- Allegations against Sogyal Rinpoche highlight the dangers of [Mahayana] Buddhist injunctions against gossip [that in any way criticizes the Sangha, which in Mahayana Buddhism means the entire "community" of practitioners, in front of outsiders] and insistence on loyalty.
An exiled Tibetan Buddhist nun prostrates around the main temple and the residence of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama (Ashwini Bhatia/AP).In November 1994 an American woman known as Janice Doe filed a $10m lawsuit against the Tibetan lama Sogyal Rinpoche, charging him with sexual, mental, and physical abuse. The case was dealt with out of court and Janice Doe signed a non-disclosure agreement in return for a cash settlement.
Sogyal Rinpoche with Joan Halifax and Richard Gere in Switzerland, 1985 
Sogyal denies allegations of abuse, but fresh evidence against him was recently aired in an investigative documentary called In the Name of Enlightenment, broadcast on Vision TV in Canada.
A beautiful young woman identified as Mimi described an abusive sexual relationship. She was the first person claiming direct experience of Sogyal's exploitative attentions to go public since the 1994 lawsuit.
Sogyal (surname Lakar -- rinpoche is a title that means "precious one") is the frontman for a Tibetan Buddhist organization called Rigpa, which has a worldwide reach with 130 centers in 41 countries. He has a bestselling book, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, to his name and he starred alongside Keanu Reeves [Chris Issak, Bridget Fonda] in the movie Little Buddha.
Sogyal is a formidably successful guru -- probably the best known Tibetan after the Dalai Lama. His trajectory into Buddhist superstardom suffered only a temporary setback following the Janice Doe lawsuit -- despite the fact that lurid rumors about his sex life circulate on the Internet with increasing volume and persistence.
The allegations raise a wider question: Why are victims of sexual exploitation by charismatic religious leaders reluctant to denounce their abusers? In the Canadian documentary, Mimi highlights the "Stockholm syndrome"... More
A Tibetan Buddhist master beloved by millions uses his position and authority to take advantage of young women. For over three decades, complaints are dismissed as merely the grumblings of the uninitiated. A guru focused on his own pleasure turns the Path to enlightenment into a road of sexual servitude. Written and directed by Debi Goodwin.
8 comments:
The dark side of Sogyal Rinpoche doesn t stop with sexabuse. This man is ill and perverted:
My life was and is manipulated by Sogyal Rinpoche since my childhood. I would be a Bodhisattva and should have potential for enlightenment – therefore I should have been taught by him in my private life without knowing anything about it.
I have been attending to a meditation retreat in 2005 and following courses in Lerab Ling and Montpellier from 2005 until 2006. In may 2006 I have found out. If I wouldn t ever have met him I would not have found out.
I am watched by people in his order who are able to:
read peoples mind
transmit thoughts
create and transform emotions and will
create physical pain and damage
see you everywhere
They employ satellite brainweapons which are used by secret services. You can find a lot of informations about these technologies on the internet. Unfortunately I am not the only victim.
More informations on:
www.jaccarddotorg.wordpress.com or
www.brittaleiajaccard.com -Homepage-english and german
Jaccard has been posting nonsense about Sogyal all over the internet for some time. She is seriously out of whack and should be in psychiatric care. FYI -- Sogyal is a clown rather than an accommplished yogi. He has no psychic powers, was never trained as a lama and has all his public talk scripted and on video. He is a fat, lazy businessman who is primarily interested in money. he is also a sex addict who maintains a harem resourced by donations from deluded devotees.
Sogyal Rinpoche has been abusing people for decades ,sexually,physically and emotionally without anybody stopping him.
How long will this denial continue?How many more victims to be sacrificed under the eyes of the laughing audiences?
Yes, Sogyal Rinpoche
is funny in a cruel, pathological way.And he has the money which buys silence.
Worse still, he has set up a pervert example for other lamas who have now adopted that"consort system"euphemism to justify what is in fact sexual abuse.
Yes, I am talking about that other Rinpoche who lives in the USA and is so cool.
