Frank Report has been quite critical of Swami Chetanananda and Lama Tsering Wangdu Rinpoche, who according to reports, died in October.
FR has written about Wangdu in the past.
Wangdu & Swami: Two Cheaters Collaborate to Swindle the Most Money and Sex They Can Grab
Swami’s Pal- Lama Wangdu Calls on Evil Ghosts; Alleged to Steal Virginity – Must Be First
FR has written more extensively on Chetanananda.
As for Lama Wandu Rinpoche – he was born in 1936 in the village of Langkor in West Dingri, Tibet, near the Mt. Everest region.
He reportedly began studying with Napdra Rinpoche, at age 8 and, in his early twenties, Napdra sent Wangdu to 100 cremation grounds, where he practiced Chod, with a drum, bell and human thighbone for a trumpet.
In 1958, Wangdu went to the Kathmandu Valley and settled in the Tibetan refugee camp in Jawalakehl. He lived for years among the refugees, and became a pujari, performing rituals for the Tibetan refugee population and local Nepalese community for donations or fees.
Wangdu studied Longchen Nyingthig and the teachings and practices of Padampa Sangye. He associated with the XIVth Dalai Lama, Dudjom Rinpoche, Surkhang Rinpoche, Urgyen Tulku, and Chatral Rinpoche.
Swami Chetanananda met Rinpoche in Nepal in 1997. Beginning in 1999, Rinpoche came to the United States, spending several months each year at The Movement Center in Portland, Oregon. Rinpoche established a monastery in Kathmandu called Pal Gyi Dingri Langkor Jangsem Kunga Ling in 2004. It appears to have closed after several years.
One of his students who read uncomplimentary FR articles about Wangdu and Chetanananda wrote the following:
By Chalice Kelly
You’re wrong about my two gurus, Swami Chetananada and Lama Wang Du, who passed away in October. I’m in mourning.
Lama Wang Du saved me. He saved a lot of us who were raped, tortured and brainwashed.
Lama Wang Du and Swamiji Chetananada saved me from Neo Nazi pedophile human traffickers. They saved me and my family for free, and invested thousands of hours over several years helping us. They got me away from my Neo Nazi “family” who beat and raped me, stole my home and passed me around to other gang members for a long, long time
They saved me from gangs that were trafficking me. It will be 14 years in March.
My teachers worked diligently to end human trafficking. They helped thousands.
Swami Chetanananda is not only high profile here, but globally. He has influenced thousands of lives. He has been a teacher for over 50 years.
Both my teachers dedicated their lives. They didn’t get anything in return.
As for me, I doubted them for a long time, fought tooth and nail. I complained the entire time. I was nasty for years, even savage at times. They stayed dedicated to helping me. Now I know how confused I was. I know how often I blamed them.
You have written about how they sexually abused women. I know my gurus are devoid of desire.
My teacher, Swamiji, would not touch me sexually. I threw myself at Swami Chetananada, but he never would take advantage of me.
He stayed committed to getting me away from the bikers of the Aryan Brotherhood.
The two incidents you wrote about: Natacha, who jumped off a bridge, and Liz, who came up missing, need further explanation. Liz was sick. She passed out and fell in the river.
As for Natacha, if a person doesn’t reach enlightenment, they could easily misconstrue the karma they are working on healing with the real time experience. It’s a delicate situation.
Each one of us will have a different experience with our guru, because our karmas are unique to us.
I love everyone involved deeply, but if a person never attains enlightenment, they will not understand.
Blessings for good health, happiness and discernment.
Frank Parlato 
Janine Morrison 
J.J. O'Hara 
Richard Luthmann 
Marie White 
Paul Serran
Please leave a comment: Your opinion is important to us!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5AFCKEuBA0
News report on Shoemaker’s 50 years of abuse!
When the plots of text begin to mirror the activities of a sinister underground syndicate, an introverted British Lad and her cat are plunged into the real world of Nittany Quickie — where nothing, and no one, is what it seems. nittany-quickie-episode-one
Joan Bridges who came forward to denounce Muktananda has died before her case could be taken up. The women who filed this suit with Carol Merchasin used the New York law that allowed for those sexually abuse in the past to bring forth their complaints. Joan posted her experience on the Frank Report as well in other forms. I am saddened she never got her day in court. I do hope that the others who are in this case will receive some sort of justice.
