I can't help but wonder why this lawyer, Jan Weber, is interested in defending Ole. I suppose he or she is paid well, but the question arises: is the lawyer part of the cult?

Yes, Jan Weber is Ole Nydahl´s student.


It doesn't sound like his Alzheimer's is too advanced, if he's still able to pursue lawsuits, and is still in charge of his centers.

He is at the 2nd stage (out of 3) according to my information. He suffers from ocassional desorientation, sometimes he cannot make sense out of letters or numbers and his vocabulary is more and more limited. Also there were several instances of him loosing consciousness.

I was on the diamond way for 6 years. My boyfiend was in the sangha. He was a very nice guy – at the beginning. He took me there. First time I met Ole on a teaching, I didn’t like it at all. I just had a very bad feeling, and I told him, I do not want to be part of this. He was out of his mind, when I was giving him bad review about the event, I have never seen him like this before. His reaction should have been a red flag and I should have get out of that relationship but I already loved my boyfriend. Later I realised, if you give and criticism about Ole Nydahl personality, his thoughts, his teachings, his relationships with women, etc. everyone was out of their mind, and it was better to shut up.
After I fittted into the DW, didn’t question anything any more, made friendships in the sangha, my boyfriend calmed down. I was sufficiently brainwashed. I never questioned Ole again, I accepted everything, he said, I just wanted to have finally a „family”, people, who likes me, accepts me. (Guess, I was a perfect person to a cult, no healthy family boundaries, feeling very lonely.) I had two kinda good years. I had a boyfriend, friends, first in my life I was travelling a lot (to DW courses of course), I was working in the Sangha (for free.) After I fitted 100% into DW and my boyfriends became abusive with me. He was yelling at me, pulled me, tousled me, and once a while slapped me. But the worst was the psychological terror, that I am not good enough, I am such a terrible person that I should be happy that he is so generous to live with me. Well, he was medatitating for many years this time, and that was the level… The buddhism starts where psychology ends says Ole… Really? Anyway, my life turned into a nightmare, I was shocked, mentally instable, anxious all the time. When we were in the sangha, he was the perfect gentleman, when noone was watching, he was a monster. But I couldn’t pretend, i was hysterical, cried any moment, shaking, so in the sangha he was the pure perfection, and I was hysterical. I got no help at all. By this time, I had no friends „outside”, I was isolateted, he got my little money as well, I had no family to go. I really sucked. After 3 more years in the suffering, I asked Ole’s and travelling teachers advice. The answer was this is our karma, leave him, and Ole wishes me all the best and keep me in his mind. After we broke up, and moved out, I asked Ole what to do with an islam guy who wanted to abuse me and my flatmate, Ole said go to he police, report etc. When my boyfriend made me much worse things than this for years, this was just a karma…
I could get out my relationship, I started my life all over from nothing after 30. I was so threatened from my (ex)boyfriend, that I did not go the sangha back. I still needed 2 more years to get rid of the brainwash… I still idolized Ole and the DW for a while, because I was so amazingly brainwashed that living in an abusing relationship it is just a karma, what I deserverd, while he was fully accepted there, because giving donations, helping there. And I should be a better person than I can go back to the sangha. He even dated an other girl after me in the DW, noone cared my story. I lost even all my friends, after I didn’t go in, noone contacted me. Even my female sangha friends denied me after I did not go into the sangha, and questioned Ole and they are going to courses with my abusing ex, smiling in selfies like nothing happened. Cause somehow I deserved it, you know… That was my karma, as my „friends” and travelling teachers told me so. I was very lucky, that I get out of there, with no money in my pocket (my ex took it) and nowhere to go. I could manage somehow to get a cheap room, finally make friends out of the DW, and last-last found a very nice and caring boyfriend. Now I can see clear, that Ole might not be a Buddha, he is a person, who thinks he is some kind of God, just like his students, and I am way much happier and balanced, when I was back in the DW. And no matter what you do, You can even abuse your partner, if you don’t question Ole, the sangha, you donate and you work in the DW. Noone cares.

Thank you for posting, and congratulations on leaving DW! and your abusive relationship! I hope you're feeling better now, more grounded and more confident and stable.

The important thing to learn from this experience, I think, is to trust your own instincts. You got a bad feeling, when you first visited the sangha. Your first reaction was the correct one. Sometimes, especially as women, we don't have confidence in our own perceptions, our "gut" reactions to things--that little inner voice that tries to warn us of danger. It's crucial to our survival to learn to trust that voice!

