Lama Yeshe and Zong Rinpoche

There is hardly anyone in Tibetan Buddhism who has not heard of the Federation For The Preservation Of The Mahayana Tradition (FPMT). Besides the New Kadampa Tradition (NKT), the FPMT is probably the largest network of Tibetan Buddhist Dharma centres in the world. Synonymous with the name FPMT is of course its founder, the great Lama Yeshe and his heart son, Lama Zopa. The closeness between Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa is legendary. So is Lama Yeshe’s devotion to his guru, H.H. Kyabje Zong Dorje Chang.

The great devotion Lama Yeshe had for H.H. Kyabje Zong Dorje Chang can be seen in this picture. Lama Yeshe on the right, Lama Zopa on the left, and of course in the centre is the illustrious H.H. Kyabje Zong Dorje Chang.

Lama Yeshe was the first lama to invite the great Kyabje Zong Rinpoche to the West. Zong Rinpoche turned the wheel of Dharma for so many of Lama Yeshe’s students. Vast explanations, commentaries, oral transmissions, initiations, ritual instructions, and of course Dorje Shugden initiations were conferred many times at the request of Lama Yeshe.

Zong Rinpoche is the lineage lama of so many great current tulkus and geshes teaching around the world. The lineage that Lama Yeshe practiced is exactly that of H.H. Kyabje Zong Rinpoche. No difference whatsoever. Lama Yeshe kept his guru samaya to Zong Rinpoche fully intact till his passing. He is the perfect example of a humble student to his master and a sublime teacher to his students.

It is a pity that such devotion that Lama Yeshe showed for his guru has not been emulated by Lama Zopa and nowhere is this seen more obviously than in the way Lama Zopa discarded the practice of Dorje Shugden, the Protector deity that Lama Yeshe held very close to his heart.

Lama Yeshe and Dorje Shugden

Lama Yeshe and his root gurus/lineage practiced Dorje Shugden. Lama Yeshe consulted Dorje Shugden on many issues throughout his whole life. That is what makes FPMT so great now.

Lama himself mentions in his books that it is the protector’s divine help in all his works that made it grow. Many people heard Lama Yeshe mention many times during his talks that FPMT grew and was successful due to the blessings of his dharma protector Dorje Shugden.

Lama Yeshe’s personal Dorje Shugden statue

Lama Zopa and Dorje Shugden

Dorje Shugden officially recognized Lama Zopa when no one else knew he was an incarnation (see the book ‘The Lawudo Lama‘ by Jamyang Wangmo, Vajra Publications, pages 171-180). Because of Dorje Shugden, Lama Zopa was accorded the status of a Tulku since very young in Tibet. Like Lama Zopa, Dorje Shugden has also recognized hundreds of Gelug Tulkus and various incarnations including the current H.H. Kyabje Pabongkha Rinpoche, H.H. Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche and H.H. Kyabje Zong Rinpoche. His identification of these incarnations matched the exact details of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s.

Lama Yeshe loved Lama Zopa like a son, and gave him the practice of Dorje Shugden. But Lama Zopa abandoned Dorje Shugden to win favor with the Dalai Lama after Lama Yeshe passed away

And yet, many have tried to deny that Dorje Shugden had anything to do with the rise of Lama Zopa. It was an inconvenient fact that the present spiritual head of FPMT was recognized as a tulku and empowered into his present status by the deity he is now disowning.

But it is easy to refute this denial. If Shugden is wrong, then why did they consult him for Lama Zopa’s tulku recognition in the first place? Clearly, the high respect accorded to Shugden is obvious. Remember, this all happened in H.H. Domo Geshe Rinpoche’s monastery in Tibet. We all know the level of respect Domo Geshe was held in. Shugden was one of the principal protectors of Domo Geshe and his institutions. No one doubted the compassion, saintliness and attainments of Domo Geshe Rinpoche. If Domo Geshe held Shugden so highly, it says very much for Shugden himself.

Lama Zopa himself has acknowledged it. In ‘The Door to Satisfaction’ by Wisdom Publications (page X of the Editor’s Preface), Lama Zopa mentions clearly in the 3rd paragraph that the Dharma Protector of Domo Geshe’s Monastery CONFIRMED THAT HE WAS A REINCARNATE LAMA AND OFFERED ADVICE CONCERNING HIS CARE.

