dorjeshugden.com
About Dorje Shugden => General Discussion => Topic started by: WisdomBeing on May 29, 2012, 01:41:52 AM
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In this thread, http://www.dorjeshugden.com/forum/index.php?topic=1998.0, (http://www.dorjeshugden.com/forum/index.php?topic=1998.0,) the forum participant, Tenzin Gyatso says that “Even popular media does not take the Shugden issue seriously. Shugden's 'cause' is losing and becoming more quiet.”
Well, today I just saw this article in The Telegraph (www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9295172/Reincarnation-Surely-weve-been-here-before.html (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9295172/Reincarnation-Surely-weve-been-here-before.html)) about reincarnation which does mention Dorje Shugden, and surprisingly in a pretty unbiased way.
I copy paste the relevant section for your interest:
Tibetan Buddhism is a far-away religion of which we know little. Compassion and reincarnation sound comforting. The fearsome, fang-baring, three-eyed, orange-flame-spouting Dorje Shugden or Dolgyal does not. His crown is of five skulls and his necklace of freshly severed heads. This deity, or protector of dharma, depending on how you look at it, should not be propitiated, the Dalai Lama insists, for that would be spirit-worship. Others strongly disagree, which is why you often hear protesters shouting at the Dalai Lama.
The Dorje Shugden controversy suggests how much about Tibetan Buddhism is unfamiliar. You can’t just pick the reincarnation on the menu and skip the wrathful deities. In the West, an awful lot of Buddhism-fanciers are the toe-in-the-water kind. They don’t get up at 4am to meditate. I walked past a nightclub called Buddha the other day. No nightclubs are called Mohammed. We’re not taking Buddhism seriously.
I must say that for any continued coverage of Dorje Shugden, I only have HH the Dalai Lama to thank for continuously raising the issue of Dorje Shugden. Even the recent allegations the Dalai Lama made about being the target of a possible assassination attempt by the Chinese government, the CTA’s press release also slipped in that the Dorje Shugden group could possibly also be involved. Interestingly enough, I had not come across any western media which mentioned this Shugden-related issue. I think this was not because Shugden is not news worthy but that the suggestion that Shugdenpas could be in cahoots with the Chinese in this alleged assassination was ridiculous to the point that it was not worth repeating.
To go back to this article which mentions Dorje Shugden, I think it is interesting that the journalist chose to mention Dorje Shugden and when he says, “You can’t just pick the reincarnation on the menu and skip the wrathful deities.” I feel that there is an inherent endorsement for Dorje Shugden.
And as Tenzin Gyatso says that Dorje Shugden practitioners are not doing much, what forum readers can do is to go onto the Telegraph website and make a comment on this article. At least support the balanced view of the journalist. Don't bash up the Dalai Lama please - let's think of what we would like the public to perceive of Dorje Shugden practitioners, ok? Moderate, peace-loving, logical... which is who we really are.
Reincarnation? Surely we’ve been here before
At least Joanna Lumley doesn’t indulge in celebrity memoirs from a past life with royalty.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9295172/Reincarnation-Surely-weve-been-here-before.html (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9295172/Reincarnation-Surely-weve-been-here-before.html)
By Christopher Howse
8:39PM BST 28 May 2012
Usually it’s with Aztecs, or possibly ancient Egyptians. If not, then in some royal court. That’s where reincarnated people remember living before. The unusual thing about the past life that Joanna Lumley suspects she had is its modesty. “I think I might have been a boy in the First World War,” she says.
The actress felt immense calm, she said this week, when she visited Ypres, where presumably her past self fell. This sort of feeling – having been here before and recognising something that means a lot – compels some people to think reincarnation must be true. I wonder.
There is, to be sure, respectable reincarnation, of the Tibetan Buddhist school. Then there is wacky reincarnation, of what may be called the Shirley MacLaine school.
In 1938 a three-year-old boy on the bare Tibetan plateau of Amdo was shown some objects by a party of visitors. “Mine, mine,” he said of some. They became convinced he was the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama, who had died a year before. He even remembered where his predecessor had left his false teeth. And so Lhamo Thondup became recognised as the 14th Dalai Lama.
His is a poignant story. He was taken from the windy fields of buckwheat to a vast monastery where he found companionship in the mice that ran over his bed. More troublesome later were Mao Tse-tung and his successors, who drove him into exile.