The Buddhism that Ole teaches isn't "real" Buddhism. Ole went to Sikkim back in the 1960's and somehow was able to study with the Karmapa and Kalu Rinpoche about tantric Buddhism, which I now call "sex Dharma". This isn't Buddhism; this is Hinduism combined with Buddhist theory. These sex teachings appealed to Ole and his wife, Hannah, very much, so he decided to start a cult built on this.

What country are you in?

Dear Exdwgirl,

than you for the post about your experience. I had in a way similar experience, when I left DW. I lost most of my friends at that point. Most of my former DW "buddies" would not contact me again and I have not spoken to majority of my former DW friends since. This is a clear sign that Diamondway is a cult. The members of the cult feel that one who left might pose a danger to them and somehow infect them and make them leave too just by having normal conversation.
In any case I hope that you are alright now and have made new and true friends.
Thank you for sharing your experience and all the best to you.

Dear Mistttyk,

I don´t think Ole has built his cult on sexual yoga, he has never taught any of the sexual yogas. There is an obsession with sex in his group, but I think it is mostly related to Ole´s and his student´s own sexual desires. The idea of the sexual yoga in Tibetan Buddhism is that it is a practice reserved for highly advanced and mature meditators, who can keep their sex drive under control, not for someone who is merely horny.

What Ole did really build his cult on is a mix of right wing ideology, his personal charisma, narcissism, his own desires and some watered down Dharma.

I didn´t notice the Right wing bend of his "teachings" - save for his dislike of Muslims - but now that Trump is in power in USA, I started to watch some Fox News segments, and I found that their language is same in many respects. Dharma at least according to traditional teachings of Kagyu lineage should be free from politics. Ole follows his Fox News counterparts in projecting what he is doing onto the others. He would say that other Dharma teachers are embroiled in politics, while he never mixes politics and the teachings. Of course it is rather the opposite that is true. Some of Ole´s right wing talking points in his lectures:

- Immigrants are bad for the Western society.
- People should arm themselves and teach themselves to shoot in order to protect "the society"(from the immigrants).
- Men are the protectors, women are the love givers.
- If men are cheating, it is a mistake of their female partner.
- Africans and people of African descent are inferior.
- Social policies make people lazy.

These ideas are in quite strong contrast with Buddha´s teaching. Buddha taught to have compassion for all people regardless of their origin and to treat them as equals. Buddha was also strongly oposed to his followers arming themselves as he saw that having a weapon provides an opportunity for violence. Instead of conquering some outher threats - real or imaginary, Buddha advised to conquer the inner enemy of one´s own hatred, desire and ignorance.

This example could not have been more clear when Karmapa Thaye Dorje visited Prague in 2007. Prior to that visit Ole, who considers himself a student of Thaye Dorje, spoke to some journalists, where he said that Palestinians are the only ones to be blamed for the problems in Israel and that they, being Muslims, are a threat to the civilisation.
These journalist later asked Karmapa, what is his opinion about Muslims, whether he considers them a dangerous threat, to which Karmapa responded: "Muslims are not a threat, they are not our enemy, our true and only enemy is egotism and negative emotions."

