By Joanne Clark In early November, a group of 134 students signed a letter to forty Tibetan Buddhist lamas, asking for their opinions regarding the abusive behaviours recently disclosed by ex-Rigpa students. A month later, […]
Tibetan Buddhism – Struggling With Diffi·Cult Issues
Controversies: New Kadampa Tradition, Geshe Kelsang Gyatso // Dorje Shugden // Rigpa, Sogyal Rinpoche // Tsem Tulku, Kechara // Ole Nydahl, Diamond Way // Sangharakshita, Triratna // Shambhala, Sakyong :: Tibet & Dalai Lama :: Dharmakaya, Zen & More
Sangharakshita Obituary
By Mark Dunlop There was a short (5min 40s) obituary on Sangharakshita broadcast in the UK on BBC Radio 4. It starts 13:58, ends 19:38: Sangharakshita Born 26 August 1925; died 30 October 2018, aged 93. […]
A Groundbreaking Meeting Begins A New Era for the Karma Kagyu Lineage – The Two Karmapas Meet in France
On October 11, 2018 a statement was released jointly by the two claimants to the title of Karmapa, His Holiness Ogyen Trinley Dorje and His Holiness Trinley Thaye Dorje. The statement reads: We are both […]
Research on abuse in Buddhist communities
In August 2018, a three-year research project started at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich under the leadership of Dr. Miriam Anders, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The objective of the project […]
It’s time to let these activities come to an end…
Dear Friends in the Dharma and dear friends of sentient beings, I will gradually stop my engagement here on the blog and in general regarding the abuse of power, cultish structures, sexualised violence and […]
Why are cults so difficult to oppose?
By Mark Dunlop Overview What is the Brainwashing Hypothesis? How does Brainwashing Work? Misleading stance of Inform organisation and some academics Conclusion Part 1. Overview The aim of this article is to explain how cults […]
Clergy Sexual Abuse & Buddhist Ways of Dealing With Abuse | Triratna’s Whitewashing Terminology
Introduction During a remarkable member congregation of the German Buddhist Union (DBU) in April 2018 at the Europe Centre of the Diamond Way movement in Immenstadt, Germany, representatives of four organisations involved in the misuse […]
Triratna: The Eye of the Storm
By Alan J.W. Last year (2017) many comments were posted online regarding the controversy surrounding former Order member K, understandably not identified by a full name. The first part of this post is a memoir-cum-appraisal: […]
Links Relevant To The Current Crisis In Shambhala International Regarding Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche’s Conduct With Women
GUEST POST Shambhala International is no stranger to controversies regarding relationships between its teachers and their students. The founder of the organization, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, was a well known womanizer and alcoholic. Many articles and books have been […]
H.H. the Dalai Lama’s Comments on the Troubles in Rigpa
By Joanne Clark For years, the Dalai Lama has been criticized for not speaking out against Sogyal Lakar’s (Sogyal Rinpoche’s) misbehaviors. The idea was that one word from His Holiness could somehow fix things. Now, […]
The Mystic Ganden Hearing Lineage – A Clarification
Guest Author: D. Choegyal The Dalai Lama’s Advice on the Three Deities of Yamantaka, Guhyasamaja and Heruka as Well as the Dharma Protectors of the Three Scopes is In Perfect Concordance With the Instructions of […]
When “Crazy Wisdom” Goes Crazy: Is Chogyam Trungpa a Good Role Model for Vajrayana in the West?
Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, who has been the leading advisor steering Rigpa during its recent crises, has spoken often of his reverence for Chogyam Trungpa. He has humbly said that he could never hope to […]
Just to Clarify: What H.H. the Dalai Lama Said About Criticizing a Vajrayana Lama
By Joanne Clark When His Holiness the Dalai Lama made his first statement supporting the letter by the eight ex-senior Rigpa students, outlining abuses committed by Sogyal Lakar, he stated: Many years ago in Dharmasala […]
Some Reflections on Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche’s Talk at Rigpa Berlin
By Joanne Clark Some days ago, on Sunday 25h of February 2018, Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche spoke for three hours at the Dharma Mati Rigpa centre in Berlin. A student asked him: What the Dalai […]
Kadampa Buddhism: Advertencia importante sobre el culto a Dorje Shugden
En los últimos años una serie de circunstancias muy desafortunadas han hecho que un asunto interno de poca importancia se haya convertido en un riesgo social a escala internacional e incluso instituciones budistas al más […]
In a Nutshell: Self and No-Self in Buddhism
By Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche The Buddha, by rejecting the idea of soul, also rejected the concept of reincarnation. He was therefore at variance with many of the Hindu traditions of India that retained the […]
Finally, After Years Of Fanaticism, I Began Opening My Eyes
A New Kadampa Survivor Testimony My name is Ivy Wallace and I am a former member of the New Kadampa Tradition (NKT). Here is my story in case anyone is interested. I was in the […]
The New Kadampa Tradition is back on Reddit under “Modern Buddhism” – but, not everybody is welcomed…
In 2016 the New Kadampa Tradition (NKT) was banned on Reddit’s popular Buddhism subreddit, which has currently 122.935 subscribers. The reasons been given for the ban and also if a ban is reasonable after all […]
Reform & Kindness: Can We Make A Little Room For Miracles?
Guest Post By Joanne Clark During my short eighteen months with Rigpa, months that traumatically changed my life, I could have used some kindness from fellow students. However, the effect of Sogyal’s style of “working” […]
Three Buddhists Walk into a Bar
By Kiera Van Gelder Three Buddhists walk into a bar. A Hinayana, a Mahayana, and a Vajrayana. The Vajrayana demands the highest stool, the Mahayana offers her body as a stool and the Hinayana sits […]
Testimony from an Ogyen Kunzang Choling (OKC) Survivor
The following comment was posted by a Buddhist as a comment after having shared Ben’s powerpoint presentation “40 Years of Abuse in the Name of Dharma by ex-OKC born-kids” on Facebook. Ben who stands behind […]
