2022-12-31-accounts - Triratna Buddhist Community (York)

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Triratna Buddhist Community (York)

Charity number 1189773

Annual Report and Financial Statements

for the year ended 31 December 2022

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Triratna Buddhist Community (York)

Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2022

Contents	Page
Trustees' report	2 to 6
Examiner's report	7
Receipts and payments account	8
Statement of assets and liabilities	9
Notes to the accounts	10 to 11

Prepared by West Yorkshire Community Accountancy Service CIO

Triratna Buddhist Community (York)

Trustees' report for the year ended 31 December 2022

Reference and administrative details of the charity, its trustees and advisors

The trustees during the financial year and up to and including the date the report was approved were: Name Position Dates Shakyapada Jenny Roberts Chair Mark Jones Treasurer Kathryn Readman Mark James Leech Frances Irene Hooker Robert Burdett Resigned 25 April 2022 Charity number 1189773 Registered in England and Wales Registered and principal address Bankers 17 Walmgate Triodos Bank plc York Deanery Road YO1 9TX Bristol BS1 5AS Independent examiner Sarah Coates MAAT West Yorkshire Community Accountancy Service CIO Stringer House 34 Lupton Street Leeds LS10 2QW

Structure, governance and management

The charity is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) association formed on 3 June 2020 and is governed by a constitution.

Method of recruitment and appointment of trustees

The trustees of the charity are appointed by the members at the AGM.

Triratna Buddhist Community (York)

Trustees' report (continued) for the year ended 31 December 2022

Objectives and activities

The charity's objects

The object of the CIO is to support the advancement of the Buddhist religion, in particular by: Encouraging members and others to live ethical lives in accordance with the teachings of the Buddha. Supporting ordained members of the Triratna Buddhist Community and other duly ordained Buddhists, at the discretion of the council of the CIO.

Maintaining close communication with and working under the guidance of the Triratna Buddhist order and in cooperation with other groups with the same objects.

Using applications of the Buddha's teaching to promote the health and well-being of all.

Encouraging members and others to live ethical lives in accordance with the teachings of the Buddha.

We are here to support people who wish to learn about and practise Buddhism. In order to achieve this we provide courses and classes which explore Buddhist practice. These include teaching basic meditation techniques to complete beginners, and more advanced classes and courses for those who want a deeper understanding of Buddhist practice and how this can be explored in contemporary society. We have a small Spiritual and Gift shop to provide access to meditation accessories, etc. and Buddhist literature not easily available elsewhere. All the work and teaching at our Centre, including the shop, is carried out by volunteers. No one is paid. We raise money from donations at the classes and events and from members of the Sangha (community). We aim to promote the Buddhist ethic of 'dana' or giving, so most of our activities are paid for by donation. People are free to attend even if they have no money. We have a commitment to making our activities and premises accessible to all by providing access for disabled people.

Supporting ordained members of the Triratna Buddhist Community and other duly ordained Buddhists, at the discretion of the Council of the CIO;

At the moment we do not support anyone. However, this may be necessary in the future as we grow, The contribution made by members of the Triratna Buddhist Order remains essential to provide the experience, depth of practice and understanding of Buddhism needed in a spiritual community, and to make this available to others.

Maintaining close communication with and working under the guidance of the Triratna Buddhist Order and in co-operation with other groups with the same objects; Public benefit statement

We work in co-operation with other Triratna Centres, Retreat Centres and with the Preceptors College (which oversees the Ordination process). This allows us to maintain clarity with regard to our vision, to benefit from the experience of other groups with similar objectives, and so make the best use of the resources we have in York.

Using applications of the Buddha's teaching to promote the health and well-being of all.

Triratna Buddhist Community (York) is committed to encouraging equality, diversity and inclusion among our sangha, and eliminating discrimination. Everyone is welcome regardless of age, disability, gender, race, religion or belief, income, sex and sexual orientation. People attending our classes or events classes do not have to be a Buddhist or feel the need to become a Buddhist.

Specifically, we do this by:

a. Holding services of worship and devotion;
b. Organising talks, courses, classes meditation sessions and retreats;
c. Publishing materials (written and online);
d. Raising funds and invite and receive contributions.

Our aim is to encourage members and others to live ethical lives in accordance with the teachings of the Buddha. So, the Triratna Buddhist Community (York) provides an understanding of Buddhism through a programme of classes and events, both for regular members of our group as well as for newcomers from the local community and others.

Triratna Buddhist Community (York) Trustees' report (continued) for the year ended 31 December 2022

Objectives and activities (continued)

One of the main aspects of the Buddha's teaching is a grounding in Buddhist ethics. These ethical values are central to, and are threads that run through all the Buddha's teachings. Non-Buddhists are in no way expected or required to take on or follow these precepts. Instead, they are invited to test the ethical principles in their own lives to determine their effects on themselves and others around them, for the enhancement and benefit of society as a whole.

