Author Topic: Untouchables in Tibetan Buddhism  (Read 8280 times)

icy

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Untouchables in Tibetan Buddhism
« on: May 05, 2014, 02:26:14 PM »
Independent Journalism, Praveen Kumar Kalsan, a New Delhi based freelance multimedia journalist reports on the true state of affairs on the Dorje Shugden controversy.  Praveen equates the ostracism of Shugdenpas to the untouchables of India during the ancient time has remarkable truth and similarities with Shugden practitioners in India in this present day.

It is immensely shameful to mention that the untouchables in Tibetan Buddhism is initiated and created by the Dalai Lama, the world peace icon and world renowned religious leader.  Do you find this unbelievable and shocking?  Yes, I am sure you do.  Please help the 'untouchables in Tibetan Buddhism' to break away from this suffering, humiliation, derogatory, human rights abuse and dangerous situation to restore peace, love, freedom and dignity for the human race.  In order to do this we have to remind and pressure the Dalai Lama and CTA to revoke the ban on Dorje Shugden practice where the discrimination lies.

If you appreciate and support Praveen's article on this truth, please drop your comments on his site to create traffic and awareness to the injustice and end the ban.




His Holiness 14th Dalai Lama is a symbol of love and compassion all over the world but a few in Tibetan Buddhism community questions this claim. They blame Dalai Lama of taking away their religious freedom. These are worshipers of a controversial deity named Dorje Shugden.

Dorje Shugden is a protector deity in Tibetan Buddhism but the worship of this deity was banned by Dalai Lama in 1996. He said that Dorje Shugden is an evil spirit which hampers the cause of Tibet and also shortens his life.

Ironically, Dalai Lama himself used to propitiate Dorje Shugden till 1975. And most of his teachings come from teachers who used to worship shugden.

Dalai Lama`s words changed the life of these practitioners. Those who continued worshiping this 350 year old deity were termed ‘anti Dalai Lama’ and ‘Chinese spies’. They were ostracized from the Tibetan community. Many cases have come to light where the shugden practitioners were not allowed to enter in hospitals, shops, restaurants, and monasteries.

A young  girl Perma (named changed) who came from Tibet to India to study  said, she had to leave her college in Shilong because of the discrimination faced by her for being a shugden devotee. I have never faced such discrimination in China [Tibet].

“The government says that all shugden devotees have the same rights as Tibetans. But in reality, we don`t have any rights.” said 73 old Geshe Sopa Thoemey, the acting president of  Delhi based Dorje Shugden Devotees’ Charitable and Religious Society.

“We [Monks] used to live like brothers with non-shugden monks before this problem surfaced but now the situation has so much deterioted that a shugden monk was not allowed to attend the funereal of her mother. ” says a shugden worshiper Tsering Lama

“We are not anti Dalai Lama, We respect him, He is a god even though he doesn`t love us.” said Perma.
In 2008, a referendum , in open, was organized in southern India monasteries where the monks were made to select either a yellow stick or a red stick with former stick for choosing Dalai Lama and red stick for Dorje Shugden. The shugden monks were expelled from the monasteries. All the monks who were expelled after the referendum have opened their own monasteries so that can freely worship Shugden.

Dalai Lama has upped the ante in recent years by encouraging the monasteries to expel shugden monks. In 2008, he said in a public speech “Recently monasteries have fearlessly expelled Shugden monks where needed. I fully support their actions. I praise them. If monasteries find taking action hard, tell them the Dalai Lama is responsible for this.” He further added “These monks must be expelled from all monasteries. If they are not happy, you can tell them that the Dalai Lama himself asked that this be done, and it is very urgent”.
Dorje Shugden Devotees’ Charitable and Religious Society also filed an petition in Delhi court against the Dalai Lama and Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) regarding the discrimination and violence incidents against shugden devotees. But the court stated their are not enough evidences to prove the claim.

Geshe Thoemey accuses Tibetan administration of not allowing Tibetans to study in Shugden monasteries, he says, “If students come to our monasteries, we wll grow but they stop students , they want to dry our monasteries “

But the Tibetan government in exile does not support these allegations. The govt considers  Shugden issue as a Chinese weapon against His Holiness.

