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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.
 

By Johannes Nugroho

Some followers in the west march to a different drummer

When the Dalai Lama visited Oslo in May for the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of his Nobel Peace Prize reception, he found protesters accusing him of discrimination against devotees of the Tibetan deity Dorje Shugden.

The Buddhist prelate’s subsequent tour of Europe was marred by further Shugden protests. He may come to look back on with fond memories the bygone days of not having his foreign visits tainted by such public remonstrances.

The Shugden protests are in many ways, however, inevitable. This is mainly due to what Tibetan Buddhism has undergone for the past few decades. As a result of the Dalai Lama’s peaceful struggle for Tibetan autonomy since his exile in 1959, Tibetan Buddhism alongside the Tibetan cause have become internationalized.

Additionally, the Dalai Lama is today perhaps the most famous Buddhist alive. Technically speaking, however, he is a high-ranking monk of the Gelupga lineage within Tibetan Buddhism, also known as Vajrayana, which has several more schools, and, ultimately Vajrayana is only one of the few varieties of Buddhism worldwide.

Yet his international high profile has made him the unofficial ambassador of Buddhism, revered by interfaith activists everywhere. From the 1990s onwards, however, his hitherto unsullied reputation as a champion of religious freedom has changed, at least for Shugden devotees.

The Shugden practitioners are to be found wherever the Gelugpas are, in Tibet, within Tibetan community in India where the Dalai Lama resides, and in the Tibetan Diaspora worldwide.

As the Tibetan cause gained international recognition, a number of lamas have chosen to migrate to Western countries and there establish their own respective Tibetan Buddhist communities. A clear example of this is Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, founder of the UK-based New Kadampa Tradition (NKT), a Buddhist organization indentified by Dalai Lama’s supporters as the main culprits behind the Shugden protests in Europe.

Kelsang Gyatso is a devotee of Dorje Shugden, whom he regards as the patron deity of the Gelugpa school, and it follows that his students within the NKT would also propitiate the same deity. Thus, the Western Shugden communities were born, made up of Tibetans and Western converts who study under Gelugpa Tibetan teachers who honor Shugden.

More significantly, it is the Western Shugden devotees who spearheaded the campaign to pressure the Dalai Lama to stop discouraging Tibetan Buddhists from worshipping Shugden. The official discouragement against worship of the deity took place in the 1970s. In 1996, the Tibetan Parliament in exile also passed a resolution against employment of Shugden practitioners in government departments.

Western Shugden activists claim that within the Tibetan community in India, Shugden devotees are discriminated against, prevented by ordinary people from entering shops and denied hospital services.

However, the Central Tibetan Administration counters that the ill treatment of Shugden practitioners is a spontaneous act by the people, not an official government policy. Tibetologist Thierry Dodin, while agreeing that Tibetan Shugden followers are “shunned by the community,” said in an interview in May that the shunning takes place “for no other reason than the fact that they themselves choose to live in groups largely cut off from the rest of the community.”

Judging from various interviews with the media, the ostracized Tibetan Shugden followers living under the jurisdiction of the CTA, while bemoaning their fate, have so far failed to organize themselves into a militant group.

The opposite is the case with their Western counterparts. There is undeniably a great difference in cultural values between Tibetan Buddhists who grew up within their community in India and the Western converts who were raised with liberal western values.

The Tibetan Shugden followers in India say they are confused by the Dalai Lama’s intransigence against a deity they have worshipped for centuries. However, as most Tibetans see the Dalai Lama as a living Buddha, they are culturally inhibited against speaking out to condemn someone who is seen as semi-divine.

By contrast, the Western converts of Tibetan Buddhism do not see him as infallible. While the Tibetans see ostracism as just punishment of Shugden followers, Western converts, responding to liberal impulses, reject it as discrimination and an attack against religious freedom.

The two opposing views cling to and defend their own logic with equal panache. However, the issue no longer concerns religious dogma. The lesson for the Dalai Lama here is that he can no longer pretend that, in today’s internationalized world of Tibetan Buddhism, there are still two separate audiences.

