Someone sent me this great post about Startups. The writing and the images are very original, clear and direct. CLICK HERE
(It helps if you grew up watching the Transformers cartoon and know who Grimlock is but is not necessary)
Today I met the founder of ‘Death and Taxes’– who kindly met me to give me advice on setting up an accountancy business. Psyche Coderre is a goth, and set up her business after finishing her AAT qualification. I wanted to meet her because I thought there might be paralells between what I’m aspiring to do. 50% of her business comes from people in the goth scene- so she is able to work with people she can relate to and avoid having to dress a certain way, or be a certain way, which might not be the case in the corporate world- especially when you have purple hair.. Another advantage of setting up a business within a ‘scene’ or movement you can relate to is that there is a ready made network- which is surely a great advantage in business- Psyche has definitely found this to be the case.
I think there is so much scope in Triratna for business networking- pooling our resources, expertise, contacts etc- in Accountancy but also other industries we already have a foot in such as IT, design, websites etc.
Sukhavati
1. Open the Gates
When I first came along to the LBC, I couldn’t work out how to get in! Maybe this says more about me than anything else but I do think the LBC should be as accessible, easy and welcoming to walk in as possible. It does feel a bit like ‘fortress LBC’ at times. Sometimes the door is propped opening when there is a class on, but I think the large gates should be open whenever the centre is not closed. Perhaps there is an issue of security, but not a big enough one to put an obstacle in front of anyone coming into contact with the Dharma. Ratnagosha suggested to me the gates could be replaced with something glass so you could see into the centre.
2.Open on Sundays
The LBC is now open on Saturdays, which I believe has been successful, so I believe it should be open on Sundays too. After all, none of us are going to church on Sundays; it’s not like we don’t have to work because of what the Bible says. This makes sense as people are generally working Monday to Friday so have more time at the weekends. There could be mediation classes throughout the day- for regulars and beginners. Perhaps the only obstacle to this is having enough teachers, which brings us on to…
3. Sunday Mentoring Program
Sunday could be a focus for the new mentoring program that is about to happen- an intensification of the existing program whereby a new generation of teachers will be taught and given the chance to teach more meditation, give talks etc- basically get an apprenticeship in Dharma Teaching. It doesn’t really matter if there is just one person at the class- I sometimes practice by teaching teddy bears- just practising, saying the words and being up there, is invaluable. The more chances there are to teach regularly, and receive feedback from experienced teachers, the better people will get, creating hoardes of great teachers, which will put us in a great position to…
4. Do More Outreach Around London
London is a big place full of all sorts of people- it is a massive opportunity for spreading the Dharma. The NKT are everywhere- they are arguably a bit formulaic- we can replicate their omniscience in London while providing better teachers.We could have Pop Up Buddhist Centres- they don’t necessarily have to be maintained. It would be good to get the other London Centres involved in this. Doing this could triple the amount of people involved in the LBC in a year.
5.Put a TBRL in the Breathing Space Reception
As I understand it the Breathing Space reception is not used much in the daytime. If you have a space on a main road which you own your halfway to having a business. It could be used as a treatment space or used as a Arts space which people use to teach writing, crafts, poetry, animation you name it. The LBC could run a ‘Dragons Den’ style program where they invite people to put forward business ideas for the space.
One way we could create new TBRLs, is by growing them out of the movement using existing skills and things people are already doing. Accountancy and Book-keeping would be an obvious choice for this- there are several people already doing book-keeping for the movement- for centres, busineeses for themselves etc. and there are also fully trained and exerienced accountants.
If there is sufficient desire to do so, these people can join together and create a Book-keeping/ Accountancy Business. If they so desired, people in the movement who already use book-keepers could consider switching to this new TBRL, which would give it a good start, before it looks for business elsewhere.
Accountancy is a very marketable skill needed wherever money is involved, so unlike previous TBRLs like cafes, health food shops, there will be more scope for people to learn a trade which will be an asset to them when they leave.
This model could be applied to other professions- such as IT, Website Design, Graphic Design (I understand Dhammarati held a workshop for Graphic Artists in the movement recently) and any other skill people are engaged in.
It seems to me this is something that could quite easily be done- it just needs someone to say “Hey, let’s do it!”