Dalai Lama has been continuously taking up this issue in public speeches from 1996. “We request Dalai Lama to stop saying anything on this issue, if he doesn`t say anything then there is no problem.” says Tsering.
Since the Dalai lama is talking about the retirement, Its really difficult to see where the struggle for Tibet leads.

“There is no hope for Tibet, to happen such kind of thing you need blessings from your gods but you criticize the god who gives you blessings” said Geshe Thoemey

http://independentmedia.wordpress.com/2011/04/26/untouchables-in-tibetan-buddhism/

icy

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Re: Untouchables in Tibetan Buddhism
« Reply #1 on: May 24, 2014, 12:13:18 PM »
Tibetans are made 'untouchables' by the Dalai Lama and Central Administration who refuse to give up their 400-year-old-practice proliferated by all lineage masters including the The Dalai Lama's tutor, Khabje Trijang Rinpoche.


icy

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Re: Untouchables in Tibetan Buddhism
« Reply #2 on: May 24, 2014, 12:26:18 PM »
It is unbelievable and shocking there is still religious apartheid in the 21st century and is imposed by the world peace icon none other than the Dalai Lama himself.  These are true facts. 

These are testimonies from Shugden devotees of their sufferings and horrifying experiences in the Tibetan community they have to go through :

????????????????? THE TRUE FACTS, Part 1 - Tibetan Public Talk, April 30, 2014


????????????????? THE TRUE FACTS, Part 2, Tibetan Public Talk, May 4, 2014




icy

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Re: Untouchables in Tibetan Buddhism
« Reply #3 on: May 24, 2014, 12:49:42 PM »
This is heartbreaking. Children born to Shugden practitioners are made pariah and have to separated from one of the other parent who are not Shugden practitioners due to religious discrimination in the Tibetan society. 


prodorjeshugden

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Re: Untouchables in Tibetan Buddhism
« Reply #4 on: March 26, 2017, 02:17:19 PM »
It is really shocking to see how Dorje Shugden people are treated.
The Dalai Lama and the CTA both claim that the people who practice Dorje Shugden are devil worshippers, but based what they do it it seems like they are the Devil worshipper. The CTA organizes riots against Shugden people, but in their own law that is not violence and the Buddha also encourages such violence. On the other hand the Shugdenners(so called devil worshippers) are completely peaceful and don't organize violence, so based on those facts who do you think is the real demon worshipper?

I really hope that the CTA will stop all forms of accusations and violence against Dorje Shugden people and may the Ban come down quickly.

Tenzin K

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Re: Untouchables in Tibetan Buddhism
« Reply #5 on: March 27, 2017, 10:05:40 AM »
 It’s ridiculous that being a Shugden practitioner is considered as Chinese spies. Using religious practice as a weapon against His Holiness??? Who create the ban at the first place here? It’s His Holiness that create the separation and how in the world now Shugden practitioners being blame back? This is illogical!

His Holiness tutors has been Shugden practitioners and so to their gurus which we can trace all the way back. By saying Shugden practice is wrong, spirits and all the negative called this directly saying the lineage is wrong. If the entire lineage is wrong and that was what had been taught to His Holiness how can His Holiness be right?

This is purely politic and if spiritual been mix with politic this is the outcome. Non of the reasoning mentioned by CTA and His Holiness make sense. If we believe His Holiness is Chenrezig how could he be harm? If truly Shugden is a spirit how can a Buddha has the karma being harm? And why don’t His Holiness subdue Shugden is this is the case? How can practicing Shugden affect Tibetan cause? Practically when looking at this ostracism and separation it make Tibetan more weak.

How I see the situation is more to looking for scapegoat of the failure of Tibetan leadership bringing back Tibet. This is really shameful.

I have not seen any country split their people in such and how contradicting here where Tibet keep screaming for freedom but at the other hand they take away their own people freedom of religious practice. The world is watching and how can Tibetan leadership give confident to their people that they are capable in managing their people? Who in the world will support CTA by looking at how they treat their people?

