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By: Steve Lee

Lama Tseta is a self-proclaimed former member of the Dorje Shugden movement. He gained notoriety for the interviews he gave against Dorje Shugden practitioners, claiming they had links to the Chinese government. One of these interviews was with Reuters, a reputable news agency with a strong global network. In his interview, Lama Tseta claimed that China paid him and other prominent Shugden lamas and practitioners to engage in protests and other activities to split the Tibetan community apart. Lama Tseta’s claims have since been debunked and discredited by many parties, including in the video below featuring outspoken Tibetan commentator Dhamchoe Nyima.

Lama Tseta claimed he had evidence to prove that Dorje Shugden practitioners were connected to the Chinese. His claim was later debunked and he became the subject of criticism from both Dorje Shugden and non-Dorje Shugden practitioners.

In his video, Dhamchoe Nyima exposes Lama Tseta as an outright liar. Dhamchoe, who personally knows Lama Tseta, says that there is no truth in Lama Tseta’s claims and in reality, Lama Tseta has no hard evidence for the allegations he made against Dorje Shugden practitioners regarding their connection with the Chinese government. Dhamchoe came to this conclusion after he repeatedly asked for concrete evidence which, apart from some photographs, Lama Tseta failed to produce.

After a while, it became obvious to Dhamchoe that Lama Tseta had fabricated his claims. His lies to Reuters resulted in an interview that widened the chasm in Tibetan society between Dorje Shugden practitioners and non-practitioners. Hence, Dhamchoe was quick to label Lama Tseta a schismatic ‘society destroyer’. Although not a Shugden practitioner or sympathizer, Dhamchoe was deeply disturbed by Lama Tseta and his divisive lies, leading him to produce this tell-all video to expose the truth about Lama Tseta and his false claims against Shugden practitioners.

Dhamchoe Nyima was an employee of the Tibetan government until he became disillusioned by the political infighting and self-serving behavior he observed there. He is now speaking up against the Tibetan leadership and their lackeys like Lama Tseta, who falsely claimed to have proof that Dorje Shugden practitioners are connected with the Chinese government. In a shocking tell-all video, Damchoe Nyima reveals that Lama Tseta is an outright liar and a schismatic ‘society destroyer’ who never had any proof of his allegations against Shugden believers.

What is compelling about this video is the fact that the speaker, Dhamchoe Nyima is neither a practitioner of Dorje Shugden nor a sympathizer, himself having given up the practice in 2015. Dhamchoe also reveals that until 2014, he used to work for Gaden Phodrang, another name for the Tibetan government.

During his employ, he was led to believe in the negative views about Dorje Shugden practice. In fact, thanks to the dissenting views he observed in the Tibetan government regarding the practice, Dhamchoe felt compelled to begin his own investigation into rumors that Shugden practitioners were linked to China. His investigation led him to connect with Lama Tseta. Intrigued by Lama Tseta’s claims of possessing proof that Shugden practice had direct links with and support from the government of China, and wanting to validate his own beliefs, Dhamchoe invited Lama Tseta to stay with him for a week.

As a result of the Dalai Lama’s ban against the deity Dorje Shugden, a divide was created in Tibetan society between Dorje Shugden practitioners and non-practitioners

Based on Dhamchoe’s video, it is clear that Reuters originally reported in favor of Lama Tseta’s divisive claims because they had not anticipated that Lama Tseta would manipulate the truth to this extent for self-gain and prestige. In truth, Lama Tseta was only able to tell such boldfaced lies thanks to the backing and support of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA; Tibetan leadership in Dharamsala, North India). If such a powerful media agency like Reuters can be innocently duped into believing the sensationalist claims of the CTA, Lama Tseta and his ilk, how many more people have been tricked into thinking the best of the CTA for the last few decades? Fortunately, the millions of Tibetan Shugden practitioners are faithful, resilient and forgiving as embodied in the spirit of the teachings that the great lineage masters have proliferated in the past.

Lama Tseta was only able to tell such boldfaced lies to Reuters and other media agencies thanks to the backing and support of the Central Tibetan Administration

We at dorjeshugden.com hope that the powerful journalists, editors and chief editors at Reuters will consider delving deeper into the Dorje Shugden issue and realize the true political nature of the Shugden ban. And that they will seriously consider publishing more articles that will clarify the current divisive situation and uncover the truth about the Shugden issue, thereby separating fact from sensationalist, political fiction.

