouver BC

For Your Information



o truly understand the Triratna Buddhist Community itrsquos vital to connect with the mind and heart of the man who started it all Sangharakshitarsquos vision is the thread

that runs through every Triratna sangha throughout the world Here are the stories of people who have met him and their connections with our great teacher

T

Meeting BhanteEncounters with Sangharakshita Esteemed Teacher and Founder of the Triratna Buddhist Community


By Dh Sanghadevi

Editorrsquos Note Sanghadevi is an Order member who lives in Cambridge England She first met Sangharakshita forty years ago and was ordained by him in 1977 As a public and

private preceptor she has ordained more than 100 women around the world over a period of fifteen years This is an edited version of a talk she gave at the retreat for women in the ordination process at Aryaloka this past fall She shared her connection with Sangharakshita and inspired and encouraged us to build and deepen our sense of Bhante

ldquoBuddhism can be understood and practiced anywhere in the world because Buddhism addresses itself to the individual human being regardless of race nationality caste sex or age Buddhism is therefore the religion of man

ldquoThis is one of the reasons why I am a Buddhist I believe that humanity is basically one I believe that it is possible for any human being to communicate with any other human being to feel for any other human being to be friends with any other human being This is what I truly and deeply believe This belief is part of my own experience It is part of my own life It is part of me I cannot live without this belief and I would rather die than give it up To me to live means to practice this beliefrdquo

~ Sangharashita speaking in a slum in India many years ago

Sangharakshita is a man whose sympathies are broad and deep as this quote indicates He has been on this planet for 89 years for 73 of those years he has followed in the Buddharsquos footsteps For the past 46 years he has supported guided and encouraged the spiritual growth of the Triratna Order He is the founder and an elder in our midst with a vast wealth of human and spiritual experience

My connection with Sangharakshita

goes back forty years and he has had a profound influence on my life Through him the treasures of the Dharma were revealed and for that I am tremendously grateful He has been my main Dharma teacher my preceptor and my friend

Irsquove been fortunate to be close to Sangharakshita many times in study seminars talks meditations pujas meals personal interviews informal impromptu meetings and walks Irsquove written to him and he to me Hersquos phoned me on occasion and I him Irsquove confessed to him and he has received my confessions with kindness and compassion

For years I would meet with him to work through questions arising from my responsibilities within Triratna or at times regarding my meditation or Dharma reading Recently our communication has become almost entirely personal and our meetings invariably conclude with a warm parting hug I am aware of his bony frame As I am rather slim it sometimes feels like

bones hugging bones a strong teaching in impermanence Irsquove seen Sangharakshita serious playful tender uncompromisingly honest and direct concerned attentive and kind

My first contact with him was via a taped lecture being played in the basement of a disused piano factory in North London which later became Pundarika the White Lotus one of the first public centers of the then Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO) The lecture was The Symbolism of the Tibetan Wheel of Life Listening to this strangerrsquos voice I was convinced I found someone to guide me on the path of peace It was 1974 I was twenty and Sangharakshita was forty-nine

Two years later during a summer retreat on a Sufi farmstead in South England I heard Sangharakshita speak about the importance of developing a healthy self-love as reflected in the first Metta Bhavana stage It sunk in that I needed to give more

How to Build and Deepen Your Connection to Triratnarsquos Founder and Teacher


attention to this stage Just two years later though Sangharakshita also cautioned us to not turn the next three stages of the Metta Bhavana into a narcissistic self-massage This graphic image really struck me These stages are about viewing the other person beyond onersquos subjective responses to them

My first personal interview with Sangharakshita occurred late 1976 after I heard him give a riveting discourse on the Confession chapter from the Sutra of Golden Light earlier that autumn As Sangharakshita spoke of our need to free ourselves of irrational guilt I became aware of my own fear of authority and rejection I was grateful to him for bringing to light some deep conditioning that I suffered from and felt a strong wish to speak with him personally

During the interview I put to him my main question ldquoWhy was it I found it hard to concentrate on the breathrdquo He looked directly at me and said ldquoWell as we are sitting here talking I get the impression there is only half of you here talking to me Well actually a quarter of you Well an eighth of you Well I would even go so far as to say only one-tenth of you is here talking to me and that is why you are finding it hard to concentrate on the breathrdquo He said this kindly but each phrase reverberated through my being

Before we parted he shook my hand and said some encouraging words to the effect providing I made an effort in the right direction enlightenment would come While I was saying ldquoyesrdquo I was really thinking ldquoOh dear it really did seem that only one-tenth of me was presentrdquo

Upon leaving I began to feel angry By the time I was half-way to my bus stop I was furious and ranting in my head ldquoWhat right had he to speak to me like that He didnrsquot even know merdquo Reaching the stop I realized he had put his finger on something and thatrsquos why I was so stirred up I felt quite sober on the journey home

When I later recounted this experience to Dhammadinna and Anoma who were my kalyana mitras they said I was fortunate because Sangharakshita was not often that direct with people With this increased self-awareness and with further help from friends I began to free up at least some of this hitherto unavailable energy The following May Sangharakshita ordained

me

The long view of Sangharakshitarsquos contributions

Having perspective on Sangharakshitarsquos contribution to the establishment of the Buddhadharma as a living truthpath of practice in the modern world probably will not be possible until many years after his death

Sangharakshita was born in South London UK in 1925 When he realized he was a Buddhist at age sixteen the Dharma was little known and understood in the West There were few texts translated and many of them were of questionable quality Moreover few people were were putting serious effort into practicing the Buddharsquos teachings

Sangharakshita was fortunate to be in India at the end of World War II where he single-mindedly pursued the spiritual life He discarded all worldly possessions and identity and took up the wandering life In his memoir of this time The Thousand-Petalled Lotus The Indian Journey of an English Buddhist he points out that while India had been the country where the Buddha lived and taught many centuries had elapsed since the Buddhadharma had been widely practiced in India While Sangharakshita drew inspiration from being ldquoin the land of the Buddhardquo he still had to work things out as he went along In fact some of his spiritual teachers at this early stage were not Buddhists

Through his first main Buddhist teacher Venerable Jagdish Kashyap he ended up at age twenty-four in Kalimpong in Northern India His teacher returned to the plains and exhorted Sangharakshita to stay and work for the good of Buddhism Sangharakshita felt too inexperienced but felt that his teacher was not to be disobeyed He had decided to make a practice of doing whatever his teacher asked as a way to go beyond the self-grasping mind So he bowed in acquiescence The year was 1950 He remained in Kalimpong for more than fourteen years

In 1964 at the invitation of the English Sangha Trust Sangharakshita returned to England and got his first taste of doing Dharma work in the West This was the beginning of the conditions that led him to start the FWBO in 1967 The trust was one of the main Buddhist organizations in Britain and had existed for about fifty years but it was still a very small movement

Some of the people holding responsibility while being sympathetic to Buddhism were not actually Buddhists They could not bring the energy and conviction of practicing Buddhists to the work of spreading the Dharma This awareness led Sangharakshita to found the order in 1968 so individual Buddhists could cooperate together to benefit others

Sangharakshitarsquos place within the Order

Sangharakshita describes his place within Triratna in My Relation to the Order given as a paper to the Order in 1990 and later published as a booklet

There are several dimensions to his relationship to the Order First he observes it is not just a question of his relation to the Order there is also the question of the Orderrsquos relation to him ndash two sides of a single coin It is a mutual relationship He went on to say that he would speak mainly in terms of his relation to the Order He left it to Order members to work out for themselves their relation to him He also warns that his thinking was very much a ldquowork in progressrdquo

