Photo of local paper reporting on November 29, 2012, accident involving HE Ling Rinpoche

Source: http://www.mandalamagazine.org/2012/ling-rinpoche-in-car-accident-out-of-danger/

Kyabje Ling Rinpoche, the main organizer of the Jangchup Lamrim teachings with His Holiness the Dalai Lama currently taking place in Mundgod Tibetan Settlement in India, was injured in a deadly automobile collision the day before the teachings began. According to Phayul.com, Ling Rinpoche was traveling to Goa to receive His Holiness on November 29 when there was an accident, which left the driver of Rinpoche’s car dead. Ling Rinpoche is in a hospital in Goa and reported to be “out of danger.”

Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s attendant Ven. Roger Kunsang, who is currently at the teachings in Mundgod with Lama Zopa Rinpoche, shared in an email that Ling Rinpoche received the full impact of the collision and should be dead. He also wrote that Rangjung Neljorma Khadro Namsel Drolma (Khadro-la) miraculously arrived at the scene of the accident five minutes after it happened, just after Ling Rinpoche, who was in a great deal of pain, had been freed from the car.

“Khadro-la had just arrived in Goa (about two or three hours away) and said to her two attendants they needed to do puja as it was a bad day, and then suddenly she said they should leave Goa straight away and drive quickly ‒ that was all!” Ven. Roger wrote. “Then they came on the accident scene. There was no one else there. The accident had just happened and one man had dragged Ling Rinpoche free. It was a strange scene they said. The driver was already dead. Also in the car was TT-la (a 79-year-old monk who had been the previous Ling Rinpoche’s secretary), who was in a bad way, as well as another young monk. It took a long time to get help.

“Khadro-la took control of the whole scene and started checking everyone and doing her thing,” Ven. Roger wrote. “They got everyone to a small hospital and after some quick patching and more transport, took them to the main hospital in Goa ‒ in all more than eight hours. It was 11 hours before they got Ling Rinpoche in on the operating table and then it was a seven-hour operation. The young monk is OK. TT-la has had several operations and seems stable.”

(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)

Monk Lozang Tsering, 29. Shartse Monastery. Fled Tibet in 1990 to study Buddhism in India. He and other monks were maltreated and injured by Tibetan protesters, including monks, recruited from various camps by the local Tibetan Women’s Association (TWA) and local Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) and the settlement Chairman to disrupt the two-day prayer conference of the all-India Shugden devotees’ representatives.

DECCAN HERALD
Monday, September 11, 2000
MUNDGOD (Karwar) Sept 10 (DHNS)

Three police officers and more than 30 persons were injured in a stone pelting incident in Lama camp of Tibetan settlement, Mundgod on Sunday morning.

More than 2000 Lamas, including 200 women, who are said to be the followers of Dalai Lama took out procession under the leadership of Prema Tsering, and tried to destroy a Shugden temple and started pelting stones at Shugden devotees. Police personnel resorted to a lathi (stick / cane) charge and later shot teargas shells.

The Dalai Lama supporters opposed prayers at the Shugden temple, due to the difference of opinion between Lama followers and Shugden devotees.

Dorje Shugden Devotees Charitable and Religious Society had arranged a three-day seminar which started on Saturday, but Lama supporters staged a protest march today which ended in the stone pelting.

Police Inspector B.D. D’Souza, PSI S.T. Gasti, ASI Ganapati S. Naik and more than 30 Shugden devotees were injured in the stone pelting. However, the timely action of the police averted mishap.

Mr Yesha Lama has urged the arrest of the culprits who tried to destroy the Shugden temple and the building belonging to Kunja Lama, and requested the police to provide protection for Shugden devotees.

Mr G.B. Chebbi (Superintendent of Police), Dr T.D. Pawar, Additional SP V.S. Naik, Dy SP, Asst Commissioner Naveen, Tahsildar Raghavendra Rao have camped at Mundgod and are supervising the law and order situation.

There is panic in the Tibetan settlement area and vehicular traffic was stopped. More than 50 representatives from all over India and three delegates from Nepal have participated in this seminar, which will be concluded on Monday. The General Secretary of Shugden Devotees Charitable Society L.K. Thakur has urged the district to provide police protection to Shugden devotees.

Source:Deccan Herald

Delhi, 17.9.2000
PRESS RELEASE

Sera Mey Monastery in Bylakuppe

On Sep. 10, there was an hour-long clash between Tibetan protesters and monks in the Tibetan settlement in Mundgod, Karnataka. The ‘protesters’ numbered about 3000, including nuns, lay people and inmates of the local old peoples’ home. They came at the behest of the local Tibetan Women’s Association (TWA) and the local Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) who made it mandatory for every Tibetan above school-going age to join in the protest against Shugden worshippers – or be fined a public penalty.

