Sangharakshita and his teaching
Sangharakshita was a unique figure in the Buddhist world. For 20 years he lived in India, where he was ordained and studied with a range of Buddhist teachers. Inspired by all major aspects of Buddhism, he wrote and lectured prolifically both in the West and the East. In the light of modern scholarship and his own spiritual experience, he brought out and emphasised the core teachings that underlie and unify the Buddhist tradition as a whole. In founding the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (now known as the Triratna Buddhist Community) in 1967, he sought to clarify the essentials and outline ways of practice that are spiritually alive and relevant to the 21st century.

Read and listen to talks and seminars by Sangharakshita  |  Read free eBooks by Sangharakshita, and all of his published books

View the Clear Vision archives of films and images of Sangharakshita, and the early years of the FWBO from Lights In The Sky  |  Read interviews and articles by Sangharakshita

A brief biography of Sangharakshita: 1925-2018
Sangharakshita was one of the founding fathers of Western Buddhism. He was born Dennis Lingwood in South London, in 1925, and had a Church of England upbringing. But from an early age he developed an interest in the cultures and philosophies of the East. Aged 16, after reading the Diamond Sutra, he had a distinct realisation that he was a Buddhist. He became involved in London’s germinal Buddhist world in wartime Britain, and started to explore the Dharma through study and practice.

Then conscription in the Second World War took him to Sri Lanka as a signals operator, and after the war he stayed on in India. For two years he lived as a wandering mendicant, and later he was ordained as a Theravadin Buddhist monk and named Sangharakshita (‘protected by the spiritual community’). Sangharakshita lived for 14 years in the Himalayan town of Kalimpong, where he encountered venerable Tibetan Buddhist teachers – so he had the opportunity to study intensively under leading teachers from all major Buddhist traditions.

All the while he taught and wrote extensively. He iwas the author of over 50 books. Most of these are expositions of the Buddhist tradition, but he also published a large amount of poetry and four volumes of memoirs, as well as works on aspects of western culture and the arts from a Buddhist perspective. After 20 years in India, Sangharakshita returned to the UK to teach the Dharma. In 1967 he set up the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order – a new Buddhist movement for the modern West.

Sangharakshita saw himself as a translator between East and West, between the traditional world and the modern, between timeless principles and relevant practices. His clear thinking, depth of experience and ecumenical approach have been appreciated around the world. He always emphasised the decisive significance of commitment in the spiritual life, the value of spiritual friendship and community, the link between religion and the arts, and the need for a ‘new society’ that supports spiritual values.

View the Sangharakshita Memorial space and read an obituary  |  Visit Sangharakshita’s website

Sangharakshita played a key part in the revival of Buddhism in India, particularly through his work with the followers of Dr. Ambedkar (formerly known as Untouchables). Around one third of the Triratna Buddhist Order is in India. Throughout his life Sangharakshita wasconcerned with issues of social reform.

When he was in his 80s, Sangharakshita handed over his responsibilities for the Triratna Buddhist Community and for the remainder of his life focussed on personal contact with friends and disciples. He also continued to write both poetry and prose, which you can read on his personal website. You can follow memorial spaces for Sangharakshita on Facebook and Twitter.

Read Sangharakshita by Subhuti, and Vessantara on his First Meeting with Sangharakshita.

The Triratna Buddhist Community considers itself a genuine Buddhist movement, which accepts the Buddhist tradition as a whole as its primary source of guidance, inspiration and instruction. In harmony with other Buddhists, Triratna practitioners simply aim to practise and make available the Buddha’s teaching in ways that are relevant and accessible today. Triratna is an active member of Buddhist networks such as the European Buddhist Union, the Network of Buddhist Organisations UK, and Buddhist umbrella organisations in a number of other countries. All are welcome to practise in our community on an equal basis, regardless of gender, sexuality, or race. We actively seek to improve in this area, learning from our own experience and from that of other communities.

Consciously reconsidering how Buddhist practice is lived, fully, in the modern world is an inevitably contentious undertaking. The story of how our community has tried is one of sheer audacity – a Buddhist teacher starting from scratch, working with a group of young people who had only the vaguest ideas about the Dharma. He told them they were going to bring Buddhism to the West – in a way that had never been attempted before. They were finding out what it was they were trying to do as they went along. It’s the story of how a community evolves: a tale of idealism and naivety, growth and growing pains, hard work and burnout, friendship and fallout.

