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Sangharakshita (1925-) is the founder of the Western Buddhist Order, and the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO). He is a prodigious author and public speaker on the subject of Buddhism, especially Buddhism in the West. A somewhat controversial figure, celebrated by his followers, suspected of heresy by traditionalists, and even hated by a few. Sangharakshita is a complex, enigmatic man, who can not easily be summed up. Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, who lived between approximately 566 and 486 BCE. Originating in India, Buddhism gradually spread throughout Asia to Central Asia... The cultural elements of Buddhism vary by region and include: Buddhist cuisine Buddhist art Buddharupa Art and architecture of Japan Greco-Buddhism Tibetan Buddhist sacred art Buddhist music Buddhist chant Shomyo Categories: Buddhism-related stubs ... The history of Buddhism spans from the 6th century BCE to the present, starting with the birth of the Buddha Siddharta Gautama. ... Contents: Top - A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z The following is a List of Buddhist topics: A Abhidharma Ahimsa Ajahn Ajahn Chah Ajanta Aksobhya Alexandra David-Néel Amara Sinha B... Buddhist beliefs and practices vary according to region. ... The percentage of Buddhist population of each country was taken from the US State Departments International Religious Freedom Report 2004 [1]. Other sources used were CIA Factbook [2] and adherents. ... An image of Gautama Buddha with a swastika, traditionally a Buddhist symbol of good luck, on his chest. ... The Buddhist temple Wat Chiang Man, in Chiang Mai, Thailand, which dates from the late 13th century Buddhist temples and monasteries, sorted by location. ... Several Buddhist terms and concepts lack direct translations into English that cover the breadth of the original term. ... There is great variety in Buddhist texts. ... // Before Common Era Trad. ... 1925 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO) is a Buddhist movement that was founded in the UK by Sangharakshita (formerly Dennis Lingwood) in 1967, followed by the Western Buddhist Order in 1968. ... A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, who lived between approximately 566 and 486 BCE. Originating in India, Buddhism gradually spread throughout Asia to Central Asia... Heresy, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is a theological or religious opinion or doctrine maintained in opposition, or held to be contrary, to the ‘catholic’ or orthodox doctrine of the Christian Church, or, by extension, to that of any church, creed, or religious system, considered as orthodox. ...

Biography

Early life

Sangharakshita was born Dennis Lingwood in Tooting London, in 1925. During his childhood he was confined to bed for two years during which time he read prodigiously and started to become acquainted with art, culture and philosophy. At 16 he read a copy of the Diamond Sutra and had mystical experiences which confirmed for him that he was a Buddhist and always had been. During World War II he was posted to India, and after the war stayed on to pursue ordination as a Bhikkhu. Tooting is a place in the London Borough of Wandsworth in south London. ... The clock tower of the Palace of Westminster, which contains Big Ben London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... 1925 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Resources ArtLex. ... Look up Culture on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Wikinews has news related to this article: Culture and entertainment Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Cultural Development in Antiquity Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Culture and Civilization in Modern Times Classificatory system for cultures and civilizations, by Dr. Sam Vaknin... Philosophy is a discipline or field of study involving the investigation, analysis, and development of ideas at a general, abstract, or fundamental level. ... The Diamond Sutra (Vajracchedika-prajñāpāramitā-sūtra), The Perfection of Wisdom Sutra that Cuts like a Thunderbolt, is a short Mahayana sutra of the Perfection of Wisdom genre, which teaches the practice of the avoidance of abiding in extremes of mental attachment. ... World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons like the atom bomb World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a mid-20th-century conflict that engulfed much of the globe... Debating bhikkhu in Tibet In Pāli, a bhikkhu (male) or bhikkhuni (female) is a fully ordained Buddhist monk. ...

