Posts

Investigative Report into Vajradhatu Culture 1975-1995

Lead Investigator: Carol Merchasin This is an excerpt from the final report of an investigation into the permissive sexual culture in Vajradhatu/Shambhala. It was submitted to the Vermont Superior Court on December 4, 2025 (82-5-20 Cacv) in re the case of Bihari vs. Shambhala USA et al .  The full report (names of perpetrators and victims have been redacted) can be found  here . Table of Contents Analysis The Culture of High Demand Groups Disdain for ethical boundaries led to the normalization of deviant behavior Normalization of Harmful Behaviors: Alcohol and Sex The excessive use of alcohol Unrestrained Sexual Activity What the “taken-for-granted, implicit assumptions” say about culture. Conclusion Footnotes Analysis Our investigation focused on the role of Vajradhatu’s culture in enabling and perpetuating the sexual assault and/or exploitation of children and minors. We defined culture as a “set of shared, taken-for-granted implicit assumptions that a ...
Post a Comment
Read more
Yet Another Stain On Shambhala   Published in  Frank Magazine , September 26, 2025 Just when my Buddhist buddies at the Shambhala Centre thought that scandal was a thing of the past, another flaming bag of dog shit just appeared on their doorstep. It seems the enterprise has just been cursed from the start. When Chogyam Trungpa founded Shambhala Buddhism in Colorado in the '70s, the Tibetan lama immediately attracted legions of followers. But by the time he moved to Nova Scotia, with hundreds of adherents, in 1986, Shambhala’s future was an open question. The guru’s cocaine use, alcoholism, and Jeffrey Epstein-like proclivities had tarnished the brand. “[S]exual abuse... committed against countless women students... Trungpa demanding women and girls at all hours of the day and night,” reported  The Walrus . When he died in 1987, disillusioned Shambhalytes fled for the exits. Enter  Sakyong Mipham , Trungpa’s son, in 1990, to clean up the mess pater had left behind. W...
Post a Comment
Read more