Newsletter June 2021
Solidarity with the Order in India
Karmavajra gives an update on how your donations for India are helping
The response from Order members, Mitras and Friends to our recent appeal to help individual Order members and their families through the current pandemic in India has been tremendous. All the targets we set were exceeded and we have now raised £185,000 in donations.
This expression of solidarity with those members of the Order in India who are struggling with financial and health difficulties has given confidence as well as practical aid. Karmavajra and a network of Order members in India have been working hard to make sure that financial help is getting to those that need it.
To watch Karmavajra talking with Mahasraddha about what has been happening in response to the situation in India click here.
Cooperation between different charities
The Abhayaratna Trust, Karuna Trust and FutureDharma Fund / India Dhamma Trust (IDT) are meeting every week during this crisis. They are collaborating with Triratna partners and other partners in India to coordinate relief to people and projects affected by this devastating wave of COVID.
This latest update summarises the work each charity is doing. This is to help you to decide which of these projects to support and what they are each doing. Putting it simply:
The Abhayaratna Trust: provides emergency funding to individual Order members and their families in urgent need, and longer term support to rebuild Order livelihoods post COVID. | Triratna only
Karuna: provides large scale emergency response to 45 organisations across India, Nepal and Bangladesh | both Triratna and non-Triratna organisations with beneficiaries from Dalit/Tribal communities
FutureDharma/IDT: provides funding to Indian Ordination Team and senior leadership to support, counsel and guide the movement through the crisis and beyond | Triratna only
Let’s talk about mental health
In addition to our regular work, this year the Abhayaratna Trust is focusing on mental health
This month, Advayasiddhi, a clinical psychologist based in Copenhagen, talks with the Abhayaratna Trust's Utpalavajri.
Advayasiddhi met the Dharma in Bodh Gaya in 1997, then spent 8 years deeply involved in Triratna in the UK, so she was already steeped in Dharma before returning to Denmark in 2006 and training as a clinical psychologist. Among her work since then, she has spent 6 years working in a highly specialised clinic for complex disorders and helped train other therapists to use mindfulness and cognitive and compassion focused therapies. She now has her own company working as a psychologist, and continues her Dharma work alongside it.
Utpalavajri joined the Abhayaratna Trust team in 2020 as our Bookkeeper. With past experience of mental health difficulties herself, Utpalavajri felt it important to join the Trust’s conversation about mental wellbeing in the Order.
To visit our Mental Wellbeing Resources page click here;
Support our Worldwide 200 Appeal
In the last few weeks the Abhayaratna Trust has been focusing on raising funds to meet the crisis in India, due to a second wave of Covid. We also support Order members in many other countries. Thank you to those who have been moved to respond to our search for 200 sangha members to support our work on behalf of the Order. We are now over a quarter of the way to our target!
Most of the Abhayaratna Trust’s work goes on behind the scenes, but you can trust us to use your donations wisely, to support Order members worldwide in genuine need of a modest sum - usually less than £1,000 - to help them out of a current financial difficulty.
Perhaps the person you help has just been made redundant, or is too ill to work just now and lives in a place where state benefits are not available, or has worked to uphold our Triratna institutions for many years and is now retired and living on a very minimal income.
You may never know who you have helped. But it will have made a big difference to them, not only the money, but the knowledge that the Order and sangha care. Be one of the 140 people we still need to give £10 a month today (or an amount of your choosing) so we can respond to whatever needs may arise for individual Order members around the world.
It is easy to set up a UK direct debit here or by clicking the Donate button below and selecting PayPal if donating from outside the UK.
Taking Care of yourself
Here are some reasons why people hesitate to ask the Abhayaratna Trust for financial support:
‘It’s embarrassing’; ‘Things aren’t THAT bad;’ ‘Surely others need the money more than me – I’m not homeless after all’; ‘I thought I might get turned down and that would be REALLY depressing’; ‘I’ve got some savings so shouldn’t I have to use those first?’; ‘It’s for other people, not my situation’.
Well, Abhayaratna Trust support IS for you, if you relate to any of those reasons, even if you have a certain amount of savings. We make it easy to ask for up to £1,000 at a time and give you an answer within a week, or 48 hours if it’s urgent. You can also ask on behalf of an Order friend. Don’t struggle, get in touch with Taradakini on (+44) (0) 7857 351818 by phone or text, or email taradakini@abhayaratnatrust.org or click the button below.
Communications Support: jinavamsa@abhayaratnatrust.org - Send your ideas, reflections and feedback - we love to hear from you.