Part 1 of 2
Psychological and Societal Implications of Projecting the Shadow on the Feminine in Tibetan Buddhist Contexts
by Anne Iris Miriam Anders
Submitted: June 5th, 2020 Reviewed: June 30th, 2020 Published: August 25th, 2020
DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.93297
Edited by Ignacio Jáuregui-Lobera
Psychosomatic Medicine
Abstract
Idealizing and medicalizing of methods ascribed to Buddhism has led to individualizing their structural and societal challenges. Although the long-undervalued need for introspection may get addressed, people are now caught under the cloak of spirituality hoping for quick enlightenment or a panacea solving mental diseases. Thus, at this point, the impact of decontextualizing concepts, unreflectively copying feudal structures into Tibetan Buddhist seminar- and meditation-centers, as well as of lacking knowledge required for the gradual application-oriented learning processes taught in traditional Buddhist philosophy have become clear. This shows in recent testimony of economical, psychological, and physical abuse in international Tibetan Buddhist organizations. The violence against individuals and man-made trauma in such contexts need to get analyzed before the background of neologisms, that is concepts allowing for arbitrariness and violence in the name of spirituality, as well as of the sophisticated systems of rationalizing damage and silencing trauma and victims. Furthermore, though those in the ‘inner circles’ run the risk of traumatization and of being held accountable, it is women who are at higher risk, particularly those who engage in secret relationships. Thus, in terms of treatment, the collectively projecting the shadow on the feminine, leading to an attitude of exploitation and control against women, requires consideration.
Keywords
traumasilencing of traumadepressionpsychosisBuddhisminner circlesecret consortmanipulationexploitationabuseguru yogadouble bindindoctrination in Buddhist groupsVajrayānarationalizationdecontextualization of conceptscultscrazy wisdomkarma purificationpure viewBuddhist meditationBuddhist seminar centersBuddhist philosophymindfulnessmental diseasesrlung diseaseunconsciousdakini
Author Information: Anne Iris Miriam Anders*
Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Germany
*Address all correspondence to: miriam.anders@campus.lmu.de
1. Introduction
In international Tibetan Buddhist seminar-, meditation-, and retreat-centers, patterns of violence and exploitation have developed over the past decades. Recently, economical, psychological, and physical abuse [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12] was reported. It has evolved against the background of structures that systematically devalue and control the feminine. Such structures effect on the individuals of the respective groups and engrave into their bodies and minds. Thus, in a cultural-insensitive, unreflected transfer of knowledge of Buddhist philosophy and respective training techniques, the culturally ingrained ways in dealing with the feminine and its unconscious attitudes were absorbed. A visualization concept of females merely forming the passive counterparts to male characters, their devaluation in comments and acquired behavior patterns as well as misunderstood visualization techniques leading to narcissistic self-aggrandizing patterns contribute to confusion. This disorientation in turn not only forms the basis for developing self-devaluation and uncertainty regarding the individuals social positions in the groups, but also causes a double bind-based inability to act. Thus, one option seems to be the proximity to the spiritual master, the identifying of women with the male master, which somehow is supposed to define their position and seemingly would enhance their spiritual progress towards enlightenment as well. The undefined social positions of women in such groups, which encourage projecting undesirable aspects onto them, and sexualized aspects, such as the role of a secret lover, pose a cultural challenge for them. However, besides uncertainties due to a lack of cultural socialization, and the opportunities for honest communication on this issue, usually prevented by vows of secrecy, damage to group members is incurred by those regarding themselves as Vajrayāna practitioners, even preaching Vajrayāna, for whom gender equality ought to be standard in their training. Thus, in neglecting individual and institutional betrayal trauma [13], the implicit traumatization of people, despite being undeniable injuries, has been successfully silenced for decades. And control of the feminine has also been achieved by projecting the shadow, one’s own unwanted aspects, at the women.
Moreover, the narrative of Buddhism being a panacea for mental health not only misinterprets its spiritual methods to be psychological or medical ones. Damage is also caused by seducing and misleading sick individuals and by misinterpreting any trauma of those severely injured by the leadership or group members. Thus, the shadows behind the devaluation of females and seducing some of them into neglected social positions reveal a blind spot in Tibetan Buddhism and its seminar-, meditation-, and retreat-centers in the West, where it has continued to grow over decades. In rationalizing misconduct of the leadership and their helpers to be ‘crazy wisdom’ [1, 2, 5, 8] or even so-called ‘karma purification’ [1, 2], it was possible to even cover the injury to individuals and structural defects.
