Sangharakshita, 1970s Overleaf, as a child, and back cover, Darjeeling 1950/51
100
Sthanashraddha blows the conch at Sangharakhita’s funeral
INTRO
Punctuating the ceaseless flow of time, festivity, creativity and remembrance form the rhythm of our year, aligned with our deepest values.
Each year, across the Buddhist world, we celebrate the Buddha’s Enlightenment, the first turning of the Wheel of the Dharma and his final passing away. We gather together, participate in collective activities and connect with our shared aspirations to go for refuge to the Three Jewels. These events ‘provide for not only the head, not only the heart, but even for the body’ (Sangharakshita).
The Triratna Buddhist Community also honours another significant date: our founder Urgyen Sangharakshita’s birth on 26 August. In 2025, our liturgical calendar reaches a crescendo with the celebration of a centenary: Bhante’s 100th birth anniversary. As a first centenary, it transitions an event from recent memory into historical context (p2-4).
A centenary is a rare and special occasion. On Tuesday 26 August 2025, we have the opportunity to celebrate a major milestone for our community and you’re invited to join us at Adhisthana. Come for the week (p15) or just the day; expect a grand cake and an unforgettable celebration. If I’m fortunate enough to reach the average life expectancy, the next centenary I’ll witness will be the founding of Triratna on 6 April 2067, though I may not have the energy to fittingly celebrate.
For the rest of the year and beyond, I aspire to live the life that Bhante so passionately encouraged: a simple and communal life of service, with few possessions, committed to going for refuge to the Three Jewels. You’re welcome to join in when you visit in 2025 and there is a wealth of opportunities to do so in these pages.
Khemabandhu, Chair, Adhisthana
As the 19th century dawned, Buddhism remained largely a mystery to the West. It had vanished from India as a living tradition, whilst the traditions of South-East Asia, Tibet, China and Japan were disconnected and their shared roots obscured. However, evidence emerging from explorations by servants of the British Empire gradually revealed a rich and extensive Buddhist culture originating in ancient India and spreading along the trade routes to the south and also through Central Asia to the Far East.
By the end of the century, a host of pioneers were bringing buried Dharma treasures to light. As a magistrate in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Thomas Rhys Davids discovered legal documents in Pali and, with the help of a friendly
Thomas + Caroline Rhys Davids, and Anagarika Dharmapala at the age of 29, 1893
monk, learnt the language and founded the Pali Text Society, gifting the English-speaking world the first reliable translations of the vast Pali Canon. His groundbreaking work countered prevailing misconceptions of Buddhism as nihilistic, while publications such as Sir Edwin Arnold’s Light of Asia communicated this bold new perspective more widely.
In New York, Madame Blavatsky and Colonel Olcott founded the Theosophical Society, reflecting a deepening curiosity about religion, ancient and modern. They came to see Buddhism as the highest development of what they called a ‘universal creed’ expounded by great masters across different ages and cultures.
Travelling to Ceylon, they formally took refuge in the Three Jewels. When Blavatsky returned to India, Olcott remained with his assistant and translator David Hevavitharana, later known as Anagarika Dharmapala. The pair wholeheartedly pursued a revival of Buddhism in the face of staunch opposition by Christian missionaries and British colonial rulers. Dharmapala and Olcott visited Japan and the World Parliament of Religions at the Chicago World’s Fair, re-establishing a long dormant dialogue between Buddhists and the outside world, seeing clearly the need for Buddhism’s modernisation and reform.
Momentum was beginning to build. The Maha Bodhi Society was formed in 1891 with the Thirteenth Dalai Lama as president, Olcott as director and Dharmapala as secretary. It strove to protect and restore the sacred Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya – the site of the Buddha’s Enlightenment – while undertaking the ‘glorious work of Buddhist revival after a torpor of seven hundred years’. The organisation’s journal would later prove a substantial platform for Sangharakshita’s early writings.
Into the 20th century, Allan Bennett – an Englishman involved in the Theosophical Society and the occultist Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn –journeyed to South Asia, became ordained as Ananda Metteyya and co-found-
ed Buddhasasana Samagama, the ‘International Buddhist Society that aimed at the global networking of Buddhists’. Returning to England on the first Buddhist mission to Europe, he sought to establish a monastic community, but the tide of history and personal circumstance proved unfavourable. Ananda Metteyya died in Clapham, just a few miles away from where Dennis Lingwood was born two years later.
Interest in Buddhism continued to surge. In 1924 – the year before Sangharakshita was born – the Buddhist Society was founded in London by Christmas Humphreys; an increasing number of influential books on Buddhism in English were published in the first half of the 20th century; the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1950 led to a great exodus of Tibetan Buddhist teachers and a wide spread of scriptures, which meant Dharmic riches previously hidden began to be uncovered. The same decade saw the great conversion movement inaugurated by Dr Ambedkar, heralding a revival of Buddhism in India after many centuries. Soon, dramatic cultural upheaval and a radical questioning of social conventions expanded the Western appetite for Buddhism further still. It was a remarkable confluence of circumstances that enabled the young Dennis Lingwood to pick up copies of The Platform Sutra of Wei Lang and the Diamond Sutra in a London bookshop in 1942, aged just 16, and go along to the Buddhist Society in Eccleston Square. The Second World War took him to India where his quest for a higher truth led him into fascinating encounters
with spiritual seekers and teachers, through adventures as a homeless wanderer and to eventual ordination as a Buddhist monk. He accompanied his teacher Jagdish Kashyap to Kalimpong, where he was exhorted to remain and ‘work for the good of Buddhism’. There the young Bhikkhu Sangharakshita made deep connections with some of the greatest Tibetan teachers of the century.
All these experiences enabled Sangharakshita to plunge into the full breadth and depth of the Buddhist tradition, pursuing his ardent wish to realise the vision that lay at its heart. Events eventually drew him back to the UK and to the unfolding project of communicating and sharing what he had learnt, albeit in a vastly different Western society to the one he had departed
from 20 years earlier. The idealism and counter-culture of the 60s and 70s proved fertile ground in which to sow the seeds of a new Buddhist movement. Reflecting poetically on the emergence of our tradition, Sangharakshita once commented, ‘Perhaps it had to bloom just then or not at all, and perhaps this particular pot was the only one available.’ The founder of the Triratna Buddhist Order and Community lived at a remarkable time in the history of Buddhism; this placed him in a pivotal position to inherit the legacy of those who blazed the trail before him and to continue the great work. We are collective heirs to this astounding spiritual wealth; the fruits of a centuries-long endeavour to offer Buddhism to all seeking liberation. While these efforts continue, the story is still being written. Our collective history is just beginning. saddhaloka
Sangharakshita, Yale University, 1970s © Urgyen Sangharakshita Trust
COME ON RETREAT
One of the simplest and most rewarding ways to experience the unique atmosphere of Adhisthana is by joining one of our retreats. They offer a wonderful opportunity to immerse yourself in the tranquillity, beauty and spiritual vibrancy here.
We offer a wide range of events to suit everyone within the Triratna Buddhist Community. Whether you are a newcomer who has recently learnt to meditate or an experienced Order member wanting to intensify your engagement, there is something for you. Our retreats provide a supportive environment where you can explore meditation, learn, connect with others and deepen your understanding of the Dharma.
Find out more in the ‘Events’ section.
HAVE A SOLITARY RETREAT
Our new solitary huts are up and running. We have the Sunset Hut in the lower field and the Sunrise Hut tucked into the treeline in the main field. The huts have been named for the vista they offer: the hut in the lower field is facing out across the swales to the west –Amitabha skies and trees on the horizon. In the top field, behind the Buddha and the big oak tree, the second hut looks to the east –the Malvern hills on the horizon and birdsong all around.
Our huts are available to book for mitras and Order members. We look forward to welcoming you on a solitary retreat soon.
COME AS A PILGRIM OR VISITOR
Friends, mitras and Order members from across the world are welcome to visit and spend time at Adhisthana outside of any retreat programme. We offer an opportunity to abide simply in the countryside amidst a thriving, dynamic context. You can meditate in the shrine room, circumambulate the burial mound, visit Urgyen House, sit in the gardens, meet friends and study in the library. We ask visitors to take part in the daily work rota, which integrates you into life here.
HELP AS A VOLUNTEER
Many people who visit Adhisthana have a strong impulse to offer their time and energy, and the place is enlivened by their presence and inspiration. Volunteering is a valuable opportunity to become part of the wider Adhisthana mandala and to deepen your relationship with the place, the residential communities and Bhante. Volunteers have a chance to taste life in an intensive Dharmic context where simplicity and commitment are emphasised and work becomes a collective spiritual practice. If you have enthusiasm, initiative and a desire to contribute, we would love to hear from you, whatever your skills.
LIVE THE DHARMA LIFE
Each year we run 16-week residential courses for those aged 18 to 35, providing an opportunity to experience an intensive Dharma life: living, practising, studying and working together. You’ll receive a grounding in the principles and practices of Triratna Buddhism through retreats, study with experienced teachers and communal living. You’ll also participate in the life of Adhisthana: collective meditation, ritual, spiritual friendship and periods of work as a spiritual practice.
LIVE AND WORK HERE
Adhisthana gives an opportunity to live a full-time, intensive Dharma life in deeply harmonious single-sex communities. It offers you the chance to embrace a communal life of service, embodying simplicity and contentment, surrounded by a wealth of experience and support. We recommend visiting Adhisthana first to acquaint yourself with the place and its residential communities. If this lifestyle suits you and you’re an Order member or a mitra training (or interested in training) for ordination, please get in touch.
Women from Adhisthana’s DharmaLife course, 2024
SELF-RUN RETREATS
Contact programme@ adhisthana.org for self-run retreats or if you would like to bring your sangha
In addition to the many events you see in our programme, we also host an array of other events and retreats. If you are in a chapter, Going for Refuge group or mitra study group, or want to hold a reunion for your ordination year, you are welcome to get in touch and have your own self-run event here. We take care of the practical side so you can focus on deepening connections and practising collectively.
BRING YOUR SANGHA
Do you run a Triratna group or centre? We offer a simple and easy space to host your sangha’s retreat. Gather together to meditate, communicate and collectively deepen your practice. The practical organisational side will be taken care of before you arrive, so all you have to do is turn up, lead the retreat and enjoy.
You could also choose to bring your sangha on one of our Combined Sanghas retreats (from p15). On these events the structure and teaching of the retreat is organised for you and all you need to do is provide Order members to lead discussion groups for your sangha.
To find out more about funerals email funerals@ adhisthana.org
ORDER FUNERALS
Adhisthana is now privileged to be able to host and support funerals for Order members. This is an emerging strand which continues to be woven into the wider Adhisthana mandala. With this offering, our capacity grows to hold a greater breadth of life in the Order: from ‘birth’ at ordination, throughout our rich and varied Dharma lives, and eventually in death.
TEAM
Subhuti + team
FOR
All familiar with Triratna meditation
Residential 7 nights
INTERNATIONAL SUMMER SANGHAS RETREAT BHANTE 100
PADMASAMBHAVA: THE PRECIOUS MASTER
‘It’s not enough to appeal just to the rational mind. One must appeal also to the unconscious depths. It’s not enough just to read books on Buddhism, not enough just to listen to lectures. One must also meditate, one must plumb the depths within oneself. One must chant…one must perform pujas, engage in symbolical ritual. It’s not enough just to think, to think even about Buddhism, but one must feel. One must respond totally with one’s whole being. Only when we can do this, only when a sufficient number of people can do this shall we have a real genuine authentic Buddhist spiritual movement…Only then shall we have a true spiritual tradition.’
sangharakshita
Padmasambhava made the journey from India, the land of Urgyen, to help establish the Dharma in the particular, hostile cultural conditions of Tibet. A millennium later Urgyen Sangharakshita, impressed with that same stream of spiritual energy, made the journey from India to the West to help establish the Dharma in the modern world and in doing so gifted us a ‘true spiritual tradition’. Out of gratitude, and instilled with inspiration to let the light burn bright for others, let’s gather a momentous number of people to meditate, chant, perform puja and engage in symbolic ritual on a mountainous scale. Let us appeal to the unconscious depths. The power of hundreds of devoted practitioners performing feats of ritual, collectively calling on the adhisthana of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, will be unleashed on the cosmos. And then we’ll sit silently, waiting to hear, see and feel the response.
