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Watch: Pema Chödrön sits down for new Oprah interview; addresses Shambhala scandals

by Rod Meade Sperry| October 20, 2019

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Oprah Winfrey’s new Super Soul interview with Pema Chödrön aired live on Facebook earlier today. The Buddhist nun and teacher spoke about her new book, Welcoming the Unwelcome, about how Buddhist practice helps us foster clarity and empathy, and more. She also addressed the sexual abuse scandal within the Shambhala Buddhist community, in which she is a senior teacher.

Asked how she felt when the allegations against Shambhala leader Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche broke, Chödrön replied, “I felt angry with him. And I felt deeply saddened for him and for the community.” She told Winfrey she now considers herself more outside than inside the Shambhala community.

The two also spoke of the #MeToo movement in general, how Chödrön had recently made contact with a woman whose experience of sexual assault she had previously dismissed, and why she now regrets the way she initially responded.

Asked by Winfrey if she’d attained enlightenment, Chödrön replied, “I would not say I have,” explaining that “I feel like I’ve just started on this adventure.”

Read “How to Appreciate Your Life — Just As It Is,” an exclusive excerpt from Chödrön’s book, Welcoming the Unwelcome, inside the November 2019 Lion’s Roar magazine.

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Rod Meade Sperry

About Rod Meade Sperry

Rod Meade Sperry is digital editorial director for Lion's Roar. He is, with Miguel Chen, co-author of I Wanna Be Well: How a Punk Found Peace and You Can Too and The Death of You: A Book for Anyone Who Might Not Live Forever. Rod also edited the Lion's Roar book, A Beginner’s Guide to Meditation: Practical Advice and Inspiration from Contemporary Buddhist Teachers.

Topics: Breaking News, Misconduct, Oprah Winfrey, Pema Chödrön, Shambhala, Teachers & Communities

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