Convicted Nxivm sex-slaver Keith Alan Raniere spent a lot of effort and considerable money to be able to use the Dalai Lama as an endorsement for Nxivm.
He had – with the aid of his financiers Clare and Sara Bronfman – been able to persuade the Dalai Lama to initially agree to come and attend a four day event in Albany – appearing side by side with the Vanguard – scheduled for April 2009.
But because of negative press – primarily from the Albany Times Union – the Dalai Lama chose to cancel the four-day event.
Raniere himself flew with Nancy Salzman and the Bronfman sisters to Dharmasala India and together they were able to persuade the Dalai Lama to make a one-day appearance – sitting side by side with the Bronfman sisters, and without Raniere, on stage – but with Raniere in the audience.
At the end of the Dalai Lama’s one-and-a-half-hour lecture, Raniere was permitted to go on stage, before the audience, and greet the Dalai Lama – who gave him a white scarf of purity and the two greeted each other as if they were fellow enlightened teachers.
The video of the Dalai Lama’s entire talk is available on youtube.
The appearance of the Dalai Lama – on May 6, 2009 – before a crowd of about 2,700, a largely Nxian audience – was touted by Nxivm as the Dalai Lama’s full endorsement of Nxivm and Raniere.
During his talk – entitled “Compassionate Ethics in Difficult Times” – the Dalai Lama refers to Raniere and Nancy Salzman as “respected teachers” but he also clearly suggests that rumors about Nxivm and Raniere should be investigated by the media.
Keith Raniere sits in the audience with Nancy Salzman listening to the Dalai Lama. Keith would later use this event and also a written foreword by the Dalai Lama for a book Raniere wrote to widely publicize that the Dalai Lama endorsed him and his Nxivm technology. This was a clever strategy. The argument he and his salespeople used was in effect was, “How can we be a cult if the Dalai Lama endorses us? Don’t you see the media reports about us are all false? Who are you gonna trust – the Dalai Lama and Keith or the Albany Times Union and the New York Post?” The video of the Dalai Lama’s talk is available on youtube. At 44:14 of the video, the Dalai Lama answers a question about the earlier cancellation of his scheduled four-day appearance and why he then chose to speak in Albany.
The pre-written question, which was asked by his interpreter, was: “There seems to be a lot of confusion about your visit here. Why did so many news sources and even your own New York office said that your visit was canceled?”
The Dalai Lama answered:
Oh. Firstly I received an invitation that, in principle, I accepted. Then I received some request that I should not go there because of this is controversial; some allegations.
Then we carry further investigation. Then finally, including this organization’s teacher, and his, some friend, came to see me in Dharmasala and I discuss, I observe, basically, they are carrying some kind of movement about ethics.
Then, as I mentioned earlier, it is my moral responsibility to support any movement by any person who carry, who are working for ethics. Because in today’s world, many problems essentially our own creation. Nobody wants more problems, but due to lack of ethics, lack of principle, this unwanted man-made problems happen. Whether politician, whether businessman, whether a religious person, whether anyone, moral principle is very essential, like backbone.
So, therefore, I felt, I feel it is my moral responsibility, but, at the same time, these allegations.
So when I met them personally in Dharmasala, I told them very friendly, very openly, ‘As far your sort of work for promotion of ethics, I fully support. Is my moral responsibility, but, at the same time, those allegations you must make very clear. If you have done something wrong, you must accept, you must admit, and change, make correction. If you not done, make clear all these allegations, truthfully, honestly, openly, transparently.’
Then some media, I always telling media people, ‘media people should have long nose, as long as (audience laughs and applauds) … wait, wait, wait, as long as an elephant nose and smell, in the front and behind. That’s very important. And make clear to the public what’s going on. Whether with the politician or with the mayor or religions people, the bishop or myself, must sort of watch and make clear, and inform public, provided it must be very honest, unbiased, objective, that’s important. Sometimes, say, one company financing a newspaper then newspaper report a little bit biased. I think not as biased as Chinese propaganda. But sometimes you see a little sort of biased sort of version also is happening. That must be avoided, must be honest, truthful.
So now I think in front of, I think the public, I want to to tell the media people, ‘please carry continuously, all these spots where you have some doubt, thorough investigation.’
