There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophies. My brain and my heart are my temples; my philosophy is kindness. ~ His Holiness the 14^th Dalai Lama

As the spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama is always seen meeting with other religious leaders and is often greeted with warm handshakes and embraces as a sign of respect. In his public teachings, the Dalai Lama always talks about love, peace and tolerance and how everyone should embrace these qualities in order to live harmoniously in this world. Clearly, the Dalai Lama has influence beyond the borders of the Tibetan Buddhist world.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner has defended Muslims from being called terrorists during a recent visit to the European Parliament. He has also been seen paying his respects to Jesus and adapting to other cultures and faiths, all out of great compassion and deep respect for others. In his own words, “genuine admiration and respect and appreciation for those traditions.” This spiritual leader is highly respected because he has worked so hard to spread his message of positivity, showing continuous love and respect to everyone.

Love and Compassion are the true religions to me. But to develop this, we do not need to believe in any religion. ~ H.H. the 14^th Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lama along with other religious leaders inaugurating the Interfaith Conclave on Peace and Religious Harmony in Guwahati.

The Dalai Lama with Laurence Freeman OSB, Director of the World Community for Christian Meditation, a Catholic priest and a Benedictine monk of Turvey Abbey in England.

The Dalai Lama at an interfaith conference “On World Religions: Diversity, Not Dissension” with Indian statesman and scholar Dr. Karan Singh (1st left), Islamic scholar and peace activist Maulana Wahiduddin Khan (2nd right) and Reverend Mpho A. Tutu (1st right), founder and executive director of the Tutu Institute for Prayer and Pilgrimage.

The Dalai Lama with Archbishop Desmond Tutu at the Upper Tibetan Children’s Village School in Dharamsala

The Dalai Lama praying in St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, Austria.

Whether one believes in a religion or not, and whether one believes in rebirth or not, there isn’t anyone who doesn’t appreciate kindness and compassion. ~ H.H. the 14^th Dalai Lama

The exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader travels widely, meeting with leaders of various religions around the world. He is regularly seen with the heads of the other schools of Tibetan Buddhism, namely the Nyingma, Kagyu and Sakya schools, as well as other Buddhist traditions such as Theravadan, Mahayana, Zen and so forth. The pictures speak a thousand words as to the mutual respect these spiritual personalities have for each other. His example behooves us to put his teachings on kindness and non-discrimination into practice.

The Dalai Lama joins local Muslims for evening mass at Jama Masjid Mosque in New Delhi

The Dalai Lama at the World Hindu Congress in New Delhi

The Dalai Lama at the Sikh Gudwara at Tso Pema, India

The Dalai Lama visits the Judah Hyam Synagogue in New Delhi.

The Dalai Lama sits down with muslim elders at the Nizamuddin Chilla shrine in New Delhi

The Dalai Lama meets Muni Tarun Sagar, representative of the Digambar sect of Jainism, during an interfaith meeting in New Delhi.

The Dalai Lama with Pope John Paul II

The Dalai Lama with the recently canonized Mother Teresa

There are many different sects and schools within the Buddhist religion but according to the Dalai Lama, “it is important to show respect to other religions”. The Dalai Lama even acknowledges the Bön religion, which was once segregated and discriminated against by other Buddhist practitioners who named the Bönpos “chipa” (outsiders). After the Dalai Lama met with their spiritual leader, he granted them equal rights and privileges as the other Tibetan Buddhist schools and urged other Buddhist practitioners to accept and respect them.

However, a schism in the Tibetan Buddhist community was created when the Tibetan leadership made a public statement that the practice of the Buddhist deity Dorje Shugden is malevolent and should be stopped. Those who practiced Dorje Shugden were not allowed to receive medical treatment in hospitals, disallowed entry into libraries and stores, expelled from monasteries and even forbidden to attend his public teachings. People were encouraged to separate from family members who practiced Dorje Shugden as well.

All major religious traditions carry the same message: a message of love, compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, contentment, self-discipline — all religious traditions. ~ H.H. the Dalai Lama in an interview with the European Parliament

The Dalai Lama with the head of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism, His Eminence Kyabje Taklung Tsetrul Rinpoche in Dharamsala.

The Dalai Lama with the 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje, head of the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism.

The Dalai Lama with the head of the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism, the Sakya Trizin (center) and the 17th Karmapa (left)

Trizin Rinpoche, head of the Bön tradition, presents tenshug (long life prayers) to the Dalai Lama at Menri-Ling Bönpo Monastery.

The Dalai Lama greets Theravadan monks at the Theravada Nalanda tradition dialogue on Vinaya in New Delhi, India

The Dalai Lama presents a gift to a Sri Lankan delegation of monks in New Delhi, India

Austria: The Dalai Lama thanks two Theravadan monks who recited the Heart Sutra in Pali.

The Dalai Lama with priests of the Soto Zen tradition during a visit to Japan

The Dalai Lama with Vietnamese Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh

The big question here is, why was the ban on Dorje Shugden imposed when the Dalai Lama himself has shown so many examples of how we should respect other cultures, religions and practices, even if we do not agree with their beliefs? People were left confused and in turmoil with the Dorje Shugden ban. On the one hand, the Dalai Lama gives teachings about tolerance, equality and religious freedom and yet on the other hand, the Tibetan administration has imposed a ban on Dorje Shugden practice.

Monks were forced to swear against practicing Dorje Shugden and those in the Tibetan community had to promise to stop propitiating Dorje Shugden in order to obtain travel documents or to be admitted into their monasteries. With the enforcement of the ban, many Dorje Shugden practitioners have been separated from their families and friends for many years. They are forced to choose between parents and friends or to break their samaya with their gurus. Shugden-practicing monks were expelled from their monasteries and in general, those associated with Dorje Shugden continue to be victims of verbal abuse, name-calling, death threats and physical violence. They suffer this every day just because they choose to continue practicing Dorje Shugden. All these actions shown by the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) and the Tibetan people are the total opposite of the Dalai Lama’s teachings and example.

