History & Politics

This section of the website is dedicated to historical and/or political articles and reports/opinion pieces. For example, about Gelugpa sectarianism, the situation of the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, and other historical or contemporary political events relating to allegations of abuse and misconduct of incarnate tulkus and the ignoring/silencing of testimonies of female survivors and voices.

• General observations on degeneration of Buddhist culture and practice
• Lama misconduct, sackings and scandals
• Gelugpa sectarianism in Tibet and exile and Tibetan exile politics
• Buddhist Patriarchy, Women’s History and Voices
• 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje’s situation

General observations on degeneration of Buddhist culture and practice

“LEAPING FROM THE PRECIPICE” WITH THE UNEXAMINED: Vajrayāna empowerments for the unexamined masses and the question of their accordance with the Buddhist Tantras and samayas

“No celebration of Tibetan Losar/Year of Mourning message is neither Buddhist nor necessary : The slippery slope of “do as I say, not as I do”

A personal observation: Keeping samaya is not the same as keeping silent

NO SECRET SPACE FOR SECRET MANTRA? The 21st Century phenomenon of constantly clicking photographers at mass empowerments: An invasion of sacred space, personal privacy and sexist bullying of women

Living the Monastic/Tulku Life as Buddha intended?

Lama misconduct, enabling, bullying and sexist discrimination towards women

NOT SO ” HOLY ISLE”? TRAGIC TALES OF REPORTED (AND ENABLED) BULLYING AND SEXUAL MISCONDUCT TOWARDS WOMEN AT SAMYE LING UK BUDDHIST CENTRES THAT ENDED IN PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL HARM, ATTEMPTED SUICIDES AND MURDER: Several prior complaints from women regarding Drupon Karma Lhabu, Katen Lama and other teachers at Samye Ling and Holy Isle women’s retreat, including assaults by the man who went on to murder of HE Akong Rinpoche

Suicide of British woman reported in “Survivors of Samye Ling Support Group”: Alleged bullying by Drupon (Karma Lhabu) during a retreat, a teacher who has already allegedly had complaints/legal actions by several women for bullying and misuse of tantric rituals to gain sexual “energy” access at Holy Isle, Scotland

“TRY WALKING IN MY SHOES”: NO DISCUSSION OR ACCOUNTABILITY FOR BULLYING OF LONE, FOREIGN WOMAN. A summary list of “what, where, who and when’ in relation to bullying and harassment campaign, with unaccountable “judge and jury” decisions by “anonymous” administrators in Vietnam and Europe 2025;

BULLYING AND DISCRIMINATION OF LONE BUDDHIST WOMAN AT PALPUNG CENTRE IN AUSTRIA: Female administrator’s “anonymous and unauthorised”; email banning attendance at Avalokiteshvara empowerment, harassment in person, and refusing to refund registration fee and wasting police time

INSTITUTIONAL ENABLING OF ABUSE IN BUDDHIST COMMUNITIES “REARS ITS UGLY HEAD” AGAIN: Why are the European Buddhist Union promoting known enablers of teacher misconduct and dishonesty? EBU podcast (June 2024) of Lama Rinczen, head teacher of Benchen Poland

Senior Tibetan Buddhist Gelugpa teacher, Osel Hita issues public statement on controlling “toxic” culture, lack of accountability, abuse and misconduct of leading Gelugpa Buddhist institution, FPMT

The hidden sacking of Kalu Rinpoche by his monastery for alleged misuse of funds and misconduct, degeneration and commercial use of Niguma Yoga, monastic dress, and the growing issue of spiritual materialism in Buddhist teachers and monastics

THE PUBLIC “SACKING” OF DILGO KHYENTSE RINPOCHE: An analysis report of the bizarre, humiliating and tragic sacking of the young Dilgo Khyentse tulku teacher by Shechen Monastery/Rabjam Rinpoche on social media, and the corruption and abuse of young males in Vajrayana Buddhist and patriarchal religious cultures/traditions

THE KHYENTSE FOUNDATION’ S SHODDY AND UNETHICAL TREATMENT OF A FEMALE SURVIVOR AND DHARMA TRANSLATOR. New information sets a dangerous precedent regarding the unethical, unfair and unprofessional treatment by the Khyentse Foundation of a scholar-translator who is also a survivor and whistleblower of lama misconduct

TANTRIC BUDDHISM, VOWS, SEX AND WOMEN – the importance of love, respect and consent and what happens when a woman speaks out about lama misconduct