Due to the ongoing efforts to whitewash, denigrate those concerned, and silence the required discourse on leadership responsibility and accountability in the respective international contexts and head organizations, it is now crucial to broaden the perspective and consider the societal impact of such offences which, even as Buddhism and spirituality, have already been injuring and traumatizing many people. In the following subchapter, the descriptions of eleven probands are presented.
2. Narratives of members of Buddhist groups
2.1 Methods
Qualitative data of the research project TransTibMed from eleven participants in different international Tibetan Buddhist groups are presented covering the following eleven questions: Which kind of abuse or violence have you experienced in Buddhist groups; how did you react to abuse or violence; how have your experiences in Buddhist groups had an impact on you; which kind of indoctrination, abuse, or violence against others have you witnessed; how have you reacted in the face of this indoctrination, violence, or abuse towards others; how did the experiences in Buddhist groups change you; how did the experiences in Buddhist groups change your relationships and your ways of relating to others; how did your experiences in Buddhist groups change the way you work; and have you parted with one or more Buddhist groups or teachers? If so, why?
The questions when you think of abuse in Buddhist groups - the abuse of people who have been manipulated and of minors, including sexual abuse - how do you think and feel about it? How do you evaluate the responsibility in the group? Who is responsible for what and why do we allow male Buddhist teachers to not only denigrate but also exploit women for their own (mostly hidden) agendas in the name of spirituality were replied to by others and one person who also replied to the above.
Probands were recruited through information at university, the German Buddhist Union (DBU), and indirectly through (former) group members informing others at social networks.
2.2 Recent testimony
All probands presented wrote about their experiences in international Tibetan Buddhist organizations. Some of them were in several groups. All together, these statements refer to eleven different international Buddhist organizations. In order to protect the individuals, the names of the respective organizations are not provided here.
The following results are structured as follows: All answers of one person are presented in one subchapter. The first nine questions were replied to by #1, #2, #3, #4, and #8 and the last two questions were replied to by #3, #5, #6, #7, #9, #10, and #11. The first six persons (#1–#6) are female and #7–#11 are male.
Questions are written in italics and the replies in straight letters. All answers of probands in German were translated by the author.
2.2.1 #1
Which kind of abuse or violence have you experienced in Buddhist groups?: “Psychological abuse - gaslighting (stating everything is simply in my mind), manipulation to accept abuse by the abuser himself stating that he was my teacher, that everything ‘is empty’ therefore he couldn’t be an abuser. Psychological abuse through an email attack to my workplace claiming I am having a nervous breakdown” (#1).
How did you react to abuse or violence: “At the time of the individual abuse within […] I felt inadequate, I did not acknowledge that the perpetrator should be able to take some responsibility for their behaviors. I felt abandoned and inadequate because of the way the group reacted to the abuse - they did not acknowledge it had happened and when I disclosed it they did not view it as abuse. I was minimized by the ‘spiritual director’ when I disclosed it to her - she said that my ‘practice was enduring suffering’. At the time this made me feel more inadequate. Later I understood this as a minimizing activity, and I became very angry about six months later after reading testimonies of other former members. Following my workplace receiving an email from […] management using a fake identity I experienced rage, could not concentrate, my boundaries were poor, I turned to alcohol to cope, I experienced suicidality. I felt paranoid, I did not understand how much danger I might be in or not. I did not know who could help, I felt abandoned by people who did not understand and could not help me. I had digestion problems due to the anxiety and shame for several months. I had little energy and could not exercise, experienced stiffness and rigidity in my face, I had slow speech and slow processing speed. I dissociated frequently e.g. not remembering where I had put things, where I had parked my car. I had nightmares about being murdered by the leadership” (#1).
How have your experiences in Buddhist groups had an impact on you: “Severe post traumatic stress, anxiety, shame, and post traumatic growth. I am now connected to people who I find kind and who listen to me and appreciate my perspective on the groups. I therefore feel heard and understood, and no longer gaslighted” (#1).
Which kind of indoctrination, abuse, or violence against others have you witnessed: “I witnessed long term members so highly indoctrinated that they repeated teachings verbatim all the time, they did not have vocabulary from outside the group anymore. I saw people force the teachings on each other to invalidate the other persons feelings and dismiss their needs. I have read testimonies and seen evidence of threats against former members - threats to ruin peoples reputations and livelihoods. I heard people with mental health problems be spoke about disrespectfully” (#1).
