Ole Nydahl is a Fraud and Diamond Way is a cult

[alebru]

1 - Lama Ole is charismatic, I agree. He IS a Lama and many high Kagyu Lamas and the XVII Karmapa himself regard him as such.
2 - It is absolutely false that one can find only Lama Ole's books in the centers: if you go to the web site
www.diamondway-buddhism.org/default.asp?col=07&t=books_add.htm#C01
you will see how many books are listed which have NOT been written by Lama Ole. Please be aware of what you write, before posting something
3 - I have been in DW 8 years now and I never saw or heard something like that! Physical abuse! It is really ridiculous, please specify what you mean. Besides, there is no hierarchy in our centers, but rather a meritocracy
4 - There is no such thing as "spiritual weakness"! are you sure it was a DW center you went to? Sorry, I strongly doubt it. Otherwise, please quote names of the responsibles of that center and I will pass them on to the international board.
5 - Criticism and questions are highly encouraged!!! Of course if after a couple of years of intense practice, you are not really sure that this is your "spiritual way", then people in the center might point it out; and of course, if one insists on asking clearly provocative questions just to disturb and annoy the other students, one might well be told to look for something more suitable to their needs.
6 - This point of yours shows clearly that you did not understand a thing of Tibetan Buddhism: we are not given fancy names, we TAKE REFUGE and I bet you have no idea of what it means... Too bad, you don't know what you are missing, but you could easily look it up in google or wikipedia ;-) I am confident you can manage that.
DW does not give different meanings to words to separate us from the rest of the world. that's absurd! Please make concrete examples and see that they are good ones, otherwise you are just shooting rubber bullets against a steel wall.
6 - I am more and more of the opinion that it was not a DW center you went to. But anyway, I will reply to this point, too: DW does not teach that adultery is wrong per se: DW teaches actually (according to Tibetan Buddhist teachings) that in Buddhism, marriage is regarded as entirely a personal, individual concern and not as a religious duty, the Buddha himself did not lay rules on married life. However, according to buddhist teachings, one should keep sexual relationships harmless to others and sexual misconduct refers rather to rape and sexual perversions, the latters can be regarded as "perversions"if committed when someone involved in the action is forced to do something against their will. I don't think this is Lama Ole's case and anyway it's not up to me to judge what he does or how many women he has, as long as his teachings are useful to my development and can evidently benefit others.
7 - Again you are missing the point: what you call "weird stuff" are meditations which works on a very deep and subtle level of our consciousness. Before that, there are 4 preliminary exercises called "ngöndro", which, as far as I know, are common to all 4 tibetan lineages. Now that you know how to look something up in google or wikipedia, you can easily find something about ngöndro, too. One is not "brainwashed" but one's mind and channels are open and ready to receive higher transmissions. I don't think you could ask a 5 year old girl to go into scientific research, couldn't you?
8 – I am glad to see that there is a part of the world where everything is free of charge! In Europe we have to pay if we rent a room or a flat where people can meditate, we have to pay for electricity and for the gas. Of course after sometime you regularly go to a centre or a group, any contribution is welcome. It is a question of priorities: if one thinks he’d rather go the movies twice a month, well, so be it. Is this what you call “milking students”?
“Lama Ole lives in luxury and travels all around the world”: oh!!! Lama Ole wears second hand-clothes, he owns no money, he is today in Novosibirsk and tomorrow in Vancouver and the day after in Caracas (ever heard about jet lag?). He sleeps a couple of hours at night, he is always there whenever one of his students needs advice, even if it’s 04:00 in the morning, he cannot (like you and me) decide what he will do next weekend, what he will have for dinner, whom he’s going to see, to have a relaxing bath, to have one single evening for himself… Well, if you call this a luxury life, then I begin to understand what your parameters are.
9 – Really? That’s nice! Ok, ok I ‘ll try to be serious: your statements clearly shows that you never meditated. I start to think I am wasting my time, but it’s already position 9 and I usually finish what I start.
10 - Then I must have been very lucky, as in all centers I was, and believe me, in 8 years I have been in quite a few, it was the other way around.

