November 2025 News
Living Together: A Growing Conversation in the Order
©TOWN 2025. All rights reserved. Illustration by Lisa Holdcroft
Over the past couple of years, the Abhayaratna Trust has been approached by Order members who are reassessing their living arrangements and wondering whether the Trust might be able to offer support. This is not unexpected. As individual Order members grow older—particularly those without a partner or close family—the question of housing in later life naturally comes to the fore. It becomes not just a practical concern, but a deeply personal one, touching on safety, friendship, and the conditions that support continued Dharma practice.
Of course, housing is relevant to Order members of all ages. Alongside the option of living together under one roof—for example, in a community—another mode of shared living that is gaining popularity internationally is cohousing. Cohousing offers a balance of privacy and community, with self-contained homes complemented by shared spaces and facilities.
For Order members who may not wish to live in such a scheme themselves but have financial resources, an emerging idea is to invest in a co-housing property that can then be rented out at favourable rates to those unable to buy. This model could provide a creative way to support fellow Order members, especially those facing financial constraints, while also strengthening our sense of community and shared responsibility.
Cohousing schemes are intentional communities run by their residents. Each household has a self-contained home alongside shared communal spaces and facilities. This model offers a balance of privacy and sociability, fostering both independence and connection. This newsletter highlights one exciting initiative: the Suvana Cohousing Project near Cambridge, led by a group of Triratna Buddhists from across England. As you’ll read, the project is now at an advanced stage, with a purpose-built cohousing development soon to be constructed and ready for occupancy.
Meanwhile, the Abhayaratna Trust is aware of other Order members who are keen to live together. While the Trust cannot provide capital, we do have a role to play in this increasingly important area: we can help publicise new initiatives and connect interested Order members with one another.
Mahasraddha, Director, the Abhayaratna Trust
Suvana Cohousing: A Buddhist Vision for Living Well Together
Cohousing offers a way of living where neighbours have their own private homes but also share common spaces and facilities. This creates a more sustainable lifestyle and fosters genuine connection between people. Suvana is a cohousing project grounded in Buddhist values, drawing on friendship, simplicity, and shared practice to support daily life.
Suvana provides an opportunity to extend the spirit of Sangha into a form suitable for a wide range of circumstances. While Triratna has a strong tradition of community living in shared houses, this model is not always ideal for those living with partners, families, or who simply want more long-term stability. Suvana will be a multi-generational community, making it possible for families, young people, and older practitioners to live in a way that supports ethical living, connection, and spiritual growth at every stage of life.
To make the project accessible, we are inviting investors to purchase homes at Suvana that can be rented out on a long-term basis, including to tenants on housing benefit. These might be younger people who are not yet able to get a mortgage, families seeking stable accommodation, or Triratna retirees who have contributed deeply to the movement and would benefit from supportive housing. Investor participation is an essential part of allowing Suvana to welcome a diverse community and ensure that financial circumstances do not become a barrier to living in this way.
Suvana will be launching its joining process in November 2025, with full details available on our website. If you’re interested in living in community—or supporting others to do so—this is a great moment to get involved and help shape what Suvana will become.
An act of deep solidarity
Earlier this year, I had to leave my job in London to return to Venezuela to care for my dying father and support my mother. I hadn’t been back to my home country in seven years, and in many ways it became an unexpected and profound journey back to my roots. Though I had originally planned a three-month stay, either to celebrate my father’s 90th birthday or to be there for his funeral, I ended up remaining for another three months amid uncertainty, beauty and hardship.
The Abhayaratna Trust’s support made it possible for me to be fully present during this time: to accompany my father through the final stage of his life, to be with my mother in a way never before possible, and to contribute actively to the life of the Sangha and the Mérida Buddhist Centre.
Beyond the financial help, what I received felt like an act of deep solidarity. I am profoundly grateful to everyone involved in the Trust for their compassion and responsiveness, and especially to Taradakini, who helped me see more clearly the limits of what I could do to relieve my father’s suffering, and to regain perspective in a moment of emotional confusion. Aryavachin (pictured)
Contact Communications Support: jinavamsa@abhayaratnatrust.org with any questions or feedback.