The Faith Column

137 comments from readers

Lucy James
28 August 2008 at 12:05

One reason the Dalai Lama gives Westerners for banning the practice of Dorje Shugden is that we are “sectarian” or even “a cult”. However, whereas the Dalai Lama says to be non-sectarian means to practise all traditions (as he now does), Dorje Shugden practitioners say being non-sectarian means to respect all traditions.

The last chapter of religious persecution started January 2008 in the Southern India monasteries of Ganden, Drepung and Sera. There were still a large number of Dorje Shugden practitioners living there indistinguishable from the other monks, doing everything together – daily prayers, meditation, debate, teachings, kitchen chores, administration – proof that in decades of patriotic re-education the Dalai Lama had still not really convinced the educated monastics that there was anything wrong with this Dharma Protector.

After the so-called “vote sticks” -- when in front of the entire monastic assembly each monk was to take the oath never to worship Dorje Shugden nor have any spiritual or material relationship with anyone who did -- actual sectarianism began in earnest and an outcast group of Tibetans arose. 900 monks are expelled from their homes. At Ganden monastery, a wall is erected to segregate Dorje Shugden monks from other monks.

Punishment for those “traitors” who refuse to conform = no yellow identity card. No identity card = no ability to buy food, travel, and so on. Eerily reminiscent of Germany in the 1930s?

A great deal of persecution happened in the months after the ban in the 1990s, sanctioned by the Tibetan government in exile. For example,Tashi Angdu, president of the Tibetan Regional Council, said: “Anyone who is against the Dalai Lama must be opposed… that is to say by all means including violence” and “There are official and unofficial Deities, and worshipping Deities not approved by the government is against the law.” Other anonymous posters said (and still say): “They have to be killed.” “We will interrupt their lives.” “You will be dead in seven days.”

Then some voices from the West started questioning what was going on and on May 14 1996 the Tibetan cabinet released a statement denying any religious suppression. This denial has been going on for 12 years, along with the refusal to meet and discuss. But there is now irrefutable evidence of a ban and persecution and, thanks to the power of the Internet, the Tibetan regime is no longer as able to substitute reality with image and spin.

Lucy James
28 August 2008 at 12:13

The Dalai Lama has used his political power to impose a ban of a religious practice. This is documented in many places (e.g. recently on France 24 TV). Since the ban, hundreds of monks have been expelled from their monasteries and there is persecution of lay people. All this too is well documented, with an increasing number of testimonials from Tibetans finding the courage to speak up.

Please see www.wisdombuddhadorjeshugden.org and its blogspot www.wisdombuddhadorjeshugden.blogspot.com for background information, videos, updates, articles on this.

Even my young nieces, with whom I watched Kung Fu Panda, understood that to be truly great you need to be truly humble, especially when it comes to your masters. But the Dalai Lama has broken with his masters and when asked by a Swiss investigative team, "Do you think your masters were wrong?", he replied, "Wrong, yes, all wrong." And as well as banning the practice of Dorje Shugden and starting a Buddhist apartheid, right now he is even organizing the removal of all thrones and pictures of his masters, especially Trijang Rinpoche. Left to his own devices, he will destroy all trace of this tradition completely.

This is why Dorje Shugden practitioners find ourselves in the position of having to fight back against his hubristic actions. We don’t mind if he wants to stop practicing himself, that is his right – but forcing others to give up their religion is wrong.

Please see www.aboutwss.org

Friendoftruth
28 August 2008 at 12:18

Thank you Meindert Gorter for your writing.

I would like also to give this story as I understand it, from my personal experience, research and reflections. No doubt some data I owe to the Charitable Society, and I've given them my thoughts too. But mainly because I've been inside the Tibetan Buddhist world since the late seventies. A chunk of time. Heartfelt gratitude to the New Statesman for this opportunity of telling the world about our plight.

THE TIBETANS TWICE EXILED

VICTIMS OF THE DALAI LAMA

I)

This summer I watched a TV program --"Buddhist Warriors", where they were showing Buddhist monks of different nationalities engaged in street demonstrations. The journalist kept asking each of them the same question: how do you reconcile your (demonstrations, protests, etc.) with the fact that Buddhism is a religion of peace and love?

Although political activism is not new to monks, it’s true that –at least for those who consider them as a last frontier of goodness for humankind– it can be shocking to see them forced to abandon their prayers and dignified demeanor.

Although not shown in that program, many saw the demonstrations that a group of both Western and Tibetan monks staged against the Dalai Lama, and probably many were shocked or pained by them as well. The most painful, though, in this case, is to have to say that those members of the Buddhist monastic community were right, what they were saying is the truth.

In the case of the Dalai Lama, the mere idea of him being ordinary is for many practically unbearable. The world is convinced that he is the embodiment of everything good and noble. How can it accept that he be like any other being, capable of doing things that we don’t approve? Some feel that if we were to accept such thing we would become orphans in a way, deprived of a model, of a supreme father, an enlightened sage … a friend, a spiritual friend. The day the world is going to see the Dalai Lama as an ordinary man and judge his deeds, we cannot say that the world is going to be a worse place than it is now, but for many people it’s going to feel cold, it’s going to taste bitter, it’s going to be sad.

That a Buddhist –I am a Buddhist from the depths of my heart– needs to show him in such ordinary aspect is among the saddest chores that a person can undertake.

Thinking of those protesters that followed the Dalai Lama from Germany to England, from Australia to the United States, culminating their demonstrations in Madison, Wisconsin –the place where he imparted his first Kalachakra to America– I am persuaded that many among them were sad from the marrow of their bones much before having to resort to demonstrations against him. The cry of the child abandoned by the mother, the cry of the adolescent child abused by his own father, these types of sadness might be a good image of the bewilderment and pain, a pain of the heart, searing, that so many Tibetans have been suffering since the Dalai Lama decided certain things, some years ago. Unheard of things. The Press does not want to believe them, refuses to investigate. It’s understandable. To bring down that sacred figure, what suffering for many! People should perceive the magnitude of the pain that produces the decision to expose the owner of that holy name as not being what he appears to be.

The Dalai Lama's success comes no doubt from his constant talk about compassion and religious tolerance. It’s quite a feat to sustain such success merely with words while simultaneously promoting for years a witch hunt in the Tibetan community against a group of his fellow Buddhists.

These Buddhists, contrary to what people under his influence and misinformed journalists are saying, do not constitute a cult or some kind of sect, split from the greater Buddhist body. They were the most mainstream among the Tibetan Buddhists, the Gelugpas, until he turned them into outcasts.

The Dorje Shugden issue is being presented to the world as a religious matter. In a general way, anything Tibetan usually has a mixture of political and religious elements, but this particular question is considered by many Tibetans as a more specifically political issue. We've heard Tibetans saying, in this context: "We care more about Tibet than about Dharma, so don’t touch the Dalai Lama". The implications of such statements should be clear: "Even if he’s wrong in the religious field, we don’t care; he is our political champion and that’s what matters most to us".

THE POLITICAL BACKGROUND OF THE PERSECUTION

The SEVENTIES

The first moves against the practitioners of the Protector Deity Dorje Shugden had an internal political reason. We are talking of the late sixties and the seventies. The Dalai Lama and members of his entourage thought that he had to strengthten his authority over the whole of the Tibetan community to better face the world while in exile, and that a good way of doing this was to mix the beliefs and practices of the 4 schools of Tibetan Buddhism –Sakya, Nyingma, Kagyu and Gelug– creating thus, de facto, a single school with him at its head. This was a political move without much religious basis, because while he was the political leader of Tibet, the Dalai Lama had never been its religious leader. Each sect had always had its own head, and in general it was accepted that the highest spiritual authority in Tibet was the Panchen Lama.

For the Gelugpa Lamas, the proposal of suppressing religious diversity by mixing up the practice of all lineages constituted a serious religious mistake, so they refused to accept it. The Dalai Lama didn't have any authority other than political to impose on them his idea. He is not the “Pope of Buddhism” as people believe, but more important: it is a tenet of Mahayana Buddhism that Lord Buddha taught many different Dharmas for different levels of practitioners. So the notion of heresy is not accepted, let alone the idea of persecuting other Buddhists.

Probably due to this lack of doctrinary basis to impose his will, the Dalai Lama decided to turn against the Dharma Protector of the Gelugpa lineage as a way to eliminate those Lamas who opposed him –his own teachers, the most revered and influential among Tibetans. Remember this, because today the Dalai Lama wants the world to believe that the Dorje Shugden people constitute a kind of cult. This is untrue. They were the most mainstream of Tibetan Buddhism.

For many years, the Dalai Lama was not very successful with the Gelugpa Lamas and monks in his attempts to vilify the Dharmapala Dorje Shugden. For the longest time all he obtained was that people would talk about the Protector in a hushed way so as not to wake up the Dalai Lama’s famous anger.

The NINETIES

More than 20 years later the Tibetan leader suddenly decided to bring this old domestic tension with the Gelugpas to the general Tibetan community. He proclaimed a ban on Dorje Shugden and a tremendous persecution started then, with an inquisitorial destruction of books and images, the interdiction of holding civil jobs for the practitioners and much more. The Tibetan Draft Constitution that the Dalai Lama had much publicized as the basis for a democratic Tibet, was altered to include a specific prohibition for the Dorje Shugden practitioners to hold public office.

Why all of a sudden had he done that? The absence of any new religious development and the events in the political field point to the fact that he needed the creation of a great red herring to cover an event that had taken place in Strasbourg, France, some months before receiving his Nobel Peace Prize. In that occasion, after decades of trying to convince the world that Tibet was an independent country, after prompting his Western followers to participate in the famous "Free Tibet" campaign that mobilized thousands of young Americans and other Westerners around the world, he gave up the independence of Tibet –offering China "autonomy" instead of independence– without ever once consulting the Tibetan people about it, nor alerting those many thousands of Westerners who had worked for him and for Tibetan independence … He gave up Tibet's independence all alone on his own.

His solitary, autocratic political move towards China practically remained unnoticed by the general Tibetan public, and the few individuals who became aware of it and were not in agreement with it didn't have time to conceive and start an opposition to the Dalai Lama because soon after that he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. When he received this extraordinary acknowledgment Tibetans thought that the independence of their country was finally within reach. In the halo of victory of the Nobel Award some oracular prophecies from his direct entourage confirmed the imminence of the so longed for independence.

But the years went by and the kindled hopes started vanishing. The victories ended up favoring only the person of the Dalai Lama, remaining exclusively in the field of his fame and public relations, while Tibet's destiny changed following the rhythm of changes in the Chinese regime. And thus a window of opportunity seemed to open for an important political opposition against the Dalai Lama. This was the opposition against his "autonomy" theory –a metaphorical word for his acceptance that Tibet is part of China– and it erupted in the last months of the year 1995, led by his brother Thupten Norbu, residing in Indiana, USA. He created the Tibet Independence Movement and the Walks for Independence, openly defying his brother the Dalai Lama.

