Aryaloka News

Volunteering & Scholarships

Posted on Fri, 11/18/2022 - 10:04

Volunteering is a Great way to Make Friends, Build Community and Help Others! 

It takes a community to run a place as big as Aryaloka! Aryaloka has always been a grassroots situation, funded and facilitated locally by the sangha (spiritual community). In the spirit of sangha, we practice generosity in relation to each other and the world around us. Generosity can be practiced in many ways, including the helping of our friends. Volunteering at Aryaloka can be a great way to build community and friendship with others. Volunteers learn that their participation really has an impact on the overall life of the community, and a visible difference to the quality of our beloved facility.

Submissions Needed for Sangha Arts Exhibit!

Posted on Wed, 10/19/2022 - 13:42

Calling on Artists and Arts Supporters —

The Aryaloka Arts Kula has been busy organizing four exhibitions for you from this fall through next summer. This includes a new  Arts From the Sangha Exhibition this winter, opening January 9 and running until March 12.
We are hoping to include those of you with special artwork to share as well as those who might like to join the Arts Kula to promote and support the Arts at Aryaloka. 
If you are interested in contributing artwork to the exhibit, or volunteering with the arts at Aryaloka,
please be in touch with Kiranada:    kiranada03848@gmail.com        or call 978 457 4494.

Thanks!

 

The Passing of Francesca Latawiec

Posted on Mon, 10/10/2022 - 12:16

Remembrance of Francesca (1956-2022)

Francesca Latawiec, Aryaloka sangha member and mitra sister, died unexpectedly at her home in Exeter October 1. 

Francesca started practicing with the Aryaloka Triratna Buddhist Community at the start of the pandemic, attending Tuesday Sangha Nights online regularly. She was immediately attracted to Buddhism and Aryaloka, soon asking to become a mitra. She became a mitra in an online ceremony in September 2020, without even having visited the center in person. Her first visit to the center was this spring as part of a community clean-up day, and she attended her first in-person retreat in August.

She became a valued member of a Sangha Wednesday night study group and had been attending mitra classes with her Dharma sisters. A loving and always positive person, she will be missed by her Sangha friends. 

Volunteer Profile — Meet Betsy!

Posted on Tue, 09/13/2022 - 11:46

Betsy Cadbury was a meditator in a Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) class when she learned of Aryaloka Buddhist Center (ABC) from a fellow meditator.  She registered for a ten-day ABC Noble Silence retreat in 2012.  She became a Triratna Mitra in February 2016 and requested consideration for ordination in the Triratna Order in August 2017.  She attended a retreat at Brockton, Ontario with Thích Nhất Hạnh in 2018 and has attended several Noble Silence retreats and other retreats and workshops at ABC.

While Betsy enjoys all of her mitra studies, the Heart Sutra has particular resonance for her.  She is currently part of a book group studying Anam Thubten’s commentary on the Heart Sutra, The Fragrance of Emptiness.

Volunteer Profile: Meet Roddy!

Posted on Mon, 09/05/2022 - 12:16

When Roddy Cole first visited Aryaloka Buddhist Center (ABC) in 2015, she knew that something shifted inside of her, but it was hard to define because she wasn’t sure what she was searching for or even clear what her questions might be.  But that first visit was like a balm, and she continued to return to ABC on Tuesday evenings and participated in several ABC retreats.  She became a Triratna Mitra in January 2017.  She loved her first year of mitra studies and looked forward to going deeper into Dharma study with the women’s mitra group.  Mitra training continues to be both enriching and challenging for her.

From her mitra training, Roddy’s favorite text remains The Bodhicaryāvatāra.  She is deeply moved by the beautiful verse of Śāntideva and the sublime commitment to bring an end to all suffering.  She finds her teachers to be endlessly generous with their time and wisdom.

Eight Step Recovery Group on Zoom!

Posted on Tue, 08/30/2022 - 13:02

Triratna NY-NJ is starting an Eight Step Recovery Meeting. Open to anyone who identifies as being in recovery from addiction, habitual behaviors and obsessive tendencies. We focus on the Buddhist Teachings to overcome addiction. Great supplement to 12-step recovery programs.

Based on the book: Eight Step Recovery: Using The Buddha’s Teachings to Overcome Addiction, by Dr. Vimalasara Mason-John (hon.doc) and Dr. Paramabandhu Groves PhD
 

Meeting day and time: Wednesdays on Zoom 7 - 8:30pm EDT Starting 07 September 2022

More info and sign up here:

Eight Step Recovery: exploring addiction and recovery through the lens of Buddhism — Triratna NY • NJ

Updated Aryaloka Covid-19 Safety Protocols

Posted on Tue, 08/30/2022 - 09:47

Safety: (For events that are not overnight)

How are we coming together safely?

  • If you know you have been exposed to Covid-19 or if you have had Covid-19 within a five day period of the event’s start-time, we ask that you not attend in-person.
  • Masks are optional unless otherwise stated. Please wear a mask if you have recovered from Covid-19 and are still between days 6 and 10 from your first positive test.
  • If you have cold or flu symptoms, we ask that you do not attend in-person.
  • We have installed new air purifiers with virus-destroying technology! 

Zoom options are available for some events. Transfer of fees or refunds are also available for illness or illness-preventative related absence. Please email info@aryaloka.org if you have any questions about our safety protocols.
 

Volunteer Profile: Meet Deb!

Posted on Tue, 08/30/2022 - 09:29

Deb Seavey first came to Aryaloka Buddhist Center (ABC) in January 2014.  She became a Triratna Mitra in November 2015.  In November 2016, she made a pilgrimage to India where she met many Indian Triratna Order Members and was inspired by the impact that the Triratna Buddhist Order (TBO) has on the lives of Indian people.  In March 2017, she requested consideration for ordination and began training for ordination in and by the TBO.

Deb has many favorite Dharma books.  Recently The Inconceivable Emancipation by Sangharakshita has inspired her.  Her fellow sangha members, their practices, and the impacts that they are having on the ABC community and, by extension, the world, also inspire her.