Re: Shambhala Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche -- problems

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There was an outbreak of bedbugs at the monastery during my last months there. I was sharing the front office work with another staff member at the time. He quit the job, however, because they asked him to lie to the guests about the bedbugs. Then it was just me in the office and either they forgot to tell me to lie or they knew it was no use. So I made sure that every guest knew about the problem and asked them to tell me if they were bitten so we could address the situation better. I found that guests had no problem with this at all. In fact, it helped a little in community building, because I was bringing guests on board to help with the problem; they felt a part of a common effort.

The plan to lie to the guests was not only unethical, but unskilful and unnecessary as well. It seems that secrecy and deceit can become something of a way of life, without anyone stopping to look closely at what is really best for the situation. Nothing disenfranchises members of a community more than non-transparency. Within a transparent, ethical outlook, however, not only are community bounds strengthened, but problems are solved more skilfully as well.

I was fired from my jobs at the monastery shortly before the building permit was acquired so I have never seen the huge new monastery extension. However, I do know that it was seen as an offense to the monastery’s closest neighbor, a small Christian group who worshipped at a tiny, historical monument which sat directly below the monastery. During the time that the extensions to the monastery were being made, the leader of this group waged a campaign to stop the work. He wrote:

“When this monstrous building project was proposed to the Town of Woodstock Zoning Board, the Church of the Transfiguration of Christ on the Mount had just received Federal and NY State historical Status. Why then, you might ask (as I do) did the Woodstock Zoning Board approve such a gigantic fortress-like monstrocity of a hotel, which if ever allowed to be completed, will completely overshadow one of Woodstock’s most cherished Historical Monuments to the Artistic Counter-Culture – Father Francis’ “Church of the Transfiguration of Christ on the Mount”?” [wavelinks.net]

I remember once taking a call from this man. He complained to me that monastery officials had broken their promise to him about where electricity lines would be placed as they crossed his church’s property. I apologized to the man and then passed his complaints on to a monastery official, who was quite unconcerned. In fact, he replied with sarcasm, “Was he drunk?”

The man hadn’t sounded drunk to me. He had been calm and reasonable. Even at the time, I found the monastery official’s attitude towards him alarming. Indeed, it is possible that this man’s personality posed difficulties, possible that he drank. Certainly, to a casual observer, the little building on the hill might seem insignificant. Wikepedia describes this Christian shrine only as “a modest, single-room, hand-built wooden church near the summit of Meads Mountain in Woodstock, New York, originally constructed c. 1891.”

However, I question the merit of any Buddhist project which deeply offends the religious sensibilities of its neighbors, be they Christian or any other religion, large or small. Surely, there should be a strong spirit of respect for mainstream, western religions and western culture in the means by which any dharma center is built in the west. Building a huge, imposing, traditional Tibetan Buddhist monastery, on a hill above a Christian monument, dwarfing this small Christian community of worship, could be bordering on deep disrespect.

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As a committed Buddhist myself, I find the allegations against Sogyal Lakar distressing in themselves. As I probe deeper into the issues surrounding Sogyal’s probable misconduct, I see a trend within the rapid growth of Tibetan Buddhism in the west which is even more distressing. Can Buddhists truly be comfortable that there are clear distinctions between fringe dharma groups and mainstream dharma groups? Is the rush within mainstream Buddhism to protect Rigpa and Sogyal Lakar an indication that mainstream Buddhists have not drawn ethical boundaries clearly enough, that they are willing to sacrifice ethical boundaries to the causes of loyalty and lama worship?

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A strong ethical outlook could be a critical component of a strong dharma community as well. This view is totally in accord with the Buddha’s own teachings, where ethical discipline is seen as a pillar of spiritual practice, an essential first step on the path, one of the “three higher trainings.”

As any beginning student of Buddhism knows, ethical discipline is based on refraining from the ten nonvirtuous actions of body, speech and mind. Of body, there are three nonvirtuous actions, killing, stealing and sexual misconduct. Of speech, there are four nonvirtuous actions, lying, divisive speech, harsh speech and gossip. Of mind, there are three non virtuous actions, wrong view, covetousness and ill will