Is Rigpa a Cult? CIFS Australia Book Launch talk.
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- Опубліковано 15 вер 2024
- On the 28th August, I launched my book 'Fallout: Recovering from Abuse in Tibetan Buddhism' at a meeting of the Cult Information & Family Support organisation, Australia. This is the talk I gave there.
Information on Fallout: www.tahlianewla...
Link for CIFS: www.cifs.org.au
I appreciate your voice and your integrity. Thank you for speaking out.
This is so helpful - Sogyal Lakar said a few times when I was still his student "we are not a cult". However, he didn't explain why ... he just said it to laugh it off or more powerfully to just tell people how to think. People were trained to just think what they were told to - so many just complied mentally "yes lama, we are not a cult". Some even used the weakest stereotype of what a cult really is not - saying its a bunch of social misfits. That is in fact almost the opposite, cults are often full of very high performance, talented, skilled people at least they are until they get crushed and subjegated and lose a lot of confidence and time to work with those talents. All talents must be turned to serve the organisation - and preferably help it to make money or attract new students, donors and famous people who can in turn add more prestige. This alone is cultish - just this way of focusing on using people to maximize their size and income - like a business plan. So you find a checklist and find people who really worked at the higher levels and find out that Rigpa is completely a match and Sogyal turns out to be a covert narcissist, one of the most dangerous and psychopathic types. Its so big its hard to even think about as real - but there are the victims, the behavior and it matches. He isn't unique - he acts very much the same as the other narcissists and the effect on his victims is illness, stress, fear and survival reactions. If we get detractors here - they won't give reasons - they will attack the personalities or motives of anyone speaking but not the truth of what is said. They might say it is a lie but they won't be able to show up with any proof. For 4 years of freeing myself I've seen not once anyone make any sense or use proof to make an argument against me and I find that shocking. It makes me realize that truth, logic - things I respected Buddha for - are not important to Rigpa students. They don't feel the need to check the truth, they just use a book that tells them what they are supposed to accept as the truth regardless of information that conflicts.
I feel you. Im glad sogyal died. Finally its over but im.just afraid people might still believe in the tulku system and find the next reincarnation.
Thank you for your continuing work Tahlia. The more people that know that Buddhism can be a cult the better. The denial of abuse, coverups and the DARVO responses are simply cult reactions. It's not Buddhism it's abuse
I agree, however unsure I am of what Buddhism even is!
Such intelligent clarity about a very complex topic. Brilliantly and concisely said. Thank you!
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Even for Vajrayana practitioners Sogyal abused his position.
A clearly explained factual account of the way Sogyal and Rigpa distorted and corrupted Tibetan Vajrayana. For anyone wanting to know more details I recommend they read Thalia's informative book.
He didnt corrupt Tibetan buddhism, it was already corrupted/ it is corrupted not related to him. Dont go to tibetan buddhisme if you have been a victim of any kind of abuse growing up, and later, thinking you will find help in their meditation. If you really have been abused, you are the perfect speciment for being a scapegoat. And thats what tibetan buddhisme does like all cults do; scapegoat.
I get that she feels that Rigpa was a cult, but her way of sharing about strikes me as imbued with self-satisfaction and pride of being involved in an important exposé, rather than considering whether she is hurting Buddhism as a whole and hampering the dissemination of the sacred dharma.
Very enlightening talk. I wonder wether or not that experience in Rigpa was sufficient to become immune against falling into the trap of a cult ever again.
To me the most important thing, I have learned in that respect, and "insurence" of falling pray to a cult is to have ultimate devotion only to principles and values, not to a person, and to also commit to yourself to nerver delegate your freedom of decision to anybody else in order to avoid making a wrong decision.
That entails to accept, that my judgment and decision at a given moment might be wrong and that I might regret it later. But there is no other way than to accept that risk. Because even the decision to delegate your decision to someone else is your decision and might turn out to be the wrong one.
First of all, Sogyal Rinpoche is a lay teachers, in the native Bhuddhist community, lay teachers are never given so much in high regard.
This kind of incident usually don't happen in native Bhuddhist community, why ? Bcaus, in the native Bhuddhist community, devotees usually keep a distance in relationship between teachers and students. Many western students doesn't follow that and then any incidents happens then instead of holding such accused person and organisations accountable, they target whole Bhuddhist tradition bcaus western people are all about taking advantage of other, if they goes in your favour then it is all right, if its is not then it is condemned.
Whatever, you see and learn in rigpa as a advance Bhuddhist Tantra iw not even a 1% of original Bhuddhist Tantra. This are all popular Tantra by which people are exploited. Thats why, it is always important to start from the foundation of Buddha Dhamma. Otherwise, in the name of Vajrayan tradition, you might be learning something else.
Usually, Bhuddhist organisation and temples away from the native Bhuddhist community in overseas are more likely to involve in such crimes bcas native Bhuddhist community usually act as a check and balances for any so called teachers whether Monastic or Non-Monastic.
Seems , Tahila has made a good amount of money from her books. At the end, for western people, everything is about career and Money..
What do u think about OTD (the Bejing Karmapa' s) the NDA
for sex abuse/ rape, fathered a child w/ a nun, in her retreat cell?
The Karma Kagyu had lost me when they were feuding over the Karmapa letters/ candidates.
Money, sex, power maybe drugs are the obstacles to our lineages survival.
Thanks for opening controlled minds.
Ole got to the high lama level by being slapped across the face w/ the 16th Karmapa in Rumtek.
The reason was he had smoked ganja before doin.g his practise
Hmmmm... great great talk!!! I was wondering, do you believe Tergar is a cult?
I only did their online course, but my impression from that is that they aren't. The instructors are very open to any question. They don't avoid the hard questions, and devotion is not stressed in their courses. In a 6 month course on Mahamudra, devotion was mentioned 6 times, and none of it was towards MR.
Living in Peace and Clarity This is very very helfpul. I will definitely buy your book and watch your videos as to keep an eye out for my protection and keep learning, but I did feel very inspired to practice with them. You are a brave person and an inspiration!