Sangharakshita talks about how important the Order along with the spiritual and worldly career of each Order member is to him How we are getting along really matters to him He writes

ldquoConflict and disharmony within the Order are extremely painful to me even as they are damaging to the Order as a whole and detrimental to each and every individual Order member Conflict and disharmony represent a negation of the ideals for which the Order stands They represent a negation of the Orderrsquos very existence When conflict and disharmony arise within the Order therefore even to the slightest extent they should be resolved as quickly as possible and peace and harmony restoredrdquo

The nature of Sangharakshitarsquos relation to the Order

First as founder of the Order Sangharakshita more than anyone else is responsible for its very existence Of course it involves othersrsquo cooperation interest in and willingness to be part of the Order

Second he stands as preceptor to a large number of Order members having ordained about 370 men and women


deepening connectionContinued from 2



Mens Day at the MFA

By Dh Surakshita

I encountered the Triratna Buddhist Order (TBO) in November 1988 when I attended two introductory meditation sessions The teachers had very

strange names Manjuvajra and Ratnapani They taught me the Mindfulness of Breathing and the Metta Bhavana practices I was so excited - I thought I had hit the mother lode and I had

For six years I had considered myself a Buddhist after reading as many books as I could These experts taught esoteric practices that I knew immediately would impact my consciousness I was hooked

and signed up to take a course to go along with my newfound meditation practice The course covered the book The Buddhist Vision by Dharmachari Subhuti I had purchased it a month earlier and was studying it Was this a coincidence It certainly was propitious Manjuvajra taught the course to six of us three of whom are Order members today

I had jumped into this and had no idea who these men with their strange sounding names were The advertisement said they

Glimpses of My Teacher Sangharakshita

Not until 1989 twenty-one years after founding the Order did Sangharakshita share responsibility for ordination To those ordained by others he stands as the preceptorrsquos preceptor or even the preceptorrsquos preceptorrsquos preceptor And so it will go on with each new generation of preceptors

Third he is the Orderrsquos primary teacher of the Dharma even though he has not taught all Order members personally In 1990 he wrote ldquoThis is not to say I have elucidated the Dharma at every single point only that I have elucidated it in certain fundamental respects It is not to say I have finished elucidating the Dharma There may be many more elucidations to come Also this does not preclude Order members elucidating points not elucidated by me providing this is done in accordance with the spirit of my elucidations Whilst other Order members have started elucidating my elucidations This is the way a tradition ndash a lineage ndash begins to developrdquo

Today a wealth of Dharma material is available in Triratna stemming from talks and other teachings given by Order members worldwide Nevertheless Sangharakshita still stands as spiritual teacher or teacher of the Dharma in the sense that all Order members have received a basic training in the Dharma as elucidated and translated by Sangharakshita This training has come about in part through participation as mitras in the mitra study program as well as retreats offered to men and women who are in the ordination process It also comes about through immersion for a period of time in the overall ldquoculturerdquo of Triratna at our various centers worldwide

Sangharakshita says one cannot

really communicate as a teacher without friendliness maitri One cannot be a spiritual teacher without being a spiritual friend a kalyana mitra Thus Sangharakshita stands in the Order as spiritual friend He indicates that he is content with the appellation ldquofriendrdquo given that the word kalyana means beautiful charming auspicious helpful and morally good

ldquoObviouslyrdquo he writes ldquoI cannot claim to be beautiful at least not in the literal sense and I can hardly be described as charming though I may be auspicious and helpful on occasion and morally good to some extentrdquo

The Triratna Order rests on certain key ideas the most important being the centrality of Going For Refuge Commitment is primary lifestyle secondary The Order transcends the monklay divide which hampers the spiritual progress of so many Buddhists in the East and probably a fair number in the West Triratna offers men and women the same ordination

Spiritual friendship and other concepts are also key and have emerged from Sangharakshitarsquos study reflection and practice his personal contact with Buddhists from all three Yanas and his breadth of knowledge of Western culture and history Thanks to him we have a body of teachings and practices which hang together doctrinally and methodologically This makes it possible for us to practice as a sangha as a community

How to build your own sense of Sangharakshita

We learn the Dharma through Sangharakshitarsquos recorded talks the wealth of literature published by Windhorse and the teachings of Order members whose

practice and approach are in harmony with what Sangharakshita has taught

We have a vast range of material from Sangharakshita quite possibly more than any other contemporary Buddhist teacher Given the pioneering nature of Triratna and that we are establishing a new tradition cum lineage itrsquos important that we read Sangharakshita as widely as possible for our own sakes and for others

The spoken and written word is the principle means Sangharakshita communicates To develop a connection with and learn from him read and reflect on his life and work In addition to reading his books or listening to his talks I encourage anyone wanting to connect with Sangharakshita to read some of his memoirs beginning with The Thousand-Petalled Lotus and his poetry

His writings are like doorways through which we get to know him his personal history his character his personality his unfolding exploration of the Dharma and what it means to be a Buddhist practicing the Buddhadharma in the modern world

Although the Order was founded forty-six years ago it is still a very young tradition Sangharakshitarsquos vision is of the Order being a force for good in the world a Bodhisattva This reflects his deep belief that when individuals come together inspired by the Dharma they are mutually encouraged to go beyond narrow self interest and are thus better able to work effectively for the common good

Sangharakshita has a large vision that comes from a sense of what the world needs The Dharma has much to offer through individuals living and embodying the Dharma cooperating to support the creative flowering of each and every human being on the planet A big project in which our Order has an important part to play

deepening connectionContinued from Page 12



were ldquoFriends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO)rdquo That meant nothing to me but it did have ldquoBuddhistrdquo in the title That was good enough for me Over the next two to three months the FWBO (now the TBO) came into clearer focus It was started in England by an English Buddhist monk named Sangharakshita which means ldquoprotector of the sanghardquo He had spent eighteen years in India studying with great masters and his interest was in bringing Buddhism to the West He had founded an Order and now some of its members were in Newmarket NH in the US What great good luck for me and others in the area

I was introduced to Sangharakshitarsquos magnum opus A Survey of Buddhism which I studied My old copy is filled with yellow highlights and to this day this book is considered fundamental study for the Order It is packed with Buddhist history and philosophy It is also dense comprehensive and intellectually intimidating

I listened to tapes of his lectures his clarity knowledge and reverence for the Dharma blew me away I read his first memoir The Thousand Petalled Lotus and realized that this was a man who had led a radical lifestyle in the footsteps of the historical Buddha He lived in India wore robes prescribed by the Buddha for monks carried a begging bowl and walked the dusty roads searching for the Buddha Try that in your next lifetime His image loomed large for me and in 1990 Sangharakshita came to visit Aryaloka

Along with the Order members we planned for Sangharakshitarsquos visit which would include a formal greeting ceremony When he arrived from the airport a group of us greeted him We clapped enthusiastically and formed a formal procession into Aryaloka When he was seated we formed a line and one by one with our hands folded together solemnly saluted our teacher and founder of the Order At that moment I felt spiritually connected to him and still do today

I had a keen appreciation for his intellect but what I first noticed about him was his incredible mindfulness His speech and movements were very deliberate What came to mind was that he must live in the Middle Way He gave a talk about his teachers which like the tapes I had listened to was clear and pertinent

Questions and answers followed I did not ask a question for fear of being much too new to Buddhism to ask an intelligent one He was gracious though in answering the questions he did get

During his stay I had an opportunity to meet with him one-on-one He was reserved but warm He was interested in me my family situation my participation at Aryaloka and how I had come to the Dharma The hour flew by At the end I felt very kindly towards him and I had accepted him as my teacher During that week I also attended a talk at the Exeter Ioka Theater with him The poet Gary Snyder spoke on his poetry and conservation efforts After the talk Sangharakshita went off with Snyder to renew their friendship and connection to the Dharma They had been corresponding for years about the Dharma and social issues

