First retreats for FWBO groups in Kent and Dusseldorf

Here’s a couple of updates from two of the FWBO’s newer groups. Proving, perhaps, that small is often beautiful!

Danapriya writes from Kent, UK -

“Dear Lokabandhu,

“Here’s a little something for the FWBO News.

“The East Kent Sangha based in Deal, Kent have just had their first Sangha Retreat called 'Loving Life' at Vajrasana Retreat Centre.

There were 25 of us on the retreat and we had a fantastic time and it has really had a positive effect on bringing the Sangha together even more. You will get a feel for the retreat from the photo. We had a fabulous team Siddhishvari, Sraddhagita, Suryaketu, Phil Daly and myself (Danapriya).  Love from Danapriya.”

You’ll find them at http://danapriya.org

And from Düsseldorf in Germany, Sraddhabandhu writes -

“In the last two months the development of „FWBO Düsseldorf”  has made further steps. On the first weekend of August we booked the Retreat centre “Vimaladhatu” and had our first retreat especially for the Düsseldorf Sangha. 12 people attended, plus 4 people in the team. For some people it was their first retreat ever, but everything went smooth. All enjoyed themselves, felt inspired and are eager to go on the next retreat. We haven’t booked jet, but perhaps it will be a “less-than-typical retreat” insofar that we sail on the Dutch Ijsselmeer and meditate on the ship.

“A month later we went for a walking tour just in the vicinity of Düsseldorf. Extraordinary about this is, that this time it was not organized by a member of the team. Tanja planned and led the hike, and it was an enjoyable afternoon. I look forward for more initiatives from the Sangha.

“Yours in the Dharma, Sraddhabandhu”

News from Germany: FWBO Day in Essen; Düsseldorf celebrates their 2nd birthday

FWBO members from Holland, Belgium, France, Poland and Germany (collectively known as the FWBO’s ‘Middle European Region’) are very happy to announce that they will be celebrating FWBO day this year in Essen, Germany on Saturday 4th April (starting 2 pm) and Sunday 5th April (ending at about 2-3 pm).

Sanghadarsini writes “We are very lucky that Bhante Sangharakshita has agreed to celebrate with us and to give a talk on Sunday at 10.30. If you would also like to come to celebrate FWBO day with us, we are happy to organise accommodation for you.

"For the last 7 years we have been celebrating FWBO day in our Region and have previously met up in Ghent, Amsterdam and Essen. Its great that we have this opportunity to come together and to form strong bonds of friendship. As there are so many languages involved, we still seem to communicate most of the time in English.

“The theme for the weekend will be: “Sitting under the Bodhi Tree”. As quite a few of us met up in Bodhgaya a month ago for the International Order Convention, we were so inspired about being there, that we quite naturally decided on the theme.

“Please write to essen@fwbo.de for more details and contact us as soon as possible if you are actually planning to come”.

Meanwhile Sraddhabandhu writes from Dusseldorf -

"Only two years after the founding of „FWBO Düsseldorf” we welcomed 20 guests to our second birthday party. Admittedly, 20 is not the number of people we have on “open nights” (it varies between five and eight people), but we can see significant progress. If you imagine that we started with about three people attending just two years ago…”

“The scope of events we offer has widened considerably over that time. We now have two beginners nights per week, a study group which will finish “Vision and Transformation” in a short while, a meditation course will start in April, meditation afternoons every second month, and we want to celebrate Wesak and to take part in the “International Urban Retreat - www.theurbanretreat.org”.

"I’m very happy to work with such a committed team. With metta to all, Sraddhabandhu”.

two new FWBO groups in Germany

Sraddhabandhu, co-founder of the FWBO’s new centre in Düsseldorf, Germany, has told FWBO News -

“Success has come quickly for our new group. Just one year after its opening FWBO Düsseldorf has celebrated its first Mitra ceremony.

“Sven Fischer, aged 45, father of three (photo shown), decided to take refuge in the context of the FWBO. This was on the first anniversary of the Düsseldorf centre. For this 20 people came, four of them from the Zen group with which we share the rooms. Dayanidhi from Essen led the Mitra ceremony and the Puja, Sraddhabandhu did the rejoicing in Sven's merits. A special treat was the reciting of the Heart Sutra in old Japanese, carried out by the Zen group.

“The sangha in Düsseldorf is thriving, next on our list of things we want to do is start a regular Dharma study group".

Meanwhile FWBO activities have also begun in South Germany, in the town of Freiburg, where two Dharmacharinis, Suchimansa and Padumachitta, have begun weekly activities in a rented room. There’s an interesting story behind this, which we hope to bring you soon…