Triratna Buddhism Flashcards
Give the background to the foundation of the Triratna Movement
- Sangharakshita was one of the founding fathers of Western Buddhism
- He was born Dennis Lingwood in South London in 1925, into a Christian family
- Aged 16 he read the Diamond Sutra and had a distinct realisation that he was a
Buddhist - Conscription during WWII took him to Sri Lanka as a signals operator and after the war ended he stayed on for two years.
- He became ordained as a Theravadin Buddhist monk and changed his name to Sangharakshita (protected by the spiritual community).
- He lived for 14 years in the Himalayan town of Kalimpong, where he studied intensively under the leading teachers from all major Buddhist traditions.
- After 20 years he returned to the UK to teach the Dharma
- In 1967 he set up the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order- a new Buddhist movement in the modern West
give the key beliefs of Triratna Buddhism
- Sangharakshita believed that people in the modern world are heirs to the whole of Buddhism.
- enlightenment for the sake of all beings
What are the three refuges
- the Buddha
- the dhamma
- the sangha
What is the significance of the dhamma to the Triratna Buddhism
- Named as a refuge because his teachings represent reliable and practical responses to our sorrows.
• They can help free us from ‘false refuges’ - those mundane things we look to for happiness and security but ultimately cannot deliver.
• Refers to both the historical Buddha and the ideal of Buddhahood.
What is the significance of the Buddha to the Triratna Movement
• The Triratna approach emphasises the central teachings that are common to all the main schools.
• Sincere engagement with basic Buddhist practices offers a context for understanding and engaging with the deeper teachings of Buddhism
• Sangharakshita-“There are no higher teachings, only deeper realisations”
What significance does the Sangha have in Triratna Buddhism
- The Buddha said ‘kalyana mitrata’, which means spiritual friendship or ‘friendship with what is beautiful’, is the whole of the spiritual life.
• When a person first attends a Triratna centre, they are considered a Friend.
• For those who want it, there is the opportunity to get to know other practitioners and strengthen those connections.
Give the characteristics of the Triratna Buddhist Order Sangha
- neither lay nor monastic
- may have families or celibate ( anagarikas)
- open to anyone who is sincerely and effectively committed to practicing the dhamma
- concerned with a show of commitment rather than specific ways of actively it.
What it the purpose of the living together?
- develop friendship
- spiritual path
- motivate one another
- cheaper to live together
- support attempts to practice the dhamma
Describe the view of Bodhisattava in TB
- Sangharakshita’s main emphasis is on the earliest teachings of the Buddha (pre Mahayana Buddhism)
• Sangharakshita believes that Bodhisattva’s were implicit in the Buddha’s teachings from the beginning- transcendental wisdom necessarily includes compassion.
• He also believes that one can become a ‘stream enterer’ in this lifetime. It need not be that rare within an effective Sangha.
What is the key features of Triratna Buddhism
- an ecumenical movement
- going to refuge is central
- a unified order
- an emphasis on spiritual friendship
- teamwork
- importance of art
What issues does Buddhism still face?
- The authority given to reason sits well with Western Buddhism. Difficulty arises if too much emphasis is placed on reason, however. Eastern traditions place just as much emphasis on meditation - mere intellectual conviction of the Four Noble Truths is insufficient - the personal experience that comes through meditation is equally, or more significant.
- no monastic sangha readily available so less access to vipisanna mediation.
- master-disciple relationship contrasts western values of individuality
How does the West regard Buddhism
- The West tends to regard Buddhism as a Philosophy and side-line religious practice so that the spiritual journey is separated from the reasoning component.
- Reason and logic is only used to clear away confusion and misunderstanding.
- Thus, Western Buddhism does not appear to fit with the element of faith inherent in some schools, such as Pure Land where faith in Amitabha Buddha is central.
Did Buddhism spread to the West successfully? Refer to Huxley
- sus
