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Paperback , pages. Published August 1st by Windhorse Publications first published June 1st To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about The Triratna Story , please sign up. Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Aug 01, Steve rated it really liked it.
Much of this book, I know the information. I read some of it sarcastically to a friend, and he thought I was a bit cynical. I have asked for ordination into the Triratna Order. Much of this book is known to me. But there are also bits I don't know about, and it's a courageous attempt to tell the order's story, with so many disparate strands.
I would like to see other memoirs. I've read the others so far, but I want more! In the early days of the movement, it was like a wrathful form of Vajrapani, Much of this book, I know the information. In the early days of the movement, it was like a wrathful form of Vajrapani, confrontational, impatient and challenging. I think the chapters on the Guardian article and the challenges the order have faced were the best.
I also liked the ending, that profiled a few more order members, it was a kind of chicken soup for the TBC soul. I had some debates with my preceptor along the lines of the trends and issues he's outlined in this book. Aug 24, Laura rated it really liked it. This book was recommended to me by an Order member at my local Triratna centre because of my mixed feelings about becoming a Mitra owing to what I had read online about the 'FWBO Files'.
Vajragupta is clear from the outset that this is not an extensive history of the FWBO, and as such it was frustrating at times to be moved on so swiftly to each new topic, but he has referenced and indicated extra reading extensively. In short he has done a terrific job! Importantly he covers the 'FWBO Files' and other "mistakes" made by this fledgling movement with honesty and sensitivity.
For me it has been invaluable. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in Triratna, or Buddhism. Equally, anyone wanting to understand what went wrong in their past should read this for its honest attempt to clarify what has been over sensationalised by others. Nov 25, Carol rated it really liked it. I read this book as I am interested in the Western Buddhist movement and I found it interesting and honest. It is good that an organisation puts it hands up and says 'yes, we messed up, but we learned from it, and are now moving on'.
Very interesting read that just made me more interested in the movement.
May 19, Viv JM rated it liked it Shelves: Although written by an "insider" provides insight into the scandals that have arisen within this organisation, and documents the lessons that could be learned from them. An interesting, if brief, history. Jayne Smith rated it it was ok Feb 19, Faxe rated it really liked it Aug 27, Russell Davison rated it liked it Mar 30, Lynn Booth rated it liked it Nov 21, Karen Jones rated it really liked it Jun 03, Tanya Hakala rated it really liked it Jun 09, Oskar rated it it was amazing Aug 07, Gavin Ryan rated it liked it Jan 29, Walter rated it really liked it Aug 11, Georgina Allen rated it liked it Jul 24, 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.
Beyond this, a commitment to personal dharma practice and to remain in communication with other members are the only expectations.
Paperback , pages. I would like to see other memoirs. Thanks for telling us about the problem. He had then recently returned to England after spending two decades as a Buddhist and monk in India, following demobilisation from the British army. Published August 1st by Windhorse Publications first published June 1st For those who want to commit themselves to the Three Jewels, we have a clear path of training to help you develop and deepen your understanding, in the context of a lively community of friends helping each other take their practice deeper, sharing the joys and challenges of spiritual life. I think the chapters on the Guardian article and the challenges the order have faced were the best.
In mid, there were around 1, members of the order, in more than 20 countries. In the Triratna community, as in the Theravada , Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions, sangha is interpreted as the Buddhist community as a whole. Someone who regularly attends community activities is considered to be a "friend". Friends do not have to regard themselves as Buddhists, and can be of any faith, or none.
Some choose, after some time, to participate in a formal ceremony of affiliation, and thus become a "mitra. Those who wish to join the Order must request this in writing. It will then take several years to prepare for ordination. This is an informal process, the focus of which is to deepen one's commitment. Some Friends, Mitras and Order members decide, at least for a while, to study teachings from outside the community, including non-Buddhist traditions such as Sufism.
He had then recently returned to England after spending two decades as a Buddhist and monk in India, following demobilisation from the British army. He would lead the organisation until his formal retirement in , and would continue to exert a decisive influence on its thinking and practices thereafter.
In the s, the order grew in India, and, according to the Encyclopedia of Buddhism, [32] Indian members now make up about half the movement's formal membership. In a book published in , the FWBO's members and supporters were estimated to number ,, the majority of whom were in India.
In , the responsibility for ordination and spiritual leadership passed to a "preceptor's college", based in Birmingham. In future, this position will be elected by the WBO to five-year terms. In , 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. At the same time, to increase flexibility, the number of preceptors was expanded. 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.
An official history acknowledges this to have been controversial among some Order members. Although Sangharakshita studied under, and in some cases received initiations from, eminent Buddhist teachers during his two decades in India , [34] 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".
Rather than leadership by a guru, the community instead operates through what has been called a "friendly hierarchy," [35] which some critics have said can cause problems.
In Sangharakshita wrote of his "conviction that the less the FWBO is involved with 'Buddhist groups' and with individuals affiliated to existing Buddhist traditions, the better. In October , the FWBO and Western Buddhist Order were rocked [41] by a report by the religious affairs correspondent of the UK newspaper The Guardian , which made wide-ranging allegations of sexual misconduct, dogmatism and misogyny within the movement during the s and s.
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 s, and left the order in The report contained further allegations from an anonymous source, who said that he had been persuaded into a sexual relationship with the leader of FWBO's centre in Croydon , south of London.
A third concern drew on complaints by the mother of a former FWBO member who had committed suicide in , following a history of depression. A report by a clinical psychologist said, among other things: He stated that he did not indulge in homosexual practices, although attempts were made for him to do so both by using inducements and by using threats. Following The Guardian report, a widespread debate ensued.
The FWBO had long been known for questioning assumptions about family life, [24] and, according to the Encyclopedia of Buddhism: In an official biography of Sangharakshita, published in , and reissued in , Subhuti says: The Guardian report also raised controversy over statements by Sangharakshita which it interpreted as adverse to women and the family. Expressing views found in Buddhist texts from their earliest times, [47] [48] [49] he has argued, for example, that, at least in the early stages of their spiritual careers, men are more apt to commit themselves to the spiritual life than women.
Although scriptures and historians recognize that the Buddha himself had concerns over such issues, particularly after the birth of his son Rahula , when he left home convinced that "family life was incompatible with the highest forms of spirituality", [51] critics cite Sangharakshita's conservative views as evidence that misogynystic attitudes persisted in the FWBO during the s. As a movement, what was then the FWBO gave detailed responses and staunchly supported its founder, [52] [53] while in the renamed movement published an official history which acknowledged widespread concern among order members that, at least in the s and before, the founder had misused his position as a Buddhist teacher to sexually exploit young men.
In The Triratna Story Vajragupta charts the life of this new Buddhist community, from its inception in London to its growth worldwide. The Triratna Story: Behind the Scenes of a New Buddhist Movement [Vajragupta] on www.farmersmarketmusic.com *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. This is the story of a.
The controversies have attracted little public interest, and in recent years both The Guardian , and its sister Sunday newspaper, The Observer , have run many supportive items, recommending community activities. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Four Stages Arhat Buddha Bodhisattva. Transplantation, Development and Adaptation , Routledge, p.