Is Triratna a New Religious Movement?
The term New Religious Movement (NRM) is commonly used in academic circles to describe religious groups that have arisen since the late nineteenth century and whose teachings...
Reflections on Triratna by psychologist Dr Michelle Haslam
After leaving the New Kamdampa Tradition, psychologist Dr Michelle Haslam was involved with Triratna – the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order. She shares insights into her time with both of these groups.
The FWBO Files
The FWBO Files is one of the earliest, most comprehensive and thoroughly rehearsed exposés of the group, focusing mostly on Sangharakshita. Its author, a Buddhist scholar and practitioner who was never directly involved in FWBO/Triratna, was deeply concerned about the effect Sangharakshita was having on the development of Buddhism in the United Kingdom.
It covers Sangharakshita's history, from India and Kalimpong to Hampstead and the setting up of the Western Buddhist Order, and goes into his lack of traditional training, the un-Buddhist nature of many of his teachings, his predatory sexual behaviour and more.
First published in 1997, it provoked a response from the organisation, and may be one of the key reasons why the organisation changed its name.