Dharmachari Subhuti
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| Subhuti | |
| Born | Alex Kennedy 1947 United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British |
| Known for | Buddhist teacher, author |
| Religious beliefs | Buddhism (FWBO) |
Dharmachari Subhuti is a profound thinker[citation needed], and considered by many to be the most highly attained disciple of Sangharakshita, founder of the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO). He has held various positions of spiritual leadership and has been instrumental in many developments in the FWBO.
Subhuti was instrumental in the building of the London Buddhist Centre, which opened in 1978, and helped to raise funds from the Greater London Council for the completion of this task. He developed a new training for men preparing to be ordained into the Western Buddhist order, at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, outside Norwich in England. He also helped to found Guhyaloka Retreat Centre, in Spain, where men undergo their final preparation to become members of the Western Buddhist Order.
Subhuti's books include Sangharakshita: A New Voice in the Buddhist Tradition [1], which explores what Sangharakshita has contributed to the practice of Buddhism and the spread of Buddhism in the West. He has also published three other books, "The Buddhist Vision" (an introductory book on Buddhism), "Bringing Buddhism to the West" ( a short biography on Sangharakshita) and "Buddhism and Friendship".
In addition to being actively involved in the spread of the Dharma in the West, particularly in Britain, Subhuti spends several months every year working in India with TBMSG, the Indian wing of the FWBO.
The overwhelming majority of TBMSG's members are drawn from the poorest people in India, sometimes referred to as Dalits, also called the 'untouchables'. The great Dalit leader, Dr. Ambedkar, converted to Buddhism as he believed this was the only way to escape the oppression and discrimination which members of this group suffered. Hundreds of thousands of Dr. Ambedkar's followers subsequently converted to Buddhism, and members of TBMSG are traditionally drawn from these people.
Subhuti's work in India involves spreading the Dharma to all groups and communities within Indian society, be they Hindu, Buddhist or outcast, disabled and/or lesbian, rich or poor, urban or rural.
To read about some of the work Subhuti and other members of the Western Buddhist Order are doing, welcoming and supporting the people converting to Buddhism from the poorest communities in India, visit [www.ambedkar2006.blogspot.com]. This, at any rate, reflects the FWBO/TBMSG’s view of itself. To see another side of TBMSG, see the resignation letter of 86 Indian 'Mitras' at http://fwbo-files.com/resign86.htm
In recent years Subhuti has shown that he differs in opinion to Sangharakshita, not in his fundamental understanding of the Dharma, but in some other aspects of interpretation. He has also been critical of certain aspects of Sangharakshita's personal ethics.
He is an ambivalent figure within the WBO: some are inspired by his enthusiastic style, while others consider him to be evangelical and intolerant.
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