Outline of FWBO teaching on sex

FWBO teaching on sex is quite convoluted (as documented below). In outline:

1 Women are lower on the evolutionary scale than men.

2 Heterosexual relationships are generally the result of projection and neurotic attachment. The couple is the enemy of the spiritual community.

3 The nuclear family, as a breeding ground for neurosis and child abuse, is an 'enemy to be destroyed'. Single-sex communities and right-livelihood businesses provide a better basis for developing spiritual friendship and becoming a 'true individual'.

4 Homosexual relationships ('Greek love') are actively encouraged as a medium of spiritual friendship, and as a means of overcoming conditioning.

These ideas are not necessarily taught openly at public centres. The more radical aspects are generally only introduced once order members feel confident that a newcomer has made a genuine commitment to the FWBO. It is a sort of 'bait and switch' technique - the FWBO at first teach real Buddhism, and then introduce their own stuff later.

The ways in which the FWBO attempts to justify these teachings as genuine Buddhism is discussed in more detail in The FWBO Files in the section: 'The Doctrines of Sangharakshita and the FWBO'.

The 'Sexual Manipulation' section of this site provides examples of the above teachings on sex. Some items are fuller versions of certain quotes cited in the Doctrines section of the Files, others are from new material published subsequent to the Files. It comprises the following pages:

Women lower on evolutionary scale than men (2,000 words)
Some quotes from the book 'Women, Men and Angels'

Lower Evolution & Higher Evolution (500 words)
Spiritual hierarchy (1,000 words)
Some quotes from FWBO publications, explaining how these concepts are understood within the FWBO

Sexual projection (1,700 words)
Four extracts:
1. from a seminar in which Sangharakshita suggests that men should develop their own inner femininity, rather than projecting it onto women, in order to become free from (hetero)sexual desire.
2. from a magazine article, in which Tejananda extols the benefits of FWBO single-sex communities as a way to overcome any 'tendency to over-identify with one's "male-ness" or "female-ness"'.
3. from a book by Subhuti, on the benefits of single-sex activities in minimising sexual projection and polarisation.
4. a dissenting view from a non-FWBO member.

Neurotic and non-neurotic sexuality (300 words)
A short extract from a seminar, in which Sangharakshita defines a non-neurotic sexual relationship as one in which neither partner would be upset if the relationship were to break up.

Couple as enemy of spiritual community (1,400 words)
This page provides the context for the quote: 'The "couple" is the enemy of the spiritual community', cited in The FWBO Files at note 34

Single-sex community as assault on existing social set-up (900 words)
This page provides the context for the quotes that families are
'a really massive source of conditioning' (Files note 33) and:
'the single-sex community is probably our most powerful means of frontal assault on the existing social set-up' (note 38), and
'If you set up communities, you abolish the family at a stroke' (note 39)

Shabda short extracts (450 words)
Shabda collection 1 (4,000 words)
Shabda collection 2 (3,000 words)
Comments by order members on the Guardian article, power relationships, and the promotion of homosexuality as superior to heterosexuality. Originally published in the FWBO's order magazine, Shabda, and compiled by two (now ex) order members for open circulation.

Shabda short extracts contains links to following pages
Subhuti Shabda quote: Homosexuality as kalyana mitrata (Files note 52)
Jayamati's letter & Subhuti B'ist Vision p143
Jnanavira's letter & Tricycle quote & 2 Ratnotara quotes & Kovida report

Fear of homosexuality double bind (650 words) (cited in Files note 51)
An outline of Sangharakshita's views on homosexuality and spiritual friendship.

Conventional morality vs. Natural morality (800 words)
How the FWBO sees these two different kinds of morality.