You know what I think? I think YOU are a fraud. I only see anger, unuseful statements, nothing that would really let one think you talk out of personal experience. Your accusations are vague, you could easily write DW people think only pink elephants can fly while the blue ones can scubadive. There are so many schools and lineages, you can easily choose the one that suits you best. But I think you are not a buddhist. I think you are one of the (luckily few) detractors of Lama Ole and Diamond Way. If am wrong, please stand up to your actions: write me an e-mail and we can discuss it further. Something tells me you will never write... but I like surprises. My e-mail address is [e-mail]

[dwimcrw462]

I agree with what you say Alebru. Since there are so many paths and traditions within Buddhism, why must anyone attack a fellow student. I have read 2 books by Lama Ole Nydahl, as well as a book by Shamar Rinpoche....I have also visited with a center in Ohio. Cutting to the point, it was during a time when I first encountered Buddha's teachings and wanted to find a path that I could bring to life at home, to make me a better man, and help me to become aware, compassionate, a better husband, a better father. I finally took my journey in "Insight Meditation" and Theravada teachings. I researched DW for over a year, but alas, it just didn't seem to fit. That did not mean it, or Ole Nydhal, was wrong....just that it didn't fit. Simple. I assume that anyone who practices a particular way of applying the Buddha's teaching (Theravada, DW, Zen, Nichiren, Shin...etc.) does so because it fits their needs. I agree Alebru....there is no debate that Lama Ole Nyahal has spent his life working to spread the Buddha's teachings of liberation and freedom of mind. Plato once said that we cannot lie to the deepest part of ourselves. I think one has to know that when they attacs other Buddhist that their steps are not orderly. The only fraud is the person who places hurdles and gates in the walk of fellow Buddhists. I will gladly sit with any DW student and celebrate our different, yet mutual, finding of personal freedom and peace in the discovery and teachings of the Buddha.

[menmoku]

hello people,
I have followed this with interest.
I am a Zen Buddhist Monk and teacher. Just for the record - doesn't mean anything other than 20 years of involvement in Buddhist circles.
It does not sound to me as if Ole Nydal is a good teacher.
I have been hearing negative things about him for the last 15 years and met many of his ex students.
Yes there are eccentric teachers - some of them are enlightened - but not this one!
There are also well behaved teachers - not many of them are enlightened - but at least they don't mess people about!
This guy is an unenlightened eccentric teacher. Fun If you're on his good side - nightmare if you're not.
This is a very recognisable type. They're all over the place.
There are always two stories - the students who experience the 'nice guy' and those that experience the egomaniac!
Same guy.
Depends on wether you flatter or not!

[robbiep]

OK, many years have past since I first googled up posts like this one and I really have to say something to those like the original post-er of this topic. This and other various posts made me nervous, being someone who would come and go to DW centers and listen to lectures here and there. I learned a lot of good sensible advice that helped me a lot. And Im much better off for it that when I started. But lets be clear, many people are happier elsewhere or want different things. This school of thought never told me I must stay, that I need to say only what they want me to say, I never felt threatened, and some of the other problems you mentioned... ridiculous.

But I won't be nice about your post because I think you are seriously some judgmental jerk, possibly jealous even, and gets off FUDing someone like Lama Ole because he drinks, has girlfriends, and lives a happy life. Oh yea... how I know the type. But go read books of old masters and you'll see Lama Ole is no different from them. Read about Marpa, he's almost an exact copy of him. Drinking socially, having different girlfriends over the various years of his life (40+ teaching), translating buddhism from one culture to another, always teaching about mind, not to take things so seriously, not to be caught up with disturbing emotions, all very buddhist, all very much Tibetan buddhism, not a monk. Something wrong... What? This make total sense. So say what you want but IMHO, you're just someone lacking maturity on some holier than thou trip. I even left a few months and came back when I realized nowhere else was I going to get Buddhism taught in my language so that I can understand myself better. But no I don't want someone telling me Im less evolved or less civilized cause I drink Guiness on weekends. You pretentious little... 

So everyone else, please decide for yourself. Don't like the DW brand or whatever.. fine... go elsewhere and learn about mind too, in some other style. But have respect for the guy. He works endlessly to help ordinary people connect with buddhist teachings so that they can better help themselves, around the world, each year. That's hard work.. really hard work... And he does it to help people, I dont doubt it when I see him with students. 70+ too, its incredible.

K, Good luck...

[Ishtahota]

Some people call my place a cult. I just tell them no, hell no. Our elders tell us not to take money for what we do. And when ceremony is over all of you must go back where you came from. We insist.

