REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha
One of the West's largest Buddhist organizations admitted its teachers have sexually abused students, saying it failed in some instances to properly address “abhorrent sexual behavior by some men in the community." Shambhala International, which has over 200 meditation centers across the globe, released an open letter last month that said the organization felt "heartbroken" that some women have “not felt heard or have been treated as though they are a problem when they tried to bring complaints forward.” The statement comes after Andrea Winn, an “active member” of the American Shambhala community, published a report on the “sexualized violence” within the religious community. The report featured five anonymous stories of assault, including one from a woman who alleged that she was “sexually abused by several men” and that one of her teachers was a child abuser. Other stories accuse leaders within the community of being verbally abusive towards women and telling those with stories of sexual assault that they were fabricating the incidents. Shambhala International stated that they are committed to “training and transparent processes, as well as facilitating leadership opportunities for marginalized groups,” in order to remedy the issues.