Please let me warn you about the New Kadampa Tradition. It is a Buddhist cult

[cultwarning]

For the sake of your families and friends I need to warn you about how this group operates. They claim to be welcoming to everyone but they will take your money, your energy and they certainly won't be welcoming to you if you question them or disagree with them.

The "guru" or leader Geshe Kelsang Gyatso has not been seen for 6 whole years yet everyone involved is expected to worship him/ keep statues of him and ONLY read books by him and him alone.

The people who run the centres use people (especially rich and young people) and are deeply unpleasant people who expel people once they are exhausted and penniless.

Recently, a young psychologist has tried to leave the religion and has been subjected to defamation of character and people in the NKT have as gone as far as to set up a website (under a fake name) in order to destroy her reputation. They have used her father's death to make out that she has various mental illnesses, it is shocking how like scientologists they are behaving.

If you have a child or family member is attending these centres please point them in the direction of this comprehensive report on the way they operate as a cult.

newkadampatraditionreport.org/2019/08/04/a-third-and-final-version-of-my-writing-on-the-new-kadampa-tradition/?fbclid=IwAR3btZJyhz48yNlbdVQcFaQ-s6Ng3cg7G243P0Ss7m0XEZSzql_g18v4qwU

Here is the report sorry:
newkadampatraditionreport.files.wordpress.com/2019/08/my-opinion-on-the-new-kadampa-tradition-experience-observations-testimonies-and-theory-1.pdf

The only difference between a cult and a religion is time and numbers.

All religion is a cult

all religion is a cult

Calm down, edgelord.

There's clearly a big difference between a religion that demands money and won't let you leave and something like the Church of England...

There is extensive research available about cults and their characteristics. The NKT is currently behaving like a cult by writing to this psycologists employers trying to convince them that she is not for to do her job just because she spoke out about the abuse she experienced and witnessed whilst living in one of their 'centres' The person used an email email address edited out by MNHQ and calls himself a Dr but is literally untraceable.

They are trying to bully, silence and destroy her career.

This is very cult-like behaviour.

All religion is a cult

^wss.

fit*

'Calm down, edgelord' 😂😂😂 I think I love you, Vanillelle.

Watching with interest as I know someone who got involved in this movement and has apparently cut themselves off from some of their friends and family. Yet on the surface it seems incredibly benign.

@MontanaSkies exactly! I was involved for many years and have seen countless people cut off from their families, leave their children, partners and sick family members because of it.
Some have even killed themselves when they’ve left after many years of being worked to the point of exhaustion (loads of the members have chronic illnesses and ME)

Church of England is complicit in child abuse and indoctrination. As for extorting money, look up, Chancel repair scandal.

@Vanillelle I’m properly laughing at that

Yes, I suppose there's so much room for abuse when people give their power over to a religion and let a flawed (ego maniac usually) human take the steering wheel. BUT I feel that Buddhism is often seen as more of a philosophy than a religion, so usually religion wary people are people are easily tricked.

There is a big difference between large organizations, all of which end up with issues of corruption and power abuses and cults which use BITE tactics where the corruption and power abuses is pretty much all that exists. An organization can be horrible or have horrible members or have daft beliefs and not be a cult (not that there can't be cults within religions, but I really don't think we can put the CoE - even with it's corruptions - into the same category).

This group does sound like a cult, and I do think some use what is often viewed as 'alternative' religions to target young people. and drop people's guard. It's sad - in a too many people are horrible sort of way - but it's good to know about when and how these groups are.

@BiBabbles Thanks, I agree and it is good to know who these people are and who is most vulnerable to their clutches.
I have seen so many women waste all of their fertile years on this organisation, being worked to the bone lest they end up in 'the hell realms' for not accumulating enough 'merit' only to be completely spat out when they become too ill to slog for them. Then there's always a fresh supply of new young and willing -victims- for them to eat alive.
When people ask "what happened to so and so / ex nun / monk' they are told oh they "fell off the path".

It's actually so damaging.

Certainly the Catholic Church fits the definition of a cult. Controls every aspect of your sex life, tick. Claims to be infallible, tick. Corrupt and abusive at every level, tick. Claims that they are the only source of truth and salvation, tick.

Hasn’t this been the case with this organisation for years though? There’s a centre round the corner from me and I’m sure this was something I heard about at least a decade ago.

It’s sad that they destroyed the psychologists reputation but not surprising. I had the same thing happen to me and they are still at it now.
I left over 10 years ago and the toxic members that were particularly obsessed with me and attempted to possess and control me have never gotten over it.
Shame on those bystanders who enable the abuse for want of an easy life.
The desperation to destroy my happiness and wellbeing is staggering, interesting from a psychological perspective though.

@Didiusfalco Yes but they rely on people just drifting away silently. If anyone complains about anything publicly they are hounded like dogs and they won’t stop trying to destroy them until the person has been silenced or sadly (in some cases) ended their own lives.

@Avalo I’m sorry this happened to you. It is classic cult behaviour to the letter that people stand by and justify what they are seeing/ turn a blind eye.
Something ought to be done though to protect vulnerable people from being duped out of their money, time and happiness.
This person/s posing as Dr Robert Harrison has caused (the real Dr) endless torment on every level and still calls himself a Buddhist! At least if you set out to defame someone, put your name and face to it.

Thank you for creating this post, as you say most people quietly walk away. By posting here you are making yourself a target, how long do you give it until the ahem “Buddhists” start posting in retaliation? We used to call them the KGB! I lived in a centre for 4 years so know what it’s like.
Pretending to be someone they are not and causing misery and upset, sounds about right!

There isn’t a religion I know of that doesn’t pass a bowl round asking for money

They are primarily associated with the Dorje Shugden controversy.

Yes and they set their disciples against the Dalai Llama under the name The Western Shugden Society but they pretend it’s not created by The NKT.
They also protest outside the DL’s talks.
Very dangerous cult indeed. I was in the religion for over a decade and have met a higher concentration of horrible people within it than our competitively!

*comparitively