Annual Report 2017-18
Chair’s report for the year Apr 2017May 2018
were all well booked-up, indeed some with waiting lists. Last year was the first in which we held two simultaneous winter retreats, one at Adhisthana and the other at Vajrasana. As a result there were 200 people on retreat over the Christmas period. We also made Vajrasana available to 14 other Triratna Sanghas, who gave positive feedback about their experience.
Jnanavaca stepping down, and a new Chair
The resident community of Saddhaketu and Jnanaruci, supported by Abhayavajra, worked very hard during this period and were happy to welcome Dridhakarin as a new member too. He is a keen gardener and has been busy with the sizeable grounds since arriving. With the retreat centre up and running, Maitrivajri who led the rebuilding project, has been guiding Vajrasana through the ’snagging’ phase, managing contractor relationships and ensuring that defects are resolved before the final accounts are paid. We have deeply appreciated the efforts of Maitrivajri and all those who dedicated so much time, energy and skill to a complex and demanding project. It’s a delight to see the project bear fruit in the positive and transformative experiences many people are now having at Vajrasana. With the first year complete and work on the site coming to completion, we are now entering Vajrasana’s next phase as a right-livelihood business. Vidyadaka has agreed to guide this as Vajrasana’s CEO.
In March 2018 we said goodbye to Jnanavaca as Chair after nine years of inspiration, guidance and generous service to the LBC. Subhuti led us in a ceremony acknowledging Jnanavaca’s many gifts and his contribution to the LBC over the years, and then inaugurated me as Chair. It was a truly wonderful occasion. Both Jnanavaca and I were moved and humbled by the support and well-wishing we received. I would like to thank you for the positive welcome I have received as Chair. It is with your support and encouragement that I felt able to accept the role. My heartfelt thanks go to all those who organised and managed the event too. It was the largest ever event held at the LBC in terms of numbers and it proceeded smoothly and harmoniously. Sadhu!
New Order members
LBC Activities
We have been delighted to welcome six new Order members back to the LBC after their ordinations during 2017. Dharmacharini Anudaya was ordained at Akashavana on the three-month retreat in the Spring and Dharmacharini Maitrinita on a two-week retreat in the autumn. Dharmacharis Amalayodhin, Jnanadaya, Maitrinara and Prajnamanas were ordained at Guhyaloka on the four-month retreat. At the time of writing three women are on the 2018 three-month Akashavana retreat: Holly Murray, Karen Liebenguth and Fiona Johnston. Amaladana (ex- Alan Worrell) is on the men’s four month Guhyaloka retreat.
We had many highlights this year. Jnanavaca led his final Mandala Evening as Chair with a rousing talk, and Subhuti led us through his Rambles. While we folded the sub-35 group in December, our sub-25 activities have been growing significantly. Parents were able to drop in for Dharma talks in a new activity started by Maitrinita and Vijayadipa, extending opportunities for those with children. There were many other activities, which are detailed in Maitreyaraja’s Secretary’s report. So please do read this for further details. Our meditation and Dharma classes continue to be popular, with a distinct increase in numbers following the end of the long Winter Retreats. Lunchtime yoga has also proved highly popular, with people turned away from full classes. As a result the yoga team (Holly Murray and Danayutta with me as their the manager at that time) proposed to the LBC Council that a third team member be employed. Esther McKinney joined, initially on a temporary basis, which has recently been made permanent. The yoga team now run two lunchtime classes daily and have increased their retreats at Vajrasana to five.
Farewell Sadly this year also saw the passing away of two Order members. Dharmachari Jayamitra died on 23rd August 2017 and Dharmacharini Mallika on 23rd December 2017. Jayamitra’s funeral was held at the LBC and led by Mangala. Mallika’s funeral took place in Scotland and Srivati led a memorial for her at the LBC.
Vajrasana 2017 was the first full operational year of the rebuilt Vajrasana retreat centre. After a successful opening the year has exceeded all expectations in terms of the numbers of people attending retreats and the impact the centre has had on the LBC mandala. We ran ten long retreats, which
Lama’s Pyjamas Lama’s Pyjamas continue to contribute significantly to the local community by providing a friendly, high-quailty
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business, and to the LBC Mandala by providing a positive team-based right livelihood experience for team and volunteers. Lamas were also involved in an interfaith pop-up charity shop at Selfridges organised by Artangel and Miranda in July. This generated both revenue and a good deal of publicity in the local and national press. We continue to be deeply appreciative of the efforts of the team and volunteers, and for the financial contribution that Lama’s makes to the Centre.
Council focused on the LBC itself. Gender and open communication were highlighted as areas for further development. We also explored what the future of the LBC might involve. I would like to thank all those who participated in these events as they proved a helpful way for us to connect meaningfully with each other. I would like to continue developing a variety of avenues for the Mandala to communicate within itself and with the Council. One new communication medium is the Sangha newsletter, initiated by Subhadramati and Jayaka. We also hope to liaise more with our regional Order convenors Mangala has been joined by Prajnadevi and Dhiraprabha. Kalyanavaca stepped down from her role after serving the region so generously.