Later I would come to know that Sangharakshita had corresponded with major players ndash both women and men ndash in the Buddhist world since his time in Kalimpong India With this visit he had cemented his Buddhist movement at Aryaloka and in North America This was followed closely by the founding of the San Francisco Buddhist Center

My second contact with Sangharakshita was in 1993 when he visited Aryaloka again for a truly momentous occasion ndash the first ordinations in North America He would be the public preceptor for the two ordinands ndash Carol Forest who became Karunadevi and Alan Sponberg who became Saramati The ordinations were the culmination of several ldquoGoing For Refugerdquo retreats that I had attended Again I spent an hour with Sangharakshita and this time had a little more to say and once again our

contact was cordial and heartfeltThe public ordinations were the focus

of his visit Aryaloka was jammed with people from the area across the country and England I had this wonderful feeling of being near my teacher at this special moment in time I was overwhelmed with love and gratitude for him and the Three Jewels

I purposely (probably being pushy) picked a cushion for the ceremony right behind him so I could hear everything he said and be as close to this process as possible When he entered the shrine room we stood He walked down the center aisle to his cushion As he stepped onto the cushion he slipped and started to fall Being strategically positioned I grabbed him held him up and then gently helped him down onto his cushion I was grateful to be able to help my teacher in this small way I will always remember that as a holy moment in my spiritual path I knew then that I wanted to be part of this Order

This moment would become an important part of my ordination On August 3rd six years later I was ordained privately by Subhuti and received the name Surakshita You usually have no idea what is coming when you get your name but oh my goodness my name had ldquorakshitardquo in it I was dumbstruck Following my public ordination I asked Subhuti how he selected my name He remembered that first ordination ceremony at Aryaloka and how I had assisted Sangharakshita He saw love respect and kindness for our teacher He saw me trying to protect him hence the ldquoprotectorrdquo in my name Surakshita which means ldquogreat protectorrdquo I like to think that Sangharakshita and the Three Jewels are protecting me

In 1999 and 2001 I traveled to England for the International Conventions On both occasions I was with our teacher at a group dinner I am sure he was amused having to meet this demonstrative crazy American again The dinners were an exercise in mindfulness and a teaching in themselves

Over the years Sangharakshita has always been available via correspondence even with declining health I last saw him in May a year ago when I attended a retreat at Adhisthana where he lives Sadly he was too sick to receive guests and I had to be satisfied with seeing him at a distance on his sun porch That could be the last time I see him directly It doesnrsquot matter though because he will always be my teacher

glimpses of my teacherContinued from Page 12 I had a keen appreciation

for his intellect but what I first noticed about him was his incredible mindfulness His speech and movements

were very deliberate What came to mind was that he must live in the

Middle Way


By Dh Karunadevi

On a March afternoon twenty-seven years ago a knock on my door was a turning point in my spiritual life When I opened the door there stood Alan Sponberg (now Saramati) a

Buddhist Studies professor at Stanford University with Manjuvajra a senior member of the Western Buddhist Order (now Triratna Buddhist Order) and chair of the Aryaloka Retreat Center in New Hampshire I had met Alan a few months before at a Buddhist Council of Northern California meeting Manjuvajra had been invited to give a talk at Stanford and to lead a meditation day Manjuvajra told me that his teacher had been good friends with my teacher and he gave me a photo of a young Sangharakshita with Lama Govinda taken in India in the late 1950s or early 60s That photo still rests on my shrine today

That memory carries with it a sense of wonder curiosity and awe I am almost lightheaded thinking about it I wondered ldquoWhat does this mean What is coming together hererdquo

That was my introduction to Sangharakshita and the Triratna Buddhist Order and Community A month later we started a meditationstudy group that eventually became the San Francisco Buddhist Center Five years later in 1993 I was ordained into the Order by Sangharakshita at Aryaloka

My personal contact with Bhante

My relationship with Bhante Sangharakshita has developed through his teachings his writings and several meetings with him mdash the most significant of course being my ordination when he gave me my name and I received the ordination vows and blessings from him

Living in San Francisco more than 6000 miles away from him has limited my personal contact with Sangharakshita I saw him only three or four times before I was ordained once when he came to NH to visit (that was the first) and then two or three times in London

The time I remember most was in March 1993 when I was in the UK for an

ordination training retreat at Taraloka I met with Bhante before traveling to the retreat I talked about a tendency of mine that I was trying to understand He listened intently nodded and said something encouraging In the same meeting I asked him if he might ordain me when he came to New Hampshire in May to ordain Alan He looked at me and said that if the womenrsquos ordination team felt I was ready he would be happy to ordain me As he said that I saw a brilliant golden light appear around his face and his smile was extraordinary

Since my ordination I have met with him several times at Order conventions and twice when he visited San Francisco My most recent meeting with him was at Adhisthana last year Each meeting has been both ordinary and not so ordinary mdash a gentle exhortation such as to put more time into meditation to remember that people need encouragement to be kind and sensitive and sometimes his personal sharing about a topic like aging What more could I ask

Why I am a disciple of Sangharakshita

Disciple is a word that Bhante has not often used and is a word not appealing to some people Yet recently he has said that is how he sees those of us he has ordained that we are his disciples or disciples of his disciples To me this means that I resonate with and accept his elucidation of the Dharma I learn from him and share his views This does not mean he says that we are to bow down to him or see him as being perfect He wants disciples who think for themselves and engage with him He is a human being who has brilliant abilities to grasp and interpret the Buddhadharma and who has done an extraordinary thing in founding this Order through which more than 1600 people have now committed their lives to the Buddhist path

I have immense gratitude and appreciation for Sangharakshita on two levels (1) for creating a Buddhist Order that reflects the needs and recognizes the issues of the modern world and (2) personally for his teachings and restatement of the Buddharsquos principles that inspire and guide me through life

The ethos he has encouraged in the Order and movement has shaped our

public centers the practices that we teach our emphasis on friendship and communication and our way of doing business together and making decisions He stresses a balance of meditation dharma study ritual and devotion as well as friendship that is evident in Triratna community centers

I resonate strongly with this Triratna ldquoculturerdquo that provides a comprehensive framework for shaping my Buddhist practice and supporting my lifersquos work each feeding and enhancing the other Through these practices I have experienced a level of integration of inner and outer work in the world that I believe could not have otherwise been possible

Some significant teachings of Bhante continue to inspire me in deeper ways One is a lecture by Bhante that I heard during my first visit to Aryaloka The Individual the Group and the Spiritual Community I was profoundly inspired by the courage of this individual to address the pitfalls of what he was in the process of setting up warning us that it would fail without a radical shift in our views of ourselves and the society we were relating to I yearned to become that kind of ldquoindividualrdquo and to let go of both attachment to and rejection of the ldquogroupsrdquo I was part of I could see clearly how personal transformation and social change go hand in hand and that we must work on both simultaneously Following this teaching I studied The Bodhisattva Ideal that further clarified this subject of individuality and altruism I was hooked this was my spiritual community

Bhante has done something revolutionary in the Buddhist world drawing on his vast knowledge of the Buddharsquos teachings and making the spirit of those teachings accessible The worldwide Triratna Buddhist Order provides equal ordinations for both men and women the ordinations are neither lay nor monastic and are based on traditional Buddhist precepts and vows He has re-emphasized the act of Going for Refuge to the Three Jewels as the primary definition of a Buddhist Our ordination is founded on this act of ldquogoing for refuge effectivelyrdquo in all aspects of our lives as we continue to set up conditions for embodying ldquoreal going for refugerdquo an irreversible state of being characterized by insight into the nature of mind and an integration of wisdom compassion and energy