The Chinese now try to beat the Tibetan Buddhists at their own reincarnation game. When the Dalai Lama dies they will no doubt pick some promising boy and have his past-life credentials certified by stooges. To head off the divisions this would cause, the present Dalai Lama has announced that he might be the last, being regarded as an enlightened one with the choice of how he might be reincarnated. “Naturally my next life is entirely up to me,” he said a few months ago.
The Tibetan Buddhist school of reincarnation’s respectability need not make it true. The Dalai Lama has just been awarded the Templeton prize, the first winner of which, 40 years ago, was Mother Teresa. They strike the world as obviously good people. But it is impossible to see how they can both be right in their beliefs.
Tibetan Buddhism is a far-away religion of which we know little. Compassion and reincarnation sound comforting. The fearsome, fang-baring, three-eyed, orange-flame-spouting Dorje Shugden or Dolgyal does not. His crown is of five skulls and his necklace of freshly severed heads. This deity, or protector of dharma, depending on how you look at it, should not be propitiated, the Dalai Lama insists, for that would be spirit-worship. Others strongly disagree, which is why you often hear protesters shouting at the Dalai Lama.
The Dorje Shugden controversy suggests how much about Tibetan Buddhism is unfamiliar. You can’t just pick the reincarnation on the menu and skip the wrathful deities. In the West, an awful lot of Buddhism-fanciers are the toe-in-the-water kind. They don’t get up at 4am to meditate. I walked past a nightclub called Buddha the other day. No nightclubs are called Mohammed. We’re not taking Buddhism seriously.
“I was in the court of Charlemagne,” wrote Shirley MacLaine in her masterpiece The Camino, about walking to Santiago. Its subtitle is A Pilgrimage of Courage. The true courage must have come in publishing it.
Miss MacLaine not only discovered her close friendship with the Carolingian emperor, but tracked down his own future life. He turned up as Olaf Palme, “the Swedish prime minister with whom I had a love affair and whom I had written about in Out on a Limb and disguised as a British politician from the Labour Party”. Many politicians from the Labour Party must have breathed easier after reading that.
I can’t remember whether Miss MacLaine visited Aztec Mexico, but she had a memorable time in Lemuria, a civilisation of which Atlantis was part until everything got a bit too watery. “Did I have a child in this Lemuria?” she asks a spirit-guide in The Camino. “You simply impregnated yourself with your own androgynous desire,” came the reply. Easy as pie, when you know how.
Reincarnation is the in thing now, as spiritualism was after the First World War. It meets a longing for a life beyond the mundane. Spiritualism was not discredited by exposure of table-turning tricksters with Red Indian friends on the other side and false ectoplasm on this side. It just grew unfashionable, like the aspidistra.
Now it’s the “spiritual” without the -ism. This takes in crystals, angels, standing stones, Gaia, a diet of fruit and nuts and, in a weakened sense, the euro. Reincarnation, coherent or not, hardly deserves to be thrown into the same bran tub. Christians, though, believe, according to their creed, in almost the opposite, declaring that they look forward to the resurrection of the body. But that’s another story.
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Thanks WisdomBeing for the interesting article! Yes, it appears that the mainstream media is starting to pick up on Dorje Shugden related news and they are starting to be interested in it. Or should I say that they find it intriguing that a religion that is perceived to be peaceful would have such a fierce deity and complex controversy surrounding it. This alone should attract the interest of many.
It is funny that the article managed to connect Dorje Shugden with reincarnation -- two mutually exclusive subjects where it is not necessary to mention each other in the same article or same line but the author choose to do so anyway. Hmm...I wonder why? is it due to the fact that the Dalai Lama has been talking about Dorje Shugden one time too many and people pick it up eventually?
Tenzin Gyatso (the one in this forum, not the actual one) is obviously, delusional and only believes what he wants to be the truth even though that is clearly far and away from the reality of the situation. Its nice to see him being disproved so fast so that perhaps he can wake up. After all, we should have compassion for him as well since he is a sentient being as well.
I am wondering if Dorje Shugden will go more and more mainstream over time as people of this time and age do not just want something official. They actually are very attracted to teachings which are "lost" or uncommon, or were suppressed and Dorje Shugden fits that profile well. Over time, there will be more and more official and unofficial practitioners of Dorje Shugden and the Dalai Lama will have no choice but to lift the ban
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Tenzin Gyatso (the one in this forum, not the actual one) is obviously, delusional and only believes what he wants to be the truth even though that is clearly far and away from the reality of the situation. Its nice to see him being disproved so fast so that perhaps he can wake up. After all, we should have compassion for him as well since he is a sentient being as well.
