When you have Dorje Shugden on your side, why shouldn’t you dance with joy? Take a little lesson from these kids, and rejoice in the blessings and protection of our uncommon Protector.

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

or watch on our server:
http://video.dorjeshugden.com/videos/BlessedHamster.flv

As an enlightened being, Dorje Shugden’s blessings are not just limited to humans, but extend to all sentient beings including animals. This little hamster has taken Dorje Shugden to his heart! Will you?

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http://www.dorjeshugden.com/forum/index.php?topic=3568.0

By: Harry Nephew

DorjeShugden.com was very happy to receive news that over 30 Lamas and 10 monks attended the Tibet Autonomous Region 10th government committee’s first conference on January 22-27, 2013 in Lhasa. This included Dorje Shugden high lamas, such as Lama Jampa Ngodrup Rinpoche, who was the first Tibetan lama to have been sent abroad by China to give Buddhist teachings in Switzerland in December 2012.

The Tibet Autonomous Regional Committee is an arm of the Central Government in Beijing, which is better well known as Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). It serves as an important administrative arm for the CPPCC to execute instructions and governs the entire Tibet Autonomous Region.

The conference focused on how to improve the current situation in Tibet. Pagbalha Geleg Namgyai, chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Regional Committee, explained that there was a need to expose the people of Tibet towards science to help Tibetans move beyond their present status, which is a legacy of centuries of servitude under a theocracy, and be more prepared for a modern world. The Chinese Government promised to provide the Tibetan people with more education facilities and social infrastructure to achieve the above.

In concluding his speech, Pagbalha said that the Chinese government is employing various means to ensure a more progressive, affluent, and informed people, which are prerequisites for a happy, harmonious, law-upholding community of Tibetans.

Lama Jampa Ngodrup Rinpoche, who was also present at the conference

The presence of the 30 Tibetan Lamas at this conference shows openness on the part of the Chinese to the participation of Tibetan lamas in matters pertaining to the improvement of the Tibetan people in the TAR and the advancement of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.

The willingness of the lamas to cooperate with the Chinese Government indicates a maturity and acceptance of the political situation from the Tibetan point of view. It also shows that the Tibetan lamas hold the welfare of Tibetans and the growth of Buddhism as priorities which override political considerations. For far too long, the good of the Tibetan people and their spiritual progress have been sacrificed at the altar of Sino-Tibetan political maneuverings.

Clearly it is only via mutual cooperation that there can be progress both for the Tibetans as well as Sino-Tibetan relations, and this is precisely what DorjeShugden.com has advocated in its article, Operation Make Friends.

We are extremely happy to receive this piece of news and totally rejoice in the compassionate Sangha who have taken the initiative to lead in preserving the teachings of Lord Buddha and to uphold peace inside Tibet. This provides a bridge for China to mend relations with Tibetans. All these can only improve the chances of the Tibetan people returning to their homeland as has been their wish since going into exile in 1959. In fact, it seems that it is these lamas who are more proactive in helping the Tibetans rather than the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), who should be the ones representing the Tibetans yet are unable to even organize a dialogue with the Chinese government.

Indeed, this event proves that Dorje Shugden lamas are affirming their roles as peacemakers rather than the warmongers which they are being continuously wrongly accused of. The CTA should appreciate what the Dorje Shugden lamas are doing and rather than ostracize them, they should work with them in order to further the welfare of Tibetans.

By: Stevie Lee

Since 1949, when the People’s Liberation Army entered Tibet, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has consistently pursued a peaceful approach towards engaging China on the topic of Tibetan Independence. In 1979, the Chinese premier Deng Xiao Peng had issued a proposal to the Dalai Lama that “except independence, all other issues can be resolved through negotiations.” Eventually, the Dalai Lama changed his approach to accommodate the Chinese government’s conditions and formulated the Middle Way, which was to forfeit the pursuit of outright independence in consideration of an autonomous Tibetan rule within the framework of Chinese authority.

Despite this compromise, the dialogue with the Chinese government has not been conclusive to this day. Beijing’s reaction was mixed, but many attempts by the Tibetan envoys have been met with apathy and considerable suspicion.

In 1988, the Chinese foreign ministry issued a statement saying that the People’s Republic of China would not accept Tibet’s “independence, semi-independence or independence in disguised form”. Clearly, Beijing was not impressed with the proposals that were issued by the Tibetan envoys although the proposals of self-autonomy appeared to be aligned with Deng Xiao Peng’s terms.

Deng Xiao Peng held office as the Chinese premier in 1979

For Beijing, the Tibetans have always proved to be an enduring problem, especially with the recent spate of self-immolations occurring all over the Tibetan Xinjiang province. Self-autonomy of the province promises the eventual return of the very powerful figure of the Dalai Lama to the province. As the Tibetans view the Dalai Lama as more than just a ruler for he is a religious icon of the highest order – a living Buddha – that itself could either quell much discontent or spark revolutionary activities. Much depends on China’s belief in the good intentions of the Dalai Lama. Self-autonomy may give the Tibetans what they are fighting for – from the standpoint of the Dalai Lama being able to return to the homeland; the preservation of Tibetan culture, language and religious heritage, and therefore, may very well be the solution to the Sino-Tibetan standoff. However, the Chinese are at the same time, wary of letting a Trojan horse into its midst. It is therefore an issue of trust.

Beijing’s mixed reaction would mean that the Chinese are actually considering Tibetan self-autonomy but are unwilling to conclude any agreement because the intentions of the Tibetan government in exile, now known as the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), are not clearly reflected in their actions, statements and policies.

Over the years, the sentiment of the Tibetans has made very clear of their widespread resentment of the Chinese rule. This is made painfully apparent with the series of self-immolations that are occurring all over the Tibetan province. It is obvious that the Tibetans are seeking international attention for an outright independent Tibet, which Beijing strongly rejects, and not just for self-autonomy. The very fact that the Dalai Lama and the CTA have not issued any strong statements to condemn the recent spate of self-immolations reaffirms Beijing’s fears and suspicion of the Tibetans’ real objective. To Beijing, the Dalai Lama remains supportive of Tibet as an independent nation, despite the Dalai Lama’s public statements of seeking self-autonomy.

It is important to note that since the 16th century, Tibet has been historically ruled by a line of Dalai Lama incarnations. Even in India, the Dalai Lama has taken an active role in governing the Tibetan community in exile. Therefore, the strength of the Dalai Lama’s power and influence over the Tibetans can never be underestimated. Undoubtedly, Beijing forms this strong opinion by looking at how the word of the Dalai Lama alone is sufficient to challenge the deeply rooted religious traditions of the Tibetans, something the people hold sacrosanct. Since the 1990s, the Dalai Lama had actively sought to stamp out Dorje Shugden practice within the lay and monastic community. Special emphasis has been placed upon enforcing the Dorje Shugden ban within the monastic community over the years. This resulted in a painful schism within the great monasteries. Due to the toxic propaganda against the Dorje Shugden practice, a huge split also emerged within the Tibetan community causing widespread discrimination and fear. Such is the power of the Dalai Lama.

Such blatant religious discrimination would definitely have adversely coloured Beijing’s view of the CTA as an autonomous government, capable of governing the Tibetan people within the Chinese infrastructure. After all, the People’s Republic of China is essentially an atheist state since the days of Mao Tse Tung. They would not want one of its autonomous provinces to have its own agenda, let alone a religious one within its governing policies that would adversely affect and possibly destabilize not only the state but the entire country as well. Therefore, the CTA maintaining the ban on Dorje Shugden would not be in the best interest of the Tibetan cause. In fact, the ban on Dorje Shugden has showed Beijing that the CTA’s democratic surface is just a façade for an archaic and ‘feudalistic’ government that is more concerned with carrying out a religious agenda than to maintain social order.

Dr Lobsang Sangye, the first democratically elected head of the CTA and the Tibetan community in India

Even after the Dalai Lama resigned from his position as the political head of Tibet on 14 March 2011, very little has changed in way of the internal policies of the CTA. The top position within CTA is now the office of a democratically elected Sikyong. A Harvard graduate, Dr Lobsang Sangye is currently holding this office. However, there has been not much difference since the days of the Dalai Lama. Expectations were high and some even dared to hope that the CTA would pursue a secular government and leave religious ruling to the great lamas of the monastic circle. However, the CTA continues to uphold the ban on Dorje Shugden despite the fact that a totally lay and secular government is in place. Some wonder who is in fact pulling the strings.

