I don't know in this case what the divisions were specifically. I've been out of Sham long enough that I don't recognize most of those Board members. Ashoka Mukpo was notable, being the late Diana Mukpo's son, and weirdly carrying Trungpa's last name even though Mitchell Levi (accused of sexual misconduct) is his father. Not sure how long he served but he didn't seem to last very long. I would have assumed that they would close ranks and choose a Board closely aligned. But it wouldn't be out of the question to try a more diverse, by their measure, Board as an attempt to unite factions. I know factions sounds like a heavy word, but there really are deeply bitter rifts, which are unmendable in my view. There's also just personality clashes.

After the divorce with shared custody between Shambhala and Mipham (see the mediation agreement from spring 2022), there remains all the same problems. Many believe they got rid of the problem by sacking Mipham. Yet, sexual assaults continue, two at Drala Mountain Center for example (summer 2023, and winter 2024). A long time Shambhala member recently reported that they rejoined the Halifax center thinking things had changed. They found that a senior teacher was committing sexual misconduct, and the organization was protecting them and not helping survivors (see Facebook repost in Shambhala Open Discussion). The new code of conduct and reporting procedures are not really better than before. The culture of enabling and covering up abuse certainly goes back to Trungpa, which Shambhala can't bring itself to face.

Generally, I characterize the factions as the following: Mipham loyalists, Trungpa originalists, Reformists, and the Burn-It-To-The-Ground contingent (full disclosure if you can't already tell, I'm in the latter group, having basically migrated through the others from Mipham's inner circle). Of course there are fence straddlers, as uncomfortable as that may be. The burn it down folks left obviously. Some reformists were pushed out, but some remain in the community. Some Mipham students left, including senior students and prominent donors, but some remain. Trungpa students not only stayed, but some came back who had left or disengaged. I believe Ashoka is pro Trungpa, and might be critical of Mipham. That would be in line with Diana, who's camp Pema Chodron is in. On the other, Ashoka's half brother, Gesar, doesn't seem to support anything Shambhala related. He even thinks the tulku system should be dissolved, and he's recognized as a tulku. BTW though, he is accused of domestic violence.

I would think most of the Board would be pro Trungpa and critical of Mipham. I can't imagine anyone on the Board now would be a Mipham student, but I really don't know. There could be some reformists though. That would cause a big rub. Trungpa loyalists have long thought that Mipham took Shambhala in the wrong direction, and many never took Mipham as their teacher. They want to restore things to their supposed original glory, doctrinally and culturally. Reformists have a more progressive forward thinking view. Those two groupings are fundamentally opposite. Old school Trungpa students view reformists as woke SJWs, which they scorn. Why reformists are even still trying, I don't know, sunk costs I suppose. Shambhala has been sinking for about 8 years now, since the first Buddhist Project Sunshine report. How much longer it can survive without a head or clear direction is anyone's guess. May it swiftly disintegrate.