2022 has been another successful year for the work of the Abhayaratna Trust in responding to Order members in need of financial assistance, which is only possible due to the continuing generosity of our donors.
Taradakini and I thought we would take the opportunity to thank you for the tremendous support that the many donors to our appeals and those who donate regularly to the work of the Abhayaratna Trust have given.
Read MoreImagine being in an accident and having important, even life saving, treatment and then being presented with a bill afterwards that you can’t pay. Or being in immense physical pain with a back issue that the free state health service is not able to sort beyond painkillers. Or perhaps you paid your hospital bill but there is no sick pay and it will be months before you can work again.
The Abhayaratna Trust has launched a fund to support Triratna Order members health in just such cases
Read MoreWith free health services faltering in some countries, and limited or unavailable in others, the Abhayaratna Trust has launched an Order Health Fund.
This fund will help to support Order members worldwide when an acute or chronic health difficulty arises, and the Order member has limited savings (less than £10,000 or equivalent currency) and other funding is not available.
To do this we will need several hundred thousand pounds – as we age more health issues manifest – and our initial fund target is £25,000.
Read MoreAl inicio de la pandemia del COVID en la India lanzamos una recaudaciónd e fondos para reunir una modesta cantidad de £5,000 (casi 6 000€) para enviar dinero en efectivo a los miemobros de la Orden que allá necesitaban pagar gastos médicos, alimentación, renta y otros costos de vida, porque muchos de nuestros miembros de la Orden perdieron la manera en que se ganaban el sustento en ese momento. Reunimos poco más de £200,000 (239, 000€ aproximadamente).
Después de enviar apoyo varias veces durante casi dos años, esta primavera comenzamos a apoyar a miembros de la Orden que contaban con finanzas muy limitadas para echar a andar su propio negocio.
Read MoreAt the start of the Covid pandemic in India we launched a modest £8,000 fundraiser to send cash to Order members there to pay for medical care, food, rent and living costs, because many of our Order lost their livelihoods at that time. We raised just over £200,000.
And after sending support several times a year for nearly two years, this spring we began making grants to Order members with very limited finances to set up their own business.
Read MoreMahasraddha, the director of the Abhayaratna Trust writes: ‘The Abhayaratna Trust is pleased to publishing its 2021 Annual Report which gives you a well-presented overview of our work to help Order members support each other where there is hardship.’
You can also read about our continuing strategic work to respond to key issues in the Order including health, housing issues and non-financial support.
Read MoreMaitrinanda lives in Kraków and was ordained in 2020 - the first Triratna ordination to take place within Poland.
A kind and good 71 year-old man, known for his extensive Dharma knowledge, he is a retired policeman living on a low income.
In recent years he has given his time and energy generously to the Kraków Sangha and to supporting his family. His teenage son has autism with violent outbursts.
After a heart attack, Maitrinanda’s health has deteriorated and his living situation is now such that he needs to find a new home urgently.
Read MoreMahasraddha, the director of the Abhayaratna Trust writes: ‘The Abhayaratna Trust is pleased to publishing its 2021 Annual Report which gives you a well-presented overview of our work to help Order members support each other where there is hardship.’
You can also read about our continuing strategic work to respond to key issues in the Order including health, housing issues and non-financial support.
Read MoreMahasraddha writes: You may be aware from the news and messages from the key Triratna charities operating in India (Karuna, FutureDharma Fund and The Abhayaratna Trust), that the past few weeks have seen major changes affecting the NGO sector in India.
Read More‘If you don't know the kind of person I am
and I don't know the kind of person you are
a pattern that others made may prevail in the world
and following the wrong god home we may miss our star.
Mahasraddha writes: I view the Abhayaratna Trust’s core function as being to facilitate and enhance the flow of care in the Order, in particular to those facing hardship. Of course, care for one another is a fundamental expression of our interconnected humanity. We respond to suffering by doing what we can to alleviate it.
Years ago, anthropologist Margaret Mead was asked what she considered to be the first sign of civilization in a culture. Mead said that the first sign of civilization in an ancient culture was a femur (thighbone) that had been broken and then healed.
Read MoreLooking for 55 Order members to donate; Two grateful recipients; Let’s talk about mental health part 4
Read MoreLooking for 55 Order members to donate; Two grateful recipients; Let’s talk about mental health part 4
Read MoreAmritasukha, thank you for taking part in our conversation about mental health and the Order. Can you start by saying something about your ‘life before Triratna’?
At around age 12 I started to realise that what the other boys were starting to show interest in (girls) wasn’t what I was interested in. I liked the other boys, and I seemed to be the only one. This had two consequences.
Read MoreOur appeal to help Order members and their families in India through the effects of the recent covid pandemic has been a great success and it is with much gratitude that we are closing the appeal, having raised £191,900, or approximately 198 lakh rupees. Thank you to everyone that gave.
The Order convenors in India have been meeting regularly to organise distribution of support where it has been most needed.
Read MoreThe 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.
Read MoreIn addition to our regular work (explore our website www.abhayaratnatrust.org for details), during the first half of 2021, the Abhayaratna Trust is focusing on an important area of wellbeing in the Order – mental health. We’ll be posting a series of interviews intended to open a deeper conversation amongst Order Members, and posting resources on a dedicated webpage.
This month, Sīlajāla, currently volunteering with the Trust, responds to questions from Taradakini, the Trust’s grants and care co-ordinator.
Read MoreUpeksaraja has been volunteering with the Abhayaratna Trust to run a pilot scheme for the Local Care Network in Sheffield. Here is a short report on how things have been going with the scheme there.
Read More"I’m very happy to have joined the team to offer the skills I have and participate in the life of the Order in this way. I didn’t realise how much the Abhayaratna Trust did before I joined.
Read MoreFrom The Abhayaratna Trust, FutureDharma Fund / India Dhamma Trust and The Karuna Trust.
In response to the coronavirus pandemic that is putting many people and communities in desperate circumstances in India, a number of appeals have been initiated by Triratna Trusts and individuals both in the East and the West.
Read More
