In Kalimpong he starts up the Young Mens Buddhist Association, launches a journal, The Middle Way, and writes some of his principal works, including the widely admired Survey of Buddhism. Born Dennis Lingwood, the son of a French polisher from Tooting, Sangharakshita, meaning one who is protected by the spiritual community, deserted from the British army in India during the second world war and wandered the subcontinent, studying with several leading Tibetan lamas. A small number of members, however, take vows of celibacy and adopt a simpler lifestyle. Now 74, Sangharakshita has more or less handed over the reins to his Public Preceptors and lives modestly in a flat attached to the College of Preceptors. Three of the seven Public Preceptors, who are effectively Sangharakshitas successors, are women., But Parami, another woman who has been an Order member for eighteen years, admits that in the past things have been different. For decades the order has been dogged by claims of sexual misconduct, claims that often strayed into allegations of coercion and abuse but which were thought to involve only a handful of individuals at worst. Someone who regularly attends community activities is considered to be a "friend". In joining a movement you buy belongingness, you buy an assured shared viewpoint. Formerly known as the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO), Triratna is an international fellowship of Buddhists founded by Sangharakshita in the UK in 1967 describing itself as "an international network dedicated to communicating Buddhist truths in ways appropriate to the modern world". There has never been any serious scandal involving this organisation. After being treated in hospital for pneumonia, Lingwood issued a statement expressing deep regret for all the occasions on which I have hurt, harmed or upset fellow Buddhists, and ask for their forgiveness.. In the Triratna community, as in the Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions, sangha is interpreted as the Buddhist community as a whole. He has no real authority from any lamas. [8] It has also been criticised for lacking "spiritual lineage"[9] and has faced allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse during the 1970s and 1980s.[10][11][12]. Businesses, said to operate on the principle of "right livelihood", generate funds for the movement, as well seeking to provide environments for spiritual growth through employment. [27] "For the FWBO, Western Society as such needs to be subject to the unflinching scrutiny of Buddhist values. We must change Western society, and change it in such a way as to make it easier, or at least less difficult, for us to lead lives dedicated to the Dharma within that society, he declares, for example, in Buddhism and the West (1992). Since its western foundation the movement had spread to other parts of the world, including India where it was known by a different, non-western, name, and Indian members had long wished for one single worldwide name. [7], The community has been described as "perhaps the most successful attempt to create an ecumenical international Buddhist organization". With an estimated 20,000 people per year attending their meditation classes in the UK alone and an annual turnover of between 5-10 million per year, much of which is tax-free due to the organization's charitable status, as well as its . Many of his ideas were unorthodox. Nothing happened., I know of a couple of women friends of the movement who were pursued by male order members both very vulnerable women one ex-prison[er] pursued and one severe mental health problems entered into sexual relationship with.. Friends Of The Western Buddhist Order - Buddhism Guide [56][57][58] But last year, their thirtieth anniversary, was not an easy one for them. Vajragupta, 'The Triratna Story; Behind the Scenes of a New Buddhist Movement' Windhorse Publications, 2010. The report described intimate details of what Dunlop characterised as their relationship, and claimed that Sangharakshita, who declined to comment, had told him that to develop spiritually he had to get over his anti-homosexual conditioning.. Belither is well positioned to have given this dilemma some thought. Tricycle magazine article 'Friends of the Western Buddhist Order: Friends, Foes, and Files' by Henry Shukman (Vol. He [Lingwood] thought that it might be a good thing for them to get over their fixed self-view, and one of the things they might try doing [to achieve this] is having sex with other men, explained Triratnas safeguarding officer, who goes by the single Buddhist name of Munisha. In October 1997, a report by Madeleine Bunting, then the religious affairs correspondent of the British Guardian newspaper, made wide-ranging allegations of sexual misconduct, dogmatism and misogyny within the movement during the 1970s and 1980s. It is the policy of Triratnas central safeguarding team that anything reported to us of a criminal or even potentially criminal nature is reported to the police, without exception.. For them the legitimacy of Sangharakshita as a teacher rests mainly on whether his writings and teachings are based on authentic Buddhist sources and are conducive to helping them and others toward liberation. The company's filing status is listed as Merger and its File Number is 042751021. The FWBO Files is just so silly and has so many inaccuracies that I was hoping people would look at it and laugh, says Vishvapani, who has been a member for over ten years. British-born