An astounding 400,000 people attended the Monlam Festival in Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche’s Sampheling Monastery in Chatreng, Tibet from 5-12 March, 2014. The Gelugpa Monlam Chenmo (or Great Prayer Festival), one of the most significant religious events in Buddhist Tibet, was established by Lama Tsongkapa in 1409. Without doubt, the overwhelming response in Sampheling Monastery on this occasion is testament to Chatreng’s intense guru devotion and faith in their pure lineage and great protector Dorje Shugden.

Today, Sampheling Monastery is the pride and crown jewel of the people of Chatreng. Currently, the monastery has hundreds of monks and thousands of lay devotees, who are responsible for the rebuilding of the great monastery. In grandeur, Lama Tsongkhapa’s statue stands three stories high inside the monastery and the main gate, with its unique design, was lovingly hand crafted by the devotees.

400,000 people attended the Monlam Chenmo celebrations in Sampheling Monastery, Chatreng

The rich history of Chatreng is unquestionably interwoven with the great H.H. Kyabje Trijang Dorje Chang, whom Chatrengpas venerate as “their” lama. One of the greatest masters of recent times, Kyabe Trijang Dorje Chang is the teacher, direct or indirect, of practically all Gelugpa lamas teaching Dharma today, including H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama. In fact, most of the Dalai Lama’s teachings, commentaries and practices he is transmitting today arise from Kyabje Trijang Dorje Chang. Kyabje Trijang Dorje Chang was also the holder of the Ganden Oral tradition, passed to him in its entirety by his root guru, Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche, and a staunch proponent of Dorje Shugden’s practice.

The people of Chatreng will always be remembered for their pivotal role in helping the 14th Dalai Lama escape the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1959. It was none other than Dorje Shugden, via the Panglung Oracle, who selected a group of brave warriors from Chatreng to escort the Dalai Lama out of Tibet and into India. Why? Because Chatreng’s people are known for their bravery, loyalty and unquestioning devotion to Dorje Shugden. This group of warriors, known as the Chushi Gangdruk, were the Dalai Lama’s personal bodyguards in his flight to safety and although many unfortunately perished in this historical heroic act, their sacrifice has allowed Tibetan Buddhism to flourish across the world.

In short, the people of Chatreng have unshakable faith in their guru, their pure lineage and their protector. No wonder that despite the best efforts of the Dalai Lama and Central Tibetan Administration, Chatrengpas remain steadfast to H.H. Trijang Rinpoche and Dorje Shugden, and will never change their views for the sake of convenience or political correctness.

More photos from the Monlam Chenmo celebrations in Sampheling Monastery

By: Mar Nee

One of the characteristic purposes of a high Vajrayana monk is to seek the swiftest path to enlightenment but such objective is not for oneself as much as it is to be able to guide other sentient beings along the same path into liberation post haste. These high lamas themselves acquire their vast knowledge of Dharma over many lifetimes and the attainments they posses are the results of practices that they have mastered over many incarnations. They are also the lineage holders who ensure that what has been taught by the Buddha are preserved with purity, and to that end, they return life after life as tulkus carrying the precise teachings and authentic Dharma in their mindstream to be reinforced and passed on untainted. One such enlightened mind is H.E. Zawa Tulku Rinpoche.

Zawa Rinpoche was born in Dharamsala, India, on August 15, 1978. His father, Ngawang, himself used to be a monk from Ganden Jangtze Monastery, and was a close associate of H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama. Ngawang also worked in the government as the Member of Parliament of DuDur in the Kham area. Of significance was Ngawang’s role as the President of the specially trained Tibetan guards, the Chushi Gangdruk, formed under the instructions of Dorje Shugden with the objective to see to the Dalai Lama’s safe passage when His Holiness escaped from Tibet in 1959. With such a rich inheritance of passion for and trust in the Protector, it is no surprise then that Zawa Rinpoche would be a fervent and dynamic Dorje Shugden practitioner.

As was the tradition, Zawa Rinpoche’s father wanted one of his children to be a monk and he asked the Dalai Lama if the young, then unidentified Zawa Rinpoche could be sent to the monastery. The Dalai Lama replied that it was a good idea and suggested that the boy be placed at Namgyal Monastery in Dharamsala. However, upon further consultation with the erudite H.H. Trijang Rinpoche, the young boy was sent to Ganden Shartse Monastery instead. Zawa Rinpoche was brought there when he was only six years old, and such was the promise of the boy that he was escorted personally by Palden-la, H.H. Trijang Rinpoche’s changtzo.

That Zawa Rinpoche was not an ordinary boy was clear from the beginning. Not only did he receive many signs from his dreams but from the outset, Zawa Rinpoche’s monastic journey took him across the paths of many lamas of high attainments, which was not by chance. In 1982, the four-year-old Zawa Rinpoche received ordination as a getsul, or novice ordained monk, from the illustrious Kyabje Zemey Rinpoche, and he was given the name Jangchub Ngawang by Venerable Lati Rinpoche. Zawa Rinpoche displayed tremendous aptitude for the Dharma, which is characteristic of a reincarnated high lama, and when he was 16 or 17 years of age, he was recognized by various Yogis and masters, including the Panglung Kuten and Geshe Nyima, as the incarnation of the previous Geshe Zawa, an extremely accomplished meditation master. Zawa Tulku Rinpoche’s recognition was further confirmed when the Panglung Kuten took trance and affirmed who Zawa Rinpoche was.

