Men’s Public Ordination Ceremony

Report by Dh Nagaketu:

Historic ordinations in India

It is our pleasure to share with wider Triratna Community the joyous occasion of public ordination that took place in India on 17th of December, 2017. This was indeed a very historic event in the Triratna community worldwide as it is the biggest ordination ceremony ever held. The total number of people who got ordained were 68 out of which 47 males and 21 females.

The male ordination retreats and ceremony took place at Hsuen Tsang Dhamma Retreat Centre, near Nagpur and Female ordination retreat and ceremony was at Saddhama Pradeep retreat Centre, Bhaje, near Pune city.

The male ordination retreat started on 7th evening and culminated on the 17th morning with the public ordination ceremony. There were about 4,000 people present to witness this historic event. The people who got ordained came from several different states such as Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Goa and different parts of Maharashtra. Some of these Mitras were in ordination process for more then 20 years, out of 47 some 10 Mitras were below 35 years of age.

The theme of the retreat was “Which way Liberation” a public speech given by Dr. Ambedkar on 1936. This was a year after Dr. Ambedkar’s public declaration on 1935, he said “although I was born as Hindu but I would not die as one” although, this speech was given as part struggle to achieve the basic human rights, the speech itself holds a very deep spiritual significance. He says that “an individual transformation can only take place on the basis of values of Liberty, equality and fraternity”, he also quoted a Kalama sutta in order to explain who is truly free human being. The speech goes into the theme of liberation and qualities of true individual. This talk was linked with Urgyen Sangharakshita’s book the meaning of conversion. The retreat and talk was led by Dhammachari Ratnasheel together with other members of the ordination team. Most of the public and private Indian preceptors were also present for the retreat.

The Female ordination retreat started on 8th and would end on 20th December, the theme of the retreat was ” The Buddha Jewel” part of which included the “Reimagining the Buddha” they also tried to look at the four ordination vows, the meaning of private and public ordination, responsibility after getting ordination, etc. the retreat was attended by 21 ordainees, 6 preceptors and other order members. The people who got ordained felt deeply inspired. This retreat and ordination ceremony was the culmination of their journey since they joined the order as friend to becoming the part of the order. It was difficult yet inspiring and transforming experience to practice the dharma in Triratna community for these women. Despite the patricidal Indian society in which they had to live most of their life, they were able to transformed their lives in the midst of very busy family life which many of them seen as ground for developing virtues and progress on the path of dhamma. The people who got ordained expressed their gratitude toward their spiritual friends, family members and sangha without which it would have been very difficult for them to carry on living a spiritual life. women who got ordained came from different places of Maharashtra such as Chandrapur, Nagpur, Wardha, Pulgav, Hinganghat, Mumbai, Pune, Nanded. The age group of these women was between 35-64.

The list of women who got ordained:

List of men who got ordained: