In the Top Shrine Room
We’re thrilled to announce the upcoming Mitra Ceremonies for five members of the Brighton Young Sangha. Ezra, Nino, Poppy, Sophie, and tate will ritually join the Triratna Sangha on the evening of November 24th – we hope you can make it.
All very welcome, no need to book, by donation.
Meet the new Mitras…
Ezra
The spiritual path I’m on has been slow, long and challenging, and I am so grateful for every part of it.
I started meditating aged 4, it was taught to me in the hope that I would cope with physical illness and discomfort better by practising it. It became the method by which I could mostly stay present when suffering pain, and I had favourite trees I used to escape to for meditation when life felt very heavy.
At the same time, I experienced trauma. A trauma that nobody should experience at any age, but definitely so young. I remember realising that if I could be anything in life, I wanted to be kind. I wanted to be loving. I saw that two hurts never made one of those hurts right. That people who caused harm to others also suffered and I didn’t want to contribute to their pain either. I wanted to transform the suffering I had experienced into kind eyes where I could be a gentle presence in the lives of others. Sometimes I’ve succeeded, and often I haven’t, and I’ve learned from all of it.
Both of these aspects grew as I got older, but I had little context for them. When I was 16, after a long stint in hospital, I heard on the radio Vishvapani talk about Buddhism, and something clicked and made sense. I felt hopeful about a future I hadn’t been sure I even wanted previously. From there I started reading Sangharakshita’s work, yet it wasn’t until I was 30 that I attended a Buddhist Centre.
Before my practice could improve, I realised that I had an addiction to alcohol and drugs and that I couldn’t focus on a Buddhist way of life until I could be present in my own life instead of dissociating from my human experience with intoxication. At 32 I started working a programme that allowed me to experience sobriety, and I started attending Brighton Buddhist Centre more frequently, in the past year or so doing Dharma and meditation courses and getting involved in the Sangha. I spent a lot of my life feeling unable to unmask or feel comfortable, and very quickly, the Brighton Buddhist Centre felt like a home and a safe haven that soothed all of those aching parts from constantly feeling like I didn’t fit in.
I asked to become a Mitra after careful consideration. The crux is that I want this to be my life, and I’m excited for every part of it. I have no urge to rush my learning or my spiritual practice. But it’s also one community where I can see the threads of ethics being weaved into the foundation of practice, and mistakes that are made are used to practice ethics and accountability to a higher standard. In this community I see true compassion, humility, wisdom, vulnerability, and a group of people who accept they cannot be perfect yet still strive to improve their views and conduct regardless, for the love of all beings. I can’t imagine a better place to call home and I feel so blessed to learn and grow with the Sangha here.
Other than being a Buddhist, I am a writer, a twin, a lover of nature photography, aromatherapy, herbalism, making collages, learning for the sake of learning, and an avid book worm. I am non-binary and this nestles nicely into the framework of my spirituality. My lack of identification with a gender sits alongside my willingness to try to let go of ideas of the self. My life is better with this stuff in it. The garden shrine room and the library in the Brighton Buddhist centre are my happy places where I feel deeply held, and I am blessed with the opportunity of volunteering in the library here with some wonderful people. I get joy out of being of service and helping others, and I believe that service given out of love is worth more to me than service given out of needing financial stability. I will end this with a poem:
Witnessing
A depth of
Beauty
Across the
Clear blue sky
The path
To freedom
Sits amongst
The stars
That lead me
Home
To a place
Of safety
Of learning
Loving
And growth
Of a sensitivity
Of sorts
And the
Blooming of hope
I join
This fellowship
Of spirit beings
Knees to ground
Saluting
With reverence
And folded hands
I leave my
Life to this
Sacred grove
Where blossom
Blooms
And a gentle
Dawn horizon
Pulls me
Into a sea
Of unseen
Possibilities
I used to think
I wanted to
Awaken to
Eternal life
Now
Now I realise
I want to
Awaken to
This one
Varied
Imperfect
Life
To celebrate
My humanness
In all
Its flaws
And breathe
New life
Into the
Mold I was
Shaped into
Finding a way
To break
Through the haze
Of wakeful
Dreamlike sleep
Let me see
What is
And accept it
Is so
Let me ground
Myself
Into the gift
Of the present
That stillness
Of wanting
Exactly what I
Have
Gratitude for
The teachings
A loving, powerful
Gentle hand
Pulling me
From the darkness
Let me be the
Phoenix amongst
The ashes of my
Past
And rise
Rise to meet
The morning sun
A sweetness
Barely tasted
As I admire
The striking
View
Somewhere
I may one day
Somehow
Grasp
Nino
I first came to the Buddhist Centre at the start of 2024 for the young sangha drop in meditation. That’s all I wanted to do, drop in, meditate, and then drop out again. I had no interest in Buddhism, meeting new people or creating new friendships. I was in a fairly low and challenging place and just wanted to meditate to calm my mind and hopefully improve my mental health.
A few months later someone in the young sangha told me about a men’s retreat centre called Padmaloka and I thought, ‘Brilliant! I’ve always wanted to do something like that.’ So off I went not knowing what was in store or what to expect.
Despite spending a few weeks in my twenties in the town of McLeodGanj in India (a town with a heavy Buddhist presence and influence), I knew almost nothing about Buddhism and even less about spending time in all male environments. Upon arriving I questioned what I was doing and why I was there. Little did I know that that weekend would change my life.
Over the course of the weekend in various discussion groups and over meals I saw and heard men talk, listen and receive each other in a way I’d never seen. They spoke with honesty, vulnerability, love, care and respect. They listened with open minds, hearts and arms. They held space for one another to be.