In a lecture given in Tibetan before a Tibetan crowd, the Dalai Lama claimed that those who continue to worship Shugden were endangering his life intentionally. This may sound reasonable to a Tibetan audience culturally conditioned to accept his word as law but it would seem like emotional blackmail to a Western audience, even illogical.

Many supporters of the Dalai Lama have also voiced their opinion that the NKT does not qualify as Tibetan Buddhist practice, implying that it is heretical. However, the concept of heresy itself goes against the core of Buddhist teaching which is far from being doctrinal in nature.

There is no doubt that the conflict over Dorje Shugden will continue to haunt the Dalai Lama well into the future, unless he somehow reconciles himself with the Shugden followers.

Twenty-five years on after his Nobel Prize, he must also realize the world has changed, and so has Tibetan Buddhism. From a faith being practiced by a remote land-locked nation, it has become a fast growing religion in the West, as well as a model of tolerance.

Further, with the advances in technology and the internet, it is becoming increasingly difficult to separate the Tibetan and the global audiences, especially when the two are approached differently.

Johannes Nugroho is a writer and businessman based in Surabaya, Indonesia.

[Source: http://www.asiasentinel.com/politics/cracks-show-tibetan-buddhism/]

On May 18, 2014 at around 3.30 pm, Gaden Choaling, a Dorje Shugden monastery traditionally belonging to H.H. Domo Geshe Rinpoche, was forcefully occupied by a group of monks and laypeople from Tharpa Choaling.

Over three months later, this grave injustice has yet to be resolved, no thanks to the gross inaction from the Central Tibetan Administration, thus prompting the Ghum Dun Gon Samten Choaling Association to call for a meeting with Dorje Shugden devotees from all around the world, including the President of the Dorjee Shugden Society of Delhi, in their efforts to garner support to reclaim what rightfully belongs to their Guru, H.H. Domo Geshe Rinpoche.

The official press release can be read below.

Ghum Dun Gon Samten Choaling Association

Central Committee
Regd No. S/55139/87-88
P.O. Ghoom, Dist. Darjeeling – 734102
Tel Nos: 0354-22-74297; 0354-22-74533
Fax No: 0354-22-74397

Branches
Samten Choaling Monastery, Darjealing
Tharpa Choaling Monastery, Kalimpong
Tashi Choaling Monastery, Kurseong
Gaden Choaling Monastery, Pedong
Enchey House, Gangtok

PRESS RELEASE

21st August 2014, Darjeeling

A meeting of all worshipers of Dorje Shugden was held at Ghum Dung Gon Samten Choaling Monastery on the 21st of August 2014.

The administrator of Samten Choaling Monastery, Ghe Tshering La welcomed the guests who had arrived from all over the country. He also requested the President of the Dorjee Shugden Society, Delhi to chair the meeting.

The General Secretary of Ghoom Dun Gon Samten Choaling Association spoke at length on the forceful entry into Gaden Choaling Gompa at Pedong. He informed the guests about the action taken by the Association and the cooperation it had received from members from around the world. He also informed the gathering that future plan of action would be decided once the Sub Divisional Officer gives her judgement.

The secretary also spoke about the plan for the future and highlighted the need for closer cooperation among members and the need to expedite the flow of information and news so that all members and followers are on the same wavelength.

The representative from Europe expressed his solidarity with the Association and his desire to be actively involved with the education and the welfare schemes planned by the Association. He also gave a brief History of H.H. Domo Geshe Rinpoche which was a revelation to all His followers.

The representative from the United States expressed his sympathy with the Association with regard to the demise of Ghe Passang Dorjee La and the debacle that was being enacted at Kalimpong and the forceful attempt to wrest control of Gaden Choaling Gompa at Pedong. He promised to work closely with the Association till justice is granted to the Association.

