Rigpa Moving Forward
Rigpa has undertaken a series of reforms and changes throughout the organisation, following the retirement of its founder Sogyal Rinpoche in August 2017, and serious allegations and complaints against him and Rigpa.
Last updated: October 2021
How Rigpa is Moving Forward
We have been through a period of challenges and change in the last four years. Following serious allegations against Sogyal Rinpoche and Rigpa, Rigpa commissioned an independent investigation that was published in September 2018.
In consultation with our community we moved forward with reforms and acted on the report’s recommendations, focusing on six areas within Rigpa’s vision and culture, care and governance:
Communicating the relationship between Rigpa and Sogyal Rinpoche
Deepening our culture of listening, non-judgement and good communication
Strengthening our governance, transparency and financial practices
This page is updated regularly with on-going progress, and addresses the recommendations of the independent investigation.
1. Clarifying and embodying Rigpa’s Vision
After a period of reflecting on our vision as a Buddhist community, we have reaffirmed the purpose of Rigpa as a vehicle for the Nyingma and Dzogchen lineages of Tibetan Buddhism.
What we learned during the exploration of Rigpa’s vision is shared in our vision document.
We are continuing to reflect on what it means to be an authentic Vajrayana Buddhist community in Western society, holding ongoing dialogue with other Buddhist groups and contemporary Western and Eastern teachers.
We offer a complete and authentic path of Buddhist study and practice, both for those who aspire to follow it in its entirety, and for anyone who wishes to apply the compassion and practical wisdom of the Buddha’s teachings in their lives.
Rigpa was founded in 1979 and since that time over 80 renowned Tibetan Buddhist teachers have been teaching in Rigpa and guiding the study and practice of Rigpa students. In 2019 alone we received teachings across the spectrum of the ‘Foundations of the Buddhist Path’, Mahayana (Compassion), Vajrayana and Dzogchen from 20 teachers, including His Holiness the 42nd Sakya Trizin Ratna Vajra Rinpoche, His Eminence the 7th Kyabje Yongzin Ling Rinpoche, (in alphabetical order) Dzigar Kongrul Rinpoche, Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, Jetsün Khandro Rinpoche, Khamtrul Rinpoche, Khenchen Namdrol Rinpoche, Neten Chokling Rinpoche, Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche, Pema Rigstal Rinpoche, Khenchen Pema Sherab, Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche, Tulku Ridgzin Pema, Ringu Tulku Rinpoche, Tsoknyi Rinpoche and Western teachers Dungse Jampal Norbu, Lama Tsering Everest, Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel and Andy Karr.
What has been done so far?
Following the retirement of Sogyal Rinpoche from the role of Spiritual Director of Rigpa in August 2017, a Vision Board was appointed to guide Rigpa. The Vision Board is advised by eminent Tibetan Buddhist lamas, including Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche and Mindrolling Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche both key figures in interpreting Tibetan Buddhism in the modern world, and Khenchen Namdrol Rinpoche, a great scholar and lineage holder of the Ngagyur Nyingma tradition. Other Tibetan Buddhist lamas also advise Rigpa regularly.
From December 2018 to April 2019, the Rigpa community came together in Rigpa centres to reflect on what we have learnt in the last eighteen months and on Rigpa’s vision. This includes reflections on the history of Rigpa's vision over 40 years, what we have learnt about our culture, and what it means to uphold our lineage and tradition in the 21st century. Read the outcome of the reflections of the Rigpa community here.
Resources
The members of the Vision Board
Vision Board Charter: Role, activities and process of nomination of new members
Rigpa Sangha feedback on the Vision Board Charter
Communications from the Vision Board to the Rigpa Sangha
Announcing Rigpa’s Vision Board, January 2018,
Report from the Vision Board’s first meeting, April 2018,
How Rigpa will move forward after the investigation report, November 2018,
Letter to the Rigpa sangha from Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, January 2019
Clarifying and reaffirming Rigpa’s Vision April 2019
Summary of the Vision Board’s latest meetings, June 2019
An update about nominating teaching, practice and activity holders in Rigpa December 2019
Contact
Vinciane Rycroft
vision.board@rigpa.org
2. Communicating the relationship between Rigpa and Sogyal Rinpoche
Sogyal Rinpoche passed away on Wednesday 28 August 2019, following complications during his cancer treatment.
