Triratna

Overview

In 1967 in London, a former British monk who had spent twenty years in India and received ordinations in several Buddhist traditions founded an organization with an ambitious name: Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO). His idea was simple and radical at once: Buddhism should not be tied to any single Asian culture. One could take the best from all traditions - Theravada meditation, Madhyamaka philosophy, Amitabha devotion, Vajrayana visualizations - and create a new form suitable for the modern West.

Sangharakshita (born Dennis Lingwood, 1925-2018) was well-read, charismatic, and confident in his vision. He created not just a meditation center but an entire social system: residential communities, “right livelihood” businesses (cooperative shops, publishers, cafes), study programs, and an ordination system. The central idea: “Going for Refuge to the Three Jewels” (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha) as the only necessary condition for calling oneself a Buddhist. Not monastic vows, not belonging to an Asian lineage, not ethnic tradition - only personal commitment.

Today, Triratna (renamed from FWBO in 2010) is one of the largest Buddhist organizations in the West: over 60 centers in 20 countries, thousands of order members and active participants. In India, Triratna is closely connected to the Ambedkarite Dalit movement - Sangharakshita worked with Dalit communities from the 1950s, and today the majority of Indian Triratna members are descendants of Dalits who converted to Buddhism following Ambedkar.

However, Triratna’s history is inseparable from one of the most painful subjects in contemporary Western Buddhism. Over decades, Sangharakshita engaged in sexual relationships with young men who were his students - people in a direct relationship of dependence on him as spiritual mentor. By various accounts, at least 25 students were involved. These relationships were frequently framed as part of “spiritual development” - a framing that exploits the student’s trust in the teacher. Some former students describe what they experienced as coercion disguised as spiritual guidance. Triratna was slow to acknowledge the scale of the problem; in 2017, the organization published an official report acknowledging the abuse and apologizing to those harmed. Sangharakshita, in his final years, acknowledged that he had caused harm.

This is not a footnote. It is a central fact without which understanding Triratna is impossible. The organization continues to operate - and many of its programs, texts, and practices are genuinely valuable. But anyone who is interested in Triratna should know this history beforehand.

History

Dennis Lingwood was born in 1925 in London. In 1943, after reading the Diamond Sutra and Huineng’s Platform Sutra, he realized he had “always been a Buddhist.” After World War II, he went to India, where he spent twenty years: taking monastic ordination in Theravada, receiving initiations in Tibetan schools, and working with Dalit communities in Maharashtra. He took the name Sangharakshita - “Protector of the Sangha.”

Returning to England in 1964, Sangharakshita found British Buddhism divided into isolated groups, each loyal to its Asian lineage. He decided to create something new: a Buddhist movement not bound to any particular tradition but drawing the best from all of them.

In 1967, he founded FWBO. In 1968, the Western Buddhist Order (WBO), with its own ordination system. The ordained (called “dhammacharis” - “Dharma-farers”) are not monks in the traditional sense: they can be laypeople, live in partnerships, hold ordinary jobs. The only requirement is serious commitment to the Three Jewels.

In the 1970s and 80s, FWBO grew rapidly. Residential communities, right livelihood businesses (Windhorse Trading, Windhorse Publications), and retreat centers sprang up across Britain and beyond. In India, work with Dalit communities expanded: educational programs, community centers, mass conversion ceremonies.

In 1997, The Guardian published a report on Sangharakshita’s sexual abuses. In 2003, a former order member published a detailed account of abuse within FWBO. The organization underwent a painful period of self-examination.

In 2010, FWBO was renamed Triratna Buddhist Community, and WBO became Triratna Buddhist Order. The renaming was part of a renewal process, though critics note it also helped distance the organization from negative press about FWBO.

Sangharakshita died in 2018. After his death, the organization continued reassessing his legacy - separating the teachings (which many still consider valuable) from the behavior (which the organization has acknowledged as abuse).

What Practice Looks Like

Two meditations form the core of Triratna practice: anapanasati (mindfulness of breathing) and metta bhavana (development of loving-kindness). Each typically lasts 30-40 minutes. This is the basic program every newcomer begins with.