17-21 APRIL
SPRING SANGHAS RETREAT THE WAY TO WISDOM THE FIVE SPIRITUAL FACULTIES
TEAM Saddhanandi + Paraga
FOR
All familiar with Triratna meditation
Residential 4 nights
‘The five spiritual faculties, when they are developed and regularly cultivated, lead to the Deathless, are bound for the Deathless, culminate in the Deathless.’
the buddha
Our ideals usually have a quite minimal effect on our conduct, on our life. We are shaped more by our sense-based instincts. With practice these instincts can be developed into the faculties of faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration and wisdom. As they emerge they begin to create a balance that has its own creative dynamic. This retreat will include presentations, discussion and meditation exploring the theme.
24-31 OCTOBER
AUTUMN SANGHAS RETREAT FACING DEATH, EMBRACING LIFE THE TIBETAN BOOK OF THE DEAD
TEAM
Prakasha, Vidyamala, Prajnanita, Khemabandhu + team FOR All familiar with Triratna meditation
Residential 7 nights
Come and join our annual retreat where we explore the significance of death, perhaps the greatest mystery of all! We will find out what Buddhism has to offer by immersing ourselves in the Bardo Thodol: The Tibetan Book of the Dead. This text, traditionally called The Great Liberation Through Hearing in the Bardo, introduces us to the three bardos of Dying, Reality and Rebirth.
With daily readings of the text, talks, groups, meditation, ritual and periods of silence, we will explore how facing up to death can open our hearts to feeling more fully alive. In this way we will enter into deep contemplation of these profound teachings.
We will be immersing ourselves in the rich archetypal worlds of the Five Jinas - embodiments of the primary qualities of awakening: strength, generosity, love, energy and equanimity. The retreat will also include rituals to commemorate the sixth anniversary of Sangharakshita’s death on 30 October.
TEAM
Aparajita + team FOR All running Triratna groups 3 nights
16-19 JANUARY GROUPS AND PIONEERS
For those involved in helping to run Triratna groups in the UK, Ireland, mainland Europe and beyond. A chance to connect with others engaged in similar projects, sharing ideas and inspiration, benefiting from some training and rejuvenating our enthusiasm for this important and heroic work. More details to follow. As you probably tell your sangha members, the important thing is just to turn up!
TEAM
Akasajoti, Khemabandhu + Adhisthana Teaching Community FOR Sub40 Order members 3 nights
13-16 MARCH
TRANSMISSION OF LINEAGE ELDERS PRESENT AND FUTURE SUB40 ORDER WEEKEND
Our annual long weekend for our future elders to strengthen bonds and get a visceral sense of taking our first steps in a decades-long shared life in the Order. This year we’ll be joined by the Adhisthana Teaching Community, some of Triratna’s most experienced teachers, many of whom studied and worked alongside Bhante as members of the founding generation. They’ve given a lifetime of energy and service to setting up and running the movement we’ve inherited and they’re keen to pass on their wisdom, love and inspiration to help us carry on that mission.
All People of Colour
3 nights TEAM
Prajnanita + Prakashamitra FOR
All familiar with Triratna meditation 5 nights
2-5 MAY
NATIONAL (UK) PEOPLE OF COLOUR GATHERING
11-16 MAY
BUILDING THE BUDDHA LAND WORK RETREAT
Opposite: 18 Arahants
Above: Head of Lokeshvara, 1100–1200. Cambodia, Cleveland Museum of Art. Public domain
The National Gathering is the biggest event on the People of Colour calendar. It is four days of practising meditation, slowing down, teachings from highly experienced practitioners of colour and connecting with one another whilst living in community. Retreatants gather from all around the UK and further for this annual event in the beautiful, peaceful, springtime blossoming grounds of Adhisthana. This People of Colour event welcomes those who identify as: Black, Asian, South-East Asian, Latinx, Arab/ Middle Eastern, biracial, mixed heritage and multiracial.
‘A Bodhisattva’s Buddha Field is a field of positive thought; a field of high resolve; a field of virtuous application.’
sangharakshita
We’ll bring the vast cosmology and deep myth of the Bodhisattva’s Buddha Land into lived experience through workas-practice, study, reflection and ritual. All levels of experience and ability are welcome. It is essential that those attending are able to do approximately three hours of work each day. Bring clothing for working outdoors.
Public domain
TEAM
Vidyamala, Sanghadeva, Prajnanita + Luke
Doherty
FOR All familiar with Triratna meditation 9 nights
18-27 JULY
BUDDHIST
BOOT CAMP INTENSITY, DISCIPLINE, CHALLENGE
A new offering to the Adhisthana programme, this retreat will be an intensive immersion in the Dharma life. Many of us long for more intensity and discipline in our discursive and busy lives. This retreat aims to meet that longing. There will be a full programme running 5am-9pm each day with short breaks for work periods, meals and limited free time. The daily schedule will include sitting and walking meditation, silence, meditation reviews (both individual and group), ritual and physical exercise. The team will include a physical trainer to provide daily sessions of cardio exercise as well as yoga and Qigong teachers for more meditative forms of physical training. This means the retreat will offer a workout for the body as well as the heart/mind. The retreat leaders will provide a space for challenge and intensity alongside the signature Triratna qualities of warmth, metta and sangha.
Fudō Myōō, the Immovable Wisdom King, Kaikei, Japanese 13th c. Metropolitan Museum.
a Manuscript of the Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita, Nepal 11th c. Metropolitan Museum. Public domain
18 JULY-1 AUGUST
SANSKRIT AND PALI SUMMER SCHOOL
Offered by the Triratna Scholars Network, this project helps participants develop a working knowledge of Sanskrit and Pali and to go deeper into Dharma study by engaging with Buddhist texts in their original language. The teaching will focus on practical skills that can be used right away and students will start reading actual Buddhist texts from the very first lesson. There will be two different classes to choose from – one for complete beginners and one for those who have some experience. Sraddhapa offers online Sanskrit classes, so you could cover the basics in an online course first and then join the advanced class at the summer school (see www.sraddhapa.com/ sanskrit). Each day participants will join shared morning meditation, attend three hours of classes and have free time for individual study and enjoying the beautiful surroundings. In the evenings we will recite the Sevenfold Puja in Santideva’s original Sanskrit. Sraddhapa has over a decade of experience as a language teacher, has a Master’s degree in Sanskrit and is currently studying for a PhD in Buddhist Studies at the Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts in Taiwan, specialising in Sanskrit Prajnaparamita literature.
TEAM
Sraddhapa + Khemabandhu FOR All familiar with Triratna meditation Weekend, 9 nights, 14 nights
Folio from
TEAM TBC FOR Participating TBRL teams Weekend
25-27 JULY
THE TANTRIC GURU TEAM-BASED RIGHT LIVELIHOOD WEEKEND
Within Triratna, ethical and team-based working is a highly valued and deeply transformative collective spiritual practice. How do we continue to reimagine this bold vision, especially when working virtually? Gather with others from a diverse range of right livelihoods to share collective experience and inspiration, supported by input from the Adhisthana Teaching Community. This event is by invitation and any Triratna TeamBased Right Livelihood teams can request to join.
TEAM TBC FOR
All familiar with Triratna meditation up to 5 nights, flexible
27 JULY-1 AUGUST CO-WORKING WEEK SHARE, COLLABORATE, CONNECT
An opportunity for remote workers to come together and share the same physical space in supportive, Dharmic conditions. We’ll arrange dedicated shared work spaces across the site and you can come together for meditation, tea breaks, meals and puja. A work week in your year to contrast with the challenges of working from home with the opportunity to collaborate, connect and share tips and inspiration, without video cameras and microphones.
TEAM
Prajnahridaya + Mokshadhi FOR DLC Alumni Weekend
25-27 JULY
DLC ALUMNI WEEKEND
The DharmaLife course often marks a significant turning point for its participants, setting up a momentum and depth of practice which echoes out for the rest of their spiritual lives. Everyone who has attended a previous course is invited to return to reconnect with Adhisthana and with one another, as well as meet those from other years who have shared the intensity and rewards of the experience. Come together with fellow practitioners to explore living a full and committed Dharma life. Book on and invite the rest of your year’s cohort.
TEAM Khemabandhu, Lokeshvara, Vidyamala, Ksantichara + Sona FOR All familiar with Triratna meditation up to 5 nights, flexible
27 JULY-1 AUGUST INTERNATIONAL PILGRIMS’ WEEK
A special event with an entirely optional programme. Expect talks, meditation, study, ritual, circumambulation, tea ceremonies, Qigong and lots of opportunities to explore and be introduced to the realm of Adhisthana.
You can attend for the whole week to get the full experience or flexibly pick the nights you’d like to come. We will also continue the tradition of 108 hours of continuous circumambulation around Bhante’s burial mound.
TEAM
Abhayadhara, Dhivan + Ketumati FOR Mitras + Order members 3 nights
23-26 MAY IS BUDDHISM SCIENTIFIC AND RATIONAL?
PHILOSOPHY SYMPOSIUM
Our annual philosophy symposiums offer in-depth talks and discussions on philosophical themes. In 2025 we will explore the philosopher Evan Thompson’s short book entitled Why I am Not a Buddhist (2020), in which he presents arguments against the idea that Buddhism is exceptional among world religions for its rationality and science-friendliness. Is he right? And is this sciencefriendly secular Buddhism really Buddhism?
TEAM
Shraddhasiddhi, Pasadini, Jnanamitra + Nagakusala FOR Mitras + Order members 3 nights
12-15 SEPTEMBER GENDER-DIVERSE SANGHA
Want to explore the Dharma with like-minded gender-diverse people? Have you ever wondered where you fit into the singlesex structures of Triratna? Join us for a gathering of genderdiverse people in our sangha led by gender-diverse people. You are welcome if you are gender-diverse and an Order member, a mitra or exploring becoming a mitra in our sangha. We welcome all gender-diverse people, including trans, nonbinary, intersex, gender fluid, gender non-conforming and gender-questioning people to this sangha gathering.
Sangharakshita with Alan Ginsberg at the London Buddhist Centre.
Urgyen
Sangharakshita
Trust
TEAM
Dhivan + Sraddhapa FOR Mitras + Order members 7 nights
1-8 AUGUST
BUDDHIST MODERNISM SCHOLARS’ RETREAT
The concept of ‘Buddhist modernism’ has been used by scholars to characterise how Buddhism has adapted to Christianity, science and modern secular culture.
Sangharakshita wrote that he was not a Buddhist modernist, so on this retreat we will weigh up what the concept means and how useful it might be. We will use case studies of different movements and teachers, including Sangharakshita’s engagement with Romanticism, to understand the translation of Buddhism into modern western culture.
TEAM
Saddhaloka, Ratnaghosha + the Triratna Fathers team FOR Mitras + Order members 3 nights
17-20 OCTOBER A VICTORIOUS LIFE WEEKEND FOR FATHERS
The Buddha communicated to householders as well as monks. Sangharakshita founded an Order that is neither monastic nor lay, where commitment is primary and lifestyle secondary. Studying the Sigalovada Sutta and Sangharakshita’s ‘Being a Buddhist Parent’, we’ll explore what it means to go for refuge to the Three Jewels as a father, with all the demands that life places upon us. How do we deepen our practice, understanding and friendships to make this a victorious life?
2023 Combined Area Order Weekend, led by the Adhisthana Teaching Community
ADHISTHANA TEACHING COMMUNITY
In a talk on Padmasambhava day in 1979, Bhante said that our community ‘is not simply a Buddhist movement...It’s a stream of spiritual energy that transforms and transfigures everything and anyone with whom it comes in contact.’ Bhante formed the Order and movement as a channel for that energy, and presented the Dharma in a way that expressed his deep understanding of the Buddhist tradition in language that made sense in an age of urbanisation, secularisation and global change.
Bhante’s teaching is the foundation of Triratna’s shared understanding of the Dharma. But the world never stands still, and our presentation of the Dharma will always need to be refreshed and renewed. In the years after Bhante’s death this is a vital task for our Order and movement. The Adhisthana Teaching Community invite you to join them in their explorations of Bhante’s teaching, to engage with it more deeply and to refresh and renew our lineage of teaching and practice from the source.
The Teaching Community includes Order members who attended seminars led by Bhante on key texts in Triratna’s canon. These retreats are a chance for Order members who did not have an opportunity to study with Bhante directly to explore a text with those who were lucky enough to do so, to pass on a flavour of that indefinable something that’s more than the text or the seminar transcript.