...

Jason
28 August 2008 at 12:28

Will the WSS please stop making it's own bias press releases. It reallly is sounding a bit desparate. Is Lucy James a co-author of these articles??? Shugden is a sectarian menace and it's practitioners are a rowdy aggressive rabble who try to push there practice on everyone else. They are in a minority and the only reason Westerners are getting involved agsinst the dalai Lama is because of 'Geshe' Kelsang Gyatso spreading his exclusivity and brainwashing to Westerners delighted to have a 'real' Tibetan as their leader.

Friendoftruth
28 August 2008 at 12:30

THE OPPOSITION

This brother deserves that someone writes his biography (apparently Harrier wrote one but I’ve never seen it). Although still living in Indiana he has unfortunately suffered a severe brainstroke. He was the Tibetan liaison official between the Dalai Lama, the CIA and the freedom fighters at the time of the Tibetan guerrillas. When his mission ended –once president Nixon started the USA friendship with China– he was very unhappy and apparently never lost his dream for a free Tibet.

Someone who was for years among his closest people told me two interesting bits of information. Norbu had at a certain point his and the Dalai Lama's old mother living with him. Both of them, mother and son, together with the people in their household, used to do the prayers to the Protector Dorje Shugden. Fortunately the old mother left this world many years before the ban. But not the son. It’s terrible to see how this person was forced by the power of his brother to give up his religious beliefs. In an interview with Donald Lopez he goes on and on echoing all the slandering that his powerful brother is circulating about the Protector and the Gelugpa Lamas. But at the end of the interview, he pronounces a couple of sentences that utterly deny what he said before, acknowledging the good work that the Dorje Shugden people are doing in disseminating the teachings of Lord Buddha, and then saying: "But, too, you know, the good and the bad, which one is it?"

I also learned that Thupten Norbu, once he knew about the intentions of his brother to abandon independence, secretly produced and printed pamphlets in favor of independence that he smuggled directly to Tibet, sown in people’s garments. Some years later, in 1995, he started in the open his opposition against the Dalai Lama with the aforementioned Movement and the Walks for Independence.

But the Dalai Lama was not going to accept this rebellion against his will, so he had to make it disappear. In order to avoid the spread of the pro-independence movement among Tibetans –who are fiercely in love with their Motherland– apparently he considered that it was not enough to publicly scold his own elder brother –which he did while giving teachings in Japan; he needed to entirely divert the attention of Tibetans from such a dangerous issue. Thus, all of a sudden, in March 1996, he resurrected that old domestic disagreement with the Gelugpa Lamas, brought it to the general Tibetan public and came up with an idea that might sound strange to Western ears but for Tibetan ears held the strength of a powerful bomb: he declared that the Protector Dorje Shugden harmed his own health and the cause of Tibet and proclaimed a political ban against the deity.

In brief, at the end of the year 1995 began the pro-independence opposition against the Dalai Lama’s "autonomy" idea. In March 1996 the Dalai Lama issued the ban against the deity Dorje Shugden. This dates are not to be forgotten.

This red herring was a success. The persecution took inquisitorial tones, not only with the burning of sacred books and statues and even of houses of practitioners but with the prohibition for these to hold civil jobs, to attend public teachings and ceremonies, and many other unfortunate attacks on their human rights, as I will explain.

THE BAN

In March 1996, H.H. the Dalai Lama announced a ban against the worship of the Buddhist deity Dorje Shugden, declaring that such worship posed a "danger to his life and the cause of Tibet."

Nothing fans fanatic concern of Tibetans more violently than the thought that His Holiness' life could be in danger. Thus the Dalai Lama, deliberately giving this as a reason for justifying the ban on Dorje Shugden, triggered the heaviest of discords and the relentless persecution of the Gelugpas faithful to their religious commitments.

His Private Office issued a decree for everyone to stop practising Dorje Shugden, with instructions to make people aware of this through government offices, monasteries, associations, etc.

The Assembly of Tibetan People's Deputies (Parliament) passed a resolution banning the worship of Dorje Shugden by Tibetan government employees.

The Dalai Lama personally encouraged the Tibetan Youth Congress and the Women Association to enforce the ban. Consequently a group of nuns dragged into the street a holy Dorje Shugden statue consecrated by some of the highest Tibetan Lamas by using a rope attached to its neck. They spat at the statue, sat on it, broke it up into pieces, and threw the remains into the town's garbage dump.

The Tibetan Freedom Movement and the Guchusum Organization barred the worship of Dorje Shugden among their members.

All government employees were ordered to sign a declaration to the effect that they do not / will never worship Dorje Shugden. Those who didn’t comply lost their jobs.

The Tibetan Department of Health gave a special notice to doctors and staff:

"We should resolve not to worship Shugden in the future. If there is anyone who worships, they should repent the past and stop worshipping. They must submit a declaration that they will not worship in the future."

Employees of the Tibetan Children's Village were urged to take oaths against Dorje Shugden.

The Dalai Lama made it mandatory for administrators and abbots of all major Tibetan monasteries to enforce the ban. A campaign of intimidation and forced signatures set the stage for many acts of violence against the practitioners in the various monasteries.

Through his private office the Dalai Lama commissioned Sera Je monastery 21 days of wrathful exorcisms against Dorje Shugden and his practitioners.

The Tibetan Youth Congress implemented the ban in every Tibetan settlement, with house to house searches, desecration and burning of statues, paintings, and other holy objects.

THE FIRST DENIAL

All of this and much more happened in the first two months after the ban.

Then some voices from the West started questioning what was going on.

Consequently, on May 14 1996 the Kashag (Tibetan Cabinet) released a statement denying any religious suppression.

This was the first denial.

From that time on the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan government and all Tibetan institutions never stopped the persecution, simultaneously denying that it ever existed.

As mentioned before, the Draft Constitution of the Tibetans was changed to bar the practitioners of the deity from having civic responsibilities and in the facts all practitioners were forced to apostasy or were fired from their jobs.

Regretfully the world automatically protected the Dalai Lama's fame, never believing that the Lord of compassion was persecuting his own people. The state of denial of the Press regarding the actions of the Dalai Lama is a whole other matter, a phenomenon worthy of specialized research.

YEAR 2008

In the meantime, it seems that the Chinese government never believed the sincerity of the Dalai Lama’s desire to bring Tibet back to what the Dalai Lama called "Mother China". It's impossible to know if they are right or wrong in their mistrust. They do know that he badly wants to go back to the Potala of his youth but they don't find a motive to believe that he only wants to return there "as a simple monk", without any desire for political activity. One thing seems sure: they didn't measure the profundity of his personal desire for returning to his country.

Today it seems obvious that the Dalai Lama chose 2008, the year of the Olympic Games, to try to force China into accepting him back, on his own terms. A number of journalists, politicians, and specialists of international affairs believe that the riots in Tibet took place under his instigation, to corner China at such a delicate moment of its history. We don't know if this is true or not; in any case he jumped to the occasion provided by the violence in Tibet to try to make his aspiration of returning Tibet to Mother China a reality.

But again he needed peace at home while proclaiming to the world –this time very loud– his solution of handing Tibet to China, so different from his heroic fight for freedom in the past. The problem was that the exile Tibetans hate this solution. The Dalai Lama could not run the risk of losing face at such a significant historic moment because of actions from his own people, those stubborn pro-independence minded Tibetans.

THE DALAI LAMA GIVES TIBETANS A TERRIBLE MISSION

So he used the same "distraction": he rekindled and intensified the persecution against the Dorje Shugden practitioners. He put all Tibetans on this terrible mission: locate them and erase them from the Tibetan world. Tibetans are today, as I write, massively following the unfortunate advice of their leader, and it’s working to an extent that the world prefers to ignore.

The opposition in the name of independence still exists, but its people are too involved in implementing this new witch hunt. There is another factor: they don’t dare truly oppose the leader. They might talk a little bit to the Press from time to time, but since 1996 they never organized again true actions of opposition. They know better. They've seen a clear mirror of the danger of opposing the Dalai Lama: the practitioners of Dorje Shugden. These Gelugpas who refused to give up their religious commitments are treated as traitors sold to the Chinese, as Chinese spies, and regularly and falsely accused to the Indian police of various crimes –in general of being a threat to the Dalai Lama and in particular of the heinous Dharamsala homicides of three monks. Even though the Indian Judiciary never found an author, and never found any fault in the people of the Shugden Charitable Society accused by the Tibetan government, the Dalai Lama keeps repeating that the culprits were the Dorje Shugden practitioners, with some people of the Press and well known people from the academic milieu irresponsibly perpetuating the calumny.

This ultimate chapter of the religious persecution started last January, 2008, and the main victims were the great universities for higher Buddhist studies, the Southern India monasteries. Although through the years their authorities had to pay lip service to the ban issued by the leader, and this had caused trouble to the faithful Gelugpas, they still had a big number of Shugden practitioners peacefully living in Ganden and Sera, indistinguishable from the other monks, doing everything together, daily prayers, Sojong or confession, studies of the demanding philosophical syllabus, Logic debate, examinations, preparation of food, administration and financial chores… proof that in more than 30 years the Dalai Lama hadn’t truly convinced the knowledgeable Geshes and monks of the Gelugpas that there was anything wrong with the Protector’s practice. Their actions against the lineage for the most part were/are performed under the monumental threat of the Dalai Lama’s power.

The year of the Olympics gave him the opportunity to both exterminate the Protector’s devotion in the Tibetan people and use it as a means of distracting the pro-independence Tibetans. So he went to Southern India in January and personally ordered the abbots and disciplinarians to organize a caricature of Vinaya vote against the Deity and the religious followers. Who would have dared oppose him? A mere thousand monks, today separated from their fellow monks by physical walls and the wall of the schism imposed by the Dalai Lama. During this last wave of persecution, it was in those monasteries that were first forced the oaths in front of deities swearing that one does not worship the Protector Dorje Shugden, and swearing that one is never again going to have the slightest human relation with his practitioners. Even very young monks had to take the oath.

There started the final push to impose the ostracism, the segregation, the creation of an outcast group of Tibetans that Tibetans cannot even talk to. The Dalai Lama honored his own word: some years ago he had said to a group of people who tried to engage him in dialog to abate his wrath against the Gelugpa practitioners: "it’s going to get worse for them, it’s going to be like the Cultural Revolution."