J. Michael Shoemaker claims Muktananda in his “lineage”. Both of them are traumatizing narcissists who have harmed their “students” for decades.
https://trellis.law/doc/198489562/letter-correspondence-to-judge
When the first Frank reports on Shoemaker came out, Shoemaker had plenty of defenders. There were also those who blamed his victims and said they had consented. Where are they now? Have they been silenced by the civil suit or by the overwhelming narratives of abuse that are now on various media and social media sites as well in a complaint filed against Shoemaker and other named defendants?
Carol Merchasin has said, “If a person rapes someone in a dark alley by force because ’God told him to do it”, it doesn’t matter. We don’t need to give any credence to whether he believed it or not. It is about the conduct, and a civil society can always govern conduct.”
Has Shoemaker abused his position as a “spiritual teacher”, a businessperson and self-proclaimed reincarnation of the “goddess” to rape women and defraud his “students”? Or have his “students” been exercising their free will to be brutalized and exploited by him?
Here is a Timeline of Abuse, created from the Frank Reports, police reports, the narratives of those who have been abused and the information taken from the civil suit complaints.
1972: An ex-member, Pinky, described being raped in a Rudi/Shoemaker Center in Indiana, Published on line and republished in the Frank Report.
1997: Ex-member starts a lawsuit in Oregon that remained active for three years. The ex-member sued for Misrepresentation, Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress, Breach of Contract, and Racketeering; settled out of court and the record was sealed. Both Shoemaker and Sharon Ward were defendants in this case. Some case details are available on the Oregon Judicial database.
Early 2000’s – 2019: “Jim” describes sexual encounters with two of Shoemaker’s “students” who describe forced sex with strangers, drug use and coercion. Published in Frank Report and similar details are published in the civil suit narratives and in other narratives described below.
2001: Richard Read publishes his series in the Oregonian, he documented fraud, drug use, financial abuse, sexual abuse of at least 11 “students”. Shoemaker was the focus of these reports and Sharon Ward and her dogs are mentioned in the articles.
2001: Leaving Nitanyanda Letter with testimonials of sexual, labor, financial and emotional abuse by at least 11 ex-members. Shoemaker was the named abuser in this letter, it included reference to abuse of women in the cult and to abuse of “their daughters”. Published online. International Cultic Studies Association conducts a survey of ex-members that documents exploitation, coercive control and sexual abuse by Shoemaker.
2004 – 2011: Ex-member narrative part of publicly available amended civil suit complaint against Shoemaker. The narrative begins with meeting Shoemaker in Australia at R. Kruckman’s “ashram”. Recruitment and grooming begins there and ongoing brutalization in Oregon and Nepal from 2005 to 2011 is described. The descriptions include choking to unconscious in 2007, coercion being used to try to force sex with others including strangers and to have photos taken in sexually compromising situations. This information dove tails with an interview published by Frank with “Jim” as described above. Narrative describes sexual trafficking from Australia to Nepal and to the US to pleasure Shoemaker. Ex-member was seen in the company of Shoemaker by Theresa and Salman Khan in Nepal and by other members in Oregon. The narrative names Andrew Bonner and Rebecca Ressa as co-defendants who were involved in abuse and drug use at the Portland Center. Named defendant, Moni Oneal participated in the drug use and abuse as reported in the civil suit amended complaint. In the Frank Report Moni Oneal claimed,
“monionealomah
I have been Swamiji’s student for 33 years. And have only ever experienced for myself and witnessed him for countless others giving unconditional support, care, generosity, and kindness. Further, he has over 50 years, extended his teaching generously, unlike other groups and teachers, without ever charging for anything above and beyond the minimal operating expenses. He is a man of complete integrity, openness, kindness, and generosity. I stand by Swamiji.”
https://frankreport.com/2022/06/30/swami-chetanananda-swami-loves-you-come-back/
2002-2013 (Approximately) an ex-member of the Center and family member of Andrew Bonner, was recruited to the Center to provide “seva” (free labor). This ex-member was forced to work 7days a week for over 50 hours to pay for room and board. Lama Wangdu, an invited “spiritual” leader who was a resident at the Center sexually assaulted this ex-member. Jim Brisette and Sharon Ward were involved in all this abuse and harm. Published online in the Frank Report.