Yesterday I visited Windhorse Evolutions Warehouse and was kindly showed round by Ratnaghosha, the Director of Windhorse Wholesale and a Trustee of the Windhorse Trust.
It was a thrill to be there- Windhorse is by far the movements biggest TBRL with a turnover of £10,000,000 per year. It really is a bastion of TBRL, a business which runs according to Buddhist values and exists in the tough business world, generating profits which are given to Buddhist charities and activities.
Ratnagosha next to Stupa in Warehouse
I was shown the offices and was surprised at how many people are employed there. There is also a yoga room, shrine room, chef for mealtimes, music room with various instruments (just in case you fancy a jam session in your break) and even a gym. It seemed like a very good place to work. I find out that there is two Mexicans working there, who came through the Mexico City Buddhist Centre, which is apparently as busy as the LBC!
I was then taken in a ‘New View’ letting agencies car to see the Cambridge Centre, which receives a lot of dana from Windhorse, and Ratnaghosha’s community- which was custom built and owned by Windhorse.
I talked to Ratnaghosha about my ideas and my project. He was encouraging and thought the people at Windhorse might be able to provide support in advising people on their TBRL business plans. He was particularly interested in my idea to have a Buddhist Book-Keeping Business, grown out of the existing Accountancy experience in the movement.
I hope that Windhorse continues to thrive and that more TBRLs of it’s size will come about. Being there, seeing the Windhorse warehouse amongst other companies warehouses, you get a sense of the movement integrating itself into the economic and industrial realities of our society without compromising its values.
Ratnaghosha’s Blog, which contains a lot of good insights into TBRL amongst other things can be found here
A big part of Bhantes teaching is that by experiencing and engaging in the arts we can refine and develop our imagination- an indispensible faculty in the spiritual life. Bhantes talks and writing where he takes a piece if art and draws out its meaning and Dharmic significance (such as Journey to Il Convento, St. Jerome Revisited) are among my favourites.
In the LBC Mandala there is lot’s of specifically artistic activities and a lot of imaginative people- There is Poetry East- Maitreyabandhu very succesful Poetry evenings, The Arts Centre which facilitates Buddhist Artists and arts in the wider community to some extent, Arts Retreats, Artists, Opera Screenings & Film screenings, and the imagination is inherent in the teaching of meditation – particularly the Metta Bhavana and Ritual.
I would like to see the LBC and movement in general being more ambitious in the Arts, individually and colectively, and expand into areas such as fiction, film-making and animation- areas which are very prominent artforms these days and of personal interest to me- but their development in the movement seems to be lacking somewhat. Doing this would help communicate the Dharma to a contemporary world.
Maybe the issue here is one of confidence- but I’ve no doubt that there are people in the movement who could produce a great piece of art- after all as Buddhists we’re presumably saying we belive we can achieve enlightement, the greatest feat a person can aspire to- surely a decent novel, or a great film, is not too tall an order. And remember- we’re sowing the seeds for future generations, creating a culture, as Buddhism finds new forms of expression in the West.
Fiction
As far as I’m aware, of all the hundreds of books it has published, Windhorse has never published a book of Buddhist Fiction. Some poetry, but no fiction. This occured to me recently as being quite an omission. By Buddhist fiction I don’t necasarily mean fiction specifically about Budhist or Buddhism, but rather fiction written by Buddhists Going for Refuge which will naturally express the values ideas and and spirit of Buddhism in a way that non-fiction can’t.
I did a degree in film-making and animation for which I used to try and come up with stories so I quite naturally do this- ideas sometimes come out of me quite in fragments. I have three stories that have been knocking around in my head for sometime, gathering form overtime like a snowball rolling down a hill. When I begin to put them together sometimes parts of Buddhism begin to stnthesize, and my understanding goes a little further. They also seem to have a kind of theraputic function, putting my life and struggles into a larger framework.
Perhaps Windhorse should put out a call for fiction in the movement- and see what comes back. As an extension of Maitreyabandhus Poetry East, there could be ficyion writing workshops- this ties in to an idea I had about using the Breathing Space Reception as a craft space, rather like the Create PLace on Old Ford Road (here) (I will explore this more in a future post)
Film and Animation
Films occupy an important place in our hearts and minds. We have a lot of our energy tied up in films-I notice in study groups and meetings in the movement generally how the energy often picks up when people start talking about movies.