In actuality, Dorje Shugden devotees are simply Buddhist practitioners following the teachings passed down by their gurus. Is it right that just because they chose to continue with their faith, they should be treated badly? The Dalai Lama has stressed countless times that we should have no discrimination and hatred towards others but only love and respect. Everyone who takes the Dalai Lama as their spiritual guide should follow his teachings.

In 2015, the Dalai Lama attended an interfaith meeting in London alongside Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu and Sikh leaders. In his speech, the Dalai Lama repeated once again what he always says about love and compassion and that each religion is worthy of respect. He also used the analogy of food, saying that it would be foolish to insist “I like to eat this food, therefore you should eat it too!”

As students of the Dalai Lama, practitioners should represent their guru and the teachings well. However, the Dorje Shugden situation today is the exact opposite of the ideal situation described above. From physical attacks to cyber bullying to separation of family members, it is clear that the CTA’s actions including their recent anti-Dorje Shugden video is the anti-thesis of what the Dalai Lama promotes.

We can live without religion and meditation but we cannot survive without human affection. ~ H.H. the 14^th Dalai Lama

Various signs can be seen around the Tibetan refugee communities in India. These signs say that “Dorje Shugden practitioners are not allowed to enter”

Harmony among our different religious traditions is essential for world peace. Genuine harmony should be founded on mutual respect. And respect should be based on a recognition that all the world’s major religious traditions are similar in having the potential to help human beings live at peace with themselves, with each other and with the environment. ~ H.H. the 14^th Dalai Lama

We live in a world where every individual is entitled to religious freedom. The millions of Buddhist practitioners who flock to attend the Dalai Lama’s public teachings should practice what he preaches. No discrimination or double standards – Dorje Shugden practitioners have done nothing wrong to deserve this kind of treatment. They are humans just like everyone else. Segregation and attacks are what Dorje Shugden practitioners get in return. Would the Dalai Lama, a paragon of human rights, agree with this?

Gen Chonze, assistant to His Holiness Trijang Rinpoche, was attacked in Shar Gaden Monastery because he practices Dorje Shugden.

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

Dorje Shugden practitioners were attacked by followers of the Dalai Lama outside a public teaching venue in America.

Everyone is free to choose whether they pay religion any regard, but to neglect compassion is a mistake because it is the source of our own well-being. ~ H.H. the 14^th Dalai Lama

We should always represent our gurus’ teachings, in both action and speech. All Tibetans should treat their fellow global citizens equally without any hatred or discrimination. Acceptance is the key to world peace and it is extremely important for all Tibetans to unite and not fight against each other. In particular, the Central Tibetan Administration should follow the Dalai Lama’s advice and repair the divide created by the Dorje Shugden controversy instead of encouraging and provoking discrimination and hatred.

Tashi Delek and we wish you a very good day. We are writing to share with you some of our thoughts, suggestions and good wishes in the Dharma. We know you are very busy and have a lot of work, but I hope you will take a little time to read our sharings.

As we all know, His Holiness the Dalai Lama is one of the most famous religious leaders in the world today. This is because of many years of hard work, commitment, dedication and non-stop effort in reaching out to others. So many people everywhere have such big respect for His Holiness. His Holiness is so kind that he will help people in so many different ways. For different people, he means different things. For some people, His Holiness is a Guru; for other people, he is an advisor, or a leader, or a friend; for many people, he is simply a good Buddhist monk who is very inspiring and promotes the message of peace.

The whole world knows that the Dalai Lama accepts people from all parts of the world. He always says he accepts other religions, like Hudaism, Hinduism, Jainism, Christianity, Islam, agnosticism, atheism and all Buddhist traditions. He accepts everyone and allows everyone to see him, have audience and attend his talks and Dharma activities. The Dalai Lama is extremely kind.

However, there is one thing that is very confusing for many people. Everyone in the world from every culture, nation, religion are invited to join His Holiness’ teachings and Dharma activities. BUT people who practice Dorje Shugden are not allowed to join or come near in any way. This is very confusing and unfair, for many reasons. Please allow us to share and explain:

1. As a world famous religious leader and spiritual head of millions of people, we feel strongly that His Holiness should be open enough to allow everyone to join his world and sharings. If practitioners of Shugden are following such a “wrong, negative” way and they are so “bad”, then as Buddhist people, we should have even more compassion for them than normal.

It would be more skillful to allow Shugden followers to come to the Dalai Lama’s talks and activities. The Dalai Lama has a lot of wisdom and wonderful teachings. If Shugden people can listen to these teachings, then they will “realize” and understand more why they are “wrong”.

As a compassionate leader and religious teacher, it makes more sense for the Dalai Lama to keep these “wrong” people very close and give them more knowledge and education. Then, over time, they will have more knowledge and can make the decision to change. When you keep these people far away and tell them they cannot join the teachings, they will never realize they are “wrong” and they will just keep doing what is “wrong”.

2. Since His Holiness is such a powerful, famous religious leader, it does not look good for him to say that the whole world can join his talks except this small group of Shugden devotees. It makes him look biased, not compassionate, very closed, intolerant and unaccepting. Actually, of course this not true. We all know how compassionate and loving His Holiness is. But when he acts like this and excludes people, these actions appear opposite to his compassionate, enlightened nature. These actions have created a lot of doubt, confusion and sadness in many, many people’s minds.

3. Sometimes the Dalai Lama says there is no ban and he didn’t implement any ban. This is illogical and untrue. There is very clear evidence that the Dalai Lama supports and encourages this ban. See this video:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehl-310pXrA

If the Dalai Lama is giving us advice, he could just give the advice one or two times but not talk about it over and over again. And the Tibetan government and lay people also do not need to keep talking about it and making such a big issue from it.

And those who do not follow the Dalai Lama’s advice about Shugden should NOT be excluded or pushed away. After all, can we say that everyone who goes to the Dalai Lama’s teachings and every single Dalai Lama student is following all his advice perfectly and exactly? If they are really following everything that the Dalai Lama teaches, then everyone should be enlightened already! Is everyone so good and clean? We don’t believe this is the case. So it is not logical that you exclude only one small group of people who don’t follow only one part of the Dalai Lama’s advice.

