December news
Kindness as a cutting edge
Dharmapriya, who was ordained in 1981 and is living in Berlin, explains in this short video why he is leaving a legacy to the Abhayaratna Trust in his will. He talks of kindness as a leading edge of practice and how he considers it a privilege to help take care of our Order community.
Your legacy gift will:
Enable the Abhayaratna Trust to provide support to Order members anywhere in the world that find themselves in hardship (we give over 100 grants per year worldwide, with numbers and domicile expanding)
Enable the Abhayaratna Trust to respond to global emergencies that affect Order members and leave them in hardship. For example, our 2021/22 India Emergency Covid Appeal enabled the Trust to give, in some cases, literally life-saving support to individual Order members
Empower the Abhayaratna Trust to respond to substantial, even cultural needs in the Order, such as creating explicit frameworks of care in local sanghas and facilitating the development of co-housing situations
Make a lasting mark on the world and help to maintain a vital Order Sangha that, in its various ways, is a ‘force for good in the world’.
Go to our legacies page here
Viriyagita on practicing with Parkinson’s Disease
The following interview with Viriyagita, based in the US, forms part of our series of recorded conversations in which Order members speak about a particular degenerative neurological condition, how they practice with the condition and the support they need.
Viriyagita has Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Just prior to the interview, Viriyagita wasn’t sure whether she would be under-medicated and therefore stiff and slow, or whether she would over-medicated with uncontrolled involuntary muscle movements. Viriyagita started the interview with some stiffness and continued with increased involuntary movements, but she was not in a distressed state. In Viriyagita’s words: ‘I can just do my best and can only work on my state of mind, and be aware that I am connected to all beings and wish them all well’.
I would like to express my thanks to Viriyagita, and to all those who have taken part in this series to date: I have been given new perspectives, especially of metta, that I have taken into Dharma practice. Mahasraddha
Well-wishing and what we’ve been up to
Abhayaratna Trust team: Mahasraddha, Jinavamsa, Visarada and Taradakini
The Abhayaratna Trust team (pictured) and our board of trustees wish you well throughout this festive season. In 2024 we will continue, with your support, to enable a flow generosity and care for Triratna Order members experiencing hardship.
Early next year we will publish our 2023 Annual Review: a year which challenged many due to higher costs of living, older age and illness. We met this by making 126 grants and running 5 appeals for individual Order members, as well as continuing our strategic work, to develop a more explicit culture of care in local sanghas and encourage co-housing options.
If you would like a printed copy of our 2023 Annual Review, email Jinavamsa@abhayaratnatrust.org; otherwise, the review will be available to read on our website in late January.
Communications Support: jinavamsa@abhayaratnatrust.org - Send your ideas, reflections and feedback - we love to hear from you.