On this poignant anniversary, October 30, 2025-the seventh year since his serene departure-we pause in quiet reverence to honor the sacred journey of Venerable Urgyen Sangharakshita, born Dennis Lingwood, whose light illuminated the path of Dharma for countless souls. As the autumn leaves whisper of impermanence and the cycle of renewal, our hearts turn once more to that tender moment when his earthly form was lovingly received, a vessel of wisdom now returned to the embrace of the earth.
It was here, at the tranquil sanctuary of Adhisthana in the gentle hills of Herefordshire, England, that Bhante's body was welcomed home on that crisp November day in 2018, following his peaceful passing on October 30. The air was alive with the soft cadence of devoted voices, as members of the Triratna Buddhist Community gathered in unbroken vigil. From the moment the news reached them, a ceaseless flame of meditation burned in the shrine room-day folding into night, hearts entwined in silent communion. At least one soul, ever-present, held the space, their breaths a bridge between realms, ensuring that no hour passed without the warmth of mindful presence enveloping his essence.
As the procession arrived, the community encircled the path with garlands of quiet grace. Bhante's form, cradled with the utmost tenderness by those who had walked beside him for decades, was borne into the heart of Adhisthana amid chants of the ancient mantras he so cherished-the fivefold invocation that echoed his life's devotion. Each step was a prayer, each gaze a bow to the teacher who had bridged Eastern wisdom with the Western spirit. In the evenings, as twilight draped the landscape, his devoted secretary, Sthanashraddha, performed the cherished ritual: placing a delicate china cup of tea upon the shrine, steam rising like an offering to the boundless awareness Bhante embodied. This simple act, born of years of shared mornings and murmured teachings, wove threads of intimacy into the tapestry of farewell-a reminder that even in absence, the Dharma's warmth endures.
With profound gratitude, we reflect on the boundless gifts he bestowed. Sangharakshita, the tireless architect of the Triratna Buddhist Community (once the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order), wove a vision of non-sectarian harmony from the diverse threads of Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana traditions. From his early days as a young seeker in post-war India-ordained in 1950 amid the vibrant crossroads of Kalimpong, where he communed with luminaries like Dudjom Rinpoche and Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche-to his founding of an ecumenical haven that welcomed all as equals, Bhante's life was a luminous example of the Sangha's protective embrace. His name itself—"protected by the spiritual community"-mirrors the shelter he offered to the lonely, the questioning, the yearning hearts of the modern world. Through over fifty volumes of teachings, poetry that danced with insight, and a movement that now spans continents, he kindled the flame of awakening in minds once adrift.
Today, as we circumambulate in spirit around his burial mound at Adhisthana-a verdant circle where wildflowers nod in eternal homage-let us recommit to his call: to live with friendship, ethical clarity, and the boundless metta that dissolves all barriers. Bhante's legacy is not in stone or scripture alone, but in the quiet revolutions of transformed lives-the artist who finds stillness, the activist who acts from wisdom, the seeker who discovers home in the Sangha.
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