Ensapa, you have your opinions and others have theirs. Please refrain from name calling. Delusional is not a pleasant adjective in the manner you have used. Thank You.
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Thanks for the link WB. Sure is an interesting read. I liked this part of the article;
The Chinese now try to beat the Tibetan Buddhists at their own reincarnation game. When the Dalai Lama dies they will no doubt pick some promising boy and have his past-life credentials certified by stooges. To head off the divisions this would cause, the present Dalai Lama has announced that he might be the last, being regarded as an enlightened one with the choice of how he might be reincarnated. “Naturally my next life is entirely up to me,” he said a few months ago.
The whole world is aware of this now... so it would interesting to see how it all unfolds after HHDL choose to pass on. Having said that, it is also obvious that one of the two reasons for the BAN was... Dorje Shugden would harm/shorten HHDL life. Well obviously this is not happening at all! The Dalai Lama Two Reasons for Banning Shugden Worship (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkH7Mee8t7I#)
Secondly I wonder if HHDL is not going to come back again what will happened to the Dalai Lama's office in the future? Will it seize to operate and become another one of history museum archive when time passes on and our children pays a visit. Will the super powers of the world at that time i.e. China being on top (sorry but let's face facts) take the Tibetan cause seriously or merely brush it off completely. Which Tibetan leader can raise that much awareness like HHDL can, look at the newly elected PM now... what is He doing? Logically it will even be less in the future.
This also means all Dalai Lama's implementations i.e. the Ban will also starts to dissolve because well...
1. Who will be the one to put peer pressure on this BAN? Or rather who can as much as HHDL did?
2. we do not have to worry about being afraid of not being able to go to HHDL teachings if we are a Shugden practitioner any more because there are none.
Naturally the BAN will be lifted :)
Having said all that... it is amazing that the writer has uncannily brought up Dorje Shugden's subject... I am certain He is well aware of the whole controversy game and mentions...
This deity, or protector of dharma, depending on how you look at it, should not be propitiated, the Dalai Lama insists, for that would be spirit-worship. Others strongly disagree, which is why you often hear protesters shouting at the Dalai Lama.
The Dorje Shugden controversy suggests how much about Tibetan Buddhism is unfamiliar. You can’t just pick the reincarnation on the menu and skip the wrathful deities.
Am sure just by saying this, a few non Buddhist journalist and readers will start Googling for more info which is precisely what we wish for :) So thanks Christopher Howse!
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The writer did not write much other than stating that DS is a weird deity with wrathful appearance. But It's a start. DS will go global. The more famous HHDL is, the more DS issues will be emphasized.
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Publicity is publicity, controversial or not, the more times Dorje Shugden is mentioned in any media the more ingrained it will be in people's minds. It is similar to playing a jingle in a TV advertisement. Bad publicity attracts many curious readers and many may search for what and who Dorje Shugden is. This website is fabulously done to cater for those people. Thank you to the creator of this informative website and to those in the back end toiling to maintain and upgrade it. Also to all Shugden devotees who make this site lively.
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Very good article indeed, not bias, entertaining to read and also mind-opening.
Facts with an icing of wit, how very European indeed.
More, it is an article that leaves questions to be answered, just as if the last line would be "to be continued".
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After this, I believe that there will be more and more mentions of Dorje Shugden everywhere, be it good or bad, well, bad publicity is better than no publicity and news like this will usually grab on to people's minds as they want to find out and know more about what is going on rather than just believe what is right and wrong. It is only a matter of time before Dorje Shugden makes regular appearances at Buddhist magazines.
People of this day and age is more receptive to negative situations and negative news as compared to positive ones as this is just the way how things are. Just look at the song charts and you can see that songs that sing about unhappiness as opposed to happiness are often the top sellers. Movies that have a lot of destruction or have very dark undertones tend to fare better than happy endings.
People these days are also more conscious of discrimination and they heavily frown upon discrimination and also injustice. The jews were discriminated against and killed, and that caused a huge wave of awareness of the plight of the jews. The Tibetans were ousted by China and that got the attention of the masses. Why? Because people are more sensitive and receptive towards these things now as compared to the past.