Sogyal Rinpoche had retired definitively as the Spiritual Director of Rigpa in August 2017. He had no other legal or organisational connection with Rigpa and did not receive any financial or organisational support from Rigpa.
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Sogyal Rinpoche taught for over 40 years and recorded a large body of unique teachings. Recordings of Sogyal Rinpoche’s teachings continue to be available to students and to Rigpa centres who wish to listen to and study them.
3. Pledging to a safe environment in Rigpa
We create a safe environment for all who come into contact with Rigpa at our centres and retreats.
At the centre of the Rigpa community’s strategy for creating a safe environment are the Rigpa Code of Conduct, Shared Values & Guidelines and a Grievance Procedure.
Rigpa role holders are required to sign the Code of Conduct and make a commitment to training which includes recognising misconduct, receiving complaints and dealing with grievances.
The Code also applies to visiting masters, teachers and instructors.
The Grievance Procedure operates at the local and national level in each country and also includes an external Independent Council that can be contacted directly, and can be activated for past or present conduct.
There are currently two members of the Independent Council. Both are senior western Buddhist teachers based in the USA with experience and qualifications in western psychology and counselling and were nominated by Jetsün Khandro Rinpoche.
The Independent Council is empowered to make recommendations to the Rigpa boards, including the Vision Board, which the Rigpa boards commit to act on.
Information about the process of developing the Code of Conduct and Grievance Procedure can be found in the introduction to the Code, the Rigpa News Blog and past newsletters to the Rigpa sangha.
What has been done so far?
September/October 2018 until present a National Grievance Council is being established for each country and these councils are collaborating to ensure best practice across all Rigpa countries.
August 2018 grievance process was finalised and independent external grievance council appointed
June/July 2018 Members of the working group and national teams held Code of Conduct Q&A sessions with role holders and instructors
June 2018 Rigpa Code of Conduct was approved and adopted by the Vision Board and all Rigpa boards. All members received a copy of the Code by email and it became publicly available on Rigpa.org
March 2018 draft code of conduct was circulated for community feedback and for consultation with external advisors
August 2017 to January 2018 the Rigpa community participated in values workshops
July 2017 Boards committed to creating a new code of conduct and to putting a grievance process in place
Speakers and teachers & the Code of Conduct
Speakers and teachers at Rigpa centres are made fully aware of relevant policies, including the safe environment and fundraising policies, before having contact with students.
Since July 2018, all visiting teachers and their teams have been informed about the Rigpa Code of Conduct and have committed to it. This includes Jetsün Khandro Rinpoche, Tsoknyi Rinpoche, Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche, Neten Chokling Rinpoche, and Khenchen Namdrol Rinpoche.
National Initiatives
The European Buddhist Union, of which Rigpa is an active member, has published a statement addressing abuse in Buddhist communities. Click here to download the EBU 2018 ‘Statement on abuse in Buddhist communities’
The German Buddhist Union, of which Rigpa is an active member, appointed two contact people as a helpline for people who may have experienced abuse in the Buddhist context or are unsure how to assess a situation in which they feel uneasy or oppressed. It is a support service rather than a mediation or conflict resolution service. These independent contacts are another option for those using Rigpa Germany’s Grievance Process. For details see Rigpa Germany’s website under „Beschwerdeverfahren“.
The Board of Rigpa Netherlands set up a working group to create a plan for learning from the past and facilitate healing in the Dutch sangha. The Dutch sangha can contribute their ideas and advice to the healing group via an email address set up for that purpose heling@rigpa.nl.
Two new confidential-advisors (vertrouwenspersonen) were appointed. A confidential-advisor provides a confidential, safe listening space and initial care. The advisor also gives personal guidance and support for sangha members in raising their concerns. The Buddhist Union of the Netherlands (BUN) also provides an external confidential-advisor (vertrouwenspersoon) which gives Rigpa students another choice.
