Naropa University, Shambhala Buddhism, Shambhala International

This is what F.A.C.T. Inc brought to light as soon as our founders daughter, Sharon Stern was driven to suicide by her Naropa teacher. Naropa University refused to implement changes when Tibor Stern suggested to help the University put in place a manual for teachers proper behavior with students.

                                In our opinion Naropa University must be Shut Down!

Daily Camera Guest Opinion July 9, 2019

By Darryl Collette

“As a recent graduate of Naropa University in Boulder, repeat visitor of Shambhala Mountain Center, and longtime student of Shambhala I felt compelled to reach out to the Daily Camera this week. As you may already know, news has been coming out all month about Shambhala assisting multiple pedophiles in avoiding prosecution.

The word back from Naropa has been “we are disconnected from Shambhala for decades.” The word from Shambhala has been “we could have done better.” As someone who has attended both organizations, I now find myself deeply ashamed for every dollar and minute they got of mine.

In my time studying at Naropa University I was repeatedly told that Naropa and its contemplative approach to education come directly from the teachings of Chogyam Trungpa. The Shambhala school of Buddhism was covered extensively in Buddhist Psychology Part 1 and 2, maitri (a meditation invented by Trungpa), as well as Senior Seminar Part 1 and 2. All of these classes were mandatory for my contemplative psychology degree. The majority of these classes were taught by ex-followers of Trungpa. Upon the recommendation of the college I went on retreat at Shambhala Mountain Center yearly and took Shambhala meditation classes at the Boulder Shambhala Center.

I write this because the idea that Naropa and Shambhala are separate is as much a lie as that Naropa is a secular university.

I am deeply ashamed to hear that Shambhala has repeatedly stepped between pedophiles and any meaningful repercussions for their actions, but I cannot say I am surprised.

Trungpa slept with his students. This has always been known. His son Sakyang Mipham was accused of sexual assault last year. I repeatedly heard about Naropa teachers having sexual relationships with students in my time as a Naropa student. I personally witnessed Naropa teachers dating students they had taught. I repeatedly heard about a situation where a Naropa student was in a sexual relationship with with a teacher’s underage son.

This is what I heard as a nontraditional Naropan trying to keep my head down and just get to graduation. I can only imagine what other stories exist. As the Denver post quoted a former Shambhala Mountain Center staff member in its last article about the allegations: “Every young girl I knew had something happen.”

Enough of the lies.”

Direct Link to Daily Camera Article

Additionally, in July 2019 The Daily Camera released an article reporting in part, "Detectives in Colorado have been investigating sexual assault allegations with ties to Shambhala for months — and records from a recent arrest detail an apparent effort to shield a suspect from prosecution by addressing the allegations within the Shambhala community.

Last year, Larimer County sheriff’s detectives opened an investigation into what a Boulder police report describes as sexual assaults at the Shambhala Mountain Center. Larimer sheriff’s officials declined to elaborate, but last week confirmed their probe remains ongoing."

So far two arrests have been made as a result of these investigations. 

"The first arrest came in February, when former Boulder Shambhala meditation instructor William Lloyd Karelis, 71, was booked on suspicion of sexually assaulting a young girl he mentored in the early 2000s. Karelis has denied the allegations through his attorney."

"Boulder police arrested a second former Shambhala member, Michael Smith, 54, on suspicion of sexually assaulting a teenage girl he met through the Buddhist community in the late 1990s. Those allegations originally had been reported to Boulder police in 1998 after the victim informed one of her mother’s friends about what she said happened — but Smith wasn’t named as a suspect or arrested."

For further research here is a link to over 40 media articles regarding Shambhala Buddhism, Shambhala International, Naropa University, Sakyong Mipham and Chogyam Trungpa.

https://shambhalalinks.blogspot.com/2019/09/httpswww.html?m=1&utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

Thank you,
The F.A.C.T. Inc Team