Vaddhaka
Let me introduce myself
Originally trained as an economist and specialist in industrial relations, I spent the first twenty-five years of my adult life working as a researcher in trade unions and adult education in the UK.
After discovering Buddhism in my mid-forties I was ordained into the Triratna Buddhist Order. My name, Vaddhaka, means ‘the treasurer’. I gave up my career to work in Buddhist institutions and to teach the Buddha Dharma. Now in my mid-seventies, this has been my life for the last twenty-eight years.
For twenty of those years, I have lived in Estonia where I created most of the materials found on this website. During my time in Estonia, I have been lucky enough to have a log cabin close to the Estonian forest, lakes, and nature. Its picture, taken one snowy December evening, invites you into the website.
As ‘Vaddhaka Linn’ I have written a book “The Buddha on Wall Street: what’s wrong with capitalism and what we can do about it”, published by Windhorse Publications (see below).
Drawing on my wide range of reading I use many sources for my teachings which focus on Buddhism and everyday life.
I take my main inspiration from Sangharakshita and other teachers in the Triratna Buddhist Order; from other Buddhists such as Bhikkhu Bodhi, Andrew Olendzki, Rupert Gethin, David Loy, Bhikkhu Analayo, and Rita Gross; from other writers such as the stoic Massimo Pigliucci, anthropologist David Graeber, religious specialists Elaine Pagels, John Hick, and Karen Armstrong; and from musicians Nick Cave and Arvo Pärt; as well as social commentators like Jonathan Haidt, and others too numerous to mention.
Here you will find different series of talks, some with audio recordings and transcripts, some with transcripts only. They cover a range from purely Dharma topics such as the ‘Seven Awakening Factors’ and ‘Opening the Heart’, to some reflecting more widely on topics such as ‘What Happens When We Die?’, and to some grappling with economic, social and political issues such as ‘Trying to Make Sense of What’s Happening in the World’.
Thank you to Jaanus Philips for the image of my log cabin and thank you to Herdis Fridolin for the images of the Estonian countryside. And many thanks to Vajradarshini at Red Ladder Studio for the design of the website.
The Buddha On Wall Street: what’s wrong with capitalism and what we can do about it
Praise for The Buddha On Wall Street
‘The Buddha on Wall Street is an original, insightful, and provocative evaluation of our economic situation today. If you wonder about the social implications of Buddhist teachings, this is an essential book.’
– David R. Loy, author, ‘Money, Sex, War, Karma: Notes for a Buddhist Revolution’
‘Many Western Buddhists regard Buddhism as primarily a path to personal insight and inner peace, thus as a virtual escape route from the madness of the modern world. Yet deep within the Dharma are the seeds for a new vision of human relatedness, a web of ideas about how our social and economic systems can promote authentic well-being rather than the oppression, violence, and exploitation so widespread today. Vaḍḍhaka Linn here boldly uses the lens of Buddhism to closely examine the dominant structures of corporate capitalism. He lays bare the pernicious consequences of these structures and draws forth from the Dharma its suggestions for creating benign alternatives conducive to true human flourishing. This book helps us to better see the Dharma as a comprehensive message that has much to offer to the emergent global community in its broadest dimensions. It should also help Buddhists to understand more clearly the potential relevance of Buddhism to the crises of our age.’
– Bhikkhu Bodhi, editor, ‘In the Buddha’s Words’