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Fallout: Recovering from Abuse in Tibetan Buddhism
'A compelling account of what can go wrong in religious groups.' Barbara Scott Emmet , author of The Land Beyond Goodbye .
'We are grateful to Ms Newland for bravely looking into this controversial issue with such compassion and insight.' Jetsumna Tenzin Palmo.
When eight students wrote a letter accusing Sogyal Rinpoche, author of the best-selling Tibetan Book of Living and Dying , of decades of physical, emotional and sexual abuse, Tahlia Newland set up an online support group for abuse victims and students of his Tibetan Buddhist community, Rigpa. Appalled by the lack of ethics, the group undertook a journey of discovery during which they uncovered the depth of the trauma suffered by victims, and the fundamentalism and cult behaviour at the heart of Rigpa. They learned about destructive cults, trauma and recovery, narcissistic abuse, co-dependency, institutional betrayal, and the methods of mind control used by Rigpa, who had covered up and enabled the abuse for decades.
Fallout, Tahlia's memoir of this time, reveals the consequences of spiritual abuse for an ordinary member of an abusive, high-demand religious group and the psychological processing required for healing and cult recovery. Fallout is a cautionary tale for students and potential students of any guru-centred spiritual group. For Buddhist teachers and scholars, it also provides valuable insight into areas of the teachings which can easily be misunderstood and misused. For psychotherapists and counsellors, it's an important case study for anyone working with cult survivors, particularly in a Buddhist context.
'We are grateful to Ms Newland for bravely looking into this controversial issue with such compassion and insight.' Jetsumna Tenzin Palmo.
When eight students wrote a letter accusing Sogyal Rinpoche, author of the best-selling Tibetan Book of Living and Dying , of decades of physical, emotional and sexual abuse, Tahlia Newland set up an online support group for abuse victims and students of his Tibetan Buddhist community, Rigpa. Appalled by the lack of ethics, the group undertook a journey of discovery during which they uncovered the depth of the trauma suffered by victims, and the fundamentalism and cult behaviour at the heart of Rigpa. They learned about destructive cults, trauma and recovery, narcissistic abuse, co-dependency, institutional betrayal, and the methods of mind control used by Rigpa, who had covered up and enabled the abuse for decades.
Fallout, Tahlia's memoir of this time, reveals the consequences of spiritual abuse for an ordinary member of an abusive, high-demand religious group and the psychological processing required for healing and cult recovery. Fallout is a cautionary tale for students and potential students of any guru-centred spiritual group. For Buddhist teachers and scholars, it also provides valuable insight into areas of the teachings which can easily be misunderstood and misused. For psychotherapists and counsellors, it's an important case study for anyone working with cult survivors, particularly in a Buddhist context.
436 pages, Paperback
Published July 20, 2019
10 people are currently reading
28 people want to read
About the author
Tahlia Newland
23 books82 followersTahlia Newland is a multi-passionate artist, author and editor. She is the author of seven magical-realism novels, plus books on writing, meditation, and recovering from spiritual abuse in Tibetan Buddhism. She works as an editor and publisher for Alkira Publishing, and in her spare time, she creates AI art or makes masks or decorates hats, which she sells as TahliasArtAndCraft on Etsy.
On her blog and social media, she writes on navigating this crazy world as a neurodivergent contemplative with a passion for nature, story and art. She animates some of her AI imagery, turns it into music videos, and posts it on her Psychemagination: Tahlia Dreaming YouTube Channel.
On her blog and social media, she writes on navigating this crazy world as a neurodivergent contemplative with a passion for nature, story and art. She animates some of her AI imagery, turns it into music videos, and posts it on her Psychemagination: Tahlia Dreaming YouTube Channel.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 5, 2019
Fallout is like a conversation with a friend. Except this conversation is about abuse in the religious organisation Rigpa. It is well written, informative and easy to read. While the revelations are shocking they are tempered by an examination of how Buddhist beliefs were misused to enable this to happen. The section on lessons for the future gives anyone taking a course in, or thinking of joining Rigpa or any other such group, warning signs to look out for. It is a book one can delve into again and again to understand how abusive charismatic gurus come to be and how to avoid their web of abuse. It should be in every school, college and public library and on the curriculum of religious study courses to warn everyone about the dangers lurking on the spiritual path. I couldn't put the book down.
August 20, 2019
Wise.
