by Greg Zwahlen
Over the last few days our friend Waylon Lewis, editor at elephant journal, blogged about allegations he had recently discovered about Chogyam Trungpa. Waylon was convinced they were false, and suggested that a reference to it on Wikipedia, be deleted pronto, and he also sent an email to the Shambhala International internal listserv urging the community to do the same.
Over the last few days our friend Waylon Lewis, editor at elephant journal, blogged about allegations he had recently discovered about Chogyam Trungpa. Waylon was convinced they were false, and suggested that a reference to it on Wikipedia, be deleted pronto, and he also sent an email to the Shambhala International internal listserv urging the community to do the same.
Rinpoche, of course, was famously controversial, but to some degree that controversy has always been diffused by the knowledge that his life was an open book and he hid nothing. Sadly, that second part may be untrue. The material in question is from The Other Side of Eden, a memoir written by John Steinbeck IV and his wife and published in 2001 by a major publisher. Steinbeck, son of the novelist, was a respected journalist in Vietnam. He was also one of Rinpoche's kusung (personal attendants) and part of the inner circle of the era, and by all accounts a man of personal integrity. The passage in question alleged that Trungpa Rinpoche had a serious cocaine and Seconal habit, and that this was careful kept secret from the community, among other things.
The passage quoted from their book is definitely shocking and incendiary, but I don't think we can jump to the conclusion that it is untrue. To my knowledge, none of the other senior students of Trungpa Rinpoche who are in positions to comment have denied that these things are true. I'm guessing that the book flew under the radar until now because the title does not suggest it has anything to do with the sangha.
What does all this mean? Well, I can't say personally that I am surprised about any of the content itself, really. What does surprise me (if it is true, and I suspect that it is) is that Rinpoche was secretive about his heavy coke and pills use, and that many of his senior students have misled us about it all of these years. That is something that I find deeply disappointing and disturbing. I think that is the critical point here. As Waylon noted, we've always been told that he was totally open about these things.
All the same, I am still quite proud to be a part of Shambhala and a student in the lineage of Trungpa Rinpoche. The reaction of the sangha on the listserv was varied. Some people felt that revealing any information that potentially makes Rinpoche look bad could only come out of hatred. Others felt that the best policy is to be as open, honest, and unsecretive about these things as possible. As you can tell, that is how I feel, and I am proud that so many of my fellow sangha members feel the same way and are willing to say so publicly.
Some make the case that new and potential students will be scared off by this information before they connect with all of the good things that the lineage has to offer. I think that is a chance we have to take. The alternative (what used to happen pre-internet) is that these things get shared piecemeal, through the rumor mill at programs, often after a student has given years of their lives and thousands of dollars to the sangha. I don't think that is right, or ultimately helpful for anyone. As Rinpoche once wrote, "the ultimate truth is fearless," and I think people are entitled to it in all of its relative permutations.
Unfortunately, the Buddhist media--Shambhala Sun, Buddhadharma, and Tricycle--generally doesn't touch anything remotely controversial. I am quite grateful that I live in the internet era, where information can be disseminated by other means. I also want to be clear that I don't intend to be critical of Waylon, who was clearly acting out of shock in the spur of the moment.
The other night I tried to explain the view of the "party line" on this one to my girlfriend, who is not involved with Shambhala. The view according to which Trungpa Rinpoche was a mahasiddha, so therefore, like the mahasiddhas of old, everything he did was utterly selfless and for the benefit of others. I had such a hard time even getting the words out of my mouth that I had to admit to myself that I don't believe that, and never did.
But that's ok. I do believe that Trungpa Rinpoche was a brilliant teacher who left us an amazing legacy of teachings. I also am sure that he showed an enormous amount of kindness, generosity and compassion to thousands of people. I can certainly accommodate the idea that he was also a flawed human being who made serious mistakes that caused a lot of harm. I really hope Vajrayana Buddhism as a whole can eventually come around to this view--about Chogyam Trungpa and all teachers--or else I think we have not seen the last of the devastating scandals.
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My compassion goes out to Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche who lost his country and position at such a young age and from the accounts of his life that I've heard from senior students it's clear that he experienced depression and substance abuse. I'm saddened but not surprised to hear a rumor that he abused cocaine and Seconal in addition to alcohol.