They targeted a two-day prayer conference attended by about 70 delegates of Shugden worshippers from all over India and Nepal. The ‘protesters’ attacked not only the monks participating in the prayer-conference, but also vented their ire at the local policemen and other officers. Many on both sides, and the police, had received serious injuries. The police imposed a 24-hour curfew from 6pm to the evening of the next day. Forseeing more unrest, they extended it for another 24 hours on Sep. 12.

A four-man representative of the Tibetan exile election commission, who had arrived in the settlement on official duty, visited those of the protesters who were in the local Tibetan hospital. They did not call or visit any of the monks who had also received serious injuries and were bed-ridden in their monastery hostel.

On Sep. 12, there was another clash among Tibetans. This took place at the Bylakuppe Tibetan settlement, the largest Tibetan enclave outside of Tibet. Delegates from various local Tibetan monasteries and camps in the settlement had objected to the presence of the United Cholsum Organisation (UCL) from Dharamsala to pitch for elections. Though both the police and the settlement Chairmen ordered them to be out of the settlement by 8am, they evaded the order and stayed on. The entire delegation of the Dorje Shugden devotees from all over India and Nepal, who had a brief reception at the local Pomra Khangtsen monastery on their return from Mundgod, left the place after a brief prayer, as requested by the police.

About 600 Tibetans awaited them at Camp 1. They missed the delegation’s motorcade which left by another route. However, about 20 monks of Pomra Khangtsen, who saw off the delegates up to Priyapatna, were not so fortunate. While returning, they fell into the waiting arms of the mob. In complete defiance of the police intervention, they attacked the monks. There was no compassion. None of the monks was spared. They were beaten without mercy by their fellow Tibetans. All of them received massive injuries. The police imposed section 144 within the Sera Monastic University.

Although the 20 monks were the victims, the police took them into judicial custody. The UCO leaders, who responsible for the clash, and were contravening their expulsion order from the police, were left untouched.

THE ORIGIN

The origin of these two clashes among ordinary Tibetans is the ban imposed by the Dalai Lama on the worship of Dorje Shugden, a Tibetan protector deity worshipped by thousands of prominent Tibetans including Trijang Rinpoche (1901-1982), the Dalai Lama’s junior tutor.

THE POLITICAL COMPULSION BEHIND THE RELIGIOUS BAN

As the ‘well-being of the Dalai Lama and independence of Tibet’ were given as the pretext for imposing it, it got all the major Tibetan organisations (who had till then openly opposed any concession by anyone to China on Tibetan independence) totally involved in enforcing it in every Tibetan community in India, Nepal, Switzerland, and even in Tibet where Tibetans are under Chinese subjugation. Four months later, when the confusion created by this policy completely involved the entire Tibetan exile community, the Dalai Lama announced (July 17, 1996), at a joint address to the British parliament, that he was seeking autonomy under China, as opposed to complete independence from China (which had been the notion given to the Tibetan public till then).

THE DALAI LAMA’S ROLE

Both the religious ban and the method adopted to enforce it have created results tantamount to religious persecution in exile. These are all documented. Throughout the exile Tibetan enclaves, there have been grievous injuries, daily harassment and discrimination against those Tibetans who refuse to give up their faith in Shugden, or poor Tibetan families who receive scholarship for their children’s education from Tibetan Lamas in Europe who revere the deity.

These actions contravene more than one section of the Constitution of India, in which the Dalai Lama is a refugee and resident. They contravene more than one clause of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights, which is his main source of support where the Tibetan people are concerned. To date, neither the Dalai Lama nor his Private Office have deplored these incidents. Why?

THE TWO INCIDENTS

The two recent incidents mentioned at the beginning have left about 70-100 Tibetans wounded. These Tibetans do not know each other. Nor do they know why they attacked each other. None of the assailants had any enmity towards each other. This is perhaps the real tragedy. Those who attacked did so believing that they were carrying out the ‘wishes of the Dalai Lama’. Those who resisted the onslaught and retaliated in self-defence, did so to defend their right to freedom of religion, for a life consistent with human rights and dignity.

IMPORTANCE OF THESE INCIDENTS

The Tibetan establishment routinely informs the Union and state Govt. of India that Shugden worshippers are ‘Chinese spies’. On the other hand, all the monks who were attacked at Mundgod on the 10th, all the 20 monks who were beaten without mercy by a 600-strong Tibetan mob at Bylakuppe on the 12th, are Tibetans who had recently escaped from Chinese rule. None of them have any connection with the Chinese government. Each of them has escaped Tibet, given up their family and relatives in Tibet, to live in freedom, to live a life with human dignity, in exile.