Other delegates from Nepal, Shillong, Shar Ganden and Ser Pom from the South also voiced their opinion and promised full cooperation to the Association in its fight for justice. The meeting ended with a vote of thanks given by Sri Nima Tshering.

The original press release (low resolution)

A Dharma Protector is an integral component of Vajrayana Buddhism, also known as Tantrayana. At its most basic, the role of a Dharma Protector is to create conditions that are conducive for a practitioner to progress smoothly on his spiritual path and in addition, to avert obstacles that prevent spiritual practitioners from attaining realizations that will eventually lead them out of the cycle of samsaric suffering.

At a higher level of practice, the role of the Dharma Protector becomes even more significant as the practitioner bases his training upon what is known as the Three Roots – the Guru or Lama who is the root of all blessings, the Yidam who is the root of all accomplishments and the Dharma Protector who is the root of all activities within the practice. Such is the importance of Dharma Protectors that in Tibet, it is common for virtually every monastery to have its own dedicated protector that monks and devotees of the monastery pray to according to its tradition.

Different lineages of Tibetan Buddhism each have their special protectors. For example, Kalarupa (Dharmaraja) and Palden Lhamo are protector-deities associated with the Gelugpas. The Karma Kagyus propitiate Mahakala as their special protector. But Mahakala also takes several forms (two-armed, four-armed, six-armed, female aspects) and so different forms of the deity are adopted by the different lineages – Sakyas, Gelugs, Kagyus and Nyingmas. In the Drikung-Kagyu (one of the major sects in the Kagyu school), Achi Chokyi Drolma is the protector who members of the lineage worship. Among the Nyingmapas, Ekazati, Rahula and Dorje Lekpa are regarded as protectors closely related to the core practices of the lineage. In the history of Tibetan Buddhism, each lineage has practiced its own pantheon of deities and dharma protectors without interference.

While some Dharma Protectors are regarded as emanations of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, there are also Protectors who are very powerful beings and spirits bound by oath to serve and protect the Buddha’s teachings. For instance, the Dharma protector of Tibet who is also the personal protector of the present and 14th Dalai Lama is Pehar, a spirit who takes possession of the Nechung oracles. Pehar is widely known as a fierce and powerful spirit who was subdued by the legendary yogi, Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) and made to serve the Buddhadharma.

Dorje Shugden has for over three centuries been regarded as an enlightened Dharma Protector and emanation of the Buddha Manjushri who arose to protect a very important and core teaching of the Gelugpa lineage.

(Read Part 1)
Recently, France 24 sent journalists to India to investigate the claims of religious persecution by Dorje Shugden practitioners at the hands of the Dalai Lama and his supporters. This is what they found. Here we continue with Part Two of comments on this report. Part One can be found here.

Clarification of Inaccuracies Within the Report

While, generally speaking, the report documents well the persecution against Dorje Shugden practitioners, there are nonetheless a few points that require clarification.

• Dorje Shugden practitioners are Chinese collaborators. The inferences from the report range from Dorje Shugden practitioners are appreciative of the Chinese contribution to Tibet, through to they are receiving funding from the Chinese, through to they are outright collaborators with the Chinese. This can be clarified as follows:

