Updates from Tiratanaloka

Feb 2025 – from Kalyacitta

New Email for Womens’ Ordination Team:  team@tiratanaloka.org.uk

Use for any confidential info, ordination requests and anything that isn’t simple queries about bookings or practicals.

Priority places for young women

While still at the old Tiratanaloka, team are reserving 2 places per retreat for women under 30.  This is because the existing system was favouring retired women who were able to take up cancellations at a moment’s notice, and to not discourage younger women.

Solitary retreats

Fewer mitras seem to be doing solitaries.  Please encourage them, go on solitary yourself and talk about your own solitaries.

Before a mitra goes to TRL for the first time

Ask mitras to go on AT LEAST one week long retreat at Taraloka BEFORE they book on a Tiratanaloka retreat.  Encourage people to discuss with you what retreats they book on, so you can suggest what is appropriate for them.

Vegetarianism

Finding that there are more Mitras who are eating meat and fish asking for ordination.  Can we have that discussion with them in nuanced way at pre-mitra point, then find ways to continue discussion afterwards.  This is on the agenda for the College to discuss.

March 2023 – Kalyacitta and Santavajri 

Kalyacitta took us through the set document created by Tiratanaloka to clarify the processes of Kalyanamitra relationships, kulas and preceptors ‘Building Formal Relationships in the Ordination Process and the Role of the Tiratanaloka Team’  (this is on MCs resources page).

Discussion:

Document not a set of rules, practice that has worked through trial and error. Principles of practice

Doc not to be distributed to mitra and friends – OM’s only

Choosing KM’s

Not a tick box thing but an organic process.

How do mitras know what to do and how to do it?

Very personal as to whether a person should be encouraged to formalise KM or not

Importance of formal minuted discussions in chapter about if the person can be a km or not, using the up to date criteria (celebrant needs to see the minutes and needs to be a preceptor – usually private preceptor but not always- and they will check it out with a public p). College recently been talking about this.

Involve the celebrant quite early on if possible as they can support the oms. Action this point to be added to the document. (Kalyachitta to do this)

Don’t necessarily need to wait until there is a private preceptor in place to get km’s.

Is the process still the same for OM’s getting KM’s?

Don’t need to check it out with the public preceptors but still need to have the formal chapter review. Not part of the ordination process so not important for public preceptors to have overview.

How often to see the potential KMs?

At least once every 2 weeks with one, once a month with the other.

Can’t dissolve a km relationship – it is for life.

Before formal ceremony important for friends to keep an eye on those relationships to make sure that those friendships are going well.

Where it’s geographically possible its much better to have local in person km relationships, not zoom friendship.

Getting a private preceptor

This shouldnt happen too early, could check out with Tiratanaloka whether they think that the mitra is within 2/3 years of being ready.

Can you add a KM if your km turns into a preceptor? Not sure

Can have less formal relationships to support – other kinds of friendship ritual. For instance friendships between men and women could be celebrated in this way.