An Order Dharma Course
Each year the Adhisthana Teaching Community runs retreats and seminars that cover the remarkable range of Bhante’s teaching, from the foundations like the Sutta Nipata and the depth of the Prajnaparamita, to his radical connections between the Dharma and Western culture. Borrowing from Windhorse’s Complete Works, each year we’ll run retreats in six main areas:
1. ‘Foundation’ teaching, such as the Survey and The Three Jewels;
2. Commentary on Pali, Mahayana and Vajrayana texts;
3. Early writing;
4. Buddhism in the modern world, such as Buddhism for Today and Tomorrow;
5. Culture and the arts;
6. Aspects of our system of practice and training, including Sadhana retreats You can see how the 2025 events fit this structure on pages 52-53.
Seminars and Immersion Retreats
You can attend two kinds of retreat. The Seminars are small retreats which allow deeper communication with each other and a closer reading of a text. The Immersion Retreats explore aspects of Bhante’s teaching with more emphasis on meditation, ritual and experiential learning, as well as study.
Over time these Adhisthana Teaching Community retreats will add up to an Order Dharma Course, and a thorough introduction to Bhante’s teaching and to the Dharma. To make this as accessible as possible, you can start this ‘course’ with any retreat. From there you can direct your own engagement with the main areas and the main texts of Bhante’s teaching or talk to one of the Dharma Team here about it.
The Sangharakshita Study Course
For those who would like to engage with something more structured and committed, we’re very happy to introduce the new Sangharakshita Study Course. This course will look at Bhante’s writings in chronological order, tracing the development of his understanding of the Dharma, the circumstances in which he was communicating and his unfolding spiritual experience. The course
will be taught by members of the Teaching Community, including Saddhaloka, Kalyanaprabha, Ratnaghosha, Subhuti, Vidyaruchi and others. It will consist of a series of seminars over three years, aiming to give as thorough a grounding as possible in the teachings of Sangharakshita. This adds up to approximately twenty days a year at Adhisthana, quite a commitment.
Explorations
A distinctive aspect of Bhante’s teaching is the links he made between the Dharma and the experience of egolessness communicated in Western literature and art. We should treat scripture more like literature and literature more like scripture, he has said. The ‘explorations’ events look at this cultural aspect of Bhante’s teaching, including the link between the Dharma and science, which Bhante, towards the end of his life, encouraged us to explore.
We’re introducing a new membership scheme for Order members who want to fully engage with our Adhisthana Teaching Community events. For more information, visit: adhisthana.org/membership.
William Blake, from the Book of Job. Public domain
TEAM
Vessantara + team
FOR
Order members
Residential + Online 9 nights
LIVING IN THE GREATER MANDALA RATNAGUNASAMCAYAGATHA
‘[You as a] human being are the product of millions upon millions of years of evolution…You don’t have to justify your existence by being useful. You yourself are the justification for your existence. You haven’t come into existence after all these millions of years of evolution just to sit down in front of a typewriter, or to keep accounts... All that you can really be said to be here for is to develop into some higher form of human life – to become a Bodhisattva, to become a Buddha. So don’t be ashamed of sitting around and doing nothing. Glory in it. Do things spontaneously, out of a state of inner satisfaction and achievement.’
sangharakshita
With this retreat Vessantara completes a cycle of three retreats devoted to the Perfection of Wisdom and Sangharakshita’s commentary on it in Wisdom Beyond Words. This time the text is the first two chapters of the Ratnagunasamcayagatha (The Collection of Verses on Precious Qualities). In his commentary Sangharakshita laid out a teaching on the ‘greater mandala of aesthetic appreciation’ or, more provocatively, ‘of complete uselessness’, from which the above quote comes. This ‘greater mandala’ teaching is a fantastic antidote to many of the ways in which we become driven, stressed and anxious in modern life. It also takes us deep into the mystery of being alive and what it means to be human.
We shall explore the text through teaching, guided meditations and evening devotional practice. The retreat will mainly be in silence. The aim is to have a satisfying meditation retreat but with enough teaching input to gain new tools and understandings to take away with you and unpack in your future practice.
Vessantara was ordained in 1974 and was on the seminar with Sangharakshita in which he studied the first two chapters of this text.
You don’t need to have been on the previous retreats to participate. This is likely to be the only retreat Vessantara will be leading in the UK in 2025.
TEAM
Dhammarati + Saddhanandi
FOR Order members
Residential + Online 7 nights
27 JUNE-4 JULY
THE THREE JEWELS THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE DHARMA
LIFE
‘In a spiritual sense bondage is subjection to oneself. True freedom, therefore, consists in freedom from oneself.’ sangharakshita
An immersion into the full architecture of a Dharma life - a human life, in fact. The text of The Three Jewels unfolds through the triad of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, with teachings that can momentarily lift the veils. Exploring the overall approach, with a particular emphasis on the Dharma section, we will weave together meditation, discussion and ritual readings to bring us more deeply into Bhante’s perspective and presentation of the Dharma.
Residential + Online 7 nights
14-21 NOVEMBER
PADMASAMBHAVA’S ADVICE
We can access Padmasambhava’s wisdom through his profound advice. Sangharakshita explored this in the seminar on the ‘Advice to the Three Fortunate Women’ chapter of The Life and Liberation of Padmasambhava. He says:
‘We’ve had the preliminaries… then in a very natural, non-forcing sort of way turning the mind towards, or opening the mind to, the experience of sunyata as the basis of one’s higher spiritual insight.’
On the retreat we’ll focus particularly on Padmasambhava’s instructions about meditation and insight.
Viveka, Parami + Dhammarati
domain
Nagarjuna and Aryadeva, Tibet, 19th c. Public
TEAM
2-7 February, Paramartha 16-20 February, Saddhanandi Foundation
FOR
2-7 February, Dharmacharis
16-20 February, Dharmacharinis
5 nights / 4 nights
2-7 FEBRUARY, 16-20 FEBRUARY
FORTY-THREE YEARS AGO / WAS THE BUDDHA A BIKKHU?
‘I am glad there was a flaw in my ordination ceremony, glad that really I was not ordained, glad that technically I was never a bhikkhu, for in the long run this contributed more to my spiritual development, and more to my understanding of the Dharma, than any amount of correctness and technicality could have done.’
sangharakshita
We will explore the nature of Triratna ordination beyond the limitations of technicalities: an unfolding of Sangharakshita’s understanding into a more radical approach to a Dharma life, ‘based not on what one believes about oneself but on what one knows, even if what one knows is no more than the simple fact that one suffers’.
