When you first encounter Bhante Buddharakkhita, the wise and affable Abbot of the Ugandan Buddhist Center, you might be tempted to think: this guy’s been a meditator since shortly after exiting the womb. But his story of finding the dharma -- and then trying to integrate it into his life -- is straight-up wild. It starts with a childhood of devout Catholicism, then veers into India, a scuba-diving stint in Thailand, and a sojourn with a venerable Buddhist teacher in West Virginia. When he finally lands back in Africa as one of the first monastics on that continent, he is mocked as a wizard and then nearly assasinated. In this chat, we talk about: how that incident led to a deep dive into the treatment of trauma; how he integrates African wisdom into his Buddhist teaching; and his motto, “More dharma, less drama.”
Where to find Bhante online:
Dharma Seed: https://dharmaseed.org/teacher/203/
IMS: https://www.dharma.org/teacher/bhante-buddharakkhita/
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Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/bhante-buddharakkhita-281