Sangha Stories – Sue Double

Following a break during a busy period in her life and starting a new job, Sue felt a strong pull to return to the centre. Her journey back was marked by a sense of longing for something more, a better way of life she had previously encountered at the centre.

Since becoming a Mitra in 2018 and asking for ordination the following year, Sue has been actively involved with the centre. Her roles include supporting the shrine kula, Saturday morning classes, a year two study group, and eight-step recovery meetings. She also serves as the Community Action Kula convener, leading the team in organizing charity collections each year, which we wanted to learn more about:

What does the community action kula do?

The Community Action kula responds to the local community’s needs, providing them with basic provisions that they require, not just monetary donations. The kula enables the sangha to be generous in many forms, with their time, well-wishing or even the smallest of donations, meaning that they can support people in need.

Who is in the kula?

Currently, Paula, Di, Irene and myself are the core crew, but there have been many other people involved in the past.

How did the kula start?

Arthapriya, the President of the Ipswich Buddhist Centre, led an event at the centre several years ago, and I questioned what we were doing as a centre for people in need. Over the road from here, the homeless come to the soup kitchen for their food, which I supported at the time as a Samaritan. So I told Arthapriya that we need to support our community, and afterwards, when I spoke to him one-to-one, he encouraged me “to stay with that thought”.

At this point, Dayasara had been actively involved with Buddhist Action Month for many years, coordinating community projects such as litter picks and even a food collection for the homeless one year. So I reached out to Dayasara, asking if I could be part of that, and suggested we make it something bigger throughout the year.

So it started with Dayasara, Viśvabandhu and me, during covid, when it became really obvious that charities were struggling. Caroline suggested a local charity called Ipswich Family Hub, which really needed support. And so for that Christmas, we put out a call to the sangha for donations to the Ipswich Family Hub, as well as the Lighthouse Trust and Ipswich Outreach (homeless shelter). And we were just overwhelmed with the donations and realised there were a lot of people who wanted to help. We soon appreciated we would need more people to pick up and drop off the donations, and so that’s how the kula first formed.

But Dayasara was particularly instrumental in its creation. Supporting the homeless was a cause very close to his heart, having a lot contact with Ian who runs the soup kitchen and was keen for us to support them. So it grew out of Dayasara, from his seed of generosity.

Which charities have you supported over the years

We currently support Ipswich Outreach (Homeless) and Ipswich Family Hub. We wanted it to be really local, all within this area, not a big charity, we wanted to support Ipswich. We have also donated to FIND (Families in Need) and the Lighthouse Trust, when we have been overwhelmed with food.

Has the sangha donated any particularly memorable items?

One Christmas, somebody donated two big brand-new scooters as presents. I couldn’t quite believe it—how incredibly generous and kind. But then, on the flip side, there’s a member of the sangha who doesn’t have much disposable income at all but brought a couple of tins in, saying they really wanted to make sure they gave something. Both were really memorable donations when people don’t have much at all.

What has delivering the donations been like?

When we have gone to drop-off the donations, people have been so moved, the children are so excited, it’s amazing really. The other thing about it is meeting other people like Michelle from the Ipswich Family Bank and Ian, who runs Ipswich Outreach. They are just the most incredible people, they are not paid but have been doing this tirelessly for many years. It’s such a privilege to meet these people. They are not doing this for themselves in any way and I find that incredible. They are real bodhisattvas.

What have you learnt from being a part of the community action kula?

I’ve learnt that generosity is just about responding to the need and letting go of any judgment. It’s about responding in the most appropriate way. No one can imagine what it’s like when you have children and no money, with nothing at all, and you are entirely reliant on what people give to you.
There is also a freedom in that open-handed generosity. There is no “I’m only going to give this or that” or “It has to be healthy”. All that just drops away. And so you are just responding to the need, giving what’s required rather than what you think someone else might need.

Why do you think generosity is important in the Dharma life?

It is crucial, it is the centre of the Dharma life to me. In a simple way, it is about not putting yourself first but thinking about the needs of other beings. Generosity comes in many forms, whether in time or gifts, but it is also about allowing someone else to be generous.

There is also the generosity of being in a kula, being alongside other people with a common aim. Being able to take everybody’s thoughts and perspectives equally and generously allowing it to evolve with those people in it. And you know there is love, loving-kindness, and compassion in order to be generous, but by giving, you are removing yourself from your own self-centeredness.

When is your next collection?

So we typically take collections during Buddhist Action Month in June and also at Christmas. But we also respond to the need, following calls from charities requesting help so whenever is needed too. Check Community Action Page.

If you would like to support the Community Action Kula with their next collection, either with a donation or helping the team with your time, please contact them via email (communityaction@ipswichbuddhistcentre.org.uk) or on Slack.