Forty-Three Years Ago was written to coincide with the twenty-fifth anniversary of the founding of the Western Buddhist Order in 1993. Although the starting point for these reflections concerned the validity (or otherwise) of Sangharakshita’s bhikkhu ordination, he writes, ‘it being technically correct or not pointed to something more radical which was of spiritual concern to me’.
TEAM
Vidyaruchi + team FOR Sub40 Order members 4 nights Foundation
16-20 MARCH
A SURVEY OF BUDDHISM SUB40 ORDER SEMINAR
Opposite: Sangharakshita after his bhikkhu ordination, November 1950. Urgyen Sangharakshita Trust
Above: Washing the Sacred Elephant after Qian Xuan Chinese, 13th c Metropolitan Museum.
Public domain
A Survey of Buddhism has been described as Sangharakshita’s magnum opus. While the first chapter is widely studied as part of ordination training, the later chapters are often neglected, despite containing crucial material. This seminar aims to put that right. Vidyaruchi has been studying and writing about the Survey for a number of years. Focusing on key passages, he will draw on Bhante’s later writings and his own work, including visual aids, to help comprehend this sometimes complex material.
TEAM Dhivan + team FOR Order members TBC nights Mahayana Wisdom
7-14 FEBRUARY THE ILLUSORY ELEPHANT NAGARJUNA’S RATNAVALI
In his Ratnavali, the great teacher Nagarjuna, founder of the Madhyamaka school of Buddhist philosophy, explains to a king – and by extension to all of us – the nature of the wisdom of a Buddha, which likens emptiness and this changing world to an illusory elephant. In 1976, Sangharakshita gave a seminar on this text, part of which was published as Living Wisely. On this retreat, we will get to know Nagarjuna, his Ratnavali, and how Bhante opens up the teachings on wisdom, emptiness and the path to Buddhahood.
TEAM
Parami + team FOR Order members
7 nights
Buddhism for Today and Tomorrow
25 APRIL-2 MAY
BUDDHISM, WORLD PEACE AND NUCLEAR WAR
The Buddha’s lone voice of sanity once prevented war, but modern warfare is on a far larger scale. In 1984, facing a choice between peace and disaster, Sangharakshita offered realistic courses of action. As a young Order member who cared deeply about the world, Parami attended his talk and it had a profound effect. In the 21st century, the world needs a voice of sanity more than ever. We will discuss, meditate and explore a Dharmic response to contemporary issues.
TEAM
Maitreyi + Paramartha FOR Order members 7 nights
Vajrayana
30 MAY-6 JUNE
MILAREPA: RECHUNGPA’S JOURNEY TO WEU
Milarepa’s relationship with his heart-son Rechungpa is emblematic of a profound spiritual connection. ‘Rechungpa’s Journey to Weu’ reveals the all too human nature of the disciple meeting the wisdom and compassion of his uncomprimising and patient teacher. Maitreyi and Paramartha will unfold a story told with humour, irony and pathos, illuminated by the depth and insights of Sangharakshita’s commentary and drawing on themes recognisable to anyone who has ever seriously tried to live a spiritual life.
TEAM
Mahamati + Prajnanita FOR Order members 7 nights Mahayana Wisdom
Milarepa, flanked by Gampopa and Rechungpa, his chief disciples. Detail Tibet, c 1500. Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
St Jerome in the Wilderness. Albrecht Dürer, c 1495. National Gallery, London.
Public domain
12-19 SEPTEMBER
RATNAGUNASAMCAYAGATHA
We accept ordination for the benefit of all beings, but what is a Bodhisattva? How do they behave, practise, live? Sangharakshita says that this is the single subject of the Ratnagunasamcayagatha. Explore this sutra through his commentary, including the brilliant teaching of ‘The Greater Mandala of Aesthetic Appreciation’. We will taste the mind’s boundless nature with Mahamati leading through the Manjughosha stuti sadhana and Prajnanita leading us in ritual recitation of the sutra and devotional enactment of wisdom teachings.
TEAM Nagapriya + Saddhanandi FOR Order members 7 nights Arts + Culture
17-24 OCTOBER
AWAKENING THE IMAGINAL FACULTY
In translating Buddhism into the language of modern culture, Sangharakshita engaged deeply with the notion of the imagination or the ‘imaginal faculty’. We will look carefully at the seminal essays ‘Journey to Il Convento’ and ‘St. Jerome Revisited’, as well as other relevant material, uncovering Sangharakshita’s distinctive approach to myth, images and archetypes. We will reflect on how Sangharakshita understood the imagination, not only as central to the process of selfdiscovery, but also to the path of spiritual awakening.
TEAM
Saddhanandi FOR Dharmacharinis
5 nights
Early Writings
7-12 DECEMBER
CROSSING THE STREAM
‘Suffering is important, not for its own sake, but because it is a sign that we are not living as we ought to live.’
sangharakshita
These short essays reveal a man profoundly committed to the ‘inner life’, unafraid to challenge orthodox attitudes and interpretations in pursuit of the Dharma. Communicating the fire and poetry of a young disciple carving out an understanding of life, these ‘stepping stones’ are more existential than institutional, more fundamental than organisational.
TEAM
Vidyaruchi, Akasadeva, Manidhara + Ratnadhya FOR
All familiar with Triratna meditation
7 nights
20-27 JUNE
ORPHEUS IN THE BUDDHA REALM
Many people within Triratna not only love classical music but play instruments themselves. On this unique retreat they will have the chance to meet, share inspiration, explore the relationship between music and Dharma practice, play and listen to music together and perhaps even perform in a small concert. Open to anyone involved in Triratna at any level who plays classical music to any standard.
TEAM
Prakasha, Satyalila, Ratnaprabha, Paramartha + Amitajyoti FOR Order members + gfr mitras 7 nights
8-15 AUGUST WILLIAM BLAKE POET, ARTIST AND VISIONARY
The eighth retreat on the English poet, artist, prophet and visionary William Blake will take place over the anniversary of his death in 1827. In Bhante’s words, Blake is important to us because he offers us ‘a non-theistic imaginative vision’ and an example of a ‘radical revaluation of Western religion and culture’. On these retreats we share ideas, images, journeys, meditation, ritual, art/writing workshops and quiet unprogrammed space. No familiarity with William Blake’s work is required.