I really like Suryprabhas documentaries, (here) and I know that there has been some other good documentaries done. I would like to make a documentary, (featuring animation or drawings perhaps) about Why People become Buddhists, the point people go Through the Looking Glass, so to speak. But again, I would like to see more fictional works done.
It would be great to see a film-making culture come out of the LBC- I think this would create a lot of interest- however germinal it may be. Films could be produced for the website, there could be an LBC 48 hour film challege. Films don’t have to be too complicated, there is a famous science fiction film called La Jetee which consists mainly of still photgraphs (here). Could there be a film-making retreat?
Animation has long been an interest of mine as I did some for my Degree and it seems to me it is a excellent vehicle for Buddhism. I think we could do something like they’ve done at Headspace (here)– but a lot better- from what I can tell from the website, they are simply trying to get people to meditate for ten minutes a day, so there lives are a bit smoother but basically unchanged. The Triratna movement is trying to change self and world and offering a different way of life- much more radical, exciting and arguably, dangerous. How then can we usethe power of moving images, sound and story to express and evolve this exciting myth we are living together- the creative possibilities are boundless.
I like the feel of this animation (here)
Here’s my ideas for the LBC website. I know a new LBC website is currently in the works, and I don’t know what is planned for it, and perhaps it’s too late to influence it, but here are my suggestions:
It’s hard to overestimate the importance of having a good website, and the opportunities created by having a great one. People practically live on the internet these days, for many it will be the first point of contact. I think the LBC website should be a window into a spiritual community– it should feel alive and current, plugged in to a wider network- because that”s what the LBC is- it’s not a nightclass centre where courses and classes are held. Beginners classes will probably need to have a prominent place on the site quite rightly, but it shouldn’t be too hard to scratch beneath the surface of the ‘LBC‘ and find ‘Sukhavati‘.
Blog on Current Affairs
On the website I think there should be a blog featuring a Buddhist perspective on contemporary events in current affairs, politics, the news etc. I think if Buddhism is to be taken seriously as a force in our society, which I assume is what we all want, it needs to be seen to offer new ways of dealing with the problems that face the world. I think this would be an engaging way of communicating the Dharma. The posts on the Blog should be by Order memebers who have a talent for this type of thing, and to my mind should not allow for anyone to make comments underneath- unless they are vetted first- as often people put very stupid or unkind things on them. Vishvapani, with his ‘Thought for the Day’ is already doing this on radio 4- perhaps he could be invited to post on this Blog, as well as other senior order members in the movement.
History
I think it would be great to have an account of the history of the LBC Mandala, particulary focusing on the building project and all that came out of
LBC Before Building Project
that as well it’s broader context in the Triratna movement and in relation to Bhante. I these could make some very stimulating pages- with photos and accounts from people like Subhuti and Atula. I think it should also include a link to Bhantes inaugural talk “Authority and the Individual in the New Society” (here) which I think is still very relevant today. Doing this would again show how the LBC is more than a typical organisation.
FAQs & Ask a Buddhist
FAQs would be a good feature to have- it can answer questions such as: “Is Meditation about making your mind go blank?“, “Was the Buddha Fat?”, “Is the Buddha a God” and all those other questions the answers to which can clear up common misconceptions, and again, is a snappy accessible way of teaching the Dharma.
There could also be a “Ask a Buddhist” section where people send in their questions on life, problems, meditation, Buddhism etc. and they are answered by a suitable Order Member. I met a Zen Abbot from a Monastery in Boston, Massachusets when I was in Italy. He gave me a link to his page “Dear Abbott” (here) (in America there is a famous agaony aunt page called Dear Abbey) which is worth a look at to show you what I mean.
