In regards to our email to teachers teaching at Rigpa centres in 2018
In late 2017, we sent an email signed by over 20 Rigpa students to teachers listed as teaching in Rigpa centres in 2018. In this Letter to Rigpa Teachers_ we asked that they break the silence and address the beliefs in Rigpa that allowed the abuse to flourish and be covered up for decades. We list below the teachers who either failed to respond or failed to give an adequate response.
Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche
Her secretary replied saying that Jetsun Khandro had been concerned with the recent events and she wanted us to know that she held the Rigpa Sangha members in her heart and prayers. She also said that Rinpoche hoped to address some of the issues when teaching at Rigpa with the aim of provding support to the Rigpa community.
In her reply she said nothing about the inappropriateness of Sogyal’s behaviour, and we have no record of what she actually said when she taught at Lerab Ling, as it wasn’t made public.
Her comments on abuse tend to be contradictory. She appears to favour the ‘education is required’ approach of Dzongsar Khyentse.
https://buddhism-controversy-blog.com/2013/05/21/use-common-sense-khandro-rinpoche-about-sexual-abuse-by-buddhist-teachers-in-the-tibetan-buddhist-tradition/
Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche
Thanked us for reaching out to him, and said that he had been holding the Rigpa sangha in his prayers. He said nothing about the inappropriateness of Sogyal’s behaviour.
Ringu Tulku Rinpoche
No reply
Khamtrul Rinpoche
No reply
Philippe Cornu
No reply
Alain Beauregard
No reply
Christine Longaker
No reply
Pascale Tanant
No reply
In regards to our email request for a statement – sent to ethnic Tibetan lamas
In early November 2018, we sent an email signed by over 100 students and ex-students of Tibetan Buddhism to as many ethnic lamas as we could find email addresses for requesting them to make a statement for this blog. We included a Tibetan translation of the letter by the 8 once-close students of Sogyal Lakar and the Lewis Silken report confirming the abuse, and sent the email in Tibetan.
We asked them to: “Please read the translated letter and send us your statement in reply to this question: Do you think the behaviour of Sogyal Lakar/Rinpoche as described in the 2017 letter by 8 close students and confirmed by the Lewis Silkin Report is ever an acceptable way for Tibetan Buddhist teachers to behave towards their students?”
Click here to read the full email to the lamas.
Below are the names of lamas who haven’t replied.
If your teacher is on this list as listed with no reply, please encourage them to send us a paragraph or two that makes their position on abuse by varjayana teachers clear.
Or they can simply answer the following question:
Do you think the behaviour of Sogyal Lakar/Rinpoche as described in the 2017 letter by 8 close students and confirmed by the Lewis Silkin Report is ever an acceptable way for Tibetan Buddhist teachers to behave towards their students?”