Meeting Sangharakshita

Editorrsquos note Sangharakshita has long dreamed of starting a library that would preserve his lineage of teaching and bring together his 11000 books on Buddhism the Dharma and literature Vidyadevi who helped make it happen with her passion for the project and love of books spoke at the dedication and opening of the library at Adhisthana in January She described how the library grew out of a nucleus of 100 books that Bhante brought back with him from India and how Bhantersquos vision of the library and Adhisthana looks not just to the past but also to the future This is an edited version of her talk

By Dh Vidyadevi

The history of this collection

Sangharakshitarsquos love of books began early in life Among his first teachers were the encyclopedias he had as a child when he was ill and confined to bed He discovered Buddhism through two books ndash the Diamond Sutra and the Sutra of Hui Neng ndash that he bought as a teenager in London He describes how after his familyrsquos home was bombed during the war he sifted through the rubble to rescue his book collection

During his years wandering in India he kept a few precious books When he settled in Kalimpong though he had little money to spare he gradually built a small collection When he was editing Stepping Stones a periodical that published works of pre-eminent Buddhist writers of the day contributors gave him copies of their books Bhantersquos library then was the source of his understanding of the Dharma as can be seen in the bibliography of his Survey of Buddhism first published in 1957

When Bhante returned to England his books followed him Not all survived the journey Some were destroyed by white ants while in storage in Mumbai The surviving 100 volumes became the nucleus of the Order library Ananda one of the original twelve Order members looked after the library when it was based at Aryatara in South London Later the library was moved to Padmaloka where I first came to know the collection I worked on a publication called Mitrata that published Bhantersquos lectures and seminar

extracts Researching footnotes for Mitrata I found that even obscure references and quotations could be found in the library because those books were the source of much of Bhantersquos teaching

The library moved with Bhante to Madhyamaloka in Birmingham and Kalyanaprabha spent hours caring for the books in their hiding place in the garage beneath Bhantersquos flat She writes

ldquoI wanted [future readers] to be able to find their books easily But I was also increasingly aware of other dimensions to these books They were Bhantersquos books They were a sort of bibliographical biography The collection reflected his taste his interests and that in itself was a sort of teaching an aspect of what Subhuti called cultural kalyana mitrata And then some books carried dedications like the

one from Alan Ginsberg Others had a whole history the Sutta Nipata old Pali text versions now falling apart with the inscription lsquoE H Brewsterrsquo the artist who lived with D H Lawrence on the island of Capri where Lama Govinda also lived Brewster gave them to Govinda who later gave them to Bhanterdquo

The collection has reached its final home at Adhisthana where Bhante now lives The search for Adhisthana began with Bhantersquos wish for a library to house his books and collection of artifacts He said the collection represents one of the four lineages he has spoken of ndash that of teaching Over time his vision of Adhisthana expanded to include the other three lineages practice inspiration and responsibility

People often describe the library as the heart of Adhisthana not the brain or nerve center but the beating heart This building brings together and provides open access to Bhantersquos Buddhist books and his other collections of literature especially poetry The collection relates to what Bhante calls the six distinctive emphases of our movement the importance of higher culture to the spiritual life Bhante says he has not read all of the nearly 11000 books ndash some of them were donated by friends ndash but he gives the clear impression that he has read most of them

The library has several rooms leading off a beautiful central atrium One room contains Dharma books copies of Bhantersquos own books (some in translation) books by other Order members transcripts of study seminars and the complete works of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar We have gathered as many of the original 100 books as we could identify They have their own shelves their aged sepia and maroon bindings having a fading beauty Another room contains Bhantersquos other books on philosophy psychology poetry and art A shrine room is adorned with thangkas and rupas from Bhantersquos collection Upstairs are rooms for pilgrims and a sitting room with views of the fields and sky The atrium and balconies provide space for reflection and exhibits to display books and artifacts from the collection The whole space will open in August to celebrate Bhantersquos 90th birthday

The mythology of libraries

Among the worldrsquos great libraries was the one at Nalanda the university in India that for centuries drew Dharma


Gathering Wisdom While We May The Sangharakshita Library



BuddhaworksThe Aryaloka Bookstore

Your support brightens Aryalokarsquos futureBuddhaworks is located at the Aryaloka Buddhist Center

Books by Sangharakshita DVDs from Pema Chodron and Lama Surya Das Meditation Journals CDs from Thich Nhat Hanh

Singing Bowls Brass Door Chimes from Nepal and India Malas and Jewelry Lots and Lots of Great Books

practitioners and scholars from all over the Buddhist world Today Nalanda is in ruins having been destroyed at the end of the 12th century CE The library burned for several months such was its size We owe a lot of our knowledge of Nalanda to Xuan Zang the famous Chinese Buddhist who journeyed for years across Asia and India before reaching his longed-for destination The arduous journey of Xuan Zang and those of other teachers to bring precious copies of Dharma books back to their home country is often depicted in Chinese art traditionally with the depiction of a pilgrim monk accompanied by a tiger I was greatly taken with this image at a wonderful exhibition of Chinese art at the Victoria and Albert Museum recently With a great frown of effort the monk carries the Dharma books in a sort of backpack from which incense is rising the incense being the grace or blessing of adhisthana I suppose

This image symbolizes the great duty of the sangha over the ages to pass on the Buddharsquos wisdom and clearly shows what an effort that is as well as the need for protection on the way in the form of the accompanying crazy-looking tiger A copy of the image of the monk and the tiger is now on the wall in the libraryrsquos seminar room as a reminder

Itrsquos also an image of a personal journey ndash each of us with our own load of precious texts chosen or prescribed to suit our needs Bhante speaks to this point in a

talk called Standing on Holy Ground that appears in a recent compilation of his teachings Metaphors Magic and Mystery published to celebrate the libraryrsquos opening Bhante offers advice about choosing our Dharma reading

ldquoSome of us read far too much which sometimes means we read hastily and superficially And when I say lsquosome of usrsquo Irsquom afraid I have to include myself in this category But fortunately some years ago I had a lucky escape because I spent twelve whole years in Kalimpong and I didnrsquot have access to many books even books on Buddhism somehow I managed to build up a small collection of books mainly on Buddhism perhaps a hundred volumes Most of these hundred volumes I read again and again I got to know them thoroughly both books about Buddhism and translations of the Buddhist scriptures and this is what I suggest you try to do Build up a small collection of Buddhist literature of your own It doesnrsquot have to be 100 volumes It need be only ten or twelve But whatever the number get to know them thoroughly Read them again and again Discuss them with your friends Donrsquot always go running after something new the latest publication or the latest theory about Buddhismrdquo

How the library might be used

With the digitization of everything now arenrsquot libraries obsolete To quote the Argentinian poet Jorge Luis Borges ldquoI have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of libraryrdquo Some people will always

see libraries like that a significant and beautiful part of their lives But what is the use of a lot of dusty old books I should point out that the books at Adhisthana have been carefully dusted by loving hands

Borges knew about libraries The director of the National Public Library in Buenos Aires he was blind by age fifty-five which some people feel enhanced his literary imagination In his short story The Library of Babel he imagines the universe as a library with identical hexagonal rooms stretching in all directions The library contains books of every possible word combination Most of them are complete gibberish but somewhere among them truth and meaning must be found At first this gives rise to great optimism in the population and tremendous searches are instituted Before long though people lose hope of ever finding anything significant The story was written in 1941 but it gives us a powerful symbol of the search for wisdom in our own digital age The truth is out there somewhere but how are we ever going to find what we are really looking for

What are we really looking for How do we translate information into knowledge and knowledge into wisdom The traditional Buddhist answer is threefold listen reflect and meditate Consider the idea of a threefold gathering It seems appropriate that the library building contains accommodation for pilgrims Adhisthana is already a place for gatherings of people meetings of old friends and

sangharakshita libraryContinued from Page 12



Aryalokarsquos Buddhaworks bookstore now has a bulletin board Please check it periodically for announcements We wel-come your feedback on how we are doing

