Hi There
Thought I'd share with you my latest video.

I am developing a Buddhist business making web videos to help organisations explain and sell what they do in a fun and effective way.

I am also looking to make some films for organisations in the movement- whether its centres or businesses etc. to develop my portfolio. I would do this at a reduced price so it could be a mutually beneficial enterprise- so get in touch if you have something you need to say!

With Metta
Stephen Heppell

Welcome to Libby - newest member of the New Ventures group :) . Here's her great idea -

"Hi all, Lokabandu suggested I come here. Setting up a social enterprise with much inspiration from Triratna. I am a GFR based at Brighton Centre who came into the movement 8 years ago through the Buddhafields Child-Friendly retreat community.

The current venture is here (badly in need of an update)

http://mettaeggs.com/

Metta Eggs are small hand crafted clay eggs with personal messages hidden inside. Whimsical, ritual objects that help us celebrate each other and the cycle of life.

Metta Eggs are cracking all over the world, as a bespoke community celebration for big birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, new babies, bon voyage, graduation and other occasions. Each project is personalised to suit, and they can be given individually or as a group gift. We currently deliver to Europe and Australia (with studios in Brighton, England and Sydney). Our customers and message writers can be anywhere!

We are also very pleased to be developing a project to offer Metta Eggs to people living with major illness, and welcome all donations and contacts in cancer care, other health care organisations, the hospice movement, social enterprise and fund raising.

If you know anyone living with major illness who might benefit from receiving Metta Eggs, please get in touch for a private consultation. We have direct experience and expert mentorship working in this sensitive area. See website for more information.

Looking forward to connecting with other social entrepreneur types within Triratna.

Keen to hear from mentors, customers, advisors and potential partners.

Yours in the Dharma, Libby Davy

www.egghouseart.com

Float by Boat may be Triratna's newest venture - it's certainly Tor Johnson's, whose brainchild it is.

She operates from her boat Spirited Away and says - "Join one of our upcoming Float by Boat dates to enjoy a tranquil meditative canal break. We pick you up from the train, bus or your car and take you to the boat, where you’ll dine on wholesome vegetarian food, travelling around the rural canals of the UK's Midlands and be given space to unwind, appreciate the countryside, be creative or whatever floats your boat".

Her website goes on to explain - "Victoria Johnson, known to all as ‘Tor’, dreamt of this project one night in a faraway land. She was looking for something different to do, something where she could make a small living in a gentle and ethical way. The boat, 'Spirited Away' is her home and she loves welcoming fellow peace seekers aboard."

Each expedition has a name - ‘Curled-up Catkins’, ‘Frog’s Freedom’, ‘Wild Geese’, ‘Swan’s Sojourn’, ‘Hideaway Herons’, ‘Dragonfly’s Dance’ or the ‘Moorhen’s Meander’... For more details (or to book!) check her website, floatbyboat.co.uk.

Great little video from the Buddhist Geeks Conference - Rohan Gunatillake shares with us his thoughts on why creating Buddhist startups is important and his personal experience building his mobile meditation app, buddhify. The original post is at www.buddhistgeeks.com/2013/02/we-need-more-buddhist-startups.

Anyone fancy making a reply video on what we're up to?

Two new UK-based meditation stool-making ventures have sprung up in Triratna almost simultanously - Dharmamodana's simple but elegant Quiet Mind Meditation stools (www.quietmindmeditation.co.uk) and Viramitra's Kindseat (www.kindseat.com) - a more ambitious creation offering full adjustment and a choice of postures.

Click here for Viramitra's video introducing Kindseat.

Bodhiyoga (www.bodhiyoga.es) is a new Triratna venture based in Spain. It offers yoga teacher training based upon Buddhist mindfulness principles, and has been created by Sudaka and Sadhita, two Order Members who’ve been living there for some years now. They’ve just completed their first year and have ambitious plans to branch out to the UK, even to develop a Triratna-wide Yoga Training initiative.

For a full report on Bodhiyoga’s first year and their plans, click here.

A report by the Bodhiyoga team on their first year's activities. Bodhiyoga are a new Triratna venture offering yoga teacher training based upon Buddhist mindfulness principles. Find them at www.bodhiyoga.es

And the second talk - after a short introduction by Lokabandhu, Claudine Edwards introduces Lamas Pyjamas as a Right Livelihood business, as part of the Triratna Buddhist Community's New Ventures weekend in Birmingham, Nov 2012. Find out more at www.lamaspyjamas.com.

Again, if the widget below doesn’t work, you’ll find her talk at soundcloud.com/thebuddhistcentre/claudine-introduces-lamas-pyjamas.

There's over sixty people and proto-teams around Triratna with ideas for new Right Livelihood projects - social, Dharma, or business - in the UK/Europe alone. You can see a very brief summary of the currrent list at tinyurl.com/newtriratnaplans. Now we have this page on thebuddhistcentre we'd like to invite everyone to post little outlines of their ideas here - that way we can start to hook up with others and gather the teams and skills we need. Here's a suggested template - just copy the headings below, click on "+ blog" above (this will appear once you've joined the group), paste them, and fill it in! Before creating a new blog post you might like to check down the list to see what's there already.

Your name(s)? ___
Where are you based? ___
Nature of proposed initiative? ___
Say a few words about it... ___
Is it social, Dharma, or business? ___
Hoped-for start date (if applicable) ___
and...
What do you need most to take it forwards? ___
Are you thinking to come to the New Ventures weekends in Birmingham in Autumn 2012? ____