These ethical values are expressed in both a positive and negative form in what are called The Five Precepts:

Negative formulation:

I undertake to abstain from taking life. I undertake to abstain from taking the not-given. I undertake to abstain from sexual misconduct. I undertake to abstain from false speech. I undertake to abstain from taking intoxicants.

Positive formulation:

With deeds of loving kindness, I purify my body. With open-handed generosity, I purify my body. With stillness, simplicity, and contentment, I purify my body. With truthful communication, I purify my speech. With mindfulness clear and radiant, I purify my mind.

The charity's main activities

We are a community of friends who support the Buddhist religion in York mainly through our Centre and online. Our activities encourage members and others to live ethical lives in accordance with the teachings of the Buddha. We use applications of the Buddha's teaching to promote the health and well-being of all through classes and courses and other means.

Public benefit statement

In setting our objectives and planning our activities the Trustees have given serious consideration to the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit and in particular the advancement of religion, encouraging members and others to live ethical lives in accordance with the teachings of the Buddha and, through those teachings, promoting the health and well-being of all.

Introduction - New Premises and More Classes

This has been an important year for our charity. Our proposed acquisition of leased premises on Piccadilly fell through owing to a clause in the head lease which forbade change of use. However new leased premises of 840 square feet were found at 17 Walmgate, in central York.

These were acquired at the beginning of June after planning change of use was approved and, following refurbishment, were occupied in late July. Although the new premises involved a large rise in rent (the previous premises had been rent-free) it was felt that the position and increased size of the new centre would enable us to increase our offering, and therefore our income, substantially.

The increased space and more central location has, in fact, enabled us to increase our activities during the autumn with more classes, and drop-in events - and also helped us to reach more people who might benefit from our centre. We see this trend continuing in 2023 with a substantial increase in people benefitting from what we offer and a substantial increase in income.

In addition, after the move, we were able to increase the size of our volunteer Centre Team which helps us to be better organised in terms of the effective management of the centre.

The lease on our old centre at 38 Gillygate was surrendered at the end of July when all activities etc were transferred to 17 Walmgate.

Triratna Buddhist Community (York)

Trustees' report (continued) for the year ended 31 December 2022

Achievements and performance (continued)

New Members of the Triratna Order at York

This year we celebrated the Ordination of two of our team: Kate Readman became Amalasara, and Alex CarrMalcolm became Maitrikirana. This means that we now have three Order members on the team in York.

A Culture based on Generosity

We run a dana (generosity) economy at York. Everyone involved in running the centre is a volunteer and we make no charges for any of our classes. We do charge a small registration fee for our retreats and courses but otherwise all income is derived from donations.

Each year we also support the European Chairs Assembly with a donation to assist them with the funding of various services from which we and other centres benefit. This year it was £750. We hope to increase this donation next year to around 5% of our income.

Achievements and performance

A programme of classes, courses, retreats, drop-ins, study and other events have been made available during the year. Because of Covid some of these were held online with Zoom until the end of January. After that all activities became in-person with sangha night offering a Zoom link as well.

Mitra Ceremony:

Three of our sangha became Mitras on the evening of 7th September in our new centre. Currently we have 18 active mitras (‘friends’). These are community members who are Buddhists, have undertaken to follow the five Precepts as best they can and are committed to practising with Triratna, at least for the time being.

Training for Ordination

Four Women and one man asked to ‘Join the Order’ this year which means that they will embark on a programme of training retreats and mentoring, with a view to deepening their practice, so that they may eventually be invited to join the Triratna Buddhist Order. We now have nine sangha members who have asked for ordination.

Sangha (community) nights continued to be held on Wednesday evenings, and covered a broad range of the Buddha's teaching together with meditation practice. Initially they were on Zoom but on 22nd February reverted to in-person with a Zoom option. This has continued during the rest of the year with the Zoom attendance dwindling to between 1 and 3 people each week as in-person numbers increased to between 10 and 20 each week. These evenings are mainly led by Shakyapada, Mark Jones and Amalasara with occasional visits from outside Order members. They always include both meditation and teaching.

Study Groups: There have been three study groups this year on Monday and Thursday evenings. These were held on Zoom in the early part of the year but became in-person after February. Each of these is part of the fouryear Triratna Mitra Training Course which gives a comprehensive overview of the Triratna presentation of Buddhism.

Students from Year Two onwards are required to be Mitras (i.e. they regard themselves as Buddhists, follow the Five Precepts and are committed to practising with Triratna for the time being). Years Two and Three are led by Shakyapada.

These groups run continuously for most of the year with breaks between modules. A new class of nine students began Year One study in October with Mark Jones facilitating.

