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Ex-members: Shambhala, Boulder-born Buddhist organization, suppressed allegations of abuse

Further Developments in the Case of Former Member Michael Smith

Another Former Boulder Shambhala Member Accused of Sexual Assault on a Child

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Ex-members: Shambhala, Boulder-born Buddhist organization, suppressed allegations of abuse

Momentum & Next Steps - Community of Marpa House

Further Developments in the Case of Former Member Michael Smith

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Ex-members: Shambhala, Boulder-born Buddhist organization, suppressed allegations of abuse

Ex-members: Shambhala, Boulder-born Buddhist organization, suppressed allegations of abuse

The Denver Post "conducted dozens of interviews with current and former members and a review of hundreds of pages of internal documents, police records and private communications," and published this long and in-depth look at Shambhala's response to allegations of abuse. The article contains many interviews and discussions of how the institution sought to protect itself by re-orienting or suppressing complaints, often through victim-blaming, and how internal processes failed

Further Developments in the Case of Former Member Michael Smith

Further Developments in the Case of Former Member Michael Smith

Message from the Interim Board: Recent Arrests of Former Shambhala Members The Interim Board issued a communication addressing the arrest, stating that neither it nor the International Care and Conduct Panel were aware of any incidents involving Michael Smith prior to his arrest, and that during the subsequent information discovery process, questions arose related to how the case was handled internally by Shambhala leaders in the 1990s. As a result of this, the Interim Board

Another Former Boulder Shambhala Member Accused of Sexual Assault on a Child

Another Former Boulder Shambhala Member Accused of Sexual Assault on a Child

Michael Smith, 54, turned himself in to the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office early Friday after the Boulder Police Department issued a warrant for his arrest on one charge of sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust, according to the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office. He met the victim through his membership at the Boulder Shambhala Center. The abuse started when she was 13 years old. Boulder police have also been contacted by another woman, who claimed that Smith

Karme Choling makes decision to rehang pictures, in act of disregard for survivors' mental healt

Karme Choling makes decision to rehang pictures, in act of disregard for survivors' mental healt

Last week, Myra Woodruff, the Executive Director of Karme Choling who will be retiring towards the end of the year, sent out a letter to subscribers at Karme Choling, discussing whether or not to rehang the pictures in the shrine rooms of Chogyam Trungpa and Osel Mukpo. After some equivocating, the decision was ultimately made to rehang the pictures. This represents another layer of institutional betrayal, and will likely act to further suppress other survivors from coming fo

I Don't Need "I Believe You." I Need "I'll Stand Up For You." - Karen Ra

I Don't Need "I Believe You." I Need "I'll Stand Up For You." - Karen Ra

Photo: Michelle Spollen on Unsplash The tagline of this article by author and survivor Karen Rain says it all: "When it comes to supporting victims of sexual assault, belief is only the beginning." She directly addresses the state of belief and disbelief associated with reporting sexual assault, and a culture caught between overt and unknowingly victim-blaming and shaming. Through sharing a number of her different personal experiences, Karen seeks to move the conversation ou

Institutional Betrayal - Carly Parnitzke Smith & Jennifer Freyd

Institutional Betrayal - Carly Parnitzke Smith & Jennifer Freyd

Photo by Hannah Busing on Unsplash This paper, from Carly Parnitzke Smith and Jennifer Freyd in the Department of Psychology at the University of Oregon, explores what institutional betrayal is, and the damage it causes. It is very well supported with citations throughout, and explores a number of different examples and instances where institutional betrayal occurs. They describe unhelpful law enforcement and unresponsive legal systems - which can be extended to unresponsive

How to Respond to Sexual Abuse within a Yoga or Spiritual Community - Karen Rain & Jubilee Cooke

How to Respond to Sexual Abuse within a Yoga or Spiritual Community - Karen Rain & Jubilee Cooke

Judge Rosemarie Aquilina at the Larry Nassar trial sets an exemplary and groundbreaking precedent by giving platform to over 150 victims to make impact statements. Any victim was allowed to speak whether they were involved in pressing charges or not. She invited victims to "Leave your pain here and go out and go your magnificent things." This excellent article was written by Karen Rain and Jubilee Cooke, as a result of their experiences within the Ashtanga yoga community and

When Sexual Assault Victims Speak Out, Their Institutions Often Betray Them - Jennifer Freyd

When Sexual Assault Victims Speak Out, Their Institutions Often Betray Them - Jennifer Freyd

This is a very relevant article, written by Jennifer Freyd, who is a professor of Psychology and the University of Oregon. Drawing on a large body of empirical research, Jennifer discusses how institutional betrayal compounds the harm victims experience after an episode of abuse. She contrasts institutional betrayal with institutional courage, and offers 10 general principles that institutions can seek to incorporate in order to properly address situations of abuse and harm

Letter of Resignation and Departure from Shambhala Community - Katrin Stelzel

Letter of Resignation and Departure from Shambhala Community - Katrin Stelzel

Katrin Stelzel has been highly involved with Shambhala over the past 31 years. She was the Joint Managing Director of Shambhala Europe, the Mukpo Family European Secretary, a Transition Task Force member, a representative of the European Potrang and a member of the Shambhala Europe Treasury Council. She recently sent this letter of resignation by email to about 200 friends and colleagues, wherein she discusses some of her reactions to the developments over the past year, and

