{"id":508,"date":"2018-11-02T17:30:49","date_gmt":"2018-11-02T17:30:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thebuddhistcentre.com\/stories\/50voices\/?post_type=project&#038;p=508"},"modified":"2022-05-19T00:10:46","modified_gmt":"2022-05-18T23:10:46","slug":"vessantara-on-energy","status":"publish","type":"project","link":"https:\/\/thebuddhistcentre.com\/stories\/50voices\/project\/vessantara-on-energy\/","title":{"rendered":"Vessantara: On \u2018energy\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; disabled_on=&#8221;on||&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; background_size=&#8221;initial&#8221; background_position=&#8221;top_left&#8221; background_repeat=&#8221;repeat&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; column_structure=&#8221;1_2,1_2&#8243;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;1_2&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;|||&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; custom_padding__hover=&#8221;|||&#8221;][et_pb_post_title author=&#8221;off&#8221; date=&#8221;off&#8221; comments=&#8221;off&#8221; featured_image=&#8221;off&#8221; admin_label=&#8221;Quote Title (Desktop)&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; title_text_color=&#8221;#ee7600&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][\/et_pb_post_title][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Order Name (Desktop)&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; text_font_size=&#8221;16px&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<a href=\"#annals\">Read speaker annals<\/a><br \/>\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Talk Description (Desktop)&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<em>(Interview recorded in 2018)<\/em><br \/>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=&#8221;1_2&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;|||&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; custom_padding__hover=&#8221;|||&#8221;][et_pb_code admin_label=&#8221;Audio (Desktop)&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.17.2&#8243; hover_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; sticky_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243;]<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"300\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" allow=\"autoplay\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/431773170&#038;color=%23ff5500&#038;auto_play=false&#038;hide_related=false&#038;show_comments=true&#038;show_user=true&#038;show_reposts=false&#038;show_teaser=true&#038;visual=true\"><\/iframe>[\/et_pb_code][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; background_size=&#8221;initial&#8221; background_position=&#8221;top_left&#8221; background_repeat=&#8221;repeat&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;|||&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; custom_padding__hover=&#8221;|||&#8221;][et_pb_divider color=&#8221;#f4a732&#8243; admin_label=&#8221;Divider (Desktop)&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; height=&#8221;0px&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][\/et_pb_divider][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row module_id=&#8221;annals&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; background_size=&#8221;initial&#8221; background_position=&#8221;top_left&#8221; background_repeat=&#8221;repeat&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; column_structure=&#8221;2_3,1_3&#8243;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;2_3&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;|||&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; custom_padding__hover=&#8221;|||&#8221;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Annals Title (Desktop)&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; text_font=&#8221;|||on|||||&#8221; text_font_size=&#8221;16px&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]VESSANTARA&#8217;S ANNALS:<br \/>\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;OM Annals (Desktop)&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<strong>In 1968<\/strong>\u00a0I\u2019m 18, and spend eight months working in clerical jobs, earning money before going to Cambridge University to study English. I\u2019ve adopted a hippie view of the world and spend hours in my friend Les Doyle\u2019s attic bedroom, which is painted black and decorated with silver foil, listening to early Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix. I\u2019m reading about eastern religions, but although the ideas of Buddhism are compelling, the books I have access to are dry as\u00a0dust.<\/p>\n<p><strong>In 1978<\/strong>\u00a0I\u2019m 28, ordained for about 4 years, and have already been Chair of our Brighton Centre. Now I start the year as treasurer of the right livelihood co-operative we have set up in Croydon, South London. I live in Aryatara Community with six others. We operate a common purse system, in which everyone pays in whatever they\u2019ve earned, and I give them all \u00a35 per week pocket money. Later in the year I move to Bethnal Green to help with the final push to finish and open the\u00a0<span class=\"caps\">LBC<\/span>. I start as an ineffectual labourer, and become a painter, apprenticed to Jyotipala. Between the two of us we paint the whole\u00a0centre.<\/p>\n<p><strong>In 1988<\/strong>\u00a0I\u2019m 38, living in a small community at Guhyaloka, our Spanish mountain retreat centre. This year I lead my sixth 3-month men\u2019s ordination course (the eighth I\u2019ve been part of the team for). I spend the rest of my time meditating and working on the first draft of Meeting the Buddhas. Conditions are hard in the winter: living in a small plaster hut, no phone, and a Land Rover of pensionable age for getting supplies. However, I\u2019m mostly deeply contented, living much of the time in the world of buddhas, bodhisattvas and tantric\u00a0deities.