guru Sangharakshita was mired in allegations of abuse for years. Western-orientated Buddhist group founded in 1967 by the British Buddhist Sangharakshita, who became a monk in 1950 after working for We use cookies to enhance your experience on our website. He didnt have any charisma, Dunlop said. Towards the end of his life, Lingwood appears to have acknowledged the damage he had unleashed, expressing deep regret for all the occasions on which I have hurt, harmed or upset fellow Buddhists. Now theres much more debate. But he is concerned that not enough change is taking place. Yet Geshe Gelsang Gyatso is widely respected: Western students in this school came of age studying his books. And while the women thingas it is derisively called by many women outside the organizationmay seem insufferably retro, it is not illegal, nor necessarily even lived out on the ground. In India the number of adherents runs into six figures. It gives you a complete identity. Would you like to sign up for our other mailing lists? Section 2 [this page]: What is a Cult? [21] Support from fellow practitioners in a community is seen to be effective in helping members make spiritual progress. Tricycle. Puja: The Friends of the Western Buddhist Order Book of Buddhist In addition, while the allegations are multiple, they are targeted at very different types of problems. He was a slightly weird guy, in a way that worked in his favour because I thought: Im not being swayed by his charisma.. As more than one skeptic has pointed out, if Sangharakshita himself went to many different teachers, why doesnt he encourage his disciples to do the same? All rights reserved. ", The Triratna Buddhist Order is the focal-point of the community,[28] and is a network of friendships between individuals who have made personal commitments to the Buddha, the dharma and the sangha, in communion with others. The Observer Buddhism Buddhist, teacher, predator: dark secrets of the Triratna guru British-born guru Sangharakshita was mired in allegations of abuse for years. According to the community, six characteristics define it: "The FWBO's attitude to spreading the Dharma is one of heartfelt urgency," wrote Stephen Batchelor, a prominent British Buddhist author, in a book published in 1994. Thich Nhat Hanh Many of the allegations are against Sangharakshita himself, but others make it clear that he was not the only alleged perpetrator. Today, much of the trusts income comes from donations and organising spiritual retreats and meditation courses. Friends of the Western Buddhist Order The FWBO , with over 75 public centres and retreats and several businesses in the UK, was founded in 1967 as the Friends of the Western Sangha (becom-ing the FWBO a year later) by Sangharakshita (1925- ), a white Englishman. Online Bookstore | Friends of the San Diego Central Library In 2003, the public preceptors, responding to feedback, decided to move away from a formal relationship to the order and movement, and to concentrate on the ordination of new order members, teaching and dharma practice. Members are known as dharmacharis (masculine) or dharmacharinis (feminine), and are ordained in accord with a ceremony formulated by the founder. Another member suggested that its entire property empire was worth more than 100m. In the UK, it is one of the largest Buddhist movements,[5] with some 30 urban centres and retreat centres. (See also: DN 114, MN.114, AN vol. [65] In July 2019, the group shared the report with The Observer newspaper. San Francisco Culture Center (SGI) 2450 - 17th Street, San Francisco, California 94110 Tel: (415) 255.6007, Fax: (415) 255.6079 by: Stephen Batchelor, Christina Feldman, John Peacock, Akincano Weber, A weekly update on everything you need to know on tricycle.org, Buddhist teachings to your inbox every Thursday, Course announcements, offers, and events from our partners, Weekly updates and guided meditations from a Buddhist teacher throughout the month of March, Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO), How to Heal After Your Teacher Crosses the Line, Strawberries and the Ethic of Appreciation, Buddhism: The Unspeakable Truth Elevates Victims Stories in Imperfect Documentary. Order Members, Mitras, and Friends. The core of Sangharakshitas teaching is to make going for Refuge in the Three TreasuresBuddha, Dharma, Sanghathe heart of ones life. Evidence that those ideas may have been more widely held is also found in the writings of Subhuti, who echoes the sutras when he says in his book, 'Women, men and angels,' that to be reborn as a woman is to be less spiritually able than to be reborn as a man. From a distance it would be easy to say hes a guru on the make, because no one has said: All right, Sangharakshita, you are my successor. But the transmission of the dharma is a mysterious thing and cant be encapsulated in a certificate. The founder, Sangharakshita, taught a system of practice emphasising five types of meditation. Retreats provide a chance to focus on meditational practice more intensely, in a residential context outside of a retreatant's everyday life. Contrary to the traditional Buddhist structure of separating lay and monastic members, the order combines monastic and lay lifestyles under one ordination,[13] a practice not dissimilar to that which evolved in some Japanese schools of Buddhism. In the early days, in the context of the 1970s, it was all very weird. But this is only part of the picture. There has been the odd occasion elsewhere when people had to go in and say, Hold on, whats going on here? But nothing like Croydon. Before the Guardian piece came out, there was a lot of self-censoring. Yet, despite the lurid revelations, Sangharakshitas influence lingers. 