ADHISTHANA 26
I come to you with four gifts.
The first gift is a lotus-flower.
Introduction
The Significance of Sangharakshita
Walking in Two Worlds
My second gift is a golden net.
Adhisthana
Teaching Community
Order Events
Mitra + Friends Events
Young Buddhists
My third gift is a shepherds’ rounddance.
Passing on the lineage
Burial Mound at Nanded
My fourth gift is a garden planted in a wilderness.
Life at Adhisthana
Communities
Live and work with us
Membership Get Involved
Sangharakshita, Complete Works , Vol. 11, p.182
title author
‘The world that I have in mind, however, is an entirely new world, a world radically different from the old one. This new world will be a world in which we relate to one another as individuals, a world in which we are free to develop to the utmost of our potential, and in which the social, economic, and political structures will help us to do that. The new world will be, in short, a spiritual community – a spiritual community writ large. Our aim, therefore, must be to transform the present world into a spiritual community. This is the only new world that is worth having, the only new world worth working for.’
Seen through Buddhist eyes, our world reveals itself as saturated with consumerist addiction, polarisation, and unreliable refuges. The three poisons – craving, aversion, and confusion – are not only present within each of us but also writ large in our collective cultures: in the media, in politics, in economic systems, even in the language we use. How could we not be affected?
Even the first tentative steps along the Buddhist path teach us the vital importance of conditions: to grow, to change, we must create and sustain a supportive context. As our understanding deepens, so too does a natural response: a heartfelt wish to create those same supportive conditions for others. In this lies the spirit and play of the bodhisattva.
Across the world, new generations are touched by a subtle yet insistent sense of dissatisfaction – an intuition; ‘there must be more than this’. Many are seeking alternatives. My hope is that they don’t settle for a remedy that merely masks the symptoms. Triratna exists to offer a radical alternative for those who wish to step, leap, or dive into a fundamentally different way of living.
Fifty years ago, in his 1976 talks, Sangharakshita envisioned not a slightly improved version of the same life, tinged with Buddhist insights, but a life built on entirely different foundations. His New Society offers the genuine contentment, clarity, friendship, and freedom that the world so desperately needs.
At Adhisthana, we are creating the conditions for liberative Dharma practice and supporting others throughout Triratna to do the same. In all we do, we seek to serve that larger vision. Join us – and the wider Triratna movement – in bringing that vision to life and making it more visible and available. It is wanted. It is needed.
Khemabandhu, Chair, Adhisthana
Introduction
Khemabandhu
‘IN
HIS 1976 TALKS, SANGHARAKSHITA ENVISIONED NOT A SLIGHTLY IMPROVED VERSION OF THE SAME LIFE... BUT A LIFE BUILT ON ENTIRELY DIFFERENT FOUNDATIONS.
Friends Buidling Services, an early team-based right livelihood. Bethnal Green, 1981.
The Significance of Sangharakshita
People come to the Triratna Buddhist Community for all sorts of reasons, whether a major life-crisis, a persistent anxiety, or a general yearning for something meaningful; but most typically the result will be contact with a Buddhist centre. Perhaps we are impressed by the friendly atmosphere, or the qualities of an Order member, or the clear and practical teachings. Eventually, as our involvement deepens, we learn about Sangharakshita and come to appreciate something of his significance. Perhaps he even assumes a central role in our lives, and we ask to join the Order that he founded. Understandably, those who do so then tend to relate to him principally as our founding teacher. Indeed, he himself described the Order as his chef d’oeuvre.
But there is another aspect to him also, without an awareness of which our relationship to him as our teacher will not be complete. To make the point, permit me a small thought experiment. Suppose Sangharakshita had never founded a new Buddhist movement? Suppose the invitation to visit England had never come, and he remained in India to live out his days in the foothills of the Himalayas? I argue that still he could on purely objective grounds have laid claim to being the pre-eminent Buddhist thinker of the twentieth century, whose perspective on Buddhism will shape the tradition for centuries to come. One could say that he spent the first few decades of his Buddhist career resolving all the major questions of modern Buddhism, and the rest of it implementing these insights in a living, thriving movement
Vidyaruchi
“DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS? DO YOU REALISE WHAT THIS MEANS?” ...WHAT I FORESAW THEN, ON THE SPOT – IN A FLASH, AS IT WERE – THAT THIS MEANS A NEW MOVEMENT.
Prajnaloka, Sangharakshita and Dhardo Rimpoche in Kalimpong, India 1967
Terry Delamere / Urgyen
Sangharakshita Trust
that is transforming the lives of many.
In a way there is nothing new about his teaching. By character he was a traditionalist, and regarded originality as an overrated virtue. Nonetheless, originality was forced upon him insofar as he was addressing a historically unprecedented situation. So what was that situation? What questions did it give rise to? And how did he resolve them?
Briefly, in the nineteenth century two phenomena came together, both the result of European civilization. One was the meeting on the global stage of Buddhist traditions that had developed largely in isolation from one another. The other was the application of critical scholarly methods to the study of Buddhism. The combination of these two created a unique challenge. How to understand the whole tradition according to its underlying spiritual principles? And how to combine historical awareness of that tradition and its development with an uncompromising spiritual vision?
Sangharakshita’s response had three essential elements. Firstly, he insisted on the unity of Buddhism, founded on the recognition of a ‘transcendental principle’ of the Dharma that lies beyond all of its outward manifestations. Secondly, this transcendental unity can be expressed in terms of the doctrinal centrality of pratitya-samutpada (dependent arising), especially through a distinctive interpretation of it in terms not only of the cycles of samsara, but also of the progressive conditions that lead to
Urgyen Sangharakshita Trust
Nirvana. Thirdly, a corresponding methodological unifying principle can be identified in the act of Going for Refuge, which consists in the alignment of individual volition with the progressive trend within pratitya-samutpada.
While this account is necessarily highly condensed, it is a characteristic of genius to find ideas that are capable of such condensation, but that also make sense of rather than gloss over complexity. Sangharakshita’s perspectives on the Buddhist tradition are of that kind. Familiar as they may be, we do them a disservice if we forget their radical and far-reaching nature. In practising and communicating them, we are not only transforming our own lives; we are also safeguarding the future of Buddhism for the benefit of all beings.
L: Trungpa Rimpoche, Sangharakshita and Mrs Freda Badey, Triyana Vardhana Vihara, Kalimpong. Early 1960s.
Sangharakshita unveils the Nalanda Crest, London Buddhist Centre. August 1979
Above: Sangharakshita Padmavajra and Lokamitra. Order Convention, 1978
Vidyamala
Walking in two worlds
The Celtic tradition speaks of ‘thin places’ –‘places of energy where the veil between this world and the eternal world is thin and we can walk in two worlds. We feel it as an energy inviting us to go beyond what we can perceive with the senses, and touch into something wondrous’. This describes my sense of Adhisthana very well. I’ve been coming regularly since it opened in 2013. It is astonishing to experience how a ‘thin place’ is being created and forged by the steady pilgrimage of practitioners with willing hearts and the ever-deepening sense of community. Whenever I step into the courtyard, I feel it: a sense of stepping into a place blessed with light, radiance, stunning mystery and sheer goodness. Bhante said in 1984: ‘What one sees materially is only a tiny fraction of what is happening. Something else is happening on some other level, on some other plane, which is infinitely vaster.’
That truth seems very close at Adhisthana. I see a portal in the sky above with the light pouring down, reminding us how these other realms are always near, as close as your eyeball, not even a breath away. How magnificent!
Some of the members of the Adhisthana Teaching Community
M y second gift is a golden net. C an you recognize it?
Prajnanita
Adhisthana Teaching Community
Sthanashraddha blows the conch at Sangharakhita’s funeral
‘... it is important that the members of a spiritual community share the same general approach to the spiritual life. There must be a common spiritual framework within which they are all trying to develop. This framework constitutes their medium of communication, without which they will find it difficult to help or even understand one another. It consists mainly of two things. Firstly, the spiritual community must have a common spiritual ideal, all of its members aiming ultimately for the same higher states of consciousness, the same realization. And secondly, they must have a common means of realizing that ideal, a common path or teaching, a common practice or method. They are walking the same way in the same way.’ Complete Works, Vol.3, p.439
Aryajaya and Order Members, Order weekend, 2023
‘TO ESTABLISH A WAY OF INTERPRETING AND PRESENTING BHANTE’S TEACHING THAT IS FAITHFUL, WHILST BEING RESPONSIVE TO CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES AND ALLOWING FOR NEW, CREATIVE EVOLUTION...’