Dorje Shugden's story and his history will appeal to many more people because people are just more receptive to stories of injustice rather than stories of grandeur. They feel more passionate on defending the weak and going against the strong. Therefore, for the Dalai Lama to enact this ban and spread misinformation about him, it is not an accident nor is it a mistake if we think about this.
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Though not much is written about Dorje Shugden in this article from The Telegraph, yet I feel it is sufficient to arouse the curiosity and interest of people regarding the Shugden issue. The line "The Dorje Shugden controversy suggests how much of Tibetan Buddhism is unfamiliar" will push readers to explore this controversy.
Furthermore, I agree with WB that this article does show signs of 'inherent support' for Shugden in the line " You can't pick the reincarnation on the menu and skip the wrathful deities".
Yes, all told, this article does contain sufficient bits of information about Dorje Shugden to whet the curiosity of people to find out more. In this way, and through the news media, news of Shugden will spread and so will his practice.
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Tibetan Buddhism is a far-away religion of which we know little. Compassion and reincarnation sound comforting. The fearsome, fang-baring, three-eyed, orange-flame-spouting Dorje Shugden or Dolgyal does not. His crown is of five skulls and his necklace of freshly severed heads. This deity, or protector of dharma, depending on how you look at it, should not be propitiated, the Dalai Lama insists, for that would be spirit-worship. Others strongly disagree, which is why you often hear protesters shouting at the Dalai Lama.
The Dorje Shugden controversy suggests how much about Tibetan Buddhism is unfamiliar. You can’t just pick the reincarnation on the menu and skip the wrathful deities. In the West, an awful lot of Buddhism-fanciers are the toe-in-the-water kind. They don’t get up at 4am to meditate. I walked past a nightclub called Buddha the other day. No nightclubs are called Mohammed. We’re not taking Buddhism seriously.
As a westerner, the first thought of Tibetan Buddhism is about reincarnation. It may be an over generalization, but I don't think i'm that far of to assume that is what many people associate Tibetan buddhism to. The journalist writing about his two main subjects, Dorje Shugden and the topic of reincarnation as seen through HHDL's lives shows how much progress and highlight Dorje Shugden is getting now in the media and the eyes of many.
And oh how true, that the journalist pointed out how selective people can be, to pick what we we find comfortable in a religion and reject that which we are not. Isn't this the attitude towards any religion..where we start to make up our own God, who he is, how he is, how he looks like..etc. It's all fine but NOT when we cross the line and persecute each other for what we believe or not!
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Nice post, WisdomBeing! Very informative. Dorje Shugden is in mainstream media now. People can't say that Dorje Shugden is weak due to lack of awareness on the media. It is good that mainstream media are starting to be interested in Dorje Shugden.It is important for people to know the facts and that the publicity, whether negative or positive will at least bring people to investigate further. I hope that with proper and accurate knowledge, people will be more objective and understand the issue better and not just simply criticize. Any publicity is good publicity, publicity like this will get more people to go on the websites, find out more. Soon, because of this, the ban will be lifted.
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Mainly for the reason Shugden being mentioned in the mainstream media was because of the controversy behind it, many of which created by HHDL himself, the wise one! Without the controversy which was skillfully thought and done by HHDL, Dorje Shugden practice won't be so well known today and up to the certain extend of being mentioned in the media both for the good and bad reason. The so called bad reason will subside once HHDL clears the air and we are to wait for the ban to be lifted as i am typing this! Can't Wait!
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As a westerner, the first thought of Tibetan Buddhism is about reincarnation. It may be an over generalization, but I don't think i'm that far of to assume that is what many people associate Tibetan buddhism to. The journalist writing about his two main subjects, Dorje Shugden and the topic of reincarnation as seen through HHDL's lives shows how much progress and highlight Dorje Shugden is getting now in the media and the eyes of many.
And oh how true, that the journalist pointed out how selective people can be, to pick what we we find comfortable in a religion and reject that which we are not. Isn't this the attitude towards any religion..where we start to make up our own God, who he is, how he is, how he looks like..etc. It's all fine but NOT when we cross the line and persecute each other for what we believe or not!