Friendoftruth
28 August 2008 at 12:34

ENACTING THE PERSECUTION

At least a thousand monks have been expelled from their monasteries –Ganden and Sera. Such forced schism is huge and constitutes the ultimate religious transgression: to divide the Sangha. But the lay people suffer too, defenseless in the midst of fanaticized communities. After the Winter 2008 events, the campaign of forced signatures and oaths is being extended to non-monks in the remotest parts of the world where you can find Tibetans, pervading the whole of the monastic and lay communities, from Southern India to Darjeeling, from Sikkim to Queens, New York.

In a restaurant that I know well, in Jackson Heights, NY, they posted the photos of the monks who are asking for religious freedom as if they were wanted criminals. The hate language included, of course, the accusation of receiving money from the Chinese. Those poor monks, working 12 hours chopping vegetables or being bus boys in restaurants or doing construction work … They were among the first exiled when the persecution started in 1996, now they don’t have any other place to hide. If this is happening in New York, people should try to imagine what is going on in India and Tibet, where even the kids of practitioners are victims: when they are not expelled from schools, they are being purposely isolated and not talked to, as if they were pariahs.

Accustomed to his leadership, disoriented by exile, most Tibetans have chosen to stick to their Dalai Lama, ignore his failures and accuse others for the loss of their country. So under the Dalai Lama’s instigation, the Dorje Shugden practitioners have become the scapegoat at whom anybody can throw a stone.

The suffering in the fractured Tibetan community and the destroyed Buddhist Sangha is difficult to describe completely because it’s all pervading. Some days ago I was walking the streets of Sunnyside, New York, with a friend, a young Tibetan monk from India. All of a sudden a young lay Tibetan caught up with us and said hello to the monk and they started talking, half in Tibetan half in English. Tibetans usually ask all kinds of questions, and the obvious one this time was where each of them came from. My friend mentioned a name that I didn’t understand, and the other Tibetan said "oh, yeah, in the settlement I come from, we also have that monastery". After a little while this young guy reached his destination and said good bye. Then I asked the monk: "I never heard of your monastery having a branch in Southern India, what were you talking about?" And he answered, "Well, I didn’t tell him the true name; my monastery is well known for being faithful to Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche and the Protector, so if I had said its true name to him, he would have felt so much hatred." I wish other people could have seen the monk’s face. He remained calm, but a subtle compassion mixed with sadness pervaded his features, an expression that said something like 'such waste, such misfortune'. It was obvious that he was protecting the mind of the other person with his innocent lie. But nothing could protect him from the situation.

A couple from India were also visiting the United States at the beginning of the summer. They told us about some small misfortunes that they had encountered since people discovered that they were the relatives of a famous Gelugpa Lama's reincarnation –friends who stopped visiting them or calling them on the phone. These people, though, are professionals holding doctorates and have jobs and activities that have nothing to do with Tibetan issues. Most Tibetans do not have such a good situation. They entirely depend on their own Tibetan community; if they are ostracized they become like the living dead, they don’t find friends nor support anywhere.

Some friends of mine are sending money to help an old monk that takes care of a small Buddhist shrine somewhere in India. This monk lives alone. The last time they sent money they didn’t have any answer from him. Some days ago they finally were able to talk to him on the phone. He said that he had received something from the bank, but he didn’t know what it was, because the Tibetan friend that usually helped him with these matters had stopped helping and even visiting him. The local Tibetan Association, following the rules of the Dalai Lama, had had a signature campaign, and the friend of the monk had to swear and sign against the Dorje Shugden practitioners, so he could not go back to help him because the old monk had not forsaken his devotion to the Protector. Now I wonder: how many old monks have been abandoned by their own people because of the actions of the Dalai Lama? And worst of all: how many were forced to forsake their religious faith in order not to be abandoned by their people?

I have only told some of the stories I personally know. But the pain out there is incalculable. People are denied travel documents because of their faith. Monks coming from Tibet to India looking for higher Buddhist education are forbidden to reach a monastery if they do not sign giving up their faith in the Protector. Children have been expelled from schools in India because their parents are Dorje Shugden followers. Some of these kids end up being sent to Nepal for them to be able to receive an education. In the Tibetan settlements the practitioners can see their photos nailed to trees or street posts denouncing them as Chinese spies, because they have the courage of not giving up the practices that their Lamas gave them or that they traditionally received from their families. The monks followers of their faith have been denied access to their monastery’s kitchens and food provisions –even though the funds for the monk’s food came, in a specific case, directly from the donation of a renowned Lama who until his recent demise never ceased being a Protector’s practitioner– they are forbidden to enter the Tibetan stores in the neighboring settlements and forced to go far away to shop for basic daily needs in Indian stores. If another Tibetan sees them he crosses the street. In one of the big monasteries a gigantic wall was built in order that they will not be seen by others. They have been called unclean by the Tibetan Government –that only follows orders from the Dalai Lama. Other names and insults are not worth mentioning.

THE UNHOLY CRUSADE EXPORTED TO THE REST OF THE WORLD

There is another angle to this already sad story. The Dalai Lama has been exporting his unholy crusade to the rest of the world. It’s painful to see how Western Buddhists belonging to Dharma Centers fanaticized in favor of the Tibetan leader are following the Dalai Lama's lead, slandering the practitioners of the Ganden tradition just because they try to keep intact the teachings and transmissions of their Gurus.

Just think how would you like it that your students or your family receive emails or phone calls stating that you are a demon worshipper, or a bad person who opposes the kind Dalai Lama.

I find it shocking that Western Buddhists would give up our best values of the "other" Enlightenment, the one which gave us our sense of human rights, by which we were able to end slavery and so many awful things that humans did to humans up until not so long ago. In our Western world, we have really made progress in this area, and I've been thinking that it’s a shame and a pity that Westerners would so easily accompany the Dalai Lama in the discrimination, slandering and persecution of others because of their religious beliefs. This is a very serious matter.

If I were a politician, a political leader, an educator, I would be very worried. The basic principles that our founding fathers defended, the Dalai Lama is transgressing, and there are people perfectly aware of this that are defending him. Says TIME magazine, commenting on the aggression that the Dorje Shugden practitioners suffered in the streets of New York from the Dalai Lama’s followers: "Most scholars e-mailed for this story were hesitant to line up behind the Shugdenpas, partly … because many are themselves deeply invested in the Dalai Lama, and partly because of the whiff of fundamentalism and recklessness that clings to the sect." And TIME forgets to mention that "fundamentalism" (recklessness is a new one) is the main accusation that the Dalai Lama invented to justify his religious persecution.

If scholars adopt as their own the arguments used by the Dalai Lama, what recourse is left to the victims? And those scholars, discussing at length a mystical figure like Dorje Shugden, as if it belonged to their field, did they ever realize that it does not matter the nature of the deity, it does not matter if their supporters are fundamentalists or not (and they are not) … nobody has the right to do to them what the Dalai Lama is doing? How come they, the intelligent ones, the knowledgeable ones, the ones who should know better, find justifications for the abuse, the segregation? I would very much like that people interested not only in human rights but in the educational side of human rights were able to investigate this matter and react. This poison is so malignant ... it might be almost impossible to find an antidote if things are left as they are right now.

Friendoftruth
28 August 2008 at 12:48

NOT A BAN? THEN WHY NOT SOLVE THIS MISUNDERSTANDING HIMSELF?

But the Dalai Lama is saying that there never was a ban against Dorje Shugden, only his good advice against an evil spirit or against spirit worshipping. This is a startling, nakedly untrue statement.

On the other hand, it could be answered to him, and it has been answered, that if such tremendous misunderstanding had taken place, his compassionate obvious action should be to publicly state that there is no such ban against Dorje Shugden and that the Dorje Shugden practitioners are as worthy of respect as any other Buddhist practitioner, and he should also publicly demand that they be restored to their original dignity, both as religious people and as Tibetan citizens. But he does not want to do this, such an easy way to stop such immense suffering.

I apologize to whoever follows his teachings, I apologize for him, for his using the holy words of Lord Buddha and at the same time doing the opposite of what these words teach. Do not believe the Dalai Lama, but please do not doubt of the supreme goodness of the holy Dharma.

MOTIVATIONS

What I said at the beginning about how sad it is for a Buddhist to have to expose the Dalai Lama is not rethorical. It took me years to start writing. I’ve seen a close friend literally die because of this issue, a few years after the ban on the Protector. I chose to stop my thoughts after that, because I feared to follow her. Our hearts were broken and we were not Tibetans, I don’t want to imagine the pain of Tibetans. Still today there is a tremendous sadness, because of course we love him. The Dalai Lama is for us like a beloved uncle or elder brother gone crazy. One cannot stop loving him.

But one has to stop what he is doing because it’s wrong.

Then there are the millions of our fellow human brothers and sisters, most of them non-Buddhists, that might only have him as the model of what goodness is. To destroy the god of their innocent Pantheon is just awful, it breaks the heart of a decent person, not to mention what it does to someone who has adopted the Mahayana ideal.

But one has to stop what he is doing because it’s wrong.

After years of mental silence I came back to the issue. He made me come back. The Dalai Lama. What he did to our Sangha last winter is beyond description. So here is the first motivation for exposing him: we have to protect the persecuted monks. Now we know that the Dalai Lama is true to his own word: he said that he wanted to finish what he had started –the destruction of the faithful Gelugpas, the ones who didn’t abandon their Teachers, the ones guilty of preserving the transmissions that their Lamas gave them, the ones guilty of keeping the sacred bond with their Gurus– and he is doing it, he is destroying them.

Now the schism has taken place and the monks are separated, but even though the land where they live belongs to India, we know that the Dalai Lama is not satisfied, he wants to erase them from the Tibetan world, so as soon as the world forgets a little about the demonstrations, he is going to send again his people to expel them even from their now segregated quarters.

So one has to stop what he is doing because it’s wrong and he is hurting living beings.

FUNDAMENTALISTS?

THE ULTIMATE DORJE SHUGDEN PEOPLE

And then look: here are our Lamas. You probably don’t know who was Pabongka Deche Nyingpo, Trijang Dorjechang, Domo Geshe Rinpoche, Zong Rinpoche, Rabten Rinpoche, Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Tharchin, and all the others. Their hearts were an ocean of love and compassion, of blissful wisdom. They were friends to all beings, to all religions, to all Buddhists. Now the Press and the Academia are repeating the Dalai Lama’s calumny: that he banned the Protector of their lineage because it promotes a sectarian mind, because our greatest Gelugpa Lamas were sectarian.

And people use the "proofs" that the Dalai Lama has handed them, from obscure historic gossip that obviously he is manipulating. He manipulates events that ocurred under our eyes, as I showed above, what credibility can be lent to his version of history? Why don’t they look into what happened in our present time, where every action of those slandered Lamas, the ultimate Dorje Shugden people, contradicted and still contradict the Dalai Lama? Those Dorje Shugden people were his people, the great Lamas who stayed with him in the very difficult first decades of exile, nurturing him and helping him and helping every exiled Tibetan from every one of the Buddhist schools, without the slightest discrimination, with a love and a sense of profound care that should be shown to the world as the true example of what Buddhism is.