Jambala This year Prajnamala joined Jambala as manager, taking over from Mahamani on the latter’s appointment as the LBC’s second women’s mitra convenor. I am very pleased to have welcomed both these Dharmacharinis to their new roles. Adding Mahamani to the LBC women’s team takes its number to eight, counting Srivati as an honorary team member. Srivati was instrumental in helping the process of forming a team and is currently part of a sub-group exploring the creation of a new women’s office. The new women’s team have also been meeting weekly for study. Initially led by Subhadramati, these meetings have been a welcome and positive way for women working at the Centre to get to know each other more deeply.
Coming full circle in this report, I would also like to thank the local Order and the regional Order conveners for engaging with and supporting the transition to a new Chair. It was positive to see how the LBC Sangha, the Order and the Council worked harmoniously in engaging with an open process of consultation and selection.
Dana Generosity and friendship are the foundations on which the Centre flourishes and we continue to share the fruits of our efforts with the wider Triratna movement, in terms of time, energy and other resources. This year we contributed to the Paris and Southampton centres. We wish them well in their next phase of growth.
Teacher Training This year we continued to run a teacher week training led by Maitreyabandhu and Subhadramati. Ratnaguna joined the teaching team for support and feedback as the LBC training became officially part of the Sikkha project. The Sikkha project is an International Council initiative which aims to renew and reimagine Triratna’s approach to teaching the system of practice. Ratnaguna was positive about the training delivered at the Centre and was especially inspired and indeed impressed by the atmosphere at our public classes. He spoke about his experience at the LBC at the Chairs event, noting specifically the large numbers and the energy and vitality at our main classes. We have since met with Ratnaguna and the Sikkha project team following a request to explore how we could support other Centres in their endeavours to share the Dharma and create positive and vibrant communities.
Yours in the Dharma,
Suryagupta
Chair suryagupta @lbc.org.uk
Mandala Communications In the light of wider Triratna controversies at the LBC we undertook our own discussions about how people experience Triratna and the LBC Mandala. As part of this we organised forums, both for Mitras and for Order Members. The regional Order convenors, Kalyanavaca and Mangala, organised our first Order forum held at the LBC. It was well attended and appreciated by a wide range of Order members. The conversations were wide-ranging and varied, addressing Bhante and his apology as well as issues from the past. Later forums organised by the LBC
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Treasurer’s report for the financial year 2016-17
which pays a monthly management charge, and interest on a loan, to the LBC.
Breathing Space income
This rose by 17% from £78,541 (2015–16) to £91,619. This was attributable both to course and retreat income being up (by 7.2%) and a 28% increase in grant income, owing to a new contract with the L&Q Housing Association. We still have the Tower Hamlets contract for free places on our courses, as well as a grant to provide services to carers in the borough. More recently, a grant to provide a package of services to carers in Newham, worth £10,950, has been awarded by the insurance firm XL Catlin.
As in previous years, these figures are taken from the LBC management accounts. They contrast the financial year 1 April 2016 to 31 March 17 with 2015–16, contextualise where we are now, and look ahead a little. For more detail, see the LBC’s audited accounts at: https://bit.ly/2pFhaGN
Charity shop income
Charity shop income rose by 6% from £167,483 (2015– 16) to £176,959. Lama’s Pyjamas had another strong year and continued their year-on-year increases, providing valuable surplus for the LBC. Jambala too saw a rise in income.
Income Property income
Property income rose by 4% from £283,452 (2015–16) to £294,165. This was due to the yearly increase on LBC community rents set by the Council, and Sukhavati community paying rent on an increased number of rooms. As expected, property income is steady, following the sale of the flats inherited from Mahananda. It should remain stable, since the communities are consistently occupied and the commercially rented properties (the Larder and 83a Roman Road) provide steady revenue. A new community, Sadharma Pradipa, has been set up in a property owned by Prakasha but managed by the LBC, generating a management charge for the LBC.
Total income
Total income rose by 11% from £1,145,412 (2015–16) to £1,276,521. This was a very pleasing start to our first year of having Vajrasana open and without the regular income from the flats at Primrose Hill. Our main streams of revenue are all strong, and we hope to see use of Vajrasana increase a little further in the coming years, with more of our retreats at full or nearly full capacity, as yet more people discover the centre, and current Sangha members make regular trips there.
Expenses
Income from LBC activities
LBC income fell by 9% from £504,055 (2015–16) to £459,764. This was mainly attributable to completion of the Vajrasana project and hence fundraising efforts towards it, which meant £45,000 less from one-off donations. Secondly, after lending a large tranche of funds to Pure Land (the trading subsidiary which is the legal owner of Vajrasana) which were previously held by the LBC, £17,000 less of interest is being generated on savings. This decrease should therefore not conceal that income from core LBC activities – i.e. classes, courses and the Winter Retreat – has increased.