A lot of my western friends are not aware of what Tibetan Buddhism really is. They think that Tibetan Buddhism is just the Dalai Lama and Tibetan monks walking around and we're supposed to listen to them chant and all of us are perfect and compassionate and kind people. Then they learn that Buddhism isnt all that they think it is and then become born again christians :p
The path of a Buddhist anywhere is definitely harder than any other religion around because it involves a lot of work and studying and practice as well as being ousted out of our comfort zones. Any serious Buddhist teacher will keep pushing their students out of their comfort zones until they become Bodhisattvas and can do a lot more for others as time passes.
although the theory of reincarnation comes from hinduism originally but it is not really used much in that side. Buddhism uses it a lot which is why it is automatically associated with Buddhism. But it is rather funny to see an article on reincarnation tied in with Dorje Shugden, even if the description of Dorje Shugden is really off but it is still nice to see him getting a mention on the papers.
I expect that in the near future there will be more and more people associating Dorje Shugden with buddhism, probably as how bad politics can be in the context of religion in more ways than one, as a reminder of why we should check something properly before engaging into it, which is what the Buddha taught anyway.
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Interesting article about reincarnation. The paragraph about how HHDL was recognized as the 14th Dalai Lama surely reinforces that reincarnation exists, and not only within the peripherals of Buddhism and religion. Reincarnation, despite the sceptism, is definitly an irrefutable occurence.
It also reminds me of how Dorje Shugden arose to be an enlightened Dharma Protector, having an illustrious line of incarnations beginning with Mahasiddha Birwapa down to Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen. With such enlightened incarnations, how can Dorje Shugden now be labelled as an evil spirit?
When I saw the paragraph:
"The Chinese now try to beat the Tibetan Buddhists at their own reincarnation game. When the Dalai Lama dies they will no doubt pick some promising boy and have his past-life credentials certified by stooges.",
it reminded me of the Panchen Lama story, with China's own recognized Panchen Lama and with the one HHDL recognized.
Dorje Shugden's mention in the article is subtle but prominent. Enough is said in the article for the reader to recognize the controversy although it is mentioned in a very diplomatic way. It definitely would prompt the reader to exploring further on what or who Dorje Shugden is. Some news is good news!
Here are some links to the hoo-ha surrounding the Panchen Lama:
Disappeared for 17 years and finally there's some news:
http://www.dorjeshugden.com/forum/index.php?topic=1922.0 (http://www.dorjeshugden.com/forum/index.php?topic=1922.0)
China projects Panchen Lama:
http://www.dorjeshugden.com/forum/index.php?topic=1795.0 (http://www.dorjeshugden.com/forum/index.php?topic=1795.0)
China Premier Wen Jiabao meets the Panchen Lama
http://www.dorjeshugden.com/forum/index.php?topic=1707.0 (http://www.dorjeshugden.com/forum/index.php?topic=1707.0)
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Decent article. Written with a neutral tone. But then again, Ms Lumleys not generally identified with Buddhism but with the Gurka cause.
Im glad she acknowledge Dorje Shugden but my favourite line of the article was that Western Buddhists generally tend to be the toe-in-the-water kind. Yes Ms Lumley, say it like it is because we really are. Just think about it - how many Western geshes have you heard of? How many Westerns can hack it in the monastery for decades to earn that degree? How many Western followers believe in the teachings so much that they will send their kids to the monastery? Youll never hear of that kind of devotion.
So is it any wonder then that Tibetans continuously tell Westerners who protest for Dorje Shugden that they dont know what theyre talking about? That they dont understand Buddhism fully and they should keep out of Tibetan politics?
Im not saying Tibetans are right in the matter, that our protests are borne out of ignorance, but our mind is the same as the Tibetan mind in terms of capability. We ought to learn as much as we can and always keep learning, so we can never be accused of ignorance. If anything, itll also strengthen our faith because it will be faith from knowledge and logic.
In this thread, [url]http://www.dorjeshugden.com/forum/index.php?topic=1998.0,[/url] ([url]http://www.dorjeshugden.com/forum/index.php?topic=1998.0,[/url]) the forum participant, Tenzin Gyatso says that “Even popular media does not take the Shugden issue seriously. Shugden's 'cause' is losing and becoming more quiet.”
Well, today I just saw this article in The Telegraph ([url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9295172/Reincarnation-Surely-weve-been-here-before.html]www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9295172/Reincarnation-Surely-weve-been-here-before.html[/url] ([url]http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9295172/Reincarnation-Surely-weve-been-here-before.html[/url])) about reincarnation which does mention Dorje Shugden, and surprisingly in a pretty unbiased way.