CTA should wake up already and be more practical and mature in handling the issue. Stop diverting their issue to Shugden and put their feet on the ground to face to real issue and make a change in their political strategy. In fact spiritual will unite all Tibetan and will gain support from many people around the world because spiritual will only bring peace, harmony and unity.

bambi

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Re: Untouchables in Tibetan Buddhism
« Reply #6 on: March 27, 2017, 01:25:22 PM »
Although this post was quite some time back but we can still see that it is ongoing. Dorje Shugden practitioners are still being ostracised, defamed and bullied for their practice.
Again and again, Dorje Shugden practitioners have to reiterate this, HHDL is Chenrezig, He cannot be harmed in any way. Not ALL practitioners are Chinese spies! So please, can CTA come up with better or more sensible reason? Whatever we choose to practice will never hinder Tibet's freedom nor hard HHDL in any way.

Consider this, if you are fighting for something with the same tactics for years and do not succeed, don't you think something is wrong? And to do it for years and failing at it, shows how ignorant one can be. Shouldn't wisdom tell you to may be change your ways? Perhaps find better ways that would actually work?

PrajNa

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Re: Untouchables in Tibetan Buddhism
« Reply #7 on: March 27, 2017, 08:53:18 PM »
There are more videos and true story of how people have suffered just because they are Dorje Shugden practitioners. Here are some, including being refused for funeral prayers! So much ill treatment and discrimination due to the ban on Dorje Shugden which was imposed on the Tibetan community.

Watch this about Ama Tsekye from Hunsur:
https://youtu.be/Kmn6HYkDsgM?t=112

Here is another one where there are interviews with some Tibetans about their experiences on the discrimination that they and their family have to face on a daily basis:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3h1w7Q0ozU

It is fine if people do not accept your practice or religion on their individual basis, but this is unethical when it becomes a state agendaHow many more years should Dorje Shugden practitioners continue to suffer? What is the Central Tibetan Administration doing about this, which is TOTALLY under and their control to stop this ostracisation and discrimination? This is definitely not the way to foster unity among Tibetans in the Tibetan diaspora.


grandmapele

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Re: Untouchables in Tibetan Buddhism
« Reply #8 on: March 28, 2017, 09:08:27 AM »
Why call this Shugden issue a Chinese weapon against His Holiness? All the Dalai Lama has to do is to lift the ban, it will be a 'in your face' to the Chinese. After all, this practice has been around for 400 years. The Dalai Lama predecessors started it, encouraged it, propitiated it, so why after 400 years, decide to say it's bad?

So, all these negativities have been committed and generated so much negative karma for those who have decided to follow blindly without thinking and reflecting and contemplating over this issue. So, therefore, where is the dharma? Where is the mindfulness, love, compassion, equanimity, harmony, unity and balance as taught by the Buddha?

For those affected by the ban, it is suffering upon suffering. Maybe, it can be seen as our path? For us to use our suffering and adverse conditions to realize the pain and suffering of others in similar situations. like the "untouchables" of India. For us to generate compassion and practice tonglen while fighting for religious freedom and implementation and governing of Human Rights for all. For us to, maybe, find the beginnings of ultimate compassion, bodhicitta.



Pema8

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Re: Untouchables in Tibetan Buddhism
« Reply #9 on: March 29, 2017, 05:03:29 AM »
It is painful to read this article from 2014! Still now in 2017 there is a ban on Dorje Shugden and many people have to suffer the consequences. What kind of government does inflict such discrimination on their own people? They should support all Tibetans and unify them to make them strong and have good living conditions in their old homeland.

China is a fact and there is as it seems no way that the CTA can avoid dealing with the Chinese government and make sure that all Tibetans have best conditions. Yes, the similarities with the Untouchables are a sad fact!

May this ban end as soon as possible! All Tibetans should have freedom, religious and of their country. But to close the eyes and simple wait that the country gains freedom is not what their people need.

May the Dorje Shugden ban end all Tibetans be united as soon as possible!

samayakeeper

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Re: Untouchables in Tibetan Buddhism
« Reply #10 on: March 30, 2017, 05:02:38 AM »
Almost three years have passed since this was posted in May 2014 and the negative sentiments toward Shugden practitioners have not waned. In fact, it has not gotten better but worse for their families, loved ones, and among the monasteries' sangha members. The Dalai Lama still refuses to meet or send a delegation to talk to representatives of the Dorje Shugden society. Yet he goes around the globe preaching loving compassion, kindness, and to have dialogues instead of wars. Where's the dialogue? Why isn't the Dalai Lama practicing what he's preaching?