[lauxa]

I have only been going to the Webster (near Houston) center for less than a year and have not met Lama Ole in person, but the people there are some of the friendliest I've ever met at a spritual center. I have never been pressured to donate money, although there are benefits to joining the 108 (dollers / month) club including a key to the center and access to the library of books on the lineage that can't be found at other libraries, many are rare and out of print, and these benefits eventually induced me to join after about 10 months. There has never been any pressure to stay, everyone has been very open that there are many other types of Buddhism and if you find a spiritual path that works better for you then you should do that instead. And also that they would still be my friends no matter what spiritual path I would pursue. The thing that makes DWB very appealing to me is they always mention that the Buddha's last words were don't just take my word for it, try it out and see what makes sense for you. They don't require any belief system to be part of the group, you only have to meditate, and meditation has scientifically proven benefits so I can live with that. The starting meditation is the 16th Karmapa meditation, and although there are other practices you can do later, they stress you can also just stick with that beginner meditation until enlightenment. Or just meditate on your breath like the Zen Buddhists if you prefer, but that is the group meditation and I find meditating with the group regularly to be quite uplifting. Also I was in a polyamorous relationship when I started going, and the lack of judgement on sexual morality (as long as it does not harm others) was refeshing. Yes, there is a little too much drinking for my taste, and yes the parties are all fundraisers for Texas Retreat Center, but I have not seen anyone be pressured to give money when they cannot afford to do so. And I feel uncomfortable with Ole's characterization of Islam, but guess what? I don't have to agree with him and I can still be Buddhist. I just don't think this group meets the criteria of a cult at all, and it has been so helpful to me over the past year that I would hate to see others scared away by this interpretation.

[antoncarson]

I would like to comment on the topic which has been continuously discussed online, namely the topic of Ole Nydahl’s political views.

Ole has reputation to be associated with right wing movements in Europe in US. He has always been openly expressing his right wing sympathies. These views have been expressed in his lectures; however there are no YouTube videos available to prove it. There is only one interview in which he says that he really doesn’t like Islam.

I have however found an interview with diamond way teacher Karol Sleczek in which exudes, to an extent, how diamond way understands politics. I will translate a fragment of this conversation.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxe1S3yydvo

Karol Sleczek (12:49): We grew up in a scientific world which tries to explain that the reality exists objectively somewhere. Indeed, it exists somehow but it exists as a permanent change. And of course this change happens in such and such way, but this world is dependent on how the experiencer experiences it. There is an illusion that we see the same world, but of course not. So the common part of the experience, which we have, is probably very small. This is why it is very hard for people to find shared understanding. Not because people are bad by nature but because, simply, they each see a completely different word. They are absolutely convinced that I am right because I see a real world. Probably the greater the common part, the better the society functions. This is why people from different cultures; different races cannot find a shared understanding at all. It is so because the part, which is called in English an overlap, is very, very small and related to the senses (sensory impressions) and not at all to values. So then, there is only conflict. This is how it works. If today we think correctly, tomorrow we talk correctly, wisely and day after tomorrow we act wisely. If today we think stupid, then probably tomorrow we will talk stupid, and day after tomorrow we will act stupid. This is how it works.

Karol Sleczek (22:52): Lack of information is like a disturbing emotion, because if we don’t know how this world functions, it is so because we don’t want to find out. Recently I was in Germany and I had such a vivid experience that ignorance is a disturbing emotion. I was talking with one German and I was explaining him how fatal the consequences of Angela Merkel’s actions are going to be. She brought to Germany, against the European law, people who are unfit to live there (Translator note: namely refugees). What consequences of these actions are going to be? He didn’t want to hear about it, he didn’t want to talk about it, because ignorance is a disturbing emotion. He had an impression that if he wasn’t going to talk about it and if he was not going to hear it, then it (Translators note: this problem) was not going to exist. He is also trying not to see it but either way, it is there.

[antoncarson]

I had an opportunity to listen to lots of Ole’s lecturers. In each of these lectures he publically discussed the issues of migration from lesser developed countries to Europe and US, as well as the issue of Islam. He was strictly against migration and migrants. Just as Karol, who I quoted above, he considered migrants from other parts of the world as unfit to live in Western countries. In his view migrants did not understand Western liberal and humanistic values. Neither did they understand the Western culture.

Ole was openly against multiculturalism. Multicultural groups, in his view, were not cohesive. In multicultural societies people were unable to genuinely connect with one another. Multicultural societies, in his view, were not coming together, as they should.