The store is creating a childrenrsquos cor-ner within the display case and has add-ed a used book section with all titles sell-ing for $8 If you are weeding out your bookshelves at home please consider do-nating your books to add to the collec-tion Bodhana found a used Pali-English dictionary that is reasonably priced

Eric Ebbesonrsquos creative work is offered for sale including cards and bookmarks featuring his drawing of the stupa in hon-or of Dhardo Rinpoche Proceeds from the sale of the bookmarks go towards the maintenance of the stupa

New book arrivals

Buddhism One Teacher Many bullTraditions co-authored by the Dalai Lama and Thubten Chodron

Offerings Buddhist Wisdom for bullEvery Day by Danielle and Oli-ver Follmi featuring a year of dai-ly quotes accompanied by beauti-ful photos

Daily Doses of Wisdom A Year bullof Buddhist Inspiration edited by Josh Bartok

Loving-Kindness The Revolution-bullary Art of Happiness and Faith Trusting Your Own Deepest Expe-rience by Sharon Salzberg

buddhaworks New at the bookstore - by Shantikirika

shared inspirations The library itself is a gathering of the wisdom of the ages ndash so many great minds and poetic spirits One might even say that a Dharma library is a sort of Maha Sangha Our history as a movement is gathered here too As we unpacked the boxes we were moved to discover a bound volume of the very first FWBO (Friends of the Western Buddhist Order) newsletters and Bhantersquos first expression in Newsletter 1 dated 1968 of his hopes for this new movement

The word ldquogatherrdquo has other connotations too You can gather information in a systematic way and scholars will want to come here to study and research But ldquogatheringrdquo something may be acquiring a knowledge that yoursquove absorbed from your surroundings Yoursquore not sure how ndash like the idea that one learns from a teacher just as a garment gathers moisture in the dew of early morning You might imbibe something from the atmosphere of the Sangharakshita Library You may even wool-gather allowing your mind to drift as you watch the clouds move across the sky through the wide windows Therersquos also the gathering of beauty like a bunch of flowers ldquogathering rosebuds while we mayrdquo The libraryrsquos quiet atmosphere is a tradition from our culture Seen positively it need not be desiccated dry-as-dust and harshly hushed but a spacious and still space in which the mind can wander freely and connect with the wisdom of other minds

At times over the years the Sangharakshita Library has had a hidden almost secret history Now it is open and accessible to all It can breathe in this beautiful space and has the opportunity to develop further It is full of potential

It seems fitting to give Bhante the last word taken from a sonnet he wrote in 1956 called Nalanda Revisited

Oh do not too much trustArches that ruinate and gates that rustTo guard the Buddharsquos treasure for His ownWithin our minds must Nalanda ariseBefore we draw up plans or measure groundIf the foundation on our thoughts we layCalm meditation contemplation wiseAbove mundane vicissitudes shall foundA Nalanda that cannot pass away


By Alisha Roberts

The Childrenrsquos Sangha has been busy over the last six months We are discuss-ing the merits of random acts of kind-ness the story of the Buddha and the Noble Eightfold Path Meetings start with introductions a short story and then a five- to eight-minute meditation

After meditation the children begin a craft that demonstrates the discussion or the story they just read Some crafts have included making meditation jars Bud-dhist wheel origami volcanoes zentan-gles painted rocks and colored manda-las We also venture into the kitchen to make healthy snacks In making snacks we send thankfulness and loving-kind-

ness to the people who planted packaged and distributed the ingredients we use

The Childrenrsquos Sangha typically meets on the second Sunday of the month at 2 pm The first hour is geared towards chil-dren under ten but older students are encouraged to come and help The sec-ond hour is for the older children who would like to have a longer meditation We are discussing the book Buddha in Your Backpack Everyday Buddhism for Teens by Frantz Metcalfe We are creat-ing a poster board for ldquoRandom Acts of Kindnessrdquo and will be encouraging any-one who has an idea or has performed a random act of kindness to post it on the board Please join us for the Childrenrsquos Sangha

Whatrsquos New in the Childrenrsquos Sangha

By Khemavassika

Good news We are welcoming another woman mitra to our sangha Pam Raley of Dover is our library volunteer and has attended Aryaloka for about five years She became a mitra in March

On Thursday evenings this winter - when it did not snow - a group of eight women mitras studied the Triratna Refuge Tree ndash Sangharakshitarsquos teachers Lilasiddhi co-taught with Khemavassika This time though the women taught the Order

members as each selected teachers from the Refuge Tree and gave a presentation to the class Amala will present the next unit of study for the spring

Please remember to register for the OrderMitra Day to be held on Saturday May 2nd at Aryaloka This is an opportunity to connect with Order members and mitras from the Portland Portsmouth and Boston sanghas If you are interested in learning about what it takes to be a mitra contact Khemavassika at khemavassikagmailcom

Women Mitra Community Spring Update


ldquoI like this It moves me I want morerdquo Grasping can snuff out and block the path of beauty

Reflecting on ldquothe beautifulrdquo in our ex-perience can lead to a deeper appreciation of the beauty that surrounds us at all times at a higher more sublime state of experi-ence For example the weather conditions are such that ice is coating all exterior sur-faces near your home This ice becomes a threat to ldquoyourrdquo schedule You have some-thing important to do You become fear-ful annoyed and frustrated with these con-ditions You donrsquot want this Stopping for a moment to reflect on your response you run into your dissatisfaction Why Be-cause we have a sense of permanence and an expectation around how things ldquoshouldrdquo be

The non-beautiful ice that causes head-ache and suffering is also the ice that spar-kles when the sun emerges transform-ing your world into a jewel-encrusted land of sparkling beauty The crystallized wa-ter aside from being frozen is not different from the water that flows in us Watching this unfolding from our initial respons-es through the contemplation of this mo-ment-to-moment event and seeing deeper into conditioned arising is participating in

beauty We become more aware of the in-finite possibilities by peeking into condi-tioned arising

The stupa at Aryaloka dedicated to Dhardo Rinpoche is beautiful on many levels Its meaning goes beyond ldquoa nice pile of rocksrdquo The form is uplifting and pleas-ing to the eye as it points to the clouds and beyond Deep gray-shadowed stones fleck-ed with brilliance ascend from the earth having been dug from the earth are hauled over the earth to the building site and are mindfully and skillfully positioned The stupa offers an experience of grounding and spaciousness a sense of feeling com-pletely full and empty at the same time providing inspiration on the path to awak-ening an awareness opening beyond the rational mind

The incomprehensible quality of beau-ty also includes pleasure delight and joy with a deep sense of positivity and warmth Standing with the stupa patient old trees and tangled brush bend with the winds and witness as the birds and small creatures pil-grimage through the area Ticks mosqui-tos and squirrels pay homage Beyond the form and the site of the stupa is a deeper significance still

The stupa is also the representation of the six elements ndash earth water fire air space and consciousness Contemplating these elements both externally and inter-

nally we come to see that what we identi-fy with as ldquoself rdquo is impermanent and insub-stantial Seeing more and more deeply into this process is experiencing and participat-ing in beauty

ldquoCherish the doctrine live united ra-diate loverdquo ndash these are the words of Dhar-do Rimpoche What do these three state-ments mean to you Deepening our awareness of these words and working with them in our everyday ethical engagements of body speech and mind is another step in the process of becoming Seeing the un-folding of conditionality never fixed al-ways flowing on is yet another rung on the ladder leading from darkness to light Seeking beauty in our everyday experi-ence brings deeper appreciation and under-standing of the world