LBC expenses
Retreat income
Support expenses
Retreat income rose by 127% from £111,881 (2015-16) to £254,014. This was an excellent outcome, in excess of expectations, from our first year of running retreats at the newly rebuilt Vajrasana retreat centre. The new retreat centre allows many more people to go on retreat, but also offers a more sophisticated, fully purpose-built environment, which is reflected in a modest rise in retreat prices. Secondly, we are able to hire Vajrasana out to other Triratna centres and groups at reasonable rates, providing a resource to the rest of the movement and a valuable income stream for the LBC. All Vajrasana trading is now run through our trading subsidiary, Pure Land Limited,
LBC expenses rose by 15% from £436,764 (2015–16) to £502,128. This was mainly attributable to the new loan of £1m from Triodos which was used to complete the building project. At 31 March 2017 we had drawn down £700,000 of this, hence the increased borrowing costs (see ‘Borrowing’ for more details and current standpoint). There were also increased office expenses for new IT hardware, two leaving gifts for long-standing staff members, and installation of a new air-conditioning system in the small shrine room. Support expenses rose by 7% from £354,117 (2015–16) to £379,833. This was attributable to new staff on support, including Suryagupta who came on board to offer managerial and developmental support to both Breathing Space and the yoga project; the new team at Vajrasana; and an expanded team at Jambala. Significantly, the LBC is now paying into a pension scheme for everyone on support. The first payments were made in March 2017, starting at the full 8% employer contribution (required from April 2019), so this will show up in increased staff costs in 2017-18 also.
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Retreat expenses
So after a few years in which much of our energy was going into the Vajrasana project, we can start to look ahead to a new phase.
Retreat expenses rose by 29% from £104,688 (2015–16) to £135,221. This reflects the significant shift to running the new Vajrasana, a greatly expanded and more sophisticated site. Although Vajrasana’s running expenses were higher than expected, this was more than covered by increased retreat income.
Yours in the Dharma,
Prajnamanas LBC Treasurer April 2018
Charity shops
Charity shop expenses fell by 27% from £26,765 (2015– 16) to £19,534. This was mainly attributable to reduced staff costs in Lama’s Pyjamas.
Total expenses
Total expenses rose by 13% from £920,606 (2015–16) to £1,036,716.
Surplus/deficit
Our surplus hereby rose by 7% from £224,806 (2015–16) to £239,805.
Building project
We are nearing settlement of the final account on the Vajrasana building project. Total costs of the build can be confirmed at £4.35m, as forecast a year ago. On top of this there were professional fees at a total of £760,000 (this includes architects’ fees, landscaping, structural and mechanical engineers, building control assessment and ecological consultancy), further redevelopments of the site at £14,000 and fixtures and fittings at an estimated £150,000, giving a net project cost of £5,274,000.
Finance / borrowing
Our total borrowings now comprise our consolidated loan from Triodos of £1,065,000 and a new loan of a further £1m at an interest rate of 2.25% over the base rate or 2.75%, whichever is higher. (We note that given interest rates have now risen to 0.5%, further rises will have an impact on the cost of this second loan. The original loan has a 3.5% minimum and so the cost is stable.) Our monthly loan repayments are currently at £12,367 per month, equivalent to 10.3% of average monthly income for the financial year 2017–18. Within our own operations, the LBC made a loan to Pure Land, our trading subsidiary, of £6m, to meet the project costs outlined above. Pure Land pays 1% interest on this ‘intercompany’ loan.
Conclusion
The LBC mandala is thriving, with a centre that is busier than ever, 28 people on support, and a well-used new retreat centre. We continue to benefit from a varied income base that comprises property, trading, donations, course and retreat fees, and Breathing Space. Although the cost of our borrowing has had to rise, this is covered comfortably by steadily rising income; a surplus of £19,980 per month for 2016–17 is very healthy. Surplus in 2017–18 is projected to be somewhat lower, around £17,250 per month, but this is still a very strong position.
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Secretary’s Update April 2017 to May 2018
Outreach
The LBC continues to run Buddhist Meditation Foundation courses on Saturday mornings at St Martin’s Lane in Central London. These courses were led by Order Members and Mitras including: Todd Donnelly, Uschi Gramann, Alex Green, Khemananda, Gus Miller, Hannah Peaty, Sagarasila and Vajrabandhu. We have responded to a number of other outreach requests, reflecting continued interest in mindfulness and meditation generally. The first retreat for Chief Executives was successfully run at Vajrasana.
In this report I will describe the ongoing work of the LBC with information about some of the significant changes that have happened within the LBC or LBC Community Mandala over the last year. I will then list the range of activities that the LBC has been able to offer.
Upeksadhi, Vanaraji and others continue developing the Mid-Essex Buddhist Centre. The Hornchurch Buddhist group continues to be run by Nandaketu and Saddhabhaya. Stow Sangha have reduced their activities in Walthamstow.
Ongoing projects
People in the LBC Community Mandala continue to explore and practise the Four Sangharavastus (the Means of Unification of the Sangha). In 2017 the focus was on Kindly Speech. In January Jnanavaca launched the theme for 2018 in his talk ‘The Action of Liberation’ which explored the potency of Beneficial Activity.
Sub35 Activities
Sub35 activities have gradually been phased out at the LBC. The previous organising team of Tara Allitt, Amalayodhin, David Basak, Dayanatha and Sagarasila are now contributing to the Centre in other ways.
