Mipham stepped back from his leadership role last summer after being accused of sexual misconduct in a lengthy report prepared by Buddhist Project Sunshine. Shambhala report details findings of sexual misconduct against Buddhist spiritual leader with strong ties to Colorado Head of Boulder-born Shambhala, accused of sexual misconduct, will continue leave from leadership role for “foreseeable future” Shambhala discloses allegations of sexual assault, child abuse within Boulder-born Buddhist organization’s ranks When Mipham - who was granted the title of Sakyong and assumed leadership of Shambhala in 1995 - married in 2005, he held ceremonies in both Boulder and Halifax his Boulder marriage was presided over by the city’s then-mayor, Mark Ruzzin Related Articles He formed a paramilitary, the Dorje Kasung, which has an elite bodyguard squad called the Kusung that remain with Shambhala’s leaders at all times. What started as a meditation and mindfulness community began to evolve as Trungpa made Shambhala into a kingdom - with him as its king. He also founded Boulder’s Buddhist-inspired Naropa University.

Trungpa bounced from India to Oxford, England, to Vermont and finally Boulder before launching his western-focused Tibetan Buddhist community. The organization was founded by Mipham’s father Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche in the early 1970s. RELATED: Shambhala, the Boulder-born Buddhist organization, suppressed allegations of abuse, ex-members say Shambhala International, the organization’s Canada-based umbrella entity, operates more than 200 meditation centers and groups around the world and counts 14,000 members from Denver to New Zealand. The organization’s spiritual leader, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, was raised in Boulder and, according to property records, still owns a home in unincorporated Boulder County, one of his “courts” that operate royal services, according to former court members. In its nearly half-century of existence, Shambhala has become one of the largest Tibetan Buddhist organizations in North America, with Colorado - where it was born - remaining central to the community. Digital Replica Edition Home Page Close Menu

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