ollaimh Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > > > i think she goes too far blaming the dalai lama > for his failure to act, but it's not an > unreasonable position to take. he should be more > active in controlling abuse in his own system, > however i doubt he can change the medieval > tibetans quickly. so he is partly re
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I wonder where Trungpa learned those cognitive behavioral techniques. That's dangerous. I also wonder why followers like Chandler, couldn't process their experiences and form opinions outside of the meditation hall. I suppose they trusted their teacher, so they tried to comply with his instructions even during their "down time". And once she left, she probably had to consc
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

ollaimh Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > this is dusgusting. dkr is becomming a full blown > monster What he's unwittingly done, is to reveal the moral bankruptcy of the Lamaist system. He has shouted it from the rooftops, and people have heard it. He demonstrates a complete failure of compassion for women students of Tibet's peculiar brand of
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

corboy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > But, this is the noble, ancient, oppressed culture > that regarded Drukpa Kunley and his Wonder Weiner > as purveyor of enlightenment. > > > > In the West, Drukpa Kunley would be on the Sex > Offenders' Registry -- unless > of course, he arrives clad in silk and brocade as > a
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

happytown Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > "Until then, when your guru chairs a board meeting > and it becomes obvious that he has no clue about > an issue, as a prudent member of that board you > shouldn’t hesitate to supply him with the > information he needs. At the same time, as a > Vajrayana student, you must skilfully remind >
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I have ALARMING news!! There's an article circulating; I'm hoping the person who found it will join us here and post it, on this theme, of sexual abuse in TB. It gives Trungpa's Shambala movement, which is still very much alive and kicking, as an example of the kind of damage cults like this can do. Among the cases discussed, is a little-known one, about a WESTERN teacher in the Sh
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Just a note to say that the link I provided goes to a pdf to download. I'm not able to copy and paste it here. You need to click on a permission window, then you can download the pdf. to your screen.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Aaaaand, just when you thought you'd heard it all, folks, Dzongsar Khyentse gets even more outrageous! He posted a "joke", online, about some kind of "insurance" policy for gurus, to protect them against accusations of inappropriate sexual activity with their students! It was taken down within 24 hours, a new record for DKR, who has in the past made a number of inappropr
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

ollaimh Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > i still have faith and good knowledge with the > sakyas under jetsun kushock. she has a small > following but that's a good sign. she teaches a > full esoteric practice of several deities that > include the full path. i also had good > experiences with kusam linpa. he gave very good > inst
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

@olliamh-- What a mess! It sounds like the Tibetan gurus, the well-known ones, at least, feel that prestige is to be gained from building a large following, building centers, and commanding ever-larger groups. DKR has squarely placed himself in that world, that value-system. He's revealing TB for what it is: a guru cult. And he's blaming the victims of that cult, of gurus run amok,
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

This is disturbing. It's also nonsensical, since anyone who would be open to Buddhism would, with very rare exception, be on the liberal side of the spectrum.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

. In an era when wrong views and murderous actions not only prevail, but are celebrated and even justified by respected liberal intellectuals Does anyone have any idea what he's talking about, here?
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Done!
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

The key words to the whole thing are "if his students received a Vajrayana initiation". About 99% did not, including one woman who attended a Rigpa event for recently bereaved individuals. Instead of finding comfort and guidance in dealing with her profound loss, she encountered the purported author of the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, who convinced her in her vulnerably emotional s
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

The key words to the whole thing are "if his students received a Vajrayana initiation". About 99% did not, including one woman who attended a Rigpa event for recently bereaved individuals. Instead of finding comfort and guidance in dealing with her profound loss, she encountered the purported author of the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, who convinced her in her vulnerably emotional s
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Which brother is the autistic one, among Diana and Trungpa's children? The Dzongsar Khentse letter is deserving of its own thread, for discussion and deconstruction. It's unnerving, how many highly realized teachers praise Trungpa. For me, that would be a big red flag. Mostly, of course, it's Kagyu lamas. And it's always been part of the code among teachers to not crit
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