Regular Classes
Akashamitra, Dayabhadra, Devamitra, Jnanavaca, Kusalasara, Silapiya, Subhadramati, Suryagupta and team currently lead the Dharma Night class. Sanghajit left the class to lead mitra study with Priyavajra. Regular Seminars and Introduction to Buddhism and Meditation courses have helped introduce newer people to the class. Mahamani, Maitreyaraja, Sanghasiha, Vidyadaka and team run the Tuesday Night class. Maitripushpa left the team and Prajnadevi has recently joined.
Sub25 Activities
The Sub25 project continues to go from strength to strength. The monthly Sub25 Class attracts 25 to 30 young people. There are regular additional events such as weekend retreats, day retreats and study mornings. There were 60 young people on the first ever Sub25 retreat at Vajrasana in September. The core teaching team includes Alex Green, Charlotte Lawes, Gus Miller, Hannah Peaty and James Thormod – overseen currently by Danayutta and Vidyadaka. The teaching team are supported by a team of 15 mitras and friends under 25.
The Wednesday Day class continues with Abhayanandi, Achalapriya, Jyotismati, Kalyanavaca, Sajjana, Shraddhapushpa, Stavarha and team.
Yoga for Meditation
The Wednesday Night Class is run by Ajjavin, Dayanatha, Devamitra, Maitreyabandhu, Subhadramati, Vajrabandhu and team. Shraddhasiddhi, Singhamanas and Vidyasakhi left the team last year. Amalayodhin has joined the team. The Yoga, Chi Kung & Meditation Class team is currently led by Danayutta, Jayaka, Holly Murray and Priyavajra. The Friday Class is led by Nandaraja and Svadhi. Sujhayini joined the team.
Danayutta, Holly Murray, Esther McKinney and Sraddhagita (who is covering for Holly whilst she is on her ordination course) have increased the number of regular weekly Yoga for Meditation classes at the LBC from 11 to 17. They also run Yoga for Meditation Days, Courses and Retreats. Esther joined the team as a permanent member in April 2018. Suryagupta has handed on management of the Yoga team to Prajnamala.
Mahamani and Sudurjaya have been leading a monthly Women’s class on Saturday afternoons. Satyapurna and Tareshvari left the team.
Lama’s Pyjamas Charity Shop
Abhayanandi, Sarah Dixon, Nikki Moores and Sally Ramsden run the Lama’s shop. Padmalila left the team last year. She made a huge contribution as one of the founders of the shop and a committed leader and team member.
Lunchtime classes run from Monday to Saturday. The regular lunchtime leaders are: Danayutta, Dayaruci, Jayaka, Kusalasara, Maitreyaraja, Maitrinara, Maitrinita, Mangala, Sajjana, Sanghasiha, Sumana, Tareshvari, Vajrabandhu and Vandanajyoti.
Jambala Charity Shop
Maitrida and Sargarasila ceased teaching lunchtime classes regularly.
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Heather Belcher, Esther Cann and Prajnamala (manager) are the current team for the Jambala shop. Mahamani left the shop after managing it effectively for a couple of years after being appointed by the Order and Council as a second LBC Women’s mitra convenor.
responsibility.
Presidential Visit
Parent’s, Children’s and Young People’s Activities
Subhuti visited and contributed to the life of the Centre in his autumn 2017 visit. When he came in March 2018, as well as conducting the LBC Chair handover, Subhuti gave a series of inspiring Dharma talks as part of his Rambles and met individuals.
The Wednesday Day Class continues to run a crèche for children under five year olds. This popular class teaches newcomers and regulars as well as running practice mornings. The Buddhist Sunday School run by Jyotismati and team on the last Sunday of the month for 3-10 year olds continues to thrive and had been attracting up to sixty parents and children.
LBC Council
The current LBC Council is: Abhayavajra, Jayaka, Maitrivajri, Paramabandhu, Srivati, Subhadramati, Vidyadaka and Suryagupta. We were delighted to welcome Abhayanandi onto the council.Jnanavaca and Sraddhagita left the Council.
Srivati and team stopped running the ‘Open Mind’ afterschool club for young people last year after doing it for a number of years. The creative space that Srivati and others opened up for the attenders had a positive effect on them.
Pure Land Limited and Vajrasana Retreat Centre
Pure Land Limited, the LBC’s trading subsidiary, manages the Vajrasana Retreat Centre. Jnanavaca, Maitreyabandhu and Maitreyaraja are the Directors of Pure Land Limited. Vidyadaka has recently become its CEO.
Bodhi Tree and Mindfulness in Schools
Srivati and team continue to host Buddhist visits at the Centre under the auspices of Bodhi Tree which is a separate charity. Srivati continues to promote and teach Mindfulness in Schools which the LBC supported with a new website called Breathing Space in Schools.