As it is, the CTA is invested with the power to implement changes into the governing policies of the community. If they are serious about engaging with China to gain Tibetan autonomy, then they have to ensure that all governing policies are strictly secular and that religion, of which the Dalai Lama is the undeniable central authority, would not be a factor. Therefore, the ban on Dorje Shugden has no place in the secular running of CTA and should be abolished. Should this happen, it would prove to the Chinese government that the CTA is separating the church from the state, and this may positively influence the current Chinese sentiment towards the Tibetan proposal for autonomy.

China’s worry is augmented by looking at the Dalai Lama’s refusal to stamp out self-immolations by the Tibetans. The Chinese have seen how the Dalai Lama has been so influential that he is able to implement and enforce a religious ban on Dorje Shugden, a popular protector deity. If he can use his influence on the Tibetan people to get them to follow his religious view, then he can also use it to get the Tibetan people to toe the line with the agenda of self-autonomy and to stamp out self-immolation completely. Now, the Chinese knows this and to the Chinese, the lack of anti-immolation conviction from CTA and the Dalai Lama reaffirms their belief that the Dalai Lama and the CTA are not really seeking self-autonomy but total independence.

So what’s the solution? Abolish the Dorje Shugden ban, and issue stronger statements against self-immolations, while unifying the people in a stand against self-immolation and the Tibetan autonomy agenda. After all, if the Chinese government were to consider self-autonomy for the Tibetan province, they are expecting a secular running of the Tibetan autonomous province and one that adheres to the policies of the central government. In order to have the Chinese reconsider the Tibetan proposal, the CTA has to ensure that the proposal and the CTA’s policies appear secular, and are in line with Chinese interests. Therefore, the easiest way for the CTA to achieve this is to lift the ban on Dorje Shugden.

Source: http://tibet.net/important-issues/sino-tibetan-dialogue/an-overview-of-sino-tibetan-dialogue/

By: Stevie Lee

On the altar of Gen Tenzin (not his real name) sits beautiful statues of the Buddha and also traditional offerings, such as bowls of water to represent the Three Jewels, which are very much in accordance with Tibetan Buddhist culture. Prominently placed at the front-center of the altar, which is a position of supreme veneration, sits a picture of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, long regarded as the Divine Head of Tibetan Buddhism, as well as, the nation of Tibetan people. More than that, the Dalai Lama is literally regarded as Avalokiteshvara incarnate, the Buddha Of Compassion himself.

This altar scene itself is not uncommon but what makes this case noteworthy is that Tenzin is a Shar Ganden monk. Shar Ganden is the very monastery that was formed after 600 monks were unceremoniously expelled from Ganden for refusing to abandon or swear against a Dharma Protector named Dorje Shugden, whom the Gelugpa monks have worshiped for years.

Shar Ganden Monastery

At the order of the Dalai Lama, and without just cause or sound reasoning, Dorje Shugden, who is none other than the emanation of Manjushri recognized by the great Fifth Dalai Lama and many high lamas and erudite Dharma scholars since, was suddenly deemed to be an evil spirit. The propitiation of Dorje Shugden was immediately rendered illegal by the office of the Dalai Lama, and rambling not far behind, the Central Tibetan Administration. The de facto Tibetan government-in -exile supposedly with a democratic constitution, lent their support as enforcers.

Tenzin is one of the small community of monks and lay practitioners who were forced into isolation and segregation from the rest of the monastery, and the Tibetan community at large, simply because they would not comply with the Dalai Lama’s instructions to break their oath made to their root Gurus to continue the practice of Dorje Shugden. Those who remained loyal to their gurus and practice were regarded as demon worshippers wishing harm upon the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan fight for freedom. They were labeled as traitors of not only the Tibetan people but also the precious Dharma. The propaganda was that the practice of this Protector is tantamount to anti-Dharma. Dorje Shugden monks, nuns and practitioners had to give up their practice or hide for fear of their lives. The Dalai Lama whom they have regarded as a God-King had condemned them to be enemies, and excommunicated. Thus, for Tenzin to place the picture of the Dalai Lama on his altar is to venerate the very same person who has judged Tenzin to be an enemy.

So maligned were the likes of Tenzin by the establishment that many of these monks lost Dharma brothers, close friends, and even family members. Some of the highest lamas like the present incarnation of the Guru of virtually all Gelugpa gurus, Kyabje Trijang Chocktrul Rinpoche, had even received death threats and live in grave concern of their lives to this day. Trijang Rinpoche was forced to choose between his loyalty to his practice, or his devotion to the Dalai Lama – a choice his wisdom and strong sense of ethics have not allowed him to make. Instead, Trijang Rinpoche chose to disrobe and went into self-exile to the United States.

H.H. Trijang Choktrul Rinpoche

Labeled by the Dalai Lama as traitors and Chinese spies, no Tibetan shopkeepers would supply Shar Ganden with their daily necessities, and often the monks had to travel as far as 54 kilometers to the nearest Indian town of Hubli to get even the most basic of provisions. For all intent and purposes, the Dalai Lama ought to have been the spiritual nemesis for monks like Tenzin. Yet in spite of all these, many monks of Shar Ganden continue to hold the Dalai Lama in the highest regard, and continue to show their devotion to His Holiness by placing his photograph on their personal altars.

Like all Vajrayana monks, they still begin their prayers with “Namo Guru-beh,” which is the taking refuge with all lineage lamas including His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Although they may not agree with his actions and probably do not even understand his reasons for the ban, as nobody has yet been able to arrive at any sound and logical conclusion, they continue placing the Dalai Lama’s image on their personal altars. This is indisputable proof that their veneration of the Dalai Lama has not diminished. In this respect, Tenzin, like many Shugden monks and practitioners, truly uphold the Buddha’s teachings, one of which is Lojong or mind training. This is the practice of not allowing negative afflictive thoughts such as fear, hatred and anger to override the calm abiding mind that sees all phenomena in their true nature. One of the key teachings of Dharma is to recognize afflictive emotions as not having any inherent and sound basis. Therefore, they are merely reflections of our own angry and ignorant mind. The training leads to the development of Compassion, one of the attainments without which we cannot reach enlightenment. This is the Dharma that Tenzin and Shugdenpas practice. To them, there is no enemy, just as the Buddha himself did not recognize any enemy other than our own mind.

In stark contrast, after the institution of the Dorje Shugden ban, zealous anti-Shugden monks and people went on a rampage tearing down Dorje Shugden statues and images everywhere. Some, like members of the Tibetan Youth Congress, even went on a door-to-door search, reminiscent of the Salem witch-hunts. No Dorje Shugden image is allowed in Ganden Shartse or any monastery under the Dalai Lama’s watch, nor are the names of Shugden lamas allowed to be uttered in their daily prayers. In light of this disparity, one would have to be forgiven for asking if these monks, who are filled with hatred and devoid of tolerance or compassion, are practicing the same Dharma as Tenzin and the Shugdenpas. Ironically, it is the Dorje Shugden practitioners who are accused of being anti-Dharma. However, the reality speaks a very different language.

Tenzin and all Dorje Shugden practitioners practice true Dharma and at the core of the practice is the recognition that the Gurus are the source of all good qualities. Hence, under no circumstances will a true Shugden monk disparage any Guru or lama. The supreme example of this is in the very difficult and yet supremely kind instruction given by H.H. Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche in Music Delighting An Ocean of Protectors which states on page 125:

But some who are narrow minded, not understanding this point, consider this Dharmapala[referring to Dorje Shugden] to be like an ordinary worldly being and, with supposed faith in the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama, disparage him; or else they indeed admire this great Dharmapala but criticize the Dalai Lama or Panchen Lama. Using either one as a reason not to admire the other and speaking badly about either in any way is the conduct of an ordinary being who, under the influence of attachment and hatred, just tries to help friends and hurt enemies.

Music Delighting An Ocean of Protectors was written in 1967, decades before there was an inkling of the tragedy of the ban that was to come. This shows the clairvoyance of H.H. Trijang Rinpoche in anticipating the heart wrenching consequences and challenges which would be faced by all – Shugden and non-Shugden monk alike – in the future

This premonition has now become our present reality. Seeing H.H. the Dalai Lama’s picture on Tenzin’s altar is a reason to rejoice for it unconditionally affirms that in spite of the waves of malevolent persecutions against them, those who practice Dorje Shugden remain true to the teachings of the Buddha in the Vajrayana tradition. And that is, to regard the lineage Gurus as more precious than their own lives. How could such nobility have risen out of the worship of an evil spirit?

