Indeed, he considered that most of his disciples’ spiritual needs could be met by their simply practisingmore and more deeply these fundamental teachings. He enjoined on his disciples the maxim, ‘More andmore of less and less’: that is,

our principle of trying to go more and more deeply into the so-called basic teachings of Buddhism rather

than trying to hurry on to teachings which are allegedly more advanced.54
The emphasis on the basic teachings also ensured the ‘orthodoxy’ of the new movement. Anyinnovations or importations from other sources could be tested against these teachings that embody theBuddha’s own expression of the Dharma. Thus, although the FWBO did not adhere to any traditionalschool of Buddhism, Sangharakshita ensured that it was entirely traditional. It was based upon theBuddha’s own Enlightened experience and followed as fully as it could the spirit of his teaching.

The movement he created was a living testimony to the unity of Buddhism. He took inspiration frommost Buddhist sources.

As regards meditation, for instance, we teach the ‘mindfulness of breathing’ and the metta-bhavana, the

‘development of loving kindness’, which are taken from the Theravada tradition. We recite the Sevenfold

Puja - which comes from the Indian Mahayana tradition. We chant mantras which come from the Tibetan

tradition. And then of course there is our emphasis on the importance of work in the spiritual life, which

is a characteristically Zen emphasis.55
He was not confined, however, to already existing teachings and practices. The spiritual needs of hisdisciples drew out aspects of spiritual life not fully explored before.

Naturally, we also have certain emphases which are not to be found in any extant form of Buddhism: for

example, our emphasis on Right Livelihood, on Going for Refuge, and on ‘more and more of less and

less’.56
Besides these specifically Buddhist emphases, he took up various non-Buddhist teachings and practices.
For instance, he has led study on an Islamic text, The Duties of Brotherhood in Islam by Al-Ghazali,57
which has been a source of great inspiration on the theme of friendship. He has encouraged the practiceof T’ai chi ch’uan, hatha yoga, and karate and other martial arts as ‘indirect’ means of development ‘
indirect’ in that they work indirectly on the mind to raise the level of consciousness as distinct frommeditation, which works directly. Nor have Western art and literature been neglected. Sangharakshitahas strongly advocated their appreciation, partly to heighten awareness through aesthetic experience andpartly to provide exemplification of Dharmic principles from within Western culture.

While Sangharakshita is determinedly nonsectarian, he is not uncritical of aspects of the Buddhisttradition and its modern representatives. He asserts that a nonsectarian approach that acknowledges the

The Unity of Buddhism Page 15
Extracted from Sangharakshita: A New Voice in the Buddhist Tradition by Dharmachari Subhuti


unity of Buddhism does not imply an unquestioning acceptance of every teaching, practice, andinstitution called, or calling itself, Buddhist.

It should never be forgotten that, for a preacher of the Dharma, to reveal truth and to dispel falsehood are

the positive and negative aspects of one process, and the history of Buddhist thought bears testimony not

only to the energy with which the Message of the Master was propagated but also to the vigour with which

contradictory doctrines were opposed.58

From his early days in India, he has spoken out against what he considered the narrow-minded literalismof the Theravada. Later he saw and pointed out various weaknesses within Tibetan and other forms ofBuddhism. He casts a discriminating eye over the modern Buddhist scene, openly drawing attention towhat he sees as failings - as well as giving praise where it is due. Sangharakshita considers there to bequite a bit of confusion, and even distortion of the Dharma, in many modern Buddhist groups. He seesit as his duty to point this out, hoping to awaken the confused to their condition and to alert others beforethey too fall victim.

Naturally, Sangharakshita does not think that the FWBO exhausts the possible forms the Dharma couldtake in the modern age. The FWBO itself is constantly changing and broadening and other groups willalso be exploring other modes of expressing the Dharma. This means that Sangharakshita is open tofriendship with any Buddhists who are sincerely trying to live the Buddhist life - although he insists thatcontact should not be of a merely ‘official’ kind between representatives of organisations.

As regards the relation of the Order to the rest of the Buddhist world let me simply observe that it is a

relation that subsists, essentially, with individuals, and that ... we are happy to extend the hand of spiritual

fellowship to all those Buddhists for whom commitment is primary, life-style secondary and who, like us,