Many people in the Triratna Buddhist Community know Amoghasiddhi for his kind and welcoming smile, as well as his tireless Dharma work for our sangha in Nagpur, India. Now part of the ordination team in India, as well as a member of Indian Public Preceptors Kula, Amoghasiddhi has been ordained for over 30 years. 

In this moving interview with Candradasa, originally recorded back in 2018 for the Fifty Years, Fifty Voices Project, the pair cover a lot of ground, including Amoghasiddhi's love of poetry and a visit Bhante Urgyen Sangharakshita made to Nagpur in 1992. Amoghasiddhi describes the sight of 70,000 people attending the speech Sangharakshita gave at the same place where, in 1956, he had addressed a grief stricken crowd of over 250,000 followers of Dr Ambedkar, after the latter's unexpected death.

When Sangharakshita gave that speech in 1992, there were just four Order members in Nagpur. As Amoghasiddhi happily recalls:  "Bhante said, 'Nagpur needs 100 Order members…' Well we are very glad to tell you there are now over a 100 Order Members, and four main [Triratna Buddhist] Centres..."

A lovely conversation, with a lovely, inspiring man.

Extracts from this talk were used for the Fifty Years, Fifty Voices project: