About Bthodidasa

My birth name is Troy. I was born in Subiaco and now live in Mandurah where I have spent most of my life to date. As a child, through my adolescent years, as an adult and becoming a young father, I always struggled with anger and was continually questioning my purpose and place in the world. I considered that I was an overly emotional person and not knowing how to deal with my thoughts and resultant emotional reactions, resulted in suffering, unhelpful choices and failed relationships. Through the years I dabbled on and off with meditation, took an interest in a number of religions and tried seeking others of like mind, but never found anything that showed me direction, without an institutionalized or dogmatic belief system approach, or paths that only taught you what to think and not how to think.

My life over the past few years has improved significantly, finding a greater level of peace within myself, settling with a loving, supportive relationship and a return to regular meditation. However, there still seemed to be a vital component missing and that was finding something where I as an individual fitted in with others. In 2015 I discovered the Dharmadatu Buddhist Meditation Centre. The secular Western approach to Buddhism, the non rule-bound ethical approach to life, without the need to “believe in anything” was exactly what I had been searching for. With the introduction into my life of the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, I had found the missing link. I formalized my commitment to the Dharma path within the context of the Dharmadatu Buddhist Order in February 2016 and hope that I too will be in a position to give something back to others who are seeking to live with greater awareness of compassion to themselves, others and the environment.

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