India

While he was waiting to be demobilised after World War II Sangharakshita decided that he was going to stay in India. He gave away his possessions and burnt his identification. For the next two years he and a companion wandered around India, mostly in the south. They lived of almsfood and practised meditation. During this period Sangharakshita met many well known Hindu teachers including Ramana Maharshi. He also made contact with the Mahabodhi Society. At the end of this period of wandering, Sangharakshita determined to seek ordination as a Buddhist monk. To this end he and his companion caught a train to Delhi and then made their way to Sarnath. The monks there were suspicious of this wild-looking pair that appeared out of nowhere and refused to give them the ordination. They then travelled on foot, during the hottest time of the year, to Kushinara where they were both given the shramana, or novice, ordination, by the Burmese monk U Chandramani. However, although they were ordained, U Chandramani and the other monks at Kushinara made it clear that he could offer nothing in the way of on going support, and suggested that they contact Bhikkhu Jagdish Kashyap in Benares. Kasyap, professor Pali at Benares Hindu University, welcomed Sangharakshita, who stayed on for 8 months studying Pali, Abhidhamma, and Buddhist logic. At the end of this period Sangharakshita and Kashyap went on a tour in the region of Darjeeling. Jashyap had been considering his own future, and was planning to leave the university. Consequently he, rather unceremoniously, left Sangharakshita in the hill town of Kalimpong with the injunction to "work for the good of Buddhism". Kalimpong was to be his base for 14 years until his return to England in the 1960's. World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons like the atom bomb World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a mid-20th-century conflict that engulfed much of the globe... Ramana Mahrishi as portrayed in a loving oil painting by Jayalakshmi Satyendra Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi (December 30, 1879 - April 14, 1950) was a great Hindu mystic of the Advaita Vedanta stream and is regarded by some as one of the greatest saints of Hinduism in the 20th century. ... Founded by Anagarika Dhammapala, the Maha Bodhi Society is a South Asian Buddhist society. ... Benares (also known as Banaras, Kashi, Kasi and Varanasi (वाराणसी)) is a Hindu holy city on the banks of the river Ganga or Ganges in the modern north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. ... . Pāli (ISO 639-1: pi; ISO 639-2: pli) is a Middle Indo-Aryan dialect or prakrit. ... . Pāli (ISO 639-1: pi; ISO 639-2: pli) is a Middle Indo-Aryan dialect or prakrit. ... The abhidhamma is the name of one of the three pitakas, or baskets of tradition, into which the Tipitaka (Pali; Sanskrit: Tripitaka), the canon of early Buddhism, is divided. ... Logic (from Classical Greek λόγος (logos), originally meaning the word, or what is spoken, but coming to mean thought or reason) is most often said to be the study of arguments, although the exact definition of logic is a matter of controversy amongst philosophers (see below). ... The Toy Train approaching Darjeeling Darjeeling is a town in the Indian state of West Bengal and centre of the region of the same name, situated in the foothills of the Himalaya at elevations of between 2,000 and 3,000 metres above sea level. ... Kalimpong town as viewed from a distant hill. ...

During his time in India Sangharakshita met many remarkable spiritual teachers, and although ordained for a few months in the Theravada school was always open to other forms of Buddhism. In particular Sangharakshita was influenced by Tibetan Buddhist teachers who fled Tibet after the Chinese invasion in the 1950s. Perhaps the most influential was Dhardo Rimpoche an incarnate lama who, like the Dalai Lama, is said to be reborn in the world again and again, out of compassion for beings. Dhardo Rimpoche was both friend and teacher to Sangharakshita, and gave him the Bodhisattva ordination - which consists of a series of vows which commit the ordinand to saving all beings, everywhere from all suffering, over as many lifetimes as it takes, by what ever means necessary. C. M. Chen was also a strong influence on Sangharakshita, teaching him about Ch'an and Vajrayana practices. Theravada (Pali; Sanskrit: Sthaviravada) is one of the eighteen (or twenty) Nikāya schools that formed early in the history of Buddhism. ... Tibetan Buddhism - formerly (and incorrectly) also called Lamaism, after their religious gurus known as lamas - is the body of religious Buddhist doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and the Himalayan region. ... Tibet (Tibetan: བོད་, Bod, pronounced pö in Lhasa dialect; Chinese: 西藏, pinyin: XÄ«zàng; older spelling Thibet) is a region in Central Asia and the home of the Tibetan people. ... 1950 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Dhardo Rimpoche (1917-1990) was said by Tibetan Buddhists to be an incarnation, or tulku, of the chief abbot of Losel-ling College, Drepung Monastery located in central Tibet. ... The 14th and current Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso (born 1935) The 13th Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso (1876-1933) In Tibetan Buddhism, the successive Dalai Lamas (taa-lai bla-ma) form a tulku lineage of Gelugpa leaders which trace back to 1391. ... Prince Siddhartha Gautama as a bodhisattva, before becoming a Buddha. ... Chán is a major school of Chinese Mahāyāna Buddhism. ... A mandala used in Vajrayana Buddhist practices. ...