I copy paste the relevant section for your interest:
Tibetan Buddhism is a far-away religion of which we know little. Compassion and reincarnation sound comforting. The fearsome, fang-baring, three-eyed, orange-flame-spouting Dorje Shugden or Dolgyal does not. His crown is of five skulls and his necklace of freshly severed heads. This deity, or protector of dharma, depending on how you look at it, should not be propitiated, the Dalai Lama insists, for that would be spirit-worship. Others strongly disagree, which is why you often hear protesters shouting at the Dalai Lama.
The Dorje Shugden controversy suggests how much about Tibetan Buddhism is unfamiliar. You can’t just pick the reincarnation on the menu and skip the wrathful deities. In the West, an awful lot of Buddhism-fanciers are the toe-in-the-water kind. They don’t get up at 4am to meditate. I walked past a nightclub called Buddha the other day. No nightclubs are called Mohammed. We’re not taking Buddhism seriously.
I must say that for any continued coverage of Dorje Shugden, I only have HH the Dalai Lama to thank for continuously raising the issue of Dorje Shugden. Even the recent allegations the Dalai Lama made about being the target of a possible assassination attempt by the Chinese government, the CTA’s press release also slipped in that the Dorje Shugden group could possibly also be involved. Interestingly enough, I had not come across any western media which mentioned this Shugden-related issue. I think this was not because Shugden is not news worthy but that the suggestion that Shugdenpas could be in cahoots with the Chinese in this alleged assassination was ridiculous to the point that it was not worth repeating.
To go back to this article which mentions Dorje Shugden, I think it is interesting that the journalist chose to mention Dorje Shugden and when he says, “You can’t just pick the reincarnation on the menu and skip the wrathful deities.” I feel that there is an inherent endorsement for Dorje Shugden.
And as Tenzin Gyatso says that Dorje Shugden practitioners are not doing much, what forum readers can do is to go onto the Telegraph website and make a comment on this article. At least support the balanced view of the journalist. Don't bash up the Dalai Lama please - let's think of what we would like the public to perceive of Dorje Shugden practitioners, ok? Moderate, peace-loving, logical... which is who we really are.
Reincarnation? Surely we’ve been here before
At least Joanna Lumley doesn’t indulge in celebrity memoirs from a past life with royalty.
[url]http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9295172/Reincarnation-Surely-weve-been-here-before.html[/url] ([url]http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9295172/Reincarnation-Surely-weve-been-here-before.html[/url])
By Christopher Howse
8:39PM BST 28 May 2012
Usually it’s with Aztecs, or possibly ancient Egyptians. If not, then in some royal court. That’s where reincarnated people remember living before. The unusual thing about the past life that Joanna Lumley suspects she had is its modesty. “I think I might have been a boy in the First World War,” she says.
The actress felt immense calm, she said this week, when she visited Ypres, where presumably her past self fell. This sort of feeling – having been here before and recognising something that means a lot – compels some people to think reincarnation must be true. I wonder.
There is, to be sure, respectable reincarnation, of the Tibetan Buddhist school. Then there is wacky reincarnation, of what may be called the Shirley MacLaine school.
In 1938 a three-year-old boy on the bare Tibetan plateau of Amdo was shown some objects by a party of visitors. “Mine, mine,” he said of some. They became convinced he was the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama, who had died a year before. He even remembered where his predecessor had left his false teeth. And so Lhamo Thondup became recognised as the 14th Dalai Lama.
His is a poignant story. He was taken from the windy fields of buckwheat to a vast monastery where he found companionship in the mice that ran over his bed. More troublesome later were Mao Tse-tung and his successors, who drove him into exile.
The Chinese now try to beat the Tibetan Buddhists at their own reincarnation game. When the Dalai Lama dies they will no doubt pick some promising boy and have his past-life credentials certified by stooges. To head off the divisions this would cause, the present Dalai Lama has announced that he might be the last, being regarded as an enlightened one with the choice of how he might be reincarnated. “Naturally my next life is entirely up to me,” he said a few months ago.
The Tibetan Buddhist school of reincarnation’s respectability need not make it true. The Dalai Lama has just been awarded the Templeton prize, the first winner of which, 40 years ago, was Mother Teresa. They strike the world as obviously good people. But it is impossible to see how they can both be right in their beliefs.