Bhante Sangharakshita, the founding teacher of the Triratna Order and movement, left a vast legacy of reflections on Buddhism, the Dharma, and the way to lead an all-embracing Dharma life of growth and transcendence. He was prolific in the number of talks, discussions and written works that he left for us to explore and immerse ourselves in.
A question often heard around the grounds of Adhisthana is whether one had the chance to meet Bhante and have a personal conversation with him. As the years pass since his death, the number of people able to answer that question in the affirmative will steadily dwindle.
So, how can the ‘commonality of the ideal and the means of realising the ideal’, which Bhante saw as crucial for the spiritual community, be made available to people involved in the Order and movement?
With this question in mind, the Adhisthana Teaching Community (atc) was conceived towards the end of 2020. Its main focus is ‘to establish a way of interpreting and presenting Bhante’s teaching that is faithful, whilst being responsive to changing circumstances and allowing for new, creative evolution through careful and coordinated discussion and experimentation’.
This entails delving deeply into Bhante’s thoughts on the Dharma and its living application. In turn, this has led to the formulation of a collective framework from which retreats are led at Adhisthana, offering participants the opportunity to engage with Bhante’s presentation of the Dharma.
Many members of the atc at present are those who grew spiritually alongside Bhante and can transmit the intangible spirit of his approach to the Dharma. Adhisthana membership for Order members opens the door to immersing oneself in the various retreat offerings throughout the year under their guidance and decades of spiritual experience. There is a strong desire to support a new generation of practitioners who will be able to carry forward the flame of the work and inspiration of the atc.
The atc is also beginning to explore areas that Bhante did not specifically comment on, seeking ways to apply his approach to fill in gaps and to re-examine his teachings in the light of the contemporary world and culture. In summer 2026, a group of senior Dharmacharinis will come together to study source material–the Therīgāthā, the verses of the early female disciples of the Buddha–to learn from their spiritual lives and incorporate their insights into future offerings.
The atc is also at the heart of delivering the three-year Sangharakshita Study Course, an in-depth chronological exploration of Bhante’s entire spoken and written oeuvre. This ambitious course is enabling a cohort of Order members to enter the mind of our founding teacher and to appreciate the principles underpinning the working of our community.
We warmly invite you to join atc events, get to know its members and play your part in building continuity within our Order and movement.
Vessantara and Order Members, Order weekend, 2023
8-17 May
CONDITIONALITY AND THE NIDANAS
Vessantara + team
9 nights
Residential + Online
Order immersion retreats
Our Immersion retreats are a valuable opportunity to delve into the world of a text or practice, immersing yourself in it from different angles – taking understanding into ever deeper levels of your being. We’ll explore aspects of Bhante’s teaching with an emphasis on meditation, ritual and experiential learning.
11-18 September
SADHANA CONVENTION
Vessantara + team
7 nights
Residential + Online
23 October-1 November
THE GREAT LIBERATION: A RETREAT ON THE BARDO THODOL Prakasha, Vidyamala, Prajnanita + Khemabandhu 9 nights / Residential + Online
‘Oh, procrastinating one, who thinks not of the coming of death, devoting yourself to the useless doings of this life – improvident are you in dissipating your great opportunity.’
Skull with a beard and opposite, Rooster José Guadalupe Posada, Mexican, 19C Metropolitan Museum, nyc
Each year, Adhisthana hosts a powerful retreat marking the anniversary of Bhante’s death, drawing on The Bardo Thodol – The Great Liberation through Hearing in the Bardo. This immersive retreat invites you to reflect deeply on life and death through hearing the text read aloud in a ritual context, meditation, and symbolic imagery.
Order seminars
Our Seminars are small, intimate retreats which – through close reading of a text – allow deeper communication to arise between members of the Order. You’ll have personal contact with those who have studied the text intensively (often with Bhante himself), and plenty of opportunities to bring our lives into dialogue with the text, allowing our experience to shape our understanding and letting the text shape how we live.
20-26 February
THE SUTTA NIPATA
Saddhanandi, Jvalamalini
6 nights / Women
20-27 March
THE SUTTA NIPATA
Dhammarati + Dharmapriya
7 nights / Men
17-24 April
TRANSFORMING SELF AND WORLD
Parami + team
7 nights
12-19 June
OUTLINES OF MAHAYANA BUDDHISM
Nagapriya + Nagabodhi
7 nights
17-24 July
MILAREPA AND THE YAK HORN
Maitreyi + Paramartha
7 nights
2-7 August
BUDDHISM FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW
Jnanadhara + team
5 nights
18-25 September
RITUAL AND DEVOTION
Paramartha + Prajnanita
7 nights
9-16 October
DR AMBEDKAR AND THE REVIVAL OF BUDDHISM
Vidyaruchi + team
7 nights
16-23 October
THE NATURE OF EXISTENCE
Dhammarati, Shubhavyuha + Vidyaruchi 7 nights
10-17 April
RELIGION OF ART
Dhammarati, Lilavati + Padmadhara
7 nights
Explorations
A distinctive aspect of Bhante’s teaching is the link he made between the Dharma and the experience of egolessness communicated in literature, art and science. We should treat scripture more like literature and literature more like scripture, he has said. Our Explorations events look at this cultural aspect of Bhante’s teaching.
‘Explorations’ are mainly Order retreats, but the Orpheus retreat is open to everyone familiar with Triratna meditation, and the Blake retreat to Order members and gfr Mitras.
19-26 June
ORPHEUS IN THE BUDDHA REALM
A RETREAT FOR CLASSICAL MUSICIANS
Vidyaruchi + team
7 nights
31 July-7 August
A VISION OF RADICAL WHOLENESS:
Bhante, Blake and the Imagination
Prakasha, Ratnaprabha, Amitajyoti, Paramartha + Sraddhadipa
7 nights
7-14 August
BHANTE AND OTHER POWER
Maitrisiddhi + Parami
7 nights
2-9 October
SCIENCE AND BUDDHIST PRACTICE
Ratnaprabha, Saccacitta, Achara + Viryanaga
7 nights
Combined sanghas
25 September-2 October
SUMMER SANGHAS
BUDDHISM FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW
Parami, Nagabodhi + team 7 nights
Triratna exists to distil the Buddha’s teaching down to its essentials and make it relevant to people’s lives. What are these essentials? Are they still alive in our community? How might we make them, and the principles they embody, manifest in this new age?
‘IT WAS MY FIRST TIME HEARING SO MANY PEOPLE CHANT THAT MANTRA, AND THE SOUND MOVED THROUGH US LIKE A GREAT WAVE OF LOVE AND DEVOTION. MANY OF US WEPT. I STILL CARRY THAT SOUND IN MY HEART – GENTLE, RADIANT, UNFORGETTABLE.’
Alexandra, Maltese Sangha
30 April-4 May SPRING SANGHAS
LIVING WITH AWARENESS
Dhammarati, Vidyamala, Maitriyogini + Prakashamitra 4 nights
20-27 November AUTUMN SANGHAS THE TRUE INDIVIDUAL A VISION+A CHALLENGE
Saddhanandi + team 7 nights
We offer three opportunities each year for sanghas and individuals at every level of involvement to gather together and encounter teaching from some of the Order’s most experienced teachers. Plug into the wider Triratna sangha, forging connections across the uk and the rest of Europe.
These retreats are residential and open to all familiar with Triratna.
Each year we run one or more retreats in all the main areas of Bhante’s teaching.
8-17 May
Conditionality and the Nidana Chain
SEMINARS + EXPLORATIONS
16-23 Oct The Nature of Existence
9-16 Oct Dr Ambedkar and the Revival of Buddhism
20-26 Feb 20-27 Mar The Sutta Nipata
17-24 Apr Transforming Self and World 7-14 Aug Bhante and Other Power
30 Apr-4 May Living with Awareness
MAHAYANA MYTH
23 Oct-1 Nov The Tibetan Book of the Dead
12-19 Jun Outlines of Mahayana Buddhism
11-18 Sep Sadhana Convention
18-25 Sep Ritual and Devotion
2-7 Aug Buddhism for Today and Tomorrow
25 Sep-2 Oct Buddhism for Today and Tomorrow
20-27 Nov The True Individual
10-17 Apr The Religion of Art
31 Jul- 7 Aug Bhante, Blake and the Imagination
19-26 Jun
Orpheus in the Buddha Realm
18-25 Sep Buddhism and Science
9-16 January
TREE PLANTING
RETREAT
Ratnaghosha, Saddhanandi, Sanghadeva + Kerianna
7 nights
+ friends retreats
Throughout the year, Adhisthana hosts a variety of events for all those familiar with Triratna meditation. These events are an opportunity to go deeper into practice, strengthen your connection with the Sangha and engage with Bhante’s vision. Whether working, studying or meditating, there’s something to support every aspect of Dharma life.
