About Us

Gathered here is a collection of short articles composed by current and former members of the Triratna Buddhist Order (formerly The Western Buddhist Order), as well as links to works by other authors regarding New Religious Movements (NRMs) and "high demand" or cult-like organisations. These articles are from independent voices with decades of experience, offering insiders' views of the organisation and perspectives on its founder, current leadership and teachings that go beyond the usual hagiography found in official sources.

As current or former members of the wider Triratna community who have become concerned at the direction the organisation is taking, we hope that the information offered here is helpful in deciding if and to what degree you wish to participate in Triratna's activities and take on its worldview and practices. 

Among other resources, we offer some hopefully thought-provoking questions that we suggest you seek answers to before making any major lifestyle changes or commitments in order to follow the "Triratna Dharma Life".

Comments

Jnanaruchi (not verified)

29th Apr 2020

[name redacted] I'm so sorry you feel you need to make this . It must be very painful for you to be so caught up in such ill will and aversion. I hope you get over it x

Submitted by Jnanaruchi on 29th Apr 2020

Bob the (Website) Builder (not verified)

30th Apr 2020

One of the site's main goals is to alert the pubic about the sexually abusive behaviour of Triratna's founder and the inadequate institutional response -- see for example Mark Dunlop's response to Sangharakshita's memoir about their "relationship" -- where Mark notes that

In his memoir, Sangharakshita offers no hint of apology or remorse for his behaviour towards me . . . it has been quite a shock to me to realise how cold hearted, devious and manipulative some people can be, even when they are people claiming to practise an ethical and spiritual way of life.

In exposing this double standard within Triratna it isn't at all surprising that the site admins should now themselves be accused of malice. Indeed this is a defense mechanism straight out of the cult handbook as you can read here in an article about what happens to whistleblowers in "high demand" organisations like Triratna

 

Submitted by Bob the (Website) Builder on 30th Apr 2020

Jinapriya (not verified)

22nd May 2020

Yes, I am concerned that such condescension is seen as true of the whole order. I sincerely hope that our governance can respond skilfully to the objective content of your articles and critique. That way everyone can benefit.

Submitted by Jinapriya on 22nd May 2020

Anonymous (not verified)

30th May 2020

You don't need a degree in psychology to recognise that disparagement framed in terms of "well wishing" is, in fact, a passive-aggressive attack.

Submitted by Anonymous on 30th May 2020

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