5 star 83% 4 star 9% . Sangharakshita is in a difficult position. Since it was felt that the most stable communities tended to be single sex, this has become the paradigm for communities. Five years ago, an order member at another centre in London was caught exposing himself to a young child in a supermarket. Other observers fault the FWBO for refusing to accept that Croydon was not an aberration, but a fairly predictable outcome of the Sangharakshita ideology. Our exchanges were recorded and I have gone through the Friends do not have to regard themselves as Buddhists, and can be of any faith, or none. The talk, lasting nearly two hours, is about Atisha, the 10th-century Indian adept who helped bring Buddhism to Tibet. The three hang together well, and focus attention in particular on reverence as an important part of meaningful . He did for a while explore ideas based on Greek ideas of relationships between younger and older men. Please try again. Order members teach two practices: (a) "The mindfulness of breathing" (anapanasati), in which practitioners focus on the rise and fall of the breath; and (b) "The metta bhavana", which approximately translates from the original Pali as "the cultivation of lovingkindness". Sangharakshita, born Dennis Lingwood, teaching at the Hampstead Buddhist Temple in 1966. At ordination they are given a religious name in Pali or Sanskrit. Last month a former follower alleged that he had been groomed for sex by another senior member of the order at the Croydon centre in the 80s when he was just 16, and therefore a minor in the eyes of the law at the time. A Survey of Buddhism, 1957). But if he did have close relations with Dudjom and Khyentse Rinpoche, as he says, then not to invite them to his center when they visited London in the 1970s was an unforgivable breach of protocol.. The first two according to his system ('integration' and 'positive emotion'), can be correlated to the traditional category of "calming" "samatha" practices, and the last two (spiritual death and spiritual rebirth) can be correlated to "insight" or "vipassana" practices. The largest community business was Windhorse:Evolution, a gift wholesaling business and a chain of gift shops. You either had to go along with it or leave. The head of the community was a very powerful, intrusive personality and incredibly manipulative. [30] When members are ordained, they are given a white kesa to signify their ordination; golden kesas may be taken later by those choosing to make a public commitment to greater simplicity of lifestyle, including celibacy. The FWBO Files website contains a vast and growing repository of allegations from ex-members expressing similar views. Triratna's 50th Anniversary - west wight sangha [19] Emphasis is placed on teamwork, and on contributing to the welfare of others: for example by funding social projects and by considering ethical matters such as fair trade. Followers from Cambridge, three hours away, join others who have journeyed equally long distances. All rights reserved.Design by Point Five. Some choose, after some time, to participate in a formal ceremony of affiliation, and thus become a "mitra." In the 1980s its Croydon centre was closed down amid newspaper reports that its members were being manipulated. Otherwise it gets confrontational, rancorous, and petty, and ultimately what was intended as an attempt to address a problem becomes its own problem. There is much catching up to do. One reason change is slow is that people dont question the teachings, because they question their own motivation. In future, this position will be elected by the WBO to five-year terms.[29]. The first of these was formed after a retreat where some participants wanted to continue retreat-style living. PDF Martin Baumann University of Hannover [10][25], The most detailed complaints reported were claims by Mark Dunlop, who had lived with the movement's founder for a number of years in the early 1970s, and left the order in 1985. railroading, aviation, medicine, numismatics); art and museum publications; collectible comics; California history and Americana; signed special editions; early edition children's books; academic texts; and antiquarian . Friends of The Western Buddhist Order - History - LiquiSearch Founded by Dennis Lingwood in the 1960s, the sect, formerly known as the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO), is a wealthy community with 30 retreats in the UK and a further 20 in countries including Australia, the US, Germany and Mexico. Buddhist Centers - Northern California - Urban Dharma The Times has also reported on the centre's work with those affected by alcohol dependency[24]. Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO) / Triratna: Fears mount Women conduct womens ordinations; men conduct mens. They reported it to other senior OMs. The FWBO Files A message from Urgyen Sangharakshita. Sangharakshita had been ordained as a Buddhist monk in the Theravda-tra Friends of the Western Buddhist Order: see WESTERN BUDDHIST ORDER. From a basement in Central London the Order grows into an organization with 800 ordained members and thousands of followers. These are found in several places in the Pli Canon, as well as in some Sanskrit sources. And, while some seem happy to have found their guide in Sangharakshita, others seem more concerned about their own authenticity than their teachers. [23] This initiative is supported by the local authority, the London borough of Tower Hamlets. Order members seem to take seriously their daily practices of meditation, prostrations, and sutra and precept study. However, he also seems determined to see only bad in the FWBO. Heres the FWBO, according, roughly, to the FWBO: In 1946 Dennis Lingwood, a British soldier stationed in India, goes AWOL, donning the yellow robes of a wandering ascetic and taking to the dusty roads. This seems a laudable sentiment. Protests against the beloved Tibetan leader provoked an outcry of criticism as well as exposing an arcane feud within the Dalai Lamas own school, the Gelugpa, that originated several hundred years ago. [6], In 1997, the responsibility for ordination and spiritual leadership passed to a "preceptor's college", based in Birmingham. FWBO Scotland is a community of people who practice Buddhism in the context of the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO). Triratna, which has tens of thousands of followers, is battling to protect its reputation, both in the worldwide Buddhist community and among its own members who are questioning the extent to which the coercion was perpetrated and how long it continued. Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO) | Madhyamavani Magazine [62], On 4 January 2017, following his treatment in hospital for pneumonia, Sangharakshita issued a statement expressing deep regret for all the occasions on which I have hurt, harmed or upset fellow Buddhists, and ask for their forgiveness. It was founded by Sangharakshita (born Dennis Philip Edward Lingwood) in the UK in 1967,[1] and describes itself as "an international network dedicated to communicating Buddhist truths in ways appropriate to the modern world". One Triratna retreat, in Norfolk, where Lingwood was resident for much of the 80s, was described by the member as more reminiscent of a San Francisco gay bath-house than a Buddhist retreat. (17 kb text) By continuing to use our website, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. But to address these issues which we must dois to allow our detractors to set the agenda, ignoring all the good in the FWBO., Jim Belither, a senior member of the NKT in Britain, echoes this view: To begin with, The Files author appears to be motivated by a sincere desire to right a wrong and to address issues of genuine concern. [13] The five types of meditation correspond to five 'stages' of the spiritual life. The Dalai Lama On 17th, 18th, and 19th March 2009, a small group of senior Order members put to me a series of questions about the nature of the Order, and related topics, and I replied to those questions. The Guardian report also raised controversy over statements by Sangharakshita which it interpreted as adverse to women and the family. Where required, we ask members of the Order to co-operate fully with any investigation, should that takeplace., Lingwood encouraged his heterosexual male followers to experiment with homosexuality as a form of self development. The Adhisthana website carries many pictures of him, a bespectacled, slight man draped in holy robes. Late in 1997 the Guardian newspaper ran a long, damning article on the FWBO. If the allegations in The Files are true, why has no one spoken up sooner? He said, well, you need to keep persevering, you mustnt give up.. [32], Beyond this, a commitment to personal dharma practice and to remain in communication with other members are the only expectations. A Guardian Web directory listed the FWBO website as "a good starting point for children. [31], As with followers of the Shingon school of Buddhism, order members observe ten precepts (ethical training rules). I didnt want the get-married-get-a job narrative. The Lotus in the City: Triratna London Buddhist Centre, One of its authors, the Cambridge-educated Vishvapani, who heads the FWBO Communications Office at the London Buddhist Centre a beautifully converted brick fire-station in Londons East Endand edits its magazine, Dharma Life, views the accusations as an unfortunate distraction from the many strengths of the FWBO as well as from its main business, teaching and studying the dharma. In a book published in 2005, the FWBO's members and supporters were estimated to number 100,000, the majority of whom were in India. Friends of the Western Buddhist Order: Friends, Foes, and Files Henry Shukman investigates the controversy around an extensive Buddhist network based in London By Henry Shukman Summer 1999 It's Tuesday night in Moseley, a suburb of Birmingham, in the heart of England. Friends of the Western Buddhist Order - Oxford Reference He gets sacked two years later and in 1968 founds the FWBO. Critics would accuse him of a pushing a semi-intellectual potpourri of Buddhism but he shrugged off the attacks, claiming he was helping the religion find new followers in the west. The Triratna Buddhist Community (formerly the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO)) is an international fellowship [1] of Buddhists and others [2] who aspire to its path of mindfulness. Many are suspicious, too, of the fact that the FWBO appears to be an ecumenical undertaking, yet is in fact highly exclusive, allowing no outside teachers. Venturing out on his own, Lingwood developed his own, highly interpretative brand of Buddhism, drawing on elements of