30 April-4 May
SPRING SANGHAS
LIVING WITH AWARENESS
Dhammarati, Vidyamala, Maitriyogini + Prakashamitra
4 nights
22-25 May
PEOPLE OF COLOUR
BIG WEEKEND RETREAT
Suryagupta, Padmadhara + Amaragita
3 nights
All People of Colour
29 May-1 June
PHILOSOPHY
SYMPOSIUM
SCHOPENHAUER: THE FIRST EUROPEAN BUDDHIST?
Dhivan, Abhayadhara + Ketumati
3 nights
Mitras + Order members
25 August-6 September
SATIPATTHANA
INTENSIVE BOOTCAMP
Vidyamala, Sanghadeva + Prajnanita
9 nights
3-17 July
SANSKRIT AND PALI
SUMMER SCHOOL
Sraddhapa
Up to 14 nights
19-26 June
ORPHEUS IN THE BUDDHA REALM
A RETREAT FOR CLASSICAL MUSICIANS
Vidyaruchi + team
7 nights
Mitra + friends retreats
5-10 July
CO-WORKING WEEK
Team TBC
Up to 5 nights
5-10 July
INTERNATIONAL
PILGRIMS WEEK
Khemabandhu, Lokeshvara + Vidyamala
Up to 5 nights
24-31 July
SCHOLARS RETREAT
THE HISTORICAL BUDDHA
Dhivan & Sraddhapa
7 nights / Mitras + Order members
31 July-7 August
A VISION OF RADICAL WHOLENESS
BHANTE, BLAKE AND THE IMAGINATION
Prakasha, Ratnaprabha, Amitajyoti, Paramartha + Sraddhadipa
7 nights / gfr Mitras + Order members
28-31 August
GENDER DIVERSE
SANGHA
Jnanamitra, Nagakusala, Pasadini + Shraddhasiddhi
3 nights / Mitras + Order members
25 Sept-2 Oct
SUMMER SANGHAS
BUDDHISM FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW
Parami, Nagabodhi + team
7 nights
20-27 November
AUTUMN SANGHAS
THE TRUE INDIVIDUAL: A VISION+A CHALLENGE
Saddhanandi + team
7 nights
Young Buddhists
Adhisthana provides a spiritual home and central gathering place for Triratna’s young people’s project across the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe. Here, the flame of the Dharma is passed on to a new generation who bring fresh perspectives and abundant energy to Bhante’s timeless vision. New connections become life-long friendships, creating the nucleus of a new society. We host a diverse range of events for young people: lively and accessible weekend retreats; intimate study seminars with experienced elders; extended deep-dive meditation intensives; training and inspiration for the network of changemakers supporting young people’s activities in their local situations.
A particular highlight is our two annual DharmaLife courses – a 16-week immersion in the principles and practices of Triratna, spanning meditation, study, team-based right livelihood and community living. Whatever the entry point, Adhisthana offers a clear path of engagement and deepening commitment for young people to engage wholeheartedly with the Dharma.
27-29 March
THE SHEPHERD’S SEARCH FOR MIND
Amaladasa, Dhibhajana
Weekend / All 18-30
Young Buddhists
29 May-1 June
SUB35 CHANGEMAKERS
Young Order Steering
Group
3 nights / Mitras + Order members
27-29 November
BUDDHISM, WORLD
PEACE + NUCLEAR WAR
Maitriyogini, Ksantikara
Weekend / All 18-30
29 March-1 April
THE NATURE OF EXISTENCE
Dhammarati + Amaladasa
3 nights / Mitras
29 Nov-2 Dec
Sub30 Seminar
BUDDHISM, WORLD PEACE + NUCLEAR WAR
Parami
3 nights / Mitras
1-10 June
OPENING THE BODHI HEART
Vessantara + Vidyamala
9 nights / All 18-30
8 March-26 June FOR MEN
Contact: mensdlc@ adhisthana.org
23 August- 11 Dec FOR WOMEN
Contact: womensdlc@ adhisthana.org
Explore what it means to live a Dharma life –through shared practice, meaningful work, and the support of Sangha. A 16-week residential course.