The accusation of fundamentalism against them has been conceived to please Western ears. It’s a childish one, if it were not so tragic. As I said before, in Mahayana Buddhism we believe that the Buddha taught many different Dharmas to suit the minds of different levels of practitioners. Because of this it’s extremely important to keep the lineages of instruction and transmission pure, not to mix them, in order that they can serve their purpose for those who need them. This is not only true for the Gelugpas, but for the other sects as well. The refusal of mixing lineages is a protection of diversity among the variegated Buddhist tenets. Where is the fundamentalism in this position?

Those Lamas defamed by their egregious pupil were true living Buddhas, true embodiments of love and compassion. They were the living proofs of the wrongdoings of the Dalai Lama, and like innocent lambs they mostly never answered, following the Lojong rule that one does not defend oneself but leaves whatever victory to others, in order not to disturb their minds.

Those true Princes of Peace are still with us, although most all of them departed to the Pure Lands. They are with us through their precious, infinitely beneficial teachings. This is what the Dalai Lama wants to destroy: our sacred bond with our Gurus, with the ones who taught us what to keep and what to abandon, the ones who are never going to forsake us, all the beings suffering in samsara, so how could we forsake them? If we follow the Dalai Lama’s advice, we loose our connection to the source of all goodness, our Lamas.

But the Dalai Lama has destroyed their good name, their credibility. He says in the famous video of the Swiss television, talking about his and our Gurus: "Yes, wrong, they are wrong!" A lineage of almost 400 hundred years of enlightened beings that have been venerating the Protector Buddha Dorje Shugden is wrong and he, alone, right? This does not stand to reason.

Are our kind Lamas going to go down in history as evil spirit worshippers? No. The world needs to know the truth.

Of course, our enlightened Gurus don’t have the slightest need for our help. So here is the deepest motivation for exposing the Dalai Lama: all the beings in this world of suffering need our Lamas and sooner or later in the infinite round of lives they are going to encounter their teachings. At least that is what we desire, what we hope for. We cannot allow that the momentary imbalance of an individual, just because he is famous and has an endearing smile, destroys the good name of the lineage, the teachings and the Lamas. Many have abandoned already the noble ones because of his calumnies. That is why this has to cease, for the benefit of all beings.

That is why we have to stop the actions of the Dalai Lama.

Douglas Chalmers
28 August 2008 at 13:26

The Dalai Lama refers to "cultural genocide" in his crusade against China. It is a clever play on words typically used by Tibetan separatists to justify their very un-Buddhist crap to Westerners who they have been manipulating for decades. if there was ever any "genocide", it was the Han who suffered far worse than those in Tibet SAR.

So utterly precious, then, that the DL's followers "...began to demolish statues of the (Shugden) deity..." whilst blaming the Chinese (Han) for the destruction. As with other expansionist and ambitious groups in the world, religious "cultural genocide" is whatever they choose it to be. Interestingly, in their associations with the hegemonic powers of the West, they themselves are quickly corrupted.

The fake state of Israel's non-relationship with the Palestinians is another example used to the advantage of those with a vested interest in having the West believe in their genocide. Millions of Ashkenazi Russian Jews with no links to either Jesus or to the WW2 genocide in Western Europe have created a colonialist "settler society" in what was once Palestine all funded and supported by the West.

These are misconceptions sold as beliefs to the naive and gullible Westerner who is light on history and even more poorly informed as regards the world's religions. The old testamant of the three Abrahamic religions is not understood except as part of Christianity and the Jews have absolved themselves in the murder of Jesus by blaming the Romans (Italians) whilst they continue to await an avatar who will never come.

How simple, then, for the pro-separatist groups or "schools" of Tibetan so-called Buddhism to pick and choose what suits their mission in the West to curry favor and support for their separatist nationalist anti-China racist agenda under the cloak of Buddhism and to perpetrate violent rebellion in Tibet under the hypocritical guise of advocating non-violence in the West.

Thus the main casualty is Truth and that takes us as far from the teachings of Buddha as one can get. This ultimately has nothing to do with "...mix(ing) the lineages..." despite what Meindert Gorter's own agenda is and has nothing to do with the Shugden deity as both sides are merely constructs to suit the belief systems of the now-opposing groups. Neither is that new in Tibetan Buddhism as it has ever been moulded politically to suit.

The only thing that has been "bad for the Dalai’s health" has been the revelation of just how damaging the Tibetan separatist cause has been for his own people upon the insistence of those elitists in their government-in-exile who want to grab power at any cost. It has even been demanded that he either shuts up or gets out of the way of their intended impetuous revolution of bloodshed for their presumed return to their long-gone glorious past. See "Don’t Stop the Revolution!" by Jamyang Norbu http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?c=4&t=1&id=20330&art...+Stop+the+Revolution!+-+Jamyang+Norbu

Tenzin
28 August 2008 at 14:50

thank you Meindert, Friend of Truth and Lucy -- such helpful description.

Jason if you read carefully you will see you are mistaken about blaming Geshe Kelsang for what you are reading and perhaps you should take your NKT bashing elsewhere. This issue is far bigger than that. Also, the blogger here is Meindert Gotter, who is Kundeling Rinpoche's disciple, not Geshe Kelsang's. Friend of Truth is also not in the NKT. He has spent a great deal of time with Tibetans since the 1970s and is evidently a very kind and learned person. I know this also from encountering him over a period of months on the Dorje Shugden forum. As for WSS propaganda that you blame Lucy James for, I hardly think they'd put out a press release talking about the KungFu Panda!

In general, this problem with the Dalai Lama is huge and finally coming to light. No one wants to be the first to shoot Bambi, which is probably why the press have been slow to pick up on this significant story. But it is also possible for the Dalai Lama to admit he made a mistake (as his predecessor the 5th Dalai Lama did, so he has a precedent), restore religious rights to his people and stop the withchunt without him losing the love of his people -- in fact, Dorje Shugden practitioners will love and respect him all the more for it and harmony in his community will be restored. People accept that others make mistakes. If he accepts his own mistake, the problem is solved.

Dougal
28 August 2008 at 15:16

friendoftruth -

i prostrate. you've humbled me and reminded me to keep love foremost in my heart in these tragic times.

your words reveal you to be a true example of a Dorje Shugden practitioner. i pray many, many people will read them.

dharmagirl
28 August 2008 at 16:41

Thank you, FriendofTruth, for a clear and constructive discussion of this whole affair. Thank you Lucy James and Wisdombuddha. And thank you, New Statesman, for providing this much needed public form. It has given my heart some much needed peace, for I too have not wanted to believe these things of the Dalai Lama. I have deeply loved my wise and compassionate Shugden teachers, people who have never said an unkind word about the Dalai Lama despite what has gone on. But I have imagined -- and needed somehow to see -- the Dalai Lama as no less warm and loving. So naturally, confusion arose in this mind.

Of course we can only surmise the Dalai Lama's true intentions, though the circumstantial evidence that has been marshalled makes of a compelling argument. Whatever the underlying motivation, it cannot be denied that the Dalai Lama wants the Tibetan people to throw their weight against Shugden practice and practitioners. What is sad is that so much anger has been unleashed in the minds of this leaders' ardent followers, and so much suffering has ensued! Meanwhile the public -- and yes, the media -- refuses to see what is going on.

As a former journalist I long for a genuine debate on this issue -- a point-by-point argument. But that will only happen if the Dalai Lama allows it and so far he is not allowing it. There are many contributing conditions for this. In my experience, Tibetan culture does not value open exchange in the same way it is valued in the modern, Western world. In my experience, its people tend to conform, especially to powerful hierarchies, rather than to question. This is a country that was, after all, cut off from the modern world up until only very recently. That some brave Tibetans who follow Shugden have spoken up in these trying circumstances is beyond inspiring to me.

I have little more to add except these things: Nothing in my experience says sectarian, as the Dalai Lama claims. Nothing says demon or evil. This is not some fundamentalist crazy cult. The Shugden followers I know want nothing more than to cultivate love and compassion and wisdom in their hearts. It's unexpected that this controversy is itself providing the vehicle for this!

Dharmagirl

Friendoftruth
28 August 2008 at 17:32

Dear Douglas:

To talk about other groups' general sufferings when we are given a small space to talk about the specific sufferings of the Dalai Lama's victims does not help anybody, neither the greater groups you mention nor this relatively smaller group that is trying to explain its plight to the world in this Faith Column. (Like the Falun Gong people did last week.)

We acknowledge every single day of our lives the suffering of all beings, at least we should do it, it´s the basic foundation of our practice and the first teaching of the Buddha.

We do not do this in a general way, in our holy tradition. We go in great detail into the contemplation of suffering specific to every type of samsaric being. Our mothers. Our children. In a way, suffering is our specialty ... our being tuned to other's suffering, I mean.

Just in this case, and just for the motivations explained by myself and others, we are trying to stop the unnecessary suffering of a particular group by the most pacific of external means: talking.

So, I think I understand your general outrage for the political wrondoings of many actors of this samsaric world, but would it be possible that in this Faith Column, and only for four days, we can concentrate in the present religious persecution against the faithful Gelugpas? (Now called Dorje Shugden people).

I would like you to know that we don't have any political agenda (that I am aware of) except the protection of the practitioners. We have looked into history and we learned a lesson: nothing protects religion more, in the political field, than the utter separation of church and state, and the protection by the state of every single body's beliefs. Not by affirmative action, just not allowing persecution and abuse.

I hope that you can find some agreement in your mind with what I am trying to express.

Best to you and all of those who are trying to understand this difficult case, and to all.

Douglas Chalmers
28 August 2008 at 18:03

#Friendoftruth: "...would it be possible that in this Faith Column, and only for four days, we can concentrate in the present religious persecution against the faithful Gelugpas...?"

What a load of holier-than-thou crap, Friendoftruth. You are at your most most sanctimoniously manipulative and snide best..... and being totally dishonest, uhh.

In a way, you are NOT "tuned to other's suffering..." so much as your own covert political agenda which you have yet to make known. You just haven't lined up the right suckers to take advantage of..... in the Tibetan independence movement and government-in-exile - which you would like to take over - and latterly, support and funding from the US State Department!

Oh so "...suffering is our specialty..."? What a joke! You are only interested in your own suffering..... as powerless apwns of the DL. What you want is your own little bit of power and you'll sell your souls to attack China on demand if it gets you what you want. How are you really any different from the rest of the Tibetan separatists, eh?