I looked at these men and even though they lived different lives, differed in age and background, the one thing that they had in common was the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. I knew then that this was something I wanted to explore and have more of in my life.
Fast forward to today after numerous retreats, hours of meditation, many powerful talks and countless meaningful and rich conversations with others who are also walking the path and I slowly but surely realised that I wanted to deepen my practise and commitment to Buddhism and asked to become a Mitra.
My mind is clearer, more grounded in how I relate to difficulty and challenge and is vastly different compared to when I first came through the doors. The amazing friendships I’ve made and will continue to make and deepen moves me everytime I think about it. To be part of this Sangha is a beautiful and very meaningful part of my life.
I’m so excited to take this next step, and to do so with the Sangha, friends and family to witness it. After years of walking around the desert of confusion, uncertainty, delusion, anger and loneliness, I have finally found an oasis of calm, love and peace, whose water can truly quench my thirst.
Thank you!! Nino
Poppy
Hi! My name is Poppy, and I’m incredibly excited to be becoming a Mitra soon. I have grown up around a lot of Buddhist practice – my dad has been very involved with this centre and lived in a men’s community for about five years, and my grandpa was even ordained within Triratna – his name was Tarabodhi. I have always felt myself drawn to Buddhism in some capacity or another. I grew up in Brighton, and came to this centre often, and I’m told that when I was about six I said it was my favourite place in the world.
I began to really pick up my own meditation and study practice when I was fourteen and I was involved in an informal study group called Dharmarama for over a year. I often came to the Brighton centre with my Dad and attended a few family retreat events. However, I was really keen to join the young Sangha and get more personally involved with the centre – but had to wait until I was 18!
In my day-to-day life, I am a trauma-informed horse trainer and run my own business called How To Speak Horse, which is centred around supporting people to build ethical, science-backed, consent-based relationships with their horses. I am lucky enough to have two gorgeous horses called Annie and Willow, who inspire, uplift and challenge me to grow every day. My horses – and my ever-evolving relationship to them – are a part of my practice just as strongly as meditation is.
I play a lot of music, mostly folk-inspired and on various stringed instruments, and most recently I have been teaching myself the celtic harp. I also enjoy reading a lot of dense non-fiction philosophical and therapeutic books, and
over the past few years I have engaged with a lot of internal and group process work, including somatic therapy. I love the fact that people at the centre are often very up for discussing those kinds of topics.
This space and these people feel so strongly like home, and this past year of being a part of this sangha has easily been one of the best of my life. There is such inspiration, kindness and energy that flows so freely among the group.
Sophie
Hi! My name is Sophie! I moved to Brighton in February 2025 and started coming to the Brighton Buddhist Centre at the same time. I first came along to one of the young sangha Tuesday evenings, not knowing what to expect but hoping to learn how to meditate and perhaps meet some new people.
After that first class, I phoned my mum on my way home and could hardly contain my excitement. I shared with her about the meditation, the teacher, the shrine room, the cups of tea, the wonderful people, and the deep sense of belonging I so quickly felt. In that moment, I knew I’d found something special.
Since then, I have continued to join the drop-in meditation classes. I started attending weekend events and Dharma courses, went to Buddhafield Festival, joined the support team, and after a few months, booked onto my first retreat. I went with some friends from the young sangha, and as we delved into the topic of ‘An Inconceivable Freedom’, accompanied by many slices of oranges, I found my inquisitive nature came alive. In particular, we explored myth and symbolism, which felt simultaneously unfamiliar to my more rational mind and captivating to my creative side. Ultimately, along with a million questions and ideas, I came away with a strong feeling of connection which I have been exploring and deepening ever since.
The Brighton sangha has helped and challenged me to become more of myself. I feel so lucky to have such genuine, inspiring, and uplifting friendships, in which we are committed to growing alongside one another. I am extremely grateful to my friends, family, and Mitra siblings for all their love and support, and I am so excited for what’s next to come.
tate
Hello! My name is tate :) These questions are very important to me: Who am I? What am I? Who are you? What are you doing here reading my mitra bio? Curiosity is my refuge, and so is the Brighton Buddhist Centre…
I first stepped foot through the doors on a rainy February evening, earlier this year. I was walking around Brighton in search for something. I didn’t quite know what that something was, I still don’t. I am still searching. I cautiously wandered into the top shrine room, avoiding eye contact with anyone. The meditation began and I floated away into a space of imagery and deep raw sensations. I saw a tree trunk and a single sheet of paper wrapped around it. My body pulsated among the vibrations of all the breaths of the strangers surrounding me. I felt so scared and yet so held and safe. For the first few weeks I didn’t stick around for the social at the end, I made a swift exit out of the doors. I was terrified of conversation. But I kept returning. Every Tuesday. And then on the weekends. And here I am now! becoming a Mitra!!
The Brighton Buddhist Centre is so important to me, possibly the most important aspect of my life. The decision to become a Mitra felt like a natural becoming, after I battled with the question of … how can I say that I am a Buddhist … If I, myself, am in a constant state of flux … The labels are not important to me, my practice and action is.
I run my own business called ‘Milzbe’ where I upcycle and rework old clothes with lino prints. If you see me, I am probably wearing something I have made! Creativity is at the core of my practice. I love the sea, and collecting stones on the beach, especially stones with holes in!!! I spend a lot of my time researching psychoanalysis and philosophy, at the moment I am very focused on Lacan and his approach to the unconscious and subjectivity.
Each Tuesday, at the young Sangha night, I fall into deep conversations about the nature of reality and of human consciousness, connecting with people beyond words and sense! I have met the most wonderful humans through the Sangha and I am beyond excited to see how we all continue to grow and bloom :))
Thank you for reading my Mitra bio! Byeee :)
