This illuminating collection of previously unpublished talks traces the development of Sangharakshita’s presentation of the Dharma in the West from 1965 to 2011.

Drawing on a wide range of sources, from the Pāli canon and The Tibetan Book of the Dead to Beowulf and William Wordsworth, there are many intriguing perspectives: an exploration of Buddhist psychology, the histories of great teachers like Padmasambhava and Atīśa, reflections on going forth, creativity, the demons around and within us, the role of the will in the spiritual life, and much more. The final talks in the volume, given towards the end of Sangharakshita’s life, are more personal, and they include reflections on dreams, old age and rebirth.

This collection chronicles Sangharakshita’s unfolding vision of the Dharma following his move to England in 1964. In books, articles, interviews, and talks dating from 1965 to 2009, Sangharakshita outlines his vision of a new Buddhist movement in titles such as Buddhism for Today – and Tomorrow. The attendant challenges are also faced squarely in Buddhism and Blasphemy, and Dialogue between Buddhism and Christianity. In The Taste of Freedom and Buddha Mind, Sangharakshita clarifies what he calls the essence of his teaching – the necessity of human spiritual development, and its progress in a series of stages understood throughout the Buddhist tradition. Part two continues this theme in articles and interviews first published in The Buddhist, the FWBO Newsletter, and elsewhere, as the movement he founded grew from its early days in a tiny London basement to reach five continents. More recent teachings include four previously unpublished talks given between 2007 and 2009 at Buddhafield, Berlin’s Buddhistisches Tor, and other venues. To those already familiar with the range of Sangharakshita’s teaching, the scope of this collection, introduced with a foreword by Finnish Order Member Sarvamitra, will come as no surprise. For those who do not yet know him, these pages offer an ideal meeting place.