Women’s Team
Subhadramati continues as the lead LBC Women’s Mitra Convenor and Fundraiser. Mahamani became the second Women’s Mitra Convenor at the start of the year. She is taking on this work fully now while Subhadramati leads a three-month Ordination course at Akashavana from April to June. Maitrivajri has been taking sabbatical time this year, as well as overseeing completion of the final details of the Vajrasana building project. Danayutta and Holly Murray continue to teach and coordinate the yoga for meditation classes, courses, days and retreats at both the LBC and Vajrasana. They are also helping with the general running of the Centre. Holly will be ordained at Akashavana this year. Esther McKinney has joined the team and Sraddhagita is temporarily helping the team whilst Holly is away. Srivati continues with her Bodhi Tree and Mindfulness in Schools work.
Drop-in Dharma Discussion for Parents
Maitrinita initiated a new Dharma session specifically for parents last year. Maitrinita, Satyin, Vijayadipa and team host the sessions, inviting guest Order Members to give talks one afternoon a month. They also provide a crèche. These new sessions have been well received.
Chair Handover
Jnanavaca handed over the LBC Chair role to Suryagupta after nine years’ service. The handover evening was the biggest ever event at the LBC in terms of people attending. Subhuti conducted the handover ritual lightly, beautifully and ceremoniously. Jnanavaca has had a tremendously positive effect as Chair, and many people have expressed much gratitude for his efforts. He has delivered clear, warm-hearted and inspirational Dharma talks. He has befriended people and supported their spiritual growth. He initiated the redevelopment of the Vajrasana retreat centre on a grand scale and supported the whole project, leaving the LBC with a beautiful facility, fit for purpose for the foreseeable future.
Administration Team
There was a lot of change in the men’s Administration team this year.
Suryagupta steps into being Chair of the LBC with a considerable experience of working outside Triratna, running her own businesses. More recently she has focussed on helping organisations to manage change, and run training workshops on leadership. She has been on the LBC Council for two and half years and , and was supported to work at the centre for 18 months before her appointment as Chair. In that time she was increasingly engaged in helping the Centre to flourish. She has a good groundswell of support within the LBC Mandala. Many have wished Suryagupta well as she takes on this new
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Jnanadeva left, having served as a very effective LBC Treasurer for many years. His financial acumen helped to keep the LBC on a stable financial footing as the LBC’s biggest building project to date, the major rebuild of Vajrasana, was seen through to completion. Bryan Hamilton left the team after steadily and diligently doing the LBC’s book-keeping for about five years. Prajnamanas took on the Treasury role after returning from his Ordination course. Andy Harding joined the team last autumn. He has taken on book-keeping and is working with Prajnamanas to look after the LBC’s finances. Singhamanas also left after about five years, having helped the Centre to engage effectively with social media, as well as assisting with publicity and developing the website. Vidyadaka continues to manage the Admin team. Todd Donnelly joined this year and is helping to maintain
and develop the LBC’s IT infrastructure. Gus Miller has become the Bookings Manager and co-edits the LBC magazine with Esther McKinney. Other team members are Charlie Byles, Luke Doherty, Alex Green, Jayaka, Maitreyaraja and Vajrabandhu.
Vandanajyoti and team; Padmasambhava Day was led by Satyadasa, Vidyasakhi and team; Sangha Day was led by Dayanatha, Mahamani and team; Parinirvana Day was led by Jnanavaca, Sraddhagita and team. The 108 year Puja dedicated to Urgyen Sangharakshita, the founder of the Triratna Buddhist Order and Community, was led by Subhadramati and team. Regular full moon pujas were led by a wide range of Order members and class support teams.
LBC Volunteers
The LBC is supported in its work by a host of volunteers. Vajrabandhu and his team keep the Centre looking clean and beautiful. Maitreyaraja coordinates a large team of volunteer receptionists who continue to offer visitors a warm welcome. Many other volunteers contribute in a steady way to the work of the Centre.
Retreats
In 2017 the LBC ran a total of 34 retreats. The following retreats were held in 2017 or planned for 2018:
LBC Communities
Six residential communities occupy LBC-owned property, four women’s and two men’s. There is one community in a local house owned by a Triratna Order Member and managed by the LBC. There are several other communities and Buddhist house-shares in the locality.
• 5 MBSR courses • Introductory Weekend retreats (7 in 2017, 8 planned for 2018) • Regulars weekend retreats (3 in 2017, 4 planned for 2018), • Yoga and Meditation retreats (2 in 2017, 5 planned in 2018), • Sub35 Retreats (2 in 2017, 0 planned for 2018) • Sub25 Retreats (1 in 2017, 2 planned for 2018) • Young Women’s Weekend led by Danayutta, Dharmamayi and Sadayasihi; Sub25 retreat led by Alex Green and Charlotte Lawes; • Open, Introductory, 9-day spring retreat led by Akashamitra, Vandanajyoti and team • Intensive meditation retreat for men led by Jayaka, Jnanavaca, Maitreyabandhu and team • Intensive meditation retreat for women led by Maitrivajri, Nagarakshita, Sudurjaya, Vidyasakhi and team • Open Introductory 7 day Summer Retreat, led by Maitreyabandhu, Sraddhagita and team • Urban Retreat led by Amitajyoti, Danayutta, Dayanatha, Singhamanas, Subhadramati and team • Open Introductory Winter Retreat held at Adhisthana led by Danayutta, Maitreyabandhu and team • Winter Retreat at Vajrasana led by Jnanavaca, Subhadramati and team; • Parent’s and Children’s retreat led by Jyotismati, Prasannavira and team Women’s Mitra weekend led by Mahamani and Sudurjaya.
