The Caged Crusader And The Fallen Teacher - Harold Hempstead Interviewed On Religious Abuse By Jeremy Schanche

"The students should try to help their fallen teacher.  It is always best to show love and compassion to those in need."  

Florida's Caged Crusader talks about religious abuse, prison, murder and The Bible with Jeremy Schanche - activist and author from Kernow.

When I asked Harold if hearing Darren Rainey screaming as he died in the special shower changed  his life  he answered simply "yes" but he has already said quite a lot about this - his darkest night.

This was the event that set him on a path of opposing evil in a very dynamic way - not only did he risk assault and murder by guards for exposing the torture at Dade but he has also given evidence of how FDC allows sexual predators exposure to children in prisons in Florida -  and he also advocates strongly for disabled rights in prison .

Apart from the shower-torture and murder - Harold Hempstead has written extensively on Florida DC's policy of starving prisoners to death - in particular he tells of the fates of Darrel Richardson and Oscar Davis - both of whom he has testified to seeing be starved to death.

My first interview with Harold from June 2016

The Miami Herald has a large collection of articles on Harold Hempstead - Darren Rainey and FDC -

George Mallinckrodt is a psychologist who worked at Dade CI and has written of the murder there

Madness - An in-depth article from the New Yorker about FDC

 A high proportion of Florida's prisoners are in long-term Solitary Confinement - despite international treaties declaring this totally unlawful and in contravention of UNCAT.  In an amazing and precedent-setting development - the British High Court has just refused to extradite Lauri Love to USA on the grounds that the US prison-system cannot guarantee the most basic human rights to convicts.



Florida Prisons to which Harold Hempstead 
has been transferred so far:
Wakulla CI;  Wakulla CI Annex;  Okaloosa CI;  Jackson CI;  Santa Rosa CI;  Washington CI;  Apalachee CI East Unit;  Jefferson CI;  Everglades CI;  Dade CI;  Martin CI;  Okeechobee CI;  Hardee CI;  Columbia CI; Columbia CI Annex;  Union CI;  Florida State Prison;  Suwannee CI Annex;  Holmes CI;  Tomoka CI;  Lake CI;  Zephyrhills CI;  Regional Medical Centre;  Central Florida Reception Centre;  South Florida Reception Centre.

Video of Harold Hempstead

"It is always best to show love and compassion 
to those in need."  
Harold Hempstead - February 2018

A Challenge To A Wise Lama

I-m inviting World-famous Tibetan Lama Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche to debate me on the policy of ZERO-TOLERANCE OF ABUSE IN BUDDHISM as I think we all need to be clear that true Buddhism will never turn a blind eye to abuse under any name or in any form whatsoever - Surely authentic Buddhism should neither be deaf to the cries of the world - from whatever source they come - My own view is that the best deterrent for institutional abuse is to shine a searingly bright light into the heart of that institution whilst sounding a siren to wake the town and tell the people -
Institutions - be they prisons or monasteries - be they police-departments or job-centres - schools - armies - mental-hospitals or trading companies - tend to be hierarchical in structure and thus require submission of a portion of sovereign autonomy from constituent members - these structures are often arranged like concentric rings of power or tiers of a wedding-cake - The point is that some people - like me - believe that your own conscience should be the boss - the Guvnor - and even the most respected opinion can only resonate with our own - not impose or dominate it!  As usual I have said too much - so here is the letter:

Open Letter to Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche – 8^th January 2018

Dear Rinpoche                               

I have offered to the Three Jewels the policy of ZERO-TOLERANCE OF ABUSE IN BUDDHISM and would be so delighted to receive at least a verbal endorsement of this idea from a real Tibetan Lama –

I would like to invite you to debate me on youtube for at least one hour of unedited free and open discussion of the above offering and its connotations –

I understand that Rinpoche is an unusually busy man and it may be some time before you find the appropriate hour to do this but as I recently discovered that you were visiting my country it seemed timely to extend the invitation -

When you are able to make this meeting I recommend it be in a secular space so free speech can prevail without causing possible offence to anyone-s beliefs –

My view is that for the Buddha-Dharma to flourish in the West and in the World generally it-s representatives will need to conduct themselves in a manner that inspires trust and respect – When the teacher is advertising teachings to the general public my view is that the teacher-s morality must be seen to be at least as good as those he or she is going to teach and possibly even a little bit better -  Given a stark choice between Enlightenment and Human Rights most people I know will tell me exactly where I can put my Enlightenment –