We can conclude that, since Lama Zopa mentions no other names of who else recognized him, they did not hold much weight in the eyes of the people to caretake and train him at that time. So they had to consult someone to CONFIRM AND MAKE SURE Lama Zopa is who the others say he is. Who did they trust to confirm? Dorje Shugden.

If the great emanation of Lama Tsongkapa, H.H. Domo Geshe Rinpoche, would have an oracle receiving Dorje Shugden’s presence in his temple, definitely Dorje Shugden is a beneficial and beneficent being. That is unless Domo Geshe Rinpoche was also unattained, which is highly unlikely. Domo Geshe’s famous oracle, whom H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama himself consulted in the 1950′s at Dungkar Choede, can take full possession of 6 different dharma protectors! They are:

1. Dorje Shugden
2. Namka Barzin (Dorje Shugden’s entourage)
3. Kache Marpo (Dorje Shugden’s entourage)
4. Tashi Obar
5. Genyen Jingkarwa
6. Pawo Trobar

Three of them are Dorje Shugden and his acolytes. Surely Domo Geshe Rinpoche, whose people and temple nurtured and took care of Lama Zopa in the early years, are not all evil, wrong and degenerate for propitiating Dorje Shugden? Domo Geshe is famed for his devotion to H.H. Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche (root guru of Lama Yeshe and H.H. Dalai Lama), his great meditative concentration on the Vajra Yogini Tantras, and his powerful propitiation of Dorje Shugden. Is Domo Geshe wrong to have a famous Dorje Shugden oracle in his monastery that people would come from all parts of Tibet to consult on all states of affairs, governmental, secular and so on?

Many high incarnations are found by the oracular pronouncements of Dorje Shugden’s oracles past and present, so why not Lama Zopa Rinpoche? Even the current Trijang Rinpoche and Zong Rinpoche’s incarnations were found and confirmed by the Dorje Shugden oracle or Choyang Dulzin Kuten of Ganden. Only after the confirmation from the oracles was it presented to the Dalai Lama for formal recognition. What Dorje Shugden found and recognized was further confirmed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Is that so bad that Lama Zopa was also confirmed by the great protector of Lama Yeshe, Trijang Rinpoche, Zong Rinpoche, Pabongkha Rinpoche, Regent Daktra Rinpoche, and Domo Geshe Rinpoche, that he is authentic? Of course not.

The incarnations of His Holiness the Dalai Lamas are all confirmed by the Nechung Oracle, but recognized and enthroned by the regents of Tibet. So are the confirmations by the Nechung Oracle for the Dalai Lama not important? You don’t say that Nechung recognized the Dalai Lama, but he plays an important part to confirm that LEADS TO EVENTUAL RECOGNITION.

Just the same in the case of Lama Zopa, where Dorje Shugden confirmed he is a real tulku and even gave advice on his care. And in the Tibet of the 1950′s, Dorje Shugden’s oracular pronouncements carried great weight. His famous oracle in Lhasa, called Panglung Kuten, was consulted for private and governmental affairs by many high lamas, nobilities, and government officials. His Holiness Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche very much relied on the accuracy of this oracle of Dorje Shugden/Kache Marpo. You can read this in the autobiography of His Holiness Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche.

If Dorje Shugden is an evil spirit, he would have said that Lama Zopa is not a tulku, and don’t take care of him. Why would he say that? Because he can foresee Lama Zopa would benefit many and he would try to stop it, not being happy about that if he is evil. Devadatta did whatever he could to stop Buddha, but failed of course. Similarly, if Dorje Shugden is so bad, he would have tried to stop Lama Zopa’s works from flowering in the future.

FPMT, the Dalai Lama and Dorje Shugden

FPMT’s roots have deep-seated connections to Dorje Shugden. They may deny the current connections but they cannot deny past connections. They cannot deny the samaya connections to Dorje Shugden that are deeply interrelated to all of FPMT’s lineage lamas of the past, that created/resulted in its greatness now. Past creates the future. So if you dye a scarf red, it cannot come out blue. If Dorje Shugden practice and practitioners were all evil, then the fruit must be evil and in this case the FPMT must be evil, but this is definitely not the case.

Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche doing Dorje Shugden puja in Kopan Monastery, Nepal, 1976. (Photo by Jon Landaw. Image extracted from LYWA Image Gallery, 1976, vol. 3)

FPMT claims that Shugden is a demon yet the “embarrassing” fact is that FPMT has become what it is today because of the assistance of Dorje Shugden. FPMT denies Dorje Shugden yet FPMT’s main sadhanas are composed by lamas who held Dorje Shugden as their principal protectors. So, if FPMT wish to throw out Dorje Shugden, they better abandon the practices of Cittamani Tara, Vajra Yogini and Yamantaka, for example, which are composed by H.H. Kyabje Pabongkha Rinpoche. Since he practiced Dorje Shugden and that is a mistake, then the sadhanas he composed that Gelugpas do every day could be a mistake also? After all, he seems to be able to make mistakes? We have to be very careful? That is not the case definitely.

FPMT centres around the world are famous for their ‘witch hunts’ against other centres that do Dorje Shugden or that are suspected of keeping the practice. They think of themselves as some kind of spiritual police for the Dalai Lama. But the real motivation behind them pointing fingers at others is abundantly clear and it is not for spiritual purposes. No witch hunts can be motivated by spiritually good intentions.

FPMT want to look good for the Dalai Lama or Central Tibetan Administration so they get their support. With more support, more members and MORE MONEY to do their projects. Which in itself is not bad, but to point fingers at other centres and make other centres look bad does not justify the means as an end to the results. Their methods are wrong.

By criticizing Dorje Shugden practitioners to get on the Dalai Lama’s good side, they abandon their own lineage lama (Lama Yeshe). And by abandoning their lineage lama, they slowly create the causes for their own centres/organization to go down, down and finally flat in the future. They may look good by giving up Dorje Shugden and siding with the Dalai Lama’s Tibetan government, but it will not mend the broken samaya with Lama Yeshe and his protector. So by FPMT making the current Dalai Lama ‘happy’, they lose themselves.

Even though FPMT gave up Shugden, they should remain quiet about it. They should just do their dharma practice and be still and not make a fanfare about it. Instead you can hear of their attacks on other centres quite often. They want to look so good that even in their centres they have signs posted up that if you do Shugden, you are not welcome. How strange. How fanatical. So if Lama Yeshe, H.H Trijang Rinpoche, H.H Zong Rinpoche showed up, they wouldn’t be allowed in?

It is better for FPMT to continue their Dorje Shugden practices quietly and stop criticizing other practitioners in order to please the Dalai Lama. Many of the senior FPMT students met Lama Yeshe first and accepted him as their guru before they ever met the Dalai Lama. So they should hold what Lama Yeshe held close to his heart, which is Dorje Shugden and his practices.

By following their lineage lama, they can make their organization succeed well into the future. In the future, whatever the Dalai Lama has said will be forgotten. All thirteen of the previous Dalai Lamas’ words are unknown or forgotten for most dharma practitioners. Hardly anyone cares what the previous Dalai Lamas have said. No doubt they were great teachers, but truth be told, it is past already.

If FPMT continue on their present course, when this current Dalai Lama passes away, then they will have nothing left. There will be no Dalai Lama to win favor with and no blessings of the lineage lamas and no reincarnation of Lama Yeshe doing dharma work. And Lama Zopa will have passed away by then. FPMT should think carefully. Things may look rosy from the outside now, but definitely not in the near and distant future. Cause and effect does exist unless the Buddha was mistaken.

Kopan Monastery

It is not only FPMT that is affected by broken samayas. Kopan Monastery has a large portion of monks who are of Nepalese descent. The other part is Tibetan. These two groups are having problems and not getting along. So Kopan now is not in a harmonious state. The karma of creating dissent in other places using the Shugden issue is now coming back full swing.

Kopan should resume their practices as ordained by their root lama, founding father and Master, Lama Yeshe, and not trade it in for anything if they wish their lineage to grow, and their practices to be able to confer blessings. To abandon their practices in order to get in the good books of the Dalai Lama will have only temporary benefits as their samaya with their root guru, Lama Yeshe, is severely broken.