TEAM
Ratnaprabha,
FOR Order members 7 nights
Opposite: Billy rehearsing
21-27 NOVEMBER
SCIENCE AND BUDDHIST PRACTICE
Can Buddhism expose wrong views in science? Can science question some of the assumptions of the Dharma?
A Triratna practitioner recently said: ‘Science and Buddhism are incompatible. I’ll have to give one or the other up.’ How can we prove her wrong? How can you practise the Dharma in a scientific world, indeed can you practise if you have strong allegiance to a scientific career or accept the world view of science? Scientist or not, if you have an interest, come along for our third annual seminar and help the two world views meet.
Saccacitta + Achara
Above: Carina Nebula from Hubble. NASA
SADHANA RETREATS
Manjushri China, 1271-1368. Cleveland Museum of Art. Public domain
TEAM
Paramartha, Pramudita, Punyamala + Vidyamala FOR Order members
7 nights
26 SEPTEMBER-3 OCTOBER
AMITABHA
‘One night I found myself as it were out of the body and in the presence of Amitabha, the Buddha of Infinite Light…The colour of the Buddha was a deep, rich, luminous red, like that of rubies, though at the same time soft and glowing, like the light of the setting sun…The rich red colour of Amitabha himself, as well as the two lotuses and the setting sun made a particularly deep impression on me. It was more wonderful, more appealing, than any earthly red: it was like red light, but so soft and, at the same time, so vivid as to be altogether without parallel.’
sangharakshita
We have the immense good fortune to practise a form of Amitabha sadhana that directly derives from Sangharakshita’s vision. Simple though profound, it brings us into contact with the deep mystery, boundless light and infinite love of the great Buddha who resides at the head of the Padma (Lotus) family.
We will participate in the great lineage of Amitabha practitioners who have brought his qualities into the world over the centuries: light, warmth, love, meditation, calm, discriminating wisdom and ease. You are welcome whether Amitabha is your yidam or not.
TEAM Mahamati + team FOR Order members 7 nights
Opposite Amitabha, detail, Chintamani
Above Manjushri, China, Ming dynasty 1368–1644. Metropolitan Museum. Public domain
26 SEPTEMBER-3 OCTOBER
MANJUGHOSHA
In October 1977, on the twentieth anniversary of receiving the Manjughosha stuti sadhana from Jamyang Khyentse Rimpoche, Bhante held a seminar at Padmaloka to go through the text in detail and depth. Mahamati was there, having been ordained a few months prior and having received this sadhana from Bhante. He will lead this retreat, taking the teachings in the seminar as the basis of exploration yet covering the principles underpinning all sadhanas. The retreat is open to you whether or not you have practised this sadhana previously.
TEAM Sona + Khemabandhu FOR Order members 7 nights
26 SEPTEMBER-3 OCTOBER
PADMASAMBHAVA
In 1962, ten years after Bhante’s first encounter with Padmasambhava, he was introduced to the visualisation practice by Kachu Rimpoche. In performing this sadhana and devoting ourselves to the Greatly Precious Guru, we open ourselves up to the strangely familiar and infinitely mysterious Lotus-Born and enter into the magical display of openness and appearance: simple, direct, profound and leading to the total transformation of our body, speech and mind. During this retreat we’ll celebrate Padmasambhava Day.
2.5
SANGHARAKSHITA STUDY COURSE
‘We’re creating a situation in which we can go in-depth into Bhante’s presentation of the Dhamma so that we can connect with the mind of the man, and with the adhisthana that flows through him. We can refresh our movement, but also mindfully address changing circumstances... Continuity is dynamic, but it always refers back to the source, and it keeps on refreshing itself with the source, as the whole Buddhist tradition does with the Buddha himself.’ subhuti
We have launched a pilot for the Sangharakshita Study Course at Adhisthana: a course for Order members, consisting in a series of seminars over three years, aiming to give as thorough a grounding as possible in the teachings of Sangharakshita.
Sangharakshita with Yogi Chen Kalimpong, 1967. Terry Delamere
© Urgyen
Sangharakshita Trust
Urgyen Sangharakshita’s particular interpretation of the Buddha’s Dharma forms the basis of unity in the Triratna Buddhist Order and Community. All Order members gain a basic understanding of its principles in the course of their training. But Bhante’s writings are so deep and rich that relatively few Order members are familiar with the full range of them. It is important for the future of our movement that a significant number of Order members have greater knowledge and understanding of Bhante’s life and work. The world never stands still and our presentation of the Dharma needs to be refreshed and renewed from a deep connection with its source.
As the course develops it will become an important part of our offering to the Order.
2-7 February
Dharmacharis 16-20 February
Dharmacharinis
Years Ago/Was the Buddha a Bikkhu?
16-20 March
Sub40 Order Seminar: A Survey of Buddhism
12-19 September Ratnagunasamcayagatha 41 7-14 February The Illusory Elephant Nagarjuna’s Ratnavali 39 30 May-6 June
ARTS + CULTURE
YOUNG BUDDHISTS
TEAM
Satyanita, Prakashamitra + Young Order team FOR Mitras + Order members 3 nights 16-19 JANUARY
THE WHEEL AND THE DIAMOND SUB35 CHANGEMAKERS
Sangharakshita and Dhardo Rinpoche 1967, Terry Delamere. © Urgyen Sangharakshita Trust
Dhardo Rinpoche was considered a living Bodhisattva, demonstrating deep inner practice through rigorous training and outer transformation through founding the Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Cultural Institute for refugee children. A manifesto for radical change, his three-part motto ‘Cherish the Doctrine. Live United. Radiate Love’ distils Buddhism’s altruistic spirit. What can this motto, the inspiring example of Dhardo’s life and his friendship with Sangharakshita teach us about sharing the Dharma here and now?
TEAM
Dhibhajana + Amaladasa FOR All 18-30 Weekend
28-30 MARCH
THE GREATER MANDALA OF AESTHETIC APPRECIATION SUB30 WEEKEND
‘To sustain life you have to engage in a certain amount of practical activities…but if you are a Bodhisattva all this takes place within an overall context of aesthetic appreciation.’
sangharakshita
Join us for a weekend exploring beauty, play and aesthetic appreciation through the Ratnagunasamcayagatha, a profound Perfection of Wisdom text. A team of young Order members will guide a programme of meditation, talks and discussion suitable for newcomers and regulars alike.