For you lot, its all just "California dreamin' " as long as you have your US green cards. "Well, I got down on my knees..... and pretended to pray..." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wI6uAOHzvo

You say that "...the Dalai Lama is for us like a beloved uncle or elder brother gone crazy..." but maybe he has spent his life trying to stay sane despite all you madly self-centered Tibetan nationalist dreamers - and a bunch of crazy Western religious nuts?!?!

Will D.
28 August 2008 at 18:22

For those who don't get the gist of this article- Basically it's the equivalent of the Pope telling catholics that there was a mistake in naming a Saint and that you should no longer pray to that saint. Unfortunately, some catholics would be pretty upset about it and that's what we have here.

Tenzin
28 August 2008 at 18:29

dear Douglas Chalmers, please keep the angry rhetoric down. Everyone else is trying to be polite here, except for you.

I confess I don't really understand what you are angry about (and I've been trying!), sorry. Are you saying that you think we are attacking China? Where did anyone say that? In any event, please be civil when making your points, it'd be appreciated by the rest of us (well by me, at least!)

Will D, I suppose the Pope and Saint idea would work if it was a majorly big saint that was at the heart of many people's Catholic faith e.g. Saint Francis. And if the Pope also said that this Saint was in fact, unbeknownst to all his faithful followers over the last 400 years, an evil demon.

Tenzin
28 August 2008 at 18:34

And the Pope and Saint idea might also work if the Dalai Lama was the equivalent of the Pope of Buddhism, but as has been discussed on these blogs, he is not. He is not even the head of one of the four Tibetan schools of Buddhism. He is not the head of all the other Buddhism in the world e.g. Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma etc etc. There is a big misconception (that he himself seems to have done nothing to quell, by the way) that he is the leader and spokesperson for Buddhism worldwide, but this is just that, a misconception.

Dharmakara
28 August 2008 at 18:57

Tenzin: While John paul II was still Pope, the Vatican actually did consider removing a very popular saint --- St. Christopher. The out cry was so great that they did an about face on this issue.

Hopefully the Dalai Lama will see the wisdom in doing the same.

Geronimo
28 August 2008 at 19:05

This Dalia lama is not the elected head of anything and has no rights to determine the destiny of anyone, other than himself.

Tibetan Buddhism will recede and a new Buddhism is arising in the West.

A Buddhism protected by the Laws of a Free Society. Not anchored in the past with a medieval theocratic dictatorial potentate of the Dalia Lama lineage.

No longer will any Buddhist Practioner suffer under the whims of a single person's will.

We do not need any authoritarian Lama's approval to believe as we please.

We have cut the ties to the Old World and are free to turn the Wheel Of Dharma.

We are free to express our Love and Compassion.

Without interference from anyone.

Each and every one of us stand individually.

We all Stand Together as One.

Our beliefs are not confused with the Idol Worshipping of another human being as our faith.

We do not take refuge in sentient beings.

We are Free to believe as we choose.

We are free to fight anyone who attempt to steal or interfere with our freedoms.

Do Not Tread On Me!

Geronimo
28 August 2008 at 19:16

The Teachings Of Manjunatha Lord JeTsongkapa Is

The Holy Grail For

"Shambala's Confederation

of

Shugden's Vajra Warriors"

The Buddha Dharma Will Flourish

And

Brave and Honorable Citizens

With Discriminating Wisdom

Will Safeguard Our Rights to Freedom

&

The Dharma

Ten Billion Divine Vajra Warriors will shine in the year of the Dragon to Defend Freedom "

Tsongkapa's Council Of Vajra Elders

OM VAJRA WICKI WITRANA SO HA

"Now I am free to practice openly"

As Written In The

US Constitution and The Bill Of Rights

United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance

Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination

Based on Religion or Belief, G.A. res. 36/55, 36 U.N. GAOR Supp. (No. 51) at

171, U.N. Doc. A/36/684 (1981).

The General Assembly,

Considering that one of the basic principles of the Charter of the United

Nations is that of the dignity and equality inherent in all human beings, and

that all Member States have pledged themselves to take joint and separate

action in co-operation with the Organization to promote and encourage

universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms

for all, without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion,

Considering that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the

International Covenants on Human Rights proclaim the principles of

nondiscrimination and equality before the law and the right to freedom of

thought, conscience, religion and belief,

Considering that the disregard and infringement of human rights and

fundamental freedoms, in particular of the right to freedom of thought,

conscience, religion or whatever belief, have brought, directly or indirectly,

wars and great suffering to mankind, especially where they serve as a means of

foreign interference in the internal affairs of other States and amount to

kindling hatred between peoples and nations,

Considering that religion or belief, for anyone who professes either, is one

of the fundamental elements in his conception of life and that freedom of

religion or belief should be fully respected and guaranteed,

Considering that it is essential to promote understanding, tolerance and

respect in matters relating to freedom of religion and belief and to ensure

that the use of religion or belief for ends inconsistent with the Charter of

the United Nations, other relevant instruments of the United Nations and the

purposes and principles of the present Declaration is inadmissible,

Convinced that freedom of religion and belief should also contribute to the

attainment of the goals of world peace, social justice and friendship among

peoples and to the elimination of ideologies or practices of colonialism and

racial discrimination,

Noting with satisfaction the adoption of several, and the coming into force of

some, conventions, under the aegis of the United Nations and of the

specialized agencies, for the elimination of various forms of discrimination,

Concerned by manifestations of intolerance and by the existence of

discrimination in matters of religion or belief still in evidence in some

areas of the world,

Resolved to adopt all necessary measures for the speedy elimination of such

intolerance in all its forms and manifestations and to prevent and combat

discrimination on the ground of religion or belief,

Proclaims this Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and

of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief:

Article 1

1. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and

religion. This right shall include freedom to have a religion or whatever

belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with

others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in

worship, observance, practice and teaching.

2. No one shall be subject to coercion which would impair his freedom to have

a religion or belief of his choice.

3. Freedom to manifest one's religion or belief may be subject only to such

limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary to protect public

safety, order, health or morals or the fundamental rights and freedoms of

others.

Article 2

1. No one shall be subject to discrimination by any State, institution, group

of persons, or person on the grounds of religion or other belief.

2. For the purposes of the present Declaration, the expression "intolerance

and discrimination based on religion or belief" means any distinction,

exclusion, restriction or preference based on religion or belief and having as

its purpose or as its effect nullification or impairment of the recognition,

enjoyment or exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms on an equal

basis.

Article 3

Discrimination between human being on the grounds of religion or belief

constitutes an affront to human dignity and a disavowal of the principles of

the Charter of the United Nations, and shall be condemned as a violation of

the human rights and fundamental freedoms proclaimed in the Universal

Declaration of Human Rights and enunciated in detail in the International

Covenants on Human Rights, and as an obstacle to friendly and peaceful

relations between nations.

Article 4

1. All States shall take effective measures to prevent and eliminate

discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief in the recognition,

exercise and enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms in all fields

of civil, economic, political, social and cultural life.

2. All States shall make all efforts to enact or rescind legislation where

necessary to prohibit any such discrimination, and to take all appropriate

measures to combat intolerance on the grounds of religion or other beliefs in

this matter.

Article 5

1. The parents or, as the case may be, the legal guardians of the child have

the right to organize the life within the family in accordance with their

religion or belief and bearing in mind the moral education in which they

believe the child should be brought up.

2. Every child shall enjoy the right to have access to education in the matter

of religion or belief in accordance with the wishes of his parents or, as the

case may be, legal guardians, and shall not be compelled to receive teaching

on religion or belief against the wishes of his parents or legal guardians,

the best interests of the child being the guiding principle.

3. The child shall be protected from any form of discrimination on the ground

of religion or belief. He shall be brought up in a spirit of understanding,

tolerance, friendship among peoples, peace and universal brotherhood, respect

for freedom of religion or belief of others, and in full consciousness that

his energy and talents should be devoted to the service of his fellow men.

4. In the case of a child who is not under the care either of his parents or

of legal guardians, due account shall be taken of their expressed wishes or of

any other proof of their wishes in the matter of religion or belief, the best

interests of the child being the guiding principle. 5. Practices of a religion

or belief in which a child is brought up must not be injurious to his physical

or mental health or to his full development, taking into account article 1,

paragraph 3, of the present Declaration.

Article 6

In accordance with article I of the present Declaration, and subject to the

provisions of article 1, paragraph 3, the right to freedom of thought,

conscience, religion or belief shall include, inter alia, the following

freedoms:

(a) To worship or assemble in connection with a religion or belief, and to

establish and maintain places for these purposes;

(b) To establish and maintain appropriate charitable or humanitarian

institutions;

(c) To make, acquire and use to an adequate extent the necessary articles

and materials related to the rites or customs of a religion or belief;

(d) To write, issue and disseminate relevant publications in these areas;

(e) To teach a religion or belief in places suitable for these purposes;

(f) To solicit and receive voluntary financial and other contributions from

individuals and institutions;

(g) To train, appoint, elect or designate by succession appropriate leaders

called for by the requirements and standards of any religion or belief;

(h) To observe days of rest and to celebrate holidays and ceremonies in

accordance with the precepts of one's religion or belief;

(i) To establish and maintain communications with individuals and

communities in matters of religion and belief at the national and

international levels.

Article 7

The rights and freedoms set forth in the present Declaration shall be accorded

in national legislation in such a manner that everyone shall be able to avail

himself of such rights and freedoms in practice.

Article 8

Nothing in the present Declaration shall be construed as restricting or

derogating from any right defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

and the International Covenants on Human Rights.

Dharmakara
28 August 2008 at 19:25

Jason: If you can't use right speech, it might be time for you to see a doctor and get a prescription of prozac.

Jason
28 August 2008 at 19:41

Tibet was the most supreme repository of Buddhist wisdom in the world before Mao stamped his way in. It is where all of your dharma knowledge originated. Forsake it at Buddhisms peril. As soon as Tibetan Buddhism loses it's home, it will degenerate at an exponential rate as all kind of Western freaks get their hands on it and use Buddhisms inherent fluidity to their own ends.

I thought Buddhists were supposed to care for all sentient beings everywhere, not just a few in Dharamsala that hang on to a lineage corrupted by the murder/suicide of a monk. Why don't you just practise your cult as you always have and leave the Gelug alone. If you want to help people out, try starting with the worlds starving and those that are being slaughtered with Western weaponry. Dholgyal is not even an original protector diety of Je Tsongkhapa. Lets see what Sept 12th in Delhi's High Court produces shall we. I Dholgyal people will abide by the ruling and be silent if it goes against them (or will then you claim that all India has corrupted by HHDL too!!!). You stomp in here taking aim at an institution 100's of years older than you from a place you have probably never been and all think you are authorities on the matter. It is very sad really. Maybe you should take a line from another philosophy 'all that I know is that I know nothing' and leave the issue for India, China and Tibet to sort out. You think Americans and their British sidekicks in particular should know not to go policing the world - I think it's got you disliked enough as it is, don't you?