Day Retreats. We have held four Day Retreats this year. Taravandana from Manchester (our centre’s kalyana mitra or spiritual friend) led two day retreats at our Gillygate Centre. In the autumn there were two day retreats - one with Amalasara and Shakyapada and a second with Taravandana.

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Triratna Buddhist Community (York)

Independent examiner's report to the trustees of Triratna Buddhist Community (York)

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the CIO for the year ended 31 December 2022, which are set out on pages 8 to 11.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity trustees of the CIO you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ('the Act').

I report in respect of my examination of the CIO's accounts as carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act. In carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent examiner's statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

1 accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the Charities Act; 2 the accounts do not accord with those records.

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Signed: …………………………………… Name: Sarah Coates MAAT

21/08/2023

West Yorkshire Community Accountancy Service CIO

Stringer House 34 Lupton Street Leeds LS10 2QW

Triratna Buddhist Community (York)

Receipts and payments account

for the year ended 31 December 2022

Notes 2022 Unrestricted funds £ Receipts Grants and donations (2) 19,270 Shop sales 788 Other income 117 Gift aid 3,395 Courses 1,571 Retreats 7,666 Fundraising 144 Loan 20,000 Total receipts 52,951 Payments Marketing and publicity 152 Books, resources and stock 470 Accountancy and independent examination 533 Travel and subsistence - Rent, rates and room hire 19,848 Retreat costs 2,975 Legal and professional 7,689 Training 100 Printing, postage and stationery 393 IT software and consumables 525 Furniture and equipment 660 Bank charges 572 Utilities 1,587 Insurance 1,017 Centre refurbishment and decoration - Sundry 390 Donations to ECA 1,250 Telephone 526 New premises costs 25,308 Total payments 63,995 Net receipts / (payments) (11,044) Transfers between funds - Net movement in funds (11,044) Fund balances brought forward 27,575 Fund balances carried forward (3) 16,531	2022 Restricted funds £ 2,980 - - - - - - - 2,980 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2,980 2,980 - - - - -	2022 Total funds £ 22,250 788 117 3,395 1,571 7,666 144 20,000 55,931 152 470 533 - 19,848 2,975 7,689 100 393 525 660 572 1,587 1,017 - 390 1,250 526 28,288 66,975 (11,044) - (11,044) 27,575 16,531	2021 Total funds £ 14,850 7,427 7 3,159 273 1,469 1,350 - 28,535 241 5,151 450 14 808 467 2,868 - 24 425 (467) 328 574 588 918 297 310 441 - 13,437 15,098 - 15,098 12,477 27,575

Triratna Buddhlst Communlty (York) $tatem•nt af w•ts and liabilit•es 4$ at 31 Dx•rnbeT 2022 16,474 16.474 131 ?7 S7S 16.531 .4 Pd24 4550 4550 IIP Lwcp Ir 2.351 ZJ.711 Th• frnrthl

Notes to the accounts continued

Triratna Buddhist Community (York)

for the year ended 31 December 2022

1 Accounting

Basis of accounting

The trustees have taken advantage of section 133 of the Charities Act 2011 and have prepared the accounts on a receipts and payments basis.

There has been no change to the accounting policies since last year.

No changes have been made to the accounts for previous years.

Taxation

As a charity the organisation benefits from rates relief and is generally exempt from income tax and capital gains tax but not from VAT. Irrecoverable VAT is included in the cost of those items to which it relates.

Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity.

Restricted funds are subjected to restrictions on their expenditure imposed by the donor or through the terms of an appeal.

Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the accounts.

2 Grants and donations European Chairs Assembly Grant Dana - General Donations Dana - Newcomers Dana - Recurring Payment Dana - Meditations Dana - Standing Orders Dana - Study Dana - New Central Appeal 3 Restricted funds European Chairs Assembly Grant	Balance b/f £ - -	2022 Unrestricted funds £ - 3,297 650 1,872 486 12,906 59 - 19,270 Incoming £ 2,980 2,980	2022 Restricted funds £ 2,980 - - - - - - - 2,980 Outgoing £ 2,980 2,980	2022 Total funds £ 2,980 3,297 650 1,872 486 12,906 59 - 22,250 Transfers £ - -	2021 Total funds £ - 3,188 355 4,456 - 6,591 221 39 14,850 Balance c/f £ - -

Fund name Purpose of restriction

European Chairs Assembly Grant To purchase furniture for the new centre.

Notes to the accounts continued

Triratna Buddhist Community (York)

for the year ended 31 December 2022

Trustee expenses

No trustee received any expenses during this year or the previous year.

Trustee remuneration and benefits

No trustee received any remuneration or benefit during this or the previous year.

Funds held as agent Scarborough Buddhist group	Balance b/f £ - -	Incoming £ 10 10	Outgoing £ - -	Balance c/f £ 10 10

Fund name Additional information Scarborough Buddhist group We are administering funds for the Scarborough Buddhist group until they can get a bank account set up.