TEAM Jnanadhara + team FOR All 18-30 3 nights
30 MARCH-2 APRIL THE GOAL SUB30 SEMINAR
It is common knowledge that Nirvana is the goal of the Buddhist path. But what is it actually? What is the nature of Enlightenment? How can we conceive of it in a way that will inspire us to move towards it?
In this seminar we will approach the goal in four different ways: negative, positive, paradoxical and symbolic.
TEAM
Dhivan + Saddhanandi FOR All 18-30 9 nights
3-12 OCTOBER
MINDFULNESS AND INSIGHT SUB30 MEDITATION INTENSIVE
The Buddha’s teachings on anapanasati take us to the heart of Buddhist meditation and offer a comprehensive path, bringing together calm (samatha) and insight (vipassana). Through progressively bringing awareness to the breath, feelings, the mind and the nature of experience, we can see into the nature of reality. Purifying and freeing the mind lead to the liberating experience of deep letting go. Encounter your mind and deepen your meditation with extended silence, one-to-one meditation reviews and beautiful surroundings.
TEAM
Amalashri + Prakashamitra FOR All 18-30 Weekend
27-30 NOVEMBER AN INCONCEIVABLE FREEDOM SUB30 WEEKEND
To experience the ultimate freedom offered by the Dharma, we have to bring ourselves on board wholeheartedly. How do we contact the unconscious, non-rational depths and harness this latent energy to transform the world? The Vimalakirtinirdesa - a cosmic Mahayana sutrais a portal into the realm of imagination, myth and symbol; a rallying cry for clear thinking and clarity. Drawing on this richly colourful text, we’ll uncover the relationship between the total liberation of the individual and a commitment to growing alongside others.
TEAM
Vajratara + team FOR All 18-30 3 nights
Manjusri’s visit to Vimalakirti, China, 1308. Metropolitan Museum.
Public domain
30 NOVEMBER-3 DECEMBER STAINLESS GLORY
THE VIMALAKIRTINIRDESA SUB30 SEMINAR
Vajratara will be leading a small and intimate seminar following the Sub30 weekend to look in more depth at passages from the Vimalakirtinirdesa text itself. She will be drawing on Sangharakshita’s series of talks on the Vimalakirtinirdesa, the newly discovered Sanskrit text and translations from the Tibetan and Chinese. In the seminar we will spend more time with the bold and uncompromising character of Vimalakirti and his dynamic, liberating exchanges with the people he meets.
TEAM
Subhuti + team FOR All familiar with Triratna meditation 7 nights
24-31 AUGUST BHANTE 100 PADMASAMBHAVA: PRECIOUS MASTER
The Young Buddhists are participating in our big International Summer Sanghas Retreat celebrating the 100th anniversary of Bhante’s birth. You’re invited: see page 15.
Post, Akasalila, 2023-24. Site-specific art picking up the colours of the Adhisthana garden as it changed season by season
AROUND ADHISTHANA
DR B.R. AMBEDKAR MEMORIAL ROOM
In 2023 the Indian Public Preceptors fundraised and commissioned a bust of Dr B.R. Ambedkar, which we installed and ritually dedicated in the new Bhim Smrti/Dr B.R. Ambedkar Memorial Room at Adhisthana. You can visit to pay your respects now and, later in the year, view an exhibition about his life and impact on Sangharakshita and the Triratna Buddhist Community.
BHIM SMRTI
Urgyen House is a gift from the Urgyen Sangharakshita Trust to the Triratna Buddhist Community and beyond. It offers a vivid encounter with the life of Sangharakshita through the opportunity to visit his last home and our must-see current exhibition, Foundations. We draw on our precious archives which hold Sangharakshita’s letters, diaries objects and photographs - a treasury waiting to be discovered. Foundations invites us into the protean period of the late 1960s, charting Sangharakshita’s return to the UK and the inception of the Triratna Buddhist Community.
You can enjoy these immersive experiences at Adhisthana while on retreat or visiting. But you can also access our virtual exhibitions: Foundations (including unseen material) and our previous exhibition Precious Teachers, as well as regular blogs at urgyenhouse.org.
BEAUTIFICATION AND DEVELOPMENT
Adhisthana has quickly established itself as a valuable treasure and resource for the Triratna Buddhist Order and movement, capturing the hearts of many visitors. Each year we run a dynamic programme of events, supporting the institutions, helping the Order deepen its engagement with the Dharma and broadening the movement’s reach and appeal while creating conditions for experimentation and creativity. We welcome a continuous flow of Buddhists from all over the world.
Despite this success, we don’t want to rest on our laurels. We’ve not yet reached the limits of our collective imagination, inspiration and passion. We want to see the Adhisthana project continue to develop, deepen, refine and open up portals to the sublime.
Each time you visit we hope you notice a change and that you feel moved to help us on this quest.
LEGACIES AND GIFTS
The time of death is uncertain; what happens to your estate need not be. Would you like to make an impact? How can you manifest your deepest values more robustly in this world? Do you want to help ensure Adhisthana flourishes for the benefit of future generations? You’re invited to leave a gift to Adhisthana in your will or sooner. We promise to use it well. Our enthusiastic team is ready to make more magic happen; they just need your help. You can get in touch at lagacies@adhisthana.org.
A generous legacy could allow us to transform the courtyard into a welcoming space of comfort and beauty, build a natural swimming pond, surround Adhisthana with woodland, renovate the library to fulfil Bhante’s vision or construct a bespoke temple, a holy of holies for our community.
Alms Bowl, Japan, Heian period 794–1185 ce. Cleveland Museum of Art.
domain
ADHISTHANA TEAM
Dhammarati Dharma Team Bodhiketu Finance
Ratnaghosha Dharma Team Max Tech + Video Harry Kitchen Manager
Maria Housekeeper Olivia Front of House
Maitriyogini Communications
Prajnanita Director
Saddhanandi Dharma Team
Lalitanaga Maintenance
Yashodeva Maintenance
Sanghadeva Gardener
Prakashamitra Manager Khemabandhu Chair
Vilasamuni IT + Web
Forty-Three Years Ago / Was the Buddha a Bikkhu? Dharmacharis
Forty-Three Years Ago / Was the Buddha a Bikkhu? Dharmacharinis
Blake: Poet, Artist and Visionary
Alumni