Wise by virtue of not trying to be. Wise by its swiftness, and vulnerability. By its ability to integrate a huge amount of information from different sources - journalistic, scholarly, historical, spiritual. By its unpretentious narrative documentation of the author's own "enlightenment" - her waking up to a grounded view of her own spiritual practice.
There are some deep conceptual and spiritual teachings that come across here, without any chapters devoted to them. The chapters are about story points and what people argued about as the Fallout went down. No abstract discussions, no big theses, no "wisdom." One of the few metaphysical claims in the entire text comes from one of the most traumatized victims in the story, who comforts fearful students that the curses of his ex-teacher can never touch them. Because metaphysical threats aren't real. It's so damn appropriate.
Here are the two most important things I learned:
(1) I saw the the compassionate, clear-minded, moral discernment of the author - the enactment of loving, rigorous ways of thinking that she says she learned from the cult she leaves and analyzes in this text. The (fully integrated) teachings themselves are what she uses to step away from the apparent (but not actual) source of those teachings!
(2) I digested her gentle, unsparing destruction of the "enlightenment through abuse" belief system. Read it to understand what I mean, and how subtly and deeply this belief held the Rigpa community together. Maybe it also is a core belief/ coping mechanism in parts of your spiritual community.
Newland is 20-year Vajrayana practitioner, and experienced spiritual teacher; despite this, she doesn't try to do any spiritual teaching here. Bless you, Tahlia Newland! There's no ponderous, abstract bullshit on the nature of the dharma or the human heart, though of course these are the central subjects. Rather, she's reporting her own "waking up" process, and binding together a huge compendium of resources for victims of spiritual abuse - both within her community and in comparable situations. She's also documenting a history that happened in part through blogs and facebook groups and would be lost to future historians: this is excellent sociological data of the participant-observer sort. And it's also data a thorough, well-documented, highly readable telling of the story of the undoing of Rigpa and Sogyal Rimpoche.
The reason I am especially impressed with this work is that she brought it together in a well written way, without a lot of publishing support, very soon after the events she documents. It feels like an act of love. This labor means that this resource will be available in a timely manner to people recovering from the situation she describes.
It's also a great resource to many of us recovering from revelations of abuse in a variety of spiritual communities in the wake of #metoo.
As a 20 year practitioner of Ashtanga Yoga, an Indian guru tradition whose own authoritarian abuses were revealed in the wake of #metoo, I was comforted by Newland's perspective. I recommend this book to every ashtanga teacher in the world. It's a difficult, heart-breaking story. It's potentially triggering. And, it helps clarify the hierarchal nature of silence about abuse in spiritual organizations. Cognitive dissonance and the ways we avoid it - this is a tender human thing. If we love people and love practice, we have to try to understand.
The controversial, timely nature of this material - and the fact that the book might seem to age quickly as the Sogyal Rimpoche story continues apace - might make it less obvious that the writing is so damn good. With the exception of a few narrative flourishes, itis so straightforward that it's more or less invisible. This clarity, and ability to modulate her voice in the narrative (it's her story, but it's NOT about her), is commendable for someone going through a traumatic process of having her entire worldview torn apart. You get a great sense of Newland's mind and heart here. But what you never get, reader, is bogged down in rumination or speculation. This is story and good strong critique. She narrates with detail and multiple perspectives while still being direct and a super-fast read.
It's fast because it absorbs you. Most documents of organization trauma take me months to digest, page by page. But my guess with this one is that, like me, you will read it so quickly that you might not even realize how much insight and historical detail it sneaked in along the way. This is, again, because the writing is unpretentious and aims to be helpful (but not authoritatively instructive or faux-authoritative) to readers who may be going through a "waking up" process of their own.
I am only guessing (above) that Newland did not have a ton of professional publishing support because there are random punctuation errors throughout - the kind of thing a professional editor catches on their third read. If this book didn't get the fine tooth comb treatment before going to press, and didn't even have a huge amount of shaping from editors or publishers, it only underlines Newland's skills as a writer. This is a big book with a lot of content. My guess is she did most of the research and organizing herself, in addition to the great writing.
However this came together, Newland worked quickly, deeply and with insight in a way that enables her to speak to a potent spiritual-political moment. This adds something important right now, in summer 2019. I read it in one intense Seattle afternoon. I am grateful.