4. The Dalai Lama is the political and spiritual leader of all Tibetans, not just a leader of a specific sect like the Gelugs or Sakyas etc. Whoever is the leader of Tibetans should love all Tibetans, have concern for all of them, and give them fair opportunities no matter what they choose to pray to. It is very unfair that monks from monasteries like Serpom or Shar Gaden cannot join Dharma teachings or community celebrations for Losar, Tibetan New Year. It should not matter what they practice. At the end of the day, they are still Tibetans, they are from the same society and country as you, they are the same people as you.

What about Tibetans who are Christians, Muslims or who don’t believe in anything the Dalai Lama teaches? Does it mean they cannot join cultural activities, events and gatherings because they do not pray the same way as the Dalai Lama? As the king of the Tibetan people, the Dalai Lama should embrace all Tibetans for who they are because they are Tibetans and not because of religion.

5. On the Dalai Lama’s official website www.dalailama.com there is a special section dedicated to Dorje Shugden, telling people not to practice. This is very bad! Where else in the world is there any religious leader or spiritual teacher who would have a special section on their official website to put down other people’s gods, religion and practices? It makes the Dalai Lama and all his people look so bad, so small-minded and unaccepting of other people.

Please take this section down from the Dalai Lama’s website. Also, please see other websites of very respected and famous spiritual leaders. You will see they do not have any such thing on their websites to criticize and discourage any other religious practice. See these websites for examples:

• Mahatma Gandhi (www.mkgandhi.org)
• The Pope (www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/index.htm)
• Mother Teresa (www.motherteresa.org)
• Thich Nhat Hanh (www.plumvillage.org/thich-nhat-hanh.html)

and the many holy venerable monks of all Buddhist traditions. The Dalai Lama is the only one in the whole world who has this section on his official publicity materials.

6. In fact, there has been no spiritual leader of the past and present who stops people going to meet them, talk to them, or attend their teachings, just because they do a certain religious practice. Spiritual leaders of their level accept, love and embrace everyone even if they have different views, thoughts and opinions. The Dalai Lama is definitely of the same level of these grand religious masters and we sincerely suggest that he also embraces everyone out of his great compassion, including Shugden practitioners.

7. His Holiness has openly said that his Gurus like Trijang Rinpoche were wrong by doing and teaching Shugden practice. (See this interview video www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMaP94D7CmU). If the Dalai Lama says that his Guru is wrong, then we can also say that the Dalai Lama who is our Guru is also wrong! The Dalai Lama starts a new trend that we can turn back to say our Guru is wrong and we know better than our Guru. How can His Holiness be right but his Gurus who taught him everything be wrong? Then you are also saying all the kind Gurus everywhere can also be all wrong!

Maybe you think that the Dalai Lama is the highest Lama of Tibet, but there are many, many other very high Lamas who are the same level as the Dalai Lama. Even the Dalai Lama respects them and acknowledges them as very high Lamas. For example, the previous 10th Panchen Lama was very famous for practicing Dorje Shugden. Is he also “wrong”? Are all the high Lamas wrong for so many hundreds of years?

8. A few years ago, His Holiness gave a special exception for H.H. Trijang Chocktrul Rinpoche to practice Dorje Shugden (see this video www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWi1fJkTA9Q) But if Shugden is “wrong”, why would the Dalai Lama let the reincarnation of his own precious Guru practice something “so bad”? Maybe it is because the Dalai Lama said that Trijang Rinpoche has attainments and is at a high enough level to control such a negative spirit. This does not make sense. The Dalai Lama says Trijang Rinpoche has such great attainments but at the same time, he also says he is “wrong” for doing and spreading this practice.

Also, for many thousands of years in Tibet, Trijang Rinpoche was NOT the only high Lama who can control negative spirits. There are so many other grand masters who also have the attainments to control bad spirits E.g. All the Gaden Tripas, Zemey Rinpoche, Ling Rinpoche etc. Why don’t they have an exception to practice also? Why is Trijang Rinpoche the only one allowed to practice?

9. The Gaden Tripas are the representatives of Lama Tsongkhapa, selected in a democratic process and approved by the Dalai Lama. They are the complete leader of all Gelugpa teachings, practices and lineages, the head of all Gelugpas. You may claim that some Gaden Tripas did not follow Shugden practice but we can prove that there are also some Gaden Tripas who DO practice e.g. H.H. Gaden Trisur Jetsun Lungrik Namgyal of France who was the 101st Gaden Tripa.

Gaden Trisur is a great Lama, very respected, a very intelligent and wise scholar, very attained and a senior practitioner… and he also practices Dorje Shugden. How can someone so high and powerful, who represents Tsongkhapa, be wrong? Remember that this Gaden Tripa was also approved by the Dalai Lama! How can such a powerful, respected person like the Gaden Tripa make such a big mistake and pray to a demon? It does not make any sense.

10. Dorje Shugden practitioners who did not give up Shugden practice have made HUGE contributions in finances, effort, resources and skills to the monasteries, Tibetan society and Tibetan government. They have done this for many, many years, since Tibetans first came to India. If you are going to separate from all Shugden followers and don’t want anything to do with them, then don’t you think it would also be better and more “clean” for you to return every single item they have donated?

There are so many Rinpoches, Geshes and teachers who have given so much to the monasteries. They have raised funds, given money and help to build the monasteries and support Tibetan exile communities. However, because of the Shugden issue, these Lamas have been cut out from the monasteries, or they have joined Shar Gaden or Serpom. How can the Tibetan people throw out these Lamas and cut off contact, but keep all the things they gave? This means you are still using things and taking things from Shugden practitioners!

For example, Denma Locho Rinpoche offered almost all the funds that Drepung Loseling needed for their new temple. But everyone suspects that he has connection to Dorje Shugden people (Serkong Tritul Rinpoche) and have created so much trouble for him. Trijang Rinpoche offered so many statues and so much money to Gaden Shartse Monastery but everybody talks badly about him and don’t want to associate with him. But they keep all the money and statues! This is all a contradiction and you should return everything to these Lamas to be completely “clean”.

