Mirror Weekly Report: Shocking Allegation – Karmapa Accused of Breaking Vows, Having Girlfriend
The 17th Karmapa, with millions of followers around the world, has been regarded as a “god” since childhood and is expected to strictly abide by Buddhist precepts. However, this magazine received a complaint from a believer, H (pseudonym), who alleged that the Karmapa had not only maintained contact with her for five years but also had sexual relations with her on three occasions.
According to H, she became involved with the Karmapa through the introduction of a Rinpoche, who asked her to maintain a “close relationship” with him. H provided supporting materials, including relevant photos and WeChat records involving the Rinpoche. Most crucially, she submitted an audio recording of a conversation with the Karmapa, which was confirmed by a professional forensic lab to feature the Karmapa’s voice.
The 36th Kagyu Monlam, one of the most significant events in Tibetan Buddhism, had just concluded. Devotees from around the world gathered in India, hoping to see the Kagyu lineage holder, the 17th Karmapa (Ogyen Trinley Dorje), and receive his teachings. However, from January 9 until the end of the event, the Karmapa never made an appearance in person and only delivered a brief online message.
Five-Year Relationship, Breaking the Precepts
The 17th Karmapa, aside from leading the Kagyu school, is considered the most influential Tibetan Buddhist leader after the Dalai Lama. At 34 years old, he holds a highly revered position within the tradition.
Despite his absence at the Kagyu Monlam, the devotion of his followers remains unwavering. He has actively promoted vegetarianism and adherence to Buddhist precepts. Just the year before, he hosted a monastic assembly for bhikkhunis (nuns), inviting 20 senior nuns to revisit the foundational teachings of the “Three Refuges and Five Precepts.”
In Buddhist doctrine, the Three Refuges and Five Precepts are fundamental vows for lay and monastic practitioners alike. The Five Precepts include abstaining from killing, stealing, lying, intoxicants, and sexual misconduct. In particular, the rule against adultery refers to inappropriate sexual relationships. However, H accused the Karmapa of violating this very precept.
H told the magazine that she had a five-year relationship with the Karmapa, during which they had sexual intercourse three times. She provided photos taken at a hotel and a recording of a conversation between her and the Karmapa that resembled an intimate exchange between a couple. The 11 audio segments totaled 18 minutes and 21 seconds in length.
Nickname “Baby Cow” and Late-Night Visit
To verify the authenticity of the recordings, the magazine submitted them — along with two public videos of the Karmapa’s speeches: one from April 6, 2018, in New York and another from a public talk at Ling Yen Mountain Temple in Canada on June 29, 2017 — to the Voiceprint Identification Laboratory of an American forensic company.
The lab first conducted an auditory comparison, examining accents, vocal habits, and resonance characteristics. Then, using software analysis, they compared pitch frequencies and resonance peaks for common words like “self,” “is,” and “Taiwan.” The lab found that the recordings matched with 99.9% certainty, concluding that both voices were from the same person.
How could a religious leader become entangled in a romantic dispute with a Taiwanese woman?
On the morning of December 15 last year, the reporter met with H in the magazine’s office. H, visibly anxious and repeatedly brushing back her long hair, slowly recounted the emotional pressure she endured during her five-year entanglement with the Karmapa.
That day, the reporter listened to the first audio recording between H and the Karmapa. The conversation took place during a Skype call on August 31, 2018. The Karmapa’s tone was intimate. H called him “baby cow,” and he repeatedly expressed his desire for her to visit him in the United States or Canada. He told her he wanted to meet “face to face” and emphasized the need for “more communication” in their relationship.
H stated that their first sexual encounter occurred on September 13, 2013, at the Grand New Delhi Hotel in India. At the time, prominent Buddhist leaders from around the world were gathered for the inaugural “Founding Member Conference of the International Buddhist Union,” which concluded on September 12. At midnight on the 13th, the Karmapa came to H’s room and knocked on the door — that night, they had sex for the first time.
The next day, on the 14th, H visited the Karmapa’s room again as a devoted follower, and they took photos together, as if the intimate encounter from the night before had never happened.
Three Encounters and Intimate Conversations
The second encounter took place at the Hyatt Hotel in New Delhi on March 5, 2015. H vividly recalled that from her room, she could see the private apartment where the Karmapa was staying. Whenever he stepped out onto the balcony, they could see each other from a distance. That night, the Karmapa again knocked on H’s door in the middle of the night. After an intimate encounter, she returned the next day to her role as a devoted follower, accompanying the Karmapa to the airport with other disciples as he departed for the United States.
The third time occurred at the Sheraton Hotel in New Delhi in August of the same year. On August 21, H wore a traditional all-white outfit to visit the Karmapa, and the two took a photo together. At midnight on the 22nd, the Karmapa once again entered H’s room. The next day, he flew to Germany to begin his teaching tour in Europe.
This magazine compares the public schedule of the Karmapa on the Internet. From September 9th to 12th, 2013, the Karmapa did participate in the conference in New Delhi. On March 10, 2015, the official website announced that the Karmapa began to teach Buddhism in the United States for two months; on August 23, 2015, he went to Germany to start the European teaching tour, and the itinerary was consistent. However, this journal has evidence and cannot confirm that the two had had sex.
What confuses H is that her relationship with the Karmapa clearly goes beyond that of master and disciple, yet the Karmapa leaves her immediately afterward. In response, H repeatedly asked the Karmapa: “Why did you choose me?” The Karmapa comforted H, asking her to change to a “softer tone.” He also said he understood what H was feeling.
The Karmapa even blurted out during the conversation: “Actually, let’s talk about it; you just miss me.” Then he spoke to H like a secular couple would, describing their connection as “a relationship between sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy (ups and downs),” and saying, “If there is love, there is resentment.” He believed that H was just making trouble because of her emotions for him. The two whispered like lovers.
Although the evidence shows no ordinary relationship between teacher and disciple, this journal does its best to verify it. The reporter can prove that at this stage, it is not possible to indicate the relationship between the two of them. Therefore, the following dialogue is listed for reference.
H: What is my relationship with you?
Karmapa: What’s your relationship with me? It’s a relationship between sweet and bitter.
H: No!
Karmapa: Really, there are sweet and bitter — and also spicy.
H: Nothing sweet. I don’t see any sweetness. It’s all because you are precious. I’m not lovable. I don’t want to mention Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche.
Karmapa: Oh, I didn’t say that just now. Don’t bring it up, okay? Well, relax first, change your tone!
H: Yes, I think you’re also very clever. I can prove that you’ve changed a lot since going to the U.S. — just talking and talking.
Karmapa: Wait, wait.
H: If you can communicate, you won’t break. Wouldn’t it be nice to grow mature like this?
Karmapa: No.
H: I often think that schizophrenia also has mature schizophrenia, and naive schizophrenia.
Karmapa: You, you, you, you — change your tone. You used to have a harsh tone, now try a softer one. Should I help you?
H: No need. I’m telling you, this is the real me, and it’s not easy to make me this angry.
Karmapa: No, then let’s change the tone!
H: I don’t have any other tone — you didn’t know me before.
Karmapa: No, I mean your tone doesn’t have to be so harsh.
H: I’m already being very soft!
Karmapa: Would you like me to help you?
H: No, no, no. I know what you’re doing, but then—it’s…
Karmapa: I don’t mean that. But you said it yourself!
H: I have nothing to say!
Karmapa: Yes, I know what you’re thinking inside. I can feel it.
H: Then help me, because I can’t even feel it myself.
Karmapa: Actually, let’s talk about it — you miss me.
H: No! I don’t miss you. Don’t put the parts those other girls play with you on me.
Karmapa: Say, is there?
H: You and I have nothing more to say. I don’t miss you, there’s nothing to miss. I want to tell you something.
Karmapa: No, yes, yes, yes.
H: If I had made it clear a year ago, I would’ve broken up with you.
Karmapa: Wait a minute, wait a minute. If there is love, there will be the enemy.
H: You have so many girlfriends. I’m not interested in being one of them.
Study Abroad and Meeting the Karmapa
H revealed that she was able to get in touch with the Karmapa through arrangements made by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche. She had gone abroad to study 11 years ago, and it was during that time that she was moved by the Buddha Dharma under Rinpoche’s influence. She decided to take Rinpoche as her teacher and follow him in studying tantra. Five years after becoming a disciple of Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, he gave her a subtle hint to go visit the Karmapa. After their first meeting, the Karmapa began asking H to connect with him on Skype, initially under the pretense of work.
H Recalls First Skype Call with the Karmapa
H recalls that her first video call with the Karmapa took place on Skype. At the time, she regarded the Karmapa as a distinguished spiritual master, while he spoke bitterly about being monitored and having his actions controlled. Then, he suddenly shifted the topic, asking H if she had a boyfriend. H, who had little experience with romantic relationships, was shocked and ended the conversation abruptly.
