The Triratna Story by Vajragupta

Getting the Dharma to Work their stall and ordered 40,000 desk organizers. It was an order worth £30,000 – the biggest they’d ever taken. They were over the moon, until they realized that they didn’t have enough money to buy in the stock. Nor would the banks lend it to them.

But a few stalls down at some of the trade shows at which they’d been exhibiting, a businessman had noticed them. Allan Hilder was intrigued and attracted. What were these young Buddhists doing trying to set up in business? He liked their ‘give it a go’ attitude, and a friendship developed.

So, when Vajraketu was desperately trying to finance the purchase of stock for WH Smith, it was Allan who lent the money.

The deal was on again, and Windhorse made what was – for them – an enormous £13,000 profit.

In 1987 Kulananda left Windhorse to become chair of the new Buddhist centre in Cambridge, leaving Vajraketu as managing director. The following year Vajraketu noticed an empty shop in Cambridge city centre and, knowing that Windhorse was overstocked at that particular time, approached the landlords, explained he was from a charity and asked if they would take a very cheap rent. The offer was accepted and the first Windhorse shop – known as ‘Evolution’ – was opened with huge success.

So, almost by accident, the Evolution phenomenon began.

Over the next ten years and more, many UK centres were to form teams to run ‘Christmas shops’, which traded under the name ‘Evolution’. In the early 1990s Britain was still in the process of emerging from a long recession, so it was possible to get cheap, short-term leases. A team of Buddhists could then try out working together, and some money would hopefully be made – the profit being split 50–50 between Windhorse and the local FWBO centre. Very often, after running a Christmas shop, a team would want to stick together and a more permanent lease would be negotiated. By the end of the 1990s Windhorse had a chain of 17 55