And those concerned people’s side: ‘Also make clear. All your work must be transparent.’
So that’s my view. So I feel, no problem, come here, meet people, and talk. Because of some criticism remain distance? Not much use. Come face to face and talk, friendly, bluntly. Truth always win. So more talk, more investigation, truth will become more clear clear, clear, like that. So that’s my answer. (applause).
————————-
The Dalai Lama did accept an invitation to attend a series of events in Albany and, as he explained, after adverse publicity about coupling his name with the controversial Raniere, he canceled and did some investigation. The Dalai Lama admitted on stage that there are some allegations of wrongdoing about Nxivm, and a suspected lack of ethics, etc..
Then, he explains, that Raniere and company came to Dharmasala India, the Dalai Lama’s headquarters, and persuaded him in the spirit of friendship and promoting ethics.
The Dalai Lama said he told Raniere and Salzman in India, “As far [as] your sort of work [is actually, really] for [the] promotion of ethics, I fully support [it]. [It] is my moral responsibility, but, at the same time, those allegations [about NXIVM] you must make very clear [if these are true or not]. If you have done something wrong, you must accept [responsibility], you must admit [to wrongdoing], and change, make correction. If you not done [anything wrong], make clear all these allegations [are untrue], truthfully, honestly, openly, transparently.”
So the Dalai Lama agreed to visit [it is said that Bronfman raised the donation from $1 million to $2 million] after advising his new friends to be honest and transparent [words that Raniere could never understand or agree to].
[I was told Raniere himself advised the Bronfmans to double their offer. He was absolutely desperate to get the Dalai Lama to agree to come after he canceled. For, if it was bad not to have the Dalai Lama’s endorsement – it was 10 times worse for the Dalai Lama to first agree, then cancel. That was almost like putting an anti-endorsement on Raniere. It was like the Dalai Lama, by his cancellation, was agreeing that Nxivm and Raniere were odious. It would be used against them for all times to come.]
On stage, in Albany, the Dalai Lama further protected himself. He clearly advised the media to “make clear to the public what’s going on…. Watch and make clear, and inform [the] public… I want to to tell the media people, ‘please carry continuously, all these spots [about Nxivm] where you have some doubt, [make a] thorough investigation….”
He is saying on stage for the media to thoroughly investigate NXIVM, since it was Nxivm’s reputation that caused the controversy and prompted the written question in the first place.
And, as he did in India, the Dalai Lama again exhorts on stage the leaders of Nxivm to be transparent. He says, “and those concerned people’s side [NXIVM] Also make clear. All your work must be transparent. ….Truth always win. So more talk, more investigation, [of NXIVM] truth will become more clear clear, clear.”
He was right. It did become more clear in time. But between that time, May 2009, and June 2017, when I broke the branding story, Keith got a lot of mileage out of the Dalai Lama and his supposed endorsement.
He did not need to publish the complete remarks of the Dalai Lama – he only needed to show that the Dalai Lama came to Albany via an event he [and his followers] the Bronfmans sponsored. He got the credit.
How many hundreds of people joined Nxivm – some of whom were even branded – because Raniere used star power to recruit.
The stars he always used were Kristin Kreuk, Allison Mack, Clare and Sara Bronfman, Emiliano Salinas and the Dalai Lama [and sometimes Richard Branson.]
These were the names that were always dropped to recruits who had doubts about media reports.
***
In addition to the Dalai Lama’s speech – with his curious media advisory to investigate Nxivm – the Dalai Lama’s forward to one of Raniere’s books also appears in print and was used to show many a dubious recruit that Nxivm had something special to it, something good and highly ethical.
The date of the Dalai Lama’s foreword is April 13, 2009 – which was prior to his appearance on stage in Albany and about the same time he canceled his initial four-day event for Raniere.
It is my understanding that the Dalai Lama received some $2 million total for his efforts – a foreword and a speech.
On Raniere’s book cover, entitled “The Sphinx & Thelxiepeia”, Raniere’s name, with his co-author, is relatively small and the Dalai Lama’s name is much larger.