Wise by virtue of not trying to be. Wise by its swiftness, and vulnerability. By its ability to integrate a huge amount of information from different sources - journalistic, scholarly, historical, spiritual. By its unpretentious narrative documentation of the author's own "enlightenment" - her waking up to a grounded view of her own spiritual practice.
There are some deep conceptual and spiritual teachings that come across here, without any chapters devoted to them. The chapters are about story points and what people argued about as the Fallout went down. No abstract discussions, no big theses, no "wisdom." One of the few metaphysical claims in the entire text comes from one of the most traumatized victims in the story, who comforts fearful students that the curses of his ex-teacher can never touch them. Because metaphysical threats aren't real. It's so damn appropriate.
Here are the two most important things I learned:
(1) I saw the the compassionate, clear-minded, moral discernment of the author - the enactment of loving, rigorous ways of thinking that she says she learned from the cult she leaves and analyzes in this text. The (fully integrated) teachings themselves are what she uses to step away from the apparent (but not actual) source of those teachings!
(2) I digested her gentle, unsparing destruction of the "enlightenment through abuse" belief system. Read it to understand what I mean, and how subtly and deeply this belief held the Rigpa community together. Maybe it also is a core belief/ coping mechanism in parts of your spiritual community.
Newland is 20-year Vajrayana practitioner, and experienced spiritual teacher; despite this, she doesn't try to do any spiritual teaching here. Bless you, Tahlia Newland! There's no ponderous, abstract bullshit on the nature of the dharma or the human heart, though of course these are the central subjects. Rather, she's reporting her own "waking up" process, and binding together a huge compendium of resources for victims of spiritual abuse - both within her community and in comparable situations. She's also documenting a history that happened in part through blogs and facebook groups and would be lost to future historians: this is excellent sociological data of the participant-observer sort. And it's also data a thorough, well-documented, highly readable telling of the story of the undoing of Rigpa and Sogyal Rimpoche.
The reason I am especially impressed with this work is that she brought it together in a well written way, without a lot of publishing support, very soon after the events she documents. It feels like an act of love. This labor means that this resource will be available in a timely manner to people recovering from the situation she describes.
It's also a great resource to many of us recovering from revelations of abuse in a variety of spiritual communities in the wake of #metoo.
As a 20 year practitioner of Ashtanga Yoga, an Indian guru tradition whose own authoritarian abuses were revealed in the wake of #metoo, I was comforted by Newland's perspective. I recommend this book to every ashtanga teacher in the world. It's a difficult, heart-breaking story. It's potentially triggering. And, it helps clarify the hierarchal nature of silence about abuse in spiritual organizations. Cognitive dissonance and the ways we avoid it - this is a tender human thing. If we love people and love practice, we have to try to understand.
The controversial, timely nature of this material - and the fact that the book might seem to age quickly as the Sogyal Rimpoche story continues apace - might make it less obvious that the writing is so damn good. With the exception of a few narrative flourishes, itis so straightforward that it's more or less invisible. This clarity, and ability to modulate her voice in the narrative (it's her story, but it's NOT about her), is commendable for someone going through a traumatic process of having her entire worldview torn apart. You get a great sense of Newland's mind and heart here. But what you never get, reader, is bogged down in rumination or speculation. This is story and good strong critique. She narrates with detail and multiple perspectives while still being direct and a super-fast read.
It's fast because it absorbs you. Most documents of organization trauma take me months to digest, page by page. But my guess with this one is that, like me, you will read it so quickly that you might not even realize how much insight and historical detail it sneaked in along the way. This is, again, because the writing is unpretentious and aims to be helpful (but not authoritatively instructive or faux-authoritative) to readers who may be going through a "waking up" process of their own.
I am only guessing (above) that Newland did not have a ton of professional publishing support because there are random punctuation errors throughout - the kind of thing a professional editor catches on their third read. If this book didn't get the fine tooth comb treatment before going to press, and didn't even have a huge amount of shaping from editors or publishers, it only underlines Newland's skills as a writer. This is a big book with a lot of content. My guess is she did most of the research and organizing herself, in addition to the great writing.
However this came together, Newland worked quickly, deeply and with insight in a way that enables her to speak to a potent spiritual-political moment. This adds something important right now, in summer 2019. I read it in one intense Seattle afternoon. I am grateful.