Geronimo
28 August 2008 at 19:43

I hope the Dalia Lama has a speedy recovery and continues in good health and realizes compassion for others as his only concern.

Jason
28 August 2008 at 19:45

Dharmakara: Thank you for your medical expertise, better prozac than the hallucinogens Dhogyal practioners seem to be on.

Dharmakara
28 August 2008 at 19:50

Jason: Have you ever heard of the Pakasaniya Kamma? It's in regard to when one's words and physical actions are no longer related to the Buddha, the Dharma, or the Sangha.

Although it is an official proclamation carried out by members of the Sangha, it also becomes self-evident in one's behavior, where the proclamation is no longer necessary.

This is the case when dealing with the Dalai Lama's behavior.

Dharmakara
28 August 2008 at 19:54

Jason: I have suspected the existence, use , and habitual abuse of hallucinogens by many Buddhists for the last couple of years (LOL)

Geronimo
28 August 2008 at 19:59

Yes Jason, this exactly why I gave the Dalia Lama a 100 acres in Bloomington, Indiana.

We realized that the vast treasure trove of accumulated knowledge might be soon lost to the destruction of the Cultural Revolution.

It is also the American who piled tons of moiney to assist the refugees of Tibet.

Where would the Dalia be today, if we American ignored the values of the Christian forged into the New Nation. Maybe we should have let the Tibetans wither and die on the vine?

We are not of the old world that forged Tibet with all of it's dark activities.

We gave and continue to give freely of ourselves and our resources.

We are not ignorant and do know something.

That is we know that we are free to believe as we please.

"All things Must Pass"

From every mountain top, Let Freedom ring"

Our Laws provide for the Spreading of the Dharma

unmolested by anyone.

We are turning the Wheel Of Dharma to the West

As Lord Buddha said

Jason
28 August 2008 at 20:06

Dharmakara! I am glad I have you here to reveal the ultimate truth to me. As I say, we have so many people with all the answers here don't we? This article has been written by a Dholgyal practioner and is therefore biased as are most of the posts.

Dharmakara
28 August 2008 at 20:18

Jason: I'm not here to reveal anything to you or anyone else... my words were offered as a means to encourage some unbiased critical thought and reflection on the issue.

With that said, your statement about the slant of the article is correct, it is from the position of a Dholgyal practioner, but this was what New Statesman was looking for when they were searching for a series of articles in regard to Shugden controversy --- the author didn't randomly submit these articles, he was selected by the editors of the New Statesman.

In like manner, when they publish the series on the controvery from the position of the Dalai Lama, it will also be by an author they have selected from, someone who supports the Dalai Lama's view on this matter.

Geronimo
28 August 2008 at 20:33

"As soon as Tibetan Buddhism loses it's home, it will degenerate at an exponential rate as all kind of Western freaks get their hands on it and use Buddhisms inherent fluidity to their own ends."

Sound similar to all the Tibetan Freaks that used and are using Buddhism for their own agendas.

Karma is as Karma does!

Douglas Chalmers
28 August 2008 at 20:40

#Tenzin: "...keep the angry rhetoric down. Everyone else is trying to be polite here, except for you..."

#Geronimo: "...We are free to fight anyone who attempt to steal or interfere with our freedoms..... Do Not Tread On Me...!The Holy Grail For "Shambala's Confederation of Shugden's Vajra Warriors" "

#Dharmakara: "...It's in regard to when one's words and physical actions are no longer related to the Buddha, the Dharma, or the Sangha..... it also becomes self-evident in one's behavior..."

What an incredibly mannerless lot you all are, uhh. As soon as you find that someone doesn't want to scratch your backs but expects you to prove your worth as true Buddhists, it becomes disgustlingly apparent that you have desires and motivations and attachments which you prefer not to deal with in yourselves..... and are willing to shamefully conceal if not viciously protect with malicious rhetoric .

#Friendoftruth: "Today it seems obvious that the Dalai Lama chose 2008, the year of the Olympic Games, to try to force China into accepting him back, on his own terms..... that the riots in Tibet took place under his instigation, to corner China at such a delicate moment of its history..... in any case he jumped to the occasion provided by the violence in Tibet to try to make his aspiration of returning Tibet to Mother China a reality..."

So pathetically convenient of you to now push all the blame for these things onto the Dalai Lama, Friend-of-lies. You conveniently omit that it was also the time of the elections in Taiwan and the USA finally lost out on retaining its Cuba-like puppet to wedge China with. Too bad for the Neocons.

Staging the riots in Lhasa just before the elections was a ploy to influence voters in Taiwan to be more afraid of closer ties with the mainland. Instead, "Its the economy, stupid!" was more significant there and people were sick of Ah Bian's fear-mongering and agent-provocateur role on behalf of the obviously unfriendly Americans anyway. They certainly weren't impressed by some idiots in Lhasa.

Who wants WW3 when they can have everlasting peace and friendship with their own brothers and sisters? Now, closer relationships with Japan have also been possible and only that Christain fool and his gang in South Korea are still willing to be used as a wedge against their neighbors and relatives. Already, though, his people are sick of him. But, as for Tibet, forget it.

China doesn't want the Dalai back now. Before the carefully-planned disruption of the Olympics torch relay in Europe, it was considered easier to deal with him than the bunch of thugs in Tibet who wanted to rebel. Ever since Jin Jing, the young disabled woman athlete was attacked in Paris, though, the entire scenario has changed in favor of the PRC and more control of militant factions in Tibet SAR and XinJiang SAR. She became a national heroine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I28UcqobzPA

Thus, the pro-Tibet lobby in Washington and their counterparts in Germany (NATO) have worked to cause dissent and prejudice for nothing. Young people in China who once admired the West have seen a disappointing reality and have returned to endorsing their own nationalism. In other respects, the global political situation has moved its focus from China to Russia as the new perceived enemy of the Neocons.

Jason
28 August 2008 at 20:43

Dharmakara: Thanks for clarification. I love you all really, I just get bored at work sometimes. I am happiest in Buddhism when listening to the words of it's Hindu founder. For me, I understand the purpose of dieties but it was the brilliant philosopy and psychology of Siddharta Gautama that really fascinated me. Religious disagreements in any religious institution are inevitable because mankind is in the loop with his contaminated brain. I do very much respect everyones point of view, including that of Shugden proponents. I am the first to admit I have anger in my mindstream on this issue because I was a very big fan of HHDLs, as are many Westerners and I did not know that so many members of the NKT were rallying against him as the WSS. As NKT member, I felt very betrayed and angry when I found out - getting over these negative emotions will be a big step for me. This schism is a tragedy for both sides and the crazy thing is that I do not believe that anyone has any genuine maliciousness in their minds. I do not like people slandering HHDL as many Shugden proponets have done without mercy. He has done much good work and got many, many people interested in Buddhism, no one can deny this. Everyone has their faults, as I am sure the other side of the argument would also concede. I can see from everyones posts that you are kind and loving people.

Dharmakara
28 August 2008 at 20:46

Douglas: "Staging the riots in Lhasa..." Who are you accusing of orchestrating the riots?

Dharmakara
28 August 2008 at 20:57

Jason: I understand exactly what you, it very hard not to react with anger when you have deep respect for the Dalai Lama, but it's important to remember he is human, just like the rest of us, though I'm sure that there many of his supports who would take exception to even that statement.

To be honest, there's kind of a consensus that there will be no winner in this controversy, that the real loser will be the greater Buddhist community at large, especially if non-Buddhists begin to think this this controversy is something problematic to Buddhism as a whole.

One of the posts here stated it correctly, that there are many people who see the Dalai Lama as the defacto spokeperson for all Buddhism. Even more are unaware that there are actually four branches of Tibetan Buddhism, long enough that there is a greater divide between Mahayana and Theravada.

Geronimo
28 August 2008 at 21:03

That's right Douglas. I gave a 100 acres to the Dalia lama in 1979.

I was able to do this because of our "Bill Of Rights",. Which declares as you know the Rights to Believe as we choose.

"Do not tread on Me", means exactly that.

I will fight unto my death to defend the rights of any others rights to say as they think and believe what they wish. Whether I agree with their point of view or not.

I gave freely for my beliefs and I dissent for the same reason.

No one is above the law and this includes the Dalia lama. Who unfortunately has broken the provisions of the Constitutions of the Free Countries of the World and the the United Nations Declaration of Religious Freedoms.

Shamabala Wariors are defending these inherent rights of every person on the face of the planet.

FREEDOM IS OUR RIGHT

Douglas Chalmers
28 August 2008 at 21:07

#Jason: "...mankind is in the loop..... getting over these negative emotions will be a big step..."

Just repeating this post from another ealier topic series on NS:-

Traumatic Abuse in Cults: A Psychoanalytic Perspective - "In a religious cult, the leader is perceived as a deity who is always divinely right, and the devotee, always on the verge of being sinfully wrong, comes to live for the sole purpose of pleasing and avoiding displeasing the guru/god.....

There is, however, an important distinction to be made between idealization and idolatry. Idealization that goes well enough functions to build a strong sense of self, and leads to the capacity for effective self-regulation and satisfying interrelatedness and mutuality. Idolatry, the ultimate form of defensive idealization, always implies submission and enslavement to one who dominates, controls, and possesses.....

Normally, we don't expect ourselves, human beings that we are, to attain this kind of ultimate perfection, but rather to be awed and inspired by it, and perhaps humbled. If, however, we are determined to ignore our human limitations, demanding absolute perfection of ourselves, we enter the realm of pathological perfectionism.....

Idolatry and pathological perfectionism can be readily observed in some spiritual paths led by self-proclaimed "fully enlightened," or "perfected" masters, who are worshiped within their communities as perfect, living embodiments of God.....

The problem of pathological perfectionism has its roots in parental failures in managing healthy omnipotence in the developing child. Traumatic misattunement, unresponsiveness and impingement by parents leads to the development of pathological forms of omnipotence, and the child must then seek an antidote to unbearable impotence. This may be externalized, as in cases of spiritual submission to others who are perceived as perfect, or as in the search for the perfect lover, who turns out never to be perfect enough; or internalized, where an internal masochistic slave strives desperately to fulfill insatiable demands for perfection from an internal sadistic master..." http://www.danielshawlcsw.com/traumatic_abuse.htm

The Dark Side of Enlightenment: Sadomasochistic Aspects of the Quest for Perfection http://www.danielshawlcsw.com/dark_side.htm

Geronimo
28 August 2008 at 21:13

Interesting! I guess that sums up all the practioners of Mahayanna Buddhism

Dharmakara
28 August 2008 at 21:17

Douglas,

You'll get no argument out of me about "pathological perfectionism" --- where one's practice doesn't lead to liberation, but enslaves.