Enthronement at Ganden

In 1997, in an elaborate ceremony held at Ganden Shartse Monastery, he was enthroned formally and bestowed the title “Zawa Tulku Lobsang Dorje Chokye Gyaltsen Rinpoche”. The young Zawa Rinpoche showed the mettle and authenticity of his spiritual lineage by achieving the highest levels of oral philosophical debate during his final examinations. A year later, Zawa Rinpoche was sent to Singapore and Taiwan to raise funds for the monasteries and hence resumed his outreach to the people to bring them the Dharma.

Zawa Rinpoche’s connection with other enlightened minds continued in earnest. In 1999, Zawa Rinpoche was invited by his Singaporean friends to visit Borobudur where he was introduced to H.E. Gangchen Rinpoche for the first time by H.E. Kundeling Rinpoche. To mark the auspicious meeting and propitious Dharma works Zawa Rinpoche was to perform, Gangchen Rinpoche asked Zawa Rinpoche to present him a Kalachakra mandala, which was dissolved, and the sand of the mandala was offered to the Borobudur stupa with a prayer for peace in the new millennium.

H.E. Gangchen Rinpoche and H.E. Zawa Rinpoche

Visiting Tibet

Zawa Rinpoche’s connection with Chatreng is undisputed with Chatreng being closely associated with Trijang Rinpoche himself, and the men of Chushi Gangdruk. In response to repeated requests by the people and monks of Chatreng Monastery, Zawa Rinpoche finally visited Chatreng in 2001 after an earlier attempt to obtain the appropriate visa to enter Tibet failed. Zawa Rinpoche’s confidence was spurred on after the initial failure to enter Chatreng when the Panglung Kuten, whilst at Phegyeling Monastery in Nepal, took trance of Dorje Shugden and assured the young tulku of his divine assistance which did come to pass. As Dorje Shugden predicted, Zawa Rinpoche did not face any problems from the Chinese authorities during his visit and was even able to visit Lhasa, Ganden, Sera, Drepung and Tashi Lhunpo without any obstacles.

During this trip to Chatreng, he met his previous life’s changtzo, who was then 74 years of age, to their mutual joy. It is interesting to note that both Zawa Rinpoche’s current and previous incarnation’s families are from Chatreng. Zawa Rinpoche also met Khensur Rinpoche at Chatreng, who performed another enthronement formally recognizing Zawa Tulku Rinpoche again.

In Tibet, Zawa Rinpoche also met H.H. Denma Gonsar Rinpoche in Qinghai, who was a direct student of H.H. Pabongka Rinpoche. Denma Gonsar Rinpoche was a master of Tsongkhapa’s teachings and a strong Dorje Shugden practitioner. Zawa Rinpoche wanted more teachings from him and he took bhikshu vows or full ordination from Denma Gonsar Rinpoche in 2002.

H.E. Denma Gonsar Rinpoche with H.E. Zawa Rinpoche

Most people would take ordination vows from H.H. the Dalai Lama but Zawa Rinpoche was adamant that he wanted to receive the vows from Denma Gonsar Rinpoche so that there was no relationship with the Dalai Lama. This was in order that no samaya would be broken in the process of Zawa Rinpoche discharging his duties which he was preparing for. Denma Gonsar Rinpoche himself also did not have a relationship with the Dalai Lama therefore there was no possibility of broken samaya because of the Dorje Shugden controversy.

It was clear in Zawa Rinpoche’s mind that it was his duty to defend Je Tsongkhapa’s teachings by upholding the practice of Dorje Shugden, which was under threat. And it was equally important to Zawa Rinpoche to hold his vows and not break samaya with any of his gurus.

Visit to Europe

In 2003, on Gangchen’s Rinpoche’s invitation, Zawa Rinpoche went to Italy during which time he met with other high lamas and strong defenders of the Gelugpa lineage, H.E. Gonsar Rinpoche, H.E. Rabten Rinpoche and all the Geshes from Rabten Choling. H.H. Trijang Choktrul Rinpoche was also staying there at the time and that provided many opportunities for Zawa Rinpoche to visit Trijang Rinpoche. It was at Trijang Ladrang at Tashi Rabten that Zawa Rinpoche met Geshe Tsultrim Tenzin.

H.E. Gonsar Rinpoche with H.E. Zawa Rinpoche

While Zawa Rinpoche was in Europe, there was a request from a Dharma Centre in Canada for a teacher. They invited Geshe Tsultrim Tenzin to be the resident teacher there. Geshe Tsultrim did not have time to go to Canada so instead, he asked Zawa Rinpoche and his assistant Lobsang to go. Zawa Rinpoche accepted and in 2003, Zawa Rinpoche went to Canada.

Finally, Canada

Zawa Rinpoche’s current centre in Canada, Chang Chub Chöling, was founded by Geshe Khenrab Gajam from Ganden Jangtze Monastery. After Geshela passed on, the students wanted more teachers to which Ganden Jangtze responded but somehow, the lamas never lasted. They either became ill or were besieged by obstacles. Geshe Tsultrim went there originally, but relocated to Europe to teach the young Trijang Choktrul Rinpoche.