July 12, 2019
Everyone concerned about Tibetan Buddhism in the West or the wide issue of abuse in religion in general should read this book. In „Fallout“ Tahlia Newland, a long time former student of Sogyal Rinpoche, tells with great empathy, clarity and depth from her first hand experience what it means when you have to realise that your spiritual teacher is not who you thought he was.
In the first instance the book provides a fascinating chronogical insider account of the unfolding events following the revelations of physical, sexual and emotional abuse by Sogyal Rinpoche as testified by 8 of his closest long time students. Beyond that, Tahlia achieves to provide a wide range of profound ressources which are crucial for everyone aspiring to understand the dynamics of vulnerability for abuse. This part includes comprehensive examinations of
a) scientific psychological research concerning abuse, dysfunctional relationships in families as well as spiritual communities, trauma caused by all of that and what´s requireded for recovery and sustainable healing;
b) tibetan buddhist beliefs which tend to be misused for legitimising abusive behaviour by lamas (like „crazy wisdom“). In addition to identifying these beliefs, Tahia carves out that beyond its dogmatic version, for every part of the teachings there is at least the possibility of a healthy intertretation and application;
c) abuse enabling power structures within Tibetan Buddhism, deeply rooted in the feudal history of ancient Tibet as well as in the naitivity of far too many of its western adherents;
d) warning signs which can help to identify cult like tendencies within religious groups.
Last but not least there is one very encouraging and liberating aspect: „Fallout“ provides a great lesson in „help for self-help“. After learning about the abuse, Tahlia herself didn´t hesitate to initiatiate an online support network for victims and other desperately disillusioned students of Sogyal Rinpoche around the globe. Since especially the „What Now?“ facebook group provides a save space for its members, it has to operate in secrecy. However, Tahlia achieves through her writing skills and the stylistic device of anonymisation for the first time for outsiders to take a look into this comprehensive group experience.
Beyond its content there is another significant qualitiy of this book: its well-balanced approach. This is worth mentioning since - as far as I am aware - publications surrounding Tibetan Buddhism tend to suffer in many cases either from blind idealization or by contrary only accept the negative. Tahlia demonstrates that it is possible to see and point out shortcomings and appreciate the positive she gained from her time in Rigpa at the same time. This is important, since one main goal of buddhist training is seeing things as they are.
Regarding the ongoing historical process of transmiting Tibetan Buddhism to the West, „Fallout“ is an important and outstanding contribution to its necessary scrutiny.
In the first instance the book provides a fascinating chronogical insider account of the unfolding events following the revelations of physical, sexual and emotional abuse by Sogyal Rinpoche as testified by 8 of his closest long time students. Beyond that, Tahlia achieves to provide a wide range of profound ressources which are crucial for everyone aspiring to understand the dynamics of vulnerability for abuse. This part includes comprehensive examinations of
a) scientific psychological research concerning abuse, dysfunctional relationships in families as well as spiritual communities, trauma caused by all of that and what´s requireded for recovery and sustainable healing;
b) tibetan buddhist beliefs which tend to be misused for legitimising abusive behaviour by lamas (like „crazy wisdom“). In addition to identifying these beliefs, Tahia carves out that beyond its dogmatic version, for every part of the teachings there is at least the possibility of a healthy intertretation and application;
c) abuse enabling power structures within Tibetan Buddhism, deeply rooted in the feudal history of ancient Tibet as well as in the naitivity of far too many of its western adherents;
d) warning signs which can help to identify cult like tendencies within religious groups.
Last but not least there is one very encouraging and liberating aspect: „Fallout“ provides a great lesson in „help for self-help“. After learning about the abuse, Tahlia herself didn´t hesitate to initiatiate an online support network for victims and other desperately disillusioned students of Sogyal Rinpoche around the globe. Since especially the „What Now?“ facebook group provides a save space for its members, it has to operate in secrecy. However, Tahlia achieves through her writing skills and the stylistic device of anonymisation for the first time for outsiders to take a look into this comprehensive group experience.
Beyond its content there is another significant qualitiy of this book: its well-balanced approach. This is worth mentioning since - as far as I am aware - publications surrounding Tibetan Buddhism tend to suffer in many cases either from blind idealization or by contrary only accept the negative. Tahlia demonstrates that it is possible to see and point out shortcomings and appreciate the positive she gained from her time in Rigpa at the same time. This is important, since one main goal of buddhist training is seeing things as they are.