11. Everyone says that His Holiness the Dalai Lama is very powerful and is an emanation of Buddha Chenrezig. So how can a spirit such as Dorje Shugden harm a Buddha like Chenrezig or shorten his life? If you say that a spirit shortens the Dalai Lama’s life, you are putting down the Dalai Lama. You are saying that a spirit is more powerful than the Dalai Lama. This is illogical. It is not a good thought to promote or make people have the idea that a spirit can harm Chenrezig – this is totally opposite to Buddha’s teachings.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama is so powerful and has many very big attainments. So, why doesn’t he just do a jinsek (fire puja), torgya, binding ritual, control ritual or some puja to control and kill this bad “spirit” Shugden? Once the Dalai Lama controls this spirit, then nobody has to worry or talk about it anymore.

12. About 10 years ago, nine of the biggest Tibetan monasteries combined their energy together and at one time, did big fire pujas to completely kill and destroy Shugden. These monasteries included Namgyal Dratsang, Sera Je, Sera Mey, Drepung Loseling, and Gyume and Gyuto tantric monasteries. But after all these pujas were done by so many high Lamas to kill the “spirit”, Dorje Shugden is still alive. He is not destroyed.

In history, during the Great Fifth Dalai Lama’s time, the powerful Mindrolling Rinpoche was hired by the Dalai Lama to do big fire pujas to kill Dorje Shugden. Some people say they even smelled burning flesh which was proof that Dorje Shugden was killed. This does not make sense. If Shugden has been dead from that time, then why is the Tibetan government and all people still talking about him and still so scared of him?

What does all this mean? Is this “spirit” called Shugden more powerful than every single Dratsang, Geshe and Buddhist master in Tibetan society? Is this spirit more powerful than the Dalai Lama and all these Lamas? Actually, the only being who cannot be destroyed is a Buddha so this shows very clearly Dorje Shugden’s Buddha nature and enlightened mind.

13. Finally, since the Dalai Lama has spoken against Shugden practice, what benefits have the Tibetan society actually received from keeping this ban? Did you get independence or autonomy for Tibet? Did new powerful world leaders arise from Tibetan society? What benefit did you get?

There has been no benefit. Instead, families have been turned against each other. Friends are separated. Everyone is suspicious of everyone. Holy places like monasteries are divided. The Sangha is split. The Dalai Lama has to go to court. There is a bad international reputation for the Dalai Lama and his government. There is so much suspicion, doubt, hostility and anger within Tibetan Buddhism now.

Wasn’t it more peaceful, quiet, happy, communal and harmonious BEFORE the Dalai Lama put this ban on Shugden?

This letter is not meant to hurt anyone. We do not mean any offence or harm, but we wish to bring your attention to many issues which people are talking about and which are very confusing.

Actually, because of the ban, Dorje Shugden is becoming more and more well known throughout the world. The world’s media and so many Buddhists now know the name of Shugden and the practice is becoming bigger and stronger. Do not just consider the 24 Tibetan settlements and the few monasteries in India. These are very small, compared to how many people there are in the world who are NOT affected by the Dalai Lama’s ban and who are interested, educated and eager to learn more about Dorje Shugden.

We are very happy to send you this comic book to share with you the far-reaching and very beneficial results of Dorje Shugden’s blessings. Dorje Shugden will continue to grow. We will do everything we can to continue to fund activities and projects like this to bring awareness and education about his history, background and practice. We wish very much to make Shugden grow and become even more famous in the world.

Please accept that we do not mean any disrespect to His Holiness the Dalai Lama or any Tibetans or Buddhists. However, we believe strongly in the freedom of religion and acceptance by all religious leaders. We wish very much to make freedom and acceptance possible for people everywhere.

We all have different religions, views, backgrounds, thoughts and cultures, but despite our differences, we all still have to live in the world together. Because we have to live and work together in peace, we should not put down each others’ gods, practices and views. We should embrace each other because at the end of the day, we are all still human beings who just want love, respect, care and acceptance. Just because our religious views are different, it does not mean we cannot still be friends, have respect for each other and live happily in harmony together. This is the purpose of our letter.

With our prayers and best wishes,
dorjeshugden.com
dorjeshugden.net
xiongdeng.com

Copied to all members of the Central Tibetan Administration, Tibetan NGOs, celebrities, Buddhist scholars, etc.

Re: Dolgyal (Shugden) Webpage on His Holiness The 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet’s Official Website

First and foremost, I would like to tell you that I am an absolutely avid fan of Buddhism, despite being born and raised in a Catholic family and going to Catholic schools until I was shipped off to America for college. I have been reading various Buddhist literature since I was 18 (that is about 9 years ago) and one of my favourites is “Mind Science – An East – West Dialogue”, written by H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet. I believe He is one of the greatest gifts, if not THE best gift that was bestowed upon the West when he was thrown into exile in 1959. The feeling of deja vu surrounds me as I am reminded of how India “lost” Atisha to Tibet, due to the collective karma of the people in the respective countries.

Now, I must confess that whilst I am a big fan of Buddhism, I cannot claim to be a loyal fan of His Holiness. I read books and websites of other Lamas as well, and I find them all very complementary and consistent with each other. I love them all. Compassion, altruism, harmony, loving kindness… this is what all the Lamas, Tulkus, Rinpoches, Gurus etc teach us. I fold my hands to them and wish them all to have long lives and continue creating such delightful websites for the whole world to see.

I love H.H.’s website too. It is like a big juicy Dharma steak for me to chew on. BUT what I found rather intriguing is that of all the Lamas’ websites I have marked as my favourite, it seems that only the website of H.H. has a special section dedicated to Dolgyal or Shugden. Unfortunately, this special section is dedicated to openly criticize and downgrade this deity.

While I am not too sure on who is “wrong” or “right”, who is enlightened and who is not (for who am I to judge, I am a mere deluded being), I do see this as quite inconsistent with what H.H. has been preaching, which includes acceptance of other people’s beliefs. I do wonder why Shugden is being singled out as such a terrible deity or spirit, when there are so many other worldy gods and devils being worshipped by the masses as well? Why is there no mention on the harmful effects of praying to these spirits?

It is very disturbing and disheartening to know that now, even Buddhism is tarnished with internal fighting between so-called Dharma practitioners, and very very openly at that. It is rather embarrasing. Isn’t creating schism between sangha members one of the actions of body which brings the worst karmic consequences? I do not see how this section of the website would make things better or create harmony between practitioners, not to mention budding young Buddhists who have yet to develop strong faith and knowledge in the subject.