Images & Words
The argument that the movement tends to emphasize the calmness, retreating from the world, peacefulness at the expense of the dynamism, transformation and radicalism of the Dharma is probably quite familiar to people in the movement. Vajragupta gave a good talk (here) which included him reporting back from some research he’s done looking at the movements websites which backed this up- most of the images and words used were about calmness, peacefulness etc. The more peaceful images should be balanced out with images of dynamism, of transformation. I think more use of the Bodhisattva image would help in this area, as it would subtly communicate the more proactive aspect of Buddhism, as opposed to the more ‘static’ Buddha image that we usually see. (I will give a fuller account of how I think the Bodhisattva Ideal/ Image can address the imbalance in the image of Buddhism has in a future post).
Alive and Current
As I said earlier, I think the website should feel alive and current- this should not only be reflected in the content, but also in the look of the site. A main image that changes would be a good thing to have. I think a modular website would be better as opposed to the list style.
As much embedded video and audio clips as possible would also be welcome. Using animation and films would be a very exciting direction to go in- RSA do some interesting animation that condense long and complicated talks into animations (here) for example. Headspace, who teach meditation have also done some good animation about meditation (here) Film-making and animation is a topic I will go into in a later post, which will talk about how having a film-making / animation community around the LBC, however germinal, could create a lot of interest. The results from this could showcased on the website. Animation is a particular interest of mine and I think this particular artform has great potential for communicating the Dharma.
Of Gods and Men
I saw the film ‘Of Gods and Men’ recently- about a community of monks face a threat to their lives and have to ask the question stay in the monastry and face the possibility of death or run. Perhaps we will never have to face a dilemna like this- where our life is endangered by practicing Buddhism. Surely, though, with ‘old age and death rolling in on us’ this is the situation we are really in, and the mundaneness of every day life usually masks this.
I think the spiritual life is a matter of life and death. But rather every moment of the day we choose between doing what is skillfiul, leads to happiness, is compassionate and what is unskillful, leads to suffering, is self-concerned. In an interconnected world, with so much suffering, madness, insanity, waste- you could argue that you can link up our mundane daily actions to people literally or figuratively, living or dying. What would it look like if we took this on in our lives more fully, if all decided to ‘go for it’, not hold anything back, and live and spread the Dharma with every ounce of energy and time? What would the practical implications of the LBC be if we all did this? Would this be a sustainable, a desirable thing to do?
Are the people of the LBC/ Triratna movement doing everything it can to spread the Dharma and to lead full Dharma lives to the best of their ability? I think that the movement already does a lot, but we could do more, so much more, in every way. This blog is a way of exploring and proclaiming this, a call to arms, so to speak.
I embarked on this project of outwardly talking about the New Society and trying to spark into life new TBRLs a few months ago now, and I have thoroughly enjoyed having an excuse (not that an excuse is needed) of meeting up with people involved in the Triratna adventure and discussing with them an exciting project which involves our highest aspirations.
Last week I had the pleasure of meeting 3 Order members who who have been in the movement for a considerable amount of time and lead full time Dharma lives. I consider myself very fortunate to be able to do this and to be welcomed so warmly into their homes and to be able to discuss matters that to me are of great importance and interest. Think of Bhante when he was a young man- meetings with people with whom he could feel a spiritual kinship were few and far between, particularly in England, so now he’s communicated the Dharma effectively and created a vital spiritual community, so now I can go to the LBC and be tripping over people with whom I have spiritual kinship! – and I don’t take that for granted.
Kamalashila
On Wednesday I met up with Kamalshila. I discussed my thoghts and ideas about the subject and he was very encouraging and affirming. He showed me a video on Bernie Glassman– a ‘Jewish’ Zen Buddhist in New York who has set up a hostel for the homeless where they also make and sell Cheesecake- the profits of which go to good causes, he also runs retreats at Aushwiitz. This short video is well worth looking at here. Kamalashila was quite interested in my ideas about doing more outreach in London (see previous post: ‘Pop Up Buddhist Centres?’) and thought it quite possible to be able to support more mediation teachers in London.
On Thursday I met with Jnanavaca, who has been a Kalyana Mitra of
mine for some years now. From discussing my ideas for more outreach and an intensified Mentoring program with him I gathered that this is a conclusion the LBCs Dharma Activities committee has already come to and is intending to implement a program at the LBC, which is exciting. I hope to be able to influence and be involved in this- I have started researching possible venues and have found 19 to contact in London so far. (if anyone would like to help scout these out let me know).