Anapanasati in Triratna is taught as a four-stage practice: (1) count in-breaths and out-breaths, (2) count only in-breaths, (3) observe the breath without counting, (4) focus on sensation at a single point (usually the tip of the nose). Metta bhavana has five stages: (1) direct loving-kindness to yourself, (2) to a friend, (3) to a neutral person, (4) to a “difficult” person, (5) to all beings.

Study groups are the second pillar of practice. Small groups (6-12 people) meet regularly to study Buddhist texts: from the Dhammapada to Sangharakshita’s “A Survey of Buddhism.” The format is shared reading and discussion, not lecture.

Retreats - from weekends to two weeks - are held at retreat centers, the largest being Adhisthana (England), Guhyaloka (Spain, men only), and Tiratanaloka (Wales, women only). Intensive retreats include extended periods of meditation, silence, and ritual.

Residential communities are a distinctive feature of Triratna. Groups of practitioners live together, sharing expenses, cooking, meditating morning and evening. This is not a monastery - people go to work - but an attempt to create “sangha” in the literal sense.

Right livelihood businesses are cooperative enterprises run by order members: vegan cafes, bookshops, design studios. The idea is that work can be part of spiritual practice if it is ethical and consistent with Buddhist principles.

Ordination into Triratna is a lengthy process. Typically several years of regular practice, participation in study groups and retreats, before one can request ordination. The ceremony includes receiving a new name (usually in Sanskrit or Pali), vows, and formal entry into the order.

How It Differs

Triratna and Theravada - Triratna draws its meditation (anapanasati, metta bhavana) and ethics from Theravada but rejects the monastic model. Theravadin teachers generally do not recognize Triratna ordination, as it is not connected to any traditional lineage.

Triratna and Tibetan Buddhism - Sangharakshita received initiations from Tibetan teachers and included Vajrayana visualizations and rituals in Triratna practice. But Tibetan schools do not recognize him as a lineage holder, and visualizations in Triratna are used differently than in the Tibetan tradition.

Triratna and Navayana - in India, Triratna and the Ambedkarite movement are closely intertwined. Sangharakshita worked with Dalit communities from the 1950s. Many Indian Triratna members are Ambedkarite Buddhists for whom conversion is an act of social liberation.

What critics say. Sangharakshita’s sexual abuses are the primary focus of criticism, but not the only one. Traditional Buddhists point to “eclecticism without depth” - an attempt to mix incompatible traditions. Internal critics note the personality cult around Sangharakshita (who for decades was the sole authority), authoritarian management style, and pressure on members of residential communities. Some former members describe the organization as a “soft cult.” Triratna responds: structural reforms after 2010 have addressed many of these issues, and the organization has become more transparent and decentralized.

Who This Tradition Speaks To

This is a doorway, not a diagnosis. But here are some signs that Triratna might be your kind of practice.

Triratna may resonate with you if you:

• Want to try Buddhism without attachment to a single Asian culture. Triratna deliberately creates a “Western” form of Buddhism - without prostrations, rituals, and terminology that may feel foreign.
• Seek community. Study groups, shared living, retreats - Triratna offers one of the most developed communal models in Western Buddhism.
• Are interested in different Buddhist traditions. If a synthetic approach appeals - Theravada meditation, Madhyamaka philosophy, Vajrayana visualizations - Triratna offers exactly that.

An honest caveat: learn the organization’s history before getting involved. The founder’s abuses are not “the past” - their consequences shape the organization to this day. Many valuable teachers left Triratna precisely because of this history. Those who stayed generally discuss the topic openly - and if a specific center avoids it, that is a warning sign.

Where to Practice

Russia and Russian-speaking communities:

A Moscow Triratna sangha exists and holds regular meetings. The website buddhayana.ru has translations of four of Sangharakshita’s books into Russian.

International centers:

London Buddhist Centre (lbc.org.uk) is the flagship center. Adhisthana (adhisthana.org) is the main retreat center in Herefordshire, England. Centers in Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Australia, and India.

Online:

The Buddhist Centre Online (thebuddhistcentre.com) is Triratna’s largest online resource: meditation courses, podcasts, text library. Free Buddhist Audio (freebuddhistaudio.com) offers free audio recordings of talks and guided meditations.