What happens if the Dalai Lama passes (sorry) and they have another lama teaching in the future? Do they adopt the practices another lama teaches because Dalai Lama has passed? If not, then why would they abandon their practice from Lama Yeshe just because another more famous teacher (Dalai lama) says they should? If we keep doing that, our monasteries will lose their basis.

What happens if everyone does that? The minute your master passes, you abandon what he taught you to practice and adopt another lama’s? Then when the new lama passes, you again abandon what he taught, and adopt yet again more new practices? That does not sound right.

To switch practices each time your lama passes and adopt a new and more famous lama’s practices IS NOT THE RIGHT WAY TO GO. But that is what Kopan/FPMT are doing today. Hence after Lama Zopa, they will have many problems for sure. It is such a waste that a great institution like Kopan/FPMT shows a poor example of guru/lineal devotion. I for one would never join in Kopan or their activities due to this break, I am sorry to say.

FPMT and Lama Osel

Lama Zopa succumbed to the political pressure of the Dalai Lama and broke samaya with his guru

FPMT has broken a very strong samaya by giving up the practice of Lama Yeshe. Dorje Shugden was the one that worked hand in hand with Lama Yeshe to get Kopan land, find sponsors, build, and increase the centres around the world.

Zong Rinpoche and Trijang Dorje Chang were the root lamas of Lama Yeshe. By giving up their Dorje Shugden practice, FPMT sends a message to the world and themselves that Zong Rinpoche and Trijang Rinpoche were wrong. Certainly, they were not wrong in any way. That breaks the lineal blessings right there. Broken samayas have repercussions. Causes do bear effects.

We see this effect in the new incarnation of Lama Yeshe. Lama Yeshe in the form of Lama Osel is the correct incarnation. Dorje Shugden has confirmed it in the beginning. Lama Zopa consulted Dorje Shugden through the Ganden Oracle himself. But Lama Osel has disrobed, left Sera and is staying in Ibiza, Spain with his girlfriend. Lama Osel’s brother also left Sera.

FPMT has caused many people within their own organization and other organizations to doubt, lose faith, question and have negative thoughts against their gurus for practicing Dorje Shugden. In that way, they have caused many to break their samayas with their gurus. That broken samaya comes back to them by way of Lama Osel, who is not able to manifest and ‘continue’ his dharma works as so much hoped by FPMT.

So doesn’t Lama Yeshe have attainments? If so, what happened? Lama Osel is definitely attained just like his predecessor, Lama Yeshe. So it leads us to believe that Lama Osel cannot manifest his dharma works due to the heavy broken samayas of his wayward students. That his dharma works are delayed due to the karma of his students.

Buddha appeared in this world, but samsara is not empty. Certainly that is not Buddha’s fault. Nagarjuna appeared and lived 600 years, but not everyone still has understood the truth of Emptiness and hence released from dualism. If the lake is not still and free of movement, then the moon cannot be seen in it clearly. That is not the fault of the moon.

Lama Osel as a two-year-old consecrating his previous incarnation’s stupa at Vajrapani Institute in Santa Cruz, where Lama Yeshe was cremated. Lama Zopa is seen on young Lama Osel’s right

A baby Lama Osel in the arms of Lama Zopa.

Lama Osel disrobed. It is a pity that Lama Osel cannot continue the great works of his previous incarnation due to the broken samayas of Lama Zopa and FPMT

Whatever Lama Osel does, I feel it is a teaching to FPMT whose many centres around the world have chosen to forget their lineage lama’s practices. Lama Yeshe definitely was very devoted to Dorje Shugden. Since Lama Yeshe practiced Dorje Shugden, so should his disciples as hundreds of them did in the past. They should continue his lineage and practices regardless of what H.H. the Dalai Lama says. His Holiness has his own reasons for what he is doing. So by practicing Dorje Shugden, it doesn’t show disrespect to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. But by stopping this practice, FPMT show great disrespect to Lama Yeshe and all that he stood for.

I hope so much Lama Osel will manifest his enlightened actions quickly. We hear nothing of him in any of the FPMT websites anymore and FPMT these days seldom talk or mention Lama Osel. It is as if he doesn’t exist anymore. I don’t think that is correct. He is the incarnate founder of FPMT worldwide. It must be a great embarrassment for them.