It would make me very happy to see the Buddha-Dharma flourish in new countries like Britain but I know these people and when it comes to teachers - school or religion – we have high standards –

The more Buddhism spreads in the modern world the more attention is focusing on the teachers - the Lamas and Gurus who are spreading this extraordinary message – Some of them have already achieved a status approaching that of a minor pop-star (in worldly eyes) and obviously H H The Dalai Lama is a massive super-star by any definition in this world –

Whilst some of the less critical Buddhists are unwilling to hear tales of abuse within Buddhism I can assure you that the more public Buddhism becomes as its success spreads – then countless secular media people are going to be looking for ways to attack the Dharma – Are we going to hand them a box of weapons –

If abuse continues within Buddhism the media will root it out – they have barely given it any attention so far in history because journalists follow leads – so far there have not been many – In the future we might even see Buddhist-Journalists who make it their life-s work to root out abuse and throw it on the table before the eyes of the world – Personally I would respect a journalist like that –

I look forward to your response Rinpoche

Kind regards – Jeremy Schanche – Penwith - Kernow – Britain – The West

Well this is how naive I am - I was looking for a nice photo of a Tibetan Snow Lion to put on this blog as I thought it would go well - Just a few seconds ago I discovered that the snow lion is a mythical or celestial animal - not to be found within Animalia!  I heard about them years ago and  I always thought these beasts were real - and I also prided myself on knowing a lot about Tibet!  Hmmm - Perhaps I-m just an ignorant pig and nothing more -
Well - don-t panic anyone!  We-ll just have to make do with a picture of a real animal from my country - Palores Kernouac Yw - Pyrocorax pyrocorax - The Cornish Chough - Note how generations of being used down tin-mines has led to the visible evolution of a pick-axe bill -

Feileacan

Almost certainly the best thing to do is KEEP CALM AND PANIC

MUD ON THE LOTUS

Here-s my criticism of and challenge to my former Lama - Spiritual Teacher - Guru and woman-abusing violent manipulative tyrant (as I have just discovered) the so-called Sogyal Rinpoche or Sonam Gyaltsen Lakar of Eastern Tibet - ostensible reincarnation of Terton Sogyal - founder and leader of the international Rigpa group of Dharma-Centres around the world - and raised and tutored by some of the very greatest yogis of the twentieth century -
Having this day read of his string of crimes - his resignation as leader of the Rigpa association - the accusatory letter signed by eight of his closest former students detailing years of habitual violence and sexual exploitation- the little incident of him punching a nun in the guts in the shrine-room in front of over a thousand people -
Whilst studying these horrors through the night I also followed up research on Kalu Rinpoche - the aged and venerable yogi who initiated me into Buddhism 30 years ago in Shoreditch - East London - and found that he too abused his consorts horribly so I also feel I must sever connection with this amazing person who died in the late twentieth century -
Interestingly I came across the confessional film made by his reincarnation - the 2nd Kalu Rinpoche - in which he describes with great sadness the sexual abuse he was subjected to which drove him to drug addiction and alcoholism before he eventually sent some decadent monks packing and - in the awareness of his own experiences - instituted a strict policy to protect the Sangha from the menace of sexual predation -
So in one night I feel I have lost the two Lamas who were my light for 30 years only to be deeply moved by the Honesty and Humanity of the 2nd Kalu Rinpoche and feel a growing devotion for this humble and thoroughly down-to-earth young man - I also have faith in the Karmapa and am sure he will play a massive role in this time -
I wrote the letter spontaneously and without revision - straight from the heart - straight to Sogyal-s heart -

MUD  ON  THE  LOTUS

An Open Letter To Sogyal Lakar aka Rinpoche          31:12:2017

Dear Sogyal –

I trusted you –

From Autumn 1987 until this day – for 30 years – I regarded you as my true Lama and even when going through long periods with no formal practice I still considered my link with you to be something of the very deepest significance and importance in my life –

I know you remember me – a hippy from London – from Cornwall – shaven head – drunk – Sikkim – Kathmandu -  French Alps – Harrow – attended teachings between 87 and 94 – my “seven years in Tibet” and you gave me probably more than any other human in terms of teaching reality and consciousness and profundity –