Rigpa UK became a member of Thirty-one:eight which specialises in supporting charities, churches and other faith-based organisations to create safer places and to comply with safeguarding laws in the UK.
The first Safeguarding training workshop was held in April 2019 with a professional safeguarding trainer from Thirty-one:eight. Role holders, including senior instructors, attended from as far away as Northumberland and Scotland. Participants included Averil Schram from the Lerab Ling safeguarding workgroup; Vinciane Rycroft from the Vision Board and Catherine Paul who is holding the international overview of safe environment implementation.
A Rigpa UK Safeguarding group formed to review and update the existing Rigpa UK Safe Environment policies.
Further safeguarding training is planned for Rigpa teams in UK and other countries.
The Lerab Ling Congregation is moving forward in ensuring and strengthening its safe environment. To complement its Grievance Council, a ‘first response’ safeguarding team has been formed and trained to accept any initial complaints. Safeguarding policies and procedures are in the final stages of development. In April 2020 Thirtyone:eight, a faith based external provider, was scheduled to deliver training for safeguarding leads on safeguarding for adults and children, with a particular focus on spiritual friendships, safer boundaries and pastoral care, however, this training had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prior to organising an online teaching event with Patrick Gaffney in June 2020, Lerab Ling carried out a Safeguarding Risk Assessment. The internal Risk Assessment Report acknowledged the 2018 Lewis Silkin report and the Charity Commission statement which disqualified Patrick Gaffney from acting as a Charity Trustee. It noted that: “Patrick Gaffney was considered to have failed in dealing with concerns of alleged abuse of which he had knowledge. He did not at the time have the right of reply to accusations nor was he legally accused of causing harm.” The Lerab Ling Congregation Board found that Lerab Ling has suitable safeguarding measures in place and therefore occasional events by Patrick Gaffney are suitable.
UK: On 20 November, 2020 the UK Charity Commission closed its statutory inquiry into Rigpa Fellowship (UK).
The Commission concluded that there was mismanagement and misconduct in the administration of the charity, particularly in regard to how former trustees responded to and managed safeguarding concerns, and their inability to create a safe culture within the charity, which exposed some beneficiaries to harm.
Both the former and current trustees cooperated with the inquiry and recognised the Commission’s serious regulatory concerns. The Commission is satisfied that the charity now has a new board of trustees in place and has adopted new safeguarding policies and procedures to better safeguard its beneficiaries.
A statement from Rigpa Fellowship (UK) can be found here.
Next steps
Each Rigpa entity continues to implement their safeguarding policies according to the legislation of their country.
Helpline and contacts
The external Independent Council is available to take past and present grievances: independentgrievancecouncil@gmail.com
The national grievance council contacts are listed here.
4. Taking responsibility for healing and past hurts
We are learning from the findings of the investigation report and are reaching out individually to past and present members of Rigpa who have been hurt.
What has been done so far?
Following the letter of allegations against Sogyal Rinpoche sent in July 2017, the writers were contacted individually by members of Rigpa’s national and/or international teams.
Rigpa boards jointly set up the independent investigation for complainants to come forward and be listened to in a confidential and sensitive way. The report was published on 5 September 2018.
In December 2017, as five of the eight letter-writers are based in the USA, Rigpa US also asked a neutral third party, the Zen-based reconciliation organisation An Olive Branch, to hold a listening post and a healing process.
The teams managing Rigpa internationally and nationally, including the Vision Board, have been reflecting on the culture that enabled this situation to take place, and they continue to do so. Workshops continue to be held on these topics.
The Rigpa community held a prayer gathering in Bodhgaya in March 2019, attended by over 300 people, that was dedicated to restoring and renewing our spiritual path, as well as our connections to each other and all our teachers.
Boards continue to reach out to those who have expressed their hurt, not just informally as it happened in the beginning, but also formally through letters and invitation to meet and support. One example is the US Rigpa community who wrote to their former sangha members following the ‘Listening, Hearing and Acknowledging weekend’ facilitated by An Olive Branch.