Dear Misstyk and Kawa Lhundrub.
Yes, I am really happy now, thanks. :) I have a very nice relationship, a good job, earn decent money, and yes new friends, so there is really nothing to complain about. I am really grateful, and you know, what doesnt kill you, makes you stronger. And yes, I definitely learnt to trust my gut. I live in Europe, but I wouldnt say more because I am still afraid of this...
I was wondering a lot, if it is a cult, but the more I wonder, the more I think. Let's think over what I experienced:
1) Ole and the women
When I took refuge, he kissed into my ear, with tongue. I freaked out, I told my boyfreind what happened. The answer: you are a very pretty young woman, take it as a compliment, you look amazing in this dress. If any other man did that, for sure he would have punched him. And I felt very embarresed about the kiss.
This was my first course and I was really surprised, that he kissed many young girls on their lips, and I was said, that he had sex with many of them. I told my boyfriend that I don’t like this, and he said of course, that I don’t understand him, he is special, I am close-minded etc. Even the girls were very understanding with this kind of behaviour.
I am pretty sure, that Ole did not rape anyone ever, he is a womanizer. Even I have to admit, that he has a certain charm. But I do think that having sex with your student is not ethical. Ole can say that in the bed they are his equal partners but is more like a rock star has sex with the fans and take advantage from them. Or a teacher from the students. Or a doctor from his patients. Especially this kind of behaviour is not acceptable if you are a role modell for thousands of others.
In cult is typically acceptable when the charismatic leader is having sex all the pretty female students, isn’t it? And then, he is writing a book about relationships...
2) Money
You always felt the pressure to donate, my exboyfriend donated extremly big moneys, (like a monthly salary in here even though he had no flat, no wealth) and when I told him not to, but do savings, I was not generous, and I didn’t understand karma etc.
I don’t know where the money is going there… I still don’t think that Ole is taking this money, because he wouldn’t even have time to spend it… But I am wondering on it, cause the prices are not like non-profit, if it is about courses. I think Ole enjoys the power more than money.
3) Islamphobia
First of all, the muslim views in general are very-very far from me. I love my profession, I want to work, I don’t want my husband to have other wifes etc. But making each muslim person like a devil itself… I feel this definitely too much and it is not fitting for me to the buddhist views.
4) Teachings?
The teachings are weird, and not professional, or how to say. He is telling a lot of emotional or/and exciting stories, how he was struggling drugs, or police issues, and he is talking about this like it would make him cool. It is not cool for me. And it is not really related to dharma teachings. Also there are many stuffs, like islam, or jewish, or politics, and so on, what you cannot take as a dharma teaching. And sometimes he had teachings what I am pretty sure noone understand. But the people there was amazed that he is talking about stg what is on such a high level!!! I also like teaching in my profession, I think it makes you smart if the students understand what you are talking about.

Why is not 100% a cult maybe?
Please answer me, if you read this, or you can!
17th Karmapa and many Rinpoche Ole invited, they were extremly nice, kind, they really represent for me the Buddhist views. If they accept Ole, there must be a reason and maybe Ole’s teaching about dharma is still beneficial for certain people. I was spending weeks all together with the monks too, they were extremly kind and nice, they really touched my heart. Karmapa and the monks are really not like some cult person, want to have power or money, and they accept Ole. There must be a reason, why they support him. But what is that reason?

I still miss buddhism sometimes, and meditation, I haven't finished my ngöndro... Maybe I should, but not in DW. Wondering where to go, but I also have too much bad impressions, I am afraid to go somewhere else, so now I feel I am better without it.

Dear Exdwgirl,

I am happy to read, that your life is going well now. Let me react here to your points.

1) Ole and the women
Yes this is precisely how I have seen Ole behave around young and attractive women, he would touch them inapropriately. I don´t think he raped any, but I am sure that he manipulated some into having sex with him. I heard that he would tell women who were a little reluctant to sleep with him, that it is good for their path and other similar BS. He has several children all over Europe and maybe in other continents too. I wonder when this would catch up to him.

2) Money
The money is consumed mostly by ever-ongoing center-building. There is strong materialist drive in the organisation to build more and more centers. Some of the money is donated to monasteries in Asia. More to that in the point on cult below.

3) Islamphobia
Ole´s dislike of muslims goes directly against bodhisattva vows, that he supposedly took. In 2017 during a summer course he refused to make a prayer for a muslim woman from Tunisia, because she was muslim. Someone who has taken bodhisattva vow should not turn away from other beings regardles of who they are. Having publicly broken his vow like this shows that he is a bogus teacher.

4) Teachings?
Yes that is the point his teachings are not really representative of Buddhism or even of Tibetan Buddhism. What Ole "teaches" is right wing ideology, his personal bragadocious stories and some remnants of Dharma mixed with Gurdieffian views, New Age and his own misunderstandings. For example he equates emptiness (shunyata) with space. But the meaning of emptiness is simply put, that phenomena do not have any independet existence. This than leads to Ole making claim that phenomena manifest from space based on the impulses of the mind :D Which leads to some further hilarious misunderstandings, for example I wtinessed as a group of Ole´s students were traveling by car and they all needed to pee, but there was no gas station in sight, so they started to make wishes for a gass station to appear from space :D Well eventualy they came across gas station (which of course has been there for many years) and they considered it to be a result of their prayers and Ole´s blessings, which made the station pop up out of space.