The book was published by the Ethical Publishing LLC, of Albany New York, a Bronfman funded LLC. The first edition [I do not know if there was a second edition] was dated April 2009. The book says it is “distributed around the world by Ethical Media LLC,” of Albany New York.
[Albany – so much ethics in one small place.]
As far as I know, the complete foreword of the Dalai Lama for the book, The Sphinx & Thelxiepeia, has never been printed before online.
It is found on page XXX1 of the book, following two prefaces by Raniere himself and one by his coauthor.
DALAI LAMA
We human beings are naturally intelligent and we also have some freedom and flexibility of thought and action. This wonderful intelligence is one of our unique human qualities. However, whether we use it properly or not depends on our motivation, and our motivation should be guided by truth and transparency.
Humane values and ethics give our lives meaning. Science and technology expand our ability to understand and change life. Today, our impact on the natural environment has grown to the point that we are doing damage to the planet as a whole. We can no longer think of economies and societies as separate. In our global community they are increasingly interdependent and our actions affect not just ourselves, but our neighbours throughout the world as well. Now, more than ever, it is important that we examine the impact of our actions on each other as individuals, peoples, countries and inhabitants of this planet.
Exercising our critical faculties in the ethical realm entails taking responsibility both for our acts and for their underlying motives. If we do not take responsibility for our motives, whether positive or negative, the potential for harm is much greater. The moral value of a given act is to be judged in relation both to time, place, and circumstance and to the interests of everyone involved now and in the future. It is conceivable that a given act is ethically sound under one particular set of circumstances, but that at another time and place and under a different set of circumstances it may not be.
The authors of this book present readers with a challenge. In seeking to contribute to building a compassionate, ethical humanity they often discuss recognised problems from unfamiliar angles. In the part of the world from which I come, there is a well-known adage that even when offered gold, the wise test it, beating it and burning it to ensure its value before accepting it. This means that rather than take any advice on trust, we should think about it and ask ourselves if it is useful. If we decide it is, then the sensible thing is to put it into practice.
April 13, 2009
***
Even in his foreword, the Dalai Lama is careful not to fully endorse Raniere [who he does not mention even once by name.]
In his foreword, he refers to “a well-known adage that even when offered gold, the wise test it, beating it and burning it to ensure its value before accepting it. This means that rather than take any advice on trust, we should think about it and ask ourselves if it is useful. If we decide it is, then the sensible thing is to put it into practice.”
So the Dalai Lama carefully suggests that the reader test this so-called gold offered by Raniere. He seems to know that the man offers fool’s gold, but, as a spiritual leader, living in exile, with hundreds of monks and a large staff to feed [a budget reportedly of more than $20 million per year] and fighting the ruthless slave state of China, the Dalai Lama must take large donations for the welfare of his mission wherever he may find them.
That doesn’t mean he has to endorse them. He did what he could, which was to qualify his endorsement in pretty blunt language.
But that did not stop the monster from using it, for milking it for all it was worth.
Frank Parlato 
Janine Morrison 
J.J. O'Hara 
Richard Luthmann 
Marie White 
Paul Serran
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Jesus is the only way, truth & life. No one can come to the Father, except through Him.
Buddhists believe that they have a special bond with India and Hindoos !
The poor souls – if they knew ! dindooohindoo
“In the beginning of Kali-yuga, the Lord will appear as Lord Buddha, the son of Anjana,in the province of Gaya, just for the purpose of deluding those atheists.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 1:3:24)
यथा हि चोर स्स तथा हि बुद्ध-स्तथागतं नास्तिकमत्र विद्धि।
“As a thief, so is Buddha”. Know that “Tathagatas are atheists”. [Ayodhya Kandam,Sarga 109; shloka 34]
The Dalai Lama was bought and paid for with 2 million American dollars.
He sold his integrity for filthy lucre.
Money seduced the Dalai Lama, Sars B seduced Lama Tenzin with sex—were any nubile Espians offered up to encourage the endorsement on NXIVM?
So the Dalai Lama, in his wisdom, saw Raniere and Nxivm as “working for ethics”, and said that that since he sees it as his “moral responsibility to support any movement by any person who carry, who are working for ethics”, He traveled to Albany NY to support Nxivm.