H.H. Zong Rinpoche and Geshe Khenrab

Not many people knew that Geshe Khenrab was a Dorje Shugden practitioner. Geshe Khenrab very much wanted the centre to belong to a Dorje Shugden lama. He could have given the center to Ganden Jangtze or many lamas but he never did because of this wish to continue Dorje Shugden’s lineage.

When Zawa Rinpoche took over the Dharma center, he added Ganden to the name, which then became “Gaden Chang Chub Choling – Tibetan Buddhist temple”.

A New Center

In 2005, a sponsor who was a university professor by the name Din, came to Montreal from Moncton, New Brunswick. Din requested Zawa Rinpoche to start a new center in Moncton, which was to be the first Buddhist center in New Brunswick.

H.E. Zawa Rinpoche at his centre in Canada

With Zawa Rinpoche’s dedication to spread the Dharma, the Moncton Buddhist Centre materialized and was known as Jamgon Dhargye Ling, named by Dorje Shugden himself.

Problems at the Center

Geshe Khenrab had invited many lamas to visit Chang Chub Choling – H.H. Zong Rinpoche, H.H. Ling Rinpoche, H.H. 16th Gyalwa Karmapa, H.E. Zasep Rinpoche, H.E. Dagom Rinpoche and H.H. the 98th Ganden Tripa from Jangtze, Jampel Shenpen.

Geshela was a very strong practitioner of Dorje Shugden which was a well-kept secret under the circumstances and often Geshela would sit before an 11” statue of Dorje Shugden which was blessed by H.E. Lati Rinpoche.

When the members requested Geshe Tsultrim to come, he instead decided to send Zawa Rinpoche and Lobsang. Geshe Tsultrim was aware of the problems at the centre, which surrounded their practice of Dorje Shugden. With Zawa Rinpoche in attendance, Geshe Tsultrim changed the center’s administrative system to be run by a board instead of any single individual, which was the case before. Accordingly a board of directors was elected and Zawa Rinpoche himself was requested to be the President and Lobsang, the Treasurer.

It was a very challenging time for Zawa Rinpoche whose wish was to teach Dharma as his main responsibility. Zawa Rinpoche was new to secular matters and disagreements amongst members as to how the centre was to be run, some preferring a monastic style while others choosing a secular approach, proved difficult. And those would not be the only problems that Zawa Rinpoche faced as a deeper issue brew. The schism created by the Dorje Shugden ban was not limited to Dharamsala and was indeed felt at Zawa Rinpoche’s centre. However, due to the example set by Zawa Rinpoche as someone befitting a Dorje Shugden practitioner, the majority of the members came to follow and trust the Protector as well.

As Zawa Rinpoche spread the Dharma and the pure Gelugpa lineage, the Shugden ban went into full swing and came to a head in 2008. In Ganden, the monks of Dhokhang Khangtsen made the sad decision to split from Ganden Monastery which was the cost forced upon them to pay if they wanted to continue with the Protector practice. With that, Shar Ganden was founded.

Western Shugden Society (WSS)

In the meantime, the Western Shugden Society (WSS) was mustering up public protests against the Dorje Shugden ban at public appearances by the Dalai Lama in the United States. As someone sworn to protect the lineage, Zawa Rinpoche became a member of the WSS’s committee. Zawa Rinpoche also brought several Dorje Shugden practitioners in Canada who wanted to join the demonstrations in New York, and it was these successful events that cast an international spotlight on an illegal ban that the CTA, in shame, tried to conceal from public view.

There are many Tibetan Dorje Shugden practitioners in the US but they were not organized. When the WSS was trying to organize the demonstrations, it was very difficult to begin with, because people did not want to demonstrate. Some Tibetans did not want to take part because they were afraid. Even during meetings, some Tibetans did not want to join in.

It was then decided that they should form a Dorje Shugden society. The United States is a free country, so they formed the North America Gelug Buddhist Association (NAGBA), with the aim of supporting the difficult situation in India. Tibetans who were US citizens, such as H.E. Yongyal Rinpoche, were supportive. The members of the Buddhist association were United States citizens who could publicly protect the Dorje Shugden lamas and preserve the teachings of these lamas. Therefore, it was considered very important to set up this association.

NAGBA is a different entity from WSS, with a membership consisting mostly of Tibetans, rather than westerners. Zawa Rinpoche was also a committee member of NAGBA, which was inaugurated in March 5th to 6th, 2011.

A New Dorje Shugden Society in Canada

Back home in Canada, and on the advice of the Dorje Shugden oracle, Zawa Rinpoche formally registered a society to which out of ten nominations, the Protector himself selected Zawa Rinpoche to be the President. That choice concurred with that of the members of the centre. It would appear that Zawa Rinpoche’s role in defending the Protector practice would take on a more significant meaning.

The Ban

Like many Shugden practitioners, Zawa Rinpoche too had to pay a price for his loyalty to his Protector and lineage. An interesting fact, which may not be common knowledge, is that Zawa Rinpoche’s brother is serving the Dalai Lama in the CTA’s Defense Department. Because of the Dorje Shugden issue, Zawa Rinpoche’s brother has severed connections between Zawa Rinpoche and himself. This is a tragic recurring story as the ban tore an otherwise close-knit society asunder, reminiscent of Mao Zedong’s era when family turned on family and friends became foes.