By: Shashi Kei

http://www.dorjeshugden.com/all-articles/the-controversy/four-important-videos/

The town of Chatreng lies within the Kham province of Tibet and is often used by travellers as a stopover between Litang and Yading Reserve in Daochen County, known to possess Kham’s most stunning scenery. In comparison, Chatreng is relatively unknown to the outside world until recent years. In the feudal past of Tibet, Chatreng was a notoriously impenetrable kingdom, and not just because of the wall of mountains that surround it. Chatreng men were warlike, strong and above all loyal and it is not surprising that when the Dalai Lama decided to escape from Tibet to India in 1959, it was the men of Chatreng who formed part of a private security force, called Chushi Gangdruk. Chushi Gangdruk protected and accompanied His Holiness on his legendary journey, carrying with him the hopes of the Tibetan nation and the ageless tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.

A nearby village in the Chatreng District, Kham

Perhaps it is no coincidence that the lion amongst men, the master of all modern masters, His Holiness Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche’s personal monastery, Sampheling, is located here in its full grandeur.

With such a history and legacy, it is not surprising that Chatreng and its iconic Sampheling Monastery is a stronghold of the Dorje Shugden practice that has endured despite the willful attacks of the Tibetan government in exile (CTA). For decades, the CTA has been hell-bent on destroying the 360-year old practice of this powerful Dharma protector, long prophesied to be the rightful guardian of Je Tsongkhapa’s teachings facing a degenerate era. This futile attempt has been in vain as Dorje Shugden practice continues to flourish in this region. Today the fortress of the Protector practice is Sampheling Monastery and at its head is the present Abbot, His Eminence Kensur Rinpoche Lobsang Chojin.

Entrance to the main gompa of Sampheling Monastery

DorjeShugden.com upholds the same values and beliefs of Trijang Rinpoche towards Dorje Shugden and that which the monks of Sampheling Monastery and the people of Chatreng hold with conviction as well. In an interview with His Eminence Kensur Rinpoche, Kensur Rinpoche sent a powerful message to Dorje Shugden practitioners around the world.

Kensur Rinpoche spoke of the Chatreng people’s unwavering devotion towards their Guru Trijang Rinpoche and also their Protector, Dorje Shugden, in the face of attacks against the practice. To Kensur Rinpoche, it is allegiance and devotion to the Guru, and the practice that the Guru has given that matters, not the rumors and propaganda – no matter who the source. On this Kensur Rinpoche has no doubts. Kensur Rinpoche’s reason is simple – the lineage of Dorje Shugden is the same pure lineage that indisputable masters such as H.H. Pabongka Rinpoche and H.H. Trijang Rinpoche have transmitted to us. It is this lineage that practitioners of Dorje Shugden belong to, and that which Kensur Rinpoche said we must all continue and preserve.

Fundamentally, Kensur Rinpoche’s advice is to closely follow the guidance of our respective Gurus who are highly qualified to transmit the pure teachings to us. To follow the Guru and the Protector is to practice Dharma. This has always been the tradition and should not change because of any gossip or rumors. Kensur Rinpoche also mentioned that he finds the Dalai Lama’s reason to ban the practice to be void of logic.

H.E. Kensur Rinpoche Lobsang Chojin of Sampheling Monastery, Chatreng

DorjeShugden.com is richly encouraged by Kensur Rinpoche’s statement that he will continue to pray for the people behind DorjeShugden.com – the site that has played a crucial role in spreading such an important lineage and teachings. In addition, we are very humbled by Kensur Rinpoche’s opinion that the function of the site is equally as important as the function of the monks in China/Tibet. And for now this site has done more to spread Dorje Shugden’s practice in comparison with what the Chatreng people can do on a practical level. Therefore Kensur Rinpoche requested for those at DorjeShugden.com to work hard and continue with the mission. Furthermore, if practitioners have faith in their Gurus and the Protector they will spread the practice far and wide and collect tremendous merits along the way.

In line our Mission Statement, DorjeShugden.com is fully committed to bringing the latest information about our Protector to all, so that more and more people have access to accurate and up-to-date information and are heartened in their practice.

They have a meeting every 3 years of which this year 40 sub-centres from around the world gathered in Dharamsala for their meeting. It is a six-day event and during this year’s eventful meeting, the Tibetan Youth Congress discussed what has transpired over the past years and the future of Tibet. At the same time, they are voting in new committee. Over 130 members participated in the meeting of which many have come from all over the world. The key point in this year’s discussion was the Middle-Way policy adopted by His Holiness the Dalai Lama starting from 1987.

The agenda of this Middle-Way is to adopt China’s policy of Tibet integrating into China or autonomous state, and to give up Tibetan independence. Out of the 130 members, majority were against this policy. The 34 that were for the policy were from Bangalore, Bylakuppe, Mungod, Hunsur, Kollegal, Dalhousie, Pondoh, and Ladakh. The 34 members were completely against fighting for independence, and were pro Dalai Lama’s Middle-Way approach. The 96 majority members were against the Dalai Lama’s pro-Middle-Way policy against China and wish to fight for complete independence of Tibet. They are exhausted in waiting for the Middle-Way policy to fruition, of which nothing has manifested since its inception in 1987. The 34 members in a dramatic turnaround stormed out of the meeting, refused to participate and wrote a letter to the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) asking the congress to reconsider the Dalai Lama’s Middle- Way, failing which they will resign from their posts. The Middle-Way concept to integrate Tibet into Greater China as an autonomous state was proposed by the Dalai Lama to make Tibet a zone of peace and addressed to the European Parliament in Strasbourg in 1988.

The Executive Members of the Tibetan Youth Congress

The Executive Members of the Tibetan Youth Congress had proposed a three-point resolution to be adopted by the gathering on opening day of the meeting this year. The first point was to apologise to the Dalai Lama for causing any difficulties for him. The second point was to withdraw an earlier resolution that had passed, which was to lobby the members of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile to change the official stance from seeking autonomy to independence.  The third point was for the Tibetan Youth Congress to continue with their aim and goal towards a fully independent Tibet without any form of autonomy. The 34 members felt that Tibetan Youth Congress should change their stance to the Dalai Lama’s Middle-Way. This difference in opinion has created tremendous upheaval within the Tibetan communities and in Dharamsala itself. It has split Tibetan refugees population into two factions, one pro-Dalai Lama’s Middle-Way stance, the other against.

We are seeing more and more tension and dissension among the Tibetans with the Dalai Lama’s policy. They recognise the fact that the aging Dalai Lama and his Tibetan Government in Exile are not accomplishing autonomy or independence. Everyone though silent, is in mortal fear of what will happen to the Tibetans after the passing of the Dalai Lama. Although in reality, the Tibetans consider it inauspicious and a bad omen to talk about the death of the Dalai Lama or any High Lama for that matter. Tibetans will avoid that subject for fear of bringing inauspicious circumstances to arise, creating obstacles to the Dalai Lama’s life. Even so, many Tibetans feel much frustration, fear, impatience, and even anger towards the ineffectiveness of the Dalai Lama’s Middle-Way policy.

At the same time, to reject this Middle-Way policy is tantamount to rejecting the Dalai Lama himself. Within Tibetan society, although they flaunt their government as democratic, actually it is autocratic. Whatever the Dalai Lama said must be followed and any differences in opinion, regardless of motivation, will be tantamount to being a traitor against the Dalai Lama. This would be unheard of and considered unacceptable. Violent physical fighting have broken out in pockets of Tibetan settlements throughout India, by the supporters of the pro and anti-Middle-Way policies. The Tibetan Government in Exile and the Tibetan communities are in turmoil, confusion, and tremendous upheaval.  For the first time people are expressing their lack of faith, and trust in the Dalai Lama’s Middle-Way policy.