Lyara
28 August 2008 at 21:21

If anyone has made it this far down the page, please check out the latest update on segregation at Sera Je Monastery -- posters stating that Dorje Shugden practitioners are not allowed entry. Jim Crow laws, anyone?

http://wisdombuddhadorjeshugden.blogspot.com/

Dharmakara
28 August 2008 at 21:26

Lyara: We also received copies of those photos lastnight. Just another step in the downward spiral.

Douglas Chalmers
28 August 2008 at 21:59

#Dharmakara: "pathological perfectionism" --- where one's practice doesn't lead to liberation, but enslaves..."

Perhaps not the 'practice' which is the problem so much as the desire to be a slave..... even of " a Protector Deity".

Why worship an external image on your knees when the true path to Enlightenment lies within?

Then again, one can "tame one's mind" yet still be seduced by the Force..... more is required.

'The Good, the Bad, and the Weird' - "...are you the best..... in Manchukuo...?" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imgdpz_0m-8

Jason
28 August 2008 at 22:07

Well, while I am temporarily without a sangha. I will ask you all something that is completely not Shugden related. Sorry for going off track. I understand Buddhism has famously little to say on the formation of life, the universe and everything and doesn't believe in a creator - for this reason, some scholars believe Buddhist to be an atheist tradition. Religions based on received wisdom all have an explanation - it was their God that did it!! Physics professors look to quantum physics, string and Grand Unified theory etc. What is the thoughts of this forum? Is our presence explained by a karmic bootstrapping process? Or do simply Buddhists think it wiser not look for an answer and get on with what we have?

Hope things are OK at Sera Je by the way for the Shugden folk, also hope the Dalai Lama gets better. Sounds like some heads need banging together as my Dad used to say!

Dharmakara
28 August 2008 at 22:22

Doug: Ah, yes, the desire to be a slave. I have heard quite a few horror stories through the years, as well as encountered many lemers who are willing to follow their guru or teacher right off the edge of the precipice without a second thought, but this isn't unique to Buddhism.

As for "why worship an external image on your knees..." --- there's a growing number of people in the West who are rejecting this outright, seeking inspiration from the Atta Dipa, but I believe there might be a more important question related to the Atta Dipa which needs to be dealt with...

What did the Buddha take refuge in?

Dharmakara
28 August 2008 at 22:28

Jason: The Buddha actually refused to speculate on such things and never encouraged others to... it's better to stay focused in the "present moment".

Gail D
28 August 2008 at 22:40

I found this posted by someone on the internet and think it may be of interest to the current debate.

The vilification and persecution of Dorje Shugden worshippers within the Tibetan exile community is very real. There are many independent sources which have verified this. Have you read the web-site of the Dorje Shugden Devotees in India? I suggest that you do so. In particular you should read the research work of Ursula Bernis who examined this issue in great detail between 1996 and 1999.

During the WSS protests in Nantes I spoke with an Italian woman of Vietnamese descent who has recently been to Southern India and has filmed forty hours of video footage documenting the reality of oppression and intimidation within the exile community. The plight of the Dorje Shugden worshippers is truly pitiful and all Buddhists and people of good-will should have compassion for them. Anyone who has read the classic novel Uncle Tom's Cabin will have some sense of what it means for someone to try to maintain their faith in the face of fierce adversity. The plight of the Dorje Shugden worshippers is like that of Uncle Tom: "....though he held firmly to the rock of faith it was with numb and trembling grip." Thankfully Uncle Tom triumphed over those who would crush his faith and reduce him to moral bankruptcy, and I hope and pray that Dorje Shugden worshippers will likewise triumph over those who wish to deny them their faith, reputation, and self -belief.

The Western Shugden Society is engaging in the practice of non-violent resistance in the tradition of Gandhi and Martin Luther King. Martin Luther King said that the person of non-violent resistance tries to balance the truths of two opposites. It agrees with the man of violence that evil must be resisted, but balances this by also agreeing with the man of acquiescence that evil must not be resisted by means of physical force. You should also know that it is not without reservation that NKT people have engaged in the WSS protests. I think that almost all of us have some sense of reservation about engaging in this activity. Am I admitting that we are wrong or might be? I think that I am admitting that it can't be said to be obvious that the activities of the WSS are right. However, I also believe that on the basis of a thorough understanding of the issues i.e. the reality of persecution within the exile community, and on the basis of a thoughtful consideration of the options available, and a thoughtful consideration of the philosophy of non-violence resistance, the case for these protests can be made, I think conclusively.

Friendoftruth
28 August 2008 at 23:05

Dear Douglas:

I don't have time to have any political agenda whatsoever, I'm too old for that.

But it's probably my fault that you misunderstood my writing.

I only said that the Dalai Lama used the religious persecution against the Dorje Shugden practitioners as a means to prevent the opposition from the pro-independence Tibetans.

I didn't say that the pro-independence people are right or wrong. It's not my business. This is a Tibetan business.

What I did say is that the Tibetans in exile hate the idea of giving up independence.

I didn't say that they are right or wrong. It's not my business. This is a Tibetan business.

If you push me I would say that probably the Dalai Lama's pro-autonomy position is more realistic than the pro-independence position. But again, it's not my business. This is a Tibetan business.

Sorry, it's of course also a Chinese business. It's them, not me, that so far don't believe that the Dalai Lama is sincere in his position of giving up independence.

OK. This subject entirely strays from our subject here in the Faith Column. Its only pertinence is to show the political background of the religious persecution the Dalai Lama is conducting.

I hope again that you can find some agreement in your mind with what I am trying to say. I didn't intend to upset you, but I understand your being upset if you thought that all I was doing was to promote some hidden agenda of "separatism". Please believe me, it never crossed my mind to meddle in Sino/Tibetan politics.

Again, best to you, Douglas.

Friendoftruth

Geronimo
29 August 2008 at 01:02

Strange how other's words can trigger our memories out the blue.

afriend mentioned the Norbu's brothers Mother living in Bloomington back in 1973+-. with Thupten,Kuanaing, Lhundrop,Kunga and Jigme. A friend of mine who is an an excellent artist, painter her portrait.

I was eating Mo Mo's one night at his home and everyone was having a grand time. Especially watching me sweat with their home made hot sauce.

After dinner I went into his room and admired the pathenon of Golden Buddhas and Dieties, which lined his walls.

I remembered just now that, there he was on the altar a statue of Lord Shri Dorje Shugden. Golden and glistening in the candle light. Just like the image I've seen on the Dorje Shugden Religious & Charitable Society's web site.

I did not know the image was that of Dorje Shugden at that time and it never thought particularly about this chance encounter until it came to mind this evening, some 32-34 years later.

"Organic decay is inherent,

Let each of us seek our own salvation with diligence."

"Ah,

The branch of the Wild Cherry,

How swiftly it flies back."

Our prayers fly across space and time to wish the Dalia lama full and complete recovery from his serious abdominal illness.

Get Well Soon!

Your Old Friend

Thom Canada

Tenzin
29 August 2008 at 01:25

Amazing story, Thom, about your days with the Dalai Lama's mother and brother (in more peaceful times). And quite symbolic of everything, really, that we have lost - the harmony, the friendships, the widespread uncomplicated practice of our Protector. Thank you for sharing this poignant story.

Tenzin
29 August 2008 at 01:30

Jason, this isn't really the place to go into detail, but Buddha taught that there is a creator of all, and that is the mind. Everything is mere appearance to mind, like things in a dream, arising from our karma, or intentions. Madhyamakavatara by Chandrakirti (with excellent commentary by Geshe Kelsang in Ocean of Nectar) explains Buddha's views on the formation of life, the universe, and everything. But from a practical point of view, here we are, and we need to use our time wisely not speculating about every atom but finding release from suffering by realizing that things are not as real as they appear, but are mere karmic appearance to mind. This releases us from the sleep of ignorance and destroys the contaminated karma that causes suffering appearances to arise in the first place. Okay, that had to be short and sweet, but i hope it helps a little!

Geronimo
29 August 2008 at 01:49

Shimmering Tears!

shieu hoong
29 August 2008 at 05:10

am so sorry thom. to be passionate about life carries too, the pain.

Jason
29 August 2008 at 08:03

No, thats perfect Tenzin.

Lubov
29 August 2008 at 08:05

Dear Friend of Truth, Thank you so much for taking the time to detail the history and raising so many important issues.

NOT A BAN? THEN WHY NOT SOLVE THIS MISUNDERSTANDING HIMSELF?

Exactly, if there is no ban, no discrimination, no segregation then he has a responsibility to clear up the misunderstanding. But we know there is a ban, however this is selectively denied and confirmed. He is quite clear on the ban with the Tibetan exiled community (see YouTube, France24 TV). A political leader needs to be accountable for his actions.

And thank you Meindert for preparing your articles for Newstatesman.

I think both of you will help readers who may have experienced some doubt because of this debate.

Jason, I know it must be hard for you to hear people calling someone you respect a 'liar' but this is how it appears. The Dalai Lama has on a number of occasions said there is no ban and there is a ban. He is also touring the west advocating peace and religious freedom yet causing disharmony and restricting religious freedom. Every WSS member I have spoken to, and there have been hundreds, cherish the Dalai Lama and all other living beings - even you Jason when you make comments like 'Shugden Death Cult will be ground to dust'.

all love

Tara

taghioff.info
29 August 2008 at 12:23

@jason

"Is our presence explained by a karmic bootstrapping process? Or do simply Buddhists think it wiser not look for an answer and get on with what we have? "

Pretty much the latter. Creationism is contingent on your model of causality. If you have a mindset (like formal logic) that operates on the tacit assumption that there is a clear one to one and one way relationship between cause and effect, eventually you stumble on the issue of what was the ultimate cause.

If you have a model of causality that posits many to many causility relationships, that can operate in many directions near simulyaneously, then the issue of an ultimate cause (or creator) is far less pressing.

The latter is much more the zone of debate where buddhists tend to circle.

Robert Thomas
29 August 2008 at 12:30

TibetforTibetans got the Amnesty quote wrong, changing the meaning. Amnesty said: "None of the material AI has received contains evidence of abuses which fall within AI's mandate for action – such as grave violations of fundamental human rights including torture, the death penalty, extra-judicial executions, arbitrary detention or imprisonment, or unfair trials". Not, "None of the material AI has received contains evidence of abuses" as TFT wrote. (ref http://www.tibet.com/dholgyal/ai.html)

Robert Thomas
29 August 2008 at 12:34

This is some commentry to the meaning of the Amnesty statement from an academic book published by Routelidge: "This neither asserts nor denies the validity of the allegations against the CTA (Central Tibetan Administration), nor finds either side culpable. Amnesty International regards "spiritual issues" and state affairs as separate, whilst seeing the command-based nation-state as the fundamental framework for understanding the category of "actionable human rights abuses". Fundamental to this were linked criteria of state accountability and the exercise of state force, neither of which could clearly be identified within the CTA context." (Ref: Human Rights in Global Perspective, Routelidge ISBN 0-415-30410-5"

Dougal
29 August 2008 at 15:03

t4t -

the CBI Wanted List on the website you mention contains no reference to Shugden whatsoever.

