Geshe Michael Roach gives a detailed account in an open letter explaining the events that led to the dismissal of Diamond Mountain co-founder and spiritual director Lama Christie McNally and her husband Ian Thorson. The dismissal came from the Diamond Mountain Board of Directors after allegations of physical abuse were made. According to the letter, McNally openly addressed issues of “mutual spousal abuse” at a meeting held in February. Thorson had previous incidents in which he was said to be physically violent with other students at the retreat centre. Both McNally and Thorson left Diamond Mountain on February 20th without any indication of where they were going. The only person who knew of their whereabouts was McNally’s personal attendant. McNally called the retreat centre on April 22nd in need of help as Thorson was suffering from a dire medical emergency. They were found in a cave on federal lands southwest of the Diamond Mountain grounds. Thorson later died of dehydration. 

 A statement was released by McNally’s personal attendants explaining why she and her husband decided to stay within the boundaries of the retreat centre. It was said to be because of McNally’s dedication to her 37 students that she decided to stay close and provide continued support during their retreat. Devotion she has; however McNally’s training and qualifications as both a spiritual leader and director are not so certain.

 Some have raised questions about Lama Christie McNally’s credentials and educational background as well as how and where she acquired the title of Lama. Traditional Tibetan Buddhist monks typically undergo over 20 years of training and practice before becoming spiritual leaders or are ordained as lamas. This is not to say that McNally’s intentions were not pure of heart. She had many loyal followers at Diamond Mountain. However, it is unfair, irresponsible, and even potentially dangerous to misrepresent oneself as a spiritual guide without proper training.

 Due to the strange and unfortunate circumstances at Diamond Mountain, a man has tragically lost his life, and McNally is now mourning the loss of her husband. Certainly this is unusual drama for a retreat center based on spirituality to cultivate inner peace. Clearly the couple had conflict within their marriage, but it seems they relied solely on their spirituality to resolve these issues instead of seeking proper psychological help. It's hard to know if this tragedy could have been prevented, but perhaps it can serve as a lesson on how to appropriately use our spirituality. If we rely too heavily on meditation to “bliss out” or avoid emotional pain, we may not taking responsibility for our feelings and actions, and we could be using our spirituality to bypass the real inner wisdom that can be gained from it. 

Will this tragedy wake up the yoga community to the dangers of spiritual bypassing?