What FPMT don’t realize is that Lama Zopa is advanced in age and if he passes away, then what happens? They don’t have anyone to pass the torch to. Lama Osel should have been the one. But Lama Osel cannot manifest his dharma work because they have broken their samaya with Lama Yeshe by abandoning Dorje Shugden’s practice.

FPMT should repair their samaya with Lama Yeshe by doing their Dorje Shugden practices. Then Lama Osel can manifest his dharma work and their organization can continue even after the Dalai Lama has passed away. If they wait too long, then the chance for Lama Osel to manifest may pass completely for this lifetime.

I do not wish for FPMT to fall, nor do I wish ill of the Dalai Lama, but I do wish people would follow the teachings and practices of their teachers without being swayed by political winds. Who is Lama Zopa’s root guru? Lama Yeshe or His Holiness the Dalai Lama? Whose words have more precedence in his mind? Lama Yeshe’s or His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s? What factors have more influence on Lama Zopa’s mind? Status, throne, title, wealth, fame or what?

Lama Yeshe practiced Dorje Shugden and His Holiness the Dalai Lama forbids it. Why do the Dalai Lama’s words override that of Lama Yeshe’s? Isn’t Lama Yeshe enlightened? Can Lama Yeshe be wrong and His Holiness is correct and vice versa? If Lama Yeshe is wrong on this count, can he be wrong on other counts? Shouldn’t Lama Zopa recheck all his practices from Lama Yeshe and Lama Yeshe’s gurus?

These questions should make us think deeper on this issue. Lama Zopa and FPMT’s actions undermine not only Lama Yeshe’s credibility but also his own.

Disclaimer: This article was submitted by a third party author and does not necessarily reflect the official opinion of DorjeShugden.com. We accept submissions from the public, please send in your articles to ds@dorjeshugden.com

Lama Osel – recognised by the Dalai Lama

Extracted from the DorjeShugden.com forum

In regards to Kesang’s post regarding Lama Osel: He has shown the aspect of being disrobed. FPMT organization built him an elaborate residence in Sera Jey.

He had a traditional recognition ceremony in Sera. Also, besides having tutors of the Tibetan tradition for philosophy, etc, tutors were flown in from all over FPMT to Sera to teach him a balanced Western Education. On their website and Mandala Magazine, you would get news of his progress. Now we hear he has disrobed, moved away from Sera. Lama Osel is living somewhere in Europe, not pursuing traditional Geshe Studies anymore!!

As a Being who was such a great practitioner in his previous life and who sowed the seeds of dharma to so many, how can this be so?? Lama Yeshe did so much to benefit in his previous life – how can this be so??

I would conclude that it is the result of broken samaya. FPMT and Kopan, before the Dorje Shugden suppression by the Tibetan Government, practiced Dorje Shugden very strongly. Lama Yeshe was the root guru of Zopa Rinpoche. Zopa Rinpoche benefiting so many now is due mainly to the kindness of Lama Yeshe in so many ways.

Older students of FPMT have mentioned the following ‘off the record’ many times as they have been brow-beaten into silence for political reasons.