With all due respect, I humbly beg your Administration to kindly consider removing the content on Dolgyal from H.H’s website. Not that I am siding anyone here, I just believe that as real Buddhists, we should practice what we preach and respect everybody’s right to practice their own religion. If we can be silent on Muslim and Christian extremist, why not our own Buddhist extremists as well? If the Shugden practice is really cursed, surely it will die out on its own. I am an optimist in the sense that I strongly believe that pure Dharma will prevail all else in the long run. I am on your side as I too, want the Dharma to spread and flourish. But I do not think that having the Dogyal shaming section in H.H’s section would help our cause, as it is very misleading and a source of confusion and misconception.

I thank you for your time in reading this letter, and look forward to seeing an updated website of H.H. (minus Shugden content) soon.

Sincerely,
(YOUR NAME)

Introduction

Below is a letter composed and compiled by dorjeshugden.com which has been sent out to Tibetan representatives, CTA representatives and other significant personalities within the Tibetan Buddhist community.

It is inspired by the many, many incidences throughout history and in our modern world of religious persecution imposed upon people of varying religions and faiths. While the situation with Dorje Shugden practitioners may not be as violent, the basis is the same – they are being persecuted, ostracised and attacked merely for their religious choices. This is still happening right now as we speak in Tibetan communities everywhere.

It is not our intention to insult anyone by sharing these videos. Rather, we wish to show how the terrible oppressions, torture and even murder of people of a different faith is not logical; nor does it reflect well at all upon our own religious beliefs and practices.

How can we claim to be protecting religious purity when the very acts we engage in to “purify” others’ beliefs are completely against what any religion would teach? How can oppression, hurt and murder be a rightful part of any religion, which is supposed to promote the betterment and improvement of mandkind?

We hope that by watching these videos and contemplating upon the points we have mentioned, leaders the over will realise that imposing such restrictions and control over their people does not help the growth and progress of their nations.

We hope especially that leaders of the Tibetan Buddhist communities will watch this and realise how unjustly they are treating Shugden practitioners; how their persecution of Shugdenpas is against everything that the Buddhadharma teaches; and how it does not reflect well in any way on their people and especially on their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

We dedicate these efforts to the swift lifting of the ban and for the freedom of religion everywhere.

DorjeShugden.com

To our friends of the Tibetan communities around the world,

We are writing to you today with a great wish for the continued success and growth of the Central Tibetan Administration and communities around the world. As you step into a new age, we understand the many challenges that you have struggled with in the last five decades as you reestablish your communities and leadership in places around the world. Your efforts are to be applauded.

However, we also believe that for a nation and its people to become truly progressive and compete on a global level, one needs to have a strong awareness of world history and issues, as well as a respect for the needs and freedoms of individuals.

We have recently come across some very powerful videos about some of the most unforgettable events in world history and current affairs. We would like to share them with you here, as an exchange of knowledge. We hope that this will help you in the development of your own policy and decision-making for the Tibetan people. It is important that we learn from the past, so we do not to make the same mistakes again in the future.

Below are six videos we have chosen specially for your viewing. We have also included here links to transcripts of each video for your easy reference. Below this are brief summaries of the videos with a few remarkable points of interest for you to consider and contemplate.

1. The Most Evil Men in History: Torquemada (of the Spanish inquisition)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSVlQRrywB8
Download transcript here

2. The Most Evil Women in History: Bloody Queen Mary of Scotland

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mjc7oxrEBwI
Download transcript here

3. The Last Days: a documentary by Steven Spielberg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UlBo3GFgWY
Download transcript here

4. Christian Persecution in Iran

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gLYOogKJe8
Download transcript here

5. Christian Persecution in Egypt

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQ2KC9RCTGY
Download transcript here

6. North Korea has the deadliest level of Christian persecution in the world

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_trSJf7Zec
Download transcript here

As you will see from the first three videos, first-world developed nations – the UK, Spain, Germany and other major countries in Europe – had horrific histories and suffered many traumatic ordeals, pain and even thousands of cruel deaths. All this was done in the name of religion – to protect religion or to defend what they called religious purity.

The strength of these nations now lies in the fact that they have gone through horrific pasts and realized that such violent, unjust ways of suppression and conversion do not work and do not serve the people and country. These videos point to the evolutionary growth within these countries and the process that has led to them giving their citizens more freedom and personal power.

From the tragic events they suffered, these leading countries in the world now strongly promote and uphold personal freedoms – for example, the freedom of religion, speech and movement. When citizens of a free and truly democratic country have more freedoms, they are enabled, empowered and encouraged to do more for their country. They have the freedoms to learn and continuously explore new horizons.

This is why these countries now produce such progressive and world-famous leaders, artists, scientists, entrepreneurs, innovators etc. Imagine how different things would be if they had not gone through such histories – what dark ages they would still be in and what limitations their people would still suffer.

In contrast, consider the last three videos on the list above, which documents the strong, violent religious persecution that is still happening in countries today around the world. Iran, Egypt and North Korean have been featured in news reports globally for their terrible abuse of human rights and for their obvious oppression, discrimination and violence towards religious minorities in their country.

Then, consider the state of those nations – they are not progressive, nor are they counted among the most successful countries in the world today. They are still in much need of progress, are far behind on development and suffer continuously from internal conflicts. Comparatively, these nations are not wealthy and there are very few opportunities in life for their citizens. In the case of Egypt, the leaders oppressed their people so much that they eventually all stood up and revolted against the leader Mubarak to force him out of power.

So which situation will it be for the Tibetans? The success enjoyed by the progressive, democratic First World countries? Or the oppressed and limited state of these other more backward, undemocratic countries? Unfortunately, we know that the modern freedoms of the First World are not observed nor enjoyed within the Tibetan communities around the world.

The restrictions placed on people who practice the Protector Deity Dorje Shugden reflects the same kind of religious persecution found in these videos. They may not be as violent, but they come from the same basis: Shugden practitioners are not allowed to have freedom of religion and they are denied equal rights and liberties that are enjoyed by all other citizens.