Our community is also encouraging everyone to make use of the grievance councils.
Restorative Process
Through 2019, the members of the Vision Board and of the Rigpa boards reflected on other ways, on the part of Rigpa, to reach out to those who felt hurt in their relationship with Sogyal Rinpoche. Our wish is that they are fully heard, and our whole sangha can learn from this experience and find healing. It is for this purpose that Rigpa set up a Restorative Process.
The process is being held by two professional independent mediators, Martina Jordan and Tim Chapman, who are specialised in restorative justice and members of the European Forum for Restorative Justice. They were chosen by Rigpa for their professional skills in the particular method they follow which is fully in accord with the values of compassion and genuine listening that we aspire to cultivate.
The process started in February 2020 but was then paused due to the freeze on all international travels during the Covid-19 lockdown. Further information can be found here.
Anyone who wishes to take part in the restorative process, and consider a restorative meeting or action with Rigpa, can contact Tim Chapman at info@timchapman.eu.
Those who had difficulties with Rigpa, rather than Sogyal Rinpoche, continue to be invited to use the grievance procedures in each country or the independent grievance helpline.
Latest Updates
In October 2021, and in the context of the restorative process, the members of Rigpa’s Vision Board—with the support of the Rigpa boards, management teams and main teachers—renewed their unreserved apologies to the Rigpa sangha, past and present, and to the wider Dharma community, with a deep and heartfelt wish to make amends for mistakes that have been made and harm that has been caused to our community and beyond.
We have come to terms with the fact that, as a community, we should have supported people much more in their relationship with Sogyal Rinpoche. We apologise for this and continue to take action to ensure this never occurs again.
We continue to learn from the situation and actively make changes, both cultural and practical, including creating a safe environment in Rigpa; offer support, including via the restorative process and grievance councils, to those who have been hurt; and share what we have learnt with the whole Buddhist community in the West so that such situations do not happen again.
Resources
Contact
5. Deepening our culture of listening, non-judgement and good communication
We are embedding a culture change towards listening, non-judgement and good communication at all levels of the community and the organisation.
What has been done so far?
November 2018 The boards and the Vision Board consulted the international Rigpa community about this Moving Forward plan, as well as the proposed Vision Board charter and the process by which new members are appointed. A summary of the feedback was shared in sangha gatherings and newsletters.
September 2017 until present: Channels of communication were opened within the organisation with the sangha.connection@rigpa.org email address, and the Sangha Connection newsletter started in September 2017 with the wish to be fully transparent. Sangha Connection newsletters are sent to Rigpa members, and you can read past issues here.
August 2017 - December 2017 Values workshops were held to bring out what we treasure as a community and what we wish to abandon. The values workshops then informed the Code of Conduct.
July 2017 - present Each Rigpa sangha has created time for open spaces where any question can be asked, personal experiences can be shared, reactions expressed and the full diversity of views accommodated.
Next steps
We recognise that listening, non-judgement and good communication need practice and on-going deepening. We are committed to checking regularly that we continue to change by seeking feedback from our members.
Resources
Contact
Catherine Paul sangha.connection@rigpa.org
Vision Board vision.board@rigpa.org
6. Strengthening our governance, transparency and financial practices
The new federative structure being put into place ensures that Rigpa continues to work harmoniously as one organisation internationally. It includes accountable transparent decision-making processes. The highest priorities are rigorous financial and fundraising processes and reporting.
What has been done so far?
Establishing a Federation
Rigpa - comprising organisations in 25 countries and two retreat centres - is trialling a federation model. They are currently trialing the federative decision-making system before adopting the constitution.
The Chairs of the boards of each entity work collaboratively and meet monthly. The International Coordinating Group is formed of National Directors and retreat centre directors and meets fortnightly. It replaced the interim International Holding Group in September 2018. More about Rigpa’s Management Teams.
