Triratna Buddhist Community (Sangharakshita)
British-founded Buddhist community (originally FWBO, 1967) led by Dennis Lingwood / Sangharakshita until his 2018 death. The Adhisthana centre and the Triratna Order have publicly acknowledged Sangharakshita's history of sexual abuse of male members.
CLCI radar
BITE breakdown
+1 for documented systematic sexual abuse by founder Sangharakshita (acknowledged by the Order in 2017+).
Profile facts
In context
Triratna (formerly Friends of the Western Buddhist Order, FWBO) is one of the largest Western convert Buddhist organisations. From the 1990s onwards, multiple ex-male-members described Sangharakshita's coercive sexual relationships, framed within his teaching as 'going for refuge' to him personally. The Order's 2017+ public reckoning, including Subhuti's open letter, marked a significant institutional shift. Sangharakshita died in 2018.
History
Triratna grew from London origins into the largest Western convert Buddhist community; the post-2017 reckoning with Sangharakshita's abuse has reshaped its self-understanding.
Key control doctrines
- Sangharakshita's distinctive 'going for refuge' framework
- Right Livelihood team-based businesses
- Order ordination as binding commitment
Recovery resources
See the full curated list at /resources.
Notable public ex-members
- Mark Dunlop
- Multiple subjects of the Adhisthana Kula acknowledgments
Legal cases & controversies
- 1996+ ex-member testimonies
- 2017 Adhisthana acknowledgments
- Various civil disputes
Evidence by BITE axis
- Communal living for many
- Right Livelihood businesses with members surrendering market wages
- Substantial commitment to ordination process
- Members donate property and earnings
- Sangharakshita's writings authoritative
- Internal abuse allegations historically suppressed pre-2017
- Sangharakshita as authoritative Western Buddhist interpreter
- 'Going for refuge' to Sangharakshita personally framed as spiritual progress
- Strong devotional ties to founder
- Sexual access to Sangharakshita presented as spiritual privilege (now acknowledged abusive)
- Severance from non-Triratna friendships discouraged
Timeline
- 1967Sangharakshita founds FWBO in London
- 1996Mark Dunlop public account
- 2017Order publicly acknowledges Sangharakshita's abuse
- 2018Sangharakshita dies
Evidence matrix
Structured sources cross-linked to the claims they document. Tiered per the source hierarchy. For free-text citations see the Sources section below.
| Title | Type | Reliability | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| ADM of Triratna Buddhist Community (Uddiyana), 2015 · archive | Government | Primary | — |
| Triratna Buddhist Community (Uddiyana) · archive | Government | Primary | — |
| Buddhist, teacher, predator: dark secrets of the Triratna guru | Journalism | Secondary | — |
| Fears mount over scale of Buddhist sect sexual abuse | Journalism | Secondary | — |
| Apology sought over 'abuse' at Buddhist retreat · archive | Journalism | Secondary | — |
| Angels and the Dragon King's Daughter: Gender, Sexuality in Western Buddhist New Religious Movements | Academic | Secondary | — |
| Angels and the Dragon King's Daughter: Gender, Sexuality in Western Buddhist New Religious Movements — Theology & Sexuality (2010) | Academic | Secondary | — |
Sources
- Mark Dunlop, 'My experiences in the FWBO' (1996) search ↗
- Triratna 'Adhisthana Kula' acknowledgments (2017+) search ↗
- BBC coverage search ↗
- ADM of Triratna Buddhist Community (Uddiyana), 2015 — http://apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/Accounts/Ends98/0001046398_AC_20151231_E_C.PDF open ↗
- Triratna Buddhist Community (Uddiyana) — http://beta.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regid=1046398&subid=0 open ↗
- Buddhist, teacher, predator: dark secrets of the Triratna guru — https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/21/sangharakshita-guru-triratna-buddhist-dark-secrets open ↗
- Fears mount over scale of Buddhist sect sexual abuse — https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/19/buddhist-sexual-abuse-triratna-dennis-lingwood open ↗
- Apology sought over 'abuse' at Buddhist retreat — https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-37432719 open ↗
- Angels and the Dragon King's Daughter: Gender, Sexuality in Western Buddhist New Religious Movements — https://doi.org/10.1558/tse.v16i3.229 open ↗
- Angels and the Dragon King's Daughter: Gender, Sexuality in Western Buddhist New Religious Movements — Theology & Sexuality (2010) — https://doi.org/10.1558%2Ftse.v16i3.229 open ↗
We cite sources by name and outlet rather than fabricating links. Where a source includes its own URL, the open ↗ link opens it directly; otherwise search ↗runs a Google Scholar query for the cited title — useful for verifying academic sources. For news outlets, search the outlet's own archive.
Voices of former members
“Sexual contact with Sangharakshita was framed as a privilege, an initiation — only years later did I understand it as abuse.”
— Anonymous composite, 2018
Quotes are either verifiable public testimony or anonymized composites drawn from documented patterns. See Survivor Voices for more.
Change history
Substantive edits logged per the score-updates policy.
- 2026-05-20Source-density flags derived from existing free-text sources[]: investigative journalism. Heuristic auto-flag; subsequent editorial pass will populate structuredSources[] with reliability tiers.
- 2026-05-20Score band scheme migrated from 4 bands to 5 (Minimal 0–5 / Low 6–12 / Moderate 13–20 / High 21–30 / Extreme 31–40). No CLCI value changed; the new Minimal band was carved out of the bottom of the previous Low band.
Relevant hubs
Curated entry points on CLCI Hub for situations connected to this group.
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Frequently asked questions
Q.Is Triratna Buddhist Community a cult?
CLCI Hub deliberately avoids the binary label "cult." Instead it places groups on a transparent 0–40 spectrum of documented control using Steven Hassan's BITE model (Behaviour, Information, Thought, Emotional). Triratna Buddhist Community scores 24 out of 40 — "High Control", at high confidence. The score describes documented control patterns, not a judgement of members' sincerity or beliefs; many members do not personally experience the patterns listed.
Q.What is Triratna Buddhist Community's CLCI score?
Triratna Buddhist Community scores 24 out of 40 on the Cult-Like Control Index, which falls in the "High" band. That total is the sum of four BITE axes — Behaviour 6, Information 5, Thought 6, Emotional 6 — plus a signed modifier of +1 for aggravating or mitigating factors.
Q.Why does Triratna Buddhist Community score 24 on the CLCI?
The score reflects publicly documented patterns including: Founder's documented systematic sexual abuse of male members; Communal living with surrendered assets; Strong guru-disciple devotion; Severance from non-Triratna friendships discouraged but documented. These map onto the BITE axes of behaviour, information, thought, and emotional control, and a signed modifier of +1 is applied for factors such as financial demands, leadership accountability, and exit costs. Every claim is backed by the citations in the Sources section on this page.
Q.How reliable is the Triratna Buddhist Community rating?
This profile is rated High confidence. High confidence means the score is backed by court records, academic work, and/or sustained investigative journalism. CLCI scores are not fixed — they are revised whenever new public evidence appears, and groups that reform can score lower over time.
Q.Where can I get help regarding Triratna Buddhist Community?
If you or someone you care about is affected by Triratna Buddhist Community, start with the Recovery resources listed on this page. General cult-aware support is available from the International Cultic Studies Association (icsahome.com) and the Freedom of Mind Resource Center (freedomofmind.com). CLCI Hub is an educational resource, not a crisis service — if anyone is in immediate danger, contact local emergency services.
Found something wrong on this profile?
We accept correction requests from anyone — current and former members, researchers, journalists, family members, and the listed organisation. Submissions are reviewed by an editor; we do not auto-publish.