Triratna
College of Public PreceptorsWelcome!
Once upon a time, not so very long ago, Triratna was a small community in which everyone knew each other and how everything worked. The Order and movement have now grown much larger, and we need to work harder to maintain a sense of community between us, with shared values and understandings; these pages are a contribution to that purpose.
Here you’ll discover what the College does, who the members are, how it works, and what its responsibilities are.
We will keep you updated on ordinations from around the world, on our various meetings and the sorts of issues we discuss and deal with. There will be selected articles, interviews and talks by Public Preceptors, so you can get a sense of them as Dharma practitioners and how the Dharma infuses their lives.
And for those who are interested, we will let you know about opportunities for meeting personally with College members to ask them questions, engage in discussion and to share inspirations in the Dharma life.
About the College
The College of Public Preceptors’ main function is the ordination of men and women within the Triratna Buddhist Order. In this section, we look at the centrality of ordination and Urygen Sangharakshita, the founder of Triratna, as well as the College’s responsibilities and its relationship to the Order and wider Triratna community.
Meet the Members
The College of Public Preceptors is made up of senior and experienced Order members from around the world who are actively involved in the training of men and women for ordination. They make the final decision about people’s readiness for ordination and perform the public ordination ceremonies. They bring to the College a broad range of backgrounds, life experience and knowledge. Some have lived and worked within Triratna institutions all their adult lives, some have raised families and some have worked in various professions. Not all senior and experienced Order members are College members. Those who are have chosen to serve the Order and community in this particular way, overseeing and supporting ordination training. At present, the College consists of 44 members: 24 men and 20 women.
In this section we introduce each member of the College, as well as some of those who have recently retired
DharmaView
Through talks, interviews and articles, College members express their understanding of the Dharma and share their inspiration with the wider sangha.
The College is made up of individuals, each of whom has dedicated his or her life to the Buddhist path within the context of the Triratna community. They have years of experience meditating, studying the Dharma, developing friendships and helping to build and strengthen their community.
This section provides an opportunity to hear from them and the issues that propel their spiritual lives.
Latest News
Ordinations within the Triratna Order take place throughout the year and world: the UK, Spain, India, Australia, New Zealand and the US, all have ordinations taking place regularly. Notices are posted from every public ordination ceremony announcing who has been ordained and where, and what their new name means.
The College consists of over 40 members, with retirements and new appointments on an annual basis. Here you can visit our live blog on The Buddhist Centre Online and find out about all our latest news. Each month the College publishes a newsletter with a monthly update and other features from College Members which are also posted here.
Systems & Structures
To enable it to function effectively, the College needs to meet frequently and implement systems that support its work.
In this section, we look at the nuts and bolts of the College:
Adhisthana, the ‘home’ of the College; the Kula system, which is the organisational structure of the College; what the Chair’s Council does; the purpose of the ‘At Home’ sessions; Finances; and two documents that explain in detail what the responsibilities of the College are, and its working arrangements.
Contact
The Chair of the College can be contacted at:
Adhisthana
Coddington Court
Coddington
Ledbury
Herefordshire
HR8 1JL
UK
T: 00 44 (0) 1531 641726
E: collegeassistant@adhisthana.org
This also section contains:
- How to Donate
- Credits & Subscribe