
Issue 1 - February 2025
Contents
Welcome
Welcome to our first newsletter. As our Stroud Sangha grows we wanted to share different activities our members have been doing, and what events we have coming up. We are hoping this will be of interest, whether you are an Order Member, a Mitra, a regular, a newbie, or an occasional drop in.
This issue has articles on a retreat centre, an introduction to two of our newest Mitras, a review of a recent Introductory Buddhist course held on Thursday evenings and an article about shrine making, plus our event listing for early 2025.
Going on Retreat by Khemini




Adhisthana is one of the main international centres for Triratna and it is a very beautiful place – it’s a complex of old and new buildings set in wonderful gardens and circled by the lovely rural landscape. The buildings are designed to be a home for visitors attending retreats throughout the year and there are great facilities to make our stays comfortable and aesthetically pleasing. Our retreat on this occasion had 120 participants – we came from different Triratna Buddhist groups from all over the UK, including Scotland, Cambridge, Devon, Essex, Frome and Stroud.
Most of the activities were held collectively – there is a beautiful shrine room which has room for large numbers with chairs and cushions for everyone. Every day we heard fantastic talks on the theme of The White Lotus Sutra, an ancient and deeply significant mythical teaching from early Buddhism. The parables from the sutra were explored by the wonderful speakers, each described and expanded one of the tales from the sutra. These proved to be so resonant for our contemporary lives – for example, The Burning House, The Return Journey, The Jewel in the Lotus all spoke to our collective and personal experience very directly. We shared meditation sessions and moving rituals.
One evening we stepped out of the shrine room into the dark, frosty night where the garden was lit with candles as we filled it with chanting.. The Stroud group met each day in the apartment where our founder Urgyen Sangharakshita once lived. It was a special place to meet for our intimate group of seven. It was such a delight to get to know each other more deeply and share our experiences. The idea behind these Sangha retreats is to meet with other groups - so it was interesting to make connections with people at different levels of interest in the Dharma from all over Britain. It enhanced our collective sense of what we co-create while meditating and practising in our personal lives and smaller Sangha groups.
The vegan food was great! It was lovely to be cooked for by experienced chefs who coordinated their retreatant work-period team. Even the washer-uppers said they enjoyed their task – making new friends while doing essential tasks. The bedrooms are cosy and there are enough bathrooms and showers for everyone. Even under floor heating in some residential blocks! Small kitchen areas made it easy to make a hot drink whenever you needed one, without visiting the main dining room. Adhisthana is also home to two residential communities and hosts months long Dharma Life courses for practitioners from all over the world who want to take their experience deeper. The effect is to feel part of a beautiful, friendly and harmonious world where you can flourish among other people with a shared perspective.

Jacqui, Amanda and Khemini on the retreat
Amanda Reflects on the Sangha Retreat
So what's it like to be on retreat? What's in it for me?
I allowed the beautiful natural surroundings, the companionship of friends old and new, to settle into me. I sank into the silence of the beautiful shrine room, enjoying the stillness in the company of so many others of like mind. I was receptive to the dharma teachings from experienced Order Members, all bringing their unique take to ancient riches. So much to reflect on. I met strangers and found they were friends, learning about other Centres all around the country. Who knew? I lived a simple life for a few days, learning to share my space. I needed less, and loved more. I put on my walking boots and crunched through the snow with fellow Sangha members, comforting a lonely donkey, and watched squirrels chase round and round the trees. I talked and listened, getting to know our special home team more closely. I learnt I wasn't a beginner any more. I let the magic work on me, and, for a while, I dropped the I.
Gabriel's Haiku
His poem from the retreat
Snow falls, mind silent,
Beauty in silence.
Buddha sits in shadowed halls
Moon, clouds breathing past
New Mitras

New Mitras Renee and Lydia
In November 2024 two people took the step of becoming Mitras. Becoming a ‘Mitra’ is a deepening of your friendship with the Triratna Buddhist Order, which can occur when your commitment to its ideals, values and practices has reached a certain level. Mitras are people who have made what we call a ‘provisional’ commitment to practising the Dharma within our spiritual community.
Meet Renee
Name a special moment of 2024.
I gathered with old friends outside on the Summer Solstice to watch a dear childhood friends get married. I was honoured to sing and play my guitar during this special moment.
What makes you happy?
Walking in the countryside, wild swimming, singing, dancing.
Name a book or film that has been significant for you.
'The mind and the way' by Ajahn Sumedho was my first contact with Buddhism.
Do you feel different after becoming a Mitra?
Yes I've felt so much metta and support from the Sangha but also in some ways no (as I've always had a home in Triratna over the years).
How long before that have you been involved in Triratna, and what brought you to it?
Twelve years ago I started attending the London Buddhist Centre when I signed up for an 'Introduction to Buddhism course'. It soon became a haven for me in London.
What was your favourite holiday?
Going to Crete with friends, to lush scenery, sea and yummy food.
Name a treasured possession.
My electric bike.
What do you do for fun?
Go to Buddhafield festival, play games, seeing friends.
What would your Superpower be?
To make any person smile or laugh.
Meet Lydia
Name a special moment of 2024.
My mitra ceremony was a very special day for me.
What makes you happy?
Being connected with humans and the wider world/nature. Spending time with my siblings and my Mum.
Name a book or film that has been significant for you.
Book: The Word for World is Forest- Ursula Le Guin. Film: Once (2006)
Do you feel different after becoming a Mitra?
I do! Commitment and inspiration go hand-in-hand.
How long before that have you been involved in Triratna, and what brought you to it?
I had been interested in Buddhism since first learning to meditate in Sri Lanka at age 20. I volunteered at Alfoxton in January 2023 and was captivated by the values and spirit of the community, which encouraged me to explore Triratna more deeply.
Which plant/animal/season describes you best?
Springtime.
What do you do for fun?
Morris dancing, reading and travelling.
Favourite poem?
Still I Rise, by Maya Angelou.
Marti Reviews the Buddhist Vision Course

