NKT

NKT

The New Kadampa Tradition – International Kadampa Buddhist Union (NKT—IKBU) is a global Buddhist new religious movement founded by Kelsang Gyatso in England in 1991. In 2003 the words "International Kadampa Buddhist Union" (IKBU) were added to the original name "New Kadampa Tradition". The NKT-IKBU is an international organisation registered in England as a charitable, or non-profit, company. It currently lists more than 200 centres and around 900 branch classes/study groups in 40 countries. The BBC describe the New Kadampa Tradition as "one of the major Buddhist schools in the UK, founded by the Tibetan-born Geshe Kelsang Gyatso."The NKT-IKBU describes itself as "an entirely independent Buddhist tradition" inspired and guided by "the ancient Kadampa Buddhist Masters and their teachings, as presented by Kelsang Gyatso". Its founder, Kelsang Gyatso, sought to make Buddhist meditation and teaching more readily accessible to twenty-first century living. He also wanted to ensure that people did not simply study Tibetan Buddhism from an academic point of view, but learned how to extend this knowledge through meditation and practical Buddhist experience. The NKT-IKBU is described as being "very successful at disseminating its teachings" and Geshe Kelsang's books have been called "very popular".The NKT-IKBU has expanded more rapidly than any other Buddhist tradition in Great Britain, and has spread across the globe with 1.200 affiliated centers over more than 40 countries. In 2003, Daniel Cozort (2003: 231) described the NKT as one of the largest and fastest growing Tibetan Buddhist organizations in the world, and as “a Western order that draws primarily upon the teachings of the Gelukpa tradition but is not subordinate to Tibetan authorities. Some Tibetans have described it as a "controversial organization" and a "controversial" new religious movement, or a breakaway Buddhist sect. Modern Buddhism, one of Kelsang Gyatso's most popular books, says: "Today we can see many different forms of Buddhism, such as Zen and Theravada Buddhism. All these are equally precious, they are just different presentations."According to Harding, Hori, and Soucy, “Global Buddhism... attempts to transcend the parochialism of local place and ethnic identity” (2014: 16). The attempt to transcend the parochialism of Tibet and Tibetan politico-ethnic identity is high-priority for the NKT. Considered in the context of the movement’s global missionary efforts, the NKT is clearly a form of global Buddhism."

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