Regarding the ongoing historical process of transmiting Tibetan Buddhism to the West, „Fallout“ is an important and outstanding contribution to its necessary scrutiny.
August 4, 2019
"Fall Out: Recovering from Abuse in Tibetan Buddhism" is a long awaited book and a very very good one too as the author Thalia Newland with painstaking laser precision looks at all the disparate pieces of a baffling jigsaw puzzle and fits them together so that at last we can see the full picture that has been hidden from so many for so long. She has rigorously clarified and commented with astute, powerful intelligence and kindness. This is an extremely important book for anyone who has been concerned about the insidious corruption of Tibetan Vajrayana and who wishes to put a stop to the brainwashed acceptance by westerners of the acceptability of use of violence and sexual abuse as a means to transmit the precious wisdom teachings. For many years very few on the "outside" of Rigpa knew about Sogyal Lakar's behaviour and even then could not imagine the gravity of the evidence that would come later. This was because Rigpa "insiders" did everything possible to suppress such knowledge from going beyond the walls of what was becoming an alternative society within a bubble of belief in a twisted doctrine. Thalia Newland dissects all possible causes for this with a rigorous sense of responsibility and care given towards both the students who left and the ones who have remained as well as to the public at large showing a clear way forward into the future. This is a very fine work that I feel will do much good. Hurrah!
August 11, 2019
Before I get started: I am not a Buddhist. I have never been associated with Sogyal Rinpoche (SR), Rigpa, or any of the other people mentioned in this book, except HH the Dalai Lama, whose teachings I have heard, as well as some scattered writings or lectures I have heard from some other prominent figures. I do, however, follow Tibetan news cycles, so I remember reading the open letter to Rigpa when it leaked on the internet, either through Facebook or one of the Buddhism controversy blogs. I don’t have any emotional commitments to sides but I am aware of the history of this scandal.
I really wanted to give this book more stars, but I have to be honest about it. This book is the story of the author, a former SR student, when she learns about the abusive people suffered under him. It follows her attempts to publicize this knowledge, collect survivor stories, form groups online, and the various ways these groups have confronted the history of abuse, and the response by Rigpa as an organization as well as a catalog of responses from various teachers and lamas to the open letter to Rigpa. The last section of the book deals with the psychology of cults and cult leaders, and advises one on how to avoid them in the future, as well as making some comments on the complex Buddhist teachings she studied. It is a very important book because it details a system of abuse in a Buddhist organization in the West, led by SR, which has yet to be held accountable for its actions, and this will hopefully warn future students to be wary of it and guru-cults. In that respect it is a document of historical record.
As a BOOK, that someone would buy to read and learn about abuse in Tibetan Buddhism, it’s a mess. The author has written it as one would write a series of blog posts rather than a professional book. She clearly needed an editor to tell her how what is essentially journalism should be properly conducted. Much of the material seems to be wholesale copy-pasted from Facebook messages, blog posts, and other materials on the internet with no listed date, authorship, or indication that she had the rights to any of this material. This doesn’t mean that her claims are spurious – it’s just not the proper way to present them.
A proper BOOK seeking to discuss this topic would probably introduce it drawing from the author’s own experiences (or the experiences of someone who actually suffered physical or sexual abuse, which the author did not), then give a general background on Tibetan Buddhism in the West, Rigpa, and probably a biography of Sogyal Rinpoche, all the while carefully explaining Buddhist terms. This would be the necessary context for the survivor’s stories, which would probably come next, and be in detail from interviews, instead of paragraphs of off-the-cuff writing that were PMed to her on Facebook at some point in the past. Then she would probably present her final topic, on recovering from abusive, after working with a psychologist or showing her own research on the topic, which should be extensive. If you’re going to talk at length about a serious issue in psychology, you should be a psychologist yourself or really know your stuff.
There are survivor stories, but only in brief. More extended tales are quoted from other books. The author’s own story isn’t as relevant because though the experience has been psychologically damaging, she (a) didn’t know Sogyal that well and (b) did not suffer any direct abuse from him, so she’s already a step removed from the information, and she doesn’t attempt to bridge that gap by letting the survivors speak at length. Instead, she reports on how she feels when she answers her emails. Ironically, this is some of the clearest and best material, because she can draw on her own experiences. It just isn’t that relevant to the overall story.