Marti and faithful friend
I loved it! The atmosphere was lovely and welcoming. About fifteen of us gathered for the first session and, through group and individual discussions, we explored the concept of conditionality. I started thinking about my present conditions and the Buddhist route ahead.
In weeks two and three, our mentors took us through the Buddhist ethics and precepts. I found the five dhyana factors fascinating as it tied very closely with my personal meditation experiences - Initial thought, Applied thought, Rapture, Bliss and One pointedness. We acknowledged we can all experience some moments, all-too fleeting, of bliss.
Discussing the blocks and problems that prevent progression to greater awareness was really good. I am trying to apply it to my somewhat erratic daily meditation schedule to give it a calmer, more focussed structure. The open discussions were really rewarding, especially being able to compare with, and learn from, others. Personally I found the whole course very stimulating and really helped charge up my batteries.
Aidan Reflects on Shrine Making

A Saturday Morning Shrine
Attending a meditation class for the first time in a provincial town hall in the Cotswolds, it might come as a surprise to encounter a shrine decorated with exotic artifacts. However, this is a Buddhist meditation class, and in the Buddhist tradition, meditation is inseparable from its ritual and devotional significance. For Buddhists, the shrine creates the right conditions for the meditation practice, not just as a backdrop, but as an object of emotional engagement (devotion) and as a representation of certain core teachings.
Creating this ritual context not only shapes the meditation practice, but it also has a transformative effect on the shrine-makers themselves, with the devotional act of shrine-making becoming as significant as the meditation itself.
The shrine fulfils its purpose if a sense of the sacred is evoked upon entering the space. A container for practice is established, and a ritual transformation occurs when a collection of inert, everyday objects is assembled with a particular quality of attention and intention. They become symbols of fundamental realisations. Flowers signify the truth of impermanence, the fragility of existence; candles represent the light of the teachings; incense alludes to the fragrance of an ethical life. Seven brass bowls contain traditional offerings: water for washing, water for drinking, food (both hard and soft), and clean robes (a piece of cloth) showing respect and recognition. But the centrepiece is, of course, the Rupa—the Buddha figure, which symbolizes the potential of all beings to attain Enlightenment.
The shrine is created to point to truths not easily communicated through concepts. It calls on another kind of knowing beyond the reach of the intellect. According to Sangharakshita, the founder of Triratna, "That faculty is the spiritual imagination that transcends reason, using the language of ritual and devotion, of poetry and art, of symbol and archetype."
As I get older, I feel increasingly attracted to practices that engage the heart and the emotions. At the same time, a deeper understanding of the Dharma makes ritual practice feel less like a leap into the dark and more like a step across a familiar threshold. I hope that our shrines serve to inspire and support your meditation practice.
Classes and Events

Here are some dates to put in your diaries, more details coming soon on our What's App group and on our website (see Resources below).
Saturday mornings | 9:30 10:30 10:45 |
Beginners meditation class, Tea break, Regulars meditation class |
Old Town Hall, Stroud |
February 13th | 19:00 | Six week dharma course - Nagabodhi and Vimalachitta | St Lukes |
February 16th | 10:00 – 17.00 | Buddhist Festival, Parinirvana Day | Old Town Hall, Stroud (Bring and share lunch) |
March 20th | 19:00 | Sangha Night | St Luke's |
April 17th to 21st | Sangha retreat at Adhisthana | retreat details: https://adhisthana.org/retreat-calendar/events/spring-sanghas-retreat-the-way-of-wisdom |
Social Events
Sangha Long Table meals – March 7th, April 2nd
Sangha Walk and Talk - - March 23rd, April 27th
Watch out for more details and voting polls for these social events coming soon on our WhatsApp groups.
Resources
Click on the links below:
Our Website: https://www.triratna-stroud.com/
More widespread Triratna information on retreats in person or online: https://www.goingonretreat.com/
Triratna talks: London Buddhist Centre talks on Meditation, Buddhism & Yoga https://www.londonbuddhistcentre.com/
Free Buddhist Audio - talks on buddhism, mindfulness and meditation https://www.freebuddhistaudio.com/
Triratna books: Windhorse Publications - Books on Mindfulness, Meditation & Buddhism https://www.windhorsepublications.com/