How have you reacted in the face of this indoctrination, violence, or abuse towards others: “At the time I believed what was said about former members - that they had ‘lost patience in their spiritual path’ or had ‘developed an angry mind and were blaming the centre’. When I came to realize that this was gaslighting of whistleblowers (after leaving) I became very distressed that the centre could avoid taking responsibility for people’s wellbeing by blaming their ‘mind’ for everything. When I saw the threats and character assassination of former members I went into shock, and then experienced righteous anger” (#1).
How did the experiences in Buddhist groups change you: “I now understand spiritual abuse and am very sensitive to coercion. I am suspicious of all spiritual teachers. I only trust survivors of abuse and a few friends and family. I have more highly developed critical thinking skills and enjoy being disobedient. I now struggle to follow rules I believe are unnecessary, I trust my intuition more” (#1).
How did the experiences in Buddhist groups change your relationships and your ways of relating to others: “I recognise my needs and when someone is not good for me, I do not automatically put other people first. I do not practice accepting everything, I feel more in touch with righteous anger. I try to communicate my emotions more. I trust few people, especially religious people” (#1).
How did your experiences in Buddhist groups change the way you work: “I am suspicious of meditation and mindfulness, I read all about the under reported adverse effects. I understand abusive systems of power and abusive group dynamics. I don’t trust cognitive therapies so much anymore, I only trust interventions that are also systemic” (#1).
Have you parted with one or more Buddhist groups or teachers? If so, why: “Yes both […] after reading testimonies of abuse and reading cultic studies literature, I understand that they are personality cults and that they do not understand trauma. They claim to help you with stress and teach you mindfulness when they actually believe you should be practising dissociation from your emotions. They have obscured and whitewashed serious abuse, appointed only internal safeguarding officers who are invested in the continuation of the movements, and who are interested in saving their reputations” (#1).
2.2.2 #2
Which kind of abuse or violence have you experienced in Buddhist groups: “Sexual assaults, however without violence, we were servile, so there was no need for it. Men were instrumentalized, delegated by relocation, assigned as secretaries of centers, to work for the Lama was an honour, sometimes for little or no payment, many did not longer pursue their own lives, partnerships were interrupted, separations and uniting were arranged” (#2).
How did you react to abuse or violence: “I did not perceive it as such. It was only when my best friend revealed herself to me that I could see it as abuse on her and then on me as well” (#2).
The questions how have your experiences in Buddhist groups had an impact on you and which kind of indoctrination, abuse, or violence against others have you witnessed were not answered by #2.
How have you reacted in the face of this indoctrination, violence, or abuse towards others: “later I also learned about sexual assaults against very young women” (#2).
How did the experiences in Buddhist groups change you: “have become more suspicious, but also more adult and autonomous” (#2).
How did the experiences in Buddhist groups change your relationships and your ways of relating to others: “Sometimes one gets arrogant, considering oneself as something better, but one also becomes more compassionate. That we are all essentially the same and can simply be on equal level with each other has reached me and I have internalized it to this day. In a therapeutic context it has helped to make encounters on equal level, but also endangered for much closeness and confluence” (#2).
The questions how did your experiences in Buddhist groups change the way you work and have you parted with one or more Buddhist groups or teachers? If so, why were not answered by #2.
2.2.3 #3
Which kind of abuse or violence have you experienced in Buddhist groups?: “spiritual, psychological, emotional” (#3).
How did you react to abuse or violence: “Anger, helplessness, eventually some deference to my teacher for survival and to maintain my position in the group. Basically you have to tell him he is right and you are wrong to preserve your standing as a student” (#3).
The question how have your experiences in Buddhist groups had an impact on you was not answered by #3.
Which kind of indoctrination, abuse, or violence against others have you witnessed: “Gaslighting, shaming, slander, emotional manipulation, violation of confidentiality, outright lies, telling the Executive Director to fire someone because ‘she was too neurotic’, psychologizing every single student, punishment sending people away from group retreats into solitary or banning people from retreats” (#3).
How have you reacted in the face of this indoctrination, violence, or abuse towards others: “I was often not aware or stood by quietly and watched” (#3).
