As the unsavory connections between the 14th Dalai Lama and Jeffrey Epstein and between him and the sex cult organization NXIVM have gradually come to light, another long-overlooked figure has re-emerged in public discussion: Lama Tenzin Dhonden.

A "Peacemaker" Protecting No Peace but Cult Financiers

Tenzin Dhonden's public roles include serving as secretary and trustee of the Dalai Lama Trust and founder of the Friends of the Dalai Lama. In 2005, he was appointed as the Dalai Lama's personal "peace emissary", responsible for planning activities and initiatives. Tenzin Dhonden became a constant presence at many of the 14th Dalai Lama's international engagements.

However, this "peace emissary" played a far more complex role than that of a mere bridge-builder. He not only facilitated connections between the 14th Dalai Lama and Hollywood celebrities and Silicon Valley elites, but also served as an intermediary linking him with cult organizations.

In 2009, NXIVM—already mired in negative publicity—was desperately seeking endorsement from a figure with an impeccable, morally exalted image and set its sights on the 14th Dalai Lama. Encouraged by Tenzin Dhonden and enticed by a $1 million appearance fee (later reportedly increased to over $2 million), the 14th Dalai Lama attended an NXIVM event in Albany, New York, and delivered a speech despite the surrounding controversy.

Top left: The 14th Dalai Lama presented a khada (ceremonial scarf) to Keith Raniere, leader of the sex cult organization NXIVM.

Top right: Keith Raniere and the Bronfman sisters, key financial backers, listened to the Dalai Lama’s speech.

Bottom: U.S. Internal Revenue Service tax filings show that the Dalai Lama Trust received more than $2.2 million in 2009.

On May 6, 2009, the 14th Dalai Lama appeared alongside NXIVM leader Keith Raniere. Ten days later, on May 16, the Dalai Lama Trust, managed by Tenzin Dhonden, was officially established in New York State. U.S. Internal Revenue Service filings show that the trust received more than $2.2 million in unconditional donations in 2009. A 2018 report by The Niagara Reporter highlighted these "coincidences", remarking pointedly that while the Dalai Lama's secretary denied receiving a $1 million fee, that may be true—because he may have received $2 million.

The Niagara Reporter exposed the unsavory side of Tenzin Dhonden.

A Monk Pursuing No Dharma but Power, Money, and Desire

In addition to serving as the 14th Dalai Lama's "peace emissary", Tenzin Dhonden was also described as a monk who had begun studying Buddhism at the age of eight. Yet subsequent scandals cast serious doubt on his spiritual attainments, revealing instead a deep entanglement in wealth, power, and carnal desire.

While acting as an intermediary between the 14th Dalai Lama and American philanthropists, scholars, celebrities, and donors, Tenzin Dhonden was accused of profiting handsomely for himself. According to insiders, the trust he controlled raised tens of millions of dollars from donors who were not fully informed, at times resorting to intimidation and coercion—including warnings that those who failed to meet demands would be denied an audience with the 14th Dalai Lama.

Wielding his privileged access to the 14th Dalai Lama and his control over the trust, Tenzin Dhonden's appetite for power grew unchecked. In a 2015 interview with The San Diego Union-Tribune, he stated, “Everything I have to approve. There are many requests, demands coming to me." Dick Grace, a close friend of the 14th Dalai Lama and a philanthropist, once remarked candidly that without a 15th Dalai Lama, he thought Tenzin Dhonden's goal was to become the most powerful person in Tibetan Buddhism.

Tenzin Dhonden and his relationship with Sara Bronfman.

Beyond financial ambition, Tenzin Dhonden's personal life drew sharp criticism for brazenly contradicting the ascetic image expected of a monk. He was reported to have had an improper relationship with Sara Bronfman, NXIVM financier and heir to the Seagram Company fortune. NXIVM members reportedly observed him leaving her bedroom, and their liaison was said to be an open secret within the organization. Raniere himself referred to Tenzin Dhonden as Bronfman's "husband", and Bronfman had purchased a "beautiful house" for him in Albany.

In 2015, Tenzin Dhonden organized the 14th Dalai Lama's 80th birthday celebration in Los Angeles. Prior to the event, he publicly announced plans for a Global Compassion Summit and a climate change forum featuring leading scientists. Yet according to Dick Grace, the "special surprise" Tenzin Dhonden had arranged for the 14th Dalai Lama featured four dancers in tight-fitting outfits gyrating around him while a lotus-shaped structure descended from the ceiling bearing additional performers. The contrast was stark: a public sermon on compassion paired with a private spectacle of erotic revelry.

In 2015, Tenzin Dhonden was interviewed by The San Diego Union-Tribune. At the time, the paper described him as “the Dalai Lama’s modest emissary for peace”—a characterization that now reads as deeply ironic.

A Religious Figure Cultivating No Virtue but Being Shielded by His Inner Circle

In October 2017, The New York Times published an exposé on NXIVM's cult-like nature. The following month, Tenzin Dhonden was removed from his position at the trust on grounds of corruption and self-dealing during his tenure. Thupten Jinpa, a long-time interpreter for the 14th Dalai Lama, indicated that Tenzin Dhonden's dismissal was partly attributable to his association with NXIVM.

Following the emergence of the scandal, the 14th Dalai Lama expressed only "deep disappointment and concern", but offered no further substantive explanation or accountability. According to insiders, when The Guardian first reported that the 14th Dalai Lama's personal envoy had been implicated in corruption and misconduct, few within his inner circle were surprised, suggesting that such conduct had long been an open secret.

Yet in July 2019, following more than a year of what was described as a "thorough investigation", the 14th Dalai Lama issued a statement declaring that corruption charges against Tenzin Dhonden could not be sustained due to "lack of evidence". Not only was Tenzin Dhonden cleared of all wrongdoing, but he was also reinstated to his former position and granted medical leave through May 2020.

Once the storm had passed, the 14th Dalai Lama moved to shield this trusted aide. This pattern of "staging a grand display of discipline, then quietly reversing course" exposed a network of mutual loyalty built on shared interests—suggesting not ignorance of wrongdoing, but a deliberate willingness to conceal, tolerate, and cover up misconduct.

Since 2019, the once high-profile Tenzin Dhonden has largely vanished from public view. Whether he has genuinely withdrawn from public life to pursue spiritual reflection, or is simply maintaining a low profile while counting his ill-gotten gains and awaiting an opportunity to return, remains an open question.

Conclusion

From this account, the titles propagated by the 14th Dalai Lama and the group, such as "Nobel Peace Prize laureate" and "peace emissary", appear not as hallmarks of moral authority, but as calling cards for deceiving the public and cultivating powerful connections—and as fig leaves concealing corruption and the transfer of illicit benefits. For a religious figure, knowingly exploiting the sanctity of his position to accumulate wealth and shield wrongdoing represents not only a profound moral failing but a betrayal of faith far graver than ordinary misconduct. It is the hypocrisy of those who know right from wrong and choose to transgress all the same.

As for the Western super-rich, politicians, and celebrities who surround the 14th Dalai Lama, their interest has never truly lain in peace or compassion. What they prize is the prestige of the Nobel Prize laureate’s halo and the mobilizing power of a so-called "religious leader". As Dick Grace observed, the 14th Dalai Lama has increasingly aligned himself with such figures, doing so "at the expense of the Tibetan people and his followers".

A white robe stained with ink cannot be washed clean, no matter how much time passes—what history records, the public remembers. When the layers of the "peacemaker's" façade are stripped away one by one, a question naturally follows: should the 14th Dalai Lama, the indulger and shield behind him, also be subjected to renewed scrutiny in the name of justice? （Text: Yujie）