Nietzsche and Freud. Sexual coercion, if it went on, is quite another matter. There was a general feeling around at the time that you were blocked if you had an aversion to gay sex, one former member recalled in an online forum. In 1964, Sangharakshita is invited to return to London to take charge of the English Sangha Trust, a Buddhist organization founded by Christmas Humphreys. PDF Mind control as practised by Friends of the Western Buddhist Order "[63] On 19 January 2017, Triratna's leadership issued a statement in response to Sangharakshitas apology: Consideration of some aspects of Bhante [Sangharakshita]'s past has been difficult for some of us in the College, as it has been for many of our brothers and sisters in the Order and others associated with our community. His delight in telling me this story said a lot: that this Buddhism was really theirs, that they were making their own way in it, and that even if their teacher did have no traditional authority in the dharma, what was religious legitimacy anyway if not innocent zeal and willingness to devote your life to your faith? The Triratna Buddhist Community (formerly the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO)) is an international fellowship[1] of Buddhists and others[2] who aspire to its path of mindfulness. As reported in the Guardian, the FWBOs Croydon Centre (whichlike most FWBO communitiesis single-sex) had by the late 1980s become the scene of intense psychological manipulation: One man committed suicide and many others were reported to have suffered mental trauma. Like other members interviewed, he is extremely personable, open, and brighthardly fitting the picture of the brainwashed cult member or hardened manipulator suggested by The Files. [17] Windhorse:Evolution closed down in 2015. For many years, the community charity Karuna Trust (UK) has raised money for aid projects in India.[17]. Each center now has a president who keeps an eye on things. Buddhism neatly within the framework of other religions (Backus & Cush 2008, 245; Stringer 2002, 10) or social sciences ( Baumann. "Mitra" is Sanskrit for "friend", which in this case denotes a person who considers themselves Buddhist, who makes an effort to live in accordance with the five ethical precepts, and who feels that this spiritual community is the appropriate one for them. The other problem is that dharma debate of this kind requires great skill. 39 global ratings. Talk : Friends of the Western Buddhist Order/Archive 5 [37] ("Triratna" is a Sanskrit term meaning Three Jewels), Although Sangharakshita studied under, and in some cases received initiations from, eminent Buddhist teachers during his two decades in India,[38] including Jagdish Kashyap, Dhardo Rinpoche, HH Dudjom Rinpoche, HH Dilgo Khyentse, and Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, author James William Coleman has noted that "he never worked closely enough with any teacher to be recognized as a dharma-heir". An FWBO magazine article about the building of a new retreat center quotes one young member as saying, I think we should lavish attention on the shrine room, put our money where our aspirations are, so to speak. The karma sections of the fundamental meditation texts of all four schools of Tibetan Buddhism also list these acts as basic guidelines for lay or ordained practitioners intent on observing the law of cause and effect. I worry that this type of behaviour was much more widespread than generally believed., I have friends who were sexually assaulted by senior OMs in recent times, another said. The online bookstore offers specialty books (e.g. Henry Shukman investigates the controversy around an extensive Buddhist network based in London. A third concern drew on complaints by the mother of a former FWBO member who had committed suicide in 1990, following a history of depression. Customer reviews. Working in the Right Spirit: The Application of Buddhist 'Right Theyd say, We feel terribly sorry for you for feeling all this negativity., According to Kulananda, a leading light in the FWBO credited with starting up its tremendously successful Windhorse Trading, Croydon was an exception. There are around eighty FWBO public centres and retreat centres in over twenty countries. Some claim that he was caught using rent boys, an allegation that the Triratna community said it had not heard before. [66], Neither Monk nor Layman: Clerical Marriage in Modern Japanese Buddhism Richard Jaffe. I told him I hated it. The centers head was accused of having coerced several men into homosexual relations by using a convoluted corruption of the Buddhist doctrine of conditioning promulgated by Sangharakshita himself, which proposed that spiritual friendships are essential to spiritual development, that such friendships between men could be inhibited by the fear of homosexual contact, and that the best way of overcoming that fear was to engage in homosexuality. Mellor P. Protestant Buddhism? In a separate development, the groups founder has apologised for having relationships with its members some of which, he has previously acknowledged, may have been against their will. Now that the book is out, at least its all there in one place and not hidden. At the same time, to increase flexibility, the number of preceptors was expanded. In fact I have argued with both of them at times and have always found them more than willing to listen to me and even at times to modify their opinions.
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