1. What this blog is about

I want to write a blog about my deepening my dharma practice, about my going for refuge, seeking ordination from the FWBO (http://www.fwbo.org/). FWBO stands for Friends of the Western Buddhist Order. It was started the year I was born by Sangharakshita, an English man who spent about 20 years in the East, then came back to England. You can read all about it in his books.

Or go to http://www.internet-encyclopedia.org/wiki.php?title=Friends_of_the_Western_Buddhist_Order, which includes a link to the FWBO Files, a web site that is critical of the organization. I think Sangharakshita was unskillful at times in his sexual practices, but I don't expect him to be perfect. He is old and apparently racked with problems of old age. It is unlikely I will meet him. He has not been formally running it for a long time.

Here in NYC we only have one order member, Vajramati. We do get a lot of visitors. In my next post, I'll paste in my going for refuge log that I have created.

One reason I'm doing this blog is that I want to try and pull myself out of this tail dive I've been on. I haven't been meditating as regularly, as you could read about in the blog about taking care of my son. While I'm generally exhausted all the time, there are times when I'm not and I don't meditate. So I want to try and reflect and report in this blog, and use it as a tool to deepen my dharma practice, my seeking refuge in the three jewels.