1. There is no evidence whatsoever linking Dorje Shugden practitioners with the Chinese. This is just a baseless allegation repeated again and again. A lie repeated frequently does not become an actual truth, but it can become popular assumption, or at least enough of a rumour that people begin to doubt. A good example is the often-repeated accusation that Barack Obama is a Muslim.
2. The only evidence that has been produced to ‘prove’ that Dorje Shugden practitioners are working for the Chinese is a couple of pictures of Dorje Shugden supporters meeting with Chinese officials. Although there are far more pictures of the Dalai Lama with Chinese officials, nobody makes the absurd suggestion that such photos are a basis for saying he is working for the Chinese. Anybody who has dealings in Tibet will need to have interaction with Chinese officials. If there is ‘no doubt’ that Dorje Shugden practitioners are Chinese collaborators infiltrating the Tibetan community, then surely there must be more evidence than the picture of the back of somebody’s head! Surely this picture alone cannot be the basis of a systematic, 30 year campaign to completely eliminate ‘even the memory of the name of Dorje Shugden’ (the Dalai Lama’s self-declared goal).
3. During the Cultural Revolution, Mao would frequently declare that somebody was a Nationalist Spy or a Revisionist, and use this accusation as a means of discrediting any opposition. It seems the Dalai Lama is holding himself true to his words that his persecution of Dorje Shugden practitioners will be like the Cultural Revolution.
4. Any time that Tibetan officials or defenders are pressed to provide evidence substantiating their claims, all they can do is say ‘everybody knows this to be so’. Everybody may believe this to be so due to 30 years of propaganda and slander by the Dalai Lama, but history is replete with examples of everybody in a population believing what the propaganda says (Nazi Germany, Stalin’s Russia, Mao’s China, Kim’s North Korea, Castro’s Cuba, etc.). It is a fair question to ask ‘what is the basis of this belief?’ ‘What is the evidence substantiating this claim?’ If this is to be the basis of widespread religious persecution, a betrayal of the very principles that the Tibetan community is supposed to stand for (Religious Freedom) then surely it is fair to ask for proof whether the accusation is true or not.
5. Any independent investigation would reveal that Dorje Shugden practitioners are receiving no financial support whatsoever from the Chinese. Any independent investigation would reveal that these accusations are nothing other than convenient government lies designed to demonize and discredit any opposition.

• Objection: But what about the pro-Chinese comments of Kundaling Rinpoche. Surely this shows that Dorje Shugden practitioners are Chinese sympathizers.

1. It is possible that a few Dorje Shugden practitioners, such as the individual shown in the interview, may feel that Tibet is better off under the Chinese than under the leadership of the Dalai Lama. But this is an extreme minority view. Any independent investigation would reveal that the overwhelming majority of Dorje Shugden practitioners are just as committed to the Tibetan cause as any other Tibetan or Buddhist practitioner.
2. This statement confuses cause and effect. The Dalai Lama supporters say that Dorje Shugden practitioners are Chinese supporters (cause), therefore they need to be restricted (effect). But the causality is actually reversed. The Dalai Lama is persecuting Dorje Shugden practitioners (cause), which then may cause a small minority of them to prefer the Chinese (effect). Absent the persecution, there would be no basis for this preference. It is the ban itself that is creating sympathy for the Chinese cause; therefore, to remove such sympathy from Tibetan society, a more appropriate solution would be to lift the ban.
3. To be unambiguously clear, the pro-Chinese sentiments expressed by Kundaling Rinpoche are in no way reflective of the views of the Western Shugden Society or the overwhelming majority of Dorje Shugden practitioners. The Western Shugden Society has no political opinions whatsoever. Its only objective is the restoration of religious freedom for Dorje Shugden practitioners. It takes no position whatsoever on Tibetan politics, other than how it impacts religious freedom.
4. Besides, feeling that China has brought some benefit to Tibet does not make somebody a Chinese agent or infiltrator. This is a political opinion. Oppositional political opinions are illegal only in authoritarian regimes. The life blood of democracy is free opposition. Either the Dalai Lama wishes to make Tibetan society democratic, at which point he should embrace opposition; or he declares that any opposition is national treason, at which point he forfeits any claim at being a democrat.
5. Even if there do exist a few Dorje Shugden practitioners who are Chinese agents, this is in no way a justification for the ‘collective punishment’ of all Dorje Shugden practitioners. Why should innocent people be punished for the views of some? If action needs to be taken against some individuals, then it should be targeted against those individuals, not against an entire spiritual population.

• Dorje Shugden practitioners engage in violence, commit murder and instigate arson. Therefore, they need to be stopped.