Enlightened
29 August 2008 at 17:35

Some very useful information about Tibet :

http://www.skycitygallery.com/japan/tibet.htm

Enlightened
29 August 2008 at 17:36

Some very useful information about Tibet:

http://www.skycitygallery.com/japan/tibet.htm

theloneranger
29 August 2008 at 23:10

Here are two questions for you the Dalai Lama's followers to answer:-

Question1 :- Is it ok for the Chinese to suppress Tibetans for following the Dalai Lama? Yes or No?

Question2 :- Is it ok for the Dalai Lama to suppress Tibetans for following Dorje Shugden? Yes or No?

If you answer Yes and Yes, this is okay, your views are extreme and you have no respect for religious freedom but theres no contradiction.

If you answer No and No, this is also ok, you have a compassionate view and a respect for religious freedom and there is again no contradiction.

If you answer No and Yes, this is not good, you have contradicting viewpoints and double standards!

Speeches by Dalai Lama on Dorje Shugden ban!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqsrHiSa7Zc

Lucy James
30 August 2008 at 04:36

I know Geezer has sabotaged this entire conversation (and the same with Meindert Gorter's other blogs) with his spam but I think it is good that it looks like no one is responding and stooping to his level.

The best way to deal with Geezer and other trolls or spammers is probably just to report them to the New Statesman. It says on their contact page:

To report comments on articles or to make a complaint about New Statesman content please email: comments@newstatesman.co.uk

kamomil
30 August 2008 at 11:18

I heard Geshe Kelsang Gyatso has through his family a personal connection to Dorje Shugden, which is a spirit, not a Buddha. DS brings worldly success, but is that a buddhist thing? No. It is said that because people went into wrong direction - not following Guru Rinpoche - but some worldly spirit DS, Tibet was lost to Tibetans.

Are we 'buddhists'? Followers of a Buddha or Guru Rinpoche? And do we need a worldly spirit, if it brings personal speedy success, but not long term enlightenment to All sentient beings?

There's no real reason to follow DS. If it is said to be harmful by HHDL and many other lamas, better to beluieve it. Geshe is just one person. And it seems that DS might harm him personally if he stopped practicing it. Do you really want to join that 'club'?

I'm sorry. I know I offend many, but really: consider what is long term benefit for you and rest of the world?

Douglas Chalmers
30 August 2008 at 14:22

#geezer: "...I decided to look up the full vinaya, the REAL vows..... there were some valid ones… sexual relations (using tantra as an excuse)..... the resident teacher ...is believed to be Tara (A female Buddha)..... she is allowed to eat meat and watch tv, she is the only one in the centre that can break NKT centre rules… WHY?..."

Monkey-business, geezer? Or maybe pigging out, duh? We are all human and, despite our pretences at being "perfected beings", we are ever 'tripping up'. Zhu Bajie is better known to Westerners as Piggy or "Pigsy".....

He is one of the three assistants to the Tripitaka, the Chinese monk, Xuanzang, who in 629 AD, together with the Monkey King, QiTian Dasheng, set out with the monk as his escort and aides on his hazardous and enthralling trek to India to collect the sacred Buddhist scriptures. These were the heroes of the romance the Journey to the West..... He is also known by his name in religion, Zhu Wuneng - Seeker after Strength.....

In the story, Pigsy was the former Superintendent of Navigation of the Milky Way. banished to be reincarnated on Earth for assaulting one of the daughters of the Jade Emperor. Unfortunately a mistake was made and he entered the womb of a sow and was born half-man and half-pig. He was ordained a priest by Guan Yin and is portrayed on altars and in murals as a composite deity, a human with the head of a pig. He carries a nine-toothed muck-rake as a defensive weapon which he used to good effect during the long and arduous journey escorting the pilgrim monk, Xuanzang.....

Although he is usually regarded China-wide as the epitome of gluttony, in Taiwan he is also revered by prostitutes who call on his divine title Shoushou Ye, offering him incense and chants morning and evening whilst calling on him to bring them rich guests, foolish and witless, to be fleeced.....

Kingdom of Swine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhEAJVYuC0M

Tenzin
30 August 2008 at 21:10

Thanks Lyara. I was dismayed to see Geezer and Douglas Chalmers flaming like this because the discussions were so civil before. It is hard to know where to start in refuting their absurd posts so I give up in advance.

I just posted this to the New Statesman because Geezer and Douglas Chalmers seem to be breaking the rules of courtesy in abundance!

Dear New Statesman,

While appreciating very much you took the trouble to hear out the point of view of beleagured Dorje Shugden practitioners, by now you have probably discovered that questioning the Dalai Lama brings out the worst in his followers. The comments have now degenerated into a blood bath, with very offensive postings especially from Geezer and Douglas Chalmers. There are libellous accusations by Geezer also against the NKT that have been replied to elsewhere on numerous occasions but it does not stop people posting them again (you can see http://www.newkadampatruth.org to see the replies if you don't believe me and think the libel should stay up).

Please could you do something about these two posters. I am reporting them in accordance with your statement below (quoted). Thank you for restoring the peace and dignity to this chat thread.

Best, Tenzin

"We want to encourage people to comment on our content and to exchange views with other readers and hope this will be done on a courteous basis. However, if you encounter posts which are offensive please let us know by emailing comments@newstatesman.co.uk and we will take swift action where necessary."

Dharmakara
31 August 2008 at 05:10

Douglas Chalmers (a.k.a. Dick Charmer, Southern Swan, Fong of the Inland) is an online pariah and he's been acting like this on several other websites, including Get Up blogs, where the following advice in regard to him was offered: "Just ignore him. I wish he would get the mental health care that he so desperately needs."

If you ever encounter him, please follow Tenzin's lead and report him to the blog/comments moderator of the site.

francis
31 August 2008 at 18:16

whatever - I just searched this whole page for "politics", but found the only reference in the above supposed 'quote' attributed by you to the author of this most informative article. And as usual, ad hominem attacks say more about the person (or whoever behind the person) penning them.

Khedrup7
02 September 2008 at 00:55

The "segregation wall" at Ganden monastery is similar to countless other walls at many of the monasteries in exile located in India. Such walls around both monasteries and Indian homes serve to keep out livestock and thieves. I have included pictures of similar walls at the Tibetan monastery here:http://westernshugdensociety.wordpress.com/2008/07/22/funny-... (scroll to the bottom).

The WSS has no proof these walls serve the sinister "Holocaust" like purpose they allege. I sent them a letter regarding these photographs and received no response.

if you are going to travel the world calling HH Dalai Lama a liar, your organization better have a stainless record in terms of honest and investigating the facts.

Friendoftruth
02 September 2008 at 04:35

Dear K7,

You say that "such walls around both monasteries and Indian homes serve to keep out livestock and thieves."

But if you go to the website you yourself mention you cannot miss the character of a wall that IS NOT AROUND anything, but just stands in the middle of the monastery's grounds, without any means of communication like a portal or door, just a blind wall that is separating, not protecting.

So why sow such unnecessary doubts?

Why do you think these people are saying what they are saying? They are the Dalai Lama's victims. If you are not going to defend them, at least please do not slander them.

Thank you.

Geronimo
03 September 2008 at 17:52

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZhczLKMZck

"Wally Lama" cartoon

Tenzin Peljor
03 September 2008 at 22:35

I lack time to say something to the plenitude of misinformation by Lucy James and other NKT/WSS followers. For a better background knowledge those who are interested can read my article:

http://info-buddhism.com/Western_Shugden_Society_unlocked.ht...

and more information at my blog:

http://westernshugdensociety.wordpress.com/

It is clear that I am one of their top enemies, although I don't deserve so much honour. You can read what they think about me here:

http://newkadampatruth.org/fpmt.php#a1

Take this Shugden issue with humour, there is already too much fanaticism involved.

Best Wishes and a clear, wise and happy mind, Tenzin Peljor Bhikshu

BTW, this Video was made by other monks from a German Monastery: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q6X8COBIUk

Friendoftruth
03 September 2008 at 23:00

I would suggest the valiant ones that didn't participate in the discussion when it was in full activity and decided to post their views, links and so forth when there's practically nobody else to respond, to use their great courage to think for themselves and reflect:

Why am I persecuting people that only have beliefs that I don't know except through the opinions of other persecutors?

Why insted of persecuting them for their beliefs --which is an action unbecoming in countries that went through the Siècle des Lumières a long time ago, and started believing in human rights a long time ago-- wouldn't I refrain from such miscounduct, a misconduct both in the religious field and the civic field?

Why do I persecute them? What terrible wants in my own heart, what unconfessed frustrations push me to slander those whom I don't know except from my own and the Dalai Lama's campaign of persecution?

Why am I doing this?

Since these brave ones call themselves Buddhists, it would be good that they pray Lord Buddha, Lord Mañjushri, for clarity, for some light to be shed to the darkness of their mind.

Because one thing is clear: they persecute.

The victims suffer persecution.

Good luck with your prayers!

Tenzin Peljor
03 September 2008 at 23:03

I just recognized, the author of this article is a student of Kundeling Rinpoche. I am a former student of him.

Kundeling Lama is seen as a controversial lama and described by the TGIE as a "self-proclaimed Lama". He has no official recognition as a "Rimpoche" see:

http://www.tibet.net/en/prelease/2002/190702.html

He sees this different, see: http://www.kundeling.net/tagtsha.htm

HHDL refused to recognize him as the authentic Kundeling tulku.

Actual Kundeling Lama sues HHDL in India see: http://www.tibetinfonet.net/content/update/116

Some of my experience with Kundeling Lama I published here:

"A former Shugden follower's thought"

http://westernshugdensociety.wordpress.com/2008/08/12/a-form...

Tenzin Peljor
03 September 2008 at 23:09

Dear Meindert Gorter (the writer of the article), I wish to express my appreciation that you openly reveal your own background about the affiliation with Kundeling Lama. Such honesty is something rare. I wish to express my respect for this open attitude. Thanks a lot, Tenzin Peljor.

Tenzin Peljor
03 September 2008 at 23:43

Dear Friendofthertuth, thanks for your thoughts. Your questions, my answers:

Why am I persecuting people that only have beliefs that I don't know except through the opinions of other persecutors?

- I know them first hand ;-) It is my right to correct what I see as misleading and exaggerated