GoodPersonEffed
Brevity is my middle name, but my name was TL
- Jan 11, 2020
- 6,727
This isn't so much venting as getting thoughts and feelings off my chest.
Over the past few years there have been revelations of sexual assaults and other abuses in Buddhist sanghas.
Chogyam Trungpa, the founder of US-based Shambala Buddhism, was sexually abusive, abused substances, and pulled weapons on people to scare them. It was touted as "crazy wisdom."
He was Pema Chödrön's guru, and it troubled me that she was accepting of and laughed off his ways.
Then it was revealed that his successor also abused substances and sexually abused and assaulted women in the sangha. Shambala hired independent investigators. He stepped down during the investigation, which determined the allegations to be true. But recently, 135 students in Europe requested him to come teach, and the organization reinstated him as a teacher.
In response, Pema has announced her decision to retire from her position as a senior teacher, citing how troubled she is by the organization not following through on their commitment to make progress in moving forward in light of verified allegations. She is remaining for now in the community to be a source of support until she sees evidence that may require more decisions on her part.
I was relieved by this. I was very troubled and had questioned her validity as a teacher and a woman in a high position of leadership if she were accepting of those who broke the precepts which gave them the authority to teach and lead. She has earned some respect from me.
Over the past few years there have been revelations of sexual assaults and other abuses in Buddhist sanghas.
Chogyam Trungpa, the founder of US-based Shambala Buddhism, was sexually abusive, abused substances, and pulled weapons on people to scare them. It was touted as "crazy wisdom."
He was Pema Chödrön's guru, and it troubled me that she was accepting of and laughed off his ways.
Then it was revealed that his successor also abused substances and sexually abused and assaulted women in the sangha. Shambala hired independent investigators. He stepped down during the investigation, which determined the allegations to be true. But recently, 135 students in Europe requested him to come teach, and the organization reinstated him as a teacher.
In response, Pema has announced her decision to retire from her position as a senior teacher, citing how troubled she is by the organization not following through on their commitment to make progress in moving forward in light of verified allegations. She is remaining for now in the community to be a source of support until she sees evidence that may require more decisions on her part.
I was relieved by this. I was very troubled and had questioned her validity as a teacher and a woman in a high position of leadership if she were accepting of those who broke the precepts which gave them the authority to teach and lead. She has earned some respect from me.