TYC President Tsewang Rigzin

TYC President Tsewang Rigzin delivering the inaugural address at the 15th Greneral Body Meeting of TYC in Dharamsala on May 27, 2013

Not being able to cast votes, the TYC are in great danger of completely dissolving and breaking apart as the majority are against the Dalai Lama’s Middle-Way policy. The situation has become so urgent that the President of the TYC, Tsewang Rigzin approached His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Private Office Secretary Kungo Lobsang Jinpa to intervene. The Private Office of the Dalai Lama recognising the danger within the political organisation instructed Samdhong Rinpoche to join the TYC meeting to intervene immediately, and to speak on behalf of the Dalai Lama and the Middle –Way policy. Samdhong Rinpoche obliged and representing the Gaden Podrang, or in other words, His Holiness the Dalai Lama suddenly arrived at the TYC meeting in hopes of calming down the situation of which it has been futile so far. A few days ago, the Kashag announced that Nechung oracle has commented that self-immolation is not good at all and must stop immediately. The Tibetan people responded that the Kashag is again using Nechung’s name to lie to them. They reasoned that if it was really Nechung’s pronouncement, why did Nechung wait for more than 110 people to die from self-immolation before he gave such advice. Is that the track record of a so-called Buddhist protector? To wait till 110 people have died and then suddenly say, “Self-immolation is wrong in achieving Tibet’s purpose.”  People reject the Kashag’s announcement and even said that they are always lying and using Nechung to cover their tracks. The Tibetan populist has also claimed that the Kashag lied 20 years ago when they proudly proclaimed that Nechung said it is good to announce and recognise the highly sought after incarnation of the Panchen Lama Gendun Chokyi . Upon announcement of the Panchen Lama’s incarnation, the Chinese immediately took the young Panchen Lama and his family, and they were never heard of again. Why would Nechung with his so called foresight and clairvoyance allow the announcement of the Panchen Lama which led to his house arrest and disappearance until today?

More and more Tibetans are openly expressing that Tibet State Oracle Nechung and Tibetan leaders such as the Kashag are lying, that their lies are surfacing and it is hard for them to cover their misdeeds. Tension is high. Why would the Dalai Lama allow the Kashag and Nechung to lie? Why does Nechung lie? Why does the Kashag lie? Why are the Tibetan people waiting this long to express their opinions? A simple and clear answer is Tibet has gotten nowhere in their pursuance of independence/ autonomy and their patience is running out. They have listened to and followed the Kashag’s and Nechung’s instructions for over 4 decades now with no result. The aging Dalai Lama has brought fear and impatience to the Tibetan people who wonder what is their fate after the demise or death of the Dalai Lama.

The Kashag and the Tibetan Government in Exile have not accomplished a long term goal for the people in Tibet and outside of Tibet in Exile. Their failure in this has been covered up and they have used many scapegoats to avoid admitting their failures. From pointing fingers at different members of the Tibetan government themselves as well as using Dorje Shugden as a reason for not gaining independence.  Dorje Shugden has been the favourite scapegoat of the Tibetan Government in Exile for the last two decades. They blamed Dorje Shugden as the main cause of Tibet not gaining independence and therefore his practice should be abandoned and banned, which they have done so.

Since abandoning and banning the practice of Dorje Shugden and alienating his followers, what success have they achieved for the independence or autonomy of the Tibetan nation? They cannot further blame Dorje Shugden as the cause of their failures, as their inept governance of the Tibetan people is starkly clear for all to see. The Dalai Lama is now 76 years old and how many more years can he live? What will happen to the Tibetan people inside of Tibet and the exile communities of India after his death?

Dorje Shugden has been a principal protector of Tibetan Buddhism, especially within the Gelug and Sakya school of Buddhism, with followers among Kagyu and Nyingma also. He has been blamed from nuns disrobing to bad weather condition, to threatening of the Dalai Lama’s long life, and even creating the causes for the lack of success in gaining independence of Tibet. How can one protector deity be so powerful in creating all these problems? It is almost like the Judeo-Christian eternal fight of God and his nemesis, the Devil.  It would seem it is ridiculous to blame one deity, Dorje Shugden, to be the cause of all of Tibet’s woes.

The Kashag and Tibetan government are now experiencing the very dissension, schism, and disharmony they have caused to the millions of Dorje Shugden practitioners around the world. The Tibetan government should invite the oracle of Dorje Shugden, request him to take trance and offer sincere apologies and amending of spiritual relations in order to deflect further karmic repercussions. They should unite the Tibetan people and religion without conflict and scapegoating. The Tibetan government should duly apologise to this compassionate, world peace protector Dorje Shugden. It can only serve to benefit them. Their current policies have not achieved any fruitioning and the Dalai Lama is aging. Therefore, they must attempt a new policy, new direction and a new stance.

The Tibetan Government in Exile and the Dalai Lama should stop courting and entertaining Western governments who will not take any action against the Chinese towards Tibetan independence. In fact, the Tibetan government and Dalai Lama should go out of their way and cease all interaction with Western governments and reach out to the Chinese government before it is too late. The simple fact of the matter is Tibet is in China, not America. So the President they should court and please is the Chinese Premier, not the US leader. If they were to reach out, and humbly approach the Chinese government, it would help the Tibetans within Tibet and outside of Tibet. After all, the Dalai Lama has no power in Tibet, and the only way he can help his Tibetan people is via the Chinese government. It is essential for His Holiness the Dalai Lama to make friends and go to Beijing to repair relations with China. Only by doing so, China will lighten their tight policies against Tibet and give more autonomous benefits, if not the name itself. In conclusion, the Tibetan Government in Exile should make full apologies to the protector deity Dorje Shugden who can only help in their purpose and not harm.

Time has told us their policies are not working. Secondly, they should immediately cease all interaction with Western governments that only serve to irritate China and not bring them closer to their goals. China’s absorbing of Tibet into the Motherland, whether right or wrong, is a fact that cannot be changed by any Western government. No Western government has the power, say, or self-sacrificing courage to challenge China for Tibet. In fact, all Western governments are scurrying to be China’s best friend. It would behoove Tibet and His Holiness to immediately make friends with China regardless of the past for the sake of Tibet and its unique culture.

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

]]> http://www.dorjeshugden.com/all-articles/the-controversy/dalai-lama-loses-control/feed/ 3 http://www.dorjeshugden.com/all-articles/news/overcoming-obstacles-an-open-letter-from-the-wss/ http://www.dorjeshugden.com/all-articles/news/overcoming-obstacles-an-open-letter-from-the-wss/#comments Tue, 28 May 2013 23:49:49 +0000 admin http://www.dorjeshugden.com/?p=28842

Dear fellow Shugden practitioners,

The Western Shugden Society (WSS) has worked tirelessly towards the removal of the unjust ban on Dorje Shugden. They have accomplish quite a lot on behalf of our pure lineage and we at DorjeShugden.com sincerely thank and congratulate them. Although some of their methods we do not fully agree, but that is besides the point, because their motivation is pure and our intentions are the same.

Please read this appeal letter carefully, and do send your offerings to this just cause. We wish for the WSS and all who wish to remove this ban blessings from our immutable effort.

Admin
dorjeshugden.com

Click to enlarge

(Source: http://www.westernshugdensociety.org/our-cause/overcoming-obstacles/)

By: Tenzin Choje

A minister of the parliament holds immense responsibilities. The words that they speak and the way that they behave represent the character of the government that they are part of. However, this is not so for the parliamentarians of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA). When the reporters of France 24, an international French news station interviewed members of the Tibetan parliament about their stance on Nechung’s predictions which should have been an opportunity to garner support for the Tibetan cause and to create greater understanding and appreciation of the Tibetan culture, those interviewed were not only evasive about the question, but also rude and unbecoming of leaders expected to lead the Tibetans out of decades of despair. One of them even taunted the reporter who asked the question, deflecting the question entirely!

The reporters approach a member of the Tibetan parliament, who is a monk, and asks him about Nechung, trying to get a clear picture of how the parliament accepts Nechung’s advice. “Do you believe in the predictions of the oracle?” Like a deer caught in headlights, he looks at the camera,video is that it shows his eyes wide in shock, mouth gaping, while repeating “This one, I don’t know.” His last words to the crew was, “You ask another” before beating an escape.

The next two parliamentarians that were interviewed were not helpful either. One waved both hands in front of him saying “We don’t know anything about Nechung”. This itself is shocking as Nechung has long been regarded as a key decision maker and an important member of the Tibetan Parliament by the Dalai Lama’s own definition. His colleague in black glasses, who was listening with folded arms, attempts to be more helpful by pointing the camera crew to a Geshe (learned scholar), “Geshe La will be able to help you. You should ask him.”

