Lastest British Buddhist News

[13.07.10]

At the end of May the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (http://fwbo.org/) and the Western Buddhist Order changed their names to the Triratna Buddhist Community and the Triratna Buddhism Order respectively. The abbreviated form, replacing FWBO/WBO, is now Triratna. Triratna means three jewels or triple gem in Sanskrit referring to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.

This change reflects the fact that the movement has been growing significantly in India, where the word 'Western' is inappropriate.

The FWBO is mentioned in many syllabuses as an example of a new Western Buddhism movement. It will take some time for the change of name to filter through, so it's worth noting that references to the FWBO/WBO are now out of date.

The Clear Vision Trust (http://www.clear-vision.org/Home/Home.aspx), the educational charity run by Triratna, has recently launched a new resource for KS3/4. Entitled 'Us and Them', the resource explores the Buddha's advice for community building through 10 videos, questions, information sheets and links. Topics covered include: identity and the self, democracy and decision making, volunteering, ethical communication, and the environment.

For more infomration on Us and Them and to watch an example video, see: http://www.clear-vision.org/Schools/Teachers/interactive/UsThem.aspx

James Robson 13/07/2010