Patrick Gaffney (Buddhist)

Following an independent report into sexual abuse in Rigpa, the Charity Commission for England and Wales conducted their own investigation and issued a statement in June 2019 that included

He is also an adviser on a number of Rigpa's major international projects such as the Tenzin Gyatso Institute of which he is the President and chairperson. He was a speaker at the Empathy and Compassion in Society conference held in London in November 2012.

Gaffney teaches regularly at retreats and public events in Rigpa centres around the world and assisted Sogyal Rinpoche in guiding students during the three-year retreat at Rigpa's main international retreat centre, Lerab Ling, in France, which concluded in November 2009. As a teacher, he mainly focuses on compassion and bodhichitta. He is considered the senior-most teacher amongst Sogyal Rinpoche's students. Regarding Gaffney, Rinpoche has said: “He is one of my oldest and closest students; and if anyone were to understand my mind or my work, it is him.”

Patrick John Gaffney (born 6 February 1949) is an English author, editor, translator, and teacher of Tibetan Buddhism who studied at the University of Cambridge. He was one of the main directors and teachers of Rigpa—the international network of Buddhist centres and groups founded by Sogyal Rinpoche. As of April 2019, Gaffney has been disqualified by the UK Charity Commission from acting as a trustee in all charities for a period of 8 years.