Return to the West

In the mid 1960s Sangharakshita received an invitation to visit England, to help with a dispute that had arisen at the Hampstead Buddhist Vihara. Sangharakshita's ecumenical approach, which embraced many strands of the Buddhist tradition, was in contrast to the strict Theravadin style Buddhism at the vihara. This won him both friends and enemies. It did become clear that there was a desire and a need for the Buddhist teachings in England though, and Sangharakshita decided to stay in England. However after he had left for a farewell tour of India he received a letter telling him he was no longer welcome at the Hamstead vihara, and that he should not return. It seems that the vihara's organising committee were unsatisfied with his approach, but were also influenced by rumours that his friendship with Terry Delamare was a sexual relationship. The 1960s, or The Sixties, in its most obvious sense refers to the decade between 1960 and 1969, but the expression has taken on a wider meaning over the past twenty years. ...

The result was that after consulting with friends and teachers in India, especially Dhardo Rimpoche, Sangharakshita decided to return to England to start a new Buddhist movement. Accordingly he founded the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order in 1967. The Western Buddhist Order was founded a year later when he ordained the first men and women. Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO) is a Buddhist movement that was founded in the UK by Sangharakshita (formerly Dennis Lingwood) in 1967, followed by the Western Buddhist Order in 1968. ... 1967 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The first home of the new movement was a basement shop in Monmouth Street in central London, where Sangharakshita not only led meditation, set out the cushions, made the tea, and cleaned up afterwards. The clock tower of the Palace of Westminster, which contains Big Ben London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ...

The FWBO and the WBO are an attempt to translate Buddhism into a western context without the sectarianism that seems to characterise Buddhism in the East. The FWBO is now a growing international movement. Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO) is a Buddhist movement that was founded in the UK by Sangharakshita (formerly Dennis Lingwood) in 1967, followed by the Western Buddhist Order in 1968. ... A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, who lived between approximately 566 and 486 BCE. Originating in India, Buddhism gradually spread throughout Asia to Central Asia... Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO) is a Buddhist movement that was founded in the UK by Sangharakshita (formerly Dennis Lingwood) in 1967, followed by the Western Buddhist Order in 1968. ...

Sangharakshita's teachers

• Bhikkhu Jagdish Kashyap : with whom Sangharakshita studied Pali and Buddhist Logic. It was Kashyapji who took Sangharakshita to Kalimpong and asked him to stay and work for the Dharma.
• C. M. Chen (1906-1987) : aka Yogi Chen, a hermit and meditator who taught Sangharakshita meditation.
• Dhardo Rimpoche : incarnate Lama from Tibet.
• Chetul Sangye Dorje
• Kachu Rimpoche
• Dudjom Rimpoche
• Dilgo Khyentse Rimpoche
• Jamyang Khyentse Rimpoche

. Pāli (ISO 639-1: pi; ISO 639-2: pli) is a Middle Indo-Aryan dialect or prakrit. ... 1906 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1987 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Dhardo Rimpoche (1917-1990) was said by Tibetan Buddhists to be an incarnation, or tulku, of the chief abbot of Losel-ling College, Drepung Monastery located in central Tibet. ...

Distinctive teachings

Sangharakshita is a mixture of conservative and radical. He emphasises basic Buddhist teachings, like conditionality, and the Four Noble Truths, while at the same time disregarding teachings which he sees as no longer relevant. He was ordained as a Theravadin Bhikkhu, but sought Tantric initiations from Tibetan lamas.

Going for Refuge has become central to how Sangharakshita thinks about the Dharma. He sees it as the central act of being, or becoming a Buddhist. In response to suffering and dissatisfaction we seek refuge in a variety of places: relationships, sex, chocolate, material things. However, the only True Refuges, according to Buddhism, are the Three Jewels, i.e. the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. A Buddhist is someone who goes for refuge to the Three Jewels. Dharma (sanskrit, roughly (natural) law or way) is the way of the higher Truths. ... A stone image of the Buddha. ... Dharma (sanskrit, roughly (natural) law or way) is the way of the higher Truths. ... Sangha is a word in Indian languages that can be translated roughly as association or assembly. It is commonly used in several senses to refer to Buddhist groups. ...

