Dear Paul Mooney and Reuters, Lobsang Choezom was right

[Ringo Starr]

In an article "Beyond Belief" written by Paul Mooney, who was then writing for the South China Morning Post, (Source: http://www.scmp.com/article/977990/beyond-belief),
Paul Mooney quotes Lobsang Choezam:

"Lobsang Choezom, head abbot of Chatreng's Samphel Monastery, says: 'He [Dalai Lama] just rejected the reality. I don't know his reason. We should ask him why he did this.'
The smiling rotund monk then repeats the oft-heard claim that Dorje Shugden protected the teenage Dalai Lama during his hazardous 1959 escape from Tibet to India.

Sitting on an intricately carved chair painted gold and red, nearby walls covered with paintings of Buddhas and pictures of famous Shugden lamas, Lobsang Choezom takes a dig at the Dalai Lama.

'How could a deity of compassion be harmed by a deity like this?' he asks. 'If [that were possible], he is not the real reincarnation.

'We still recognise him as the head of our religion, he's like a king. But we can't listen to everything the king says.'"

Recently, a video has surfaced showing HH Dalai Lama telling monks and stating very clearly that Dorje Shugden cannot harm his life.

This video shows without a doubt HH Dalai Lama directly contradicting himself when in 1996 HH said:

On the 21 March 1996, during his talk at the preparatory session of Tamdrin Yangsang and Sangdrub empowerments, HH Dalai Lama had said:

“Hence yesterday we decreed that it will not be right for worshippers of Gyalchen to be among our audience … If there are any people unknown to me who have crept into this audience who are nevertheless worshippers of Shugden, it is better for you not to stay among us. If you refuse, not only will it not benefit yourself but in the worst case may even become the cause of shortening the life of the Dalai Lama. If you wish for the speedy death of the Dalai Lama, then I have no objection. If there is anyone who wishes to continue worshipping Gyalchen, it is better that they stand up and leave. If there are no such people, it is alright.”

So weren't the ISC protesters right when the chanted "Dalai Lama, Stop Lying"?

[grandmapele]

Isn't that what the Dorje Shugden practitioners have been trying to reason with the Dalai Lama's followers? That the Dalai Lama is Chenrezig and cannot be harmed by the Dorje Shugden practice? It is the collective karma of the people whether they get what they want. Unfortunately, no one on this earth gets what they want, they get what they deserved, good or bad.

I agree that there must be loyalty but we also must be able to think and reason. That's what the Buddha taught anyway. Is that the message the Dalai Lama is trying to send to his followers? That they have to be able to think and reason and apply the true dharma and not be mindless slaves? If they continue to be mindless slaves, aren't they setting themselves up to be slaves again, literally? And, that we all must find and practice the middleway of compromise for the sake of kindness, compassion, peace and harmony? That there be no physical fight or quarrel? And, to practice what has been taught by the Buddha, which is to question and find the answer peacefully, to find the real truth, the universal truth?

Maybe, being unable to see and practice the real dharma is an indication of the kind of negative karma that is being reaped and sown in this kaliyuga age.

May the real lamas spread the dharma for the benefit of beings.

[SabS]

In view of the recent statement by the Dalai Lama that Dorje Shugden cannot harm his life nor the Tibetan freedom cause, I feel that being of the enlightened mind of Cherenzig, he could have been putting the Shugden practitioners through sufferings to help them clear their karma and to preserve the purity of the lineage. After all when you have strived for something so strongly, won't you value what you have attained? As commented by grandmapele, this is the Kaliyuga age where true Dharma is getting harder to come by. The Dalai Lama maybe preparing the true practitioners to face more difficult challenges that will come. Having gone through the great pain from persecution and abuses from the government CTA and the followers of the Dalai Lama, "enemies" from within, they are more resilient and better connected to support each other worldwide. This "training" maybe to prepare them with merits to continue the battle for what is right.

Anyway I am not learned enough to begin understanding the enlightened mind of the Dalai Lama nor his reasons for the sufferings of so many. May his statement be the beginning of a new chapter leading to the swift lifting of the ban on enlightened Dorje Shugden.

[Celia]

Personally at this juncture, I am just glad that the Dalai Lama has even see fit to comment and clarify clearly that Dorje Shugden doesn’t harm him. So, isn't it better to focus on that and use that as means to counter anti Shugden people rather than to harp on whether the Dalai Lama was lying from before or not? Especially when one also believe the Dorje Shugden ban is actually part of the Dalai Lama’s bigger plan of spreading the Dorje Shugden practice.  At the end of the day, what would re-hashing the past (especially to ascertain who was right or wrong etc) do but create uncomfortable situations which could even lead to fresh stumbling blocks in the efforts to remove the ban?  And isn't the whole point is to work towards the removal of the illogical  Dorje Shugden ban?

[Vajraprotector]

Personally at this juncture, I am just glad that the Dalai Lama has even see fit to comment and clarify clearly that Dorje Shugden doesn’t harm him. So, isn't it better to focus on that and use that as means to counter anti Shugden people rather than to harp on whether the Dalai Lama was lying from before or not? Especially when one also believe the Dorje Shugden ban is actually part of the Dalai Lama’s bigger plan of spreading the Dorje Shugden practice.  At the end of the day, what would re-hashing the past (especially to ascertain who was right or wrong etc) do but create uncomfortable situations which could even lead to fresh stumbling blocks in the efforts to remove the ban?  And isn't the whole point is to work towards the removal of the illogical  Dorje Shugden ban?

I agree with you Celia. His Holiness the Dalai Lama is the leader of the Tibetans, but he is not just that. He is also a well-loved global public figure, noble peace laureate who advocates peace, freedom and nonviolent opposition to China's occupation of Tibet. So Central Tibetan Administration continuous persecution of Shugden worshippers will only make His Holiness look very bad and appear to not practice what he preach.

If His Holiness said that it is ok for people to practice Shugden, why does the CTA insist to continue the Shugden ban? Instead of message of peace and progress on the 56th Anniversary of Tibetan Democracy Day, the Kashag posted, 'We vehemently condemn the fringe group of extremists who bear the name of Shugden and have been making concerted efforts to denigrate the work and accomplishments of His Holiness. While we deplore the planned demonstrations against His Holiness, orchestrated by the Chinese government, we vow to confront these matters.'

The matter that they need to confront is their motivation behind creating the split in the already small and dispersed Tibetan community. Shugden is made an issue, Umaylam against Rangzen, these are some of the splits caused by CTA and their policies or actions. Please CTA, do not continue your nonsense and put His Holiness down.

[Rinchen]

Celia, what you said is entirely true. Since Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader and leader of the Tibetans, we should be focusing on the fact that the Dalai Lama has said that Dorje Shugden is not able to hurt him nor harm the Tibetan cause. With that said, why should Dorje Shugden practitioners still be ostracised? Why is it that the CTA still so hung up about getting Dorje Shugden practitioners?

It is important for all Tibetans to be united as one to stand up and move in a single direction. There are already very few Tibetans that is spread across the world, why segregate and split the group even further? Wouldn't it make more sense to garner all as one then  fight for the Tibetan cause? They will have a common 'enemy' for them to speak up and fight against for.

Let's just hope for the very best and CTA to listen to what H.H. Dalao Lana has said about showing kindness to practitioners of Dorje Shugden and also lord Dorje Shugden the emanation of Manjushri. It cannot be that other things that H.H. Dalai Lama had said is important and should be followed through perfectly. But when it comes to Dorje Shudgen, there is an exception.