However, the ban has not diminished Zawa Rinpoche’s respect for the Dalai Lama. When asked why he thought the Dalai Lama created this ban, Zawa Rinpoche replied that according to lamas, such as Geshe Tendar, the ban’s objective is to spread the Dorje Shugden name in the world. It is to raise awareness of who Dorje Shugden is and how he is an important Protector of the Gelug tradition.

According to Zawa Rinpoche, whilst the ban may have effect in India where the Dalai Lama’s influence is significant and where a policy of intimidation against Shugden practitioners and sympathizers is being enforced, the reality is that Dorje Shugden practice is growing quite rapidly in places that are beyond the ban’s sinister reach. This is proof that in the absence of intimidation, the Protector practice grows because people whose minds are not blinded by prejudice quickly come to see the great benefits that the Protector bestows on all pursuing the pure Dharma.

Zawa Rinpoche’s Future Plans

Even as Zawa Rinpoche studies and qualifies for his Geshe degree, he has taken head-on extremely difficult Shugden-ban related issues. The primary focus is to mitigate the negative impact the ban has had on Shugden monks’ monastic careers and development. One such project is to provide tantric training for Shugden monks from Shar Ganden and Serpom Monasteries, who upon qualifying with such training can only benefit the spread of the Dharma, and yet politics stand in the way of such good.

When these Dorje Shugden monasteries split from Ganden and Sera, the Shugden monks were barred from the tantric colleges of Gyuto and Gyumed. Zawa Rinpoche’s response is not to challenge the decision, which could result in deeper quarrels, but instead build new tantric monasteries for the Dorje Shugden monasteries, as requested by the Abbot of Shar Ganden. On this project, Zawa Rinpoche has been receiving the collaboration of other lamas such as Achok Rinpoche and Yongyal Rinpoche’s changtzo (who is based in USA).

To preserve the lineage, Zawa Rinpoche travels extensively to pursue teachings from the great lineage masters while they are still around. This is so that he can pass the lineages on – especially as he is starting the tantric school.

Zawa Rinpoche is planning to locate this Tantric school not in the Tibetan community but somewhere out of the CTA’s jurisdiction, such as in Mysore or Bangalore. Geshe Thubten Trinley was supposed to go to Shar Ganden this year to give teachings but the MPAD (permit to enter Tibetan colony) was rejected because he is a Dorje Shugden practitioner. The proposed new tantric monastery is intended to mitigate such unfair practices adopted by the CTA, at the expense of the Dharma.

H.E. Zawa Rinpoche with Ven. Geshe Thupten Trinley Rinpoche

Zawa Rinpoche’s noble project is not without its challenges and beyond acquiring suitable land and building a monastery, there are also logistical aspects to consider. They do not however, deter Zawa Rinpoche as he said, “What is crucial is for the teachings of the lineage to endure. In India, we do not have many senior high lamas left. The senior high lamas are now mostly based in Tibet and Europe, such as H.H. 101st Ganden Trisur, H.E. Gonsar Rinpoche, Geshe Thubten Trinley.”

“We must invite these important lamas and Geshes, not to Shar Ganden, but to other places like Mysore or Bangalore. This is crucial so that the lineage will continue. If we have that authentic lineage, we can raise funds to build easily.”

When the motivation is pure and the objective is good for the Dharma, the Protector provides whatever is required and so with news of sponsorships coming in, Zawa Rinpoche’s project is commencing.

On the bright side, Zawa Rinpoche says that the early signs of lifting the ban can be seen. Also, in China, the 11th Panchen Lama is going to practice Dorje Shugden strongly. “Our wish is that everything is made clear before the Dalai Lama passes away,” says Zawa Rinpoche.

Zawa Rinpoche wishes that the monasteries will reunite again soon.

Message to Dorje Shugden practitioners:

What can we learn from such a strong and devoted scholar and teacher as Zawa Rinpoche is?

“I love Dorje Shugden from my heart. I received Dorje Shugden’s sogtae from Geshe Tendar when I was 16 or 17 in Ganden. Nobody took sogtae at that age because you must keep commitments. Usually people take sogtae when they are older because we need to understand more deeply about the practice. I had wished to have the practice ever since I was young.”

“The most important commitment is to your gurus – you must keep samaya with your guru,” is Zawa Rinpoche’s advice, something he personally subscribes to and lives by.

“In my experience, it is important to always think about how kind the guru is to show us this practice. Everyone has a guru – never lose this opportunity to practice and then we will be successful”.

Beijing stands accused of manipulating a long-simmering controversy in Tibetan Buddhism that has divided followers of the Dalai Lama

It’s early morning at the Songzanlin Monastery in Shangri-La, Yunnan province, and nine monks are fingering prayer beads as they chant in a small room, gold-coloured shawls on their shoulders to ward off the cold mountain air.

On the wall is a likeness of Dorje Shugden, a controversial Tibetan deity. Exactly 340 small new statues of Dorje Shugden riding on a snow lion fill glass-enclosed cabinets covering two sides of the room, which is partially lit by pungent yak-butter candles.