One can trace the development of his thought in his writings. In A Survey of Buddhism for instance, he suggests that it is the Bodhisattva Ideal that provides the unifying factor that ties all the disparate threads of Buddhism together. However, several years later, by the time the Three Jewels was published, this changed and Going for Refuge had become central. Sangharakshita traces the development of his thinking in A History of My Going For Refuge. He sees this re-emphasis of Going for Refuge as a restatement of what was originally intended by Buddhism. In Sangharakshita's thinking about Going for Refuge there are several levels in a hierarchy. Ethnic Going for Refuge is when one is born into a Buddhist culture and practice is a matter more of social conditioning than personal commitment. Having made a decision to commit oneself, one is Provisionally Going for Refuge. When Going for refuge is central to one's life, and that commitment is manifesting in ethical behaviour and an ability to practise the Dharma effectively, this is what Sangharakshita calls Effective Going for Refuge. Beyond this are Real Going for Refuge which corresponds with the arising of the Bodhicitta, and Absolute Going for Refuge which corresponds with the Dharmakaya.

Another key theme of Sangharakshita's teaching is the importance of friendship. Kalyana mitrata or spiritual friendship is lauded in the Buddhist scriptures, and Sangharakshita has ecouraged his followers to explore friendship as a spiritual practice. It is said for instance that the Order he founded is simply a network of friendships between people who are effectively Going for Refuge.

The order that Sangharakshita founded is neither monastic nor lay, and this aspect of his teachings has attracted much disapproval from traditional Buddhists. He wanted to de-emphasize the distinction between lay people and monastics because he had observed during his time in India that many monks were just going through the motions, and many lay people were devout and effective practitioners. Mahayana Buddhism has attacked the idea that only monks can practise effectively in such texts as the Vimalakirti Nirdesha, so Sangharakshita is not unique in this respect. However, the order he created, where effective Going for Refuge is central, is unique. Since Order members are not necessarily celibate it has meant that monks and nuns from traditional orders are unsure what to make of them, and usually decide that they are lay. However, most Order members consider themselves neither wholly lay (since they are often full-time practitioners), nor wholly monastic (since they do not necessarily follow the Vinaya). Relief image of the bodhisattva Guan Yin (Avalokitesvara) from Mt. ... Pali or Sanskrit word meaning discipline. The Vinaya is the textual framework for the Buddhist monastic community, or sangha. ...

Another teaching which Sangharakshita has emphasised is that the Buddha taught two types of Dependent Arising, or Conditioned Co-production. The first is familiar to most Buddhists and suggests that things arise in dependence on causes, and that we cycle between states such as birth and death, pleasure and pain. Reaching Nirvana from this perspective consists in cutting off the causes of birth and death. The second type says that some things arise in dependence on causes and proceed in a progressive manner so that suffering leads to faith, and faith leads to joy, and so on. From this point of view Nirvana arises in dependence on causes. This teaching is apparent in several texts in the Pali Canon, but seems largely overlooked by other Buddhists. It is important because it shows how Dependent Arising is an all-encompassing model of reality - i.e. it includes both the transcendental and the mundane worlds. Standard edition of the Thai Pali Canon The Pali Canon is one the earliest existing scripture collections of the Buddhist tradition. ...

Key Publications

General Buddhism

• A Survey of Buddhism (1957, 2001)
• The Three Jewels (1967, 1998)
• A Guide to the Buddhist Path (1990, 1996)

Commentaries

• Wisdom Beyond Words : sense and non-sense in the Buddhist prajnaparamita tradition
• The Inconceivable Emancipation : themes from the Vimalakirti Nirdesa
• The Drama of Cosmic Enlightenment : parables, myths, and symbols of the White Lotus Sutra
• Know Your Mind : the psychological dimension of ethics in Buddhism
• Living with Awareness : a guide to the Satipatthana Sutta

Memoirs

• The Rainbow Road : from Tooting Broadway to Kalimpong
• Facing Mount Kanchenjunga
• In the Sign of the Golden Wheel
• Moving Against the Stream : The Birth of a New Buddhist Movement
• The History of My Going For Refuge

Other

• Complete Poems 1941 - 1994
• The Religion of Art
• Ambedkar and Buddhism
• Was the Buddha a Bhikkhu?

External links

Sangharakshita

• Sangharakshita's home page: writings and poetry
• Books by Sangharakshita
• Tape lectures by Sangharakshita
• Videos featuring Sangharakshita
• FWBO official website.

Sangharakshita's teachers

• Yogi C. M. Chen