Petition to the FPMT Board of Directors by Senior Buddhist Nuns

Petition to the FPMT Board of Directors by Senior Buddhist Nuns

In the wake of the allegations concerning Dagri Rinpoche, fourteen highly respected, senior nuns have signed this letter to the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT) Board of Directors. Dagri Rinpoche is a senior teacher who travels and teaches on behalf of this organization. From the letter: "We know that Dagri Rinpoche has released a letter saying he is innocent of two of the allegations. However, multiple allegations have emerged, so an objective

Does Dagri Rinpoche's response to allegations embody Lojong? - Beyond the Temple

Does Dagri Rinpoche's response to allegations embody Lojong? - Beyond the Temple

Here is an article from Beyond the Temple, penned by Joanne Clark, reflecting on the recent allegations against Dagri Rinpoche and his response to them, pictured above. It offers some thoughts on other ways Dagri Rinpoche may have responded, and concludes with the Eight Verses of Mind Training, which is an excellent Lojong text to reflect upon and incorporate into our practices. The post can be read in full here: http://beyondthetemple.com/does-dagri-rinpoches-response-to-at

Sex assault case against former teacher at Boulder's Shambhala moves to district court - Daily C

Sex assault case against former teacher at Boulder's Shambhala moves to district court - Daily C

The case against William Karelis has proceeded to district court as a result of a Boulder County judge's ruling. He is set for arraignment on June 14, where he will be able to take a plea deal or proceed to trial. The defense attorney tried to call into question inconsistencies in the witness statement, however the judge ruled that issues of credibility or inconsistent statements were a matter for trial. Quoting from the article, the Boulder Deputy District Attorney Megan Bra

Open Letter to Acharyas and Interim Board - Aline Thivolle

Open Letter to Acharyas and Interim Board - Aline Thivolle

There is an open letter circulating for signature, written by Aline Thivolle, with the intention of sending through to the acharyas and interim board. The letter can be viewed here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1S60B0zzxCaxD6xReZHTS0KhgqQ156EDOsFHzfXeBTsc/edit?usp=sharing The letter points out that no acharya has provided any individual, public testimony as to the claims made in any of the Olive Branch or Buddhist Project Sunshine reports, or the kusung letter, in spite

Tibetan Lama Dagri Rinpoche faces “Me Too” allegations

Tibetan Lama Dagri Rinpoche faces “Me Too” allegations

On May 3rd, a woman filed a police complaint against Tibetan Buddhist teacher Dagri Rinpoche, saying he had molested her on board a flight that day. This led to a second woman posting a YouTube video outlining an earlier experience of molestation with the teacher that occurred while she was living as a Buddhist nun in Dharamshala, and urging others who had suffered to come forward with their own experiences. There are many noteworthy similarities between the experience she re

Ask Me Anything - Carol Merchasin

Ask Me Anything - Carol Merchasin

Carol Merchasin recently participated in an AMA on Reddit, where she provided much insight and some great answers to the Reddit Shambhala Buddhism community's questions. There were many interesting and poignant questions and this is definitely a thread worth reading. It can be found in full here: https://www.reddit.com/r/ShambhalaBuddhism/comments/bb2l0m/ama_with_carol_merchasin_april_11_800900_pm/ #Shambhalaabuse #Shambhala #sexualmisconduct #buddhism

Final Report on the Buddhist Project Sunshine Investigations - Carol Merchasin

Final Report on the Buddhist Project Sunshine Investigations - Carol Merchasin

Carol Merchasin has published another letter for the Shambhala community. She has been a tireless voice for victims through her investigative work, and continues to champion for justice with her words below. She is also doing an AMA (Ask Me Anything) on Reddit on Thursday, April 11 from 8-9 PM Eastern, where she will answer questions - this event is highly recommended to attend. TO: The Shambhala International Community FROM: Carol Montgomery Merchasin DATE: April 8, 2019

An Olive Branch Reports - Shambhala Interim Board

An Olive Branch Reports - Shambhala Interim Board

The Shambhala Interim Board has published the reports from an Olive Branch, including the Listening Post report, the final report containing recommendations for Shambhala, and a recommended update to Shambhala's Code of Ethics. They also provide some of the considerations that went into whether to share the reports or not, issues of confidentiality, and detailing the next steps the Interim Board will be taking. The communication from the Interim Board can be read here: https

Shambhala survivors left to do recovery work for themselves - The Coast

Shambhala survivors left to do recovery work for themselves - The Coast

Here is an article from The Coast regarding the lack of definitive response and how it has left many survivors of abuse within Shambhala adrift. https://www.thecoast.ca/halifax/shambhala-survivors-left-to-do-recovery-work-for-themselves/Content?oid=20682142 #clergysexualmisconduct #Shambhalaabuse #Shambhala #sexualmisconduct #buddhism

Response to Kusung Letter - Shambhala Interim Board

Response to Kusung Letter - Shambhala Interim Board

The Interim Board of Shambhala posted a reply to the letter from ex Kusungs. It can be found in full here: https://us10.campaign-archive.com/?u=76e527900434e4c4d8651bf30&id=29668f2921 For convenience, here is the full text of the letter: Dear Shambhala Community, It is from a place of great sadness that we write you today. When we took our seats as an Interim Board, we did so with the positive aspiration of restoring Shambhala culture to one of trust, kindness, and genuine c

Open letter in regards to allegations against Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche of Shambhala International - E

Open letter in regards to allegations against Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche of Shambhala International - E

We have received a letter from a group of ex-Kusungs outlining some of their experiences with abuse inside the court and the greater Shambhala community. This will likely be both troubling and validating for many of us, but it is encouraging to see the continued braveness and courage required of those who need to come forward and say what they have seen and heard, if we are to have any real hope of rehabilitating Shambhala. The full text of the letter is posted below. To Pro

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