A huge amount was achieved in a very short time. Mistakes were made, especially in the early days, and lessons learned later. In this respect, our community has attracted its fair share of criticism, much of it valid and useful and, with hindsight, not surprising. The issues involved have been widely debated within the Order and beyond, with a range of responses. We do not consider ourselves above criticism.

The development of a new community is never without difficulties, and our members have sometimes behaved unskillfully. There has also been controversy surrounding the sexual activity of our founder, Urgyen Sangharakshita, and others.

 You can find out more about these areas by reading the Triratna Controversy FAQ.

To get an overview of historical controversies in context, it’s worth reading our free eBook The Triratna Story. (Lesen Sie dieses Buch auf Deutsch)

In late 2016, some of the historical controversy around Sangharakshita, sex, and the early days of the FWBO was the subject of renewed discussion after the broadcast of a BBC report looking again at this area. Sangharakshita himself later made a statement about his own past and the College of Public Preceptors then offered a response. 

We treat reports of abuse extremely seriously and will investigate in accordance with the law and our model policies for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults, which follow best practice in the UK. If you have any safeguarding questions or concerns please safeguarding [at] triratnadevelopment.org (get in touch).

+Follow the Adhisthana Kula blog for regularly updated news of responses to historical controversy in Triratna.

Read about the Restorative reconciliation process for Triratna, begun in April 2017. 

Here is an archive of many of FWBO/Triratna’s past formal public responses to criticisms.

As background reading, we would also recommend Growing Pains: An Inside View Of Change In The FWBO by Vishvapani. For an alternative perspective, see The FWBO – A Community In Transition by Nagabodhi.

For a look at how the FWBO saw itself in relation to the rest of the Buddhist world, see How the FWBO Presents Itself by Vishvapani. In another article, Vishvapani considers Perceptions of the FWBO in British Buddhism. Finally, his short, poignant exchange of letters with Zoketsu Norman Fischer around sex and the inherent pain of expectation between teachers and disciples is also very much worth reading.

The Triratna Buddhist Community was founded in 1967 as the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO) by Sangharakshita, an Englishman who had spent 20 years in the India, 16 of them as a Buddhist monk. Having returned to Britain in the mid-1960s he saw the need for a new Buddhist movement – a vision of something faithful to traditional values while being relevant to the modern world.

He didn’t want simply to transplant one of the Asian schools. Sangharakshita believed it would be a mistake to set up a form of Buddhism already in existence in Asia in the very different conditions in which he now found himself: London in the late 1960s. He was also wary of adapting and losing the spirit of the Buddha’s teaching. He didn’t want to water Buddhism down to suit modern tastes. Instead he attempted to base the new movement on the core teachings that underlie all Buddhist schools, and to apply those principles in the contemporary West.

Sangharakshita started classes in a London shop basement, and in the early days, he taught all the classes, gave all the lectures, and led every course and retreat. However, he soon attracted many people who responded to his

approach, some of whom chose to be ordained. Before long FWBO centres opened, where members of the then Western Buddhist Order taught meditation and Buddhism. Following their experience of the more intensive and satisfying conditions on retreat, some people started living communally. The first residential FWBO communities grew out of these experiences. As they became more committed to Buddhist practice, some people found ways to work together co-operatively in ‘Right Livelihood’ teams and businesses – raising funds to teach the Dharma.

The FWBO grew rapidly through the 1970s and 1980s to become one of the leading Buddhist movements in the West. There are now more than 90 Triratna Buddhist Community urban centres and rural retreat centres, and activities in over 20 countries. The Triratna Buddhist Community is one of the principal Buddhist movements in UK, India, and Australasia, and is increasingly well-established in western Europe and the USA. At the heart of our spiritual community is the Order itself, today numbering more than 2,000 women and men around the world who have formally committed their lives to following the Buddhist path.