Tibetan Buddhism is a far-away religion of which we know little. Compassion and reincarnation sound comforting. The fearsome, fang-baring, three-eyed, orange-flame-spouting Dorje Shugden or Dolgyal does not. His crown is of five skulls and his necklace of freshly severed heads. This deity, or protector of dharma, depending on how you look at it, should not be propitiated, the Dalai Lama insists, for that would be spirit-worship. Others strongly disagree, which is why you often hear protesters shouting at the Dalai Lama.
The Dorje Shugden controversy suggests how much about Tibetan Buddhism is unfamiliar. You can’t just pick the reincarnation on the menu and skip the wrathful deities. In the West, an awful lot of Buddhism-fanciers are the toe-in-the-water kind. They don’t get up at 4am to meditate. I walked past a nightclub called Buddha the other day. No nightclubs are called Mohammed. We’re not taking Buddhism seriously.
“I was in the court of Charlemagne,” wrote Shirley MacLaine in her masterpiece The Camino, about walking to Santiago. Its subtitle is A Pilgrimage of Courage. The true courage must have come in publishing it.
Miss MacLaine not only discovered her close friendship with the Carolingian emperor, but tracked down his own future life. He turned up as Olaf Palme, “the Swedish prime minister with whom I had a love affair and whom I had written about in Out on a Limb and disguised as a British politician from the Labour Party”. Many politicians from the Labour Party must have breathed easier after reading that.
I can’t remember whether Miss MacLaine visited Aztec Mexico, but she had a memorable time in Lemuria, a civilisation of which Atlantis was part until everything got a bit too watery. “Did I have a child in this Lemuria?” she asks a spirit-guide in The Camino. “You simply impregnated yourself with your own androgynous desire,” came the reply. Easy as pie, when you know how.
Reincarnation is the in thing now, as spiritualism was after the First World War. It meets a longing for a life beyond the mundane. Spiritualism was not discredited by exposure of table-turning tricksters with Red Indian friends on the other side and false ectoplasm on this side. It just grew unfashionable, like the aspidistra.
Now it’s the “spiritual” without the -ism. This takes in crystals, angels, standing stones, Gaia, a diet of fruit and nuts and, in a weakened sense, the euro. Reincarnation, coherent or not, hardly deserves to be thrown into the same bran tub. Christians, though, believe, according to their creed, in almost the opposite, declaring that they look forward to the resurrection of the body. But that’s another story.
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Thanks to wisdombeing for bringing the article to light. I agree with hoperainbow that the article is not bias and at the same time it is very educational. Like it or not, this media exposure is bringing the whole situation to the attention of people everywhere.
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This is indeed the first time I read an article which links Dorje Shugden with reincarnation and it is sure interesting... May be I am too into the controversial thing :)
This is what I heard from a Lama: In previous times (where Dharma is strong), people can get enlightened within a single lifetime. However, in this degenerated age, it is difficult to get enlightened within 1 lifetime, and we need many lifetimes to achieve enlightenment. As such, when we take refuge with Dorje Shugden, He will help us to get a good rebirth so that we can continue to practice Dharma. After we have gained some level of enlightenment and control our rebirth, then we may not need Him to help us in reincarnation again.. It is like, when we are young, we need parents to guide us on the correct paths, then when we have gained certain level of experience, then we don't need our parents' guidance again.
I thought of sharing this since "The Telegraph" mentioned about Dorje Shugden with reincarnation.
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The article casts Shugden as a weird deity with a weird appearance.
My favorite DS's appearance has always been his most wrathful form, because wrath is synonimous with speed. But, to bring DS to more people, should we emphasize on his more peaceful form?
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A very nice article, nothing heavy. In fact it reflects the minds of the people today on how they actually perceive Buddhism. Very little people know about true Buddhism if you look at what the author had said "walking pass a nightclub called Buddha.." or the infamous Buddha heads sold everywhere for decoration purposes. Nothing wrong, but it just show the lack of knowledge in us that causes us ignorant.
How many people actually know head to til the Buddha story? Then what happens after Buddha's time? Hence people take the compassion and skip the wrathful deities. Because it is easier to relate to. But now we have having a controversial issue on a wrathful deity, banned, unlike and evil. Wow, it brings new interest to people, to research, to learn, to discuss, to take a stand, to be neutral, to investigate... Inevitably, we gain insights, more knowledge about Buddhism. All I can say is how skillful His Holiness is. What an accomplishment!