The people supporting the ban of Dorje Shugden say that they are doing so to protect the Buddhadharma and preserve the purity of Buddhist practice. This sounds just like what Torquemada said during the Spanish Inquisition against the Jews, and what Queen Mary Tudor said to defend Catholicism as she killed hundreds of Protestant Christians. It is also what some Muslims are saying today as they destroy Christians in their countries.

People who do not give up the practice of Shugden are not given the basic freedoms and rights of all citizens – education, jobs in the CTA, medical aid and general welfare. They are not allowed to openly communicate or befriend non-Shugden practitioners. Many are even physical attacked or exiled out of the community.

Isn’t this very similar to what the Jews and Protestants went through in the past? Isn’t it the same as what is happening now to Christians in places like Iran and Egypt? Just see the videos to see what discrimination they suffered or are still suffering. There are many similarities to what is happening right now with Shugden practitioners.

As you watch the videos, consider for a moment what it means to establish policies and carry out actions against your fellow people in the name of religion. Is this what religion teaches us to do? It is illogical to say we want to preserve religious purity, but we are engaging in acts that are opposite to what our religions teach. There is no religion in the world that encourages us to harm another person in any way.

We are not sending these videos and letters to you as a criticism or to insult you. We are sending this out of a concern and with care to help your administration to be more progressive, to care better for your Tibetan people. It is to help you to evolve faster, the same way that all these powerful countries have developed throughout history. It is to help you to become a very powerful people and nation, with powerful individuals who can contribute actively and freely to the world.

We have only good hopes for your administration leadership and wish you the best for your future as a leading nature in the world. Please do take the time to watch these videos and take heed of our sincere request to you to open your views to these histories of world religion. May these videos and this letter contribute to the further growth, openness and freedoms of your government and community.

Our best wishes,
DorjeShugden.com | DorjeShugden.net | XiongDeng.com

Brief Summaries of the Six Videos

The Most Evil Men In History: Torquemada

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwF4IGtlTRg
Download transcript here

Torquemada was a Spanish Catholic monk who lived during the 15th century and became known for the “religious purity” he tried to create in Spain, by persecuting and expelling tens of thousands of Jews and Muslims. They were persecuted and suppressed only because of their religion. This is very similar to what is happening with the Dorje Shugden practitioners who are excluded from their community only because of they hold different religious views.

As Torquemada was very close with the King and Queen of the time, he even managed to convince them and the Pope – the Supreme head of the Catholics – to give him full power to do as he pleased, in the name of religion.

For years, Torquemada oversaw and instructed the cruel interrogation, torture and deaths of Jews and Muslims in Spain, just because they were of a different religion. Ironically, Torquemada himself came from a Jewish lineage.

Neighbors and families turned against each other, entire communities were humiliated and later forced to convert or be exiled. Anyone who showed any resistance would be mercilessly tortured and burnt alive.

(0.55mins)
“In the name of his religion, Torquemada forced almost every Jew out of Spain, destroying their lives forever.”

(18.38mins)
“Bolstered by Torquemada in March of that year, Ferdinand and Isabella issued and edict of expulsion that gave Spanish Jews until July to accept Baptism or leave the country. Its terrible words read: “We command all Jews and Jewesses of whatever age to depart from our said kingdoms and dominions with their sons, daughters, manservants and Jewish manservants, or they shall incur the penalty of death without further trial, declaration or sentence.”

(19.30mins)
“After we had been exiled from Spain, our ancestors have vowed never to go back to Spain because of the sufferings we suffered and for no reason either, just simply because you are a Jew.”

(22.10mins)
“Torquemada’s relentless pursuit of the conversos and the Jews would continue for another 6 years, as the Inquisitor General tortured, burned and expelled his way to a “pure” Christian Spain.”

The Most Evil Women in History: Bloody Queen Mary

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mjc7oxrEBwI
Download transcript here

Queen Mary lived at a time when the religious scene of England was changing dramatically. By her father’s decree, a new school of Christianity was emerging – Protestantism.

Queen Mary, a devout and devoted Catholic, developed an intense hatred for the Protestants, feeling that they were deviants of the real church. For most of her life, she and her mother, Queen Catherine of Aragon were grossly mistreated by her father, King Henry the 8th. It was this king who created this new Protestant Church which would allow him to divorce and remarry another 5 times. Queen Mary saw this as the highest kind of betrayal and would use the rest of her life planning revenge upon all Protestants.

When she finally rose to power as the ruling Queen, Bloody Mary did everything she could to restore the religious “purity” of Catholicism in England. Protestants everywhere were rounded up and burnt. In her 3 ½ year reign, she sent 300 people to be burned in the name of her religious fanaticism, believing that doing this was a way of preserving religious purity. In the name of religious purity, she had hundreds of people killed just because their religious views were different. This is just like what the Shugden people are suffering now when they are segregated and ostracized from their community because of their religious beliefs.

(12.22mins)
“Now she was queen, Mary would return her country to the Catholic fold by all means necessary. Protestant England was about to experience the revenge of Mary Tudor. After years of confusion, paranoia and turmoil, the Catholic Queen Mary Tudor was in the position to avenge her Protestant tormentors. In her eyes, the crimes against her have been committed in the name of the Church of England. She would purge the nation of its satanic presence.”

(13.44mins)
“The horrific ritual of burning at the stake prove a useful tool for Mary and her government. ‘They want other people to watch and think heresy is an illness within the body politic and it needs to be purged, it needs to be burnt out and destroyed.’”

(14.22mins)
“Mary’s plan to cleanse England of the Protestant curse, turned into a frenzy of killing. Hundreds were burnt to death. First the bishops, then Protestant preachers and even their families. Burnings took place in town squares all over the country. Those classed as heretics were killed without mercy.”

The Last Days: A Documentary by Steven Spielberg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UlBo3GFgWY
Download transcript here

This very moving documentary traces the journey of a five Hungarians who lived through the Holocaust of World War Two and survived the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps. This was a time when the Nazis of Germany – under the leadership of Hitler – were gathering all Jews and racial minorities, and trying to exterminate them completely. (The Nazis were a very extreme, fascist political party that had come to power just before World War Two).

