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A woman meditates with friends in a residential community in London. An Indian Buddhist teaches meditation to hundreds of people in the corwded corridor of a Bombay slum. An artist struggles to create his latest Buddha statue, combining classical Greek forms with traditional Asian ones. In a remote Spanish valley, a man follows a simple life of renunciation. These are images of some of the people who follow the Buddha's teachings within the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order. The FWBO is a modern Buddhist movement that applies the universal insights of Buddha to today's conditions. This book explains the principles and activities of the FWBO and describes its development and spread across the world. ... Read more

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In this informal manifesto, Sangharashita explains why he founded a new Buddhist movement and examines its relationship to the wider Buddhist tradition. ... Read more

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Inspiring selection from one of the West's first non-sectarian Dharma teachers
Among the Westerners who went East and brought the Dharma home, one of the more prolific writers and lecturers was Englishman Sangharakshita (formerly Dennis Lingwood). Stationed to India during WWII, he stayed on 14 years to study Buddhism, reputedly taking ordination as a Theravadan monk, but studying as well with teachers from Chan and Vajrayan traditions before retuning to the UK in the mid-1960's to found the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order.Questions about the authenticity of his ordination, as well as the reason for his leaving India, surfaced following scandals of sexual impropriety and mismanagement in the 1990's.

None of these indiscretions or suspicions is even hinted at in the anonymous biographical sketch opening The Essential Sangharakshita, 700 pages of extracts from 38 of the teacher's many books and transcribed lectures.You might expect such a weighty career to outweigh a few improprieties.Not addressing them, or allowing them to be addressed, suggests continuing sensitivity to reputation.

And that's something of a shame, because this volume demonstrates that while he may not have always lived up to the teachings, Sangharakshita was witty, clever, and sensitive to his time and audience, able to explain the Dharma in ways relevant to the West.

He was also something of an anomaly among the many teachers who emphasized the rational, conceptual side of Buddhism.Sangharakshita was unashamedly a religionist and romantic, a teacher who placed great value in the emotional and the aesthetic.He loved ceremony, candles, incense, and chanting, and saw a place for them within Western Buddhism.He recognized the need to worship something greater, to devote oneself to something higher, of the need to engage emotionally with symbols. He was also eclectic, promoting a non-sectarian form of Buddhism that drew on many strands of thought and practice.He quoted liberally from Western philosophy and religion, English literature and contemporary psychology, and spoke on occasion of his efforts at poetry, samples of which are included in this collection.

With more than 20 years experience as Sangharakshita's personal editor, Karen Stout was in the unique position of being intimately familiar with much of the author's work and seems to have done a fine job of selecting and compiling.My only quibble is the omission of one of Sangharakshita's more widely read pieces, a lengthy review of a seminal work of Western Buddhism, Stephen Batchelor's "Buddhism Without Beliefs," as well as the omission of any writings about Ambedkar or Navayana Buddhism.

Essential Sangharakshita features an editor's preface, notes, a list of the works from which extracts have been taken, and an index.The excerpts are organized into 5 groups (page count for each group in parenthesis):

1The Essentials (132):life of the Buddha, going for refuge, the eightfold path
2Buddhism and the Mind (106):rational and emotional approaches, the self, karma, evolution
3Art, Beauty and Myth (104):aesthetics in spiritual life
4Buddhism and the Heart (154):psychology, meditation, devotion
5Buddhism and the World (160):ethics, work, social engagement

I had listened to several of Sangharakshita's lectures before ordering this book (his eight-part series on the Eightfold Path is worth repeated listenings and is available online at dharmachakra dot com).In the interval before its arrival, I stumbled onto the FWBO Files, a collection of documents outlining improprieties within the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order.I felt somewhat sorry for having ordered it, but decided once I had it to give it a go.