My compassion goes out to Rinpoche's students who indiscriminately emulated his behavior, not separating out his positive and negative qualities. It isn't, however, too late for folks to do this separation internally and share with others what they find. Some long-time practitioners may find that they cannot transmute klesas into wisdom and will simply need to get into the good-old Buddhist practice of refraining from negative actions. It's not sex(y) but it works! No matter how realized or in denial you are, there is suffering associated with substance abuse. I'm happy to hear that there is a sitting group for recovering addicts at the NYC Shambhala center.
I hope that these rumors about Rinpoche's substance abuse will inspire people to be more introspective and honest with themselves. Also, I hope it inspires people to start a healthy dialogue about these difficult issues.
Hello Everyone,
I am not a Buddhist, but a Christian, in the eighties and early nineties I was involved in a church led by a talented but deeply flawed leader (my mother-in-law). While her problems didn’t involve substance abuse or sexual irregularities they were serious and destructive. She died about fifteen years ago and it took years for me to come to grips with my enablement of her negative leadership – which like Trungpa’s was laced with much good and spiritual dynamism. I also had to accept, while looking at her with eyes of love and forgiveness, that she was a hypocrite, liar, and deceiver as a spiritual leader and not a good example of the truths she pointed to. I still miss her in her role as a loving mother-in-law, the beloved mother of my wife and a wonderful grandmother for my children. I wish now I had the backbone to stand up for what was right instead of rationalizing and defending what was defective. The incentive to go along with her leadership was the promise and at times experience of spirituality, of being part of something special and privileged, and also the threat of banishment.
At first I thought what I went through was unique, but have discovered over the years this syndrome is common to humanity and I’ve heard accounts of it from varied religious backgrounds, even in a secular group based around psychology and therapy. You could even say the entire country of Iran is now in the grip of it.
I close with words from the New Testament – speak the truth in love- and –you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free!
Blessings
Reading recommendations: 1: The Double Mirror, by Stephen T. Butterfield. This is a brave, honest and intimate memoir. 2: The Guru Papers: Masks of Authoritarian Power, by Joel Kramer & Diana Alstad. This is more generic in that it's not specifically about CTR and Vajradhatu, but there is a huge value in thinking about patterns of human behavior that show up repeatedly in many different religious organizations of all different traditions. Even if we are students of The One And Only CTR, we are still human, and so was he, and we can recognize ourselves in these pages.
So far I haven't heard credible evidence Trungpa used coke heavily. I also found this story very saddening, and plausible-- just not to the extent Steinbeck and others claim. It seems unwise to base truth on the accounts of disgruntled students and internet rumors. Perhaps an impartial inquest is in order, to separate fact from allegation.
Ethan,
i'm an outsider awed by all the good work & right livelihood done by Shambala and I'm def not laughing after ignorantly stumbling into your mists of time discussion.
Maoism, Scientology, "Jesus Freaks"----searchers with the most wholesome motives and lost souls seeking only to belong committed to many enveloping communities in the 70's and 80s that offered constant challenge and purpose in living one's daily life in service to noble goals within a universal organization barely dreamed of in their families of origin, yet professing to explain all the cruelties of human history. A new intentional family intent on living the truth daily, and connecting with others.
This archetype of the perfect leader is troubling to me, but from this discussion, it is clear that he had and has some followers who learned a great deal from his teachings and continue to learn and teach themselves and others.
Of course it takes time, and living, to unravel what one brought to the teachings from the teacheing from the teacher, and few do. Witness the formerly high-level Scientologist now in a group she considers still faithful to L. Ron's true teachings, or the former Maoist who's been dogmatically "apolitical" since he could no longer deny the abuses of the Chinese gov't in the 80's. Both have suppressed concern for the lives of others and embraced the individual satisfaction as the cure of their human condition.
By looking at the teachings, and the teacher, as well as ourselves, it's easy to see that individual bliss and/or hierarchy was essential to most of these movements. Hugh Milne's "Bagwan:The God That Failed" is an exceptionally honest account of bliss addiction. Milne exposes himself, a high level follower, as much as the guru. From a distance, it's easy to see the guru as a victim.
In all these cases, it's also easy to see that cruelty, violence, acquisitveness, contempt for truth, were always present in the teachings, although the hierarchies guarded core teachings for those who paid their dues, or simpluy paid, & proved they could handle the truth." If you were not carefully gromed into the system, reading the high-level teachings about the end of days, the vanguard revolution, or thetans seems very far removed from the core human impulses to heal and help that drew people in.
In praise of the heatrfelt discussion here, every participant is trying to put into practice teachings that are clearly life-affirming , challenging, and beautiful. the teachings do not seem to encourage selfish exploitation of other humans to achieve one's own satisfaction. There is no need for disillusionment.
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