HALIFAX — One of the largest Buddhist organizations in the western world has announced a leadership transition plan, three weeks after its spiritual leader stepped aside amid sexual misconduct allegations.
Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, the leader of the Shambhala International community, stepped back from his duties this month pending the outcome of a third-party investigation.
Members of the Kalapa Council, the governing body of the Halifax-based Buddhist organization and its more than 200 meditation centres worldwide, announced they would be resigning en masse through a “phased departure.”
In a letter to the Shambhala community on Monday, the council announced that a transition team will select and appoint an interim board of directors, an effort to separate the current leadership from the appointment of the next board.
The council said the transition team will also select a so-called process team, which will be responsible for improving the Buddhist organization’s future leadership, representation and governance structures.
“The Kalapa Council reached out to the international community to find respected leaders with expertise in various areas who could serve on the task force,” the governing body said.
“We believe that these leaders, based on advice and suggestions from the community, will create a strong, representative body for the interim board of Shambhala.”
The transition plan comes after a former Shambhala community member published a report in June with statements from women alleging sexual misconduct by Mipham.
In the report, multiple unnamed women accuse the him of heavy drinking and using his attendant to “procure women students for his own sexual gratification.”