New Kadampa Truth SA

“Gregory: Well it’s been three years since I was involved with them, and I guess I’m still putting the pieces back, still trying to put the pieces back together again. As a result of what I experienced, I guess I suffered post traumatic stress disorder, and developed an anxiety disorder.

I guess I’m still trying to work through these things to try and function again normally. I don’t seem to be able to function the way I used to, I’m not the same person I used to be, and it’s very difficult to I guess work through these things and slowly start to function again.“

From a ABC Radio National transcript: True Stories 12 feb 2006

As Madeline Bunting wrote in her 1996 article in The Guardian, ‘if a follower expresses dissent or has difficulty accepting the NKT teachings, the response is to exonerate the organization and throw the blame back on to the dissenting individual.’ As an example of this, here is a letter that Gyatso wrote to one of his disciples, an ordained monk called Atisha, a Resident Teacher in an NKT centre in the USA called Vikatadamshri Centre. Gyatso had just ordered that the Yahoo group, NKT Chat, be closed down in response to the circulation of news of sexual scandals online, issuing the following statement:

Some small group in our NKT society engage in meaningless activity on
the internet, not only Sangha, some lay. This is incorrect. We are
Kadampa practitioners, Kadampa Teachers. Why are we enjoying
meaningless activity, discussion? We can have a meaningful discussion
with pure practitioners or senior practitioners, Teachers. There is no
meaning in talking about silly things publicly on the internet.
Instead, make meaningful discussion with our pure practitioners,
senior Teachers. Please give my message to the individuals of this group.
Stop this kind of actions. Gen-la Khyenrab, give my message in email
or writing. Stop meaningless discussion on the internet. If you wish,
do meaningful discussion with senior Teachers or pure practitioners,
or meaningful discussion with your Teacher.

No meaning engaging in silly question and answers on the internet.
Please Gen-la Khyenrab, pass my message. I am telling you for your
purpose and our society’s purpose. In this way, keep individuals and
society pure and show very good example.

Atisha politely queried this decision and in response Gyatso wrote a furious response, making the email public to the entire community of Vikatadamshri Centre:

Dear Atisha,

I have received your reply to my letter. You said:

“The NKT is very young; we are spread out over the whole world; and we’re trying to do a very big job. I believe that most ordinary organizations trying to do such a big job would see it as very important to establish a good, secure, private way to communicate using the Internet.”

I find your statement nonsense. I sent my original letter to 33 people. Everybody accepted my request and understood the real meaning. Only you are not happy with my request. I do not want to challenge your view and I do not want the NKT to become like an ordinary organisation. If I accept your view it will cause serious damage for the NKT in the future.

My decision is that you should please resign as Resident Teacher of Vikatadamshtri Buddhist Center. From 25^th October 2007 you will no longer be an NKT Resident Teacher. I will appoint a new Resident Teacher for Vikatadamshtri Buddhist Center.

With much love and prayers,

Geshe Kelsang Gyatso

Cc Managers and community of Vikatadamshtri Buddhist Center, Gen-la Khyenrab, NKT Central Office

If you are not aware Geshe Kelsang Gyatso and the NKT have left many people homeless, unemployed and emotionally wrecked. The story of Nathaniel Whiteman, a 20 year old boy who went to England to work for an NKT centre with the aim to take ordination, is proof that South Africa needs to be aware of the NKT because it could be you or your loved ones that end up homeless and without money in a foreign country. To view Nathaniels blog click here.