On the second floor, a young monk is huddled in his room reading from a worn yellow book of scriptures, a likeness of Dorje Shugden pasted to a wall.

On the other side of the hilly complex of monastery buildings, a monk greets a visitor with a suspicious look, asking him if he’s a follower of “this or that”, holding his thumb up first and then down. It’s understood that the up thumb represents the Dalai Lama and the down Dorje Shugden. To reassure the visitor, he says his part of the monastery is “clean”, code meaning there are no statues of Dorje Shugden in its imposing hall.

“We don’t worship Dorje Shugden in our khamtsen [housing block for monks],” he says.

Contemporary followers of this centuries-old deity refer to him as Gyel-chen Dor-je Shuk-den Tsal, or the Great Magical Spirit Endowed with Adamantine Force. Critics, many afraid to even mouth his name for fear he may be conjured up, call him “the devil”.

The conflict, which has resulted in the assassination of at least three monks loyal to the Dalai Lama, appears to be widening in China, with critics accusing Beijing of trying to capitalise on the dispute to weaken support for the exiled Tibetan religious leader, the Dalai Lama.

Although Shugden has been disputed for centuries, there was no real controversy when the current Dalai Lama came of age in the 1950s.

Georges Dreyfus, Jackson Professor of Religion at Williams College in Massachusetts, in the United States, wrote in an article titled, The Shugden Affair: Origins of a Controversy that the worship of Shugden expanded as a result of the nomination of Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche as the junior tutor of a young 14th Dalai Lama. Swiss-born Dreyfus, who spent 15 years being trained as a monk in India, says Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche was an influential and charismatic teacher within the Gelugpa sect and was “personally extremely devoted” to Shugden.

The situation took a dramatic turn in 1975, when the Yellow Book appeared. Co-authored by Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche, the book stated that Gelugpa lamas should not practise the teachings of other schools, for that would incur the wrath of Dorje Shugden. The Dalai Lama reacted strongly against the book, feeling it was an open attack and a rejection of his leadership by the Gelugpa, or Yellow Hat establishment, which he heads.

The Dalai Lama himself was once a follower of Dorje Shugden but, according to his website, he renounced the deity the year the Yellow Book was published, explaining that after deep study, he had determined Tibetan Buddhism could “degenerate into a form of spirit worship” if it followed Dorje Shugden and that the practice was “an obstacle to the emergence of genuine non-sectarianism”. Most importantly, he declared Dorje Shugden a malevolent spirit who was detrimental to the welfare of adherents. The Dalai Lama claimed a historical precedent for banning Dorje Shugden.

What appears to have irked the exiled religious leader the most, however, was the Shugden attack on his personal rituals. Dorje Shugden followers, described by Robert Barnett, director of Modern Tibetan Studies at Columbia University, in New York, as “sectarians”, were angered because the rituals are based on practices borrowed from Nyingma, one of the four Tibetan schools of Buddhism, which, observers say, the group is opposed to, insisting on sectarian purity.

“It’s not a purely political question,” Dreyfus says. “It’s theology, politics and ritual all at once. He really believes the institution of the Dalai Lama depends on the rituals.”

In 1977, the Dalai Lama asked followers to abandon the worship of Dorje Shugden. He told Shugden lamas they could practise it in private, but to stop propagating the worship to new believers.

The situation took a dramatic turn in 1996, however, when the Dalai Lama realised his 1977 request was being largely ignored and, in some cases, brazenly flouted. Some lamas were found propagating Shugden widely, even in the West, drawing tens of thousands of new devotees. The Dalai Lama again made a plea to his followers, which upset and confused many of them, as they’d been worshipping Dorje Shugden for years and because the deity had been promoted by Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche, the Dalai Lama’s own teacher.

“It’s a big problem,” says Kesang, a native of Chatreng (Xiangcheng), a Dorje Shugden stronghold in Sichuan province. “It’s caused divisions between teachers and students, and husbands and wives.”

“There’s a big split. Couples even divorced,” chips in Sonam, Kesang’s cousin. “In the monasteries, teachers and students have split. It’s a conflict among Tibetans. We can’t be united.”

Kesang’s brother, a high-level lama studying in India in a Dorje Shugden monastery, is home on holiday, but chooses not to comment on the issue. The family house has several altars, with photographs of prominent lamas in the Dorje Shugden movement, the Panchen Lama, chosen by the Chinese government, and images of Dorje Shugden.

As his mother serves yak-butter tea, cheese, lamb and Tibetan bread, Kesang complains of a bias against Dorje Shugden believers.

“I was riding on a train in India and chatting with some older Tibetan men,” Kesang recalls. “But when I said I was from Chatreng they turned their backs to me.”

Sonam says that at his school in Dharamsala (the Indian home of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government in exile), he had to hide the fact he was from Chatreng.

“I just kept silent,” he says. “After I graduated, they couldn’t do anything to me.

“In Derong [in Sichuan], some taxis will ask where you’re from and if you say Chatreng, they show you the door.”

Sonam says a marriage to a fellow Tibetan in India failed because the girl and her parents were not Dorje Shugden adherents. Another girl he met told him: “People in Chatreng are very bad- they worship an evil deity.”

Ask a Shugden follower the reason behind the Dalai Lama’s decision and it is unlikely any will refer to the reasons laid down in the religious leader’s writings.

“Even the Dalai Lama’s teacher worshipped Dorje Shugden,” Sonam says. “If his teacher worshipped Dorje Shugden, why doesn’t he?

“We never opposed the Dalai Lama,” he insists. “But they think we are his enemy.”

Lobsang Choezom, head abbot of Chatreng’s Samphel Monastery, says: “He 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.”

Tsering Woeser, a Tibetan writer, defends the Dalai Lama. “This is a religious question. The Dalai Lama has the right to decide [the answer]. Dorje Shugden is Gelugpa and the Dalai Lama is the highest person in Gelugpa.”

Monks are also divided over the issue. On March 14, 2006, monks at the Ganden Monastery, in Lhasa, turned over statues of Dorje Shugden and his retinue in a hall. Several were arrested and sent to prison.

“We don’t talk with [the Dorje Shugden contingent],” says a pro-Dalai Lama monk at Songzanlin, where halls dedicated to the Dalai Lama and Dorje Shugden stand beside one another. “We’re busy with our things and they’re busy with their things.”

Monks at the Kirti Monastery, in Langmusi, Sichuan, wear a circle pin to distinguish themselves from their Dorje Shugden-supporting colleagues at the Sertri Monastery, just across the border in Gansu province.

Dreyfus says Dorje Shugden followers are well aware of the Dalai Lama’s motive.

“They know why he did it, but, to be fair, they don’t see it the same way the Dalai Lama [does],” Dreyfus says. “They are loyal to particular lamas, [so] they continue to practise the cults promoted by them.

“It’s a complicated story,” he says. “It’s not [about] the good guys and the bad guys. Both sides have [their] reasons.”

Dreyfus says a schism has already occurred in India, where at least two Dorje Shugden monasteries have opened to accommodate the movement’s adherents. He says, however, the problem there is not serious.

“There, the Dalai Lama has largely prevailed,” Dreyfus says. “The situation has stabilised while in Tibet it’s very much a live issue.”

He says the situation is being exacerbated by Beijing, which is “pushing the Shugden cult… to play on these divisions” in Tibetan areas of China. “It’s obviously working.”

Tsering Woeser says many Tibetans are afraid of the “horrible spirit and possible cruel revenge that could be carried out by Shugden followers” and that they avoid Dorje Shugden followers “as if they were evading plagues”. She says they even avoid restaurants and shops run by followers.

“My mother won’t even let us mention his name,” says one devout Tibetan Buddhist. “We use the word ‘devil’ when we refer to him.”

In 1997, six Tibetans killed the director of the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics and two of his students in Dharamsala. The victims supported the Dalai Lama’s view on Dorje Shugden. It is thought at least two of the killers disappeared back to their homes in Chatreng.

AS OUR VAN WINDS its way along snow-covered mountains towards Chatreng, our guide points out Dorje Shugden mantras on the windshields of the cargo trucks that ply these dangerously winding roads.

The small valley town was the home of Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche and is the site of one of the major monasteries that worship the banned deity. Some 700 lamas live in the Samphel Monastery, which has worshipped Dorje Shugden for hundreds of years.

The recognised reincarnation of Trijang Rinpoche has traded his Buddhist robes for a Western suit and lives in Vermont, in the US. The monastery, however, is awaiting his return, and has prepared a lavishly decorated room for him, with an intricately carved chair and a huge bed.

At the entrance to the main hall of the monastery are two images of Dorje Shugden, one on the door and another above it. Just inside there is a large colourful painting of Dorje Shugden riding a white snow lion that’s trampling the naked body of an enemy of the Gelugpa. In one hand he holds a sword, which stands for the destruction of ignorance, and in the other, a heart, representing compassion.

In another hall, there’s a seven-metre-tall copper statue of Dorje Shugden. Monks sit here chanting throughout the day, pounding on a large drum and gong. The statue, which is surrounded by Dorje Shugden’s four subordinates, is covered with white khata, or ritual Tibetan scarves.

At 8.45am, about a dozen monks clad in red robes sit on rugs and begin chanting. A senior, on a high chair swinging a handbell, chants in a deep guttural voice as the monks rock slowly back and forth to the chant.

Kesang points to photographs of various rinpoches on the walls. “All of them follow Dorje Shugden,” he says, “otherwise we wouldn’t have their photo here.”

Observers claim Beijing donated one million yuan (HK$1.2 million) to the expansion of the monastery, which includes intricate wooden carvings and massive statues.

A tourist who recently visited the Sertri and Kirti monasteries reports that the former, a Shugden stronghold, has been “remarkably renovated, very clean, [with] fresh paint and certainly well-financed” while the latter, which supports the Dalai Lama, remains untouched. Many of its monks were arrested and beaten after the protests in Tibetan areas in 2008.

“This has become a political problem,” says Tsering Woeser, “because of the involvement of the Communist Party of China. Originally, it was not a big problem but, because of the Chinese, it’s become larger.”

Refuting such claims, Lobsang Choezom says: “The government is not supporting followers of Dorje Shugden. If the government is good to one, others will wonder why. People who say this insult Dorje Shugden followers.”

He claims his monastery was built mostly with donations from farmers and monks, with the government giving only a small amount.

“The Chinese government supports all the monasteries,” he says.

