User:Mind meal/Sandbox21

FWBO

Main article: Friends of the Western Buddhist Order

The Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO)—an organization where East meets West—was founded by Sangharakshita in 1967. Started in a basement in Soho, today the organization has made ground in some twenty-five countries and has more than eighty centers worldwide. Most members of the order are vegetarian, in observance of the first of the The Five Precepts. Members generally take each one of these precepts rather seriously—as the order teaches members that the they are fundamental to living an ethical life.

• The Jambudvipa Trust

• The order has a relationship with Triodos Bank that enables them to establish new businesses and retreat centers. Triodos has what they call Dana accounts for Buddhist organizations, loaning them monies to help fund new initiatives.

Centres

United Kingdom

• Aberdeen Buddhist Group (Scotland)
• Ayr Buddhist Group (Scotland)
• Birmingham Buddhist Centre (England)
• Blackburn Buddhist Centre (England)
• Brighton Buddhist Centre (England)
• Bristol Buddhist Centre (England)
• Cambridge Buddhist Centre (England)
• Cardiff Buddhist Centre (Wales)
• Colchester Buddhist Centre (England)
• Croydon Buddhist Centre (England)
• East Neuk Meditation Society (Scotland)
• Edinburgh Buddhist Centre (Scotland)
• FWBO Highlands (Scotland)
• Glasgow Buddhist Centre (Scotland)
• Ipswich Buddhist Centre (England)
• Isle of Wight Buddhist Group (England)
• Lancaster FWBO group (England)
• Leeds Buddhist Centre (England)
• Letchworth FWBO Group (England)
• Liverpool Buddhist Centre (England)
• Llangollen Buddhist Group (North Wales)
• London Buddhist Centre (LBC) (England)
• North London Buddhist Centre (England)
• South London Buddhist Group (FWBO Brixton) (England)
• West London Buddhist Centre (England)
• Milton Keynes Buddhist Group (England)
• Newcastle Buddhist Centre
• The Machester Buddhist Centre (England)

Criticism

The nationally distributed British newspaper The Guardian wrote an October 27, 1997 piece on Sangharakshita and the leadership of the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO) under the title "The Dark Side of Enlightenment." In it former students laid out accusations against the order and its founder, including the story of a former student named Mark Dunlop. Dunlop says Sangharakshita would pressure him into homosexual contact with him as a means of overcoming what Sangharakshita described as his "anti-homosexual" tendencies. The article then used Sangharakshita's own writings to suggest this was likely the case, though some believe his words were quoted out of context. It is true that Sangharakshita discourages heterosexual relationships among his adherents, seeing them as spiritual distractions. He does, however, advocate for homosexual relationships in the order, which he feels are not very sexual in nature. At any rate, the entirety of all the allegations in the article have never thoroughly verified. It has been ascertained that sexual impropriety did occur in at least one FWBO center, and that the organization closed the center down promptly.

Notable members

• Billy Connolly
• Pamela Stephenson

References

• Crewe, David (2004-01-10). "At your service". TimesOnline. Retrieved 2008-01-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

• Crocker, Abigail (2007-05-19). "Buddhist Order offers retreats, meditation". Seacoast Media Group. Retrieved 2008-01-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

• Chryssides, George D. (1999). Exploring New Religions. Continuum International Publishing Group. ISBN 0826459595. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

• Garner, Clare (1997-03-30). "Cross your legs and hope to die laughing". The Independent (London). Retrieved 2008-01-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

• Gosling, Paul (2001-09-01). "Personal finance: Ethnically-friendly funds". The Independent (London). Retrieved 2008-01-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

• Queen, Christopher S. (2000). Engaged Buddhism in the West. Wisdom Publications. ISBN 0861711599. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

• Tsomo, Karma Lekshe (2000). Innovative Buddhist Women: Swimming Against the Stream. Routledge. ISBN 0700712194. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)