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Sangharakshita is an Englishman, who was born in 1925 and discovered Buddhism after reading 'The Diamond Sutra' at age 16. He was posted to India during the Second World War and stayed on afterwards to pursue formal Buddhist training of various kinds. After about 20 years of broadening and deepening initiation and practice in several traditions - notably Tibetan - he returned to the U.K. in the mid '60s and went on to found the Western Buddhist Order (WBO) and Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO).
His approach to Buddhism is characterized by an emphasis on commitment to living life in accordance with the teachings of the Buddha. In this sense, it is distinctly non-sectarian and non-proscriptive in terms of lifestyle; the key is, instead, to find and develop appropriate expressions of commitment in the modern, westernized world. There is also a growing part of the Order and FWBO in India, where it is known as TBMSG (Trailokya Bauddha Mahasangha Sahayaka Gana). In the main, this consists of followers of Dr. Ambedkar, the great Indian leader of the Dalits or 'ex-Untouchables', who converted to Buddhism to escape their suffering under the Hindu caste system.
Sangharakshita has written and published extensively on Buddhism. You can read some of his books online. You can also search and read his many seminars on this site, as well as hear many of his talks on Buddhism and meditation.
These days, Sangharakshita has withdrawn from most formal engagement with the running of the WBO and FWBO. He is partially sighted, but still pursues his personal practice of poetry, as well as other literary projects. He also finds time to meet many people from around the world.
