Buddhist Voices

During this in-depth interview with Jyotika, Prakasha recounts his experience of living at Guhyaloka. For approximately five years he lived in the Vihara there with several other men. This was a time of deep spiritual practice, which gave rise to many fruits. Since then he has spent months on solitary retreat in the Valley and at Uttaraloka. In their conversation, among other tales, he shares the...

Guhyaloka—the ‘Secret Valley’—has been the Triratna Buddhist Community's primary place for men’s ordination since 1987. Over 600 men have become Order members there. It has therefore been vitally important in helping to shape what the Triratna community offers the world today. For it to thrive into the future, Guhyaloka needs to undergo major renovations, all of which require financial support. Th...

In this latest episode of the Buddhist Voices podcast, we follow the personal journeys of Sarvananda and Satyadaka, two lifelong friends and dedicated Dharma practitioners who have lived together in various contexts for over twenty years. It's a rare opportunity to listen into stories from such a close companionship, making this conversation a true delight to share with you. This episode covers a...

In this episode of the Buddhist Voices podcast, we explore the personal journey and reflections of Dharmacharini Maitripala, a member of the Triratna Buddhist Order as well as a private and public preceptor, based in Brunswick, Australia.  Initially leading a seemingly idyllic life, Maitripala's quest for 'more' was sparked by a serene moment of beauty as she noticed the glistening morning dew del...

In this latest episode of the Buddhist Voices podcast, we take a deep dive into the life and transformative journey of our guest, Dharmachari Samasuri. Our guest's journey began whilst struggling her way through medical school in London. Sharing a house with long time friend Karunamati when she found herself on the brink of a breakdown.  Amidst the backdrop of Glastonbury Festival, she fondly reme...

In this episode of the Buddhist Voices podcast, we delve into the life of Dharmachari Jyotipala. Ordained into the Triratna Buddhist Order in the late 1970s, Jyotipala's spiritual journey has taken in many different contexts within the Order, including a spell living in India wearing formal Buddhist robes. However, his spiritual life started much earlier than that. Raised a catholic he became insp...

Join Satyalila for another episode of the Buddhist Voices podcast as she engages in a heartfelt conversation with Suryaka about their journey of discovering and embracing Buddhism. This interview was originally conducted for the Fifty Years, Fifty Voices project. Suryaka's name is pronounced as "Su-ree-a-ka," meaning "Like the Sun." Suryaka’s initial attraction to yoga and meditation retreats was...

In this podcast episode, we have the pleasure of hearing from Rijumayi, currently based in Melbourne, Australia, as she shares her spiritual journey as part of the Fifty Years, Fifty Voices project. Rijumayi takes us back to her formative years, recounting her initial encounters with Buddhism during her teenage years. Her interest in the teachings was ignited whilst in high school, she attended a...

As part of the Fifty Years, Fifty Voices project, celebrating 50 years of the Triratna Buddhist Order; In this episode of the Buddhist Voices podcast, we hear from Manjuvajra, a member of the Order for over 45 years, who shares their experience of reassessing their relationship with the order after withdrawing from their previous institutional roles. Manjuvajra notes that the order they joined man...

In 2018, Satyalila had the pleasure of sitting down with Akasasuri at the Adhisthana Library for an interview as part of the Fifty Years Fifty Voices project. Extracts from this interview were used in the project, and now we are gradually releasing the full interviews to provide a deeper dive into the lives of various members of the Triratna Buddhist Order across the globe. In this far-reaching co...

In the latest episode of the Buddhist Voices podcast, we are privileged to hear from Dharmachari Manidhamma. It was during a big procession celebrating Buddha Jayanti (the Buddha's 'Awakening' or 'Enlightenment'), where a life-sized bronze statue of Dr Ambedkar was installed, and slogans of 'Jai Bhim' and 'Victory to the Great Buddha' could be heard.  As a young boy, Manidhamma fondly remembers ma...

In this podcast episode, Amritavani shares her journey towards the Dharma, starting from her childhood fascination with something bigger calling her. She talks about her exploration of different spiritual paths, including yoga, Christianity, and the divine feminine, before finally finding her way to the Dharma through a meditation class in Croydon. It was at the Croydon Buddhist Centre that she me...

In this latest episode of the Buddhist Voices podcast, Parami and Sraddhavajri engage in a conversation for the Fifty Years, Fifty Voices project. They share their early encounters with the Dharma and its transformative impact on their lives. In particular, Sraddhavajri reminisces about her childhood in Modinagar, India, where her parents were involved with Buddhism and the teachings of Dr. Babasa...

