The Seeds of Dharma In Guadalajara

Guadalajara is a vast city of around 5.5 million people, yet there was not yet a significant Triratna presence there. This project is a small but meaningful step towards changing that. The vision is to establish a thriving Triratna group in Guadalajara and, perhaps one day, a formal Buddhist Centre. The roots are already present: three mitras living locally, a friend joining them, monthly meetings, and workshops that have shown there are people in the city who are eager to encounter meditation, community and the Dharma.

The grant will make something very practical possible: regular visits from experienced practitioners and Order Members, supported by travel costs and online publicity. These visits are not just about putting on events; they are about friendship, continuity and confidence. For the Mitras in Guadalajara, having Order Members visit means encouragement and guidance as they learn what it means to build a Triratna group. For newcomers and friends, it means the chance to attend open workshops and discover a living Dharma community close to home.  

There is something especially inspiring about the simplicity of this request. A relatively small amount of funding £1,000, helped cover bus journeys, basic travel expenses and publicity for five events. The team is also contributing locally, covering the costs of a second visitor, accommodation and venue hire. In other words, this is a shared act of generosity: Future Dharma supporters helping to open a door, and the local sangha stepping through it with commitment and care.

The journey will not be easy. Guadalajara is seven hours by bus from Mexico City and nine hours from Cuernavaca, where the Order Members travel from. But the application was alive with real faith in the potential of the situation: the city is large, the mitras are keen, and there are Order Members and friends willing to help. With the right support, these early workshops could become the beginning of a new Triratna presence in western Mexico, one gathering, one bus journey, one conversation at a time.