International Council
I have just come back from Adhisthana where I was attending the international Council meeting. The international Council (IC) meeting is a really important part of the structures of Triratna. It's something I feel very strongly about and am very inspired by. I was one of the people who helped create the structure along with Dhammarati and Mahamati. At the time I was one of the international order convenors alongside Mahamati and Dhammarati was the chair of the college of public preceptors. On the website it says:
The International Council brings together the perspectives of those holding key responsibilities across the Triratna Community to develop strategy, provide guidance, and enable collaborative decision-making worldwide
There is also a lovely video made in 2019 by Dhammarati which gives information about the formation and aims of the IC. The link is on the IC website under the history section. It is around 10 minutes and worth watching if you are interested. The idea for the council came originally from Bhante (Sangharakshita) saying in 2009 that:
The Public Preceptors, because of their spiritual responsibilities, clearly have the key
position in that architecture, but there are various groupings of senior Order members
who have overlapping responsibilities that, between them, cover the whole Order and
movement: Public Preceptors, Private Preceptors, Chairmen and Chairwomen,
Presidents, Order Convenors, Mitra Convenors, Chapter Convenors. There needs to be some liaison between them all so that they are not each just going their separate ways or coming into some sort of conflict. I know that a process of liaison has been started and I am hoping that that will result in much clearer collective objectives for those particular bodies and perhaps some overall structure. We definitely need such a structure if we are to be effective.
So the IC was the result of thinking about what such a structure might be. It is the only structure we have which brings together people from all the 6 geographical areas of Triratna (Oceania, India, Mainland Europe, the UK and Ireland, USA and Canada, and Latin America) and people from what we sometimes call the “three strands” of Triratna (Order, movement and college). The delegates are elected from the local situation and the relevant strand so that the order members in an area (say latin America) decide who will be local Order convenors and then those local Order Convenors decide who will be their Order delegates to the IC. There is also a ‘steering group’ of people holding International responsibilities.
This might sound dry, maybe even boring but I love it! Partly, I find structures fascinating and it matters to me that we have a structure that, ideally, allows voices to be heard from the grassroots, to use that expression, across continents and cultures. I see it as a way to keep us not only aware of what is happening across our community worldwide but, also, to keep us in tune with each other. When I was ordained in 1980, there were 160 people had been ordained. Some had resigned, some had died. I think there were less than 150 worldwide. Most of us were based in the UK or had visited here and we mainly knew each other. By 2011 when we had the first meeting of the IC, there were over 1,700 OMs and there are now almost 3000. We span different language groups, countries and cultures.
I love the fact that we try to honour local culture and the diverse ways the dharma - and Triratna - may manifest locally but always holding the need for common practices and a common understanding of what practice within this community will look like. I think of it as the honouring of the Wisdom of Ratnasambhava (wisdom of Equality) with the Wisdom of Amitabha (wisdom of discernment). The wisdom of equality understands that all beings are equal in their desire for true happiness and that the Dharma is applicable to all. It teaches the universal nature of the Dharma and tries to create situations that keep the door of the Dharma open to all who are interested. The wisdom of discernment recognises that different situations need different approaches. I see the IC as a way of holding that seeming tension with love and understanding.
The meeting is not all ‘business’. We come together as Buddhist practitioners and we have Dharma input as well as discussions. This meeting we used the 7 fold puja as our Dharma input, dedicating a day to each verse and its significance to us as a community. I see it as a way to allow the Bodhichitta to flow amongst us and to stay alive.
Now I am home and excited about the local situation. Yesterday the move of the things going to Uddiyana (Woodside Crescent) happened and we are now using our new centre. Tonight will be our first Mandala night class there. Next week will be our Urban Retreat, dedicated to Padmasambhava and leading up to Padmasambhava Day on September 20th, which will include the hand over of the chair of the GBC from me to Moksadhi and the dedication of Uddiyana. Interestingly, the day will also follow the structure of a seven fold Puja with the handover happening, appropriately, in the Transference of Merit section. More about the day and the Urban retreat can be found in the newsletter and on the website.
Meanwhile, as always
May all beings be well, may all beings find true happiness and its causes and may all beings be free from suffering.
Where the Bodhichitta has not yet arisen
May it arise
Where it has arisen
May it flourish
Where it flourishes
May it never die
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