Leadership
December 2018 to April 2019 the Vision Board, using the process outlined in the Vision Board Charter, requested the senior members of the Rigpa sangha to nominate new members for the Vision Board. Three new members of the Vision Board were appointed in April 2019 - Philippe Cornu, and two youth advisors, Yara Vrolijks and Fian Löhr. Read more
Spiritual Director of Lerab Ling appointed: Rigpa’s main retreat centre, Lerab Ling, was recognised as a religious congregation by the French Ministry of Interior in 2002. As a religious congregation it is required to have a spiritual director. In March 2019, Her Eminence Mindrolling Jetsün Khandro Rinpoche accepted to take on the role of acting Spiritual Director of the Rigpa Lerab Ling Congregation, a role which had been vacant since the retirement of Sogyal Rinpoche in August 2017. The role of Spiritual Director of Lerab Ling applies only for Lerab Ling and not Rigpa as a whole. The spiritual guidance of Rigpa as a whole continues to be offered by the Rigpa Vision Board together with the lamas who are spiritual advisors.
Read more about Lerab Ling’s spiritual guidance and governance here.
Patrick Gaffney, Philip Philippou and Dominique Side stepped down from all their positions of governance in Rigpa, as of the end of September 2018.
Patrick stepped down from the Vision Board and the Rigpa UK Board.
He shared his response to the Lewis Silkin report and his apology in a message to Rigpa’s community in September 2018. Although after a one-year break Patrick Gaffney has started teaching again in Rigpa as one of a community of teachers, he continues to hold no position of governance or authority in the organisation.Philip stepped down from the Vision Board and his remaining governance roles in Rigpa Switzerland, Rigpa Germany and Dzogchen Beara.
Dominique retired from her role as Superior of the Lerab Ling Congregation.
In August 2021, a group of 25 senior teachers who will guide the study and practice of the Rigpa sangha was introduced to the sangha. Patrick Gaffney and Dominique Side are part of this group of senior teachers. They have both strongly supported the process leading to Rigpa’s apology. While they teach, they do not engage in any governance in Rigpa.
Updated Financial policies:
Policies and practices for making financial offerings to visiting teachers are being updated to ensure they continue to comply with regulations in each country and with the expectations of donors.
UK and Australian Charity Regulators investigations
UK Charity Commission inquiry: Following on from the Lewis Silkin report, the UK Charity Commission conducted a statutory inquiry into the charity. Rigpa UK worked closely with the Charity Commission to comply with their requests.
On the 13 June 2019 the Commission announced that it disqualified Patrick Gaffney from acting as a Charity Trustee for a period of 8 years.
On 23 September 2019 the Commission announced that it permanently disqualified Susan Burrows from serving as a trustee or senior manager of any charity in England and Wales.
In November 2020 the Charity Commission inquiry in the UK concluded and the Commission stated:
"Both the former and current trustees cooperated with the inquiry and recognised the Commission’s serious regulatory concerns. As a result of the Commission’s actions during the inquiry, the charity now has a new board of trustees in place and has adopted new safeguarding policies and procedures to better safeguard its beneficiaries"
Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC) investigation:
The Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC) launched an investigation into Rigpa in Australia in January 2018. On 4 June 2019 the ACNC wrote that Rigpa had complied with their requirements and that the investigation is now finalised.
Appointing an international executive body
In March, 2020 the International Board empowered a new International Steering Group to act as an interim executive. The initial focus of this group is to respond to the challenges faced by Rigpa resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The members of the group are based in different countries, have a range of skills and experience in key areas including Buddhist curriculum, finance, fundraising and marketing, and together are responsible for coordinating Rigpa’s strategy and its implementation. The International Steering Group has appointed and is advised by expert advisory teams in Buddhist curriculum, international programmes, finance, fundraising and marketing, and seeks regular input and advice from the International Coordinating Group (national representatives). The International Steering Group reports to the interim International Board and Vision Board.
The developments relating to governance, transparency and financial practices are led by the Chairs of the boards of each Rigpa entity.
Resources
Rigpa Moving Towards a Federation (June 2018): Meeting Report