1. This is another incidence of a lie repeated often enough becoming publicly held myth. With such a serious accusation, it is fair to ask the question: what is the evidence? Once again, when pressed, Tibetan leaders will reply ‘everybody knows this.’ This is not evidence — this is simply proof that the Dalai Lama’s smear campaign has been effective.
2. When the Indian police investigated the accused Dorje Shugden practitioners, no evidence whatsoever was found against them, and they were cleared of all charges against them. This has not stopped the Tibetan Government in Exile to continue to repeat and publish the accusation at every possible juncture. Read a detailed account of the police investigation.
3. Showing pictures of murdered people and saying it was Dorje Shugden practitioners who did it does not prove that Dorje Shugden practitioners committed such awful crimes, it merely proves that some people were murdered. It says nothing at all about who did it.
4. Such murders are tragic, and anybody who committed such actions is not Buddhist. Such violence must be condemned in the strongest possible terms, and all genuine Buddhists, Dorje Shugden practitioners included, share the moral outrage that such crimes are committed.
5. The crimes of a few misguided extremists cannot be a justification for punishing and demonizing an entire spiritual population. Even if it was some extremist Dorje Shugden practitioners who committed these crimes (something we completely deny, this response is being made as a hypothetical), then it is those individuals who should be tracked down and punished, not the entire community of Dorje Shugden practitioners. Surely any thinking person would not say all Muslims are murderers and should be punished just because some extremists engage in acts of terrorism. The vast majority of Muslims are peace-loving, honourable people, and so should be treated with dignity, freedom and respect. The whole world shares the moral outrage at the collective punishment of all Palestinians due to the actions of a few suicide bombers. These are innocent people who should not be punished for crimes they did not commit. In the same way, even if some extremist Dorje Shugden practitioners did commit such awful crimes (which, again, we deny), this is not a justification for punishing and persecuting innocent people.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we thank the producers and reporters of France 24 for having the courage and journalistic integrity to investigate the simple question of whether the Dalai Lama practices at home what he preaches abroad. This documentary demonstrates clearly that there are serious violations of religious freedom and other human rights taking place against Dorje Shugden practitioners and the source of such persecution is none other than the Dalai Lama himself. As the report accurately described: there is ‘spiritual apartheid’ taking place and it is ‘taboo’ to question the Dalai Lama.

We invite France 24 to investigate further the points clarified in this response. Baseless rumour and often-repeated allegation is not evidence. If an investigation were to take place, it would clearly show that these allegations have no foundation in reality and are nothing other than a government-orchestrated effort to silence and discredit any opposition. The truth can never be defeated.

Posted courtesy of Dspak.

(Read Part 1)

(Source: http://wisdombuddhadorjeshugden.blogspot.com/2008/09/part-two-tv-documentary-by-france-24.html)

(Read Part 2)

Recently, France 24 sent journalists to India to investigate the claims of religious persecution by Dorje Shugden practitioners at the hands of the Dalai Lama and his supporters. This is what they found. Please read on for comments to this TV documentary.

Introduction

First of all, it is wonderful that France 24 has taken the time to investigate what is actually going on within the Tibetan community in exile. In public, the Dalai Lama is the global champion of religious freedom, yet at home in secret he is persecuting his own people. It is almost unthinkable that the Dalai Lama would blatantly betray that which is he most known for. It would be like finding out that Santa Clause abuses children, so people just think ‘it can’t be.’ But as this documentary shows, there is truly spiritual apartheid.

Our fear is that such hypocrisy will destroy the Dalai Lama’s moral authority much in the same way that the US engaging in torture has destroyed any remaining US moral authority. In the end, all Dorje Shugden practitioners are asking for is for the Dalai Lama to practice at home what he preaches abroad.
These comments will first indicate what the documentary got right, and then in Part Two it will clarify some issues that were misleading.