In 2000 Sangharakshita handed on all his responsibilities to a large group of senior Order members. They are continuing his work of developing a thriving Buddhist movement that aims to make effective practice available to as many people as possible throughout the modern world.

In 2010 the names of the WBO and FWBO changed to the Triratna Buddhist Order and Triratna Buddhist Community. This was the culmination of a ten-year process taking account of the development of our community’s approach to the Dharma in India. The word ‘Western’ had never applied there, where we were known by another name. Sangharakshita saw the adoption of a unifying name as a “refounding” of the community he envisioned.

For a more in-depth account of our history, you can read our free eBook, The Triratna Story by Vajragupta (also available in paperback). You can also see the series of video histories produced by Lights in the Sky. 

Visit the Nine Decades virtual exhibition of interviews with Sangharakshita marking his 90th birthday in 2015.

In India, the Triratna Buddhist Community is known as the Triratna Bauddha Mahasangha. Its work in India has two aspects: firstly providing facilities for teaching the Dhamma among Buddhists from the communities formerly known as ‘untouchable’, and secondly running social work projects to contribute to the betterment of those communities.

When Triratna’s activities started there in 1978 it soon became clear that simply teaching Buddhism was not enough. There was clearly a need for practical and material help, so a charity, Bahujan Hitay (‘for the welfare of the many’), was set up to run social work projects. These projects, which have educational, medical and cultural objectives, are now spreading throughout India.

The main educational project involves running 20 educational hostels for children who would otherwise not be able to continue their schooling. Other projects include kindergartens, adult literacy classes, and non-formal education classes. Medical projects include health centres and networks of slum-based community health workers. Cultural activities include the Asvagosha Project, which uses story-telling and song to explore issues relevant to local

communities, and karate classes for children, which help greatly in the development of self-esteem.

Find out more about the work of the Karuna Trust, who work on behalf of the 250 million people in India who suffer fear, oppression and violence because of their caste or ethnicity.

Read Ambedkar and Buddhism, by Sangharakshita and Jai Bhim! Despatches from a Peaceful Revolution, by Nagabodhi (Terry Pilchick).

Listen to talks from India.

Many local Triratna Centres have families groups, offering weekends away and Dharma activities suitable for adults and children. In the UK, Buddhafield, Dhanakosa, and other Triratna retreat centres around the world offer family-friendly retreats. On Festival days there are often children’s activities and a crèche.

Generally young people in the Triratna Buddhist Community are not regarded as Buddhists until they are old enough to make a conscious choice for themselves. Most Buddhist parents, however, would want to bring up their children with a sense of Buddhist community and ethical values.

Listen to a talk on Buddhist Parenting by Karunagita.

Triratna and schools

School groups are welcome at many Triratna centres, by appointment. Two projects in particular are active in the field of Religious Education in the UK:

The Clear Vision Trust makes acclaimed audio-visual teaching materials for Buddhism in primary and secondary schools, and offers INSET for teachers as well as consultancy at local and national level. They also offer new online interactive tools for learning, some of which are available for free. In Germany, some of Clear Vision’s school materials are available in translation from Windross Publikationen at the Buddhistische Zentrum, Essen.

The Bodhi Tree project offers discussion and storytelling workshops on Buddhist themes for schools, meditation in schools and colleges, training for teachers, and drama and writing workshops for children and adults.

Ask a Buddhist – Video answers to your FAQ!

Buddhism encourages people to look the hard facts of life squarely in the eye, especially suffering and the truths of old age, sickness, and death. Many Triratna centres run meditation courses that help to reduce anxiety, alienation and stress, and encourage positivity and calm. Some also run courses aimed at specific mental health issues, such as recurrent depression, addiction, and bereavement. Mindfulness practice, in combination with elements taken from cognitive therapy, can be very helpful in preventing relapse. It can also support people in becoming aware of their pain, prepare them for what to expect, how to work with the grieving process, and to understand generally the nature of attachment.

Carers’ Retreats

These are short retreats in the countryside specifically for people who are the primary carers for family members or friends. They provide a valuable opportunity for carers to have a complete break from their caring responsibilities in the company of other carers. The retreats are very nourishing, combining instruction in meditation with tuition in massage, Alexander Technique and various therapies that help manage stress and tension. These are currently run

in the UK by the London, Brighton, Birmingham, and Manchester Buddhist Centres.