He did not support multicultural marriages either. He was advising his European students against marrying or even having sex with black people. He was openly advising against having multiracial children. He was very clear that was something that he did not support. He said, I remember it clearly, that such children were confused because they didn’t know who they were. They were also, in his opinion, less intelligent.

His views were supported by his students but gained lots of criticism online.

He would often say, scornfully and with disdain, that Netherlands are already Africa. He spoke a lot about killing of the Dutch journalist who made a critical movie about Islam. He also met with Geert Wildres. There was a photo of Ole and his aide Tomek, posted online, taken during their meeting with Geert Wilders.

France was, in Ole’s view, an exotic Muslim country. He despaired that by the 2050 the birth rate of Muslim children in France will exceed the birth rate of non-Muslim children. France, in his view was lost for the European culture. With its entire heritage.

UK press, in his view, was owned, by India, Pakistan and Middle East. At least that’s what I understood him saying. In his view that was tragic.

He supported American’s right wing and Trump’s immigration policies.

During his lectures in Russia he was very open about his right wing sympathies.

[antoncarson]

During his lectures Ole was openly advising European and American woman against marrying migrants from less developed parts of the word. Black people in particular. Such marriages, in his view, were made for passport reasons only and would not work. Once the buddy got his visa, residence or passport he would no longer care. The marriage would usually end in divorce and the white woman would be left alone with a multiracial child. In his opinion, the women who were falling prey to such plots would typically have low self esteem. Polish women, of all, had the lowest self esteem in his view.

Ole was heavily criticized for his views on online forums. I however claim that he had a right to have whatever views he had. There is a freedom of opinion and freedom of speech in the West. In my view the problem has been related to the fact that he was teaching one thing and doing another.

His marriage to the woman from Venezuela was one of such inconsistencies. While publically advising against marrying migrants he himself married someone who would have been considered a migrant in Western terms. The marriage ended in divorce.

[antoncarson]

Despite Ole’s publically presented views, there has never been a case of a black migrant being unwelcome or expelled from any of Ole’s centres. To the contrary, they were welcome.

There was however the case when a black migrant moved to one of the Western countries with his Eastern European wife. This couple played a principal role in splitting the Diamond Way Sangha in this country. They also orchestrated exclusions of Buddhists from the local Diamond Way centre. The excluded Buddhists were white Europeans and were obviously practicing Diamond Way Buddhism at home. The situation in this Sangha was really disastrous and two people died in the process. Although we cannot judiciously claim that these deaths were consequential to the Split of the Sangha, it is fair to say that the dynamics in the Sangha have contributed to these tragic events.

All posts from people who were trying to discuss these atrocities on online forums were removed by Ole Nydahl’s Solicitors. Jan Weber being one of them.

Upon obtaining his first European passport the black migrant and his wife moved to Germany, where another European passport followed. They never met consequences of their actions. To the contrary, their behaviour was rewarded and the black migrant was given a title of a Diamond Way Buddhist teacher. He openly claims to be a Diamond Way Buddhist teacher and allegedly lectures in German Diamond Way centres. Only Ole Nydahl could have nominated him to this role because no one else in the Diamond Way had a power to do so.

[charlesthegreat]

I would like to add a couple of comments about Karol Sleczek, a Diamond Way teacher from Poland. The YouTube interview with him has been previously discussed on this forum.

This interview does give a subtle taste how Karol teaches right wing policies. It is evident through his public lectures that he promotes anti-immigrant sentiments. It is a legitimate world view and he has a right to his opinions. Moreover he absolutely has a right to express them. Yet, for the record we have to say he teaches right wing philosophy.

I all fairness, he also has a good degree of integrity because this YouTube interview is consistent with the content of his public lectures. It correctly reflects what he teaches and how he phrases his value system. I actually think it’s brave. There is no divide between what he teaches during public lectures and what he expresses in this interview. Fair play.

I have listened to many of his lectures. He very often tells a story about his stay in US as a student. He studied philosophy in US. During his studies he had a psychotic or schizophrenic episode and he was hospitalized in a psychiatric ward. No secret here. He talks about it publicly.

His wife Hermina has qualifications in Russian language teaching or translation.