Vajrasana Retreat Centre Community
Abhayavajra, Jnanaruchi and Saddhaketu continue to live on site to maintain and run the Centre. Dridhakarin joined the team last November with a particular focus on the garden.
Teacher’s Training Week
Maitreyabandhu and Subhadramati led a training week for Meditation Teachers within the Triratna Community at the LBC last year. This was aimed at newer Order Members at smaller Centres, passing on some of the teaching experience that has built up at the LBC over many years. The 2018 training week has been incorporated into the Triratna Sikkha project which seeks to develop the quality of teaching within the Triratna Community at large and to share best practice.
Safeguarding
Mahamani has recently been appointed as the LBC’s second Safeguarding Officer alongside Maitreyaraja. Suryagupta will retain an overview of this area.
Special Events and Retreats
I would like to end this report with a list of the activities that the LBC has offered over the last year (with apologies for any omissions) to remind us of the full scope of the Centre’s offering in its great variety, breadth and depth of teaching. Thank you to all those who have helped to make this possible over the last year. The LBC is a huge collaborative and generous endeavour. No-one at the LBC is paid to teach; all those who contribute to classes, courses and retreats (both leaders and support teams) do so voluntarily. This is a remarkable record of generosity and kalyanamitrata (spiritual friendship).
Day Events
The following day events were held: Triratna Day and Triratna Order Day; Deep Ecology Days led by Sanghasiha; Buddhism and 12 Step Day led by Sanghasiha; Transforming Self and World mornings organised by Tessa Howarth, Steph Delany and team and led by a number of Order Members; a series of three
Festival Days
Buddha Day was led by Maitreyabandhu, Subhadramati and team; Dharma Day was led by Akashamitra,
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Saturday Meditation Mornings, led by Maitreyabandhu, Vandanajyoti, Vidyadaka and teams; Buddhism Breakfast seminar led by Vidyadaka and team, regular Compassionate Communication days led by Vajraghanta; Total Immersion Days led by Dharmaprabha, Mahamani, Vajrabandhu and Vidyasakhi; Mantra Days/Mornings led by Dayabhadra; Chi Kung afternoons led by Jayaka and Jnanadaya; Introductory Meditation days; New Year’s Eve with all-night meditation organised by Ambaranta and Atula; Women’s and Men’s Order days; Three Open Days, the one in September in partnership with the Open House London architectural event. Creativity and Mindfulness sessions with Mahamani and Heather Belcher; Parenting as Practise afternoon initiated by Chrissie Dallas-Cowan and Sarah Wellard with Sanghajit, Sudurjaya and Suryagupta; 3 Day Retreats within the Christmas and New Year period; an Exploring Buddhist Ritual day, led by Svadhi, a Sibelius Day led by Vandanajyoti.
Courses
Abhayanandi, Maitreyabandhu, Prajnamanas and Subhadramati led ‘Journey and the Guide’ courses. Mahamani and Maitreyaraja led a ‘Not about Being Good’ course. Mahamani and Vidyadaka led a ‘Who Hates the Metta Bhavana’ course. Danayutta and Maitreyabandhu led a ‘Life with Full Attention’ course. Lunchtime Dharma/Deepening in Meditation courses were run by Jayaka, Maitreyabandhu and Vidyadaka.
Arts Events
A ‘Celebrating the Arts in the life of the Sangha’ evening was led by Amitajyoti and Maitreyaraja. Poetry East continues at the LBC, organised and run by Maitreyabandhu and team. Film nights were led by Vidyasakhi. Dayabhadra, Vandanajyoti (musical director) and Peter White started a new LBC choir which has contributed to Festival Days and sung at other events.
Conclusion
If you have any ideas about what you’d like to contribute or what you would like to see happening at the LBC do contact me. In November 2018 we will celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the LBC. There are many ways to join in with the array of activities that the Centre offers. Do find a way to make your own unique contribution. Yours in the Dharma,
Maitreyaraja
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Women’s Mitra Convenors Report April 2017-March 2018
become a member of the Triratna International Council.
Women’s team
Now that we have seven women working fulltime at the LBC, plus Srivati, we thought it was time to boost the coherence of the team – both for our own benefit and, even more importantly, to create favourable conditions for more women to join the team in the future. So I am delighted that we now have a weekly study group and have planned our first retreat together for later this year.
Finally
I am thrilled that we have a new Chair and I will be doing everything I can to support Suryagupta in this enormous responsibility.
Ordinations
I’m very pleased to record that two women have been ordained since my last report – Anudaya and Maitrinita. Three women have been invited on the 2018 three-month Akashavana retreat: Holly Murray, Karen Liebenguth and Fiona Johnston. I will be leading the retreat this year so it’s especially delightful to have women from the LBC attending.
Yours in the Dharma,
Subhadramati
Mitra news
Fourteen women have become mitras since my last report and eleven women have asked for ordination.
