MITRA Tagline

Kalyana Mitra - Spiritual friends, living Buddhism together.

MITRA Vision

An Australian Buddhist network connecting spiritual friends and communities together through shared experiences, teachings, practices and philosophy.

MITRA Mission

MITRA Youth Buddhist Network is a diverse and inclusive community of young people from students to working adults. MITRA is non-sectarian, welcoming and supporting explorations into different Buddhist traditions, teachings and discourses. Together we empower each other to learn and grow in our spiritual journeys.

Mitra: The beginnings

Group photo of a past executive team

Friend

Mitra, a Sanskrit word meaning friend, was selected as the name for the network as it represented Mitra’s relationship with its affiliated societies and aim to be a helping hand in the community.

Mitra was inspired by the Intervarsity Buddhist Convention held at UTS in July 2002. At the convention, it was identified that formal links between University Buddhist Societies would help to ensure the continued growth of each society. Representatives from UTS Buddhist Society, Unibodhi, MacBuddhi and a few past executive committee members from MacBuddhi formed the initiating team of Mitra.

Our Objectives

  1. To assist in establishing, sustaining and developing Buddhist youth organisations, especially at tertiary education institutions

  2. To provide material resources, human resources, guidance and advice to Buddhist youth organisation

  3. To facilitate collaboration, sharing and networking between Buddhist youth organisations

  4. To actively foster a network of alumni from Buddhist youth organisations which actively supports Buddhist youth

  5. To provide the Buddhist community in Australia a means of understanding and supporting Buddhist youth

  6. To represent the voice of Buddhist youth in Australia to other faith groups as well as to the wider community

Our Inspiration

Mitra will operate in accordance with the Dharma, teachings of the Buddha. In particular, the following passage on the propagation of Dharma (Anguttara Nikaya III:183 – Gradual Sayings III:136) will guide Mitra.

The Buddha said to Ananda – In propagating the Dharma to others, establish well five things:

  1. Propagate the Dharma in a gradual way

  2. Propagate the Dharma with the goal in mind

  3. Propagate the Dharma with kindliness

  4. Do not Propagate the Dharma as a means of gain

  5. Propagate the Dharma without harm to anybody

Good friends, companions, and associates are the whole of the spiritual life