Between 2013 and 2018, the Karmapa primarily maintained contact with H via Skype. During this period, H also discussed her relationship with the Karmapa with Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche.
According to H, she recorded her WeChat conversations with Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche. When the Rinpoche learned that she had a close relationship with the Karmapa, he began asking her to act as a messenger — passing along his religious ideas or sending favorable articles to the Karmapa.
However, H later felt that she was being used more and more like a tool by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche. More disturbingly, she came to believe that the usually solemn and serious Rinpoche was acting like a “pimp,” helping the Karmapa find female followers for personal reasons.
In one of the recordings between H and the Karmapa, the magazine confirmed that Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche’s name was mentioned. H complained to the Karmapa that she felt she had been victimized by both him and the Rinpoche. In response, the Karmapa appeared to defend Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche.
Here is a translated excerpt from their conversation:
H: Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche is deliberately trying to change you. He is doing everything he can. He wants to change you, the Karmapa.
Karmapa: Wait a minute, listen to me first. I said, he wants to change me, to make me into someone he envisions, or something like that. This might just be his own thing — it has nothing to do with me. That’s his own wishful thinking. No, he has his own ideas.
Feeling Like a Pawn
H experienced deep inner turmoil. She struggled constantly, and even considered suicide multiple times. Despite this, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche kept urging her to stay close to the Karmapa. Unlike his formerly solemn and dignified demeanor, he mockingly told H that she was “insufficient in her means.” It was then that H realized she was nothing more than a pawn in the Rinpoche’s game — and decided to end her relationship with the Karmapa.
Before cutting ties, H sent Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche a message calling him a “pimp.” He replied simply: “Yes.” She then asked whether he was still acting as a pimp for the Karmapa and said that such behavior was disgraceful. Dzongsar Khyentse’s reply was: “Ho ho.”
This magazine reports that the Karmapa was officially recognized as the reincarnated Karmapa at the age of seven. Since then, he has reportedly performed numerous miracles—including locating the “three-faced horse head Hades” that had been missing in Qinghai Lake for nearly 300 years—when he was just 15. According to border guards, he and two followers escaped to India through a military checkpoint. In Tibetan Buddhism, reincarnation holds profound significance; once a child is identified as a reincarnated lama or tulku, they are elevated to a high religious status.
H believes that she is not the only one who has had this kind of experience. She hopes that by sharing her story, she can encourage other women with similar encounters to speak out and awaken to the need for reform within Tibetan Buddhism—so that female devotees are no longer exploited as tools or playthings by spiritual teachers.
Right of Response
This magazine reached out to Stephanie, the translator for Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche. She responded that H’s allegations against Rinpoche were false and that the WeChat conversation records may have been fabricated. She stated that Rinpoche retains the complete original chat history, which can prove his innocence. Furthermore, she emphasized that Rinpoche has no knowledge of the Karmapa’s private life, has no direct means of contacting him, and is unaware of the nature of the relationship between Karmapa and H.
The magazine also contacted the Karmapa’s public email address for comment but did not receive a response by the deadline.
However, during the Karmapa’s retreat, a special statement was published on his official website on the evening of the 21st. It clarified that he had only received novice and intermediate ordination vows, not full ordination vows. The statement emphasized that ordination is not merely about following a list of permitted and forbidden behaviors, but about developing renunciation—the sincere desire to seek liberation. According to the Karmapa, this inner renunciation is the most essential aspect.
The statement also acknowledged the existence of rumors and accusations in the absence of official communication, but stressed that what matters most is self-awareness: “Because our minds are not hidden from us, we must trust ourselves.” He affirmed his ongoing commitment to working for the benefit of Buddhism and all sentient beings.
At the time of publication, the magazine continued trying to reach the Karmapa directly, contacting people close to him in hopes of securing a response. Unfortunately, due to the Karmapa’s retreat, no reply was received before press time.
Original article published by Mirror Weekly, Jan 24, 2019, 15:58
https://www.mirrormedia.mg/story/20190123soc001/
Original audio recording by Jane Huang
Mirror Weekly’s Comments
1. However, although this magazine holds relevant evidence, it cannot confirm whether the two engaged in a sexual relationship.
2. At this stage, the reporter is unable to determine the exact nature of the relationship between the two.
Jane Huang’s Quote
I often think that even schizophrenia has its own types—there’s mature schizophrenia and there’s naive schizophrenia.