Speaking of the overall story, no attempt is made to place Rigpa or SR in any kind of context for someone new to the topic. Names, terms, and extremely technical concepts are dropped without explanation. Had I not already known almost all of the terms, and what the RIgpa organization was, and something of Tibetan Buddhist teachings, I would have been completely lost.
Part of me wants to recommend this book because survivor stories are always important and this is an ongoing scandal. The other part of me doesn’t think most people will make it through this book with much information they can do anything with based on the way the material is presented and organized. The unfortunate thing is that this book has very important things to say, but it doesn’t say them well.
I really wanted to give this book more stars, but I have to be honest about it. This book is the story of the author, a former SR student, when she learns about the abusive people suffered under him. It follows her attempts to publicize this knowledge, collect survivor stories, form groups online, and the various ways these groups have confronted the history of abuse, and the response by Rigpa as an organization as well as a catalog of responses from various teachers and lamas to the open letter to Rigpa. The last section of the book deals with the psychology of cults and cult leaders, and advises one on how to avoid them in the future, as well as making some comments on the complex Buddhist teachings she studied. It is a very important book because it details a system of abuse in a Buddhist organization in the West, led by SR, which has yet to be held accountable for its actions, and this will hopefully warn future students to be wary of it and guru-cults. In that respect it is a document of historical record.
As a BOOK, that someone would buy to read and learn about abuse in Tibetan Buddhism, it’s a mess. The author has written it as one would write a series of blog posts rather than a professional book. She clearly needed an editor to tell her how what is essentially journalism should be properly conducted. Much of the material seems to be wholesale copy-pasted from Facebook messages, blog posts, and other materials on the internet with no listed date, authorship, or indication that she had the rights to any of this material. This doesn’t mean that her claims are spurious – it’s just not the proper way to present them.
A proper BOOK seeking to discuss this topic would probably introduce it drawing from the author’s own experiences (or the experiences of someone who actually suffered physical or sexual abuse, which the author did not), then give a general background on Tibetan Buddhism in the West, Rigpa, and probably a biography of Sogyal Rinpoche, all the while carefully explaining Buddhist terms. This would be the necessary context for the survivor’s stories, which would probably come next, and be in detail from interviews, instead of paragraphs of off-the-cuff writing that were PMed to her on Facebook at some point in the past. Then she would probably present her final topic, on recovering from abusive, after working with a psychologist or showing her own research on the topic, which should be extensive. If you’re going to talk at length about a serious issue in psychology, you should be a psychologist yourself or really know your stuff.
There are survivor stories, but only in brief. More extended tales are quoted from other books. The author’s own story isn’t as relevant because though the experience has been psychologically damaging, she (a) didn’t know Sogyal that well and (b) did not suffer any direct abuse from him, so she’s already a step removed from the information, and she doesn’t attempt to bridge that gap by letting the survivors speak at length. Instead, she reports on how she feels when she answers her emails. Ironically, this is some of the clearest and best material, because she can draw on her own experiences. It just isn’t that relevant to the overall story.
Speaking of the overall story, no attempt is made to place Rigpa or SR in any kind of context for someone new to the topic. Names, terms, and extremely technical concepts are dropped without explanation. Had I not already known almost all of the terms, and what the RIgpa organization was, and something of Tibetan Buddhist teachings, I would have been completely lost.
Part of me wants to recommend this book because survivor stories are always important and this is an ongoing scandal. The other part of me doesn’t think most people will make it through this book with much information they can do anything with based on the way the material is presented and organized. The unfortunate thing is that this book has very important things to say, but it doesn’t say them well.
August 6, 2019
A deep and brilliant treatment of subject matter that has had a profound impact upon those involved. This could only come from a person who could bring a first-hand account of what it was like to have one’s spiritual teacher revealed as abusive toward many of one's fellow students.
Tahlia Newland provides this account from a personal perspective, which brings both heart and intellectual acuity to this very important book. She examines many aspects, including how Buddhist teachings can be misused to manipulate perceptions of abusive behavior. The chapter on Cognitive Dissonance is about the most illuminating treatment of the subject I have ever encountered. Perhaps because it is so personal, and includes the process of self-examination without which a book like this would lack cognitive substance. There is no lack here.