And nuns have far less opportunity to get sponsors. Most sponsorship programs are for monks. Also, nuns are called less to give pujas, as people tend to take male monastics more seriously. According to Kim Gutschow, author of "Being a Buddhist Nun", the result of several years of living among nuns in Ladakh, nuns mainly earn money by working people's fields. They're not free t
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

ollaimh Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > kelsang gyatso did a lot more. he gives vows to > monks and nuns without the necessary authority. > for those who don't know to give these vows you > need five monks or nuns. most take the vows from > one person, with a promise to take the full > ordination at a future time, but they are in &g
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

This is very helpful information. Of course people defend Sogyal by saying the Jane Doe case was settled out of court, so it means there was insufficient info to convict, or it was a spurious case. So this procedural background info is important to know.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

goneinawhistle Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I'm still reading it at the moment. It feels spot > on in some places, and in others I'm put off by > what seem to completely unsupported, general and > manifesto-like statements about how the world is > or should be. It is written by two people in the > form of separate essays, whic
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I just took a look at the book on Amazon. This looks very valuable, full of psychological insights about why people fall for cults, the different dynamics at work, etc. OP, if you could provide a detailed book review when you're done with the book, maybe summarizing each chapter, it would be very helpful to any future readers, here.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

This explains a lot. Thanks for posting important background information!
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Speaking of the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, I just wanted to mention that Sogyal didn't write it. Andrew Harvey, who was a graduate student in Buddhist Studies at the time, and also a devoted follower of Sogyal's, wrote it along with a colleague, and presented it as a gift to their spiritual mentor. If you read it, you'll notice there are many references to Western cultural p
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I'm beginning to wonder if all these years, about 3 decades at this point, the reason Rigpa staff have so staunchly defended Sogyal is that at the very bottom line, they felt their jobs could have been at stake. Rigpa has created an international bureaucracy employing dozens, possibly 100 people or more, who would be put out of work if the whole house of cards came tumbling down. This is
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

A group of Rigpa members, including a Board member of US Rigpa, recently sent a letter to Rigpa headquarters in England, detailing over a decade of emotional, physical and sexual abuses of his followers on two continents. Incidents mentioned include Sogyal publicly humiliating and abusing a nun on stage at a teaching in front of over 1000 attendees, by punching her in the stomach. The letter stat
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I actually have that book, but it's so thick, I've never read he whole thing. The info I've gotten from book reviews such as what you posted was enough. It's outrageous that Van der Post raped the 14-year-old girl his own friends had entrusted to him for care during a trans-oceanic voyage. The parents had complete faith in him, having no idea that he was a womanizer and scound
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

The terms you're using: "abused", "harassed" are vague, which is why I inquired about the nature of the behavior or incidents. I looked up that LA case, and it said Berg plied a follower with alcohol and drugs to have sex with her (rape). It's helpful to know the details of such cases, as the decisions can be used as legal precedents for cases of sexual misconduct an
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Is this what the sex scandals are about--encouraging wealthy members to leave their spouse as a way of gaining control of someone's money, or is there harassment of single members, as well? Is it mainly about money, or is it sometimes just about sex, or sex as a path to mind control? I'm asking, as a potential way to get a window on what might be going on in the new Tibetan Buddhist
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Honestly, corboy, I don't quite understand her complaint. She wanted to blow the whistle on this guy, for what--transgressing his vows? Firstly, that's not unusual for a TB monk to do, so it's not surprising that nobody in authority cares. The monasteries often are surrounded with brothels, to serve monks who "jump the wall" at night. Secondly, having sex regularly w
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I'll kick off this discussion with a couple of facts about life in Tibetan-related culture. Bhutan, that land of the Gross National Happiness, discovered that domestic violence is rampant. Somehow, that fact had escaped their assessment of the Gross National Happiness. They also discovered, on a later occasion, that child monks had venereal diseases. How does a child get an STD? This
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"