Bodhiketu, who I met on the Friday was helpful in suggesting some
places in London that may be good areas to try setting something up. He does Karuna door knocking appeals so is a good person to ask about the most conducive places in London to set up a ‘Pop Up Centre’ or outreach. I saw a video of a talk he gave about meditation ‘Ecstacy and Bliss’ (here) which discusses the Dhyanas. I really like this talk because I’d noticed the dhyanas don’t get talked about enough.
Last summer I studied Kamalashilas chapter on Higher Consciousness and found that this dwelling on this topic was inspiring and instructional, enabling me to get into access concentration and maybe even the 1st Dhynana more easily and giving my meditation practice more framework and direction. I discussed with these three structuring am introductory course emphasizing the Dhyanas (warning against over willfullness of course) – a suggestion they all thought was good. I think teaching the dhyanas, even in introductory classes is important as it immediately places the purpose of meditation beyond mere relaxation and stress relief. Also, it is more likely people will experience higher states of consciousness if they are talked about, or at least recognise them when they happen and be able to put the into a framework. I know someone who goes along to classes and retreats fairly regularly but had never heard of Access Concentration, Dhyanna etc. She described to me an experience which sounded like Dhyana but she didn’t want to tell anyone because she thought it might be wrong! If people do experience Dhyana then you’re possibly getting into life changing territory…
Meeting the above Order members, knowing there are many more like them, convinces me that we have something special here, and that there is great possibilities and opportunities awaiting us if we have the courage and vision to open the door… I believe we should go for it- whatever that means- wisely, patiently, together, thoughtfully- but go for it. What have we got to loose?
‘Whatever you can do or dream, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.’
Goethe
I was quite moved last night reading an article by Vishvapani (here) – an account of the problems of the Croydon Buddhist Centre in the eighties.
The article made me reflect on a couple of things.
I’ve noticed I can become fairly strident and emphatic when talking or thinking of the “New Society”- I find myself commenting that we are “making history” and “changing the world”e world. I don’t think this energy is always based on positive emotion, but often a negative reaction to some of the pain and revulsion I’ve experienced in the world. It is useful to reflect on episodes where the attempt to manifest ideal values into the real world have gone sour. We have examples of this in our own movement- such as Croydon in the 80s, but surely this is an archetypal story, a myth that follows a certain pattern, which has been played out and will be played out. I think it is important to tell these stoires and be aware of the myth we are entering into when we are part of a spiritual community, embarking on an enterprise such as the New Society.
Bhante talks about this subject here, from a seminar on the Tiratana Vandana (here), :
“So this brings in this question of cycles, that a Buddha’s work is never done for once and for all, a Buddha arises, an individual arises, a true individual, a perfect individual, he gathers around him a number of other individuals, they create, they set-up a spiritual community, a sangha, and this eventually has an influence on the whole of society. Under favourable conditions the whole of society may become virtually a sangha, but then the process of corruption sets in. Success leads to degeneration, the quality of people joining, as it were, deteriorates, so your spiritual community becomes less a community of individuals. To the extent that they’re not individuals the community becomes more of a group, then group pulls begin operating, then the whole society sinks. So eventually you end up just like another group, and again, within that group, another individual has to arise, and that is the next Buddha, and thus the process goes on. Buddhism sees no final victory in this way, final victory for the individual, yes; but not final victory for society.”
Went to a seminar in central London today called “Earned Income Ventures-
Money
an Alternative to Traditional Fundraising” led by an Australian chap who has worked with charities to set up busineeses to fund the charities activities. These ranged from big- such as buying a hotel and a resort, to smaller ventures like getting animal dung from zoos and selling it as manure, and selling paper to suppliers etc.
A couple of things came out of this which were relevant to TBRLs. He said that usually there wasn’t the expertise already in a charity to run another business, so they needed to get people with the skills. This is of course one of the great challenges of TBRL- to get people who are committed disciples of Bhante but also with the right business or entrepreneurial skills. For me single sex businesses consisting solely of buddhists is the ideal but there is a range of ways of doing it- with mixed sex buddhist teams, buddhists and non-buddhist teams, and businesses with no buddhists in them but existing for the sole purpose to make money for the movement. I would like to see a range of these.
Expanding New Society 