Author Topic: Karmapa Raided over alleged illegal funds  (Read 73084 times)

DSFriend

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Re: Karmapa Raided over alleged illegal funds
« Reply #75 on: May 13, 2011, 10:33:45 AM »

And now there is the question of ‘the Black Hat’. Who has the authentic Black Hat? But does this really matter, as the struggle for recognition of the rightful Karmapa seems to be looking more and more ludicrous.


I'm curious as to where is the Black Hat! I am sure it matters to the kagyupas who should have the rightful Seat at Rumtek thus, it should be a matter for the kagyupas to resolve. why should the Dalai Lama gets involved with the kagyupas? Why should the Dalai Lama gets involved with shugdenpa?

WisdomBeing

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Re: Karmapa Raided over alleged illegal funds
« Reply #76 on: May 26, 2011, 04:05:28 PM »
A few interesting questions from this article:

1. the Karmapa has been groomed to take over the Dalai Lama's role since 2000?

2. The Gelugpas political ascendency over the Kagyupas in the 17th century - was there a bloodbath??

3. In 2008 the Dalai Lama was filmed telling the Karmapa and Ling Rinpoche, another young senior lama, that they would inherit his responsibilities when he died. "You will be the ones to continue my work," he said. - anyone seen this video?

It's interesting that this article concurs that the financial scandal did affect the Karmapa's succession to the Dalai Lama. It just goes to show how insidious an accusation is - regardless of how innocent one is, as soon as an accusation is levelled, no matter that it was a false one, mud sticks. Doesn't this whole episode show that it is all the more important that we do not criticise each other, especially without basis, and create any kind of schism.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2011/may/26/karmapa-dalai-lama

No role for the Karmapa
Thursday 26 May 2011

The Dalai Lama has acted shrewdly in giving up his political position and removing the need for a regency

More than 400 delegates from 20 countries met this week in the Indian Himalayas to implement changes that will have a profound effect on the worldwide Tibetan diaspora. If ratified by the parliament-in-exile, the withdrawal of five clauses in the Tibetan constitution will abolish the Council of Regency that has been in place for 370 years.

Recently, the Dalai Lama announced that he was giving up his political position and would in future concentrate on his spiritual and humanitarian responsibilities. This decision prompted the meeting in India – which aims to complete the transition from theocratic rule to democracy. With the Dalai Lama no longer a temporal leader, the need for a regency is eliminated.

It also means that the 26-year-old 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, will not now be become a regent – despite the fact that he has been groomed for this role since his dramatic escape from Tibet in 2000. Ogyen Trinley was confirmed as the 17th Karmapa by both the Chinese authorities and the Dalai Lama. On his arrival in India he went straight to the Dalai Lama's headquarters and has been living close by ever since. In 2008 the Dalai Lama was filmed telling the Karmapa and Ling Rinpoche, another young senior lama, that they would inherit his responsibilities when he died. "You will be the ones to continue my work," he said.

It now seems that this work will be confined to spiritual matters connected with the stewardship of Tibetan Buddhism, which has attracted tens of thousands of converts around the world during the past 30 years. According to Arnaud Dotezac – a visiting professor at Geneva University – the abolition of the regency takes the sting out of a controversial issue. The Karmapa is the head of the Kagyupas – a sect of Tibetan Buddhism that was in power until violently suppressed in the 17th century and replaced by the Gelugpa Dalai Lamas.

"It was a bloodbath," Dotezac says. "Thousands of people were killed, Kagyu monasteries were forced to convert into Gelugpas and the idea of Kagyus being friends with Gelugs was unthinkable."

Dotezac also believes that a financial scandal that erupted in the Karmapa's monastery in January tarnished his reputation to a degree that he was no longer seen as acceptable as a regent.

"Everything changed after that," he says. "The process of decoupling religion from politics accelerated. I think by renouncing his political role the Dalai Lama is preparing the ground for his return to Tibet. He has stated his wish to go back and to die there."

In pre-Chinese Tibet, regents took control after the death of a Dalai Lama and ostensibly for an interim period during the childhood of his reincarnation. In reality, regents were immensely powerful at all times and several young Dalai Lamas died in suspicious circumstances. The present (14th) Dalai Lama may have escaped the possibility of this fate because he was forced into exile in 1959.

Establishing Ogyen Trinley Dorje as a purely spiritual leader sidelines the political ramifications of more than one controversial issue that has emerged since he was recognised as the 17th Karmapa in 1992.

Two years later Trinley Thaye Dorje escaped from Tibet with his family and was formally enthroned as the 17th Karmapa, after being recognised by the senior Kagyu lama Shamar Rinpoche. This means that there are two Karmapas. Some senior lamas accept this status quo, other factions insist that their Karmapa is the only genuine one.

There are also persistent claims that Ogyen Trinley is a Chinese plant and that his escape could not have happened without agreement from the Chinese authorities in Tibet.

"This is a conspiracy theory" says Robbie Barnett, director of modern tibetan studies at Columbia University. "There is no credible explanation for the suggestion that it was in China's interests for the Karmapa to escape. Everything points in the opposite direction – it was a huge diplomatic blow and a big humiliation for the Chinese to see their Karmapa flee to India."

Robbie Barnett points out that Ogyen Trinley could have escaped without help from Chinese officials. "At that time," he says, "thousands of Tibetans were escaping to Nepal every year without being caught. In addition, Ogyen Trinley had resources and a support team to help him. They took a remote route not often used by refugees escaping on foot and his driver knew where he should get out of the car and walk to avoid check points."