Ultimately what we seek in these ques-tions reflections and thoughts dissolve into the sky We reach a place where words and concepts must be let go of into silence Be-ing aware and responding to the stuparsquos form is a step on the search for ever-higher states of being led by the hand and follow-ing ldquoher massive sandal set on stonerdquo

Many thanks and appreciation for Sang-harakshitarsquos clarity and all who fumble in the darkness for the light switch of awaken-ing An especially warm thanks to Satyada Surakshita and Vidhuma my three honor-able and worthy travel companions

ma and Vajramati reconnected with Dhar-do and Sersang sharing wisdom and kind-ness

Following breakfast we accompa-nied Sersang to the stupa and began as a team to remove the snow and ice covering the stupa and the surrounding area We felt part of something much larger than any one of us ndash sangha in action There was harmony in how everyone involved found a task to accomplish Faith was test-ed then restored when the tape we feared would not retain its adhesive qualities on the cold wet stupa stones held firmly in place with the long garlands of flower pet-als taken from pods and brought from In-dia More than a week later the tape still held fast

Sangha members arrived from far and wide Candradasa conducted interviews for the Buddhist Centre Online website (TheBuddhistCentrecom) As last min-

ute preparations were completed sangha members circled the stupa

Dhardo Rinpoche and Sersang began with a pre-purification puja designed to re-move obstacles Then the purification puja began With its symbolic gesturing Tibet-an chanting and use of ritual objects the ceremony was an experience of connecting to the significance of this particular stupa and its sacred relics of great Tibetan teach-ers especially the 13th Dhardo Rinpochersquos ashes

The ritual concluded with Dhar-do Rinpoche flinging a khata (ceremoni-al scarf) skyward toward the stupa It drift-ed down and settled on the flower petal garlands just even with the rupa nestled in the stuparsquos upper alcove Sangha mem-bers made offerings bowed and chant-ed and then made their way to the shrine room for a concluding puja led by Dhardo Rinpoche

Dhardo Rinpoche continued to give talks throughout his visit including a question and answer session for mitras and

Order members and a talk about the stu-pa at Aryalokarsquos Tuesday Friendsrsquo Night He spoke thoughtfully humbly and with a sense of humor When he did not know something he apologized for not being able to give a better answer In our ego-driven culture it was refreshing to encoun-ter such humility

Dhardorsquos kindness and compassion was evident in all his interactions both one-on-one and with groups Sersang was al-ways by his side - serene mindful and kind I was sad to say goodbye to Dhar-do Rinpoche and Sersang Their presence opened my heart and I will always trea-sure the experience of their visit that was of mutual benefit to all

Well itrsquos time to circumambulate the stupa where I will chant the words of Dhardo Rinpoche Sangharakshitarsquos teach-er ldquoCherish the doctrine Live united Ra-diate loverdquo

seeking beautyContinued from Page 8

stupa purificationContinued from Page 9

ldquoIt was the poet in Sangharakshita that led him to the religious life and it was the path of renunciation that enabled him to see the world in a wider and truer perspective which is the hallmark of genuine poetryrdquo

~ Lama Anagarika Govinda in the introduction to ldquoThe Veil of Starsrdquo by Sangharakshita (1954)

Here are three poems by Sangharakshita reprinted from Complete Poems 1941-1994 by Sangharakshita with the kind permission of Windhorse Publications

Nocturne (1954)

Calcutta 1954Grey sleepers wrapped in noisome ragsLay stretched out on the paving stonesAs through the silence of the streetsWe walked and talked in quiet tones

Against black walls belatedlyOld beggars crouched with rusty tinsRummaged the famished dogs and catsThrough overflowing garbage bins

Sometimes a taxi creeping pastPurred to us of debauchrsquos lairWhile blue and red the neon lightsBurned through the smoke-filled city air

Our theme was friendship beauty arthellipAnd as we thrid those streets despiteTheir squalor in the moon all roundWe saw the beauty of the night

After Meditation (1967)

As the last gong-stroke dies awayShiver on shiver into the deep silenceOpening my eyes I find myselfIn a green-mossed underground caveOverarching still waters whereonWhite lotuses half open are peacefully smiling

Four Gifts (1975)

I come to you with four giftsThe first gift is a lotus-flowerDo you understandMy second gift is a golden netCan you recognize itMy third gift is a shepherdsrsquo round-danceDo your feet know how to danceMy fourth gift is a garden planted in a wildernessCould you work thereI come to you with four giftsDare you accept them

Three Winter TalesAfter Kenneth MacLeodBy Candradasa

I

In the year of the dead birds Saint Kenneth fed the sparrows as a last rite under a tree

And in the watching manrsquos heart something else crystallised where previously waterfalls froze

His eyes misted over ndash and that was the true miracle now the mountains could melt

II

Saint Bridersquos bird saved the Christ from his enemies ndash covered him in sea yarn

Down they came from the mountain but couldnrsquot find anyone saw no trace of god or man

So the bird daubed white by Michael for her sins went back to catching oysters

And saving childrenrsquos souls bringing them in a boat From the brink of the other world

III

The black fiddler on the boat on fire a village watching from the darkened shore ship still hurtling as pyres of foam

Leap and lick at the man in flame whose grin is the gleam their watching eyes catch from the cliff like a bad sunrise

The speed of everyonersquos madness set in time to the tune in their bloodand the cold wail of some poor soul

Long held groaning down in the holdbound for the black life under that sailto where no songs prevail

poetry corner



APRIL

26 Young Sangha Hangout 6-8 pm28 Friendsrsquo Night 645-915 pm

MAy

1 Buddha Day celebration 7-9 pm led by Amala2 OrderMitra Day2-3 Womenrsquos GFR Overnight3 Drawing Group led by Eric Ebbeson5 Friendsrsquo Night 645-915 pm8 Practice Night 7-8 pm9 Movie Night Samsara 7-9 pm10 Path of Practice Group (this group is currently full)12 Friendsrsquo Night 645-915 pm15 Practice Night 7-8 pm16 Bodhisattvas at Play Work Day 9 am-4 pm17 Bodhisattvas at Play Work Day 9 am-2 pm19 Friendsrsquo Night 645-915 pm

22-24 Compassionate Presence weekend retreat led by Shantigarbha24 Young Sangha Hangout 6-8 pm26 Friendsrsquo Night 645-915 pm

JUNE

5-7 Dharma Practice in the Order The Effective Cultivation of Insight weekend retreat led by Kamalashila7 Drawing Group led by Eric Ebbeson9 Friendsrsquo Night 645-915 pm14 Path of Practice Group (this group is currently full)14 Childrenrsquos Sangha 2-4 pm led by Alisha Roberts16 Friendsrsquo Night 645-915 pm19-28 Intensive Noble Silence retreat led by Bodhana Karunasara and Lilasiddhi30 Friendsrsquo Night 645-915 pm

upcoming events

ongoing events

(All events are subject to change For the latest up-to-date information check our web site at httpwwwaryalokaorg or call the office at 603-659-5456)Events in italics held at Akasaloka Mitra classes amp Order days not included

Sangha Night At Aryaloka Every Tuesday evening 645-915 pm

bull LedbyArjavaAkashavandaAmala Satyada Lilasiddhi and other sangha membersbull Opentoallbull Suggesteddonation$10perclassbull Noregistrationnecessary

Typically our Tuesday night activities includebull 645-Gatheringteaandannouncementsbull 715-Meditationandshrineroomactivitybull 800-Studydiscussionoratalkontheeveningrsquostopicbull 915-End

With any of these activities you are free to participate or to just sit and listen Nothing is compulsory If you have any questions please ask

Full Moon PujaFriday evenings as scheduled (unless noted) See the Aryalo-ka website or Vajra Bell events schedule for dates and locations 700 pm meditation followed by puja