Gelugpa sectarianism and Tibetan exile politics

“LIKE GILT BRONZE” THE FEMALE LINEAGES OF THE “NORTHERN TREASURE” TRADITION AND HOW IT WAS HIJACKED BY THE 5TH DALAI LAMA/GELUGPAS: The “Northern Treasure” tradition, its origins, the “invisible female lineage holders” and how it has was hijacked (and controlled) by the 5th Dalai Lama and Gelugpa sectarians for political purposes from the 17th Century to this day (5th Dalai Lama II)

KILLING ORDINARY BEINGS IN THE NAME OF AVALOKITESHVARA? Exposing the Fifth Dalai Lama’s obsession with studying and practising thu (མཐུ་) violent tantric “killing rituals” from the Nyingma lineage (such as Zhigpo Lingpa’s texts) for political and war purposes, and re-writing the false narrative of a “Mongolian invasion” of Tibet and the Dalai Lama institution as the compassionate unifier of “war-torn” Tibet

THE SIXTEEN ARHAT STATUES OF THE KARMAPA “LOOTED AND EXHIBITED” BY GELUGPA: Origin, history and style of sacred “Yongxuan” Arhat statues gifted to the 5th Karmapa by the Chinese Yongle Emperor, looted by the Mongolian-Gelugpa invaders, and stored for centuries in Drepung Monastery, and the inaccurate sourcing and lack of objective “analysis” of the origin of such artworks by contemporary “western” scholars and art historians

THE STOLEN STASH OF MASSES OF TEXTS HIDDEN AT DREPUNG MONASTERY FOR CENTURIES: Remembering Je Tāranātha’s legacy and life on his parinirvana, and uncovering the Gelugpa “hiding” and suppression of hundreds of Je Tāranātha’s (and thousands of other lineage texts) in the Sixteen Arhats Temple (Drepung Monastery, Tibet) during Gelugpa dictatorial rule of Tibet

A TARA EMANATION IN TIBETAN EXILE POLITICS? Tibetan Education Minister, Tharlam Drolma, publicly queries the expense, time and necessity of celebrating Samdhong Rinpoche’s birthday

New report: Trump’s termination of US government grants to Radio Free Asia and Voice of America and what this signals to Tibetan exiles and their Gelugpa-biased English language media outlets

LOCATING SHAMBHALA AND TĪLOPA AS KĀLACAKRA KING: Ascertaining the ‘physical location of Shambhala and origin of Kālacakra as Bay of Bengal/Arakan coastline, Tīlopa as a former Candra King who received the Kālacakra teaching there, and the bitter sectarian Gelugpa ‘attack’ on Tāranātha’s guide to Shambhala by the 3rd Panchen Lama

A PALACE FIT FOR KINGS AND ARMIES: The “shady” and murderous political foundations and Ladakhi-style aspirations of the Potala Palace(s) in Tibet under Mongolian-Gelug military rule

THE GELUGPA “ONE-WAY STREET” SECTARIANISM: The misuse of non-sectarian (Ri-mey) terminology to stifle dissent and critique, and defend Gelugpa Sectarianism and political and religious domination in Tibet, pre- and post-1959, in the name of unity

THE STRUGGLE FOR A MODERN TIBET: Anniversary of Tibetan Democracy Day (Mangtso Duchen) and the ideals of a liberal, secular democracy

THE MONGOLIAN-GELUG SHADOW OVER TIBET: Six decades of failed US-Gelug policy

ON THE ROAD TO SHANGRI-LA: Following in the footsteps of the 10th Karmapa and Karma Kagyu in Lijiang, Shangri-la, Dechen Tibetan region and seeing the great Khawa Karpo Tibetan mountain (Part 1: Highlights and research review)

KĀLACAKRA AND THE DALAI LAMAS/GELUGPA. The 20th Century/Chinese communist roots of mass Kālacakra empowerments; the 9th Panchen Lama and Chinese support for the first public empowerments , the 14th Dalai Lama’s takeover of Kālacakra in Tibet and exile, inappropriate timing of the empowerments and the Gelugpa’s mass suppression of other lineages and texts

A TIBETAN TRAVESTY: DESTRUCTION AND APPROPRIATION OF KARMA KAGYU/8TH KARMAPA’ S MANY MONASTERIES: Reasons why 8th Karmapa newly established many colleges and retreat centres, disrespect of his activities by Sakya teacher, Tsarchen Losal Gyatso, and case study of the Karma Kagyu Gatsel Karma Zhunglug Ling college and its stolen/forced conversion into Ganden Thosam Dargye Ling monastery by the 5th Dalai Lama/Gelug

WHO IS KHALKHA JETSUN DAMPA AND WHY IS HIS RECENT RECOGNITION CONTROVERSIAL? The 5th Dalai Lama/Gelugpa forceful and violent takeover and suppression of Jonang (and other lineages) in Tibet, and their ongoing recognition of the Jonang and Shangpa Kagyu lineage master, Tāranātha

