sangharakshita
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Without strong positive emotion, no spiritual progress is possible
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Viveka, San Francisco, USA
In a famous Sutra, the walls and doors of the enlightened Vimalakirti's house disappear to accommodate hundreds of thousands of beings accompanying Manjusri on a visit. FBA has that kind of magic.
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Viriyalila, Portsmouth, USA
FBA lets me hear the whole of our community's 'voice', and sit in a room with Sangharakshita as he elucidates the Dharma as it was originally passed on to us by the Buddha, ie. as an oral tradition.
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Eric, FBA Team
I am thrilled and honored to be a part of the FBA team. Working with other Buddhists provides an opportunity to build incredibly close relationships based on genuine trust, caring, and common values.
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Kamalashila, Catalunya, Spain
An incredibly useful resource with huge potential for educating the sangha and bringing practitioners together. I particularly like its one-stop-shop aspect: whatever it is, it's bound to be on FBA!
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Jinamitra, Welwyn, UK
These recordings have been a key part of my life, especially as I don't live near a Buddhist Centre. With its excellent organisation and fast delivery, FBA is a unique resource. A pleasure to donate.
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Vajradarshini, Valderrobres, Spain
I live in Spain so have no Buddhist Centres or Libraries close at hand and FBA is like having an excellent Dharmic library right here. Listening to the Dharma is a whole practice in itself!
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Vicki, Seattle, USA
I received the most delightful gift of the Dharma: an iPod with all of Sangharakshita's FBA downloads on it. I just love listening to my 'Bhante pod' and having Dharma talks so easily accessible.
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Padmatara, San Francisco, USA
Being in San Francisco, I value the easy access to talks from so many different people in the Triratna Buddhist Order - not just the famous ones! It makes me feel connected. A bit like Pirate Radio!
who is sangharakshita?
Sangharakshita is an Englishman, who was born in 1925 and discovered Buddhism after reading 'The Diamond Sutra' at age 16. He was posted to
India during the Second World War and stayed on afterwards to pursue formal Buddhist training of various kinds. After about 20 years of
broadening and deepening initiation and practice in several traditions notably Tibetan he returned to the U.K. in the mid '60s and went on to
found the Western Buddhist Order (WBO) and Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO), now known as Triratna Buddhist Order and
Triratna Buddhist Community.
His approach to Buddhism is characterised by an emphasis on commitment to living life in accordance with the teachings of the Buddha. In this
sense, it is distinctly non-sectarian and non-proscriptive in terms of lifestyle; the key is, instead, to find and develop appropriate expressions of
commitment in the modern world. There is also a growing part of the Triratna Order and Community in India. In the main, this consists of followers
of Dr. Ambedkar, the great Indian leader of the Dalits, who converted to Buddhism to escape their suffering under the Hindu caste system.
Sangharakshita has written and published extensively on Buddhism. You can read some of his books here. You can also search and read his many seminars on this site, as well as hear many of his talks on Buddhism and meditation. Check out his website for what heʼs up to these days!