The rich devotional practice of meditation and puja is shared on these special Friday nights by those who find devotion an im-portant part of their practice

When we celebrate the Sevenfold Puja which combines faith and devotion with poetry and sometimes an element of visual beau-ty we find that our emotional energies are to some extent refined When this happens it becomes possible for the vision and insight of the higher thinking center to act through these refined sublimat-ed emotional centers directly on the moving center In this way the whole of life is completely transformed

Sangharakshita ~ Ritual and Devotion

RETREATSCLASSESSOLITARIESThose registering for retreats (including solitaries) and class-

es of any length will be asked to pay a minimum deposit of one-half of the total cost to finalize registration If a registrant can-cels two weeks or more before the retreat she will receive a

credit of the full amount toward another event If the cancella-tion is received less than two weeks before the event the regis-trant forfeits half of the retreat fee and the remainder may be credited toward another event

Note In all situations special circumstances will be taken into consideration

Policy for Retreat Deposits

This has been a wonderful winter at Aryaloka at least for me

Despite being battered inconve-nienced and fatigued by the onslaught of February blizzards

I am lucky to have spent time at the cen-ter to appreciate its winter beauty I have seen the full moon rise while snowshoeing around the grounds at night napped on the couch during a blizzard cross-coun-ty skied with Arjava and shoveled snow off the roofs of Aryaloka and Akashaloka

The most amazing winter sight was that of two Tibetan monks wearing thin robes in cold weather conducting pujas to ded-icate the stupa to Dhardo Rinpoche The

younger of the two monks Dhardo Tulku Rinpoche is the successor of one of Sang-harakshitarsquos influential teachers Even though the young monk has never met Sangharakshita this ceremony was an ex-tension of the long connection and friend-ship between Bhante and the previous Dhardo Rinpoche

It seems auspicious that the ceremony occurred just prior to this issue where we consider the life and impact of Sangharak-shita The issue includes essays by four Or-der members ndash Sanghadevi Karunade-vi Vidyadevi and Surakshita ndash whose lives he directly touched Sangharakshita is a multifaceted leader He is a prolific schol-ar and artist publishing more than seven-ty books including biographies polemics collections of essays and extended lectures

wwwaryalokaorgcategoryvajra-bell

VAJRA BELL KULA

CO-EDITOR Mary Schaefermbschaefercomcastnet

CO-EDITOR David Wattdavidwatt1956gmailcom

ADMINISTRATION EDITOR Dh Vihanasarivihanasaricomcastnet

ARTS EDITOR Lois Sansmichaelandlois86gmailcom

CONTRIBUTORS

Dh Satyadasatyadastephensloancom

Carolyn Gregsak

cgregsakgmailcom

Peter Ingrahampingalumniunhedu

DESIGN Dh Rijupathaericwintercrowstudiocom

SpiRitUAL VitALity CoUnCiL

Amala (Chair)Vidhuma (Vice Chair)

ArjavaDayalocanaKarunasaraSurakshita

BoARd of diRECtoRS

Arjava (Chair)Barry Timmerman (Secretary)Elizabeth Hellard (Treasurer)

DayalocanaAkashavanda

AmalaJean CorsonTom Gaillard

Aryaloka Buddhist Center14 Heartwood Circle

Newmarket NH 03857603-659-5456

infoaryalokaorg wwwaryalokaorg

Find us on Facebook httpwwwfacebookcomAraloka

or on the Aryaloka Facebook Grouphttpwwwfacebookcomgroupsary-

alokasangha

Connect at The Buddhist Centre Online httpthebuddhistcentrecomaryaloka

vajrabellPreparing this is-

sue of the Vajra Bell has been another step deeper into my Bud-dhist practice and ev-er-expanding view of the Triratna Buddhist Order and the global connections it offers

At the retreat this past fall for wom-en in the ordination process I and my fel-low retreatants were inspired by a talk giv-en by Sanghadevi She shared her personal journey with Sangharakshita and encour-aged us to build our own sense of connec-tion to him

ldquoGiven the pioneering nature of Trirat-nardquo she said ldquoI think itrsquos important that we all read Sangharakshita as widely as possi-blerdquo Read his memoirs Listen to his talks his voice she said not just for our own sake but for the sake of others She described his writings as ldquodoorwaysrdquo through which we get to know him and what it means to be a Buddhist practicing the Dharma here in the modern world

I invited her to share her reflections on Bhante (I was delighted when she agreed) along with other Order members Suraksh-ita Karunadevi and Vidyadevi I stepped through the doorways they opened which gave me the chance to get to know more deeply ndash and with ever-growing appreci-ation and gratitude ndash Bhante and this ldquopi-oneeringrdquo tradition he has founded It has

been quite a journey Going through those doorways I also

virtually ldquometrdquo Manjuvajra one of the Or-der members who lived at Aryaloka in its early days and one of Surakshitarsquos first teachers Through a photo of Karunadevi he posted on Facebook I learned that he had just assembled a book of photos and reflec-tions of his travels with his spiritual teach-er Sangharakshita He shared his photo of Sangharakshita in front of the Golden Gate Bridge during one of his few visits to Amer-ica - and also by the Grand Canyon that vast vista that I had personally just visited this fall

As I read these accounts of Bhante and corresponded with people I was struck by how interdependent and connected we are with each other and the many teachers that guided and inspired Bhante on his journey

As Karunadevi writes ldquoBhante has done something revolutionary in the Buddhist world drawing on his vast knowledge of the Buddharsquos teachings and making the spirit of those teachings accessiblerdquo Itrsquos my respon-sibility I figure as a mitra and a practicing Buddhist in training to join the Triratna Buddhist Order that I get to know as much as I can about it and the inspiring teacher who opened this path for me

I invite you to enter these doorways to learn more about Bhante his vision for the world and what he and Triratna offer you and thousands of others on this path to peace ~ Mary Schaefer

editors notes Mary Schaefer amp David Watt


continued on page 5




























sangha notes

Friends Night
















~ Dh Khemavassika















~ David Watt


sangha notes










~ Bettye Pruitt











editorrsquos notesContinued from


By Tricia McCarthy







By David Watt










By Dh Khemavassika







By David Watt












































By Barry Timmerman


















By Viradhamma



















By Tom Gaillard


resonates with me





















Cambridge MA


San Francisco CA







T



By Dh Sanghadevi






















me




















Mens Day at the MFA

By Dh Surakshita












































Middle Way


By Dh Karunadevi





















By Dh Vidyadevi






































New book arrivals












By Alisha Roberts






By Khemavassika

































Nocturne (1954)







Four Gifts (1975)



I




II





III





poetry corner



APRIL


MAy



JUNE


upcoming events

ongoing events










































sangha notes

Friends Night
















~ Dh Khemavassika















~ David Watt


sangha notes










~ Bettye Pruitt













By Tricia McCarthy







By David Watt










By Dh Khemavassika







By David Watt












































By Barry Timmerman


















By Viradhamma















from the councilContinued from




By Tom Gaillard


resonates with me





















Cambridge MA


San Francisco CA







T



By Dh Sanghadevi






















me




















Mens Day at the MFA

By Dh Surakshita












































Middle Way


By Dh Karunadevi





















By Dh Vidyadevi






































New book arrivals












By Alisha Roberts






By Khemavassika

































Nocturne (1954)







Four Gifts (1975)



I




II





III





poetry corner



APRIL


MAy



JUNE


upcoming events

ongoing events
















sangha notes

Friends Night
















~ Dh Khemavassika















~ David Watt


sangha notes










~ Bettye Pruitt













By Tricia McCarthy







By David Watt










By Dh Khemavassika







By David Watt












































By Barry Timmerman


















By Viradhamma



















By Tom Gaillard


resonates with me





















Cambridge MA


San Francisco CA







T



By Dh Sanghadevi






















me




















Mens Day at the MFA

By Dh Surakshita












































Middle Way


By Dh Karunadevi





















By Dh Vidyadevi






































New book arrivals












By Alisha Roberts






By Khemavassika

































Nocturne (1954)