This incident has proved beyond any reasonable doubt that even though Shugden devotees are loyal Tibetans, the Private Office of the Dalai Lama, and some of its lobbyists, is bent upon destroying any Tibetan or Tibetan monastery or Tibetan individual who disagrees with him – at any cost, under any pretext, even if this means misrepresenting facts to governments and Tibetan supporters abroad.

IN THE AFTERMATH

On the 14th, the Dorje Shugden Society called on the Union Home Minister to apprise the Government of the situation and to seek a full inquiry into the incidents and their origin. The Government is concerned for unity among Tibetans.

The Tibetan exile administration is completely dominated by the Private Office of the Dalai Lama and its lobbyists. More than four decades have passed since the exile Tibetan administration came into existence. But the Tibetan exile community has no independent Judiciary, no independent press and no opposition party.

OUR DECISION

Tibetans who worship Lord Shugden, share in the grief of all those Tibetans who suffered in these two incidents. They deplore this violence. Knowingly or unknowingly, the Dalai Lama is creating permanent division among his own people based on religious faith and ideological convictions. The price for this divisive policy will be exacted from future Tibetans yet to be born. The Dalai Lama’s so-called ‘supporters’ are seeking to rule even the conscience of each and every one who is born a Tibetan. The respected leader, bearing the entire weight of his exiled people and his international commitments, is too distracted to notice this dangerous trend.

The two recent incidents in Mundgod and Bylakuppe are just the tip of this dangerous iceberg.

The Private Office of the Dalai Lama is the whole cause of these two incidents. The local Tibetan Women’s Association (TWA) and Tibetan Youth Congress, who masterminded the incident in Mundgod, are staffed with educated Tibetans. Their mandate does not permit infringement of anyone’s religious and human rights. Hence, unless insisted in the name of the Dalai Lama, they would not commission such a step on their own. Furthermore, the Private Office has created, for political purposes, the present religious controversy. It has consistently sustained this controversy by giving inducements of favors, high offices, titles, immigration or postings in Western countries, and money to any abbot, Tibetan petty official, or monastery or Buddhist centre who helps to support this controversial religious policy.

Till these questionable methods stop, those close to the sun may enjoy a sunny life but the average common Tibetan will continue to suffer in anguish and remain torn between their native Tibetan values of honesty and political deception being continuously espoused in their leader’s name. We would like to clarify that except for this religious ban, Shugden devotees have no quarrel or any political objectives against either the Dalai Lama or his Private Office. But till such time as the Dalai Lama clarifies his stand on these two incidents, and starts working for uniting the Tibetans on the basis of truth, honesty, and Buddhist and ancient Indian values of religious diversity and tolerance, till that time, with all due respect for him as a great spiritual master, we will not accept him as our religious leader any more.

Violence and Sangha are not a good mix

48-Hour Curfew at Tibetan Settlement. 24-Hour Curfew at Another Tibetan Settlement in South India.

INDIA – Deccan Herald,
Monday, September 11, 2000:

Representatives of Dorje Shugden devotees from Ooty, Shillong, Kalimpong, Darjeeling and Sikh, Nepal, Delhi and Bylakuppe gathered at the settlement (Pop. 13,000) in Mundgod in the southern Indian state of Karnataka to participate in a one-day prayer convention organised by the local Shugden Society. The gathering was violently attacked by a mob of more than 2000 Tibetan Dalai Lama “supporters”. An eye-witness report from these incidents:

Sep. 8:
Anticipating objection and violence, Mr Nudup Dorje, Chairman of the settlement, requests all the house masters of Gaden Monastery to calm down their monks on the 10th, as ‘there will be only a peaceful protest march of about 200 Tibetans against the Dorje Shugden convention’. Ven. Geleg Thogmed, the house master of Dokhang Khangtsen calls a special gathering of all the monks of Dokhang Khangtsen, and asks each and every one of them to remain calm during the peaceful protest. The monks believe their house master, and return perplexed and thoughtfully to their quarters.

Sep. 9:
Representatives of Dorje Shugden devotees arrive from Ooty, Shillong, Kalimpong, Darjeeling and Sikh, Nepal, Delhi and Bylakuppe arrive at the settlement (Pop. 13,000) in Mundgod in the southern Indian state of Karnataka to participate in a one-day prayer convention organised by the local Shugden Society, for the purpose of:

1. sorting out legal and other details about constructing a new prayer hall for the worship of Lord Shugden as the existing one can accommodate only half the number of devotees at every prayer session and
2. discussing how to respond to the continuing religious prosecution within Tibetan society at the hands of those claiming to be ‘supporters of the Dalai Lama’ against anyone who reveres the Buddhist deity Dorje Shugden. The delegates, assembled in Delhi, leave in two groups for south India.

