Author Topic: Outrage as Dalai Lama denounces Dorje Shugden  (Read 6193 times)

wisdombuddha

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 33
    • Email
Outrage as Dalai Lama denounces Dorje Shugden
« on: June 02, 2008, 01:57:41 PM »
http://www.newint.org/issue304/update.htm

Deity banned
Outrage as Dalai Lama denounces Dorje Shugden

Buddhists picketed the Dalai Lama’s recent visit to the United States and Europe. They protested against the ban on the worship of the 350-year-old deity, Dorje Shugden, whom they say is one of the most revered in the Buddhist religion. In 1996 the Dalai Lama announced that worship of Dorje Shugden was banned and explained that his oracle, Nechung, had advised him that the deity was a threat to his personal safety and the future of Tibet.

The Tibetan Government-in-exile said its employees must stop worshipping the deity or be sacked. The office of the Dalai Lama told the superiors of the Sermey Monastic College in Bylakuppe, India: ‘If there is anyone who continues to worship Dorje (Shugden), make a list of their names, birthplace and class... Keep the original and send us a copy of the list.’

According to PK Dey, a human-rights lawyer from Delhi: ‘Those worshipping Shugden are experiencing tremendous harassment. It is not in a particular part of the country, but everywhere there are Tibetans. Dalai Lama supporters are going from house to house searching.’ For example, in Clementown, India, the house of a family of Shugden worshippers was stoned and then firebombed. Wanted posters describe people believed to be Shugden leaders as the top ten enemies of the state. The posters have been put up in monasteries, settlements and in Dharamsala by the Government-in-exile’s Department of Security.

Dorje Shugden worshippers say the ban and its implementation are in direct conflict with the proposed constitution of a free Tibet, laid down by the Dalai Lama in 1963. The constitution states that all religious denominations are equal before the law, and every Tibetan shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. But when Dorje Shugden worshippers challenged the ban, the Tibetan Government-in-exile stated that: ‘Concepts like democracy and freedom of religion are empty when it comes to the well-being of the Dalai Lama and the common cause of Tibet.’

During recent peace vigils a petition with 15,000 signatures was handed to the Dalai Lama stating the need for all Tibetan traditions to flourish. Protesters asked him to sign a declaration of freedom to worship Dorje Shugden. The Dalai Lama refused.

He says that he banned the worship of Dorje Shugden because it is a divisive deity that causes sectarianism among his followers, and is leading to the degeneration of Buddhism. But in doing so he has left many Tibetans confused. Gonsar Rinpoche, a Tibetan Lama who has worshipped Dorje Shugden throughout his life, says: ‘I cannot accept this ban on Shugden. If I accept that all my wise and great masters are demon worshippers, then their teachings are wrong, everything they believe in is wrong. That is not possible.’

Sara Chamberlain

theloneranger

  • Guest
Re: Outrage as Dalai Lama denounces Dorje Shugden
« Reply #1 on: June 02, 2008, 04:53:08 PM »
Dear Wisdombuddha,

the article you posted is very old, from about 10 years ago. Here's a new one that has just appeared.  i already emailed WSS to tell them it's ancient and to take it of there website.

http://interact.newint.org/blog/vanessa-baird/buddhists-at-loggerheads


Buddhists at loggerheads
Submitted by Vanessa Baird on May 30, 2008 - 6:03pm.



‘It’s too confusing for me,’ I heard a student confessing outside Oxford’s Sheldonian Theatre.

To the right was a group of Tibetan exiles with their brightly coloured flags, here to greet the Dalai Lama on the Oxford leg of his UK tour.

In the middle, a smaller group of Chinese students with one large red Chinese flag and a poster showing a wedding against the backdrop of the Potala Place – presumably to suggest the ‘happy union’ of China with Tibet.

But to left, was a much larger group of maybe 500 people bearing two big banners which read: ‘Dalai Lama: Stop Lying!’ And for those of us who couldn’t read, they chanted the same lines – like a stuck record, for four hours.

‘But they aren’t Chinese!?’ said the confused student. ‘They’re not Tibetan!?’

It was true: I looked but could not spot one Tibetan among them. Although many were garbed in the robes of Tibetan Buddhism, the assembled protesters were overwhelmingly white and British. ‘Why are all these British people protesting against the Dalai Lama?’ the student went on, in his determined fog of un-enlightenment.