Even the most ignorant person will heard about the controversial and His Holiness name. The mystical side of things like Tibetan Buddhism's reincarnation, the tulku systems bring a new light into the Western and Asian's world. This allows the Lamas spread teachings in different directions and hence the dharma flourish. It is not easy as the world has degenerated, however the Shugden issue caught our interest. At least we know why is he wrathful and not a spirit.
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News create publicity and now Dorje Shugden is gaining publicity everywhere, even in the British media. People may go into the website out of curiosity to find out who Dorje Shugden is. Once they understand they will be receptive and may want to take up the practice of Dorje Shugden. So media exposure whether the news is good or bad it still attracts attention.
This is a very good article as it is not bias and have enough information to create curiosity for people to want to find out more about Dorje Shugden.
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A very nice article, nothing heavy. In fact it reflects the minds of the people today on how they actually perceive Buddhism. Very little people know about true Buddhism if you look at what the author had said "walking pass a nightclub called Buddha.." or the infamous Buddha heads sold everywhere for decoration purposes. Nothing wrong, but it just show the lack of knowledge in us that causes us ignorant.
How many people actually know head to til the Buddha story? Then what happens after Buddha's time? Hence people take the compassion and skip the wrathful deities. Because it is easier to relate to. But now we have having a controversial issue on a wrathful deity, banned, unlike and evil. Wow, it brings new interest to people, to research, to learn, to discuss, to take a stand, to be neutral, to investigate... Inevitably, we gain insights, more knowledge about Buddhism. All I can say is how skillful His Holiness is. What an accomplishment!
Even the most ignorant person will heard about the controversial and His Holiness name. The mystical side of things like Tibetan Buddhism's reincarnation, the tulku systems bring a new light into the Western and Asian's world. This allows the Lamas spread teachings in different directions and hence the dharma flourish. It is not easy as the world has degenerated, however the Shugden issue caught our interest. At least we know why is he wrathful and not a spirit.
You're right. Many Buddhists tend to get very immersed in Buddhism after a while and they fail to realize that many people out there do not know much about Buddhism and they need to be taught and explained to on what Buddhism actually is, especially on the finer tenants of the Dharma and also the correct understanding and view of things as most people lack information or the ability to explain.
Actually, most people who consider themselves Buddhist dont really know much as well and just because they picked up a Buddhist book and they liked what is taught in there, they consider themselves as Buddhist and they get all kinds of wrong ideas about Buddhism and perpetuate their misconceptions with like minded people as well. This is really happening these days.
For example, there was an article I read a while ago that said that Buddhists are not required to believe in anything, which is not true because Buddhists have to believe that the 3 Jewels are supreme and also in reincarnation and the law of Karma. Such articles only promote more misunderstandings and problems for many people in the long run.
The good thing about this article is, it actually mentions Dorje Shugden but in a totally unrelated context that helps spark curiosity amongst the people who reads it. Lies and misinformation can only hold up for so long before they are blown away by the truth and people will learn and study more and they will get more informed over time to what they should choose.
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In this degenerate age, the biggest threat to spiritual progress is the three root delusions of ignorance, desire and hatred, with ignorance being the most critical, since desire and hatred manifest out of ignorance. With ignorance, people develop wrong views and further delusions. Therefore it is critical for us to bring the right information and thus right view to as many people as possible, especially with regard to this holy practice of Dorje Shugden.
By sharing information from this website, which is a fantastic resource for anyone interested in Dorje Shugden, we are each making an active choice to change the situation – to bring real, authentic and accurate information about Dorje Shugden to others.
Each of us can change the world by sharing information – it just takes effort and faith, and will contribute to the eventual removal of the ban on this supreme protector. So let’s just do it!
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I'm happy in a way that the name " Dorje Shugden " is being widely shared or known in countries even like England, or Europe countries. Lord Dorje Shugden is definitely an enlightened Buddha, proofs and evidences are provided even testimonials from various people. Look at the comments in this wonderful website, people are being benefited or helped by Lord Dorje Shugden, in a way or another. The answer is obvious, there are some who just can't see it because they have been blinded by their self-made-up stories, hatred, jealousy or ignorance, the amount of bad karma they have accumulated throughout these years is just so massive that they they just can't see the truth.