At the time Ole split from the Karma Kagyu mainstream, Karol converted an old family cottage into a mediation place which then became a Buddhist centre. He decided to support Ole and Ole’s candidate for Karmapa. From that point on he became beyond reproach. No criticism could be made about him.

He had a tendency to be acrimonious, even savage. As far as the centre was concerned he had also tendency to be controlling. It is understandable; he invested family money in his local centre.

The main problem in my view was however, the fact that he was excluding people from this centre and was making it impossible for them to attend the spiritual practice. He orchestrated cases of blatant human rights violations. I believe he should have been sued on the grounds of violations of the right of liberty of spiritual practice. Sadly it did not happen.

The more people were effectively excluded, the stronger his own position was. People were afraid to oppose him. The system was set in this way and these exclusions were a necessary fuel the organisation was running on.

Wherever there is a religious idol, there is also a scapegoat. The existence of a scapegoat is a condition sine qua non for an emergence of an idol, god, fetish, totem, golden calf in a collective psyche. Such is the nature of idolatry behavior. Scapegoating was indispensable to the successful establishment of the diamond way as a religion, especially after its split from the old Karma Kagyu lineage.

There were comments about it on Rick Ross forum but apparently Ole Nydahl’s solicitor Jan Weber has managed to have them deleted. Sadly so.

[charlesthegreat]

I will also write a couple of sentences about another teacher from Poland – Wojtek Tracewski. Wojtek was Ole Nydahl’s translator. I personally like him.

He had a reputation for being a womanizer and just like Ole had many partners. I think he eventually married a woman from Ukraine.

He had a great life working for Ole. He traveled the world, Ole paid him salary, lots of women were interested, life was fun.

I think that he is a positive character. Funny and entertaining storyteller. However one thing has recently attracted my attention.

We know that Ole during his public lectures would regularly make racial if not racist comments. Comments such as cited by my predecessor posting on this forum. So Wojtek’s job was to translate it. So really without a hesitation he was translating long litanies of Ole’s views on race and ethnicity. He actually made it to sound fun.

Having done all that Wojtek took part in a video recording, where he reads a fragment of a book “Nam Thar” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZtjPI1ILkA). This fragment says: “Every human being regardless of how he looks has an enlightened nature and can become a Buddha tomorrow. Therefore treat everyone with respect.”

Is that integrity? Is Wojtek integrous? What do you think?

[charlesthegreat]

Caty Hartung was one of Ole’s many girlfriends. She had a long relationship with him at the time he was married to Hannah.

Upon parting with Ole Nydahl she married a Hungarian businessman. He was active in the Hungarian sangha and he became a diamond way teacher.

He was running serious investments globally and was somehow related to Hungarian power circles of Victor Orban. From what I have heard he was not only investing in property but also in oil. Among other he was investing in oil in South America. At least that’s what I have heard. If you have more accurate information, please correct me.

The problem was that the power and influence of Caty Hartung over diamond way wasn’t governed by any set of rules. She had her own personal investments and agendas. There is an opinion; I think a legitimate one that she seemed to have been using diamond way to pursue her own business goals.

That she seemed to have been running her and her husband’s business on the back of the diamond way organisation. So personal business profits seemed to have been exchanged for assignments of positions in diamond way Buddhist centres. For example positions of Buddhist teachers.

There seemed to have been a problem of revolving doors and conflicts of interest. Diamond way never introduced any anti corruption policies.

That led to tragedies. One of such cases was described by anton carson, posting on this forum before me.

Ole claimed that the social system he created was a meritocracy. That’s not true. It is an oligarchy.

Bee Scherer writes in her academic articles that Cathy Hartung was going to play a leading role in the organisation after Ole’s death. We know that this information is true.

Well, in this case Hartung’s full financial and business disclosure should be requested. That should include a disclosure of potential income from tax free countries.

Financial and business interest disclosure refers to the system whereby organization’s officials are required to disclose information about their assets and/or business activities.

Disclosing the value of assets and liabilities, along with the amount of income, makes it possible to detect unexplained wealth variations and potential illicit enrichment. Business interest disclosure focuses on activities, commitments and business connections that may compromise officials’ impartiality in their policy decisions. To facilitate detection of potential conflicts of interest, information on the sources of such interests (as well as sources of assets and liabilities) is required.

Earlier comments of internauts, discussing this problem on Rick Ross forum, were removed. Internauts commonly attribute the removal of forum comments to Ole Nydahl’s lawyer Jan Weber.