We consider someone a Friend when they have been to some introductory classes, and now come to the Centre to join in other activities, sometimes volunteering here. There is no pressure to take their involvement further, and some people remain Friends for many years, making a valuable contribution to our community.

Mitra is a Sanskrit word for friend. Here, it means deepening your friendship with the Triratna Buddhist Community, and making a formal commitment to practising Buddhism within the context of the Manchester Buddhist Centre in a simple, public ceremony.

Some Mitras go on to ask for ordination into the Triratna Buddhist Order. They prepare for this through around five years of training, including retreats, peer support groups, study, and deepening friendships with local Order members. They are sometimes known as GFR Mitras – as they are trying to deepen their Going For Refuge to Buddhism’s Three Jewels, the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha.

Two Mitra convenors, Acharashraddha and Vishangka, co-ordinate and support Mitra activities at the Centre. Speak to them or any other Order member if you are wondering about taking this step.

• Triratna Guide to becoming a Mitra – pdf format or read it on Issuu
• More about Mitra study

At the heart of the Triratna Buddhist Community is the Triratna Buddhist Order. Order members commit to following the Buddhist path to Enlightenment, as the central point of their lives. Their understanding of the Dharma is based on the teachings of our founder, Sangharakshita.

They undertake to practise a traditional set of ten ethical precepts and have all been in a long period of training before joining the Order. At ordination they are given a new name in Pali or Sanskrit, often relating to qualities they have or aspire to.

The Order is neither lay nor monastic – some Order members have families, some are celibate practitioners, or anagarikas. Some live and work in Triratna’s residential communities and team-based working situations, others work in non-Buddhist settings. Order members’ spiritual commitment is the crucial thing, not their lifestyle. Above all they try to share their spiritual lives, and co-operate in practising and spreading the Dharma. The Order is open to any man or woman, regardless of age, race, class, gender, sexuality, caste or any other criterion, who is sincerely and effectively committed to practising the Dharma.

• More about Order members from Triratna’s website
• Guide to the Ordination training process at Manchester and Liverpool Buddhist Centres – pdf format. Although written for local women, the general principles apply to men and women across Triratna