I was born in the UK at Chatham, Kent on 13th August 1947. In 1956 my parents moved to Bristol where I eventually went to Cotham Grammar School, and then to Imperial College London to study Physics. At college I became interested in Buddhism and after meeting Urgen Sangharakshita in 1970 I was eventually ordained into the Western (now Triratna) Buddhist Order in 1973. I established a small Buddhist Centre in Cornwall, UK before working for five years at the new London Buddhist Centre and in 1980 I and two friends moved to Boston in the USA where we establish our Order and movement for the first time. In particular I founded the Aryaloka Buddhist Retreat Center in New Hampshire, and helped form a group in San Francisco. During this period I had extensive contact with other American Buddhists. In 1996 I returned to the UK to Padmaloka Community where I was engaged in helping prepare men for ordination and then, after a few years, distributing my time between the USA, Padmaloka and Guhyaloka our mountain retreat centre in Spain, I joined the Guhyaloka community full time. Since 1999 I have been involved regularly with the annual four month ordination course for men that is held at Guhyaloka.
I have been married once and until 2000 I was never without woman in my life. I have always enjoyed my relationships but between 2000-2005 I became increasingly convinced that I wanted to live a celibate life. I have been celibate since 2004 and in 2009 I committed myself to the practice of chastity and became an anagarika. I love the free, unattached life and often talk and write about the joys of renunciation – meaning not only of a sexual partner but of other more deeply rooted aspects of a worldly life.
My interests are, obviously studying, practicing and teaching Buddhism – I particularly enjoy meditation, the study of the Dharma and the establishment of retreat facilities where people can taste, or live, a renunciant, or at least semi-renunciant Buddhist life. I enjoy reading novels, film, and the outdoor life. I also take photographs fairly regularly.
At Guhyaloka I have a small hut on the side of the mountain, and when I am in the UK I live on a little narrowboat moored on the River Avon close to where my father, who is almost 90, lives.
This website is a place where hopefully, over time, I will be able to say some of the things I think are important or interesting or beautiful. I have already written the first draft of my sixteen years in the USA and hope to publish sections of this story on this website. This is a vanity but maybe someone will find it interesting.
Manjuvajra
e-mail: thehut@manjuvajra.org