Mindfulness-based stress and pain management

Courses in Mindfulness-based stress and pain management teach a range of mindfulness-based techniques, such as relaxation, breath awareness and meditation. They can also provide training in life strategies such as goal setting and pacing, bringing awareness to daily activities. As led by members of the Triratna Buddhist Community, courses include meditations adapted from the Buddhist tradition, but they take an entirely secular approach. This makes them suitable for people of all creeds.

Breathing Space, in London, teaches Mindfulness Based Approaches that help prevent relapse into depression and addiction, and manage stress and anxiety.

In the UK, the Peace of Mind project, which originally ran pain management courses aimed at people with chronic pain

or illness, expanded to become Breathworks, a now international venture where the practical methods taught on courses are useful for anyone struggling with the stresses of modern life. Founder Vidyamala has had many years managing chronic back pain following a spinal injury.

Listen free to a body scan meditation by Vidyamala.

Listen free to Paramananda’s Body Awareness And Relaxation guide from his bestelling book, Change Your Mind.

Just as the great ocean has one taste, the taste of salt, so also this Dhamma and Discipline of mine has one taste, the taste of liberation. 
The Buddha (Udana, v.5)

Join our Buddhist Action space

Liberation for Buddhism is both internal and external. Internally, we seek to free ourselves from the poisons of greed, hatred and ignorance. Externally, we try to alleviate suffering wherever it’s found and to establish stable and supportive social conditions within which we and all others may live our lives to their full potential. This is what’s meant by Engaged Buddhism.

How to do this effectively depends on time and social circumstances. Engaged Buddhism in the West is a story of experimentation — finding ways to make a difference within the spirit of Buddhist ethical precepts.

Both the principles and practices of this work are still being clarified; the principles include always acting from a basis Love rather than Power, seeking to effect change by raising awareness, and exemplifying not coercing; Buddhists try to understandand affect the underlying causes that create suffering, and work to strengthen the connections that exist between all life, rather than slip into polarisation.

A major influence for Triratna is the example of Dr BR Ambedkar, whose life was one of non-violent struggle against the injustices of the Hindu caste system in India. It culminated in his conversion to Buddhism in 1956, and during the ceremony thousands of his followers converted to Buddhism.Engaged practices and campaigns include ‘Meditate to Liberate’ actions, eg. at animal research laboratories or London arms fairs; the ‘despair and empowerment’ work of Joanna Macy; working with other Engaged groups, for example on visits to Palestine or opposing the Iraq war; and dialoguing with other Buddhists who eat meat.

Activities within the Triratna Buddhist Community
Join Buddhist Action | Buddhafield Permaculture project | Eco-Dharma retreat centre

Other Engaged Buddhism contexts
Network of Engaged Buddhists | Joanna Macy

Listen to talks on Engaged Buddhism within our community in the West and in India.

Caring for the environment is a natural part of the Buddhist path. The Buddha encouraged us to understand more deeply the underlying unity and interconnectedness of life. Values such as simplicity of lifestyle, sharing with others, taking responsibility for one’s actions, and compassion for all living things have always been at the heart of the tradition.

In today’s world, we need to hold to these values ever more strongly. More and more, we are finding it appropriate to identify clearly Buddhist ethics with ecological awareness. This involves conscious choices in the way we lead our lives and run our own buildings and organisations. Many of our Buddhist centres are now using eco-friendly services and supporting local green initiatives, while some people in Triratna are also involved in campaigning for wider change.

From a Buddhist point of view, bringing about outward change is only half the story. Ecological awareness is an opening of the heart to the whole web of life, and a warm appreciation of the natural beauty we see around us. In this way, through ‘green retreats’, workshops and other events, we can find within ourselves the strength and inspiration

to bring about change in the world.

Read Saving the Earth, by Akuppa, and Vegetarianism by Bodhipaksha. Samacitta has also written a thought-provoking essay on veganism and its ethical and environmental perspective.

Listen to talks on ecology.

Visit EcoDharma, a wonderful resource for approaches to sustainable living drawing on the Buddha’s teaching.