Nxivm. Keith Raniere. Working for ethics. How on earth did he get this impression that they were working for ethics? Because they said so? Because they offered him a large “contribution”?
Virtually by his own admission, the Dalai Lama offers his endorsement for cash.
Did he conduct any kind of inquiry to find out what Nxivm was about? Did he give the slightest fuck? No, because the most cursory online search at the time revealed Raniere’s unsavory past, his Consumer’s Buyline racket, and even the damning YouTube video of Raniere boasting about having people killed. And he evades any responsibility for this astounding lack of diligence by saying that it is the responsibility of the media to investigate these matters.
So why would His Holiness (snicker) have any reason to believe Nxivm was “working for ethics”? Why would he even give them the time of day? The only possible reason is the large cash donation they offered. He conveniently evades any responsibility for looking into what they do by foisting it off on others.
His Holiness (LOL) the Dalai Lama cares nothing for ethics. He wouldn’t know ethics if it bit him in the ass. The man is all about the cash.
I actually read one of his books years ago. Forgettable drivel. He reminds me of a of one of those megachurch preachers, promising easy salvation along with a hearty dose of spiritual-sounding woo. His high-sounding statements are airy and hollow– his noncommittal endorsement of Nxivm is exactly the kind of thing I’d expect from the man. He acts humble, in his simple robe and sandals, but he manages to be put up in the finest hotel suites, rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous, being jetted around the world first-class on their dime. He lives pretty high for such a humble, poor man.
The man is shameless. And idiots buy his act.
The Dalai Lama is famous because he has been useful furthering American propaganda efforts against China re. Tibet. The Chinese bootheel is firmly on that country, and His (I’m laughing) Holiness is a sterling figurehead to represent the long suffering Tibetan people. The man has been exploiting his fame to the utmost, which just goes to show how careful we must be in selecting our heroes.
Gotta hand it to the man, though. His reputation survives. The simple holy man, driven solely by ethics, chiding the rest of us on our materialist sins, while he endorses criminal conspiracies like Nxivm. The ethical holy man who, when told that the outfit he’s endorsing is “controversial” (LOL), doubles his fee and waters down the endorsement.
The Dalai Lama is deeply unethical. He is a fraud and a liar. His main interest in life is material gain. His own actions damn him, and only a fool would believe his grift.
“One of the world’s greatest spiritual leaders just made an incredible proclamation that is bound to save tons of time and make Buddhists all over the world stand up and cheer: The Dalai Lama has announced that his dentist’s 30-year-old son is the reincarnation of him and should just take over as Dalai Lama after he dies!”
https://news.clickhole.com/efficiency-win-the-dalai-lama-has-announced-that-his-d-1836925304
Sounds very democratic. Very progressive. He appoints his successor, in the manner of a Roman Emperor or the leader of North Korea.
None of us can begin to understand the often precarious position the Dalai Lama is in as the leader of a people struggling to survive, preserve and carry forth their marvelous traditions and ancient teachings under the tremendous opposition and oppression of the Chinese government among other formidable foes.
Gina and I visited Dharmasala, India in 2001, met and mingled with Tibetan refugees including small children housed in cold, damp, dark concrete structures dotted in the hillside surrounding the Dalai Lama’s home monastery. We witnessed some of their sufferings.
Most of the refugees travel by foot over the Himalayas, arrive in tattered clothes with nothing more, in poor health, lucky not to have died of pneumonia enroute as some do.
They are not warmly welcomed by India who sees them as beggars and trouble-with-China makers.
We met and tried to help comfort a tiny, Tibetan girl whose Mom dressed her as a boy monk for a more secure journey and whose sister died in the hospital while we were there. Our hotel had the only buckets of water in town for weeks — there was little infrastructure there those days — she sadly showered with to prepare for her sister’s small semblance of a funeral.
The Tibetans-in-exile need every cent they can get to survive and keep their once colorful, fading culture alive. Teaching for pay is also a traditional way of life for the “rimpoches.” It’s Nobel to be a renunciate and normal to receive gifts in exchange for enlightened elucidation.
Personally, I wish the Bronfman’s had opened their hearts and wallets far more (and their legs far less) to the Dalai Lama’s emissaries.