At this point, the narrator points out that questions are unwelcomed, and that the spiritual authority is not questioned.

“Ah, yes yes yes, I’m monk!” the Geshe declared, while bursting into laughter with other members of the parliament joining him in a haughty laugh, as if it was funny, cultural joke that the reporters did not get. He was, in actuality, taunting the reporter and ridiculing and intimidating them from asking further.

The narrator proclaims, “Finally, a parliamentary spokesperson answers our question”, indicating that they have been quite unsuccessful in finding one that would take them seriously. One of them who finally does, Penpa Tsering explains the concept behind protective deities, where they are relied upon to achieve things where humans are not able to under circumstances.

Another bespectacled parliament member chimes in. “We cannot decide, so then we will ask him, in which way we should go, so he will give us the guidelines, the true guidelines. The right way.” The reporter interjects. “The right way?” in which he responds in a schoolboy-ish manner, “Yeah, yeah. The right way. We’re very very sure what he says about it ”. The reporter asks for an affirmation again, “Are you very sure?” and a very nonchalant “Sure, sure, sure,” was uttered, before the member of the parliament digs into his beverage, as though the interview was disrupting his breakfast and he was hungry.

Representatives of the Tibetans?

The members of the parliament are supposed to be the most learned of the land, the cream of the crop, voted in by those who believe in their abilities as they represent the society that voted them in. However, as we can observe from this video, the tone, the mannerisms and body language that these members of the parliament show to the TV reporters are far from what is considered polite. When the question on Nechung was posed to them, instead of replying the question in a dignified, professional matter like their counterparts would in other countries, these members of parliament shrugged the question off rudely and avoided it all together, without even providing a proper response.

The fact is that they represent the Tibetan people when they talk on this interview that is aired on French National TV. The reporters are requesting for an official statement on Nechung. How is it proper for a parliamentary member who represents the people to shrug off questions pertaining to official matters in this way? In any of the G7 countries (U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan), such a member of the parliament would be questioned, criticized and held responsible for his behavior by the people, but why is such unprofessional behavior allowed in the Tibetan cabinet? Is this the way the members of the parliament, the representatives of the people should be behaving? No, but the reason why they are still members of the parliament is because CTA is not a truly democratic government. These ministers have absolute power, which is why they can make statements and act in ways that they do not need to be accountable for. The reason for this is that most of the Tibetans are not even aware that such behavior is unacceptable. It is not so much of what they said, it is the way that they said it: the Tibetan members of parliament show a very nonchalant, uncaring, flippant and blatant indifference towards the welfare of the Tibetans as well as the matters of the state. The question that needs to be asked is whether such behavior reflect the necessary caliber of leaders required for the Tibetans to navigate the complex issues with China, not to mention taking the Tibetan society into a competitive modern world should they gain the independence they seek.

Having spent decades dealing with world leaders and governments, it is a shame that the Tibetans and His Holiness are represented so badly

One can see how in the middle of the video, the monk attempts to intimidate the reporters by calling himself a monk and laughing at that statement together with the rest of the parliamentarians present. One may ask, is this how a monk should behave? Even in normal society, those who were ordained are being shown respect, and at all times show restraint in their actions and speech. In addition to that, laypersons are expected to show respect and restraint towards monks. Not this one, as the monk jokes about his robes and monkhood as if it was a very funny insider joke that only members of the parliament would understand. This shows how disrespectful they are towards a monk despite supposedly being Buddhists, and they are the ones that are governing a Buddhist government. They do not care at all of the people that they are supposed to represent and they do not need to be held accountable for their actions. The statements and attitudes that they show are not too different from those from 3rd world countries, where the ruling party can say whatever they want, and they will not be held accountable for whatever damage that the statement has incurred and anyone who disagrees or questions their statements will be rubbed off by the ruling government. In fact, the CTA has already done something of a similar nature by firing the Director of Radio Free Asia, Nagpo Jigme for expressing views that contradict the CTA.

So, if CTA was truly a democratic country, should it not be that they allow others with a differing opinion to voice their opinions too? That is what a democratic country would do, and that is the normal practice of any country that declares them as democratic. The behavior of the CTA is clearly that of an autocratic regime, where nobody is allowed to question the government. Another glaring sign of the CTA’s autocratic regime is the archaic Dorje Shugden ban that was implemented by the Dalai Lama, where anyone that disagrees with the ban will be instantly made a pariah of the Tibetan society. Some of the victims of this ban are Kundeling Rinpoche and Gangchen Rinpoche and these Lamas has been silenced and banned from Dharamsala, merely for their belief in Dorje Shugden.

Nechung who?

The topic in question is Nechung. Nechung is a divine being. Bound by oath by Padamasambhava, the 8th century Buddhist saint to protect the Dalai Lama, Nechung can be consulted by both the Dalai Lama and the government to consult on matters that cannot be resolved with ordinary means. As Nechung is a deity, a god, he cannot be contacted through normal means, and a way of contacting him is by him taking trance of an oracle, which has been trained for this purpose. The Dalai Lama himself has complete reliance on Nechung, as he consults this oracle for any decisions that he is unable to make, much like how we would consult a medium for answers. The Dalai Lama even summons Nechung to guide him on demand, in his private quarters. Such is the level of trust that the Dalai Lama has for Nechung. The following video shows the Dalai Lama consulting Nechung for matters of state, despite the fact that he is an unenlightened deity (see below):

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

or watch on our server:
http://video.dorjeshugden.com/videos/HHDLReliesOnNechung.flv

However, from the video, one can see from the reaction of the members of parliament that they are not convinced at all with what they are saying when they talk about trusting Nechung and his predictions. These members of parliament even say that they do not know what Nechung is, when in fact, they seek audience and advice from him at least once a year, in the presence of the Dalai Lama. This makes the parliament members’ claim that they do not know what Nechung is a blatant lie. To say that you do not know Nechung is to say that you are unaware of what drives Tibetan policies and with that, this parliament has clearly failed their duty as the representative of the public. It is their job to know what affects and influences government policies. They either brush it off fearfully or try to intimidate the questioner, in this case, the reporter, a very rude and backward way of answering a question. The reason why is because nobody is allowed to question the authority of the Dalai Lama and to say that they do not believe in Nechung would mean that they are going against the Dalai Lama’s spiritual authority and decisions, so many of them dodge that question to play on the safe side. But what they say do not match their body language, as it clearly shows in the video that they are not convinced at all with what they spoke of, and are only doing it out of fear. In other words, the Dalai Lama’s ‘advice’ on parliamentary matters must be followed, and most of these decisions would have come from Nechung. So, how can it be that the CTA claims to be democratic but is indirectly ruled by an invisible being, a god that cannot be held accountable for his actions? Jamyang Norbu, a prolific ethnic Tibetan writer, has highlighted very clearly about this problem where there were many inaccuracies with Nechung’s prediction and one of them actually sent more than 700 Tibetan soldiers to their deaths as Nechung sent them off to war with knives and swords against the British pistols and rifles, promising a divine army which never came. He further points out that there is a possibility that consultations with Nechung can be abused or misused so that nobody has to take responsibility if the decision that they make turns out to be wrong. In a way, Nechung becomes a scapegoat if something goes wrong and the CTA can easily say “But we followed Nechung’s guidance!” and they will not need to be held accountable for their wrong decisions (see Jamyang Norbu’s video below):

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

or watch on our server:
http://video.dorjeshugden.com/videos/JamyangNorbu.flv

Another interesting thing to note in the video is that it shows very clearly that the Tibetans do not really trust the advice of Nechung but they seem to believe Nechung when he talked about how bad Dorje Shugden is, and they enforce the ban happily, crushing with impunity those who practice Dorje Shudgen. Nechung is the source of the decision that has singlehandedly split the Tibetan Buddhist community. Why is there such a blatant inconsistency on people’s view on Nechung’s advice? Again, this shows the irresponsible, selective and flippant attitude that the parliament members have on Nechung, which the Dalai Lama himself relies on, showing their lack of faith on the Dalai Lama, their spiritual leader, indirectly.

The Dalai Lama has apparently relied on Nechung’s prophecies for so many years. Could it be that the Tibetans’ reliance on Nechung is finally waning in the light of so many inaccuracies?