With most of the selections being 3-5 pages in length, I found it a perfect book for daily reading. I'm glad now that I gave it a chance and plan to keep it in my collection, something I can dip into now and then for short readings on subjects of interest.Among the many quotable passages now marked in my copy is this:

"Someone came to me once and said that he did not feel that he could be very useful because he had no particular talent. I told him, "Think of yourself as an unspecialized human being."People think that if they can't make themselves useful in some way - they can't type, they can't keep accounts, they can't cook, they can't write or give a talk or paint or play a musical instrument - there's something wrong with them.But consider:this apparently useless human beingis the product of millions upon millions of years of evolution.You are the goal;you are what it has all been for.You don't have to justify your existence by being useful.You yourself are the justification for your existence."p303

Words, Words, Words
It's a beautiful book; the typesetting is impeccable. The compiler/editor did a commendable job trimming down the rambling verbiage of the original materials. The organization is excellent, but the text is quite cumbersome. The author is obsessed with words and ideas, and can't let go of the so many things that he has read about "Buddhism". Every topic seems to be accompanied with a host of off-hand references to this and that and the other tradition... For beginners? Too confusing. For advanced readers? Nothing really new. For practitioners? The intellectual reflections might be unwieldy.

One of the great frauds of Western spirituality
Sangharakshita is the greatest fraud in the history of Buddhism in the West.He claims to be a lineage holder of the Vajrayana from ancient Oddiyana (Urgyen, the Tibetan rendering) to modern Tibet; this is a complete fabrication as he is nothing of the sort.He has admitted to sexually exploiting vulnerable young men in his care, and using them as sexual toys "out of curiousity".As a reviewer noted, his writing is largely spurious and speculative.Staunch supporters of the discredited FWBO are surely the only market for this book.For everyone else this should not even be on your wishlist. ... Read more

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Chapters: Friends of the Western Buddhist Order, Bahá'í Faith in Iceland, Fo Guang Shan, Word of God, Rivers of Life, Adventist Forums, Roman Catholic Diocese of Monterey in California, Presbyterian Reformed Church, Malankara Catholic Youth Movement, Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno, Citylife Church, Chaldean Catholic Archeparchy of Mosul, Solomon Islands Christian Association, Berkeley Zen Center, American World Patriarchs, Evangelical Fellowship of Congregational Churches, Roman Catholic Diocese of Nakhon Sawan, Vicariate Apostolic of Paksé, Pontifical Council for the Laity, Orthodox Anglican Communion, Evangelische Omroep, Feraferia, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kupang, Roman Catholic Diocese of Livramento de Nossa Senhora, Roman Catholic Diocese of Luiza, Roman Catholic Diocese of Kurnool, Roman Catholic Diocese of Callao, Roman Catholic Diocese of Carapeguá, Temple Sinai (Denver, Colorado), Roman Catholic Diocese of Uíje, Roman Catholic Diocese of Ban Me Thuot, Lutheran Council in the United States of America, Roman Catholic Diocese of Hasselt, Roman Catholic Diocese of Butuan, United Congregational Church of Southern Africa, Roman Catholic Diocese of Montego Bay. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 132. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Part of a series onBuddhism Portal of BuddhismOutline of Buddhism The Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO) is an international fellowship of Buddhists, and others who follow its path of mindfulness, under the leadership of the Western Buddhist Order. It was founded in the UK in 1967, and describes itself as "an international network dedicated to communicating Buddhist truths in ways appropriate to the modern world". In keeping with Buddhist traditions, it also pays attention to contemporary ideas, particularly drawn from Western philosoph...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=277079 ... Read more

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Chapters: Shaolin Monastery, New Kadampa Tradition, Friends of the Western Buddhist Order, San Francisco Zen Center, Mogok Sayadaw, Shambhala Buddhism, Tharpa Publications, Thekchen Choling, Rigpa, Dharma Drum Mountain, Zen Peacemaker Order, Buddhist Publication Society, Robert Baker Aitken, Mind and Life Institute, Dhammakaya Movement, Tzu Chi, Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, Path Press, Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist Association, Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, Maha Bodhi Society, Dharma Realm Buddhist Association, Zenshuji, Tzu Chi Malaysia, Vipassana Movement, Chamtrul Rinpoche, Buddhist Congregation Dharmaling, Incovar, Insight Meditation Society, Woodenfish, Shaolin Temple Uk, Dharma Drum Retreat Center, London Buddhist Centre, Humuh: Transcendental Buddhism, World Buddhist Forum, 2006, Zen Group of Western Australia, Devians, Maliyadeva Girls' College, Buddhist Nation, Tubten Kunga Center, World Buddhist Sangha Council, White Wind Zen Community, World Fellowship of Buddhists, Cambridge Buddhist Association, Buddha's Light International Association - Philippines, Buddhist Federation of Norway, Western Chan Fellowship, Buddha's Light International Association, American Zen Teachers Association, Gaden Relief Projects, European Buddhist Union, Unitarian Universalist Buddhist Fellowship, Buddhist Association of China, Buddhist Institute, Cambodia, Ladakh Buddhist Association, American Buddhist Movement, Minnesota Zen Center, Young Buddhist Association, Soto Zen Buddhist Association, International Network of Engaged Buddhists, Pioneer Valley Zendo, Dublin Buddhist Centre, Nītārtha Institute, Tricycle Foundation, Tzu Chi Singapore, Diamond Sangha. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 317. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Part of a series onBuddhism Portal of BuddhismOutline of Buddhism The N...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=2184535 ... Read more