Why is not 100% a cult maybe?
It is certainly a cult, not a dangerous one, but it is definitely far from a standard buddhist group. As to why Tibetans support Ole there are in my opinion three reasons:

1. Intimidation - in the past there were at least 3 Karma Kagyu teachers who criticised Ole - Kalu Rinpoche, Khenpo Chodrag Rinpoche and Shamar Rinpoche. With Kalu Rinpoche and Khenpo Chodrag Rinpoche - Ole simply severed connections to them and had their photos removed from the DW centers, whith Shamar Rinpoche, he could not afford such thing, so he threatened Shamar Rinpoche with lawsuit over the damage to the reputaion, after that Shamar Rinpoche withdrew his criticism. Following this I think Tibetans think twice before they voice any public criticism of Mr. Nydahl.

2. Money - Ole and his group are a source of income for the monasteries in Nepal and India - so they do not bite the hand that feeds them.

3. Followers - Tibetans do not think that Ole´s students in general are of high capacity as Dharma practitioners, so they consider the little benefit those students receive from their practice of mantra recitation etc. to be worthy enough as to not upset it by pointing out that Ole is a fraud.

Beyond that Ole actively seeks to spread legends about himself, whenever he has a chance, including in Nepal and India, and his own students of course only speak highly about Ole in the presence of Tibetan teachers and monks. As a result of that several young or youngish tulkus whom I know believe that Ole must be some kind accomplished yogi, or emanation of Mahakala etc. - all that nonsene - based on the hearsay spread by Ole himself and his students.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/15/2019 04:51AM by Kawa Lhundrub.

Seems to me the nature of any cult is that it is dangerous.

*It counterfeits worthy groups so as to recruit iown hearted persons who because they are open hearted, *are* searching for worthy groups.

*Persons who are senior members in counterfeit Buddhist groups often hide their misgivings from new students because they are afraid of giving Buddhism a bad name.

*In a group that is secret ridden worried abiut its public image and full of greed for money, which characterizes all cults, this creates an atmosphere that is turbulent and does not support practice. It also corrupts relationships.

IMO, any cult is *dangerous* because the energy balance between the leaders and subjects is covertly exploitative.

Saddest of all, no matter how much bliss healing and wisdom a subject believes they receive from a cult,
the sad truth is that subjects time, treasure and talent went to support something dishonest and where others will be exploited and in worse ways.

Time talent and youth spent in a cult could have been spent in a setting teaching the same subject matter in a non exploitative manner.

Dear Kawa Lhundrub,
Thank you for all your answers, I really appreciate them, and they make sense. :) I am really happy that I am out of it. It is very hard to bulid up your life again after leaving a cult, because you are completely alone. But the only good thing in DW, that they let you go, if you wanna go. I am just wondering, how there are hardly any articles about it on the net. About scientology, for example, everyone knows, it is a cult, and you can easily find source about is. About DW, you can hardly find anything...

Exdwgirl, I'm sorry your boyfriend didn't take your concerns seriously. Probably now you can see, that he was already cultified, i.e. heavily invested in the cult, by the time you joined. You were fortunate overall, because there have been quite a few women, who felt that Ole coerced them into sex with him, and one even said he used some kind of hypnosis, to try to coerce her into having sex with the Karmapa. Perhaps he has changed his methods now, because that women took him to court.

And perhaps Ole doesn't teach any tantric practices now, but he certainly has in the past. Several women in Germany have complained, that he organized initiation rituals that were modeled on traditional Tibetan group sex, where the head lama has sex with all the women, and the men receiving an initiation also have sex with all the women. These rituals continue all night.

Perhaps he doesn't do these things any more, I don't know, but it's because of this sort of thing, that Shamar denounced him. And after Ole threatened him with a lawsuit, Shamar only removed his criticisms from his official website temporarily. He later wrote another letter criticizing Ole. This may still be on his website, in the section of archived letters.


It's helpful to hear from former DW members, so that we can have an idea of what is going on in the group currently. It sounds like Ole may have dropped the more controversial (meaning--scandalous) aspects of his group practice.

Of course it's ridiculous, that he claims that in bed, he and the women are equals. I doubt that is true, but even if it were, he is their spiritual leader, and according to what has been posted on this page, he uses his authority in order to convince reluctant women to have sex with him. That is unethical, and downright predatory. He's clearly a sexual predator using his claim to spiritual authority as his cloak, his means to prey on women. This is wrong, and in some countries--illegal.

Apparently Czechia doesn't have laws about this sort of thing. Perhaps an ex-DW member should go to the newspapers, to get some publicity to this issue, so that there may be hope someday, that a law will be made about this.