Video: Brave Tibetan debunks Lama Tseta, speaks up against the Tibetan leadership

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A Summary of Dhamchoe Nyima’s talk on Lama Tseta

• Dhamchoe Nyima worked for the Tibetan exile government (Gaden Phodrang) until the end of 2014 and he was involved in many departments. During his time there, he witnessed and experienced many internal political and religious disagreements, for example the Dorje Shugden issue.
• Since he has already resigned, he has no personal reasons for clarifying the topics he speaks about. But he decided to make this video because he is uncomfortable with what is going on and he wants to help the Tibetan people [learn the truth]. He has seen for himself that most of the people in the Tibetan government work for their own benefit. Because they are self-serving, they create more problems and conflicts for the Tibetan community.
• He was still part of the Tibetan government when he heard ordinary Tibetans claiming that Dorje Shugden practice was harmful to the Dalai Lama’s life. Since it supposedly affects the Dalai Lama’s life, that made it a religious matter. At the same time, the Tibetan government felt that Dorje Shugden was not a religious matter but a political one because Dorje Shugden people were accused of receiving money from China. Dhamchoe Nyima implies there was no consensus in how to deal with the Dorje Shugden issue.
• Dhamchoe Nyima thought that if it was a political matter, then he should do something about it. Around that time, a friend suggested that he get involved with a WeChat group called Global Tibetan Volunteers for the Truth because everyone on the group was loyal to the Dalai Lama and wanted to protect his life. The group was very active and had representatives of many different Buddhist sects, monasteries and teachers. However, this group did not last long because of disagreements and differences in opinion between the participants. Eventually, it was shut down.
• Later, Dhamchoe Nyima became involved with the YouTube channel Boston Real Tibetan Public Talk (Mangthrod Khada). They heard a rumor that Dorje Shugden people were protesting against the Dalai Lama because they were paid by China to do so. Dorje Shugden people responded by asking for proof to back up these accusations. This got him interested in finding the proof. It was around this time that he heard about Lama Tseta.
• Believing that Dorje Shugden practitioners were using the ban as an excuse to protest and had their own political agenda i.e. they wanted money from China, Dhamchoe Nyima wanted to protect the so-called Tibetan cause from such people. Therefore, when he heard Lama Tseta saying he had proof that Dorje Shugden people were connected with China, he was interested and wanted to know more. That’s how his involvement with Lama Tseta began.
• Lama Tseta stayed with Dhamchoe Nyima for a week. In the video, Dhamchoe Nyima shows photos of Lama Tseta at his house, to prove that Lama Tseta was indeed there. It even appears that Lama Tseta filmed videos at Dhamchoe Nyima’s house [in one of the photos, there is some sort of film production going on].
• When Dhamchoe Nyima asked Lama Tseta for proof that Dorje Shugden people were indeed connected with China, Lama Tseta replied that all the proof was in Tibet. Dhamchoe Nyima asked him if he could get it and Lama Tseta said that he could but it would take some time. After a while, it became clear that Lama Tseta did not actually have any proof that Dorje Shugden people were connected with China. He had a couple of pictures but it was not anywhere near good enough to be conclusive evidence.
• After Lama Tseta’s video was released, the European Shugden society spoke against Lama Tseta and debunked his claims. Thereafter anti-Shugden people began speaking negatively about Lama Tseta. That is when Dhamchoe Nyima began having doubts about Lama Tseta’s credibility because it was not just Dorje Shugden people speaking up against Lama Tseta, but anti-Dorje Shugden people too.
• Today, Dhamchoe Nyima says that Lama Tseta is a liar and a ‘society destroyer’, and has cut all ties with him.

The above summary is based on a translation provided by our Tibetan friends. If there are inaccuracies that you wish to dispute, you are welcome to share your own translation with us.

Addendum

Dhamchoe Nyima used to work for the Tibetan administration until the end of 2014. He was a Dorje Shugden practitioner but stopped his practice in 2015 due to nationalistic fervor. It is clear that he had become a victim of the Tibetan leadership’s political machine.

Having become disillusioned by what he observed while working for the Tibetan administration, Damchoe Nyima started his YouTube channel last year (2017), regularly posting videos to expose the truth. His most popular video to date is that of his bold protest against the excesses and abuses of the Tibetan leadership — Damchoe Nyima tore up and burned his Green Book, an act which sent shockwaves throughout the Tibetan community.

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Also known as the ‘rangzen la deb’, the Green Book records the annual token sum that its bearer pays to the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), as a form of financial support for their activities. Over time, the Green Book mutated into a marker of what it means to be a real Tibetan; if someone does not hold a Green Book, at best they are abused, mocked and criticized for their failure to support their government and its work towards the so-called Tibetan cause. At worst, they are labelled anti-Tibetan pro-Chinese traitors.

In tearing up and burning his Green Book, Dhamchoe Nyima is destroying a powerful symbol of what it means to be Tibetan. In essence, he is saying he does not financially support the Tibetan leadership, and he does not wish to be associated with them. There are few statements more powerful against the Tibetan government’s excesses and abuses than a former government officer turning against them and denouncing them in public. Clearly, those in the upper echelons of power must reconsider their actions or risk their reputations being destroyed in the court of public opinion.