So it is understandable on why are the members of parliament are reluctant to talk about Nechung, because it shows how backwards and archaic they are and how much they want to return to old, feudal Tibet, despite the many inaccurate predictions that Nechung has made, even as recently as last year’s warning about natural disaster in India which never happened. On the other hand, they try hard to conceal the fact that they are consulting Nechung, because it would contradict democracy altogether, and it will not look good in front of other more developed countries, such as the G7 group of developed nations. They are blatantly saying one thing and doing another.

The direction of the CTA

After this video, one can safely conclude that there are serious flaws within CTA’s parliament. If what we have seen here in this clip is supposed to be the most educated Tibetans of Dharamsala, representing the population of Tibetans, how can we expect the CTA to take care of the people in Dharamsala and more so, govern Tibet? If they behave in such a disrespectful way towards journalists whom they are supposed to put on their best behavior to, imagine how do they treat their own people? The blatant bullying that is being displayed by the members of parliament to the journalists would be just the tip of the iceberg, and it would be obvious that the oppression that they will impose on those who are under them many times more. With such a parliament, coupled with the inability to move on from an archaic, religious ban turned secular, it is no wonder CTA is unable to achieve self autonomy for the last 50 years or so.

or watch on our server:
http://video.dorjeshugden.com/videos/KarmaChoephel.flv

The transcript:

A question from the audience in brief summary:

Tashi Delek, regarding the understanding of Tibet issue more elaborately, I would like to know what you are thinking when one of the Parliament members (not mentioning his name for various reasons) said His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s working on the middle way for autonomy but in actually working on full independence. Is there a huge error/dissension within the Tibetan Parliament?

Reply from His Holiness the Dalai Lama:

I am made into a liar.
I am made into a liar do you understand? By saying my mouth says autonomy but in my heart is full independence for Tibet is making me a liar. If I am made into a liar is there any benefits? Whomever I meet in the world I tell the truth and directly.
From 1959 we have tried to obtain independence. But we have to follow the time and changing conditions. Since we couldn’t obtain independence from 1974 onwards I made a choice to benefit Tibet in other ways. The name you find difficult to say is Parliament member Karma Chophel. Karma Chophel may have good intentions, but the way he says it and his actions makes me into a liar. Because of this from the Private Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, clarifications were given.

On a particular day in May 2013, in a conference room in Dharamsala, a Tibetan student steadies himself as he approaches the microphone to ask his question to the speaker of the day, whom in this case happened to be the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, His Holiness The Dalai Lama. The question was innocent enough as the student sought clarification on a statement made by a parliamentarian of the Tibetan government in exile during the 5th session of the 15th Tibetan Parliament, Chithue Karma Choephel. Karma Choepel’s intervention of the proceedings towards the end of the session was essentially his declaration of the withdrawal of his support for the Dalai Lama’s Middle way policy towards China. Choephel’s remarks upset the Dalai Lama tremendously not only because it meant that the Dalai Lama’s Middle Way policy was losing support from within his own government, but equally so as it represented dissension towards the Dalai Lama’s will, which has thus far been unobstructed and this is an unwelcome development.

Karma Choephel has been a quiet supporter of the Dalai Lama’s approach which was implemented in 1974 but after the Middle Way failed to produce any tangible results over the decades, the member of parliament began to question the wisdom of the Dalai Lama’s strategy, especially in light of increasing desperation felt by the Tibetan people, over a hundred of whom expressed it in the form of self immolations. Their despairing demand was for Tibetan independence, an increasingly loud voice of the people that neither the Dalai Lama nor his government have been prepared to acknowledge or engage in discussions on.

The Tibetan Parliament in Exile, where T.T. Karma Choephel made known to all his views on the Dalai Lama’s Middle Way Approach

On the face of it, there is nothing peculiar about such questions. After all the Tibetan government in exile is supposed to be a maturing democratic system of government that the Dalai Lama himself had declared for his people after their escape from Chinese aggression and annexation of their homeland. What is surprising is the reaction of the Dalai Lama and the manner in which His Holiness responded to a political question when he is supposed to have already resigned from all political and secular affair and therefore, should not even interfere and influence government policies either directly or indirectly.

Immediately after the question was asked, the demeanor of the Dalai Lama became something very different to what the world has become accustomed to. In an instant he was no longer the smiling, jovial and benign “simple monk” who was recognized as a peacemaker of the world. And in that same instant the Dalai Lama’s reaction betrayed the spirit of democracy and openness that His Holiness and his government in exile have portrayed to the world.

The Dalai Lama took the question to be an attack on his own person and his integrity and if it escaped detection by the Tibetan audience, it was obvious to more astute watchers that instead of answering a question borne out of a person’s democratic entitlement to have his own opinion on important issues, the spiritual leader turned it into a personal attack. In that way, any disagreement with the Dalai Lama’s opinion and decision is tantamount to an attack on the Dalai Lama himself, and as the Dalai Lama also a spiritual leader, an attack on the religious values he is supposed to embody.

From thence, it was no longer a question of merits of the Middle Way and its effectiveness, nor a matter of members of parliament having differing opinions to the Dalai Lama’s which should invite dialogue and debate common with all liberal democratic systems, but a matter of whether anyone would dare to commit sacrilege against the god-king of the Tibetan people. Given a choice, who would dare to go against and infuriate the Dalai Lama whom the Tibetans regard as a living Bodhisattva.

Sure enough, rather than a fair question being answered, dialogue on the future of Tibet was muffled yet again and with it the voice of freedom of speech and thought. But this is not a unique occurrence for intimidation has for a long time sat on the seat where democratic process should be and it is not uncommon for all who oppose the Dalai Lama and his political enforcers to find themselves socially out-casted and even outlawed in so far as the law is what the Dalai Lama says it to be.

His Holiness addressing a large crowd

We see this not only in the question of Tibet’s future with China, where the Dalai Lama, in 1988 unilaterally gave away the fight for Tibetan freedom in Strasbourg, opting instead for the Middle Way – a decision which was then duly forced down the throats of the Tibetan people without dialogue or discussion. We also witnessed the same sinister result when a long time Director of Radio Free Asia, Ngapo Jigme was fired without cause for refusing to toe the government line, and instead stood for providing a genuine platform for freedom of speech to thrive. As much as the Dalai Lama travels the world preaching peace, tolerance and freedom of speech and religion and along the way winning himself a Noble Peace Prize, we see instead social and moral devastations back home, the result of erratic intolerance coupled by systematic illiberalism perpetuated by His Holiness’s style of despotic coercion. To put it bluntly, fear of the consequence of opposing the Dalai Lama keeps all Tibetan people in check and both the Dalai Lama and his exiled government know this and use this fact to full effect.

But nowhere is this intimidation tactic more blatantly deployed than in the Dorje Shugden ban where a personal opinion of the Dalai Lama on a Buddhist deity Dorje Shugden (for reasons that has not found any logical support to date), worshiped by many as an emanation of the Buddha Of Wisdom, transformed into a menacing religious ban that rocked the Tibetan community and split the people to an extent that even Mao Zedong’s Red Army failed to accomplish. The Dalai Lama had overnight proclaimed the 360 year old Dharma Protector to be a demon without providing any truthful justification and even though the rickety excuses put forth to justify an illegal infringement on the basic human rights of his own people have long since been debunked, fear keeps the ban in force and Dorje Shugden practitioners in hiding still.

The question that needs to be asked is fear of what? Simply, it is the fear that the Dalai Lama will use his position of reverence bestowed upon him by the deep spirituality of the Tibetan people, to unleash terror upon all those who oppose him. In the case of the Tibetan people’s call for independence, we see how simply by not agreeing with the Dalai Lama’s Middle Way (which was never democratically decided on) they have been labeled traitors of the Tibetan people which itself is enough to unleash the unquestioning public on their own brothers. We see a similar situation with Chithue Karma Choepel’s withdrawal of support for the Middle Way morphed malignantly into him accusing ‘Avalokiteshvara’ as the Dalai Lama is regarded, a liar and with that all Dharma abiding Tibetans and Dalai Lama loving people were roped into play against Choepel.