I keep seeing your fist hitting that poor nun in the stomach and just today I have heard all the terrible things about you from your closest students – I believe them to be true and that you are indeed a violent tyrant and vile sexual-predator –

I understand that your upbringing was most unusual and that you did not have normal human access to women nor the guidance or basic human culture of how to treat a lady – However this does not in the slightest degree exonerate you from your real crimes against many good-hearted trusting Chelas and also the grave spiritual crime you have committed against the Sangha – It is mind-blowing for me to say this Sogyal – coming from me – the lazy drunken hedonist who can-t let go of ignorance and pleasure-grasping – but you Sogyal have destroyed the Samaya – even His Holiness has called you “disgraced” and basically the game-s up!

I hear you are still teaching – this worries me – personally I think you should do one hundred thousand prostrations in the presence of every woman you have violated and bullied and also every man – prostrate to them and beg forgiveness with each prostration – that would be my answer –

Now I have to go and figure out how a pig like you – a violent beast – a tyrant who fucks women grunting and chucks them aside like the lowest whores – can also be the son of Manjushri!  The damage you have done to the cause of the Dharma is incalculable – the people you have turned away from the noble path are innumerable as the sands of the Ganges – You set up a glowing shrine of purity – kindness – profound vast knowledge – the mind itself – and you shat on it man – why did you do that ~ We gave you our hearts – in our way – us little westerners – we gave what we could and what we had – we followed you round the world listening to your wisdom and then you fucked it up!  You raised a beautiful lotus to emanate the blissful fragrance of truth  and loving-kindness and then you came back and stamped the lotus into the mud – spattering it in filth and breaking its fragile petals into pulp –

Can you grow another lotus ~

Can you retrieve the trust of all your students – followers – Chelas ~ can you ~ ever ~ I don-t think you are fit to teach until you have made good the harm you have done and I don-t know how you could achieve that -  not in one lifetime!

I also hear that you have cancer Sogyal and for that I am very sad and genuinely hope that you make a full recovery soon – My Christian friend in prison in Amerika – Harold Hempstead – says he would stand up to defend a Klansman from injustice just the same as he stood up for a disturbed Muslim drug-using convict who was steamed to death in a Florida prison shower – Harold is not full of shit and I trust him one hundred per cent – So just as Harold – the Caged Crusader – would defend the human rights of a fascist so in just the same way I wish you well and wish no harm on you ever – I know many people will now view you as All-Bad just as many once viewed you as All-Good and this will no doubt be a valuable part of your education –

How can you punch a nun ~ For fuck-s sake man!  How can you punch a nun ~

Well I can-t stop you punching nuns but I can cross you off the list of people who are worthy to teach me about ethics – let alone Enlightenment! 

This is very sad as I have also lost faith in Kalu Rinpoche (the 1^st) having just read of his crimes against women – in many ways this news hit me even harder than news of your crimes as I regarded Kalu Rinpoche as a living Milarepa and to discover that he was also a brutal tyrant and harmer and user of women is vastly disturbing to me – but also curiously liberating in itself –

This is because your crimes have reinforced my Anarchist belief that it is foolish to give power and authority to any other human being – This corresponds perfectly with Shakyamuni-s instruction to the Sangha to challenge him and try to find fault with his teachings – not to blindly accept him as an “authority” -  not to give away their discriminating-awareness –

I clearly remember you saying that we should respect the teachings – not you personally – but what you taught – the lineage and all that goes with it – I am just Sogyal – you once said – with such seeming modesty – and your words were true – your warning was valid – I respect the teachings as much as ever and try to live up to their spirit and avoid creating harm in the world – I have not done particularly well at this but I do try –

So obviously I have lost respect for you and faith – belief – trust – etc etc – but am still curious – you still know what you know – you still have your highly cultivated consciousness and awareness and knowledge – but how could you justify such brutal actions to yourself – is this culturally normal in the Lamaic world ~ is it normal to grab women and fuck them like animals ~ knock them around and threaten them with black-magic ~

I remember in Nepal getting pressure from “older students” for “not being mindful” when I drank beer and got loud and getting criticized by an Amerikan woman for walking on the right-hand side of a pillar at Dilgo Khentse Rinpoche-s monastery – “to the left” she barked – like a cop – (It was actually a woman highly respected for her sensitive work with dying patients!)  Such was the reverence to the minutiae and fine detail of oriental etiquette – Fair enough perhaps – I didn-t want to offend anyone-s sensibilities –

Well over here in Europe we have a certain etiquette towards women – They are our equals and sex is something that can happen when two people both want it – within a relationship that at least aspires towards a form of equality!  In treating women as you have – you-ve tragically done them terrible and cynical harm but have also cut yourself off from knowledge of a true – natural and happy relation between man and woman  - You must atone for your evils -  How strange to say it but Guru – you must atone for your evils -

Then there was all that bullshit in Australia –  teaching “wisdom” to a select group of the 1% super-wealthy Capitalists that run the country – and that million dollar pad they built you!  Why weren-t you in the ghetto helping the poor – the dispossessed – the down and outs and homeless people that live on the street ~  Why did you chose to hang with all the rich-pigs I wonder and ignore the poor and suffering of that great nation ~  Shouldn-t a Boddhisatva go to the lowest place and help the people who need help most ~  What-s the big attraction with dollars ~ This kind of gross materialistic vulgarity is profoundly damaging to the Dharma and is also corny and low-class – I work as an unpaid human-rights activist so I have to call out power-holding-hypocrites all the time as my daily business – I have become accustomed to criticizing local government – national government – murderous police and prison-guards and their corrupt bosses – government people and leaders – but I never ever in a million years thought I would have to call out my own Lama and call him a violent woman-abuser and corrupt criminal – like these worldly men that I fight as an expression of Dharma and truth – but hey – what a long strange trip it-s been! 

I remember Nyoshul Khenpo Rinpoche in France in 89 talking about the ups and downs of his life – from enthronement to begging and back again – such is this life brother Sogyal – my bad brother – I am so sad for what you have done and trying to understand how such refinement of spirit could coexist with such evil and brutal selfishness and ignorance – that is truly mystifying so I guess that counts as a mystical experience! 

Don-t teach Sogyal – learn!  Learn learn learn – and atone –

You are a man and I am a man – You helped me and now I am helping you by talking to you directly and telling you that the best thing you can do for the Holy Dharma is stop teaching – purify yourself and find a genuine way of making good the vile damage you have done to these tender and mother-like sentient beings – these gentle ladies who put their lives in your hungry hands –

I wish you well Sonam Gyaltsen and would be very happy to interview you for youtube if you are happy to talk to me – go ahead!

Sincerely – Jeremy Schanche – aka Karma Mingyur Dorje – Kernow - Britain                  

Calling Rigpa Sangha!

Well brothers and sisters I expect many of you are feeling it way way harder than me and are going through some most unwelcome changes – I have not seen any of you for over twenty years so don-t know who-s still alive or “on the scene” or anything but I had some very close and deep friendships with some of yous and I wanted to express my solidarity with you all and also to invite anyone who remembers me (or not) to contact me should they wish to discuss any of these bizarre and terrible happenings or simply just renew the old friendship –

In all my life I will never forget the amazing and profound loving-kindness I was shown by many of my fellow “practitioners” or “Buddhists” as the rest of the world calls us!  Mike from South London who used to drive me home to Shepherd-s Bush from Camden – you always embodied the soul of gentle kind wisdom and I-d love to hear from you man – so many other brothers and sisters – please get in touch – I miss you and love you all –

We must obviously not be too discouraged by all this shit but must learn from it – I guess we are all a little wiser – in a worldly kind of way – but wiser – It-s always better to know than not to know!

Cheers and kind wishes – Jeremy Schanche 

Sangha Contact

From the Australian press 

Resignation announcement in Buddhist press

Nun-punching pondered over

WHAT THE FUCK!  "You will die spitting up blood like Ian Maxwell" Sogyal-s quote about a good and kind man who I personally knew and respected deeply   Having read the letter from his close students and what Sogyal said about Ian Maxwell it-s hard not to despise and hate the guy - I-m a little shocked that the students believe Sogyal can be rehabilitated as a valid teacher rather than brought before a court of law for his many many many fucking horrible crimes - and I won-t let a corrupt fool like him destroy Buddhism for me - I think it is bigger than Mr Lakar -