Despicable, really, how cheaply Raniere, Salzman, the Bronfman’s took advantage.
Karma is, however and thank God, a beeeeeatcha! Gonna be atcha for sure!
And the Dolly’s right about the truth always winning out, too — ultimately.
“The stars he always used were Kristin Kreuk, Allison Mack, Clare and Sara Bronfman, Emiliano Salinas and the Dalai Lama [and sometimes Richard Branson.]”
Frank, do you know if Kristin Kreuk and Allison Mack were present at this event?
I don’t know — I imagine Keith pretty much insisted on everybody showing up. Maybe some of our readers – who attended – know if Allison and Kristin were in attendance at the Dalai Lama event.
Allison Mack gave this a lot of attention on her blog, writing about how star-stuck she was in the Dalai Lama’s presence. Her blog by that time was pretty much devoted to promoting Raniere and Nxivm, both openly and covertly. She was also given to gushing about Eastern mysticism in general, in her own inimitable half-educated, gullible fashion.
If Mack was there, Kreuk was there.
For years they were joined at the hip, Kreuk was with Mack more that she was with her “boyfriend” Mark.
Hmmmmmmmmm
Why use quotations for boyfriend?
Frank,
Congratulations on all the new advertising!!!!
Great article.
Mark Vicente also went to Dharmsala, as well as Nancy Salzman, Clare and Sara Bronfman. Raniere was also there. As far as I know, Raniere violated a court restriction at that time, probably because of his multiple court cases (maybe Rick Ross trial?). Raniere flew to Dharmsala. It should bebe interesting if he has his passport sealed at the airport they arrived or how the hell he entered to Dharmsala. They flew using Bronfman’s airplane. All the interview with the Dalai Lama was recorded, and the material hidden. Do you know something, Frank?
“The book was published by the Ethical Publishing LLC, of Albany New York, a Bronfman funded LLC.”
The only time the words “ethical” and “Bronfman” ever appeared in a sentence together.
The Dalai Lama can eat a dick everytime some shady ” religious” bs crops up, you can be sure he, or someone in his organization is there looking for a handout or a blow job,,
This is how Amway and other MLM scams operate, get well-known and respected people to vouch for the scam and use them to provide the scam credibility. Here’s a recent example regarding an MLM scam called Qnet: https://www.siasat.com/70-held-qnet-scam-says-cyberabad-police-1598492/, which states, “Police Commissioner of Cyberabad, VC Sajjanar, said that notices had been served to actors Anil Kapoor, Shah Rukh Khan, Boman Irani, Jackie Shroff, Vivek Oberoi, Pooja Hegde and Allu Sirish for participating in the company’s programmes.” and “In February, the company had denied any association with celebrities, actors and cricketers who had promoted their brand.” Amway has done it since Pat Boone was popular: https://www.amwaywiki.com/Endorsements
Sorry, but the Dalai Lama gave far more credibility to NXIVM than any of the smalltime celebs did. In fact, it solidified their’s and other people’s participation. This article is weak in its condemnation of him while chastising others for their participation in the group. The Dalai has far more influence even at a superficial level. As far as I’m concerned, his participation in said events reduced my opinion of him. The guy effectively accepted a bribe of two million dollars for his appearance.
Yes, the Dalai Lama’s visit was a big coup for NXIVM, and probably solidified the support of Dolly Lana (Lang) and other small time celebs.
And to outsiders and potential recruits, they probably only heard about his visit as support for the cult. But I ask insiders…did his admonition to investigate suspicions about Ranieri make current followers doubt their leader at all?
It was Kristin Kreuk’s and Allison Mack’s name that was thrown around more. Cult members already in the NXIVM cult were already “solidified” in their stupid devotion to this moron and the vanity cult of NXIVM. The cult was full of low self esteem people who wanted to be a part of something. The fact that after the February 2012 Times Union expose, Kreuk was still around and lied about it, still doing EM’s apparently into 2016 means these people were already brain dead morons who didn’t care about any bad publicity.