Similarly, we see in the Dorje Shugden ban, the fear that was brought to bear upon all Tibetan people, monks and laypeople alike to support the ban was the propaganda that to oppose the Dalai Lama’s ban was to wish for his early death, to betray the Tibetan cause and to sell out on the Buddhist traditions that the Tibetan people have been known for, and indeed to go against the Dharma. All these are far too heavy for the simple Tibetan to bear on his own especially as he witnesses how Shugden practitioners are marginalized, persecuted and made to be social pariahs and denied basic welfare such as medical care and schooling for the children. To even discuss this subject was deemed taboo and with that the ban and its impact on the people were simply brushed aside. Years later, renowned Tibetan writer Jamyang Norbu would discover to his shock that even to be seen with a Shugden practitioner is forbidden and by virtue of the fact that it goes against the Dalai Lama’s wishes, outlawed.

For certain, a culture of fear and intimidation has no place in a democracy and if indeed the Tibetan people are serious about securing their freedom and if indeed Tibetan independence is a genuine national goal, then the Tibetan people must first fight for their right to have independent thought and opinions and for this right to be protected by their leaders and not opposed by same. The right to want Tibetan independence, the right to practice one’s own faith including the practice of Dorje Shugden and the right to speak without fear; all have a common adversary which is the fear that has long been instilled in the Tibetan people by their very leaders. Before the fight for Tibet’s freedom can be considered, a fight against a policy of fear and intimidation by the Tibetan leadership against it’s own people, must be waged and won.

Karma Choephel’s background

• Tibetan deputy (U-Tsang)
• Former co-chairman / Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile – he had to share it with Do-Mey provincial representative Mr. Penpa Tsering as they kept getting identical votes during the polling for the 14th TPiE. Each maintained the post for 2.5 years (2006 to halfway through 2009)
• Former President and vice-President of the Tibetan Youth Congress (1985-1989)
• Former President and co-founder of the National Democratic Party of Tibet (1994, 2004-2006)
• Standing Committee of the 15th Tibetan Parliament in Exile
• Member of Tibetan Parliament in Exile (2011 – 2016) representing the Kagyus
• An alumni of Central School for Tibetans Mussoorie
• B.A. from Delhi University and B.Ed. from Bangalore
• Taught at CST Bylakuppe till 1981 when he was appointed Rector of CST Shimla and later at Mussoorie

• Father’s Name: Dakpa Legdup
• Mother’s Name: Jangchup
• Date of Birth: 01/07/1949
• Place of Birth: Tradun, Tibet
• Marital Status: Married (Tenzin Dickyi)
• Educational Qualifications: B.A. (Hons), B.Ed.
• Profession: Teacher
• Permanent Address: C/O Tibetan Parliament in Exile, CTA, Dharamsala, HP-176215, India
• Positions Held: Teacher; School Rector; President, Tibetan Youth Congress (Centrex); President, National Democratic Party of Tibet, Dharamsala, India; Speaker, Tibetan Parliament in Exile; Member of 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, & 15th Tibetan Parliamentary in Exile
• Special Interests: Tibetan affairs; International relations; Education; Arts; Poetry; Performing arts
• Countries Visited: Belgium, Bhutan, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Luxemberg, Nepal, Netherland, Portugal, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, and USA

(Source: http://www.tpprc.org/component/content/article/1-tpprc-news/207-tt-karma-chophel.html)

Karma Choephel’s opinions of the Middle Way Approach:

Click the images below to enlarge them to their full size.

(Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7302661.stm)

(Source: http://phayul.tibethosting.com/news/discuss/view.aspx?id=6762)

(Source: http://www.tibetwrites.org/?Tibet-s-Socrates)

(Source: http://www.tibetnc.org/get-involved/advocacy/karma-choephel/)

(Source: http://www.himalmag.com/component/content/article/1047-what-about-rangzen.html)

The 12th Tai Situpa, one of four regents of the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism

By: Shashi Kei

Since the exodus of the Tibetans from their homeland in 1959, China has always been thought of by all Tibetans as the archenemy. In the 1980s, the Dalai Lama travelled the globe extensively and, at every opportunity, lobbied strongly for Tibet’s self rule. There was no doubt that China was seen by Buddhists and Tibet sympathizers as a dark and sinister power bent on destroying religion and replacing spiritual doctrines with Marxist tenets.

As all this was going on, there is a divergent story of another monk who also fled Tibet around the same time as the Dalai Lama. This monk went against the anti-China tide and started making overtures towards China as early as 1984. He is one of the four regents of the Karma Kagyu sect, the 12th Tai Situpa. In China’s Tibet, Tai Situpa was somehow able to gain entry into a significant number of monasteries of all traditions, where he gave teachings and empowerments to hundreds of thousands of people. In 1985, he was even allowed to enter the region of Kham, previously off-limits to Tibetan lamas. This was the first of such ventures by a Tibetan high lama and he became, for a time, regarded as the protector of Buddhism in his occupied country. While attempts by the Dalai Lama and his exiled government to engage with China failed, Tai Situpa’s China expedition was enormously successful.

It is even said that Tai Situpa met with the Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping and presented him a blueprint for the development of a new Tibet under China. How could Tai Situpa have accomplished all this at a time when proposal after proposal by the Dalai Lama’s delegation, led by His Holiness’s brother, failed to impress the Chinese?

In 1991, Tai Situpa returned to Tibet. He was even permitted by the Chinese Government to ordain monks and nuns, and transmit a series of empowerments to an audience of approximately 65 high lamas, 5,000 ordained Sanghas from 92 monasteries, and countless laymen: quite a feat given that around the same time, the Tibetans were fully at loggerheads with the Chinese government.

India’s Concerns

Tai Situpa’s success in China and political maneuverings did not escape Indian attention. The Indian government, via a number of secret memos, started to believe that Tai Situpa was in collusion with the Chinese Government to gain strategic footholds along the Himalayan border. Looking at the expanding string of Tibetan Buddhist monasteries headed by pro-Chinese lamas along the Himalayan belt (from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh), it is easy to understand the Indian government’s concerns. Since this time, they have long been keeping a close eye on Tai Situpa.

The 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley (left) and Tai Situpa Rinpoche

In a secret memo dated 1997 to the Indian cabinet, India’s Chief Secretary in Sikkim, K Sreedhar Rao, laid out a number of concerns, about Tai Situpa’s activities [Source: http://www.american-buddha.com/cult.buddhanosmiling.9.htm] The first major area of concern was that after Tai Situpa identified the child Ogyen Trinley as the 17th Karmapa, he took him to Tsurphu Monastery, in Tibet, China, where he was enthroned with the support of the Chinese government. This newly enthroned Karmapa even received a grand and public reception in Lhasa, Tibet. This same child was then brought to the Dalai Lama for his endorsement. Indeed, Ogyen Trinley Dorje is the first and only major Tibetan religious figure acknowledged by both the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama. Overnight, Tai Situpa set a precedent for China to claim authority in the recognition of Tibetan Buddhist high lamas, something that the Dalai Lama and Tibetans had been very much against.

Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim, India, has long been a point of contention among the Karma Kagyus

The Indian Government’s increasing suspicions of Tai Situpa grew to a point that he was eventually banned from entering India from 1994 to1998 for his alleged pro-China and anti-India activities. Even after this ban was lifted, Tai Situpa’s movements inside India were restricted to the Himachal Pradesh state and he was specifically prohibited from travelling to the Northeast, Jammu/Kashmir or Sikkim, where Rumtek Monastery (the seat of the Karma Kagyu lineage outside Tibet) is located. Accusations grew to the extent that Tai Situpa was even alleged to have been party to illegal trafficking rings that smuggled products of endangered animals.

India’s concerns were borne out of the fact that Tai Situpa had achieved the impossible with the Chinese Government. Questions were raised about whether Tai Situpa, in consideration of Chinese support to build his power base, had offered himself as a Chinese agent to train Ogyen Trinley. It was also said that Tai Situpa orchestrated Ogyen Trinley’s ‘escape’ from Tibet as a way to plant an influential agent within India to infiltrate the exiled Tibetan community there. It was suggested that his purpose was to first win over the Tibetans before delivering the exiled Tibetan community to the Chinese, offering along with it, the politically contentious Sikkim, whose merger with India the Chinese has thus far refused to acknowledge.

For certain, Tai Situpa could not have accomplished all that he has without the support of the Chinese Government. The likelihood of Tai Situpa being a Chinese spy has always been in the minds of the Indian leadership and it is therefore not a surprise that they maintain such a close watch and react so strongly towards the regent’s activities.