Contexts
I continue to be passionate about teaching at our bigger ‘public’ classes as this contributes to the ‘upfront’ visibility of dharmacharinis, and also because it gives me a great opportunity to connect with lots of people coming to the Centre, especially with those who wish to take their involvement deeper. So you’ll find me at the Wednesday evening drop-in class, the Monday Dharma night, weekend retreats, the urban retreat, ‘open days’ and the winter retreats. This year I’ll be leading the cooking team of ‘sub-25s’ on our big winter open retreat. This feels particularly fitting as the retreat will be co-led by Holly who, as a new mitra herself, was on a sub-30 cooking team I led several years ago. I also continue to lead weekly study for the women in the Lama’s Pyjamas and Jambala businesses. This remains a highlight of my week.
New mitra convenor
This has been a particularly significant and happy development. My Preceptors College work was increasing so it made sense to have a second women’s mitra convenor. Mahamani started to work alongside me in January, and so far this has gone very well indeed. She oversees the whole process of people becoming mitras, and responds when they ask for ordination too as well as attending the mitra convenors’ gatherings. This means that I will have more time to support mitra study leaders, to help oversee classes and other teaching at the LBC, as well as doing more teaching myself, and working directly with Tiratanaloka. I’m continuing as the LBC’s main fundraiser too. More widely, I continue to serve as president of the Dublin Buddhist Centre, and have joined the team of the Sikkha project, a project which aims to develop teaching more broadly within Triratna, and
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Men’s Mitra Convenors Report April 2017-March 2018
25 group. Some members might be a little over 25 though - you know how it is! There are currently six men’s study groups running. There is a lot of enthusiasm from Order members to start more groups, which I’m really pleased about. Men’s Mitra requests were also down on previous years at 12. I suspect that Sangharakshita’s public apology may have affected confidence, although I think now things have moved on as we had seven men become Mitras at the Parinirvana festival this year.
There has been a lot of change over the past year at the LBC. More personally in March 2017 my father passed away. This was expected but still a great shock. I was with him as he took his last breath. The occasion reminded me of my gratitude for having come across the Dharma, as I’m sure I was able to support him and my mother more fully as a result, and to keep a bigger perspective on what was happening. The experience has opened me up to a degree in that I’m feeling a bigger capacity for feeling the suffering and joy of others - a real fruit of Dharma practice.
Padmaloka continue to run ‘Great Gathering’ weekends which are often attended by 10 or more LBC men. These are really good next steps, not only for those thinking about becoming a Mitra, but also for men who are already Mitras and Mitras who have asked for Ordination. The study groups on the weekends are now ‘streamed’, bringing together men with similar experience. Also the Guhyaloka working retreat in February is becoming a feature of our calendar - an adventure in which men deepen their friendships and connections to Triratna.
There has been much change in the LBC Mandala too. Boon Tong Yew, a Mitra who had asked for Ordination, also passed away and we duly held his funeral at the LBC and rejoiced in him. Boon was a distinctive man from a Chinese background who met his death fully. Talking of death, spiritual death has been strongly present in the Mandala in the last year through men accepting ordination in the Triratna Buddhist Order. I’m so pleased that Jnanadaya, Amalayodhin, Prajnamanas and Maitrinara have joined the Order and seem to me to be doing very well. They are already making the most of the great gift given to them by Bhante Sangharakshita by making a big dent in Samsara through their enthusiasm and generosity in their individual ways. I really rejoice in all three and hope they continue to bed in as new Order members.
I have been LBC Men’s Mitra Convenor for as long as Jnanavaca had been Chairman. As I write this he has just stepped down and handed on to Suryagupta. Jnanavaca has been a good friend to me and supportive of my work. I’ve worked with him in several capacities over the last seventeen years and I will miss him. He has made tireless efforts for the whole of the Mandala while living in a men’s community at the LBC - altogether quite something! I have every confidence in Suryagupta and look forward to working with her.
Yours in the Dharma,
Jayaka
The 2018 Guhyaloka men’s Ordination course will already have begun by the time you read this. One LBC Mitra has been invited - Alan Worrell (now Amaladana) who is a friend of mine. We spent a few years in group study together. I will be especially pleased to join Al for the 16-week course in Spain, as I will be on the support team. I want to wish him well, and look forward to seeing him have a kesa placed around his neck and finding out his new name. Eight LBC men Mitras ask for Ordination last year. This is our usual average but is 50% down on the previous ‘bumper’ year. I’m not reading too much into that as I think it’s possible to see ‘waves’ of men coming through. There are certainly a lot of men joining study groups - Satyadasa and Maitrinara started a new group in September, as did Priyavajra and Sanghajit this January. Maitreyabandhu and Prajnamanas have just started a Sub
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Marketing and publicity
Breathing Space Report - 2016-2017
In addition to the outreach activities marketing activities have taken place, such as: • Advertisement in local press • Permanent banner on LBC homepage. • Targeted electronic mail outs to all course participants • One-on-one meetings with local psychologists and health professionals • Three open days with talks and presentations on Mindfulness Based Approaches at Breathing Space. • Facebook and Google advertising • Bespoke flyers for specific events
The Breathing Space ‘Mindfulness for Health’ project at the London Buddhist Centre included in 2016-2017 the following Mindfulness Based Approaches (MBAs): • • • •
Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) for depression relapse prevention Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction course (MBSR) Kindness Behavior Training (KBT) for depression and addiction Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction drop-in classes for carers
Funding
Mainstream Grant (MSG) funding from London Borough of Tower Hamlets
• Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction retreats for carers • Mindfulness Based Approaches retreats for depression, addiction and stress
Breathing Space has continued to receive funding from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets (LBTH) and we hope to retender in 2019, to carry on delivering free places on MBCT, MBSR courses and for the two-day MBA retreats. Interest in the free places scheme continues to be high.