Hitler and his political party were obsessed with preserving the purity of the Aryan race, which he saw as superior. Therefore, this meant that he had to get rid of all other races that were regarded as “inferior”.

Millions of Jews and other minorities were rounded up and placed into large camps around Germany where they lived in poor, terrible conditions, made to work like slaves and mercilessly killed. It is estimated that 6 million Jews alone were killed during this time. Millions of other minorities – including disabled people and political opponents were also killed.

The Jews suffered all this torture, starvation and death all because of their religion. Doesn’t this sound like what is happening within the Tibetan Buddhist community, where Shugden practitioners are excluded, not given freedoms and even physically attacked because of their religion?

This documentary interviews 5 Jews from Hungary about their experiences during the time of the Nazis. It reveals the terrible ordeals they had to go through in the camps, seeing their families and friends being tortured and killed, and the traumas that have followed them for the rest of their lives. What kind of “purity” can we hope to achieve by doing so many terrible, impure acts to our fellow human beings?

(0.49mins)
“It was important to the [the Nazis] to kill the Jews than even winning the war.”

(Irene Zisblatt, 9.50mins)
“Most of them were people that we thought were our friends all these years, but they turned overnight on us, and went with the other side…”

(Irene Zisblatt, 13.34mins)
“Our friends, so-called, and neighbours, they were standing, lined up against the side of the road and they were yelling, ‘It’s about time. You go on out of here. We don’t need any Jews in our town. We need to get rid of all you Jews.’ I stood and I could not believe my eyes. The people I went to school with… their children. I went to school with their children, we were friends, we were sharing things together… Why are they so hostile? Why do they hate us all of a sudden?”

(Renee Firesome, 25.21mins)
“My mother was selected at the railroad station; gone to the left, while my sister and I went to the right. My mother was taken straight from the railroad station to the gas chambers. By the time my sister and I were processed into the camp, my mother as no longer alive.”

(Tom Lantos, 35.10mins)
“The sadism, the cruelty, the irrationality of the German and Hungarian Nazis of killing the remaining Jewish population when the war was all over, when they could have gained “brownie points” by being more civilized vis-à-vis these people, really was not present because their hatred was so blind.”

(Irene Zisblatt, 40:10mins)
“They took away my parents, they took my identity, they took away my siblings, they took away my possessions. There is something that they want from me. And then I thought of my soul and I said, “They’re not going to take my soul” and I decided right then and there, “I’m going to get up from this mud and I’m going to fight because I’m not going to become ashes.”

(Renee Firestone, 1:18:03mins)
“I don’t think that God created the Holocaust. I think that God gave us a mind, and a heart and free will, and it is up to man what he’s going to do with his life. And I blame man, not God.”

(Tom Lantos, 1:18:25mins)
“I cannot rationally explain, emotionally explain, intellectually explain the Holocaust. I cannot find a place for a higher authority in this nightmare.”

(Alice Lok Cahana, 1:18.44mins)
“What kind of people are we? What are the books teaching us? What is the difference between me and another child? What is the Bible teaching me? What is this about?”

(1:20:16mins)
“The Holocaust has to be taught as a chapter in the long history of man’s inhumanity to man. One cannot ignore the discrimination inflicted on many people because of race, colour or creed. One cannot ignore slavery. One cannot ignore the burning of witches. One cannot ignore the killing of Christians in the Roman period. The Holocaust is perhaps the culmination of the kind of horror that can occur when Man loses his integrity, his belief and the sanctity of human life.”

Christian Persecution in Iran

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gLYOogKJe8
Download transcript here

Today, the Islamic Republic of Iran is home to 75 million people, with 98% of the population adhering to Islam. At least 450,000 followers of Christ live in Iran but they are constantly harassed, attacked and suppressed for their religion.

Christianity is an officially recognised religion in Iran but in reality, many Christians face oppression from their neighbours. In Iran, converting from Islam to Christianity is an offence which can be punishable by death.

This is very similar to incidents within the Tibetan communities, where Dorje Shugden practitioners are harassed and mistreated by their fellow Tibetans. Just like Christians in Iran, Shugden practitioners live in fear that they will be attacked or kicked out of their communities just because of their religious beliefs.

(1.50 mins)
“Many people in the West are surprised to hear that in much of the Middle East, the majority of pressure against Christians comes from members of their own families. “The night that our family discovered that I’m a Christian and my wife is a Christian, they kicked us out of their house. For some time, we didn’t have any place and we were sleeping on the streets.”

(2.29 mins)
“Government and religion are the same in Iran so when you change religion, in one way you’re saying, ‘I’m rejecting your leadership in my life.’” The Iranian government won’t tolerate any form of opposition, or any form of grouping which is considered a threat to the Islamic Republic.”

(3.30 mins)
“The Iranian government imposes harsh punishments for anyone discovered to be a Christian, using violent tactics to pressure them to convert to Islam.”

Christian Persecution in Egypt

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQ2KC9RCTGY
Download transcript here

The Christian population of Egypt makes up 12.8% of the country’s population. Most of the Christians are known as Coptic people. This is a significant percentage but Christians remain a minority in a society that is very strongly Muslim.

The last 10 years have seen high levels of violence and terrible discrimination against what are called the Coptic Christians. It is not uncommon for girls to be raped, for Christian celebrations to be attacked by drive-by shootings and for Christians to be indiscriminately killed just because of their religion.

Harassment, discrimination and financial incentives for Christians to adopt Islam are also used to break the strength of the Christians. Although the country’s constitution allows freedom of conversion, Muslims converting to Christianity are not able to change their religion or their name on their identification cards. Without this change, Christian women remain designated as Muslims and are unable to marry Christian men.

This discrimination is very similar to what the Dorje Shugden practitioners experience. Shugden practitioners cannot marry or be friends with non-Shugden people. The Egyptian government claims that there is freedom of conversion but this is not true, as you see in the video. Similarly, the CTA claim that the Tibetans have freedom to choose whether they practice Shugden or not, but in reality, this is not the case: people who choose Shugden are not permitted any of the usual rights and freedoms of other citizens. What kind of “choice” is this?

