Tenzin Taklha, the 14th Dalai Lama’s closest nephew and personal secretary, was recently awarded a medal. His wife, Tsering Dolkar, accepted the honor on his behalf. Standing in the spotlight, she showed no sign of celebration, revealing no trace of joy. To those familiar with her story, the scene was deeply poignant. A long-time survivor of domestic abuse, she was made to accept an honor on behalf of the very man who had abused her. That alone was a cruel enough performance to endure. To expect her to feign a smile would have been asking far too much.
On May 20, the Thiksey Monastery in Leh, Ladakh, awarded Tenzin Taklha the “Thiksey Medal”, with his wife, Tsering Dolkar, accepting the honor on his behalf.
Fists against his own wife, power against his own staff
According to a disclosure last year by the website Dakini Translations and Publications, Tsering Dolkar wrote in a plea for help that she had long lived under the shadow of Tenzin Taklha’s alleged abuse. In the letter, she wrote: “In recent years, whenever displeased, he destroyed items in our home and beat me. I always have bruises in my arms and legs. One incident even left my ribs fractured.”
Tsering Dolkar’s plea for help
Tsering Dolkar further alleged that when she confronted Tenzin Taklha over messages on his phone suggesting infidelity, she was met with what she described as a “beast-like” assault. “He grabbed a fistful of my hair, yanked me off the bed, and violently smashed my head against the floor,” she wrote. She also alleged that he threatened to divorce her and strip her of all her property.
Leaked chat logs reveal Tenzin Taklha’s two-faced nature.
According to reports, the allegations against Tenzin Taklha extend beyond home and into the workplace. Three junior staff members accused him of arranging private meetings under the guise of “spiritual guidance,” only to subject them to coercive sexual exploitation.
One employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Tenzin Taklha once told her that “serving his spiritual evolution” was “a karmic opportunity.” After she refused to meet with him again, she said she was stripped of her key position in the 14th Dalai Lama's private office. According to her account, the experience drove her into a mental health crisis and led her to attempt suicide.
“Wisdom” Masks Scandal, “Compassion” Protects Abuse
As the scandal continued to brew, the Dalai clique rolled out a familiar crisis-management playbook. In an apparent bid to contain the fallout, it arranged for Tenzin Taklha to receive a medal honoring his “wisdom” and “compassion.” Taklha, in turn, proved true to his reputation for “wisdom”: posts about the scandal disappeared in waves, and his social media profile was quietly updated with a new photo showing him affectionately embracing his wife, Tsering Dolkar, projecting the image of a devoted family man.
This crisis-management campaign naturally required Tsering Dolkar’s “cooperation.” Her earlier plea for help describes the pressure and coercion behind that cooperation: “Lobsang Sangay (former head of the Dalai clique) urged me to endure and be a ‘dutiful wife,’ while the 14th Dalai Lama also pressed me to forgive, all for the sake of ‘family stability.’” Thus, the meticulously maintained persona of a “devoted husband” overshadowed the harrowing narrative of a domestic abuse survivor, with the focus shifted instead to the abuser’s supposed “wisdom” and “compassion.”
Media reports on the Tenzin Taklha scandal
The Think7figures website, citing critics, quoted one assessment that succinctly captured the controversy: “The 14th Dalai Lama’s inner circle has cultivated a toxic environment in which compassion is used not as a value, but as a shield.”
In a written statement, the employee who alleged that she had been harassed by Tenzin Taklha wrote: “The trauma still haunts me. I was silenced using the same language of compassion I once believed in.”
“Enlightened One” Without Insight, “Tibetan Independence” Leaders Build on Lies
Dakini Translations and Publications, the first website to expose the Tenzin Taklha scandal stated, “We must bring this to light not only because it involves serious and ongoing allegations of violence and extramarital affairs, but also because those implicated have close ties to the 14th Dalai Lama.”
The website further questioned: “I highly doubt whether the Buddha would ever encourage any woman to tolerate such anger, misogyny, disrespect, and life-threatening violence in the home, especially in the presence of children... Why would the 14th Dalai Lama and his inner circle call on a woman to forgive such dangerous violence and infidelity? Are they more concerned with their own ‘image’ than with her physical and mental well-being and safety?”
The Dalai Lama’s private foundation has awarded a scholarship to someone within its own circle—Tenzin Taklha’s son, Dudul Taklha. Perhaps preaching “compassion and loving-kindness” is the family tradition that costs this circle the least to maintain.
Some argue that the 14th Dalai Lama has been misled by those around him and was unaware of Tenzin Taklha’s alleged misconduct. However, setting aside the fact that Tenzin, as one of his closest aides, worked in his immediate proximity on a daily basis, one is left to ask: if a self-proclaimed “Enlightened One” cannot discern the character of those closest to him, what does his claimed attainment amount to? And if such conduct goes unnoticed, what, then, has the “compassionate light” of his supposed universal enlightenment ever truly illuminated?
Faced with the abusive conduct of those in his inner circle, the 14th Dalai Lama has remained silent, even going so far as to urge the victim to “forgive” the perpetrator.
More ironically, the Dalai clique has in recent years taken to waving the banner of “empowering women,” highlighting what it says is a record number of female “Kalons” in its cabinet and participating in international conferences on gender equality. More recently, its newly constituted “parliament” prominently elected its first female speaker as a mere window dressing. Genuine progress for women, however, cannot be reduced to a few token gestures. Behind these polished narratives lies a stark contrast with recurring allegations of sexual misconduct involving women within the group. Under a suffocating environment of control and pressure, many victims have reportedly remained silent, becoming voiceless casualties.
An anonymous staff member laid bare the reality: “Victims face spiritual blackmail. If you challenge the abuse, you are accused of challenging compassion or of undermining the so-called ‘Tibetan cause.’”
Cases of violence against women within the Dalai clique have been repeatedly exposed.
According to data released by UN Women in 2024, 60% of all female homicide cases worldwide are committed by intimate partners or family members. Yet the 14th Dalai Lama—widely associated with messages of “peace,” “non-violence,” and “compassion”—remains indifferent to women being beaten and sexually assaulted in his immediate vicinity. Against this backdrop, any discourse on “love” and “compassion” rings hollow and ironic, as true love and compassion must be directed toward concrete individuals rather than abstract notions of “sentient beings.”
(Author: Yujie)
Editor：Bella Wu