Newland gathers together the thoughts and experiences of many members and ex-members of this large and prominent Buddhist group, which gives the book a comprehensive validity and texture. I particularly appreciate the fact that she has drawn upon the reflections of abuse survivors and their supporters (with permission) from a discussion group which went through this process of discovery and emotional fallout together over a period of well over a year. It shows — in its depth, breadth and support of all those affected by physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual abuse. And while she does not shy away from calling out the abuse and disecting its origins, she also explores what was valid and can remain valid in her experience of Buddhist teachings and practice.
A valuable read for psychologists and anyone connected with Buddhism or gurus of any tradition or group, or anyone supporting abuse survivors. This is a big topic, handled with care and illuminating discernment.
Tahlia Newland provides this account from a personal perspective, which brings both heart and intellectual acuity to this very important book. She examines many aspects, including how Buddhist teachings can be misused to manipulate perceptions of abusive behavior. The chapter on Cognitive Dissonance is about the most illuminating treatment of the subject I have ever encountered. Perhaps because it is so personal, and includes the process of self-examination without which a book like this would lack cognitive substance. There is no lack here.
Newland gathers together the thoughts and experiences of many members and ex-members of this large and prominent Buddhist group, which gives the book a comprehensive validity and texture. I particularly appreciate the fact that she has drawn upon the reflections of abuse survivors and their supporters (with permission) from a discussion group which went through this process of discovery and emotional fallout together over a period of well over a year. It shows — in its depth, breadth and support of all those affected by physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual abuse. And while she does not shy away from calling out the abuse and disecting its origins, she also explores what was valid and can remain valid in her experience of Buddhist teachings and practice.
A valuable read for psychologists and anyone connected with Buddhism or gurus of any tradition or group, or anyone supporting abuse survivors. This is a big topic, handled with care and illuminating discernment.
November 13, 2020
Een must-read voor iedereen die geïnteresseerd is in Tibetaans Boeddhisme en in het bijzonder voor iedereen die met Rigpa/Sogyal Rinpoche te maken heeft gehad. Tahlia beschrijft de schok en het verdriet als blijkt dat je geliefde leraar decennia lang studenten heeft misbruikt, de pijn van de ontkenning door de organisatie, en hoe het verdraaien van Boeddhistische ideeën deze situatie mogelijk heeft gemaakt. Het is niet alleen haar persoonlijke verhaal - door (met toestemming) quotes van de 'What Now?' Facebookgroep te gebruiken geeft ze een groep ex-Rigpa studenten in dit boek een stem.
Het is niet alleen een verhaal over misbruik en ontkenning. Ook de vraag 'hoe verder?', de steun die ex-Rigpa studenten elkaar bieden en het vinden van een diepere wijsheid, zowel in jezelf als in het Boeddhisme en andere bronnen, komen aan bod.
Met helderheid, compassie en wijsheid geschreven.
A must-read for anyone who is interested in Tibetan Buddhism and in particular for anyone who has been involved with Rigpa / Sogyal Rinpoche. Tahlia describes the shock and sadness when you find out that your beloved teacher has been abusing students for decades, the pain of the denial by the organisation, and how the distortion of Buddhist ideas has made this situation possible. It is not only her personal story - by quoting (with permission) from the "What Now?" Facebook group, she gives a group of ex-Rigpa students a voice in this book.
It is not just a story about abuse and denial. Also the question 'how to continue', the support that ex-Rigpa students offer each other and finding a deeper wisdom, both in yourself and in Buddhism and other sources, are discussed.
Written with clarity, compassion and wisdom.
Het is niet alleen een verhaal over misbruik en ontkenning. Ook de vraag 'hoe verder?', de steun die ex-Rigpa studenten elkaar bieden en het vinden van een diepere wijsheid, zowel in jezelf als in het Boeddhisme en andere bronnen, komen aan bod.
Met helderheid, compassie en wijsheid geschreven.
A must-read for anyone who is interested in Tibetan Buddhism and in particular for anyone who has been involved with Rigpa / Sogyal Rinpoche. Tahlia describes the shock and sadness when you find out that your beloved teacher has been abusing students for decades, the pain of the denial by the organisation, and how the distortion of Buddhist ideas has made this situation possible. It is not only her personal story - by quoting (with permission) from the "What Now?" Facebook group, she gives a group of ex-Rigpa students a voice in this book.
It is not just a story about abuse and denial. Also the question 'how to continue', the support that ex-Rigpa students offer each other and finding a deeper wisdom, both in yourself and in Buddhism and other sources, are discussed.