My third gift is a shepherds’ round dance.
D o your feet know how to dance?
Photo:
Arranged around Urgyen Sangharakshita’s burial mound, on the outer perimeter, are stones commemorating the first Public Preceptors to have died. These stones represent the passing on of Triratna’s ordination lineage. As well as being Bhante’s final home and resting place, Adhisthana is the home of the College of Public Preceptors, and wherever ordinations have taken place around the world, it is here at Adhisthana that our ordination lineage will be symbolically preserved through the generations, a stream of blessings, spiritual energy and inspiration, emanating from Urgyen Sangharakshita.
When Bhante established the Preceptors College in 1993, he wanted the Public Preceptors, together with the Presidents of Triratna Centres (collectively known as the Preceptors College Council), to have a home, where he also would be living. The following year a fine house and garden in a leafy suburb of Birmingham was purchased: Madhyamaloka - ’the middle place’. But as the College grew, Madhyamaloka was no longer big enough for our meetings, besides which there was now a larger vision for a permanent home for the Order and Movement on a significantly larger
scale. And so Madhyamaloka was sold, Coddington Court was purchased and Adhisthana was born, ‘the place of blessings’, and the rest, as they say, is history.
With now 47 members of the College, only 15 of whom live in England, gathering in person at Adhisthana is possible just once a year for our International Meeting in November, together with our European meeting in March. In addition to the College meetings and Presidents’ meetings, many other meetings take place at Adhisthana with international significance. I participate in many of these events and I know that having them here makes a world of difference - as Bhante puts it in What is the Western Buddhist Order? one is supported and inspired by that ‘rather mysterious, indefinable spirit that gives the movement life and energy’.
Everyone who comes to Adhisthana is contributing to this life and energy, but especial gratitude goes to the residential communities who manage and look after the place and visitors, demonstrating such grace and hospitality.
Indian Public Preceptors visit Bhante’s burial mound, and above, stones commemorating the first Public Preceptors to have died
Chandrabodhi is masterminding a project to recreate Sangharakshita’s burial mound in Urgyen Sangharakshita Meditation Centre, Maharashtra, India.
Since 1979, I am in close contact with Bhante. My mitra ceremony was done by Bhante. At Urgyen Sangharakshita Meditation Centre, the first public ordinations took place on 14th October 2018, which was the 62nd anniversary of Babasaheb’s conversion ceremony held in Nagpur Diksha Bhoomi. Bhante sent us a message on that occasion, and it was read out to all people, both ordinees and the public involved. Near about 1,700 people attended the programme and we served lunch to all the people.
I was in communication with Bhante until 15th October 2018. When Bhante passed away, I attended the funeral rituals at Adhisthana.
Then I decided to erect one stupa at Urgyen Sangharakshita Meditation Centre, Nanded. I consulted many local and outside Order members regarding the stupa. We decided to raise funds and build a stupa.
Chandrabodhi
I and Padmasen (the Chair of Warakwadi) met with Subhuti, and he suggested that on a priority basis we should build a stupa of Bhante here during the Centenary year, and soon after that we started the work on the stupa and now it is in full swing. We have declared the date of opening and that is 17th August 2025 by the hands of Dh. Lokamitra, who is the pioneer of our movement in India. There will be live streaming so that all the people in the world can attend it.
I am quite sure that everything will be all right. We will make the arrangements if the rain comes.
There are many more ways to get to know Sangharakshita now that he is no longer with us. Read his books, listen to his talks, and visit Urgyen House, either by coming to Adhisthana, or online at urgyenhouse.org
From Adhisthana’s Garden
Sthanashraddha blows the conch at Sangharakhita’s funeral
M y fourth gift is a garden planted in a wilderness.
C ould you work there?
The Operations Team tends to the practical running of Adhisthana: from cooking and cleaning to gardening and guttering, from spreadsheets to sound systems. We live a beautifully simple yet rich life: working together for the good of Buddhism, immersed in Bhante’s distinctive presentation of the Dharma, deepening our spiritual friendships. The team is wonderfully diverse in age, experience and character, yet united in our dedication to seeing Bhante’s vision radiate out into the world.
