Buddhism’s bad boy: The fall of abusive lama Sogyal Rinpoche

DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE! → - This is a compelling documentary about Sogyal Rinpoche, who was a prominent Tibetan Dzogchen lama. Rinpoche had been accused of sexual and physical assault and abuse, as well as misusing charitable funds, with allegations stretching back to the 1970s. In July 2017, eight formerly close students of Tibetan Buddhist teacher Sogyal Rinpoche sent a letter to him and his students detailing the emotional, physical and sexual abuse they’d experienced at his hands, and the decades-long cover up by management of Rigpa, the organization that manages his network of study and practice centers. For the majority of students, reading the attestations of abuse came as a great shock and had a huge impact on their lives. The twelve page letter, dated 14 July 2017, explicitly describes sexual, physical, and emotional abuse by Sogyal Rinpoche of Rigpa students, extending over a long period. It states that they have been beaten severely, were asked to perform sexual acts and lie in order to conceal Sogyal’s misbehavior. The letter also describes that Sogyal has a lavish and indulgent lifestyle, and depicts a cavalier use of donations to support this lifestyle, and a tyrannical and abusive manner towards those who worked closely with him and who were often key in managing the Rigpa organization. Link to the letter: On 11 August 2017, Sogyal retired from his position as Rigpa’s spiritual director in the wake of the abuse allegations. He died on 28 August 2019 of a pulmonary embolism in Thailand, where he was being treated for colorectal cancer. Sogyal did not face justice. This documentary examines the sexual abuse in the Buddhism and serves as a good reminder to be careful when entering into any religious group, and to listen when members and ex-members speak out. If you were abused in any way by Sogyal Rinpoche let us know. PLEASE SHARE, SPEAK UP, COMMENT AND LIKE. CONTENT LICENSED FROM APOCRYPHAL PRODUCTIONS TO REALWOMEN/REALSTORIES. SHOULD YOU HAVE ANY QUERIES OR QUESTIONS, PLEASE CONTACT US AT: mu@ - DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE! → Please donate to the project at: Follow us on LinkedIn: