Washington DC Area

From Order of Interbeing

Becoming a Member of the Order of Interbeing With the Washington Area Order of Interbeing Community

The core community of the Order of Interbeing consists of members who have committed to observing the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings of the Order and the Five Mindfulness Trainings and have been ordained in a formal ceremony as brothers and sisters in the order. To be an Order Member is to be a companion of Bodhisattvas, working in numerous ways to relieve the suffering of all beings. Members of the core community commit to being agents of social transformation through the practice of mindfulness in daily life and accept the responsibility of organizing and supporting a local sangha and other organized mindfulness activities in their communities. Order members also agree to observe sixty days of mindfulness or retreat days each year.

In order to facilitate the process of joining the Order of Interbeing in the Washington Area, the Leadership Council of the Washington Area community (consisting of Anh-Huong, Richard, and Mitchell) have delineated the following steps.

1. Indication of Interest.

A person with an interest in the possibility of joining the Order of Interbeing, after gaining basic information about the order from current members and from reading available literature, such as the Interbeing book, shall write a letter to the Leadership Council and send it to Anh-Huong. The letter should briefly discuss the ways in which the practice of mindfulness has become embodied in their life, their current sangha support activities, their willingness to undertaking the responsibilities of Order membership, and the directions in which they see their practice developing in the future. The letter should also indicate when and from whom the person received the Five Mindfulness Trainings.

2. Being Accepted as an Aspirant

The Leadership Council will review letters of interest and determine whether it is an appropriate time to begin the aspirant process. One of the criteria will be whether the individual has established relationships of honesty, openness, and trust with Sangha members and with one or more senior order members. The Council may decide that the preparatory work has been completed and may accept the individual as an aspirant and invite the individual to begin attending community recitations or the Council may decide that more ripening time is needed. In either case, the Leadership Council may also suggest ways in which the individual might develop his or her practice, such as through joining a study group or becoming more involved with specific sangha activities.

3. Beginning the Mentorship Process

The mentorship process is intended to guide the aspirant through the final stages of preparation for order membership. Mentors assist aspirants in gaining competence so that they are fully comfortable working with and teaching the basic practices such as conscious breathing, sitting meditation, and walking meditation. Also, aspirants share with mentors their developing understanding and practice of the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings and the challenges they face in following them in their day-to-day life.

Mentorship may begin after the aspirant’s practice of the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings has matured and after he or she has become acquainted with the members of the core community. The Leadership Council through observing and working with an individual aspirant may recommend that it is time for the mentoring to begin. Alternatively, aspirants, after attending recitations for at least twelve months, may request the assignment of mentors.

When there is understanding among the Council and the aspirant that the aspirant is ready, one or more mentors may be assigned.

4. Completing the Mentoring process

The mentorship process usually continues for at least a year and moves towards conclusion when the aspirant and mentors feel confident that the practice of mindfulness and the Mindfulness Trainings have become firmly established in the aspirant’s life. There should be a shared sense that the aspirant is able to sustain his or her own practice and help others, through Sangha building, in the development of their practice.

When this stage has been reached, the aspirant, working closely with his or her mentors, writes a letter to the Leadership Council requesting ordination in the Order of Interbeing. Typically, the letter will include a reflection on the spiritual path the aspirant has journeyed, the transformations he or she has undergone, the challenges he or she continues to work with (relating both to individual practice and sangha practice), and his or her aspirations for the future as a member of the order.

Upon receiving the letter, the Leadership Council will meet with the aspirant’s mentors to discuss the letter and decide whether to recommend ordination or whether questions about the aspirant’s confidence, peace, and stability remain.

If ordination is recommended by the Council and the mentors then final approval for ordination is sought through the assent of all current order members. This may occur at a regularly scheduled meeting of the community or through other means, such as individual discussions with Council members, if a meeting cannot be arranged in a timely manner.