4th June - 31st August
Are you interested in throwing yourself into a full-time adventure that is designed to challenge you and give you essential skills to meet the challenges of the world?
Are you interested in understanding yourself, the Buddhist path and Buddhafield more deeply?
The Anuruddhas were a group of friends living and practicing together in the Buddha's time. When the Buddha visited them, he was very moved by their harmony and compassion, as they had made living together a deep part of their practice. The Anuruddha Project aims to follow this example, providing a place for people to come together to practice deeply together. This is an opportunity to join and help create a small community that will spend three months exploring how to harmoniously practice Buddhism by working and living together.
The aim of the project is to equip the successful candidate with a set of skills and provide them with a set of connections that will enrich their lives significantly, opening up new avenues of exploration that will be extremely wholesome, relevant and, potentially, very profound. This project is inviting you to live outdoors in community. Practically, you’ll come together each morning for meditation, breakfast and a group sharing. You will then spend the day together working on Buddhafield events, with meditations generally in the morning and before lunch and dinner. The evenings will be spent hanging out by fireside with songs and activities, or often in puja (rituals).
The practical work involves supporting Buddhafield to set up their meditation retreats and annual festival. This can be anything from learning to hammer in storm pegs, cooking in a makeshift kitchen, loading lorries, putting up geodesic domes, learning how to build and run a sauna, building a compost loo and much more. The group of Anuruddhas will often merge with other teams from Buddhafield who are also setting up the retreats.The course will last for four months and will be mainly embedded - though not exclusively - within Buddhafield events. It will include getting thoroughly involved with all the practical aspects of what we do: setting up a retreat, learning to hammer in storm pegs, cooking in a make-shift kitchen, loading lorries, putting up geodesic domes, learning how to run a sauna, building a compost loo and much more.
The course runs from the 4th June to the 31st of August 2025. The program will start with an induction retreat of 4 days followed by a meditation retreat. The Anuruddhas will then stay on site to help tat down (take the camp apart and pack it all into vehicles) and do some work on the land before continuing to the festival site to set up and become part of a team there. Afterwards they will continue to our land at Frogmill to become part of the set up team for the Village retreat. Finalising with the Buddhafield Open retreat.
(Note: There is quite a large amount of physical work needed for this project, but please reach out if you’d like to be part of this and have accessibility needs and we can be flexible with your needs.)
As well as the practical side to this project, it will provide a chance to explore how to harmoniously live as a community during these 3 months. For example, how to navigate conflict, put into practice the teachings of the dharma in relation to others (compassion, generosity, etc), and give an invitation to be our true, authentic selves with one another, in ways which might not feel as available to us in the context of the "outside world".
What is Buddhafield?
People involved in Buddhafield have come from all kinds of backgrounds and have come together, many for decades, to explore:
- how to live together as an effective and harmonious community (is that even possible?)
- how to live with a kindness that extends beyond the human community to the land on which we live, and to all living beings
- how to live sustainably, authentically and honestly in simple, straight forward ways, though requiring much creativity and innovation.
This exploratory journey thus far has borne much fruit and raised many questions, as well as a few answers which will provide us with much good material to chew over.
People often experience a strangely familiar, and yet, mysterious magic at Buddhafield events. It is mercurial, ethereal though tangible. It is related to the softening of our defences and the opening of our hearts. We call this 'something' the Dharma. It is what makes sense of everything else we do. To dive more deeply into this we will undertake:
- regular mediation and understanding how to work in meditation will be an important part of this course.
- learning how to turn work into play, play into practice.
- studying together. Looking at traditional Buddhist texts, being on retreat together, learning about ethics, deepening friendships and ways of cultivating wisdom.
Who is the project for?
Well to get the most out of this project you will be an adult of any age with a keen interest in community living, being outdoors soaked in nature, and have a sincere wish to understand the Buddhist teachings and how to put them into practice. You will have some experience of Buddhafield and Triratna. You will also be familiar with meditation.
If you would like to join us on this spiritual adventure please submit your application form, and we will invite you for an online interview.
A few words about us...
Alobhin will be the lead facilitator on the Anuruddha course. He is a member of the Triratna Order, was ordained in 2006 and is currently living an itinerant life supporting Buddhafield for much of the summer months. Last year Alobhin facilitated the Anuruddha Project for the second time and remains curious to find ways to develop and improve the project going forward.
This year the project will be logistically supported by Jess, who was a participant on the Annurudha project in 2024. She will help with driving, organising food shops and laundry runs etc.
Further support will come from Sharon, who will be managing the admin. Sharon is a Mitra training for ordination within Triratna who practises with Buddhafield in the summer months and with the Worthing group over the Winter. She also spends considerable time cooking at the various Triratna retreat centres around the country.
FAQS
Is this work paid? Or does it come with any allowance etc?
This is not a supported role and does not come with any allowance. However, all your food and drinks will be provided. You will need to provide your own transport, or lift share, to the first event.
Will I need to pay anything to take part in the Anuruddha Program?
We are offering the Anuruddha Project in the spirit of dana and will not be charging anything to take part. Previous participants have found that they needed money to cover their personal costs during the breaks in between events.
What food is provided?
Three organic vegan meals a day, plus snacks and drinks.
Do you cater for special diets?
Yes, we do. This will need a more person-specific conversation during your application process.
Are you open to those with accessibility needs?
Yes. If you disclose your needs on your application form, we can have a conversation about how the program could work for you.
What will the work involve on a day-to-day basis? How many hours a week will I be working/studying?
This will change a lot. Setting up a retreat, you might work 6-8 hours a day; while on retreat, it might only be one hour. Study is similar - it will ebb and flow with the needs of the program. You will have a week-long study retreat, and there will be teaching during the programme, with lots of Dharma discussions.
An average day might look like this during the set-up of a retreat:
7.30am - meditation
8.15am - breakfast
9am - morning circle and check-in
9.30am - 12.30 pm - work period, with breaks as needed.
12.30pm - meditation
1pm - lunch
2pm - reconvene for work
5.30pm - meditation
6pm - dinner
8pm - shrine activity
Will I need to provide my own accommodation?
Yes, a tent or van, plus your own bedding.
What teaching support is provided?
There will be one order member overseeing the project all the way through, It is possible that other order members will drop in for one or more events through the season.
Are there any behavioural agreements when taking part in the programme?
Yes. No drinking alcohol or taking drugs while taking part. Also, no fish or meat on any of the sites or events.
The aim of the project is to create a spiritual community together and we will be working with the 5 Precepts (These are: I undertake the training principle of abstaining from taking life. I undertake the training principle of abstaining from taking the not-given. I undertake the training principle of abstaining from sexual misconduct. I undertake the training principle of abstaining from false speech. I undertake the training principle of abstaining from intoxication.)
Can I bring my pets?
Unfortunately we can't accommodate pets.
Can you accommodate children?
We will take it on a case-by-case basis.
When will I find out if my application has been successful?
Applicants will be invited for an online interview. We would aim to give a response within a week of the interview. If successful we would invite applicants to attend the Buddhafield team gathering in April at our land near Broadhembury.
Please contact us on anuruddhas@buddhafield.com before completing the application form if you have any further questions.
The course runs from 4th June to 31st August 2025. The closing date for applications is 14th February 2025. Applications open on 13th January 2025. From this date you can access the application form by clicking the link below. Once it is submitted, we will contact you to invite you for an online interview.