A British Columbia Supreme Court official has ruled that the Karmapa Lama, one of the potential heirs of the Dalai Lama, is being sued for spouse and child support by a woman who claims to be in a “marriage-like relationship” with the marriage can Buddhist monk.
Ogyen Trinley Dorje – known to his millions of followers as His Holiness, the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, or simply the Karmapa Lama – reportedly fathered a child with the woman in 2017.
Vikki Hui Xin Han claims that she and Dorje were in a marital relationship that was essentially marriage or as close as possible to Dorje’s Buddhist commitments.
The case, which will be heard in British Columbia, Canada, enters new legal bases that could challenge the definition of marriage in the context of spousal support laws and create an interesting precedent for a “marriage-like relationship”.
Can Buddhist Monks Marry?
Although the rules are different in the monastic communities, Buddhist monks generally do not marry.
Since monks are expected to devote themselves entirely to the Buddha’s path to enlightenment, most take vows of celibacy and family ties, with the exception of obligations to their own parents.
In Dorje’s homeland of Tibet, there are some non-celibate lineages of Buddhism that allow marriage, but these are unusual.
Dorje’s inability to marry seems to have fueled Han’s decision to stand up for the support of the spouses.
Elwood acknowledges that the changing state of relationships in the modern world could make the virtual coupling of Dorje and Han more believable.
But he says, “Almost all of the traditional factors are absent” in their relationship.
He says courts define the right to spousal support in terms of 22 factors, including “shelter, sexual behavior, intra-marriage services, social and societal activities, economic support, and children”.
Han’s claim fails in all respects as the couple never lived together, never engaged in consensual sex, never intended to have a child, no one except Han’s mother knew about their relationship, and they never helped each other with household chores.
Elwood says the court may be interested in Dorje’s offer of financial assistance.
“A trial judge can use the facts alleged by Ms. Han to determine that the parties loved each other and lived together, but could not do so because of Mr. Dorje’s religious duties and nomadic lifestyle,” added Elwood.
Why is the Karmapa Lama being sued for spousal assistance when he and Han never married?
Vikki Hui Xin Han claims to have only met Dorje four times but entered a relationship that she compared to marriage.
Han began a three-year stint in a US monastery in 2016 after meeting Dorje two years earlier and being inspired to become a nun.
Han claims Dorje sexually assaulted her in the New York convent in 2017 and became pregnant after that encounter.
Han claims that what began as a non-consensual relationship then “evolved into a loving and loving relationship.”
“Mr. Dorje initially declined responsibility, but gave Ms. Han his email address and a cell phone number and, according to Ms. Han, said he would prepare ‘some money’ for her,” said Bruce Elwood, the chief clerk of the Han’s motion granted.
The couple communicated with Dorje through text messages, who allegedly had sent money to Han at least twice.
In the months leading up to the baby’s birth in June 2018, Han claimed Dorje sent her $ 420,000 and CDN 350,000, including money for a house and a wedding ring.
He later allegedly said to Han, “Take care of her and you are my duty for life.”
Dorje and Han lost contact in January 2019 and Han sued the following June, initially over child support payments, before later asking for assistance for the spouses.
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Han is not the only woman who claims to have been sexually assaulted by the Karmapa Lama.
In October 2020, a woman named Jane Huang brought up her own story.
“Watch out for the Tibetan lamas, especially the famous ones, because their real faces are terribly ugly.” She wrote in the description of a video she posted on YouTube. “They use Buddha Dharma or Tantra teachings as excuses to grant their wishes and to abuse the consciousness and devotion of the students. Dzongsar Khyentse is just a hypocrite and I will continue to reveal his invisible / untold stories in the future.”
Joining the video was another woman named Wu Hang Yee who said she stood up “to tell me to help Jane Huang expose the wrongdoing of Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje.”
Dorje is a potential successor to the Dalai Lama.
Dorje is one of two eligible for the Karmapa Lama title, a controversy that has sparked divisions among her Buddhist followers.
Dorje is seen as a potential heir to the Dalai Lama, which could make him the 15th spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism.
However, the controversial question of who will succeed the current Dalai Lama has no conclusive answer.
China’s atheist government has expressed its intention to elect the next Dalai Lama, stating that 92 born-again living Buddhas have been identified and approved for the rule.
In the meantime, many claim that the judgment of who will be the next Dalai Lama to be born again should be within the authority of the Tibetan people and Buddhist leaders.
Alice Kelly is a writer and lives in Brooklyn, New York. See how she deals with social justice, news, and entertainment. Stay tuned with her on Twitter to find out more.
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