2009: Reported death at the Movement Center of Ayaz Quadir. Documented in a Portland Oregon police report, the cause of death was an alleged use of drugs. The body was found by Ayaz’s uncle, Andrew Bonner, who is now a named defendant in the current civil suit. In the civil suit, it is alleged that Bonner was aware of the use of cocaine at the Movement Center in 2008 and this information was not passed on to the family of Ayaz when he was at the Center and suffering from a substance abuse disorder.
2012-2015: Ex-member goes to the Movement Center to get sober and is recruited to provide “labor’ for room and board, labor trafficked. No warning is provided to the ex-member about drug use at the Center. Ex-member is given drugs and told to get drugs for Shoemaker’s “rituals”. Ex-member’s partner is “groomed” to become Shoemaker’s sexual partner and to change course of study to suit Shoemaker’s needs. This ex-member is warned to stay away from Shoemaker because he is dangerous. This warning comes from Andrew Bonner. Both ex-members leave the Center. One of the ex-members seeks medical assistance and is hospitalized in a behavioral health unit due to trauma. Published online in the Frank Report.
2012-2018; An ex-member is recruited to the Center, brutalized for 6.5 years. According to the narrative published on a private website in 2018, heavy drug use, sexual and physical torture were involved in the brutalization. The ex-member jumped off a bridge in Portland causing serious bodily injury. This narrative was later taken down and was republished by the Frank Report.
2017-2018: Mary Elizabeth Bazzani’s body is found in a river channel after she was reported missing from the Center. She had been a “student” of Shoemaker for over 30 years. Husband, daughters, sister and brother-in-law all involved with Shoemaker. None appear in the Portland police report for interviews or comments. Instead, Sharon Ward seemed to have “taken over” the police investigation using her cadaver smelling dog. Dead member was the sister of Theresa Khan and the sister-in-law of Salman Khan, both long time members of the Movement Center and present at the time of many of the alleged abuses at the Movement Center, in Nepal and at Gold Beach as described in the civil suit.
2020: Police report and Adult Protective Service report describes sexual abuse and coercion by Shoemaker of a fraudulently recruited ex-member. An ex-member who left the center in 2019 and was interviewed by police as part of this investigation. This ex-member had knowledge of sexual activity at the Movement Center, but reported the three women who participated in the choking and sodomy had “consented.” This ex-member provided labor for room and board and when refused sexually activity with Sharon Ward, was forced to leave the Movement Center.
2019-2022: A plaintiff in the civil suit is fraudulently recruited to the Movement Center and then is invited to move to Gold Beach. Ex-member is indoctrinated and “groomed” and then is brutalized by Shoemaker and gaslighted by the active members to “normalize” the abuse. Ex-member is told such brutalization will bring enlightenment. Jen Wilhelm is named as a participant in the “grooming” and abuse. Ex-member flees from the Center in Gold Beach and files a civil suit in 2023, narrative includes details of abuse including choking to unconscious, requests for compromising photos, fraud, and unwanted sexual abuse.
All who have had experiences with the Swami are welcome to call and tell their story. Frank can be reached at 305-783-7083 or by email at frankparlato@gmail.com.
Legal assistance, Carol Merchasin: https://mcolaw.com/team/carol-merchasin/
I was told that the Movement Center was used to host NA and AA meetings. A long-time “student” who called himself Govind was the facilitator for these groups. Seems like such tactics are used a a recruiting technique by cults like this one that Shoemaker leads. OSHO’s cult brought in unhoused people and a cult leader named Buffalo Bill Hawkins in Texas recruited among prison inmates with a focus on pedophiles. All these techniques were used in a predatory manner to take advantage of vulnerable people. Then the love bombing would start and the fraudulent promises of “free housing”, “community” and “belonging”….but, there was always a cost.
