Triratna Buddhism, also known as the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order, is a Buddhist movement founded by Sangharakshita in the United Kingdom in 1967. Triratna is thought to have a unique approach to teaching Buddhism that emphasizes the integration of traditional Buddhist teachings with modern Western culture. According to Vajragupta "Triratna Buddhism is a path of inner transformation, a path of spiritual development that leads to the realization of the ultimate truth of the nature of reality." - Moreover J Coleman argues "Triratna Buddhism emphasizes the need to integrate traditional Buddhist teachings with contemporary Western culture, in order to make the teachings more accessible to people living in the modern world."
The key teachings of Triratna include the Three Jewels: The Buddha (awakened one), the Dharma (teachings), and the Sangha (community of practitioners). Further the Four Noble Truths: The truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the cessation of suffering, and the truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering. Sangharakshita describes "The Four Noble Truths are the most fundamental and basic teaching of the Buddha, and they provide the framework for all of his subsequent teachings." Moreover, the believe in the Eightfold Path is a path to the cessation of suffering, which includes right understanding, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. Sangharakshita says "The Eightfold Path is the path to the cessation of suffering, and it consists of right understanding, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration".
In terms of its teaching on ethics, Sangharakshita says "The Five Precepts are the foundation of ethical behavior in Buddhism, and they are the basic code of ethics for lay practitioners." They believe the Five Precepts are a code of ethics for lay practitioners which includes to refrain from harming living beings, to refrain from taking what is not given, to refrain from sexual misconduct, to refrain from false speech, and to refrain from intoxicants which lead to heedlessness. In Triratna there is a strong emphasis on community and the importance of the Sangha, or spiritual community, in supporting one's practice. Sangharakshita says "The Sangha is the most precious jewel, the support and guide on the path to spiritual awakening."
The Buddhist practices of Triratna Sangharakshita says focus on "The Three Jewels are the foundation of Buddhist practice, representing the three aspects of the spiritual path: the Buddha as the teacher, the Dharma as the path, and the Sangha as the community of spiritual friends." There is a strong emphasis on meditation practice, which is considered as the key to developing mindfulness and insight. Sangharakshita says "Meditation is the key to understanding the mind and developing the wisdom that leads to freedom from suffering." -
References:
Vajragupta, (2013). Triratna Buddhism: An Introduction. Windhorse Publications.
Coleman, J. (2015). Buddhism in the West: The Triratna Story. Windhorse Publications.
Sangharakshita, B. (2014). Introduction to Buddhism: An Explanation of the Buddhist Way of Life. Windhorse Publications.
Triratna Buddhist Community. (n.d.). Key Teachings. Retrieved from https://thebuddhistcentre.com/text/key-teachings
Triratna Buddhist Community. (n.d.). Meditation. Retrieved from https://thebuddhistcentre.com/text/meditation
Triratna Buddhist Community. (n.d.). Sangha. Retrieved from https://thebuddhistcentre.com/text/sangha
Triratna Buddhist Community. (n.d.). Buddhism in the Modern World. Retrieved from https://thebuddhistcentre.com/text/buddhism-modern-world
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