Sangharakshita
British Buddhist teacher and writer
Died when: 93 years 65 days (1118 months)Star Sign: Virgo
Sangharakshita (born Dennis Philip Edward Lingwood; 26 August 1925 – 30 October 2018) was a British spiritual teacher and writer, and the founder of the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order, which in 2010 was renamed the Triratna Buddhist Community.
He was one of a handful of westerners to be ordained as Theravadin Bhikkhus in the period following World War II, and spent over 20 years in Asia, where he had a number of Tibetan Buddhist teachers.
In India, he was active in the conversion movement of Dalits, so-called "Untouchables", initiated in 1956 by B.R.Ambedkar.He wrote more than 60 books, including compilations of his talks, and was described as "one of the most prolific and influential Buddhists of our era," "a skilled innovator in his efforts to translate Buddhism to the West," and as "the founding father of Western Buddhism" for his role in setting up what is now the Triratna Buddhist Community, but Sangharakshita was often regarded as a controversial teacher.
He was criticised for having had sexual relations with Order members, which allegedly amounted to abuse and coercion.Sangharakshita retired formally in 1995 and in 2000 stepped down from the movement's ostensive leadership, but he remained its dominant figure and lived at its headquarters in Coddington, Herefordshire.
The Triratna Order Office announced the death of Sangharakshita after a short illness on 30 October 2018.