<\/p>\n<p><strong>In 1998<\/strong>\u00a0I\u2019m 48, and living at Madhyamaloka in Birmingham, I\u2019m Overall Order Convenor, responsible for helping Order members around the world keep in communication and harmony. I\u2019m president of our centres in Birmingham, Brighton and Bristol, and a member of the Preceptors College Council \u2013 a group of 13 of us who are taking on Bhante\u2019s responsibilities. In fact, although I\u2019m being helpful in a number of areas, I\u2019m ridiculously busy and my life is out of\u00a0balance.<\/p>\n<p><strong>In 2008<\/strong>\u00a0I\u2019m now 58. I\u2019ve put down nearly all my responsibilities, although I\u2019ve taken on being private preceptor to 15 men, which is a privilege. I\u2019m living with Vijayamala in Cambridge, but this year we head out to do a 3-year guided intensive meditation retreat, living in a couple of old wooden circus wagons in the Dordogne, France.<\/p>\n<p><strong>In 2018<\/strong>\u00a0I\u2019m 68 in March. I\u2019m back in Cambridge with Vijayamala, spending a lot of time leading retreats for Order members or other experienced meditators, which I find very fulfilling. I feel very fortunate in the life I\u2019ve led. However, I\u2019m aware that time is running out, and who knows how long I have left to practise the Dharma and offer my experience to others. For now, I\u2019m in pretty good health, still going to the gym, running, doing qigong, And I\u2019m still exploring the \u2018universe within\u2019 \u2013 which is the meaning of the name I was given by Bhante, over 45 years ago.<br \/>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=&#8221;1_3&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;|||&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; custom_padding__hover=&#8221;|||&#8221;][et_pb_image align_tablet=&#8221;center&#8221; align_last_edited=&#8221;on|desktop&#8221; admin_label=&#8221;Supplementary Photos (Desktop)&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; saved_tabs=&#8221;all&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; align_phone=&#8221;center&#8221;][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; disabled_on=&#8221;|on|on&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; custom_margin=&#8221;-40px|||&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; background_size=&#8221;initial&#8221; background_position=&#8221;top_left&#8221; background_repeat=&#8221;repeat&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; column_structure=&#8221;1_2,1_2&#8243;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;1_2&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;|||&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; custom_padding__hover=&#8221;|||&#8221;][et_pb_post_title author=&#8221;off&#8221; date=&#8221;off&#8221; comments=&#8221;off&#8221; featured_image=&#8221;off&#8221; admin_label=&#8221;Quote Title (Mobile)&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; title_text_color=&#8221;#ee7600&#8243; title_font_size=&#8221;30px&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;||-10px|&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][\/et_pb_post_title][et_pb_code admin_label=&#8221;Audio (Mobile)&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.17.2&#8243; hover_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; sticky_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243;]<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"300\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" allow=\"autoplay\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/431773170&#038;color=%23ff5500&#038;auto_play=false&#038;hide_related=false&#038;show_comments=true&#038;show_user=true&#038;show_reposts=false&#038;show_teaser=true&#038;visual=true\"><\/iframe>[\/et_pb_code][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Talk Description (Mobile)&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<em>(Interview recorded in 2018)<\/em><br \/>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=&#8221;1_2&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;|||&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; custom_padding__hover=&#8221;|||&#8221;][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; custom_margin=&#8221;-40px||-40px|&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;|||&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; custom_padding__hover=&#8221;|||&#8221;][et_pb_divider color=&#8221;#f4a732&#8243; admin_label=&#8221;Divider (Mobile)&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; height=&#8221;0px&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][\/et_pb_divider][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row module_id=&#8221;annals&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; background_size=&#8221;initial&#8221; background_position=&#8221;top_left&#8221; background_repeat=&#8221;repeat&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; column_structure=&#8221;2_3,1_3&#8243;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;2_3&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;|||&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; custom_padding__hover=&#8221;|||&#8221;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Annals Title (Mobile)&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; text_font=&#8221;|||on|||||&#8221; text_font_size=&#8221;16px&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]VESSANTARA&#8217;S ANNALS:<br \/>\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;OM Annals (Mobile)&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<strong>In 1968<\/strong>\u00a0I\u2019m 18, and spend eight months working in clerical jobs, earning money before going to Cambridge University to study English. I\u2019ve adopted a hippie view of the world and spend hours in my friend Les Doyle\u2019s attic bedroom, which is painted black and decorated with silver foil, listening to early Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix. I\u2019m reading about eastern religions, but although the ideas of Buddhism are compelling, the books I have access to are dry as\u00a0dust.<\/p>\n<p><strong>In 1978<\/strong>\u00a0I\u2019m 28, ordained for about 4 years, and have already been Chair of our Brighton Centre. Now I start the year as treasurer of the right livelihood co-operative we have set up in Croydon, South London. I live in Aryatara Community with six others. We operate a common purse system, in which everyone pays in whatever they\u2019ve earned, and I give them all \u00a35 per week pocket money. Later in the year I move to Bethnal Green to help with the final push to finish and open the\u00a0<span class=\"caps\">LBC<\/span>. I start as an ineffectual labourer, and become a painter, apprenticed to Jyotipala. Between the two of us we paint the whole\u00a0centre.<\/p>\n<p><strong>In 1988<\/strong>\u00a0I\u2019m 38, living in a small community at Guhyaloka, our Spanish mountain retreat centre. This year I lead my sixth 3-month men\u2019s ordination course (the eighth I\u2019ve been part of the team for). I spend the rest of my time meditating and working on the first draft of Meeting the Buddhas. Conditions are hard in the winter: living in a small plaster hut, no phone, and a Land Rover of pensionable age for getting supplies. However, I\u2019m mostly deeply contented, living much of the time in the world of buddhas, bodhisattvas and tantric\u00a0deities.<\/p>\n<p><strong>In 1998<\/strong>\u00a0I\u2019m 48, and living at Madhyamaloka in Birmingham, I\u2019m Overall Order Convenor, responsible for helping Order members around the world keep in communication and harmony. I\u2019m president of our centres in Birmingham, Brighton and Bristol, and a member of the Preceptors College Council \u2013 a group of 13 of us who are taking on Bhante\u2019s responsibilities. In fact, although I\u2019m being helpful in a number of areas, I\u2019m ridiculously busy and my life is out of\u00a0balance.<\/p>\n<p><strong>In 2008<\/strong>\u00a0I\u2019m now 58. I\u2019ve put down nearly all my responsibilities, although I\u2019ve taken on being private preceptor to 15 men, which is a privilege. I\u2019m living with Vijayamala in Cambridge, but this year we head out to do a 3-year guided intensive meditation retreat, living in a couple of old wooden circus wagons in the Dordogne, France.<\/p>\n<p><strong>In 2018<\/strong>\u00a0I\u2019m 68 in March. I\u2019m back in Cambridge with Vijayamala, spending a lot of time leading retreats for Order members or other experienced meditators, which I find very fulfilling. I feel very fortunate in the life I\u2019ve led. However, I\u2019m aware that time is running out, and who knows how long I have left to practise the Dharma and offer my experience to others. For now, I\u2019m in pretty good health, still going to the gym, running, doing qigong, And I\u2019m still exploring the \u2018universe within\u2019 \u2013 which is the meaning of the name I was given by Bhante, over 45 years ago.<br \/>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=&#8221;1_3&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;|||&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; custom_padding__hover=&#8221;|||&#8221;][et_pb_image align_tablet=&#8221;center&#8221; align_last_edited=&#8221;on|desktop&#8221; admin_label=&#8221;Supplementary Photos (Mobile)&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; align_phone=&#8221;center&#8221;][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Read speaker annals (Interview recorded in 2018) VESSANTARA&#8217;S ANNALS: In 1968\u00a0I\u2019m 18, and spend eight months working in clerical jobs, earning money before going to Cambridge University to study English. I\u2019ve adopted a hippie view of the world and spend hours in my friend Les Doyle\u2019s attic bedroom, which is painted black and decorated with [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":56,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"project_category":[94,90],"project_tag":[],"class_list":["post-508","project","type-project","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","project_category-communication","project_category-wisdom-spiritual-death"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebuddhistcentre.com\/stories\/50voices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project\/508","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebuddhistcentre.com\/stories\/50voices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebuddhistcentre.com\/stories\/50voices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/project"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebuddhistcentre.com\/stories\/50voices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebuddhistcentre.com\/stories\/50voices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=508"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/thebuddhistcentre.com\/stories\/50voices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project\/508\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1098,"href":"https:\/\/thebuddhistcentre.com\/stories\/50voices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project\/508\/revisions\/1098"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebuddhistcentre.com\/stories\/50voices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebuddhistcentre.com\/stories\/50voices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=508"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"project_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebuddhistcentre.com\/stories\/50voices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project_category?post=508"},{"taxonomy":"project_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebuddhistcentre.com\/stories\/50voices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project_tag?post=508"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}