What the Documentary Got Right

In general, except for the clarifications mentioned below, this documentary demonstrates beyond any doubt the types of things taking place within the Tibetan community against Dorje Shugden practitioners.
In particular, the report shows clear evidence of ‘spiritual apartheid’. Widespread persecution of Dorje Shugden practitioners includes:

1. Dorje Shugden practitioners are denied entry into stores, shops and even hospitals. So they cannot get access to food, basic social services or medical care in their own community due solely to their religion.
2. The Tibetan people have taken an oath to the Dalai Lama swearing that they will deny material or spiritual support to any Dorje Shugden practitioner. And the Tibetan people are carrying out this oath.
3. Dorje Shugden practitioners are treated as outlaws. Their portraits are posted on the walls, like they are criminals.
4. Dorje Shugden practitioners have been shunned from their community, essentially being driven into exile from the exile community. They live in fear of people harassing them, threatening them, etc. Many Dorje Shugden practitioners have been forced to flee their community and live in exile.
5. Dorje Shugden practitioners are accused of being against the Dalai Lama, traitors, rebels and Chinese spies and collaborators.
6. The report shows that the persecution of Dorje Shugden practitioners is politically motivated. The report correctly calls it a witch hunt motivated by fear of Chinese infiltration within the Tibetan community. It shows that opposition to Dorje Shugden practitioners is taking place at the highest political levels within the Tibetan community, including the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Prime Minister, Samdhong Rinpoche.
7. It shows that people are forced to choose between Dorje Shugden and the Dalai Lama, and if they choose to maintain their religion, then they are expelled from their monasteries and community.
8. The report shows it is extremely taboo to criticise the Dalai Lama. Since he is supposed to be a God, anything he says automatically becomes the rule of law. If somebody criticises the Dalai Lama, then it is taken as automatic ‘proof’ that they are a Chinese spy or collaborator who is against the cause of Tibet.
9. The report shows that Dalai Lama is a hypocrite – preaching tolerance and religious freedom around the world, but at home practicing persecution.
10. It shows that any reporting of what is going on receives a hostile response. Cameras are smashed, those speaking out against the ban are harrassed, etc. If this takes place with the cameras rolling, imagine what takes place when nobody is looking…
11. The report shows clearly how all of this comes from the Dalai Lama himself. The Dalai Lama is the one who is the origin of all of this persecution, and it is he who ordered that all Dorje Shugden practitioners be expelled from their monasteries and the Tibetan community at once.
12. The report shows the number of people who have been affected by this ban – more than 4 million Tibetans.

• Some argue that this number is exaggerated, saying that there is currently only a small minority of people practicing Dorje Shugden. However, it is historically undeniable that prior to the Dalai Lama beginning his crusade against Dorje Shugden practitioners 30 years ago, upwards of 60% of the 8 million total population of Tibet relied upon Dorje Shugden. So 4 million is actually a conservative estimate of the number of people affected by this ban.
• To say that this number is exaggerated and that there is only a small number of people who are (currently) affected by this ban is very misleading. The reason why there is only a small minority currently affected by the Dalai Lama’s actions is precisely because the Dalai Lama has been so successful over the last 30 years in systematically destroying the practice. The very fact that there are currently so few Dorje Shugden practitioners left today is itself the proof of the effect of the Dalai Lama’s actions. There are currently very few Jews left in Eastern Europe because Hitler almost succeeded in wiping them out, but this does not mean that the holocaust did not affect many people.
• There are two possibilities. Either there is a large number of Dorje Shugden practitioners, at which point the persecution being committed by the Dalai Lama is widespread; or it is a small number, at which point Dorje Shugden practitioners are not a threat, so they should be left alone to practice in freedom.

Posted courtesy of Dspak.

(Read Part 2)

(Source: http://wisdombuddhadorjeshugden.blogspot.com/2008/09/tv-documentary-by-france-24-dalai-lamas.html)

(Read Part 1 and Part 2)

Q: What prevents anyone from practising it anyway in his/her privacy?