CTA: Supporting the Enemy

What has truly been a surprise is the reaction from the Tibetan government in exile, now known as the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), towards Tai Situpa and his pro-Chinese meanderings. For decades, the CTA has accused China of espionage and developed a great paranoia about Chinese agents infiltrating the Tibetan community to disrupt the Tibetan cause. Such was the CTA’s obsession with potential Chinese infiltration that anyone even remotely connected to China would be branded a Chinese spy, a traitor and the worst enemy of Tibet. This is a label which rings the death knell for the person, forever debarring him from peaceful coexistence within Tibetan society.

A young Ogyen Trinley with China’s Jiang Zemin: why is it acceptable for the Karmapa to associate with China’s leaders but other lamas are branded traitors for doing the same?

And yet, in spite of his many open associations with the Chinese, Tai Situpa and the Karmapa candidate he put forward both continue to receive very strong support and endorsement from the CTA. In fact, the CTA actively promotes their activities and teachings, such that many have even speculated that this Karmapa might succeed the Dalai Lama as Tibetan Buddhism’s next spiritual head.

It was not that the CTA had no choice in the Karmapa matter. They did. To begin with, the recognition of the Karmapa, as the spiritual head of the Karma Kagyu school, has never traditionally or legally come under the purview of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government. It has always been the right and responsibility of the Karma Kagyu regents to find the incarnation of their spiritual leader and enthrone him. To add to the controversy, there were two candidates for the position of the 17th Karmapa – Ogyen Trinley who was found by Tai Situpa and Thaye Dorje who was recognized by Sharmapa Rinpoche, another of the Karma Kagyu regents. For the Dalai Lama and CTA to have endorsed one over the other caused tremendous confusion and upheaval among a significantly large number of Tibetan Buddhists. (More information of the Karmapa controversy can be read here.)

If the CTA had any genuine concern for the Tibetan community and the potential threat of Chinese agents subverting its cause, that fear went into a complete lapse when they supported the Chinese-recognized Karmapa Ogyen Trinley. If indeed Tai Situpa was an accomplice of Tibet’s enemy, China, the CTA had become his most potent ally.

The ‘other’ Karmapa Thaye Dorje has never been formally acknowledged by the Dalai Lama or CTA

One of the oldest (and some say wealthiest) Tibetan Buddhist sect, is now in the hands of a Karmapa who was enthroned by Chinese officials at Tsurphu Monastery inside China’s Tibet, and also under the tutelage of a Chinese sympathizer, Tai Situpa. The Chinese government may have enthroned Ogyen Trinley as the 17th Karmapa but this recognition alone would not have mattered much to the Tibetans who only take their cues from their own Tibetan leaders. However, in this case, CTA freely provided the Chinese-backed Karmapa with their total trust and approval. The CTA has, as it were, handed themselves over to China on a brocaded platter. It is a wonder that no one has accused the CTA of betraying its own people.

CTA: An Illogical Contradiction

Then, in 1996, for reasons that have never been made clear, the Dalai Lama issued a decree to ban the practice of the enlightened Buddhist deity Dorje Shugden. Of course, this ban was wholly enforced and furthered by the CTA. One of the reasons given for the ban, which observers have found not only to be primitive but also ludicrous, was that Dorje Shugden was a Chinese spirit and accordingly deemed to be harmful to the fight for Tibet’s independence. This is notwithstanding the fact that Dorje Shugden has been practiced for over 350 years – a long time before Tibet fell into Chinese hands. The ex-Prime Minister of the Tibetan government in exile, Professor Samdhong Rinpoche even publicly stated on international news that: “The Shugden and the Chinese are obviously allies”. In that way, the CTA leveraged on the fears of the Tibetan people and forced Shugden practitioners into hiding.

Practitioners and high lamas who refused to give up the practice were regarded as traitors. The Tibetan government launched aggressive witch-hunts against them and viciously turned the Tibetan people against their own religious teachers, monastic brethren, friends and neighbors. Eminent lamas, such as H.E. Kundeling Rinpoche, H.E. Gonsar Rinpoche and H.E. Gangchen Rinpoche, were ostracized and either expelled from the monasteries or had their monastic endowments seized. Others such as H.H. Trijang Choktrul Rinpoche suffered such frightening death threats and attacks on their lives that they had no choice but to leave their monasteries and migrate to a foreign land.

Kundeling Rinpoche has long been considered a ‘traitor’ to the Tibetans for his associations with the Chinese and his practice of Dorje Shugden

For Kundeling Rinpoche, his ‘crime’ was that of being loyal to his practice of Dorje Shugden and, according to the Tibetan government’s intelligence unit, having visited China a few times. These few visits were enough for this high monk to be branded a Chinese spy. Gangchen Rinpoche was similarly labeled for having made trips to China even though he went purely for religious, non-political reasons, such as to visit his own monastery and give blessings to people of the region. However, even his paying homage to the Chinese-authorized Panchen Lama, which is completely in accord with Buddhist traditions, was seen as anathema.

Against this backdrop of persecution – which the CTA alleged was out of a concern that the Tibetan fight for freedom would be sabotaged by the Chinese – it was thus very surprising that the CTA would endorse Karmapa Ogyen Trinley, backed by the very pro-Chinese Tai Situpa and himself endorsed by China’s authorities. This completely contradicts the CTA’s rejection of the Chinese-enthroned Panchen Lama and their total refusal to accept China’s recognition of reincarnated lamas.

CTA: Destroying Tibetan Unity

The CTA’s involvement in the Karmapa issue is significantly noteworthy for a number of reasons. First, it shows the CTA to be dangerously inconsistent, even insincere, in its policy towards Tibet’s freedom. On one hand, it professes to defend the exiled Tibetans’ right to live as free people in their homeland, going to extremes to weed out Chinese ‘spies’ in their midst. On the other, it gave its endorsement to a Chinese-backed Karmapa who the Indian government suspects to be a Chinese agent. Why the double standards, the double-speak and the flippancy?

Second, it makes a farce of their accusations against Shugden practitioners as Chinese spies. Clearly, the practice of Dorje Shugden has nothing to do with disrupting Tibetan harmony, destroying unity or threatening the cause for Tibet’s freedom. On the contrary, it is the CTA who have caused splits within their own Tibetan community by both enforcing the Dorje Shugden ban and taking sides in the Karmapa controversy.

That Gangchen Rinpoche, Kundeling Rinpoche and other Shugden lamas are traitors for befriending China and Tai Situpa is not, is incongruous with logic, reason and justice. If the CTA does not view Tai Situpa Rinpoche and Ogyen Trinley as traitors and Chinese spies despite the myriad of allegations against them, then what basis or evidence do they have to accuse Shugden practitioners and lamas of being Chinese agents? The CTA has shown itself to be selectively callous and disrespectful of high lamas, and extremely capable of deceiving the people they are supposed to protect and represent.

Third, CTA shows clearly that it does not respect the laws of its host country, India, although she has extended such great generosity towards the Dalai Lama and the Tibetans for over six decades. Three Indian courts of law, including the Supreme Court of India, have ruled in favor of Shamarpa’s candidate, Trinley Thaye Dorje, as being legally entitled to the Rumtek Monastery seat, which thus rightfully bestows upon him the title of the 17th Karmapa. Instead of abiding by the laws of the land in which they reside, the CTA’s recalcitrance sends a message to the Tibetan population that Indian law need not be heeded. It also shows that the CTA is not at all grateful for the help its host has extended to them nor sensitive to India’s apprehension that Sikkim, where Rumtek Monastery is, may fall under Chinese control.

At the end of the day, are the CTA and its leader Dr. Lobsang Sangay (right) selling themselves out?

If the definition of a Chinese spy is one who engages in activities to further China’s aim of undermining the Tibetans’ fight for independence, then the CTA must be the ultimate Chinese spy. They have been the greatest cause for destroying unity among Tibetans through its involvement in the Shugden and Karmapa controversies alone. Anyone who cares to look into the CTA’s serious inconsistencies in the Tibetans’ quest for freedom will clearly see that China does not need to send any spies into the Tibetan exiled community to disturb the solidarity among the people. The CTA is already doing an excellent job at this, which far exceeds China’s wildest dreams.