Sunday 7th April 1968

On Sunday 7th April 1968 12 men and woman received the Upaska/Upasika ordination from Sangharakshita and thus the Western Buddhist Order came into existence.


Now 44 years later the Order has grown in to a world -wide community of spiritual friends with many thousands of Order members, mitras and friends.

The triratna Buddhist Order and the Triratna Buddhist Community, as it is now known, place at its very heart the act of “Going for refuge” to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha and see its spiritual significance as the defining principal that makes one a Buddhist. This places Order members, mitras and friends on an equal plane in the sense that there can be no “second class” Buddhist, no one group of people being the “proper” Buddhists and the rest just there to be ministered to. So long as we all go for refuge, to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha , and place that going for refuge at the centre of our lives then Buddhist we can say we are.

This by no means reduces the act of going for refuge to a mechanical process, something which is just recited on special occasions or just as part of a routine. The act of gong for refuge should be a heart -felt act, an affirmation of our most cherished ideal. Going for refuge is more than just the recited formula. It is the encapsulation of a process which involves ethics, compassion, transformation through meditation and development of insight into reality its self, ultimately the liberation of ones self and the attainment of Nirvana.

But even this is not the whole picture for the compassionate nature of the seeing into reality means that liberation, true liberation must be won for all, and this is why the act of going for refuge within the Triratna community includes the Bobhisattva Ideal.

The act of going for refuge is an individual act, but an act that takes place within the context of a community of spiritual friends who hold dear to their hearts the ideals of that going for refuge and all that that involves.

Today I celebrate that creation of the Triratna Order and the Triratna Community and give my heart -felt thanks to the Buddha, Sangharakshita, the community of order members, mitras and friends both past and present and again make a commitment to take my refuge in the Buddha, the supreamly enlightened one, the Dharma the teachings of the Buddha, and the Sangha, the community of people treading the path to liberation.

So from this day, I take my refuge in the BUDDHA, DHARMA, SANGHA, now and until all beings wherever they may be are free from suffering.