New Kadampa Tradition

The New Kadampa Tradition – International Kadampa Buddhist Union (NKT—IKBU) is a global Buddhist organization 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 organization 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 forty countries.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 Geshe Kelsang Gyatso’. Its founder, Kelsang Gyatso, has 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 Kelsangs books have been called ""very popular"".The NKT-IKBU has expanded more rapidly than any other Buddhist tradition in Britain. It has been described as a ""controversial organization"" and a ""controversial"" New Religious Movement, a cult, or a breakaway Buddhist sect.