About
Friends of Early Buddhist Teachings aims to support all persons in practice, meditation and ethical living according to the principles of Early Buddhism, bringing ancient Buddhist wisdom into our modern everyday lives.
Our trustees are all practitioners benefitting from first-hand explorations of early Buddhist teachings. FoEBT is not affiliated with a particular Buddhist tradition or lineage, and we aim to support people, whether lay, monastics, of any tradition or none in their exploration of early Buddhist teachings and putting those teachings into practice.
FoEBT is an educational organisation, not a religious organisation. Please see 'Our Purposes' below.
For projects we are currently or will be involved in, please see the 'Projects' page.
FoEBT is a SCIO, a registered charity in Scotland, charity number SC047650.
Friends of Early Buddhist Teachings
Our Purposes
The purposes of FoEBT are detailed in our Constitution:
1) The advancement of education, specifically to promote the teachings of the Buddha as understood and practised in accordance with ‘Early Buddhist Teachings’;*;
2) The advancement of education by supporting people in their practice and/or teaching of meditation, ethical living, and any other activity in accordance with ‘Early Buddhist Teachings’;
3) The advancement of education by supporting people in developing their skill in languages helpful in developing an understanding of ‘Early Buddhist Teachings’;
4) The advancement of education by supporting research on, and teaching of, the content and practice of ‘Early Buddhist Teachings’, including the dissemination, promotion, and teaching of relevant content or materials.
* ‘Early Buddhist Teachings’, for purposes of the organisation’s activities, are those originating from the time from the Buddha until the Second Council, currently understood to around 383 BCE**. This is currently understood to be the period of Pre-Sectarian Buddhism, before the period of formal splits.
Friends of Early Buddhist Teachings is not exclusively affiliated with any single modern-day Buddhist lineage.
** Source is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Buddhist_council