Jessica Becker was referred to the Movement Center from her rehab facility. Her up and
down and in and out narratives cerainly show the damage that was done to her by
her residence at the Movement Center. Others came to the Center via yoga
classes as Natacha reported in her published narrative of abuse. I attended a
few “open eyes” meditation sessions as well as Susan Marshall’s
Feldenkrais classes at the Movement Center. I wasn’t “recruited”, but
does that mean that no one was?
These dangerous and damaging psychological abuse (GPA), organizations popularly known as “cults,” are a well-documented social and public health problem that
directly affect 1% of the global population. They are organized so that only
the leader and the inner circle are fully aware of what is happening inside this
inner circle. That is why there are narratives like Little Sadhu, https://littlesadhu.com/,
and Chalice Kelly who only experienced “unconditional
love” while others brutalized, raped, exploited and found dead!
It took Sarah Edmonson’s branding photo spread across the front page of the New York Times to push law enforcement to go after Keith Raniere. Frank has done a superb job of
putting out there the horror stories of what Shoemaker and his associates have
done over the past 50 years.
One of the plaintiff’s in Carol Merchasin’s civil case, DM, came forward after years of silence because she read Frank’s articles and recognized her own abuse. Hats off to Frank, and I bow at the feet of those ready and brave enough to tell their “truth” about their experiences at the hands of Shoemaker. Keep the narratives coming Frank, there is so much more to learn.
I’m sorry, but this story by Chalice Kelly is preposterous.
Well I read and read till I could read no more! The woman that defends them is hilarious. Not to mention an idiot. What I hate is it’s all so so horrible and absurd and disgusting it’s hard to even believe this stuff happened.
I know most of it’s true…the wrongs Shoemaker did, and women have legitimate rage, shame and depression from it. Except Chalice…I guess
I have a hard time believing anyone can treat fellow humans so horribly. I’ve experienced deceit, gaslighting and betrayal, Narcissists and liars. But how did spiritual aspiration get so twisted? In all cultures? Geez!
I never met Wangdu but people who did thought he was a good sweet guy. They thought chanting the chod would burn away all the bad karma. Seems he picked up some dirty ways instead. People want to believe in goodness in spite of contrary evidence. I never imagined the kind of drug stuff that went on.
The net effect of learning about all this – for me – is such gratitude that I was in no way involved with 95% of that crap. And left before the worst was revealed. I mean shoemaker was always a sketchy guy but I never imagined he’d become such a criminal deviant.
Now I feel safe and happy and grateful I am free of those people.
She is probably Frank’s newest girlfriend. He likes them crazy.
How DARE you, Ms. WTF Kelly, speak for the people who have died or been injured by Shoemaker, presenting yourself as omniscient. You are an obscene imposter if indeed you even exist. You are less than zero. ANYONE can create an AI portrait and a disgusting story.
awwwwww come on. What a crock of shit.
https://theconversation.com/how-to-get-someone-out-of-a-cult-and-what-happens-afterwards-217697?fbclid=IwAR0CtXtTO6O26yrLC6YqUXNPAyNrOYhmJ6R_56GBDOU81Lv_b8qHCNOhPw4
Great news Frank! Here is someone who can defend Shoemaker and his associates in the civil case Carol Merchasin has filed against them in Oregon. Shoemaker, Sharon Ward, Drs. Bonner and Reese, Dr. Jennifer Wilhelm and Moni ONeal are all named defendants in this case. The causes of action against Shoemaker and his associates are: Sexual Battery; Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress; Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress; Negligence; Fraud; and Sex Trafficking. Please post the amemded complaint against Shoemaker and his associates on your Frank Report so all your readers can take a look at it.