Breathing Space activities held in 2016-2017
Caring for the carers initiative
• • • • • • • •
Monitoring and evaluation
In 2016-2017 we ran four retreats and 48 drop-in classes for carers living in East London. We will undertake a retender process in April and hope to be able to carry on working in partnership with the council to deliver these much needed provisions.
In 2016-2017 we ran:
5 MBSR courses 5 MBCT courses 2 Pain management courses 1 KBT course 1 MBA retreats 4 MBSR retreats for carers 48 MBSR drop-in classes for carers 1 MBAR training day for Health Professionals
Breathing Space courses and retreats
This year we reached over 400 people attending Breathing Space activities. It has been another good year in terms of the numbers reached by the project. Of those who completed an MBCT/MBSR course in 2016-2017 on a free place, 97% rated the course as either ‘helpful’ or ‘very helpful’.
New activities: • 5 MBSR courses • 1 Stress Reduction Day Retreat • 1 Stress Reduction and Yoga Day retreat • 2 Pain management courses
LBTH free places scheme for MBCT/MBAR/MBSR courses and retreats Breathing Space has continued to conduct quarterly monitoring of quantitative outputs, outcomes, and equalities, as well as bi-quarterly monitoring meetings with LBTH. All targets were met and this year. 30 places were awarded to local community residents on a low income. Of the free places scheme participants who finished their course or retreat 100% of the course participants and 100% of the retreat participants who completed the forms rated the service as ‘helpful’ or ‘very helpful’ to them.
Outreach
Apart from the above courses and retreats, one-off presentations and mindfulness sessions have also been run for organizations working with mental health, and at mental health related events throughout the financial year. We have been fostering a close working relationship with the Carer’s Centre where taster sessions are being delivered four times a year for carers interested in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction. We have continued to promote Breathing Space in Schools on our website. This is a charity headed up by Srivati that aims to promote mindfulness in schools and colleges.
Caring for the Carers - LBTH
We provide three-monthly monitoring reports for the 26 retreat places and 48 weekly drop-in classes for carers in the borough, which LBTH is funding. These retreats
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support groups/retreats for carers • A new mindfulness based stress reduction and yoga course • Updated material for our current MBSR/MBCT courses/retreats.
have continued as a valuable resource for carers. This year 100% of the participating carers stated they were “very satisfied” with the retreat.
Teachers
On behalf of the LBC and the Breathing Space project, I would like to thanks the following teachers who have generously supported activities in the financial year 2016/2017: Charlie Byles Dayabhadra Luke Doherty Jayaka Fiona Johnston Kalyanavaca Maitreyaraja Paramabandhu Prajnadevi Priyavajra Sagarasila Sanghasiha Satyadasa Satyavasin Srivati Tina Stallard Tareshvari
Summary
With over 400 people attending a Breathing Space activity in 2016-2017, it has been another good year in terms of the number of people we have reached. Interest in MBAs among the general public has continued, which is promising for Breathing Space and the project’s future development. Public sector support has continued with LBTH funding the free places on MBSR/MBCT courses scheme up to 2019. LBTH has continued to fund the ‘Caring for the Carer’s’ project, and we hope to retender in April. Breathing Space is set to develop a new website, outreach program, data portfolio and teaching material.
Luke Breathing Space Manager
Carers Outreach
Newham: Building on the success of working in partnership with London & Quadrant housing association to deliver mindfulness-based stress reduction courses and meditation groups for carers and L & Q residents, we have set up a new package of support for carers. This includes a new course in developing compassionate awareness, a 6-month meditation group, and a day retreat. We have been funded by XL Catlin global insurance company to deliver this and are being supported by the Alzheimer’s Society and the Newham Library Tower Hamlets: Currently we deliver retreats and a drop-in groups for carers in Tower Hamlets and we have secured some funding from the council to pilot a compassionate awareness course for carers, at the Carers’ Centre. Our aim is to run courses throughout the year at the Carers’ Centre to increase the pool of carers that we reach.
Developments and the future
Charlie Byles has started working with Breathing Space to help develop the project. His current role includes helping develop a new website, improving marketing and taking on contract management. Over the next 12 months we want to develop the following areas:
• A new website and marketing • A comprehensive portfolio of data, demonstrating the success of all our courses/retreats • Working in three boroughs delivering course/
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