To most of us born and brought up in western democracies Tibetan politics seem like a hangover from the Dark Ages. But now the Dalai Lama is launching his people into the 21st century, moving towards a future Dalai Lama being approved by an elected government, headed by an elected prime minister. He has neutralised controversies and in giving up his political status he has demonstrated a high level of political skill.
Kate Walker - a wannabe wisdom Being

thaimonk

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Re: Karmapa Raided over alleged illegal funds
« Reply #77 on: May 27, 2011, 05:59:48 AM »
I wonder how the 3rd Karmapa claimant to the name will affect anything or everything.

Both young current Karmapas have to face so much politics and doubt. With the 3rd claimant, it must be harrowing to say the least for the existing two camps. I am sure the real Karmapa has no attachments to name and status, but with name and status he can do more to benefit.


heartjewel

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Re: Karmapa Raided over alleged illegal funds
« Reply #78 on: May 27, 2011, 10:57:56 AM »
Now there are 3 Karmapas. Two already existed and a 3rd one has emerged as a claimant of being a Karmapa. The 3rd Karmapa still wants to put a claim to being the 3rd Karmapa. Maybe this 3rd Karmapa may want to be there to solve the problem of the politics and accusation directed at the Karmapas that was suspected. It may be he want to find out who plant the funds in the Karmapa's residence without the Karmapas knowledge. The 3rd Karmapa claimant may have been an undercover under the direction of the police to investigate the illegal funds that was alleged and planted in the residence of the Karmapa.   

thaimonk

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Re: Karmapa Raided over alleged illegal funds
« Reply #79 on: May 29, 2011, 04:42:59 AM »
Yes, I agree. How can they accuse Shugdenpas for so many years without karma coming back to them? Anyway, this is sad. Can Buddhism totally be free from politics?

Buddhism, any other religion or anything done by humans cannot be free from politics. Simply because humans have politics. Even birds have a pecking order (bird politics of a sort). So what we need to do is to extract the Dharma from the politics. We need to just focus on the Dharma.

None of us are perfect, we all get sucked into politics from time to time, so no one is better than another, but the important thing is to just watch our own minds. After all, at death, it's not the politics that matter, but the Dharma we did.


WisdomBeing

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Re: Karmapa Raided over alleged illegal funds
« Reply #80 on: December 07, 2011, 03:26:36 PM »
I had thought the Karmapa and the foreign currency issue had been resolved but obviously not.

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/foreign-currency-case-police-names-karmapa-in-chargesheet_100582303.html
Foreign currency case: Police names Karmapa in chargesheet

Wed Dec 07 2011 22:25:33 GMT+0800 (MYT) by IANS


Shimla, Dec 7 (IANS) Tibetan religious head and the 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje’s name was Wednesday included in a chargesheet filed by the police in a Himachal Pradesh court on the seizure of foreign currency worth Rs.70 million (over $1 million) from a monastery in January.

The Karmapa has been charged under penal provisions related to conspiracy. He is the 10th accused named in the chargesheet, filed before Una Chief Judicial Magistrate Rajesh Tomar.

Superintendent of Police Sumedha Diwedi told IANS that the court would now decide whether charges could be framed against the Karmapa.

“We are awaiting sanction from the central government for prosecuting the accused under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA),” she said, adding the offences under the law would be added in the charge sheet later.

The Karmapa is the spiritual head of the Karma Kagyu school, one of the four sects of Buddhism. He is considered the third most important Tibetan religious head after the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama.

Police Jan 28 recovered currencies of 26 countries, including 120,197 Chinese yuan and around Rs.5.3 million in Indian currency, from the Karmapa’s Gyuto Tantric University and Monastery on the outskirts of Dharamsala, the seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile.

It was after the seizure of Rs.1 crore meant for land purchase that police conducted searches at the monastery and recovered the currency.

Subsequently, seven people were arrested. Among them was the Karmapa’s aide Rubgi Chosang, also known as Shakti Lama. All seven are out of jail now on bail.

The Karmapa’s office told investigating agencies that the money was collection of donations from the spiritual head’s followers.

Fast-track court Judge R.K. Sharma in Una directed police in September to hand over the seized currency of Rs.70 million to the central government’s enforcement directorate (ED).


Kate Walker - a wannabe wisdom Being

Ensapa

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Re: Karmapa Raided over alleged illegal funds
« Reply #81 on: December 05, 2012, 09:13:50 AM »


I'm curious as to where is the Black Hat! I am sure it matters to the kagyupas who should have the rightful Seat at Rumtek thus, it should be a matter for the kagyupas to resolve. why should the Dalai Lama gets involved with the kagyupas? Why should the Dalai Lama gets involved with shugdenpa?

With regards to the black hat, according to the book Buddha's not Smiling, the black hat is supposed to be in Rumtek, the traditional seat of the Karmapas, which also means that it also stores a lot of offerings and treasures from all the previous karmapas, like what the norbulingka is to the Dalai Lama. It seems that Tai Situpa manifested political games to take over rumtek and enthroned his version of the karmapa to gain access to the black hat which was created by the 3rd ming emperor to the karmapa. Personally, and really, personally, IT IS JUST A SYMBOLIC HAT!! why so much fuss over a fabric hat? It is far more important for the Karmapa to lead the kagyus (and perhaps CTA) than a hat or riches.