The simple answer is that they were from the Western Shugden Society which is accusing the Dalai Lama of violating the human rights of Buddhists by ‘banning’ a prayer to Dorje Shugden, a deity central to their practice.

To explain their case they called a press conference at Oxford’s prestigious Randolph Hotel. Spokesperson Kelsang Pema (aka Helen Gradwell) claimed that in recent months hundreds of monks had been expelled from their monasteries and that devotees were being attacked and discriminated against in Tibetan communities in India. She claimed that more than a third of Tibetan exiles were adherents of the practice.

Tibetan refugee Diki Dolma, who has connections with both Britain and India commented: ‘That’s nonsense! We know the Tibetan exile community and we know it’s just not true. Very, very few follow this practice. I feel sorry for these protesters. I think they don’t know much about Buddhism. They make out they are monks, but, look they don’t even know how to wear their robes properly!’

The emergence of such an orchestrated protest at this time – and the personalized and vituperative nature of the attacks against the Dalai Lama – raises other questions.

‘We are not connected with China,’ insists Helen Gradwell. ‘The Dalai Lama is mixing politics up with religion but we are not. We are not political. We have no position on Tibetan autonomy.’

Asked whether it bothered her that protesting at this time might be playing into the hands of the Chinese authorities, she said that the fault lay with the Dalai Lama for banning the prayer.

To add to the confusion the Office of Tibet in London claims that the Dalai Lama has not banned the prayer. He is ‘advising’ against it – but saying that those who choose to ignore his advice this cannot expect to attend his teachings. He considers Dorje Shugden a ‘fierce spirit’ which can be used to curse others. Devotion to this spirit is seen as encouraging sectarianism, harming the prospects for Tibetan autonomy and, indeed, the Dalai Lama’s own longevity. In 1997 Indian police investigations linked the murder of three Tibetan monks, who had been outspoken in critics of Shugden practice, to members of the Dorje Shugden Society who escaped over the border to Tibet.

The Chinese have been actively encouraging Tibetans to practise the Shugden school as a way of reducing the power of the Dalai Lama, said a spokesperson from the Free Tibet Campaign. When monks in Tibet’s Ganden monastery destroyed a statue to Dorje Shugden they were arrested by the Chinese authorities and ordered to pay for a replacement.

The fact that the Dalai Lama is being accused of precisely the charges he levels against the Chinese authorities – abuse of human rights, lack of freedom of speech – has not gone unnoticed by his supporters. ‘We assume that China is behind it but we don’t have the evidence to prove it,’ said one Tibetan exile, who did not want to be named.

Towards the end of the demo in Oxford a man standing close to the Shugden contingent started up his own separate and not altogether intelligible chant. Nearby, I could hear a tall British monk saying into his mobile phone, ‘It’s alright now. The police are coming for him.’ And sure enough the man was promptly bundled off by two officers.

‘What about his freedom of speech?’ I asked one of the Shugden stewards.

‘He was just causing trouble,’ came the reply.

Er…


Rinchen

  • Global Moderator
  • Sr. Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 407
Re: Outrage as Dalai Lama denounces Dorje Shugden
« Reply #2 on: September 12, 2016, 06:47:56 PM »
Although this article is old, but it is indeed a very good article. We think that there is no ban, just as said by others. Yet, what we fail to examine what it means in the Tibetans context of an advice and how would the Western people take the meaning of advice. We fail to understand that it is very different what we know and what they know.

It is said as an advice, to us, we may think that it is something that we can choose to believe what we choose, but for the Tibetans, when an advise is given by the Dalai Lama (king of the Tibetans), the Tibetans will listen to what is said no matter what. To them, it is considered as an order.

With government workers that choose to continue their practices of Dorje Shugden getting thrown out, it already shows a lot of what is happening. Which was to the discrimination that brought this ban and reinforced it.