No one outside of a limited audience knows Kreuk and Mack. They’re C-list actresses at best. But much of the known world knows the Dalai. Maybe these actresses names were thrown around more locally in Vancouver and had some limited credibility there — I wouldn’t know — but the fact that NXIVM now could say the Dalai came to their specific event strengthened not only existing membership, it gave them a far longer reach. Had the Dalai rejected them not once but twice, it would’ve been a big blow to membership and could’ve sunk the group faster. He extended their lifeline, all for a buck.
This is indeed an interesting example to ponder.
I can understand the Dalai Lama making such a compromise, even thinking he might influence positive change in the group – perhaps influenced by people around him who were literally in bed with the NXians.
It might be said that Raniere and NXIVM bested the Lama, benefiting from the association while not changing their ways. However, I’d argue that the 2012 Times Union series that sort of took up the Lama’s challenge, probably did more to hamper NXIVM’s recruiting – for example, it seems it may have lead to Kristen Kreuk’s father and others (I suspect her manager and publicist at work in the background) successfully persuading her to distance herself from the group.
KARma, perhaps? I think that, on top of the 2003 Forbes article, guaranteed that no one with the critical abilities to do their own due diligence would get sucked into NXIVM, and limited the group to no longer being able to recruit actual successful executives, just wannabes and other sloppy thinkers who could be influenced by anecdotes.
The only thing interesting about this is we know what the Lama’s price is, nothing else.
Agree, the Dalai Lama can be bought !
“for example, it seems it may have lead to Kristen Kreuk’s father and others (I suspect her manager and publicist at work in the background) successfully persuading her to distance herself from the group.”
Incorrect. According to two high up proctors, Kreuk stopped coaching in 2013, a year after the feb 12 expose because of acting commitments, not because of the pedophile stuff. She has been revealed to of still been recommending NXIVM as recently as May 2015 being thanked for it and was still involved with Nxivm in 2016. Someone concerned about pedophilia revelations would of quit and had nothing to do with the pedophiles cult.. Being in toronto filming television away from the cult is not leaving the cult. How many members never coached? They were still members.
You are really too blindly obsessed to get the point, aren’t you? I couched my language carefully as I did, because I knew that anything that didn’t paint Kreuk as a Jezebel guilty of supporting Raniere to the bitter end, was going to get pounced on.
Frank has reported that Nancy Salzman suspected that Kreuk was backing away because of the bad publicity in the wake of the 2012 Times Union series. She did cease being publicly identified with the group, and significantly and permanently cut back her involvement even if she didn’t entirely terminate it.
Any theory about her motives is almost entirely speculative, except perhaps that the fact that she wrote a letter indicates some deliberation about distancing herself from the group. It is, however, highly likely that her father and professional advisors would have been encouraging her to distance herself from the group.
The TU expose did have consequences. After that, for instance, I can’t think of any even minor celebrities that NXIVM recruited, and many of those who had been involved started to drift away even if specific causal relationships can’t be demonstrated.
– “Frank has reported that Nancy Salzman suspected that Kreuk was backing away because of the bad publicity in the wake of the 2012 Times Union series”
“Suspected.” Two proctors gave an actual reason why she allegedly stopped coaching a YEAR later. Nothing about quitting the cult. February 2012 is when the expose came out.
– “She did cease being publicly identified with the group, and significantly and permanently cut back her involvement even if she didn’t entirely terminate it.”
Wrong again spanky. Mark Hildreth even brought up her name when grooming his new girlfriend in 2013. You know, the one who got branded above her cooter? All she allegedly cut back on was coaching. She still happily promoted the cult in 2015, was thanked for it and was still getting “benefits” from Nxivm including EM’s.
– “Any theory about her motives is almost entirely speculative”
Like Nancy Salzman being “speculative”.
– “except perhaps that the fact that she wrote a letter indicates some deliberation about distancing herself from the group.”
You mean telling them in a letter she was too busy filming a television show in another city to coach. Not that she was leaving the cult. That she was too busy to coach.
“It is, however, highly likely that her father and professional advisors would have been encouraging her to distance herself from the group.”
That’s called being “speculative”. Nothing you say can ever change the fact she did not cut Nxivm from her life because she did not want to. Even after the pedophilia facts. Shame shame…
“AnonyMaker” thinks anyone who disagrees with and contradicts him with facts he doesn’t like is “obsessed”. What a narcissist.
you smell rather… beetle-ish…