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 to deliver justice for victims. There was a strong emphasis to 'keep it in the community.' Quoting from the article:

"That suppression came in the form of worshipful vows students said they were told to maintain to the very teachers they alleged abused them; in explicit and implicit commands not to report abuse; and through a cultish reverence that served to protect Shambhala’s king-like leaders, according to interviews and third-party reviews commissioned by Shambhala itself."

The article touches on many facets of Shambhala culture, including the ineffectiveness of the Care and Conduct process, the protected nature of Osel Mukpo, and the slow to no reform that has taken place over decades. It is replete with examples and highly informative - definitely recommend reading the full article, which can be found here:

https://www.denverpost.com/2019/07/07/shambhala-sexual-abuse/

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