Four Gifts (1975)



I




II





III





poetry corner



APRIL


MAy



JUNE


upcoming events

ongoing events



















~ David Watt


sangha notes










~ Bettye Pruitt













By Tricia McCarthy







By David Watt










By Dh Khemavassika







By David Watt












































By Barry Timmerman


















By Viradhamma



















By Tom Gaillard


resonates with me





















Cambridge MA


San Francisco CA







T



By Dh Sanghadevi






















me




















Mens Day at the MFA

By Dh Surakshita












































Middle Way


By Dh Karunadevi





















By Dh Vidyadevi






































New book arrivals












By Alisha Roberts






By Khemavassika

































Nocturne (1954)







Four Gifts (1975)



I




II





III





poetry corner



APRIL


MAy



JUNE


upcoming events

ongoing events
















By Tricia McCarthy







By David Watt










By Dh Khemavassika







By David Watt












































By Barry Timmerman


















By Viradhamma



















By Tom Gaillard


resonates with me





















Cambridge MA


San Francisco CA







T



By Dh Sanghadevi






















me




















Mens Day at the MFA

By Dh Surakshita












































Middle Way


By Dh Karunadevi





















By Dh Vidyadevi






































New book arrivals












By Alisha Roberts






By Khemavassika

































Nocturne (1954)







Four Gifts (1975)



I




II





III





poetry corner



APRIL


MAy



JUNE


upcoming events

ongoing events
















By David Watt












































By Barry Timmerman


















By Viradhamma



















By Tom Gaillard


resonates with me





















Cambridge MA


San Francisco CA







T



By Dh Sanghadevi






















me




















Mens Day at the MFA

By Dh Surakshita












































Middle Way


By Dh Karunadevi





















By Dh Vidyadevi






































New book arrivals












By Alisha Roberts






By Khemavassika

































Nocturne (1954)







Four Gifts (1975)



I




II





III





poetry corner



APRIL


MAy



JUNE


upcoming events

ongoing events




































By Barry Timmerman


















By Viradhamma



















By Tom Gaillard


resonates with me





















Cambridge MA


San Francisco CA







T



By Dh Sanghadevi






















me




















Mens Day at the MFA

By Dh Surakshita












































Middle Way


By Dh Karunadevi





















By Dh Vidyadevi






































New book arrivals












By Alisha Roberts






By Khemavassika




























seeking beautyContinued from





Nocturne (1954)







Four Gifts (1975)



I




II





III





poetry corner



APRIL


MAy



JUNE


upcoming events

ongoing events
















By Barry Timmerman


















By Viradhamma



















By Tom Gaillard


resonates with me





















Cambridge MA


San Francisco CA







T



By Dh Sanghadevi






















me




















Mens Day at the MFA

By Dh Surakshita












































Middle Way


By Dh Karunadevi





















By Dh Vidyadevi






































New book arrivals












By Alisha Roberts






By Khemavassika





























stupa purificationContinued from




Nocturne (1954)







Four Gifts (1975)



I




II





III





poetry corner



APRIL


MAy



JUNE


upcoming events

ongoing events
















By Viradhamma



















By Tom Gaillard


resonates with me





















Cambridge MA


San Francisco CA







T



By Dh Sanghadevi






















me




















Mens Day at the MFA

By Dh Surakshita












































Middle Way


By Dh Karunadevi





















By Dh Vidyadevi






































New book arrivals












By Alisha Roberts






By Khemavassika

































Nocturne (1954)







Four Gifts (1975)



I




II





III





poetry corner



APRIL


MAy



JUNE


upcoming events

ongoing events
















By Tom Gaillard


resonates with me





















Cambridge MA


San Francisco CA







T



By Dh Sanghadevi






















me




















Mens Day at the MFA

By Dh Surakshita












































Middle Way


By Dh Karunadevi





















By Dh Vidyadevi






































New book arrivals












By Alisha Roberts






By Khemavassika

































Nocturne (1954)







Four Gifts (1975)



I




II





III





poetry corner



APRIL


MAy



JUNE


upcoming events

ongoing events



















T



By Dh Sanghadevi






















me

















deepening connectionContinued from



Mens Day at the MFA

By Dh Surakshita












































Middle Way


By Dh Karunadevi





















By Dh Vidyadevi






































New book arrivals












By Alisha Roberts






By Khemavassika

































Nocturne (1954)







Four Gifts (1975)



I




II





III





poetry corner



APRIL


MAy



JUNE


upcoming events

ongoing events


















T



By Dh Sanghadevi






















me




















Mens Day at the MFA

By Dh Surakshita












































Middle Way


By Dh Karunadevi





















By Dh Vidyadevi






































New book arrivals












By Alisha Roberts






By Khemavassika

































Nocturne (1954)







Four Gifts (1975)



I




II





III





poetry corner



APRIL


MAy



JUNE


upcoming events

ongoing events
















By Dh Sanghadevi






















me




















Mens Day at the MFA

By Dh Surakshita












































Middle Way


By Dh Karunadevi





















By Dh Vidyadevi






































New book arrivals












By Alisha Roberts






By Khemavassika

































Nocturne (1954)







Four Gifts (1975)



I




II





III





poetry corner



APRIL


MAy



JUNE


upcoming events

ongoing events





















me




















Mens Day at the MFA

By Dh Surakshita












































Middle Way


By Dh Karunadevi





















By Dh Vidyadevi






































New book arrivals












By Alisha Roberts






By Khemavassika

































Nocturne (1954)







Four Gifts (1975)



I




II





III





poetry corner



APRIL


MAy



JUNE


upcoming events

ongoing events
















Mens Day at the MFA

By Dh Surakshita












































Middle Way


By Dh Karunadevi





















By Dh Vidyadevi






































New book arrivals












By Alisha Roberts






By Khemavassika

































Nocturne (1954)







Four Gifts (1975)



I




II





III





poetry corner



APRIL


MAy



JUNE


upcoming events

ongoing events


































Middle Way


By Dh Karunadevi





















By Dh Vidyadevi






































New book arrivals












By Alisha Roberts






By Khemavassika

































Nocturne (1954)







Four Gifts (1975)



I




II





III





poetry corner



APRIL


MAy



JUNE


upcoming events

ongoing events
















By Dh Karunadevi





















By Dh Vidyadevi






































New book arrivals












By Alisha Roberts






By Khemavassika

































Nocturne (1954)







Four Gifts (1975)



I




II





III





poetry corner



APRIL


MAy



JUNE


upcoming events

ongoing events
















By Dh Vidyadevi






































New book arrivals












By Alisha Roberts






By Khemavassika

































Nocturne (1954)







Four Gifts (1975)



I




II





III





poetry corner



APRIL


MAy



JUNE


upcoming events

ongoing events




































New book arrivals











sangharakshita libraryContinued from

By Alisha Roberts






By Khemavassika

































Nocturne (1954)







Four Gifts (1975)



I




II





III





poetry corner



APRIL


MAy



JUNE


upcoming events

ongoing events



















New book arrivals












By Alisha Roberts






By Khemavassika

































Nocturne (1954)







Four Gifts (1975)



I




II





III





poetry corner



APRIL


MAy



JUNE


upcoming events

ongoing events










































Nocturne (1954)







Four Gifts (1975)



I




II





III





poetry corner



APRIL


MAy



JUNE


upcoming events

ongoing events
















APRIL


MAy



JUNE


upcoming events

ongoing events















vajra bell newsletter - spring 2015

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