Buddhist Retreat Sale Under Scrutiny

0:00It's April 9th. This is Vancouver News today, AI-powered stories from your city. A British Columbia Supreme Court judge just ruled that the sale of a beloved Buddhist retreat on Denman Island looks suspicious and needs deeper, digging. The 24-hectare hermitage, run by the Dharma Fellowship Society for over 15 years, got sold in 2022 for $400,000 way under its $1 million assessed value to a former board director who quit the day before bidding. The trouble started with a split in the society over ties to Ogan Trinley. Dorje, the Guyawa-Karmapa, one of Buddhism's top figures facing sexual assault allegations from a family court case. One faction wanted to cut and lose amid his legal drama. The other stayed loyal, sold the land to repay personal loans, and dissolved the group. Now former members who built the place with yoga retreats, organic farms, and a sacred stupa are suing each other. The loyalists grab back $286,000 in loans from the sale, but the other side calls it unjust

1:03enrichment and wants the deal reversed. Last month, Justice Michael Thomas shot down a petition to keep the society dissolved and tossed the main lawsuit, saying the sale reeks of issues worth, probing. The buyer, Monica Mueller, is now suing both sides too, fighting a lien on the title and seeking protection if wrongdoing is found. This spot meant for peace now sits tangled in court battles, with appeals on the table and no clear path ahead for the land or its fractured community.