Sexual Scandals Are Wreaking Havoc on the Buddhist Community

A distressing video emerged on April 10, 2023, showing the leader of Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama, engaging in inappropriate behavior with a child. The video depicts him kissing the child on the lips and subsequently sticking out his tongue while requesting the child to engage with it.

Following a storm of outrage over his actions, the Dalai Lama’s office issued an apology to the child and his family for the “harm that may have been caused,” as reported by the BBC.

This “inappropriate” behavior brings to mind numerous other instances of questionable conduct by the 88-year-old Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama, who has been residing in India since 1959 after leading a failed uprising against Chinese authorities.

 

Buddha Crimes

After a documentary aired by German television channel Deutsche Welle on May 25, 2023, exposing the details of sexual assaults within the Catholic Church, revealing that 32 out of 50 nuns were impregnated in one monastery, the German television returned on July 2, 2023, with a new documentary named Buddhism and Abuse: The Unspeakable Truth.

It focused on sexual exploitation within the Buddhist community, including the Buddhist monks rape of nuns and children.

The documentary revealed how monks use what they claim to be “spiritual energy” to commit these acts against children.

It also addressed the knowledge of the Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama, regarding these scandals, and his complicity and cover-up, much like the actions of the Pope in the Catholic Church’s priest abuse cases.

The investigation discussed crimes that have been concealed, including the rape of girls and children by Buddhist monks under the pretext of “spiritual energy.”

The documentary highlighted Buddhist centers in France, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Spain, Dharamshala in northern India, and Casablanca in Morocco, where Buddhist monks have committed sexual crimes.

In August 2017, a scandal of sexual exploitation within the Buddhist community sent shockwaves and greatly impacted the reputation of the Dalai Lama.

Renowned Buddhist teacher, Sogyal Rinpoche, was revealed to have engaged in sexual assault against male and female students over the course of many years. Investigations revealed that he physically and sexually abused his students while exploiting them for over two decades during his work in Western countries.

In a September 22, 2018 article, The Sun newspaper mentioned that Rinpoche subjected some of his inner circle to serious physical, sexual, and emotional abuse.

The British government also launched an investigation into allegations that he established what was known as Rinpoche’s harem, referred to as “Dakinis,” consisting of women he had assaulted.

He would convince girls that everything that comes from him is sacred and would kiss them while chewing his food, with a primary focus on sex and sensual pleasure.

In a documentary film called In the Name of Enlightenment, aired in 2011, which exposed sexual scandals in religions, a girl who was a former follower stated that Rinpoche sexually exploited her.

She revealed that he had sexual relations with her under the pretense that it was a “test of loyalty,” and he told her, “This is the moment you connect with your master!”

He asked her never to speak about it to anyone, and if she did, he would cut off this connection, even though it shattered herself within a group of girls who had already lost themselves more, according to her.

Investigations into Rinpoche unveiled his exploitation of donations to fund a luxurious lifestyle, including the purchase of fine wine, Cuban cigars, and a Mercedes car driven by a chauffeur.

The German documentary revealed that Rinpoche’s case is not an isolated incident, raising questions about why Tibetan Buddhist authorities allowed such acts to occur.

It questioned why these scandals were kept hidden, allowing the perpetrators to evade accountability.

The documentary focuses on long-covered-up crimes within the Buddhist house, including rape, psychological manipulation, and embezzlement, highlighting cases of sexual assault and exploitation by Buddhist monks.

 

Confessions

Following increased coverage by Western newspapers regarding the scandals of Buddhist monks and the Dalai Lama’s controversial actions, the high priest acknowledged being aware of numerous cases of sexual crimes committed by Buddhist monks against Buddhist followers.

During a visit to the Netherlands on September 19, 2018, he stated that he had been aware of sexual assaults by Buddhist teachers since the 1990s and met with victims of sexual violations committed by Buddhist teachers, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The high priest’s acknowledgment came after dozens of victims of sexual violations by Buddhist monks requested a meeting with him in the Netherlands to share their experiences with Buddhism and the monks. They also launched a petition outlining their demands.

“We found refuge in Buddhism with an open mind and heart, until we were raped in its name,” the victims said in their petition.

