Friends of the Western Buddhist Order

Buddhist order founded in 1967 by the English Buddhist Dennis Lingwood. It aimed to make Buddhism more accessible to westerners, using a synthesis of Buddhist ideas taken from most of the main schools. Members of the FWBO do not have to give up their own cultural roots. People can be ordained and may live in community houses, but they will not need to renounce their chosen way of life, as long as this follows the dharma (religious teachings).

Buddhism became of great interest to westerners at the beginning of the 20th century, some of its philosophy resonating with existentialist thought and providing an alternative spiritual viewpoint for those who were beginning to reject traditional Judaeo-Christian concepts.