The temple is packed. "It stinks in here," says the master in English. "You mustn't do any more prostrations, or else you'll have to open the windows." A tall, skinny steward discreetly points out that it's pouring rain, and that perhaps this isn't entirely appropriate. The master then grabs him by the hair and shakes him back and forth. "Who are you to judge? I'm your master, you're my slave. Ah, it may not be politically correct with you Westerners, but in Tibet it's like that. You have to submit totally. You must never challenge a great master.

Anthropologist Marion Dapsance conducts the first field survey of Buddhism in the West, delving into the heart of a hijacked religion that leaves you speechless: sectarian organization, sexual aberrations, financial pyramids, hierarchical humiliations.