Hertford Buddhist Group is part of the Triratna Buddhist Community. This is an international Buddhist movement with centres all over the world. It is dedicated to communicating Buddhist truths in a way that is appropriate to the modern world. All are welcome in our movement, whether or not they consider themselves to be Buddhist.

Triratna is open to all regardless of nationality, race, colour, education, class or caste, cultural background, gender, sexual orientation, or age: it seeks to welcome and value all as individuals. We place great emphasis on friendliness and friendship and mutual care and support.

Founded in 1967 by the English monk Sangharakshita, today Triratna has centres all over the world.

Triratna means the three jewels of the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha – or one who is awake, his teachings, and the community of other enlightened beings.

Triratna draws on the essences of all traditions in Buddhism, but is not aligned to any one traditional school. Instead it draws on the whole stream of Buddhist inspiration, unifying it into one effective practice.

All are welcome in our movement, whether or not they consider themselves to be Buddhist. People come into relationship with the Triratna sangha (community) in three ways:

• A friend is someone who engages with, and benefits from, the teachings and meditation without any further commitment, and is content to remain part of the community simply as a valued friend and contributor.
• A mitra is a specific kind of friend who, having seen and studied sufficiently with Triratna, then wants to go deeper with the Dharma in the context of Triratna, feels they are a Buddhist, and is trying to practice the five precepts. This is a personal undertaking, and anyone can ask to become a mitra.
• An order member is someone who has completed a training that includes study, practice, retreats and connecting with order members. One becomes an order member once other order members agree that the person’s life is oriented around Buddha, Dharma and Sangha and the spark of the spiritual has been witnessed. Any mitra can ask to be invited to join the ordination process. The order they join has no legal standing and is a free association of individuals.