By Bernd Zander A review of “Sex and Violence in Tibetan Buddhism: The Rise and Fall of Sogyal Rinpoche” by Mary Finnigan and Rob Hogendoorn One main concern for Sogyal Rinpoche’s (SR) former students is […]
Tag: Sogyal Rinpoche

A Timely and Important Book “Fallout: Recovering from Abuse in Tibetan Buddhism”
By Joanne Clark Fallout: Recovering from Abuse in Tibetan Buddhism, by Tahlia Newland, is the story of Rigpa students coming to terms with disclosures of Sogyal Lakar’s abuses over decades, as revealed in the letter […]
A paper on Sogyal Rinpoche’s abuse, its effect on students, and the future of Buddhism in the West for the 16th Sakyadhita Conference in 2019
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, […]

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, […]
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 […]