Q&A [2] – Audience with a senior Palyul official Two Pathgate ex-members were granted an audience with a senior Palyul lineage holder in 2018 to seek clarification and advice regarding their experience in Pathgate. Identities have been withheld due to the sensitivity of the matter. The Palyul Rinpoche spoke in Tibetan and his replies to our questions were translated by an attendant.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Q&A - Misuse of "Rinpoche" title, fake generosity, sexual exploitation history The following Q&A is repurposed from enquiries to the Pathgate Survivors blog. The answers cover important points that is beneficial for current and ex-members of Pathgate who wish to make sense of their experience. Names and details have been changed to protect identities. Questions: I fee
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Isabel was a Pathgate member for 11 years, lured into it at 18 years old and leaving several years ago. She has begun sharing her story publicly on social media about the exploitation and abuse she experienced there, as well as her subsequent exit and recovery journey. She was better known in the Pathgate community as "Chokyi Lhamo". This is the first time a Pathgate victim is speaki
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

After two years of hard work under punishing lockdown conditions, one of our fellow survivors Magda Lamb has finally completed her memoir. Magda previously shared the episode of her surviving Pathgate here and is now able to reveal the entire story through this book. Only Oblivion is a portrayal of one woman’s experience of having an addict in the family, as well as her misplaced trust in a ph
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

“Lisa’s” Testimony The following text has been slightly edited for improved readability. “Lisa” has requested anonymity. She reports leading a wonderful life with a satisfying career. She describes her life as joyful, purposeful, and with much reason for deep gratitude. Seeing herself as absolutely a spiritual person, Lisa continues to grow her spiritual awareness in healthier and more auth
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

PY is not a "Rinpoche" We would like to inform the public that Yeung Leung Fong AKA Peter Yeung / Young (PY) has recently begun to style himself as “Lama Dondrup Dorje Rinpoche. I was a direct witness in 2011 when an ex-follower familiar with Tibetan Buddhist traditions and customs caught PY out for attempting claim himself as a "Rinpoche" and clarified the matter with s
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

PY the martial arts teacher Many thanks to anon27 for his comprehensive debunking of PY’s supposed claim of superiority and teaching ability in martial arts (and by extension, Buddhism), in response to a question from me. It is important and beneficial for ex-students’ recovery. Text has been slightly edited to correct typos and maintain anonymity. Dear anon27, In the forum you state
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Here is the recent paper by Dr. Anne Iris Miriam Anders from the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich’s Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology: Silencing and Oblivion of Psychological Trauma, Its Unconscious Aspects, and Their Impact on the Inflation of Vajrayana. An Analysis of Cross-Group Dynamics and Recent Developments in Buddhist Groups Based on Qualitative Data. Qualitative dat
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

This is the testimony of "Chime", who was a student from 2009-2012. Text has been slightly edited for grammar and readability. I met Peter Yeung (PY) and his entourage back in April 2009 in Athens where I was living at that time. It was a very difficult period for me — I was sad and with no motivation in my life, a girl in her late 20s who was trying to find her place in the wo
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Reposting a recent message from another ex-student, with his permission. QuoteBen Hi there, Pretty random how I found as I was looking for some incense. I was a student of PY from the late 90’s moving to live in Newcastle in 2000, I stayed there and experienced much of what had been described by others on your site until my “Buddha nature” spoke to me to leave in 2004, ironic as PY would h
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Unrealistic Fantasy Toxic Bubble The following is a testimony extracted from an email exchange with a former student "Kate" during the 2010s, reproduced with permission. It has been slightly edited for grammar and clarity. Victims’ names have been changed, details and dates have been redacted to protect their identities. Hi “Christine”, Ah, good that you have seen the forum
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

How PY financially exploits his students Having extracted myself from Pathgate before completely depleting my financial resources, and before completely losing my connection to mainstream society, I can’t help but feel immense relief. I spent much time reacquainting myself with authentic Buddhist teachings and filtering out PY’s distortions, in order to free myself from his brainwashing around
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

A Timeline of PY This is anon27's timeline of PY. He was a student at Pathgate for 20 years. 1993 PY was a small-time martial arts teacher, with about 6 dedicated students and 20-40 casual students spread across London and Newcastle. He was just trying to break into the alternative healing / wellness world. He'd bought a large house with a pool in the basement with the first, a
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I have wondered over the years why Peter Yeung (PY) didn’t have more students from his local area in Newcastle, or the UK for that matter; international students make up the bulk of his current following. PY brainwashed these students by explaining that locals lack the merit to learn from around an authentic lama. But a simple examination would reveal the more straightforward truth — locals ha
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

PY barred from entering Australia After more than a decade of illegally teaching religion and receiving money from Australians, sources have reported to us that “Lama” Dondrup Dorje A.K.A. Peter Young (PY) has been barred from entering Australia during his attempted entry in January 2019. PY was stopped by the Australian Border Force for trying to enter the country as a visitor on a UK pass
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Peter Young’s relationship with Palyul and H.H. Penor Rinpoche Peter Young (PY) has no official connection to Nyingma, Palyul or Namdroling. Past emails to Namdroling verifying his authenticity were unanswered. This is the Tibetan way of saying "he is nothing to do with us". They refuse to acknowledge PY. I have never seen any real connection with Palyul. PY puts their name on the Pa
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

The following is shared with us by an ex-student who Peter Yeung attempted to curse and destroy but ultimately failed. He has since went on to rebuild a happy life successfully. A step-by-step guide on how Peter Yeung turns you into one of his believers 1. Appear friendly and approachable: Jovial, adept at cracking jokes, and making fun of himself, Peter Yeoung will create an image tha
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Misteaching the Middle Way Peter Young openly reminds his students not to think, and not to read Buddhist texts. What we have come to realise as we free ourselves from his influence, is that if anyone actually utilised their critical minds, done their due diligence and investigated Buddha’s teachings, they would discover that PY does not have the deep understanding of Buddhism he claims to pos
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

We have created a facebook page to generate greater awareness; We are appealing to ex-students from the 90s and 00s to reach out to us, to set the record straight on PY. Your testimonies would be helpful to educating the public and helping students and ex-students to free themselves of PY's brainwashing.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

From the growing number of ex-students coming together, we have mounting testimonies and evidence on PY's misuse of Buddhism to advance his personal agenda and to abuse students. We have set up a website to include information to educate everyone on Peter Yeung's (PY), and to provide resources to help ex-students recover from the their traumatic time in Pathgate. We would like
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I represent a growing number of ex-students of Lama Dondrup Dorje (Peter Yeung / Young) from Pathgate Institute of Buddhist Studies headquartered in Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK. Some of us were long-time committed and devoted students who have left or forced out of his community due to his pattern of ethical misconduct over the past 30 years. Following recent revelations about other teachers who
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"