THE STRUGGLE FOR A MODERN TIBET: Anniversary of Tibetan Democracy Day (Mangtso Duchen) and the ideals of a liberal, “free speech”, secular democracy

LADAKH TRILOGY (PART II): THE DALAI LAMAS IN LADAKH. Ladakhi King Senge Namgyal and the Gelug/Tibet-Mongolian takeover of Ladakh; Drugpa Kagyu and the subsequent banning of Gelug in Bhutan; and 14th Dalai Lama activities in Ladakh

Buddhist Patriarchy, Women’s History and Voices

“Pictures speak a thousand words”: All-male guest line-up photos for Bhutanese Global Peace Prayer Festival

Was the International Sangha Forum event in Bodh Gaya another “old boy’s club” event? (Teahouse BDG, December 2023)

Where were the women at the Global Buddhist Summit, New Delhi? (The Diplomat.com, April 2023)

WHERE WERE THE WOMEN? THE MALE FACE OF “CONTEMPORARY”; BUDDHISM: Predominantly all-male panels of speakers at Global Buddhist Summit, Delhi 2023 (Dakini Translations, longer article)

HEARING ‘HER-STORY’(I): MILAREPA’S FEMALE (NYA-MA) STUDENTS AND SONGS OF SALEY O. Male-centred Buddhist history, Milarepa’s main female disciples, and the songs and story of Tibetan woman, Saley O.

HEARING “HER-STORY” (II): DAGMEMA. Marpa’s Wife and Milarepa’s confidante, friend and teacher, her life, textual sources, visual depictions and new translation of Praise to Marpa by 17th Karmapa

THE “CENSORED” TARA: POWERFUL PASSION VS PRUDISH PURITY. Depictions of women in Buddhist art and literature and the sexual objectification, denigration and censorship of women’s biology and nakedness

PLAYFUL PRACTITIONERS OR MINDLESS MISOGYNISTS? THE “ARTS OF LOVE” OR “ARTS OF ‘A**HOLERY”? The question of sexist double standards, silent women and two Tibetan Buddhist male ‘heroes’, Gendun Chophel and Drugpa Kunley

On the meaning and translation of Zhen-tong (Empty-of-Other) a modern debate or dismissal of a woman’s voice?

A WOMAN’S VOICE (II): THE ALLEGEDLY “CRUEL TIBETAN QUEEN” MARGYELMA AND UNRELIABLE BIOGRAPHIES: A white, male biographer’s treatment and shaky sources on the villainess Tibetan queen, Margyel Dongkar, the denigration/silencing of a female scholar-translator’s comments on it, and another unreliable biography about the 16th Karmapa

17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje’s situation

“DANCE OF 17 LIVES: THE INCREDIBLE TRUE STORY OF TIBET’S 17TH KARMAPA;. New Video/podcast interview with writer/journalist, Mick Brown (Dakini Conversations: Ep.3) and accompanying book review

SEEKING THE 17TH KARMAPA: 17th Karmapa’s recent ‘private’ meeting with Tsewang Rinpoche, the quiet relics gift in Malaysia, and an exploration of reasons for the Karmapa’ s ongoing public disappearance 

The 17th Karmapa’s unrequested vows from the 14th Dalai Lama and why he still lacks monastic vows (Chinese translation included below)

The role of Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse, Ogyen Tobgyel, and Sakya teachers in the “situation” of the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje (Part 1)

SMALL LAYWOMAN PRIVATE GATHERING FOR 17TH KARMAPA’S PREMIERE OF NEW TARA PRACTICE: 17th Gyalwang Karmapa performs new Red Tara four-fold Mandala offering sadhana for first time in presence of two Kagyu tulkus and small group of laywomen

VINAYA-BREAKING POP CONCERTS AND LAYWOMEN AT KARMA KAGYU EVENTS: The London 2017, Kagyu Monlam 2018 pop concert events and the “young pretty” laywomen centre-stage: what happened?

The “auspicious” timing of Kagyu Marme Monlam concert 2018 performer, Kara Marni’s new song, “Love Bomb” and sexist objectification and use of women by Karma Kagyu in 2018

UPDATE: In the interests of equality, three “young and handsome” male MCs for Karma Kagyu Marme Monlam 2025?

Sign The Petition: Support Karmapa’s Return To Sikkim

PETITION UPDATE AND ACTION: Tibetan exile political leader, Penpa Tsering unable to effect any real change for 17th Karmapa or on actions of Thaye Dorje group

Chinese Translations

For Chinese translations of some of these articles, see here.