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'The Vow' Episode 6: Bronfman sisters got Dalai Lama to endorse Keith Raniere and NXIVM amid allegations

Amid the countless allegations, Raniere and NXIVM sought to pursue Dalai Lama as a means to legitimize their self-help group

In HBO's miniseries 'The Vow', viewers get in-depth retellings from former members of NXIVM (pronounced Nex-e-um) that dominated the news a few years ago when it was revealed that a secret society within the cult was operating as a sex trafficking front. Both the founder, Keith Raniere, and actress Allison Mack — a prominent member of the group — were arrested on trafficking charges among others in 2018.

After a six-week trial in 2019, Raniere was convicted in June 2019 of charges including racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, forced labor conspiracy, sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy and attempted sex trafficking. 'The Vow' features former members including actresses Sarah Edmondson and Bonnie Piesse, as well as Piesse's spouse, filmmaker Mark Vicente.

However, former members' fight against Raniere and NXIVM started much before as Barbara Bouchey and Susan Dones — who were both executive board members, with the former being Raniere's partner for many years — left the group. Bouchey, Dones and other former members were pursued by NXIVM and Clare and Sara Bronfman — heiresses to the Seagram empire who bankrolled Raniere and NXIVM — with multiple lawsuits, all of which were dismissed.

Amid the countless allegations, Raniere and NXIVM sought to pursue the Dalai Lama as a means to legitimize their self-help group. To that end, according to The Frank Report — which had dedicated itself to bringing out the truth about NXIVM and Raniere — Sara Bronfman used her connection with Tenzin Dhonden, an emissary of the Dalai Lama, to arrange his visit. Additionally, in her book, 'Captive: A Mother's Crusade to Save Her Daughter from a Terrifying Cult', Catherine Oxenberg alleged that Sara and Dhonden were in a relationship.

The Daily Mail states that the Bronfman sisters offered to make a suitable contribution to the Dalai Lama exceeding $1M to get him to visit NXIVM. However, what had been planned as a four-day trip to the US to visit prestigious colleges alongside Raniere was suddenly canceled after local media in Albany, New York, highlighted the Dalai Lama's upcoming visit to the "cult". Because of the negative media surrounding NXIVM, the Buddhist leader called off the trip. Following this, the Bronfman sisters and Raniere traveled to Tibet to meet Dalai Lama and convince him that the negative press was false. Following the meeting, the Dalai Lama agreed to attend a one-day event during a scheduled trip to the US in 2009 which was centered on visiting Harvard University, in Massachusetts. 

On May 6, 2009, the Dalai Lama traveled to Albany to give a talk. During the event, he presented Raniere with a white scarf on stage. According to The Frank Report, the Dalai Lama also wrote the foreword to the book 'The Sphinx and Thelxiepeia', which Raniere co-authored in 2009.

The Daily Mail article also alleges that court documents reveal that Sara and Dhonden were having an affair during the time the deal was made. Additionally, Bronfman allegedly purchased a house for him in Half Moon, New York. In 2017, the Dalai Lama Trust replaced Dhonden as its executive secretary with a temporary appointment following claims, which the trust has said they are investigating, that Dhonden abused his position as a gatekeeper to the Buddhist leader.

'The Vow' airs on HBO on Sunday nights at 10/9c.