Sangharakshita

Sangharakshita
Born
Dennis Philip Edward Lingwood

(1925-08-26)26 August 1925
Tooting, London, England
Died30 October 2018(2018-10-30) (aged 93)
Hereford, Herefordshire, England
Occupations
  • Spiritual teacher
  • writer
OrganizationFriends of the Western Buddhist Order (now Triratna Buddhist Community)
Websitesangharakshita.org

Dennis Philip Edward Lingwood (26 August 1925 – 30 October 2018), known more commonly as Sangharakshita, was a British spiritual teacher and writer. In 1967, he founded the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO), which was renamed the Triratna Buddhist Community in 2010.[1]

Sangharakshita was and remains a highly controversial figure. For his supporters, he was a spiritual pioneer who introduced Eastern religious teachings to the West. For his detractors, he was a sexual predator who used his position to abuse vulnerable young men.[2][3][4][5]

  1. ^ "Sangharakshita obituary". The Times. 9 November 2018. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022.
  2. ^ Doward, Jamie (21 July 2019). "Buddhist, teacher, predator: dark secrets of the Triratna guru". The Observer. Archived from the original on 21 July 2019.
  3. ^ Doward, Jamie (19 February 2017). "Fears mount over scale of Buddhist sect sexual abuse". The Observer. Archived from the original on 19 February 2017.
  4. ^ Taylor, Jo (26 September 2016). "Apology sought over 'abuse' at Buddhist retreat". BBC News. Archived from the original on 29 September 2016.
  5. ^ Bunting, Madeleine (27 October 1997). "The dark side of enlightenment". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 5 February 2005 – via ex-cult.org.