Does Ms. Kelly have more information on how Ayaz Quadir was found dead by his uncle, Dr. Andrew Bonner at the Movement Center, but the police did not search the Center for drugs or interview the “abbot” Shoemaker about the death of his student? Was this due to Ayaz’s karma or institutional neglect and negligence? Ms. Kelly states that LIz was sick and passed out and fell into the river. Was this her karma or lack of appropriate institutional oversight of an ill student of 30 years? Why then did Sharon Ward and her cadaver dog spend days searching for her instead of stating this to the police? Seems Ms. Kelly has no doubt that karma is the leading cause of jumping off a bridge!
Keep going Frank, plenty more information out there on what Shoemaker has done over the past 50 years. Bring in all vocies, let’s hear what they have to say. There has to be more to this story of a brave trafficking rescue from the Ayran Brothers by two overweight, orange robed “spiritual leaders”. No doubt Laura Hoeppner and her video team will want to capture this, Harleys, tattoos and teen age victims. This is made for Netflix!
Was Richard Luthmann ever victimized by this Lamalama’s ding dong?
Or by the Swami’s swinging schwanstein?
Mau mau – I met Chalice but I thought her name was Chrystal. I recognize her picture and last name. I saw her at meditation a few times and I sat with her at the dinner table once. I came to the center when I was homeless and am an alcoholic and I am an abuse victim. The lama did a ceremony for me and the swami let me live there so I could get back on my feet. The lama and the swami never tried to seduce me and the swami encouraged me to look forward and not backward and to try to stop drinking. I am sorry they are gone and I wish everyone well too.
So, I have heard that the Movement Center hosted NA and AA meetings at their facility. Was this a way to attract vulnerable people to the Center? NA and AA meetings don’t have any “professional” oversight and they can devolve into controling and manipulating groups that actually harm the people who attend rather than help people who are struggling with addiction. Did Shoemaker and his associates use these meetings to recruit “students” for exploitation at the Movement Center? (free labor and/or sex?) I was told that a long time “student” named Govind facilitated these meetings.
Jessica Becker, a contributor to the Frank Report was referred to the Center from an inpatient facility for addiction. Jessica has both denounced and supported Shoemaker, she seems to be another complicated case, like Chalice and Jana. People who are recruited into cults seem to come at times in their lives when they are vulnerable and seeking something that is missing in their lives.
Cults are organized like an onion, layers and layers of lies and deceit. Only the “inner layer” of the onion, those closest to the leader know all that is happening within the cult. I attended a few “open eyes” meditation sessions and a couple of Susan Marshall’s Feldenkrais classes at the Movement Center. I didn’t see any abuse, but does that mean that no one was being abused?
How many women were branded in NXIVM out of all the people who attened one of the thousands of “classes” that Raniere’s coaches presented? Some people who attended these classes did benefit. If there was no benefit, the organization would fall apart too quickly for the cult leader to gain control over his/her inner circle. Raniere, the leader of NXIVM is a tramatizing narcissist. He didn’t brand everyone who walked through the doors, but he did brutalized enough woment that now he is behind bars for 120 years. There are still “loyalists” who support Raniere. From what Frank has printed about Shoemaker and from what Carol Merchansin has filed in court, it looks like Shoemaker fits this same pattern.
I thought her name was Jana
Was this in Portland? What year?
This sounds like horse shite
No one even recognizes the woman in the picture! let alone this fluff bit saying they knew her
Any evidence of what she’s claiming? Swami now takes on child traffickers? 😂
Just as much evidence as there is that Richard Luthmann was raped in prison.
“ My teacher, Swamiji, would not touch me sexually. I threw myself at Swami Chetananada, but he never would take advantage of me.”
Why did you throw yourself at your guru? Is this conduct the result of your sex trafficking?
It seems Chet went after virgins. Maybe that’s why he didn’t take you up on your offers.
I wasn’t a virgin, but he sure jumped me.
Anyone dumb enough to follow a guru or believe what Richard Luthmann says deserves what they get.
No one even recognizes this person who wrote the article. No credibility at all. Zero. The negative stories about Shoemaker are true. Lots of evidence. Let’s not try to white wash this awful situation. Frank+ I am surprised you published this garbage.
I am usually willing to publish opinions that are counter to my own.