Becoming20A20Mitra20New.pdf

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becoming a mitra
a guide for the triratna buddhist community
contents
introduction
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what is a mitra?
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why become a mitra?
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the three declarations
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“I feel that I am a buddhist.”
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“I am trying to practise the five precepts”
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“I feel that the triratna buddhist community is the main context in which I
want to deepen my practice.”
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some features of the triratna buddhist community
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an ‘ecumenical‘ tradition
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the importance of friendship and sangha
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the centrality of ‘going for refuge’
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other features
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how do I become a mitra?
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the mitra ceremony
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What then?
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faq
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appendix: resources and useful links
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general
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young buddhists
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triratna development fund
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introduction
If you are thinking about becoming a Mitra in the Triratna Buddhist
Community, or if you think you might want to do so at some time in
the future, this booklet may help you. Its aims are:
•
To give you a better idea of the meaning and importance of
becoming a Mitra.
•
To help you decide whether you want to take this step.
•
To explain how you should go about becoming a Mitra if you decide
you would like to do so.
The booklet also answers some frequently asked questions about the
Mitra system, which might be helpful to anyone who wants to know
more about it.
what is a mitra?
The Sanskrit word ‘Mitra’ simply means ‘friend’. Becoming a Mitra is a
deepening of your friendship with the Triratna Buddhist Order, which
can occur when your commitment to its ideals, values and practices
has reached a certain level. Mitras are people who have made what
we call a ‘provisional’ commitment to practising the Dharma within our
spiritual community. This involves a commitment to Buddhism, to
practising the Buddhist path as taught within our tradition, and to the
Triratna Buddhist Community as the main context for your practice.
We call this level of commitment ‘provisional’ because it is ‘for the
foreseeable future’, rather than the more once-and-for-all dedication of
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an Order Member. You are ready to become a Mitra when you decide
that, as far as you can see at the moment, you want to practise this
path, with this spiritual community. You are saying that from where you
are now this looks like the path for you, and you are willing to give it a
good wholehearted trial.
Becoming a Mitra is a significant event in our spiritual lives, so it is
marked by a significant public ceremony, which is a special event at
the Buddhist centre, and to which many people invite their friends and
family.
why become a mitra?
In the spiritual life, what we get out of it depends on what we put in.
You will probably have noticed this in your meditation practice, to take
just one example. If we sit down to meditate without fully committing
ourselves to the practice, we are likely to drift and daydream. But
when we sit down to meditate with decisiveness and confidence, we
set up the conditions that allow something positive to unfold.
What is true of meditation is true of the spiritual life in general. To get
the full benefit of the teachings of the Dharma we need to practise
them wholeheartedly, and wholeheartedness can only come from
decisiveness and confidence. So making a definite commitment of the
sort required to become a Mitra is an important stepping stone in our
spiritual progress, which can propel our practice to a new level. And
the fact that we do this publicly makes it more real, and therefore
more powerful.
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