New allegations surface against Buddhist leader

HALIFAX — The spiritual leader of one of the largest Buddhist organizations in the West is facing fresh sexual-misconduct allegations as a Halifax law firm prepares to launch an independent investigation into claims against him.

A Chilean woman alleges Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche dragged her into a bathroom, groped her and tried to remove her clothes during a dinner party in Santiago, Chile, in 2002.

The unnamed woman came forward after several women accused the Shambhala International leader of sexual misconduct in a report published last month.

Her claims are included in a new memo by Carol Merchasin, a lawyer who oversaw a preliminary investigation into the initial claims against the Halifaxbased Buddhist leader.

The unnamed woman says she was working as a cook at a dinner party when a Mipham, who was described as “visibly drunk,” invited the staff to join the gathering while he read poetry.

According to Merchasin’s memo, released Wednesday, he took her hand and dragged her to a bathroom, where he locked the door and prevented her from leaving.

“He groped her breasts and began trying to remove her clothes,” says Merchasin’s report, which is based on interviews with the woman and a corroborating witness. “He forced her hand to his genitals, even though she told him ‘no’ several times.”

After roughly 15 minutes, she says she managed to escape.

The allegations follow Mipham’s alleged “patterns of behaviour” detailed in the report last month, Merchasin said.

In that report by former Shambhala community member Andrea Winn, several women accuse him of heavy drinking and using his attendant to “procure women students for his own sexual gratification.”

No allegation has been proven.