How did the experiences in Buddhist groups change you: “Sustained attention, strength to do multi day ritual, I am not afraid to be alone in the woods, I accept pain and negative experiences as just part of life. I feel a tremendous union with the divine available in my body. I regularly experience space that feels between life and death, no self, and primordial. I will also never ever become a student of a male spiritual teacher again. I will never give my power away to any human teacher ever again. I have learned a lot about this and still feel very hurt” (#3).
The questions how did the experiences in Buddhist groups change your relationships and your ways of relating to others, how did your experiences in Buddhist groups change the way you work and have you parted with one or more Buddhist groups or teachers? If so, why were not answered by #3.
When you think of abuse in Buddhist groups—the abuse of people who have been manipulated and of minors, including sexual abuse—how do you think and feel about it? How do you evaluate the responsibility in the group? Who is responsible for what: “Angry. Sad. Helpless. The teachers are responsible for the abuse, the board of directors is responsible for not intervening and for allowing a spiritual director who is also paid employee to have veto power over the board (absolute control of the whole organization, which is legally questionable and the board knew it)” (#3).
Why do we allow male Buddhist teachers to not only denigrate but also exploit women for their own (mostly hidden) agendas in the name of spirituality: “We all participate in patriarchy. Tibetan Buddhism encourages mind control, submissiveness, and patriarchal hierarchy. I believe that we allow it because we are so disconnected from our own power that we are willing to let some guy and some exotic tradition tell us what to do. We are eager to hand the reigns over, and Tibetan Buddhism in its sleek ways explains why we should. I believe that men have been suing the tradition for their own agendas for so many centuries that perhaps it has only become a vehicle for patriarchal abuse and I seriously question if the Vajrayana is of benefit in the world now” (#3).
2.2.4 #4
#4 did not answer the question: which kind of abuse or violence have you experienced in Buddhist groups?
How did you react to abuse or violence: “I got super angry with myself, blaming myself very badly for not being good enough” (#4).
How have your experiences in Buddhist groups had an impact on you: “Lack of trust, no direction in life, I cannot see my future, I’m afraid of making decisions, I feel helpless and good for nothing” (#4).
Which kind of indoctrination, abuse, or violence against others have you witnessed: “Later on I heard for a community member that the senior teacher had sexual abuse on different women. Even one of the women contacted me and [was] telling me her story. Also I saw people leaving abruptly and getting very confused. Some left with anger. And I heard in the community that there was a woman who got crazy and left. Whatever that means. I guess mentally ill” (#4).
How have you reacted in the face of this indoctrination, violence, or abuse towards others?: “I was blaming myself and asking help from others. I saw everyone else right and I thought they are the best people on Earth, I wanted to get back to the community. I was scared of my family. The community members were immaculate and wise. They even sent me pictures, messages, poems I couldn’t understand because I so much wanted to figure out the messages behind” (#4).
How did the experiences in Buddhist groups change you: “I doubt myself, I had better periods but I keep falling back. I lost trust in life, I lost trust in myself and others, I have a lot of tension and fear in me. I cannot imagine to be capable of anything. Study or move away from my parents” (#4).
How did the experiences in Buddhist groups change your relationships and your ways of relating to others: “I can be still opened but deep down I have fear, doubt and it is not easy to trust people in a deeper level. I feel alone” (#4).
How did your experiences in Buddhist groups change the way you work: “I cannot imagine myself to have a job with responsibility. I don’t work much a week and sometimes I just sleep for the whole day” (#4).
Have you parted with one or more Buddhist groups or teachers? If so, why: “Yes, two groups, because I had psychosis and got sick” (#4).
2.2.5 #5
When you think of abuse in Buddhist groups—the abuse of people who have been manipulated and of minors, including sexual abuse—how do you think and feel about it? How do you evaluate the responsibility in the group? Who is responsible for what: “I think leaders of Buddhist groups are individuals and it is unavoidable to find some ‘black sheep’ among them. Certainly I regret such incidents and would feel a serious betrayal of trust if I were to experience this from someone at the centre where I frequently visit. Once someone in the group hears about such, I believe it is their responsibility to communicate to stop it” (#5).
Why do we allow male Buddhist teachers to not only denigrate but also exploit women for their own (mostly hidden) agendas in the name of spirituality: “I would not allow this, but have not had any experience with it, usually I would take action or at least distance myself in case this would not be possible” (#5).
