He conceded in a letter to his followers that past relationships he engaged in had caused “harm,” but did not address the broader allegations of misconduct or any illegal activity.Ĭarol Merchasin, a retired attorney who contributed to the Sunshine Project report, told The Denver Post she was contacted by the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office in November. Mipham stepped aside from his leadership position over Shambhala International - now based in Halifax, Nova Scotia - in July.
Some of the misconduct detailed in the Sunshine Project report is alleged to have taken place at the Shambhala Mountain Center in Red Feather Lakes, which is about two hours northwest of Denver. The allegations surfaced in a three-part report called the Buddhist Sunshine Project that detailed allegations from anonymous women with first- and secondhand accounts of sexual misconduct by Mipham and other high-ranking Shambhala officials. News of the Larimer County investigation - first reported by ThinkProgress - comes months after Shambhala International, a Buddhist organization founded in Boulder in the 1970s, became embroiled in a sexual misconduct scandal surrounding its leader, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. Karl Gehring, The Denver PostThe Great Stupa of Dharmakaya at the Shambhala Mountain Center in Red Feather Lakes is seen in this 2012 photo.
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