A: In theory there is nothing to stop people practising ‘in secret’, but as part of his campaign to remove the practice from Tibetan society, each person either has been forced to swear an oath to Palden Lhamo (another powerful Dharma protector) or be ostracised from Tibetan society and be denied travel, food, family relationships and basic human conditions. In effect the Dalai Lama is forcing Tibetans to make a vow to break their previous commitment to their Spiritual Guides to practise Dorje Shugden, or to suffer ostracism if they refuse. The oath is as follows:

I swear on the name of the Dalai Lama and glorious Maxor Gyalmo (Protectress Palden Lhamo) to never venerate and worship Dorje Shugden and to never have any relation on material and other levels with those who worship Dorje Shugden.

The Dalai Lama is seeking to publicly denounce the practice of Dorje Shugden with a view to removing the practice and its adherents from Buddhism; and to oppose this requires public action such as demonstrations. He has already banned the practice in the Tibetan Community in India and moves are afoot to try to force Tibetans living in the West to sign a similar oath to abandon the practice. For example, The Dalai Lama’s sister Pema was recently in Paris starting the forced signature campaign of Tibetans in France, Tibetans in Australia told the demonstrators that they had already signed the oath, and the forced signature campaign is being arranged for Madison, US, next month (July 2008).
The discrimination against Dorje Shugden is already affecting Buddhist traditions in the West. For example, the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition, which was founded by Lama Yeshe (a very devout Dorje Shugden practitioner, now perhaps turning in his grave), no longer allows any officer, Teacher or Administrator of the organization to be a Shugden practitioner. Also, one of the pre-requisites for requesting ordination in the FPMT is not to be a Shugden practitioner. The irrational ban is spreading like poison through the bloodstream of all Tibetan Buddhist institutions loyal to the Dalai Lama, even Western ones. The aim is the complete eradication of Dorje Shugden practice and the authentic Gelugpa lineage.
The Dalai Lama travels throughout the world talking about tolerance, religious harmony and the need for dialogue with one’s enemies. He speaks sweet words taken from his Teachers, but at the same time he is seeking to humiliate and destroy the reputation of Dorje Shugden practitioners throughout the world such that they will no longer be regarded as Buddhists but as sectarian spirit worshippers. He is destroying the very lineage he is teaching from!
A lot of people think that religion and religious figures are hypocritical. Sadly, the Dalai Lama is busy proving them right. If the Dalai Lama cared anything for Buddhism and its reputation he would not act in such a hypocritical way because in the long term it will destroy the reputation of a religion that many people are increasingly turning to for solving their problems. For the sake of power and influence he is showing a callous disregard for the spiritual lives of others.

Q: What do protesters hope to achieve by going public, and by all accounts, sow, what appears gratuitous discord, amongst the Tibetan community? And apparently undermine the moral and representative authority of the Dalai Lama at a very, very crucial time for him and Tibetans. To the public at large it has all the appearance of a rather self-centred opportunity for these practitioners to embarrass the Dalai Lama, and to gain maximum leverage for their cause, whatever the merits of it may be.