Let us break the wall of silence for everybody's sake, including SR
Read article in french Marianne magazine onwww.dialogueireland and " SR behind thangkas "on dialogue ireland.
I have been a practicing Buddhist for 40 years.I am a school teacher in France.
Buddha once said: “Do not make alms to those (monks) who broke any of the four basic precepts! Then you are my real disciple.”
What are the basic 4 precepts for monks (now extend to all Dharma teachers)? No killing (human), no stealing (eg. Taking what is not given, including stealing fund or monastry/temple property for his family/relatives), no sexual misconducts (even touching a woman’s skin or just verbally suggesting sexual intercourse), no big lies (declaring enlightenment or seeing a Buddha while one hasn’t).
If a female student just knows that, she would not let her teacher touch her.
If a donor knows that, he would not keep donating to the wrong practitioner, and waste his money on “masters” who cannot earn him merits.
If Buddhist students know that, they would shun the bad teachers and go seek real accomplished masters, and practice happily on the right path to Buddhahood in no time.
You can see that SR is not at all respected among his own people. Somehow he made it to the top as he is a very good business man, he sells Dharma, slowly the world will come to know this self made Rinpoche, he is nothing but a lazy, finicky, sex addict old man. And the sad thing is that all these women are dependent on him financially .
What is amazing to me is how these gurus, Trungpa included, can be so highly evolved knowing the highest Truth, yet they can't control their sex drives. The ego is a slippery slope.
The expose is well done. I have always had my doubts about
vajrayana Buddhism. The Buddha; as mentioned in the video;
taught reliance upon the dharma: not gurus. Another, expose,
of a sort; is in the form of an article written by, Michael Parenti.
He makes an honest effort, to provide true and insightful views
into the Tibetan culture befor the Chinese invasion and, after: as well. He reveals the truth about that medeval theocracy, with all
of it's problems and abuses: system supported rationalizations
included. What has happened here, is mild, compared to the
history of such occurrances within the former geography, of their
past theocratic culture. Tibet, was never a shangrala. If the Dali
Lama says differently: just remember: he knows how and where,
his bread is buttered. Can you imagine how difficult it would be,
for his culturally created ego, to give up the environment that
created it. Imagine the Dalai Lama giving up the comforts the
of privilege. Adoration of a guru and the role playing which it
encourages; would in all honesty; seem to undermine the
true perspective and teachings; of the Buddha. Vajrayana,
appears to be Buddhism of visualization, and lets pretend.
In their very practices, one is taught and encouraged, to
surrender their ego to the superior Gods, of their traditions.
Simply, replacing one identity, for another, by way of regression
into a childhood of reparenting by potentional adult child
pedophiles ? This, appears to be a buddhism of identities
and role playing: which helps to set the stage for all of the
problems that come with: more so than anything even near to
what the Buddha taught. Vajrayana appears to be sow the
seeds, of a; have your cake and eat it to: buddhism. Of
course;. I am not a practioneer of vajyarana; nor would I
ever consider it as a possibility. A buddhism, which revolves
around a play; of an all too emphasized
role playing of identities; would appear
to work in opposition to the dharma.
... . A Buddhism of personality cults: a
Buddhism of crazy wisdom have
your cake and eat it too nirvana egos:
a Buddhism of corrupt seed sowing
Zorba the Buddhas; is more than anything else; another example of the already
too problematic human condition clothed in
the garb of Tibetan Buddhism. Yes, there are
certainly honorable people in the tradition.
Yes, it could possibly happen anywhere else;
and certainly has. Yet, some structures of
approach and practice; may make it possibly
all the more likely: Too occur. My thank you
for what your blog is attempting to do; and my heart felt sympathy for all of the victims. There are many ways in which to be victimized by a system that helps to set the
ego stage for such occurrances to more easily arise, and play out. Very sad. My heart
felt condolences, as well as respect, for all of you: in your situations of tragedy, and difficulties. Perhaps now, westen Buddhism
may come of age, and responsibly protect
the inexperienced members of the sang at ?
Does Dilgo Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche approve or disapprove of Sogyal Rinpoche's behavior? It is very important that the High Lamas stand in solidarity against any abuse committed.
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