Operations team
No two weeks are the same, but there is a core rhythm keeping our energy and inspiration in alignment: a morning ritual reminding us of the deeper purpose and values behind our actions; Thursday mornings around the burial mound re-dedicating the site to the Three Jewels; that afternoon, putting down practical tasks and reflecting on how our work enables us to deepen our Going for Refuge. These waymarkers all keep the stream of blessings flowing.
The team is an intensive Dharma training context, particularly for the increasing number of younger people and mitras who are joining us. Engaging in team-based right livelihood at Adhisthana is an opportunity for a radical integration around the Three Jewels, drawing work, play and practice into an abundant whole. In this way work can truly become ‘an expression of one’s life’ (in Bhante’s words). This unique emphasis of Triratna forms a cornerstone of the new society we are creating together.
Photos Dhammarati
Given how much time I spend in the kitchen, I’d definitely say it’s one of my biggest areas of practice. I often find it acts as a mirror for my mind. Sometimes that reflection is calm, focused, and energised; at other times, it’s more erratic, lazy, or avoidant. Because my work is so much in service to others, I have to balance my own preferences with theirs – between flexibility and structure, creativity and feasibility. It’s an excellent place to develop forbearance and equanimity.
Sometimes, I feel I can tell how a retreat is going just by how the participants show up in the kitchen. It’s fascinating to see when people are happy to crack on with the tasks that need doing – and when there’s resistance. The kitchen is a place where love can manifest in simple ways, and when that happens, it’s very, very satisfying.
I became involved with Triratna in 2021, three years after the death of Sangharakshita. At first my connection with Bhante was quite minimal; I only knew him as the founder of the movement. Since then, my connection to Bhante has developed through reading his written work and through my love of the Library. I felt like I connected with Bhante more deeply after discovering that we shared some of his broader interests such as Theosophy and Neoplatonism, as well as sharing his love of reading more generally. I find the perfect way to spend a weekend is tucked away in the Library, studying a text or researching a topic of interest.
You’re welcome to borrow books from the lending library during your stay, and Sangharakshita’s books are available for reference; just speak to the Front of House team. There is also a large catalogue of digitised periodicals available on our website.
Library Olivia Kitchen Annika
Max + Maitriyogini
Local activities
At our local class we’ve been increasing the number of day retreats we run to create more opportunities for people to be together in more intensive Dharma practice conditions as a sangha. I’ve found it delightful to see people connecting more and building new friendships with each other. Even though we’re a small class it seems as though the people that attend take their practice very seriously, and it’s a pleasure to be a part of making those conditions happen.
Supporting the local class is one way of giving back to the wider local community. What an amazing thing to receive the Dharma, and what an amazing thing to watch people transform their minds. There’s nothing like listening to a Dharma talk as the atmosphere subtly changes to become more beautiful and receptive. You could hear a pin drop as people hang on the next words... a weekly class might be the difference between a life lost and one well-lived.
I just want to give back. I’ve received so much. I felt that right from my very beginning of involvement in the movement. When Bhante was asked about discipleship, he said you study my teaching, put it into practice, pass it on to others. So in a way you could say my work in the garden is me trying to be a disciple of Sangharakshita by creating a beautiful environment. The path of beauty was very much part of Bhante’s teaching. I mean I’m lucky because it’s to do with creating beauty, but that’s why I do it. Always at the back of my mind is creating a new world.
Tending the gardens at Adhisthana captures a sense of Sangharakshita’s vision for a new society: a place that provides the facilities and opportunities, in fellowship with one another, to evolve and develop as human beings.
Freed from the usual societal stressors, being in the garden enables my mind to turn towards beauty – to be creatively part of nature’s abundance and generosity, and for that abundance to touch others.
It’s a place where my mind can become still and move towards positivity; where I can create a space of beauty alongside Sanghadeva – one that takes people far beyond the rational mind.
Sanghadeva +
Kerianna Garden
Shubhavyuha Dharma team
Prajnanita Director
Saddhanandi D harma team
Maria Housekeeper
Renate Site manager
Olivia Front of house
Annika Kitchen
S addhaloka D harma team
R atnaghosha D harma team
Max Video
Dhammarati D harma team
Lalitanaga Maintenance
Yashodeva Maintenance
Sanghadeva Garden
Khemabandhu Chair
Prakashamitra Manager
Vilasamuni IT manager
Life at Adhisthana
What does life at Adhisthana look like for you?