Lama Osel – then and now

Lama Osel – then and now

1. Lama Yeshe fervently practiced Dorje Shugden. He depended on Dorje Shugden singularly and said so openly many times. He encouraged his students to do the practice. He himself practiced all the way to his death.Under Lama Yeshe’s instructions, Kopan practiced and did the kangsol puja every month until the 1990’s.
2. Why is it that it was practiced for so many years, and then suddenly it is no longer holy. How can holy become unholy?
3. Within Lama Zopa’s meditation and guru devotional practices, Lama Yeshe and Dalai Lama should be equal. In real life, their statuses are not, but in his meditations it should be. Otherwise, that would mean that whether our teacher is a Buddha or not, how we view him in our meditations would be determined by his hierarchical status in life. That would contradict Guru Devotional practices.
   Therefore, when Lama Yeshe was alive, Zopa Rinpoche was a great practitioner of Dorje Shugden. Then, when Lama Yeshe passed away, Lama Zopa doesn’t ‘respect’ Lama Yeshe’s practices anymore and switches to the Dalai Lama’s stance. Can a great being like Lama Zopa be so wishy-washy?? In Lama Zopa’s meditations, does Dalai Lama override Lama Yeshe?? In our meditations, does the Dalai Lama, who is higher by hierarchy, override ones’ own guru who may not be of the same level? Then that would throw off the whole guru devotion practice in a new light.
4. When Lama Zopa does that, what is the message he sends to his students? That it is okay to switch from your lama’s point of view to another more famous lama’s point of view? I still don’t wish to believe that of Lama Zopa but he is taking that appearance.
5. Lama Zopa himself was discovered, recognized and enthroned, a tulku or Rinpoche reincarnation by Dorje Shugden’s oracle in Dromo Geshe Rinpoche’s Dungkar Monastery. (‘The Lawudo Lama’ by Jamyang Wangmo. Vajra Publications. Pages 172,173, 176, 177. See on Pg 374, footnotes 249, 250, 256).
   This book also has a foreword by the Dalai Lama, incredible as it may seem. This book clearly states that the monks caring for Lama Zopa consulted Gyalchen (Dorje Shugden) and that Gyalchen recognized Lama Zopa as a true incarnate lama and advised that special care should be taken of him. If Gyalchen was an evil spirit, why would he discover and allow the enthronement of Lama Zopa who benefits so many today?
   FPMT has a global drive to look good, get into the Dalai Lama’s good books and be politically aligned with the Dalai Lama in order to boost the prestige of their own centres in a drive for membership, sponsors, students, resources and growth. All that is fine, but NOT AT THE EXPENSE OF PUTTING OTHER DORJE SHUGDEN PRACTITONERS DOWN. AFTER ALL, LAMA YESHE, THEIR FOUNDER PRACTICED DORJE SHUGDEN. If they criticize Dorje Shugden practitioners, then they do not respect their root guru’s guru. In some cases, they would be disrespecting their direct guru. How can you respect the Dalai Lama but not Lama Yeshe? What difference is there in the meditations?
   Perhaps Lama Osel is not able to manifest his tulku activities because FPMT has an active drive, defamation and schismatic talk towards other centres/lamas that practice Dorje Shugden. The karma of that is very heavy. It would fall back onto their own lamas not being able to manifest their works. It is very dangerous and should be immediately amended. Yes, FPMT may be very well known now, but at what heavy price? When Lama Zopa passes away, can Lama Osel handle the organization, inspire the organization, run the organization or have the spiritual education to do so? If not, whose fault is it? The Lama’s or the students?
   
6. FPMT and Kopan Monastery have a huge negative stance against Dorje Shugden in order to get into the Dalai Lama’s good books and succor the Tibetan Government’s support. With that support, they press down, deface and have a spoken campaign against Dorje Shugden and his practitioners. That is incredible considering that Lama Yeshe was a great practitioner who held Dorje Shugden as his principle protector until his death. Lama Zopa was recognized and enthroned by Dorje Shugden himself. Does FPMT sound ungrateful now to look politically good? And if they look politically good, it is at WHAT EXPENSE??
7. FPMT mother branch and Kopan Monastery should send a worldwide message out to all their great dharma centres around the world to never criticize Dorje Shugden, his practices and his followers. FPMT may, of course, follow H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama but not in a political fashion; and they should not use the Dalai Lama’s fame to boost their own standing by defaming Dorje Shugden.
   Even some of you who have not received teachings within FPMT but have received teachings from Lama Yeshe, remember that he is your lineage lama. In your daily sadhanas, you have to invoke upon him for blessings for your own attainments. If you think he is dirty, wrong or unattained due to his practice of Dorje Shugden (and therefore, destroyed his refuge), then that would be the same for Lama Zopa. This is because he passed down whatever he had to Lama Zopa. Therefore, whatever was passed down, would also have been stained or foul assuming that practicing Dorje Shugden destroys your basis and refuge commitments. If what Lama Zopa has is stained, then all that he is disseminating is stained also.
8. FPMT as a whole should follow His Holiness the Dalai Lama, but with the correct religious perspective. They should not put down any centres, institutions, lamas or students who wish to be spiritually loyal to Dorje Shugden because their own lamas, and lineage lamas relied on Dorje Shugden. Also, Dorje Shugden was VERY KIND AND HAD GREAT FORESIGHT TO DISCOVER AND INSTALL LAMA ZOPA AS A TULKU.