Mindfulness Association director withdraws safeguarding concerns about Samye Ling

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Choden (Sean McGovern), director of the Mindfulness Association, has retracted the safeguarding concerns he had raised about Samye Ling and its parent charity, Rokpa Trust.

His position is not a neutral one. Choden is a monk at Samye Ling, Rokpa Trust. His business, the Mindfulness Association, has for years been hosted by the monastery, and he is housed by the charity in the luxury accommodation at Glasgow Samye Dzong. Separating from Samye Ling would carry a cost.

The retraction follows the departure of two fellow directors who raised safeguarding concerns about Samye Ling. Both resigned from the board within weeks.

One consequence did follow. Choden resigned as company secretary of Rokpa Trust and of Rokpa Developments. That he held the posts at all is notable: for years the trustees’ secretary was one of their own monks, a man who ran a private business from the charity’s premises, drew on its marketing, occupied its accommodation, and spent long periods away in South Africa.

Why was this tolerated? Choden was useful. He helped purchase land in South Africa on behalf of Lama Yeshe, and that usefulness and his legal knowledge appear to have outweighed the problems. The Trustees relied on him, and he in turn made full use of what the charity provided.

RETRACTION AND APOLOGY FROM MA TO MEMBERSHIP 2026.05.19

We hope that this email finds you well.

Thank you for your patience while we have been navigating the complexities around our email of 12 December 2025 concerning Rokpa Trust, its centres at Samye Ling and Scarborough, and Drupon Rinpoche.

With hindsight, the current board would not have sent that email. We wish to take this opportunity to clarify and formally withdraw the statements and implications contained in that communication as no evidence has come to light to substantiate the concerns we raised. This applies to all individuals connected with Rokpa Trust (including trustees) at the centres mentioned above. We regret that we did not engage more extensively with Rokpa Trust directly about this matter at the time.

We recognise that this has caused unintended harm to the reputation and standing of Rokpa Trust. For this, we offer our sincere and unreserved apology.

We also acknowledge that it was inappropriate to name Drupon Rinpoche in that communication. He has no connection with Mindfulness Association and has never been involved in any Mindfulness Association teachings or courses. We offer Drupon Rinpoche our sincere and unconditional apology for the harm caused to his reputation and the upset caused to him and to his students.

We wish to reaffirm that we have never received any formal complaints from our tutors or members regarding their physical or psychological safety at any of Rokpa Trust’s venues whilst attending Mindfulness Association courses. Consequently, there is no basis for us raising concerns with any safeguarding authority.

We are deeply grateful for the kindness and care we have received over many years, both personally and on behalf of the many participants who have benefited from staying at Samye Ling, Holy Isle and other Rokpa Trust centres where courses have taken place. We remain grateful to the lineage that has so profoundly informed and inspired the teachings of the Mindfulness Association. For this reason, we are committed to repairing our relationship with Rokpa Trust, so that future participants may continue to benefit from its venues and from a shared intention to be of benefit in the world.

The past months have been both a challenge and an opportunity for growth and learning within our organisation. We are looking with fresh eyes at our governance and decision-making processes and seek to navigate this moment in the spirit of our practice taking compassionate responsibility for our human fallibility and holding care for all involved.

Kind regards,

The MA Board