Read speaker annals

Interview recorded in 2018.

BUDDHADASA’S ANNALS:

• In 1968 – I was 25 and working as an interior designer with a firm of architects in Bloomsbury Square, London. It was the era of drawing boards and T squares and the time of transition from Imperial to Metric. It was also the year when decimalisation began to be introduced. This was my second and half-hearted attempt to establish a career having previously discharged myself from the Army in 1964. Rock climbing and mountaineering were my main leisurely interests.

• In 1978 – I was living in the Sukhavati community and working in Friends Building Service to raise funds for the creation of the London Buddhist Centre that opened this same year.
• In 1988 – I was living at Sudarshanaloka, our developing New Zealand retreat centre near Thames and with Satyananda as joint Chairs we were renovating premises in town that became the right livelihood business, Lotus Realm, and in which we held our first meditation course this same year.
• In 1998 – I was living at the Bishop Street Men’s community in Melbourne. In a ceremony at the Melbourne Buddhist Centre in November I passed on to Siladasa the Chairmanship of the Centre that had opened in August, 1993.
• In 2008 – I was living in Katoomba, NSW, and caring for Dipankara now afflicted with epilepsy and often hospitalised. Dipankara was the instigator of the original Australia Team with Dharmamati, Vipula and myself. Turning 65 in June I signed on at CentreLink in Katoomba for the pension.
• In 2018 – I’m once more living at Gandhakuti, the men’s community in Melbourne and where I have recently established in the garden a water feature with a little kula of goldfish. In March I’ll be visiting Adhisthana and attending my final meeting of the College of Public Preceptors for we retire at 75. In May I leave for New Zealand for two months to teach at to meet with old and new friends. 

Interview recorded in 2018.

BUDDHADASA’S ANNALS:

• In 1968 – I was 25 and working as an interior designer with a firm of architects in Bloomsbury Square, London. It was the era of drawing boards and T squares and the time of transition from Imperial to Metric. It was also the year when decimalisation began to be introduced. This was my second and half-hearted attempt to establish a career having previously discharged myself from the Army in 1964. Rock climbing and mountaineering were my main leisurely interests.

• In 1978 – I was living in the Sukhavati community and working in Friends Building Service to raise funds for the creation of the London Buddhist Centre that opened this same year.
• In 1988 – I was living at Sudarshanaloka, our developing New Zealand retreat centre near Thames and with Satyananda as joint Chairs we were renovating premises in town that became the right livelihood business, Lotus Realm, and in which we held our first meditation course this same year.
• In 1998 – I was living at the Bishop Street Men’s community in Melbourne. In a ceremony at the Melbourne Buddhist Centre in November I passed on to Siladasa the Chairmanship of the Centre that had opened in August, 1993.
• In 2008 – I was living in Katoomba, NSW, and caring for Dipankara now afflicted with epilepsy and often hospitalised. Dipankara was the instigator of the original Australia Team with Dharmamati, Vipula and myself. Turning 65 in June I signed on at CentreLink in Katoomba for the pension.
• In 2018 – I’m once more living at Gandhakuti, the men’s community in Melbourne and where I have recently established in the garden a water feature with a little kula of goldfish. In March I’ll be visiting Adhisthana and attending my final meeting of the College of Public Preceptors for we retire at 75. In May I leave for New Zealand for two months to teach at to meet with old and new friends.