Lobsang Gyaltsen, a senior abbot at Songzanlin, is surprisingly sympathetic to the government. When asked about monks who have been arrested and beaten over the past three years, the lama, tipped to be the next head of Songzanlin, replies: “Of course, they should be arrested when they violate the constitution of China. Of course, the government will arrest them and beat them like a thief They misused religion.”

The incident in which Dorje Shugden statues were destroyed was played up by the official Xinhua News Agency, which quoted Zhang Qingli, then party chief of Tibet, as accusing the Dalai Lama of being behind the attack. “What the Dalai Lama has done violates the religious freedom of believers,” he said.

Tsering Woeser says the Chinese paid for a replacement statue of Dorje Shugden, which was put in Ganden Monastery “with great pomp by the Chinese authorities”, who claimed it was “to protect religious freedom”.

“[The schism] has become a political issue controlled by the Chinese authorities behind the scenes,” says Tsering Woeser.

Dreyfus says: “[The Chinese] didn’t instigate it but they are using it and putting oil on the fire. In Tibet they are helping pro-Shugden lamas, that’s very obvious. They give special privileges or support to certain monasteries.”

In an August 15 article by Jayadeva Ranade, in India’s Daily News & Analysis newspaper, titled “Undermining the Dalai Lama at Tibet’s 60th Bash”, the writer says China has “stepped up efforts to sow division in the Tibetan ecclesiastical hierarchy and is attempting to undermine the Dalai Lama’s influence”, adding that Beijing hopes a weakened movement will force the Dalai Lama’s successors to find new methods of accommodation with the government.

Ranade cites the 60th anniversary of the “peaceful liberation” of Tibet as one example. He says a number of leading lamas, many of them Dorje Shugden worshippers, accepted Beijing’s invitation to Lhasa, to celebrate the anniversary. The monks included the Paris-based former 101st Ganden Tripa, the titular head of the Gelugpa sect, who, Ranade says, met Gyaincain Norbu, the Chinese-appointed Panchen Lama, in Beijing. The move is seen as an attempt to shore up support for Gyaincain Norbu, who is not recognised by the Dalai Lama and who most Tibetans refuse to accept.

Tsering Woeser argues reincarnated lamas who worship Dorje Shugden have been given high positions and handsome salaries while those who do not have been isolated. One prominent example is Lama Gangchen, a former exiled monk, who, she says, has become “an honoured guest” of the Chinese government. Lama Gangchen, an outspoken critic* of the Dalai Lama, is also said to have taken part in the recent celebration in Lhasa and is believed to have established a major Shugden movement in Ulan Bator, Mongolia.

Photographs on the walls of the Songzanlin Monastery show a beaming Lama Gangchen shaking hands with a smiling Premier Wen Jiabao and posing with the Chinese Panchen Lama. Tsering Woeser says Lama Gangchen has also met with President Hu Jintao and that he travels back and forth between his home in Italy and Beijing, where he has been provided with a house and a car. Lama Gangchen’s photos and news about him appear on the websites of the United Front Work Department and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“There are said to be some Tibetans in Lhasa who have been given high-level positions there who come from families that worship Shugden,” says Barnett, adding that Shugden shrines have also been established at the Sera and Ganden monasteries.

Tsering Woeser offers the example of Pagbalha Geleg Namgyai, whose monastery in Qamdo, eastern Tibet, worships Dorje Shugden. The lama is a deputy chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and his daughter is a standing member of the Tibet Autonomous Region’s People’s Political Consultative Conference.

Tsering Woeser says that when she visited the Songzanlin Monastery in 2000, only one of the monastery’s eight khamtsens was worshipping Dorje Shugden. Now, she says, five follow the deity, and monks there told her the government had funded statues of Dorje Shugden and required they be placed around the monastery.

Tsering Woeser tells of Kesi, the chief reincarnated lama at Songzanlin, who criticised the Dalai Lama on state television and in other media after the troubles of March 2008.

Furthermore, says Tsering Woeser, Lobsang Chodak and Tenzin Chozin, two of the killers of the Tibetan monks in Dharamsala, are moving around freely in Chatreng. Interpol, which has issued an arrest warrant for the two, says on its website that both are natives of Chatreng, but did not respond to questions for this article.

Dorje Shugden followers are not likely to back down.

“Chatreng people will never give up,” says Lobsang Choezom. “We have followed Dorje Shugden for hundreds of years and we will follow him in the future.

“Non-followers are not brave enough to come here to talk about this. We will sacrifice our lives for Dorje Shugden.”

As we chat, monks come and go, mobile phones ring and bells clang in the wind. One monk pours snuff from a yak horn into the top of his clenched fist, stamps it down and then puts some in his nose. The monks are clearly stirred by the rare discussion.

Dorje Shugden supporters are fiercely loyal, locked in by a ceremony called “life entrusting”, in which followers and the deity are “introduced” to each other by the teacher, who provides the empowerment.

Barnett says followers believe that if they abandon Dorje Shugden, the deity will take a terrible revenge. The Dalai Lama has countered this by offering to personally take on any such consequences.

Due to the sensitive nature of the topic and superstitions, many Tibetans who support the Dalai Lama are reluctant to discuss the subject, causing rumours to swirl and confusion to spread. Interviews with monks who have rejected Dorje Shugden are carried out in whispers for fear they would be overheard.

