The Triratna Story by Vajragupta

The Triratna Story mantras, or Zen monks meditating in the snow. In his late teens, he found a book on Zen and martial arts at a bus terminal, took it home, and learned to meditate from it.

He went to Caracas University and, when offered the chance of a scholarship to finish his degree at Manchester University, he took the opportunity. He arrived in England in October 1978; he remembers the sun seeming oddly cool and low in the sky. Antonio kept up his studies, but really he was looking for training in the spiritual life. He read all sorts of spiritual and personal growth books, those of Erich Fromm making a particular impression.

One day, he wandered into the TV room at the university to find a young Turkish man watching a programme on alternative medicine. The man asked Antonio if he wanted to change the channel, assuming that the programme wouldn’t appeal to him.

But Antonio said it looked interesting, they got talking, and his new friend told him about the Manchester Buddhist Centre.

In 1980 he started attending classes at the centre, where Ratnaguna and Suvajra were doing most of the teaching. Later he was to meet Sangharakshita. On one level, the meeting was very everyday and ordinary; on another level, he felt that he had met his teacher. When his university course finished, he realized he wanted to stay in the UK and get more involved in the FWBO. He ended up at the Croydon Buddhist Centre, working at Hockneys Restaurant. Here was a band of idealistic young people living a highly committed life, almost as though they were in a monastery. It was hard, but he stuck at it, and asked for ordination. He wrote to Sangharakshita telling him he’d found the focused, dedicated training he was looking for, and that he now wanted to make the best use of it, in order to prepare to go back to Venezuela one day. Sangharakshita replied to his letter and encouraged him.

In 1984 he was ordained, receiving the name Manjunatha.

A few years later Manjunatha became the local men’s Mitra 94