When we pause and consider all these, it already clearly shows that there is a ban that is unethical,.

pgdharma

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1055
Re: Outrage as Dalai Lama denounces Dorje Shugden
« Reply #3 on: September 13, 2016, 08:42:46 AM »
It has been eight years since this post, and the ban is still intact. The Dalai Lama has on many occasions spoke against Dorje Shugden practice. However, the Dalai Lama and the CTA said that there is no ban and the Dalai Lama claims that it was just an advice. The advice has gone beyond control, Dorje Shugden practitioners are segregated, discriminated, threatened, abused and they are suffering. The least the Dalai Lama can ease the hardship and sufferings of Dorje Shugden practitioners is to advice his followers and the CTA to accept the fact that everyone has a right to their beliefs and faith and they should not be discriminated.

grandmapele

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 647
Re: Outrage as Dalai Lama denounces Dorje Shugden
« Reply #4 on: September 14, 2016, 06:43:39 AM »
Eight years since the this post started. twenty years since the Dalai Lama started speaking harshly about Dorje Shugden and started a segregation of the practitioners (called a ban on the practice of Dorje Shugden). Over the years he has gotten increasing harsh about the segregation to the point of encouraging the monasteries to expel monks who did not sign the declaration that they, the monks do not practice Dorje Shugden. Twenty years of having to sign declaring of non-practice before being accepted and admitted for Dalai Lama's teachings.

And, recently a video surfaced showing the Dalai Lama saying that Dorje Shugden cannot harm him. An except from the translation of the video:

For example, Gyalpo Shugden. I have put him [Dorje Shugden] in a position where he is a recipient of my compassion. Besides, I do not nor have I ever had any feeling that Gyalpo Shugden will harm me. Do you understand?

No matter how pitiful or wretched we are, however if we practice the Bodhicitta, love and compassion, no god or ghost can harm us.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-f8GpxvfUA

I really hope that the followers of the Dalai Lama will decease from all the attack and violence against Dorje Shugden practitioners from here on.

SabS

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 471
Re: Outrage as Dalai Lama denounces Dorje Shugden
« Reply #5 on: September 29, 2016, 10:48:09 AM »
All this while the Dalai Lama and CTA officials say that there is no ban but if there is no ban then why aren't the Dorje Shugden practitioners allowed the freedom to practice? Why are they discriminated against by not being allowed into the Dalai Lama's teachings, not allowed to work in the governmental offices, not allowed into the shops to buy food and necessities, monks not allowed into the monasteries that they had lived in for most of their lives (thrown out and had to depend on the kindness of other Shugden practitioners), children not allowed public schooling, not allow their travel documents and most of all not allowed to vote in the elections. The Shugden practitioners had been abused, threatened, separated from their families (due to differences in practice), ostracised and some even left to die after severe beatings. All this instigated by CTA who as a government should be protecting all Tibetans-In-Exile irregardless their difference. Hmmm wait, actually how are they a government without a country of governance??? Why are they allowed to act like a gang of thugs without impunity and other countries keeping their silence? All these had been going on with the Dalai Lama keeping silent when he should had voiced out against actions contrary to Buddha's teachings.

So it is with great rejoice that the Dalai Lama had finally said that Dorje Shugden is not and never will be harmful to his life and as such the Tibetan Freedom cause. And he recognised the monasteries that practices Dorje Shugden, Shar Gaden and Serpom as legitimate monasteries. What a wonderful surprise for all Shugden practitioners!

Now we wait to see how CTA will respond to his words. Will they find ways to dispute what the Dalai Lama had said which means they disobey his wishes or will they quickly change tack to a more inclusive governance? If CTA officials are smart then they should take this golden opportunity that the Dalai Lama had given them to redeem all the misdeeds that they had done and move forward to a new unity. The Dalai Lama is taking on their karma to allow them this chance and the chance to make peace with China for the dialogue to take place. Be smart Sikyong, Lobsang Sangay!!!

VeronicaSmith

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 76
Re: Outrage as Dalai Lama denounces Dorje Shugden
« Reply #6 on: October 16, 2016, 02:30:17 PM »
There are pages and pages of reasoning to why the ban should not exist and it is so wrong to ban DS. It does nothing but cause suffering to so many people that the world so sadly ignores. This need to stop. The Dalai Lama claims that DS will cause separation, ironic thing is, the ban causes exactly what he claims he does not want and more.

The outrage is necessary and this ban needs to be lifted asap. Lets pray to that.