Written with clarity, compassion and wisdom.
August 16, 2019
Fallout has been to me an unexpected gift of clarity and compassion. As a survivor of spiritual abuse in Tibetan Buddhism myself, I want to deeply thank Tahlia Newland for making this work available to everyone. It's based on the Rigpa experience but it applies to all Tibetan Buddhism. To me it's more than a book, it's a manual for recovering from this kind of trauma, which is greatly worsened by the response of some Buddhist institutions (FPMT in my case) which, when faced with complaints about their lama's misconduct, choose to step over an already badly hurt individual in order to harm his or her credibility and in this way protect the institution and the lama's reputation, which is the source of income for their global business. If you've been in a cult, or have been a victim of spiritual abuse and institutional betrayal, reading Fallout could literally be even better than going to a psychologist, because it will go straight to the point, it will take you step by step through a process of recognizing what you've been through, in order to deal with it. I've read a section thoroughly every evening, reviewing myself and my own experiences, finally putting into context what happened to me after more that 10 years of painful and forced "letting go". It was hard work reviving all this again, and realising how this molestation (by a lama called Dagri "rinpoche") and the subsequent slander and isolation when I spoke up destroyed my life at that time. I lost everything. Even though I've built a new life for myself, this book allowed me to look back without the feeling of being alone, blamed or misunderstood. Finally all this makes sense and I can put a name on all the past experiences and situations! I can now freely say without any regret "this indeed happened, and it was not my fault, I was right to speak up, and it's ok not to forgive".
August 16, 2019
A must read!
This book has helped me heal and it can help you too. If you’re thinking about joining or are currently involved with a religious group or spiritual teacher then read this book.
Thank you Tahlia for writing this book and to everyone who have shined a light on the facts of the decades of abuse by disgraced Buddhist teacher Sogyal Rinpoche (AKA Sogyal Lakar) and the management and members of his international organisation known as Rigpa, who enabled and covered up the abuse.
This book has helped me heal and it can help you too. If you’re thinking about joining or are currently involved with a religious group or spiritual teacher then read this book.
Thank you Tahlia for writing this book and to everyone who have shined a light on the facts of the decades of abuse by disgraced Buddhist teacher Sogyal Rinpoche (AKA Sogyal Lakar) and the management and members of his international organisation known as Rigpa, who enabled and covered up the abuse.
February 24, 2021
Really important work but excruciating to read. The same points drag on for 400 pages when they could’ve been put well at 150. Glad this story is coming to light and Newland gives an important perspective, but it could’ve been presented much better.
August 25, 2019
Very helpful book for this long-time Rigpa student. I have belatedly woken myself up to all this information. I wrestled for almost a year with not wanting to believe "the eight." Yet certain qualms ate at my mind, like the fact that they couldn't ALL be crazy. I knew some of them. And wanting to blame the victims can be such a strong urge when you don't want to face an enormous upset to your own life.
The Silkin report turned my stomach. And evidence of the lama's behavior was hiding in plain sight. While I am thankful the author wrote this book with great thought and care, reading it was like enduring blows. I am appalled that this was going on for so long and covered up. How do you call yourself a Buddhist organization when the lama harms and traumatizes students, and the organization blames and castigates the brave few who dare to say "enough"?
The Silkin report turned my stomach. And evidence of the lama's behavior was hiding in plain sight. While I am thankful the author wrote this book with great thought and care, reading it was like enduring blows. I am appalled that this was going on for so long and covered up. How do you call yourself a Buddhist organization when the lama harms and traumatizes students, and the organization blames and castigates the brave few who dare to say "enough"?
January 17, 2020
If you were part of this group, reading this is perhaps the last thing you want to do because it brings up so much emotionally. Living through it was pretty hard. But this book is well-written and covers a lot that a person may not be aware of, even if they read the online accounts. Yes, there’s material that would be new to many.
Tahlia’s tone is above-the-fray and as objective as it could be. Her research is extensive into healing and groups. Her recounting of the online discussions is accurate.
It was a tremendously difficult situation and Tahlia covers it very well.
Tahlia’s tone is above-the-fray and as objective as it could be. Her research is extensive into healing and groups. Her recounting of the online discussions is accurate.
It was a tremendously difficult situation and Tahlia covers it very well.
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