I really enjoy living at Adhisthana, and I like all of the people I live with. I usually do some study or writing each day; often I’m studying Pali. I’m also compiling a booklet on effective Going for Refuge. I listen to a lecture at 7pm on Wednesday evenings in Urgyen House every week, and community, guests and volunteers are welcome to join me. The idea is to have Bhante’s voice emanating from Urgyen House every week, 52 weeks a year, every year until…
We’ve got a tree-planting retreat coming up in January; that’s a kind of project of mine. I’m also interested in what kind of facilities we will need to support whatever it is we should be doing in 25 to 50 years.
What motivates you to live here?
The whole project is dedicated to the legacy of Bhante Sangharakshita. I’m very much a disciple of Bhante. I very much want to make sure that his elucidation of the Dharma – his teachings, the spirit of his teachings – survives and thrives into the future, for the sake of all people that it can help and does help internationally.
You’re the Director of Adhisthana. What does that mean? I work very closely with the Chair looking at how to implement the vision across all the different areas of Adhisthana. What can community living look like, how do we work together? There isn’t another institution like Adhisthana, especially in relation to communicating Bhante’s legacy. An average day is a day of encounters. This morning I had a very heartening meeting, just a beautiful communication looking at how Adhisthana can host a particular group really well.
What motivates you to be at Adhisthana?
There is nothing better than when your skills and the vision aligns. It releases an enormous amount of joy and energy. Adhisthana has elements that I didn’t know it would have, a lot to do with the study of Bhante and communicating Bhante’s presentation of the Dharma, and I think that just really delights me. I love it. It’s a good fit, and I feel that I can serve here.
Prajnanita
Cook
Publicity & Communications
Maintenance
Live and work with us
Hold the heart of the house and nourish the retreat community with simple, beautiful, freshly prepared meals. We’re looking for someone who loves serving people, is organised and unflappable, and enjoys working as part of a team.
Help shape how Adhisthana is seen and felt in the world. You’ll be responsible for our publicity, websites, social media and email communications, working closely with the programme team. Creativity, clarity, and strong communication skills essential. Experience welcome but not required.
Keep the physical fabric of Adhisthana in good health – from dripping taps to renovation projects. You’ll need basic practical skills, a willingness to learn, and a love of looking after places with care and attention.
We’re looking for new community members to join us in these full-time residential roles. All roles are full-time, residential, and include support, training and participation in the life of a vibrant and dedicated community. If you’re inspired by Adhisthana’s vision and want to offer yourself in service of it, get in touch.
MEMBERSHIP
We want to make Adhisthana retreats as affordable as possible. Adhisthana Membership, which is open to Order members, means that after paying the membership fee, you can attend as many Teaching Community retreats as you like in 2026 for just the deposit cost. By the time you’ve done two weeklong retreats, your membership has already paid for itself.
Our retreats aim to communicate the distinctive spirit of Bhante’s teaching, helping us connect with his mind and the adhisthana flowing through him.
Order members
£450 Standard
£375 Concession
£325 Sub40
Free for Active College Members and UK ROCs
Membership is applicable to all Immersion, Seminar, Explorations, and Combined Sangha retreats. Please note that Teaching Community events do not include Order weekends or other retreats open to mitras.
Membership runs for the calendar year.
SANGHARAKSHITA STUDY COURSE
An exciting, new way of engaging – taking an in-depth approach, following Sangharakshita’s thought as expressed in his writing, from his youth in London through to the 1950s in India and then back in UK with the founding of the Order. We’ll invite a new intake of students soon.
VOLUNTEER
adhisthana.org/volunteer
FUNERALS
Email admin@adhisthana.org
RESIDENTIAL COURSES
see page 33. adhisthana.org/courses
SELF-RUN RETREATS
Come as a mitra group, GFR group, chapter or for a reunion. adhisthana.org/selfledretreats
BRING YOUR SANGHA
Join in with our Combined Sanghas retreats.
adhisthana.org/combinedsanghas
PILGRIM/VISITOR
adhisthana.org/guestrequest
LIVE & WORK
see page 52. adhisthana.org/roles
Dare you accept them?