On a cold winter's evening towards the end of 1969, at number 14 Monmouth Street, a small shop named Sakura, accessed via a side entrance through an alleyway, then down a narrow set of stairs into a basement, a meditation class was being held. Seated at the back of the room was Sangharakshita, dressed in robes, with a western pullover underneath, wearing an abundance of rings and long hair. Buddha...

Growing up in Chorley, Lancashire, in the northwest of England, Abhaya (1936-2022) recalls his early life as the youngest of four siblings, raised by parents who were run off their feet. With Dad away at the war, mum managed a small chip shop in which he and his brothers used to help out. Following in the footsteps of his older brother Jack, Abhaya would later spend several years at a Catholic Sem...

Many people in the Triratna Buddhist Community know Amoghasiddhi for his kind and welcoming smile, as well as his tireless Dharma work for our sangha in Nagpur, India. Now part of the ordination team in India, as well as a member of Indian Public Preceptors Kula, Amoghasiddhi has been ordained for over 30 years.  In this moving interview with Candradasa, originally recorded back in 2018 for the Fi...

When Aryadhi encountered meditation for the first time, she wholly embraced it amid the very positive atmosphere of the London Buddhist Centre . She recalls the memory of waking up on her first retreat after a powerful new year’s eve puja just knowing that she was a Buddhist, and that her life would never be the same again. A series of important self discoveries would begin to unfold during her or...

“This conversation I'm having with you right now is an expression of Bhante's vision of the Dharma.” In this latest full interview for the Fifty Years, Fifty Voices Project , we hear from Dharmashalin. Now the Mitra convenor for the Birmingham Buddhist Centre, Dharmashalin made his first proper contact with Buddhism at 19 years old after a period of drug-based experimentation and existential angst...

Sucimani interviews Vijaya and for the Fifty Years, Fifty Voices Project . Vijaya shares movingly about the suffering she faced growing up in a slum near Nagpur railway station, losing her younger brother and father in quick succession and, subsequently, having to fight periods of depression.  Later in life a visiting Dharmachari would come and teach her meditation and in her own words she recalls...

Al igual que muchas de las historias que escuchamos en el proyecto Cincuenta Años, Cincuenta Voces , la amistad ha marcado la vida de los miembros de la Orden en toda nuestra comunidad internacional. En este episodio escuchamos a dos buenos amigos que comparten sus caminos y su historia de práctica del Dharma, con un toque poético. Desde Mérida, en el corazón de los Andes venezolanos, hasta el Cen...

“Padmapani is my Yidam, two-armed Avalokitesvara… I came from a Pureland Mahayana tradition so I wanted all of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas to be part of my practice, but I gradually narrowed down… Avalokitesvara gave the Heart Sutra and bit by bit it became clear that, ‘Well, it’s just a question of how many arms!” When Prasadacarin’s school teacher organized a class visit to a Mahayana Buddhist...

" Things have changed in the last 10 years or so. A lot of it was just building on what I’d received from Bhante and other Order Members and other people… over the years. But I think, for me, it feels as if those three years with all that time to completely focus on the Dharma did sort of liberate things or bring to fruition a lot of seeds that had been planted by Bhante and other people over a lo...

“I asked him, if I would go there, will I get food? And he said “Yes, obviously there will be a feast and you can have enough to eat.’ And I thought then, ’I’ll go.’” In 1998 when Ratnakumar was 13 years old, one of his cousins asked him if he’d like to go to a public meeting. That meeting just so happened to be an anniversary celebration for the birthday of Dr. Bimrao Ambedkar, the great leader o...

“I had been looking for so long.  And then I saw my first woman Order Member. And that was like the ‘fourth sight’… that inspired me to go for refuge. (Amarapushpa) “It’s not something that has to do with ideas and concepts… It’s about more practical wholeness, with your heart. (Chandrasiddhi) Grabación en inglés y español | Recording in English and Spanish *** Amarapushpa, a lawyer from New York,...

A great conversation with the quietly brilliant Abhayadana about her Buddhist work and practice in India. Her name means 'Giver of Fearlessness' - and this is something she has dedicated her life to, helping support and free women in her community from the stigma of social caste and the violence that often goes with it. We hear about her personal approach via meditation and reflection on the Buddh...