When questioned by Dutch public television, the Dalai Lama responded, “I already did know these things, nothing new. At that time, they should talk about it, I think the religious leaders should pay more attention.”

The Dalai Lama’s admission of these sexual crimes committed by Buddhist monks with followers of the faith followed the confession of a Buddhist group on March 5, 2018, acknowledging sexual abuse by Buddhist teachers.

This confession occurred five months before his acknowledgment of these crimes.

The well-known Buddhist nun, Pema Chodron, announced her retirement and departure from Buddhism in 2020, citing sexual misconduct by the leader of her group towards her, as reported by The Washington Post on January 17, 2020.

Previously, the Dalai Lama made a statement to a reporter at The Washington Examiner on June 28, 2019, saying, “If a female Dalai Lama comes, she should be more attractive!” This comment also stirred dissatisfaction and raised questions about the implied sexual nature of the remark. His office issued an apology at that time as well.

 

Examples of Confessions

On February 12, 2018, a Buddhist group called Shambhala International, one of the largest Buddhist organizations in the West, admitted to sexual misconduct committed by teachers and monks. They announced urgent measures to address the problem.

The leaders of the group, which has over 200 meditation centers worldwide, acknowledged significant failings in addressing the repugnant sexual behavior of the monks.

They stated that the #MeToo movement, which gained momentum in the West to expose sexual violations against women, also saw women sharing stories of being sexually assaulted and harassed by Buddhist monks.

The monastic council, known as the Kalapa Council, published an open letter online, confessing that instances of sexual harm and inappropriate relationships between Buddhist teachers and students had occurred.

It admitted that the survivors had complained of not being heard and being treated as if they were the problem when attempting to raise concerns, despite being unjustly treated.

The letter came after Andrea Winn, an active member of the Shambhala community in the United States, published a report to raise awareness about “sexual violence.”

She revealed her own experience of sexual abuse and conducted an investigation into the matter for a year, although the announcement was withheld for a significant period of time.

One woman (who chose to remain anonymous) in the documentary stated that she experienced sexual abuse by several Buddhist men in the Shambhala community, which has impacted her life for decades.

The documentary also highlighted that the offenders, who were Buddhist men, known and actively involved in the Shambhala Buddhist community, included some senior teachers. Many of those who experienced mistreatment were left without any concern or attention.

Regarding the exposure of sexual crimes by Buddhist monks, Suzanne Newcombe, a researcher at the charity organization INFORM based at King’s College, mentioned that many Buddhist groups have been discussing consent and sexual misconduct in light of the #MeToo movement.

She added that other groups exploring these issues included the Triratna Buddhist Community, which was exposed by a former follower who confirmed being coerced into having sex with one of their senior monks.

Amy Langenberg, a professor of Religious Studies at Eckerd College specializing in Buddhism in South Asia, stated that Buddhism has a problem with sexual ethics, a fact also acknowledged by the high priest in 2018.

In a study published by Tricycle on February 23, 2021, Langenberg affirmed that while Buddhist communities worldwide have started to acknowledge their involvement in sexual misconduct, many in positions of Buddhist spiritual authority still deny the problem.

Langenberg stated that Buddhism has not explicitly defined sexual ethics for adults nor included teachings that address appropriate responses to cases of sexual assault.

She added that sexual desire is not compatible with the higher goals of the Buddhist path, but certain forms of Buddhism, such as Mahayana Buddhism for spiritually advanced beings, allow for the use of sex as a means to achieve enlightenment!

The Journal of Buddhist Ethics, focusing on the third principle of Buddhism, indicates that sexual relationships are never appropriate between teachers and students and adopts a zero-tolerance policy towards relationships or flirtations between teachers and students during retreats.

However, early formulations of guiding ordinary Buddhists away from committing sexual misconduct have failed to effectively address and prevent instances of assault or sexual harm.

Langenberg revealed that the trauma inflicted by sexual violence did not greatly concern the monks, and some believed that as long as it did not culminate in full intercourse, it was morally acceptable!

In conclusion, Langenberg found a resemblance between Buddhist thought and Christianity in the sense that forcing nuns to engage in sexual relations with monks would be considered a violation of monastic celibacy, not the act itself.