Disturbing TV Programs Documenting Scandals in British Buddhism

No, no, no!"If all else fails, name names in  newspapers!"

HH Dalai Lama XIV on abusive teachers

Reproduced here are programs about three prominent British Buddhist groups: Sogyal Rinpoche's Rigpa, the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (now known as the Triratna Buddhist Community) and the New Kadampa Tradition.

The First,'In the Name of Enlightenment' concerning Sogyal Rinpoche, was promoted as a documentary about "A Buddhist Master beloved by millions who uses his position and authority to take advantage of young women. For over three decades, complaints are dismissed as the grumblings of the uninitiated. A Guru focused on his own pleasure turns the path to enlightenment into the road to sexual servitude."

http://behindthethangkas.wordpress.com/

In the Name of Enlightenment

The next video, ‘Going For Refuge’ was made by BBC (East) and broadcast in the Eastern region of the UK on 12 November 1992, as part of BBC East’s ‘Matter of Fact’ series and is about a controversial organisation formerly known as The Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO), which was renamed in 2010 as the Triratna Buddhist Community (TBC). FWBO/TBC was founded in London in 1967, but now has centres in many parts of the world.The program was produced before the emergence of the FWBO Files, an investigation into the FWBO, which led to revelations of widespread, systematized sexual abuse

http://www.fwbo-files.com/

‘Going For Refuge’ 

 The third documentary, in two parts, entitled 'An Unholy Row',  concerning the New Kadampa Tradition, or NKT, was made by the BBC in 1998 and broadcast nationally. It too emerged before the full extent of cultic behavior in the group became evident

http://www.nktworld.org/index.html

'An Unholy Row'

All of the programs are limited in their scope, the producers being bound by journalistic constraint and the supression of critical information at the time of making. Nevertheless, they make interesting watching and provide a useful background for those who wish to develop a proper understanding of the nature of these groups

"Turn back and try again"

WARNING: The Wikipedia pages on these groups and their leaders are NOT reliable sources as they are regularly monitored and all critical content is removed.For an introduction to the  controversies surrounding the various groups and individuals, click on the highlighted link following each, short introduction.