2.2.6 #6
When you think of abuse in Buddhist groups—the abuse of people who have been manipulated and of minors, including sexual abuse—how do you think and feel about it? How do you evaluate the responsibility in the group? Who is responsible for what: “Abuse is unethical and illegal and we always have an obligation to stop it. I don’t think most groups are capable of policing themselves. They are too insular and secretive and outside law enforcement should be contacted. I tried to contact the Dalai Lama and other leaders repeatedly, but they never respond” (#6).
Why do we allow male Buddhist teachers to not only denigrate but also exploit women for their own (mostly hidden) agendas in the name of spirituality: “Because some people actually believe these men have special rights and powers and don’t have the balls to stand up for people being exploited. People are blinded by robes and spiritual authority and it’s dangerous” (#6).
2.2.7 #7
When you think of abuse in Buddhist groups—the abuse of people who have been manipulated and of minors, including sexual abuse—how do you think and feel about it? How do you evaluate the responsibility in the group? Who is responsible for what: “This should not happen at all and ought to lead to an immediate criminal report. The person abusing is responsible, however, depending on the circumstances, also the group involved and the structures prevailing within it. The veneration of the teacher in Tibetan Buddhism unfortunately also creates conditions for abuse, be it physical or authoritative, even if the teachings clearly do not provide for that. In my opinion, Tibetan Buddhism needs some effort towards adjustment to at least make abuse more difficult” (#7).
Why do we allow male Buddhist teachers to not only denigrate but also exploit women for their own (mostly hidden) agendas in the name of spirituality: “Teachers are often held sacrosanct, and criticism of them is mostly unwanted. Sometimes a strong relationship of superiority/subordination can be seen, which facilitates abuse” (#7).
2.2.8 #8
Which kind of abuse or violence have you experienced in Buddhist groups: “Humiliation, exposure, psychological violence, repression, deprivation of healthy self-esteem, intrigues, defamation campaigns, systematic manipulation and lies. Theft: do not take what is not given = misuse of tied donations” (#1) [cited in 2].
How did you react to abuse or violence: “denial, reality negation, rationalization, first insights, perception, evaluation, attempts to communicate, departure” (#8).
How have your experiences in Buddhist groups had an impact on you: “I no longer conform to any group consensus I consider inappropriate. I insist on discussing openly without individual participants manipulating others first. I advocate transparency and truthfulness, even if this is not popular, including financial issues, and try to convey democratic values. My position is that ethics could make a difference, before talking about philosophy and religion” (#8).
Which kind of indoctrination, abuse, or violence against others have you witnessed: “Anyone at […] should have seen quite a lot. For me, these subtle constant manipulations have been the worst, and that behind the scenes the violence was brutal” (#8).
How have you reacted in the face of this indoctrination, violence, or abuse towards others: “First I rationalized. I found many ‘old students’ so unpleasant that I considered more drastic measures to possibly be an option. Today I look at it differently. I do not count the eight letter writers among the ‘old students’, nor all students of […]. After realizing that all of this at […] is a dead end, and being frustrated to find out my fellow sanghaists lacked understanding, I left. They were in a ‘tunnel’. Particularly the many people afraid of losing their ‘dzogchen’, whatever that might mean to the individual” (#8).
How did the experiences in Buddhist groups change you: “Now I look at the world more openly, in its entirety, with all of its problems and opportunities” (#8).
How did the experiences in Buddhist groups change your relationships and your ways of relating to others: “I live quite isolated, beyond my professional and family life. I keep considerable distance from Buddhists” (#8).
How did your experiences in Buddhist groups change the way you work: “I take care of myself and my environment as much as I can. People who want to preach to me, I send away” (#8).
Have you parted with one or more Buddhist groups or teachers? If so, why: “Of all of them. My disgust with Buddhist groups is an impulse way too strong to be ignored. It either will subside or it doesn’t. I am a Buddhist who pretends he is not” (#8).
2.2.9 #9
When you think of abuse in Buddhist groups—the abuse of people who have been manipulated and of minors, including sexual abuse—how do you think and feel about it? How do you evaluate the responsibility in the group? Who is responsible for what: “I feel angry and a huge sense of injustice about it, because it totally goes against the spirit of Buddhism, which is compassion, kindness, and bringing people to enlightenment. The teacher and the Buddhist institution the teacher is affiliated with is responsible” (#9).
Why do we allow male Buddhist teachers to not only denigrate but also exploit women for their own (mostly hidden) agendas in the name of spirituality: “It is an issue to do with the dominant patriarchal society we are part of today, where men are in positions of authority. This, unfortunately has extended to religion” (#9).