(1.00 min)
“Although Christians and Muslims have lived in relative peace in Egypt, in recent decades, religiously-motivated violence against the Christian minority has been escalating.”

(5.29 mins)
“So if I was a Coptic wanting to become a Muslim, they’re free to do that. But to go the other way, you can’t do that. You can’t leave Islam, and join the Coptic Church or the Baptist Church, or an Evangelical Church or Presbyterian Church. It’s not permitted in their society.”

(6.22 mins)
“Mohammed Hijazi’s case, it caused quite a stir in the media, where you had Islamic leaders coming out and saying this man must be insane, and his own father said he would kill him.”

(8.19 mins)
“We don’t have anything to defend ourselves except through prayer, fasting and good will. And that’s it.”

North Korea has the deadliest level of Christian persecution in the world

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_trSJf7Zec
Download transcript here

North Korean today continues to be run as a total dictatorship under the rule of Kim Jong-Il and his father Kim Il-Sung. Christian groups around the world consider this country the worst place in the world for Christians to live with the worst and most deadly kind of persecution.

Because the North Koreans are encouraged to “worship” nobody except their country’s leaders, any religious belief or worship of any one else could mean someone is killed – not just the individual but three generations of his family will be killed. The North Koreans are taught to view their leader like a God, and that everything he says must be followed or they will suffer grave and terrible consequences. Even speaking about their religion or being caught with any religious items on them can mean an immediate death without trial.

All this is happening right now as we speak in North Korea.

Isn’t this very similar to what is happening with Dorje Shugden practitioners? They suffer just like the Koreans: if a man practices Shugden, his whole family is excluded from society and denied any rights. Everyone is forced to accept what the Dalai Lama has stated even if he is not their Guru. This is like the North Koreans forcing everyone to “worship” their dictator leader Kim Jong-Il and persecuting people who choose to follow a different belief.

(3.19 mins)
“Today, an estimated 40,000 Christians are being held in North Korean prison camps. One out of every 10 Christians in this country is suffering cruel imprisonment.”

(3.38 mins)
“There were two of us who escaped. We were looking for a way to provide food for our family. The vast majority of people are extremely hungry. But Christians are the last to receive any allowance for foods. Everyone uses the black market to survive. My younger brother was taken by immigration authorities. Since then, no one has heard about where they took him or even if he is still alive.”

(5.54 mins)
“In North Korea, Christians constantly fear being discovered. There is severe punishment if they are found guilty. That’s huge because it means death! The North Korean government can’t stand Christians worshipping God since they force people to worship Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il as their gods.”

(10.49 mins)
“Many in the West are not aware of the suffering endured by North Korean brothers and sisters. In North Korea, if people believe in God and are caught by the Kim Jong-Il government, they are killed along with three generations of their family.”

The guide explained that the Buddha was Dorje Shugden, who was the Dharma Protector of the center. A Dharma Protector has the function of spiritual guidance and protection of those who follow a particular Buddhist path. The sword was symbolic and was used to cut through the bonds of ignorance and attachment which bind us to Samsara. It was certainly not for injuring sentient beings.

This explanation of the role of Dorje Shugden (also spelled Dorje Shugdan) very much reminded me of the concept of a Patron Saint in Christianity, and in particular of Saint George, who is also depicted as an armed knight.

Saint George is usually shown in combat with a dragon, which he is attempting to slay using a sword, or sometimes when depicted on horseback he has a lance.

Of course the dragon also is not a sentient being. Terrestrial reptiles of that size (let alone fire-breathing ones!) have not existed during human history, so they can’t be some sort of folk memory of dinosaurs – though I suppose it is possible that dinosaur fossils may have been unearthed in ancient times and given rise to legends of dragons.

But, as Brian Bates points out in The Real Middle Earth [1], to ancient peoples dragons had an allegorical and symbolic significance. The typical dragon would gather and guard a hoard of treasure, and fly into fiery and destructive anger if any of the treasure were removed. And yet the dragon could not spend any of its wealth. Tolkien’s Smaug in The Hobbit has many precedents in ancient folklore.

So the symbol of the dragon represents the two useless and destructive delusions of attachment and anger, which Saint George is attempting to destroy.

The historical Saint George was a native of Cappadocia and was martyred for his beliefs in 303 AD by the emperor Diocletian. Thus the legend of St George dates from the earliest period of Christianity, when it was still close to its Buddhist roots [2].

Saint George is the Patron Saint of several countries and cities, and is often regarded, like some of the Arthurian knights, as a symbol of Christian chivalry.

As with Saint George, the historical Dorje Shugden also suffered martyrdom for speaking his mind. According to Donald Lopez Jr.[3] he was a learned and virtuous monk of the seventeenth century. He was also an expert debater, but one day his debating skills annoyed the establishment and he was found dead soon after with a ceremonial scarf stuffed down his throat.

Following his death, Dorje Shudgen was adopted as the protector of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. In common with St. George, he has a chivalrous aspect, his forceful functions being to ‘dispel false accusations against the innocent’ and to act as the ‘protector of the protectorless’ [4] .

So we can perhaps think of the two supramundane knights – one Buddhist, the other Christian – as brothers-in-arms in the bloodless war against delusions.

Let faith be my shield and let joy be my steed
‘Gainst the dragons of anger, the ogres of greed;
And let me set free, with the sword of my youth,
From the castle of darkness, the power of the truth.
From   ‘WHEN A KNIGHT WON HIS SPURS’

References

1. ReferencesThe Real Middle Earth by Brian Bates, published Sidgwick and Jackson 2002. ISBN 0 283 07353 5
2. ReferencesKey dates for the politically inspired removal of the Buddhist teachings from Christianity are -In the East, the Second Council of Constantinople 553 AD.
   In the West, the Synod of Whitby in 664.
   The process was completed with the Papal extermination of the Cathars (Albigensians) in the 13th century.
3. References’Two Sides of the same God’ by Donald S. Lopez, Jr. in Tricycle, Vol VII, No 3 Spring 1998, pp 67 to 69.
4. References’Heart Jewel’ by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, second edition published Tharpa 1997 ISBN 0 948006 56 0 p.119.

Extracted from http://kwelos.tripod.com/dorjeshugden.htm