A: What the Western Shugden Society hopes to achieve is dialogue with the Dalai Lama so that the destruction of a pure lineage of Buddhism can be averted. Our wish is for the pure spiritual practice of Je Tsongkhapa’s tradition to remain for many aeons for the benefit of all living beings. We want to persuade the Dalai Lama to reconsider, give religious freedom to Dorje Shugden practitioners in his own community and to stop slandering the practice and practitioners throughout the world.
In short, we want him to stop causing disharmony and gratuitous discord in the Buddhist community by lying about the practice, and for him to give religious freedom. When something as precious as the Buddhist teachings is threatened, something has to be done, which is why the Western Shugden Society is organizing demonstrations against the Dalai Lama. As soon as he agrees to listen, the demonstrations will stop.
Some people have said “why are Westerners protesting when it’s only a problem for Tibetans in India? You’re free to practice, the Dalai Lama isn’t stopping you” Firstly, it’s not just Westerners who are protesting. If you look at the videos and pictures of the protest at Colgate University in New York State, for example, you will see many Tibetans, and many more will be at future demonstrations. Secondly, this is a problem for ALL Shugden practitioners worldwide and is increasingly coming to affect Western practitioners in terms of unchecked slander against Dorje Shugden practitioners. Just as a forest fire may begin in one part of the forest but will eventually spread and destroy everything if it is unchecked, the Dalai Lama is trying to stop all of us from practising Dorje Shugden by using his charisma and good reputation, first in his own community but later worldwide. We must oppose this.
Those of us who are in the New Kadampa Tradition have already suffered from ten years of the Dalai Lama labelling us as a ‘cult’, even mainstream news magazines like Newsweek in April 1997 repeated the misinformation spread by the Dalai Lama: “Nobody would pray to Buddha for better business, but they go to Shugden for such favours – and this is where it has become like spirit worship,” the Dalai Lama told NEWSWEEK. “This is a great pity-a tragedy.”
There are now hundreds of stories throughout the world of people strongly deterred by Tibetan Buddhist groups from coming to or returning to NKT Centers because they are cultists and evil spirit worshippers, and all other sorts of hurtful nonsense. NKT publicity is torn down or defaced, teachers are heckled during their teachings, NKT people have been shouted and spat at in the street, some other Tibetan practitioners wear protective ribbons and make mudras (hand gestures) upon encountering any Kadampas, there is a lot of negative talk about us on the internet, and faith is destroyed.
Yet what has the NKT done wrong except for trying to keep the Gelugpa tradition intact and give Dharma teachings unmixed with politics? What have they done wrong except to stand up to the Dalai Lama for their own and others’ spiritual lives? And it is clear that the source of this bias, disinformation and hostility is none other than the Dalai Lama himself. Tibetan Buddhists who are following the Dalai Lama’s view are practising sectarian discrimination against the NKT in particular and against Dorje Shugden practitioners in general, just as their teacher is.
For example, on the popular E-sangha Buddhist discussion forum it is not permissible to post about Shugden practice or the NKT except to criticise. We are all ‘banned’ from this supposedly Buddhist forum, just as the Dalai Lama would like to ostracise all Shugden practitioners from Buddhism. The Dalai Lama has created all these problems through his sectarianism. This kind of discrimination is not Buddhist and is against the Bodhisattva vows. Therefore, it’s incorrect to say that Western Shugden practitioners are unaffected by the Dalai Lama’s slander of our tradition.
It is not our wish to sow discord amongst the Tibetan community but to heal it by allowing everyone to practice freely. The Dalai Lama is the one sowing discord with his campaign against Dorje Shugden. He is driving a wedge between practitioners and their families and denying basic human conditions unless you renounce the practice. The Dalai Lama is abusing human rights and breaking Indian Law by engaging in Deity discrimination. His actions are clearly uncompassionate and unlawful.
In February 2008, 900 monks were expelled from their monasteries for bravely refusing to give up their practice.
As Geshe Sopa said recently when he travelled from America to join the demonstration in Oxford, what the Dalai Lama is doing is worse than what the Chinese did – the Chinese destroyed the monasteries but they could not divide the monks. The Dalai Lama has succeeded in creating a schism in the monastic community by enforcing a ban that has stirred up disharmony and bitterness.
The protest against the Dalai Lama is not self-centered but is an attempt to draw media attention to this problem. The Western Shugden Society has no choice because the Dalai Lama refuses to discuss this issue even though many attempts have been made to have a meaningful dialogue with him. The WSS is trying to prevent the destruction of Je Tsongkhapa’s tradition and to re-establish the rights of Tibetan practitioners of this Deity who are being oppressed, to allow them to carry out their practice without political interference. Is that really so much to ask?
Posted courtesy of Lineageholder.
(Read Part 1 and Part 2)
(Source: http://wisdombuddhadorjeshugden.blogspot.com/2008/06/frequently-asked-questions-about-dorje_9205.html)