Sogyal Lakar Rinpoche (in Tibetan: བསོད་རྒྱལ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་, Wylie: Bsod-rgyal Rin-po-che) was born in 1947 in Tibet and died on August 28, 2019 in Bangkok.
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Sogyal Lakar Rinpoche is a Tibetan lama exiled in 1956 who had received an education in the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism then Western in India and England.
He is the author of numerous works:
* The Tibetan Book of Life and Death Publisher Lgf 2005 (ISBN 2253067717)
* The Future of Buddhism, Éditions de La Table Ronde, 2003 (ISBN 2710325942)
* Sparks of Awakening, Editions de La Table Ronde, 1995 (ISBN 2710306964)
Sogyal Rinpoche spoke in particular at international conferences on the spiritual accompaniment of the dying, and on Tibetan Buddhism in the modern world, the search for peace and stability, happiness.
The life of Sogyal Rinpoche, an influential figure in contemporary Tibetan Buddhism, unfolds in a shadowy area where the light of spiritual teachings mingles with troubling accusations. As early as November 1994, in California, a civil lawsuit for physical, psychological, and sexual abuse marked a turning point. The case, settled out of court in 1995, remains shrouded in silence, its details remaining out of the public domain, as if dissolved in a legal fog.
In this context, the 14th Dalai Lama called for transparency, urging disciples to reveal the abuse, even in the public eye. At the same time, indirect testimonies and concerns emerged: some female students spoke of forced relationships, while outside observers perceived a dissonance between the master’s public image and darker accounts coming from those close to him.
Despite this, some voices continue to downplay these behaviors, framing them as a common human occurrence that, according to them, does not diminish the impact of the spiritual message. The Rigpa organization, founded by Rinpoche, adopts a cautious stance, affirming its confidence in the integrity of its founder while declaring that it takes all allegations seriously.
Over the years, other criticisms have added to this complex picture: accusations of humiliation, inappropriate remarks, and a climate of silence fueled by power dynamics and loyalty. Thus, the story of Sogyal Rinpoche appears as a persistent tension between the quest for enlightenment and human fragility, where the figure of the master, meant to guide toward clarity, is himself surrounded by shadows that everyone is invited to examine.