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Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: Tibbetibaba, Friends of the Western Buddhist Order, Mogok Sayadaw, Shambhala Buddhism, Houn Jiyu-Kennett, Humanistic Buddhism, Sakyong Mipham, Hoa Hao, True Buddha School, Black Sect Tantric Buddhism, Vipassana Movement, Black Buddhist, Buddhist Nation, Shasta Abbey, Blue Lotus Assembly, American Buddhist Movement. Excerpt:The American Buddhist Movement , also known as the Association of American Buddhists , is a group which promotes Buddhism through publications, ordination of monks , and classes. It was organized in 1980 by American practitioners of Theravada , Mahayana , and Vajrayana Buddhism. It does not espouse any particular school or schools of Buddhism. It respects all Buddhist traditions as equal, and encourages unity of Buddhism in thought and practice. It states that a different, American, form of Buddhism is possible, and that the cultural forms attached to the older schools of Buddhism need not necessarily be followed by westerners. Membership in the organization is open to all, and it has been estimated to have 2000 members in 1998. References (URLs online) A hyperlinked version of this chapter is at The term Black Buddhist has several possible meanings: References (URLs online) Websites (URLs online) A hyperlinked version of this chapter is at Black Sect Tantric Buddhism is a new religious movement established in California in 1986. It encompasses Buddhist and Tantric Buddhist thought and Tibetan, Indian, and Chinese ideas and philosophies. Background Black Sect Tantric Buddhism, originated by Thomas Lin Yun and incorporated as a U.S. church in 1986, teaches and promotes a system it markets as feng shui and as a synthesis of Tibetan and Chinese Buddhism , Taoism , and folk wisdom index{f... ... Read more

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The Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO) is an international fellowship of Buddhists, and others who aspire to its path of mindfulness, under the leadership of the Western Buddhist Order. It was founded in the UK in 1967, and describes itself as "an international network dedicated to communicating Buddhist truths in ways appropriate to the modern world". In keeping with Buddhist traditions, it also pays attention to contemporary ideas, particularly drawn from Western philosophy, psychotherapy, and art. In the UK, the FWBO is one of the largest Buddhist new religious movements, supported by a federation of some 30 urban centres and retreat centres. Worldwide, more than 100 groups and centres are part of the FWBO family, including in North America, Australasia and Europe. Its largest following is in India, where it is known as Trailokya Bauddha Mahasangha Sahayaka Gana (TBMSG). Historically, there has been controversy surrounding the FWBO. It has been accused of radicalism, and criticised for what some commentators have seen as unorthodox teachings. ... Read more

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Warning
This book consists of Wikipedia downloads.This a a BIG price for Wikipedia downloads.

Wikipedia is on the net for free.

Budda?If the "editors" of this "book" are an expert on that, then they are probably experts on lots of things, because they have "edited" hundreds of other "books".

I wonder if Alphapress has its own Wikipedia page? ... Read more

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High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! S?ka Gakkai ("Value-Creation Society") is a new religious movement, more precisely a modern Japanese ?new religion? derived from Nichiren Buddhism. It was formed in 1930 and is closely associated with the New Komeito, an influential Japanese political party.S?ka Gakkai InternationalInsert title (SGI), the umbrella organization, was founded in 1975 and characterizes its organization as both a support network for practitioners of Nichiren Buddhism and as a global movement for peace education and cultural exchange. ... Read more

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A concise account of the Buddhist view of the human mind in terms designed for readers with no previous knowledge of the subject. The author suggests that there are two kinds of mind - the reactive and the creative - and that if we make the necessary effort our minds can become more creative. ... Read more