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 ‘this is where life is’. So deeply grateful and inspired by this encounter, both herself and her older brother would go on to ask for ordination and become members of the Triratna Buddhist Order. 

Other topics of discussion include a vivid encounter with Green Tara and what it’s like to be part of a lineage of discipleship that goes right back to the Buddha: that flow  initiated by Urgyen Sangharakshita when he ordained Srimala, Srimala in turn ordaining Vijaya… Now, a Private Preceptor herself, Vijaya recalls the period of growth she experienced during the first ordinations, and what it’s like to pass on that thread through ordaining other women. 

This conversation was originally recorded at the Triratna Buddhist Order's International Order Convention in Bodhgaya, India in 2018. 

Extracts from this talk were used for the 50 Years, 50 Voices project - visit the dedicated space on The Buddhist Centre Online for more.