“People are reluctant to talk about it and don’t like to see it talked about, I think because of a residual belief that that encourages and strengthens the spirit,” says Barnett. “People don’t even like to mention or hear its name. So for this and other reasons, rather little has appeared in the mainstream press about the situation inside Tibet.”

Tsering Woeser spent a month researching and writing about the issue, but decided not to publish her article after friends advised her against it, fearing retaliation from Dorje Shugden followers and Beijing.

“People have avoided this like a plague. Bad vibes, to put it crudely,” says Dreyfus, admitting he was “kind of foolhardy to get into this”. He says he had teachers in India from both sides of the issue. “Several people advised me not to write on this. There’s no good to come out of this, so most scholars have kept away.”

Meanwhile, adherents hope the Dalai Lama will soon have a change of heart – a hope that is unlikely to be fulfilled any time soon.

Sonam says: “We only ask the Dalai Lama that he let us follow Dorje Shugden. We need religious freedom.

“If he can change his mind before he passes away it would be wonderful,” he continues. “Otherwise, this problem will continue from generation to generation.”

* There’s no evidence that reveal Lama Gangchen or Gangchen Rinpoche as a critic of the Dalai Lama. Just because he is a great practitioner and promoter of Dorje Shugden doesn’t mean he criticizes the Dalai Lama.

Source : http://www.scmp.com/article/977990/beyond-belief

Trijang Rinpoche’s personal Monastery in Chatreng District in Kham, Tibet. Hundreds of monks and thousands of lay people are very devoted to Trijang Rinpoche and the practice of Dorje Shugden. Everything is alive and well there.

Sampheling Monastery at Chatreng is the home monastery of His Holiness Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche. It has been rebuilt and active now for the people of the region who has tremendous faith in Trijang Rinpoche.

50 monks stay here (the long flat single storey building), the tall building at the back is Tsongkhapa hall

Entrance to Main Gompa

Entrance to Trijang Rinpoche’s room

Main Gompa

Top of Gompa, Trijang Rinpoche’s bedroom and for receiving guests.

Main Gate to Gompa 2

Main gate to Gompa 1. All hand-crafted by Chatreng’s people

Main Gompa

Main Gompa. Right side of this building is Tsongkhapa hall

Side entrance of Gompa

Amitabha Hall

Brief Introduction to Chatreng’s Monks

• Name of Abbot: Geshe Tanpa – 75 years old from Varanasi, India. He has been the Abbot for the last six years (two terms consecutively)
• Chatreng is the hometown of both Trijiang Rinpoche and Zong Rinpoche
• Three years ago, Gangchen Rinpoche sponsored 50 monks
• The monastery doesn’t have any sponsors. All monks are supported by their families.

Number of Monks

1. 50 monks studying debate as part of the Geshe program. These monks stay in the monastery full time.
2. 20 monks who are full time umzes. These monks stay in the monastery full time
3. 4 monks who do pujas full time in the Dorje Shugden chapel. These monks stay in the monastery full time
4. 4 monks who do pujas full time to other protectors. These monks stay in the monastery full time
5. 590 monks who stay at home due to lack of resources and food
6. 3 full time teachers
7. TOTAL monks: 671

Sponsorship Programe (in RMB = Chinese Renminbi)

1. To sponsor 50 monks 1 month food = 50 monks x RMB 18 x 30days = RMB27,000.
2. If sponsor food for 1 year = RMB27,000 x 9 months only =  RMB243,000 (the balance of 3 months is school holiday, the monks don’t stay at monastery)
3. To sponsor the robes for 1 year = 50 monks x RMB 600 = RMB30,000

More details:-

1. Currently there are 50 monks who are learning debate
2. To sponsor a monk’s daily food, the cost per monk is RMB 18 (for 3 meals)
3. Each year, two sets of monk’s robes are needed. Each set costs RMB 300.  2 sets = 2 x RMB 300 = RMB 600
4. Total monks in monastery is 668 people. This comprises 50 monks (living full time in the monastery) + 618 monks (living in the monastery approximately 7 days a month)
5. To sponsor the monks’s food during puja, the cost per monk is RMB15 (for the full day)
6. There are three Geshes teaching inside the Monastery. Each teacher receives RMB500 monthly salary from the monastery
7. The Monastery also gives RMB150 monthly allowance to each of the teacher for them to buy daily necessities

Some of the monastery’s buildings are still under construction, the monks need to work in day time, do puja, and build the monastery, it has been very difficult for them.

The information above comes from Ajeka:

• Ajeka is 60+ years old, a very sincere old layman. He has been serving the monastery for a very long time without receiving any sponsorship or salary.
• Ajeka was a former County Head, also the Minister of Transport in Chatreng. Ajeka manages up to 3000 people a day, assigning tasks related to rebuilding the monastery. All the monks respect Ajeka very much, and will listen and take instructions from him.
• Ajeka made a camp and lived there so that he could monitor the progress of the construction
• At the time of writing, two buildings have been completed and they are building the third. (Gompa, Tsongkhapa Hall and Amithaba Hall). Each building can fit more than 2000 people.
• The upper floor of the Gompa houses almost 100 monks.