MUNDGOD:

The area in front of the new Dokhang Khangtsen (House), located beside the entry gate to the Tibetan settlement, is quiet except for a police bus and a few policemen on patrol. This was sent by the local police.

Morning, Karnatak countryroad:

Representatives for the convention who came together by train are stopped halfway to Mundgod by a detachment of police, and searched thoroughly for weapons, at the behest of the local Tibetan Women’s Association and the Tibetan Youth Congress who had baselessly alleged that Shugden devotees are ‘anti-Dalai Lama’.

Mid Afternoon, Goa-Karnatak border:

Geshe Cheme, General Secretary of the Shugden Society, and two advocates of the Supreme Court of India, Mr Thakur and Mr Arvind Singh, were on their way to the convention from the airport when they were stopped by another detachment of police at the Goa-Karnatak border. They are escorted to the district police headquarters at the seaside city of Karwar to meet the police commissioner. The PC briefs the Supreme Court lawyers about allegations he has received from the Tibetan Women’s Association, the Tibetan Youth Congress, and the settlement Chairman to the effect that the Shugden devotees in the settlement are all ‘anti-Dalai Lama’, ‘paid by China’ and other baseless charges. He asks the lawyers to live in separate accommodations outside of the Tibetan settlement, as he was apprehensive that ‘the other side’ may attack the convention participants. They reach the convention venue after another five hours by car.

Late evening, Mundgod Tibetan settlement:

News is received that, as their final pitch to prevent the convention from taking place, officers of the local Tibetan Women’s Association asked the camp leaders to announce that every Tibetan in the settlement above the age of 15 should join their protest the next day. Anyone refusing will be fined Rs. 500, or will be asked to give an explanation. The TWA approaches Drepung Loseling Monastery, requesting it to send Drepung monks to participate in the protest. The monastery keeps silent. Besides monasteries, the TWA visited the local Tibetan infirmary with the same message. They visited Jangchub Choeling (The Abode of Dharma), the peaceful local Tibetan nunnery, a second time to urge the nuns to join in the next morning’s procession.

Sep. 10: 9 A.M.
Soon after their simple breakfast, local Tibetans began to leave their home in twos and threes. From the side of Camp 3, several hundred Tibetans descended towards Gaden Monastery as though they were on their normal life visits in the settlement. However, after passing the big blue police van strategically placed near the Camp 3 bridge, they came together, forming a 3000-strong procession and briskly proceeded towards Gaden Monastery. But we did not know any of this at the time…

Except for some passersby, there was almost no one within the gates of the convention precinct. It was open. From the vantage point of the new prayer hall, I could see groups of police and some passersby outside the gate. Most of the monks had gone to attend the morning debate at the monastery courtyard.

Geshe Jangchub Dorje, President of the local Shugden society, opens the prayer convention. There are about 70 delegates. Mr Jampal Yeshe, President of the Shugden Society from Delhi, took the podium next. We were hardly a few minutes into his speech when political reality thrust aside peaceful intentions of mortals…

From our venue, we started hearing chants. The chanting got louder and louder. It became more and more difficult to concentrate on the speaker. About 50 steps away from the prayer hall, outsiders began to converge at the gate to watch the advancing procession. Monks helping with the prayer convention from within the compound became curious and went to see. The policemen began to form a barrier outside the gate. They had helmets and cane batons. None of them had shields.

Expecting to see leaders of the TWA and TYC leading the march, the onlookers saw widows, old women and old men from the local Tibetan infirmary placed at the head of the procession. The Chairman of the settlement was seen pretending to stop the advancing procession. As the protesters reached the gates of Dokhang House (the prayer venue), they became ugly. They began to shout abuses against Dorje Shugden. “Any Tibetan who worships Shugden against the wishes of the Dalai Lama”, they shouted, “are traitors.” Soon the protesters began to throw dust and small stones at the direction of the convention. These fell on monks who were watching from inside the gate. Soon larger stones and bricks followed. Flower pots and glass panes of the Dokhang students’ hostel facing the road were smashed without pity. All the windows of the nearby residence of Geshe Tenzin Chophel, one of the main disciples of the late Kyabje Zong Rinpoche, were hit and smashed. The attack increased in intensity. The local police inspector was hit on the face and started bleeding. Other police officers were similarly attacked. It was becoming impossible to restrain the monks watching from inside. They became restless. They shouted at the police for holding them in check while not being able to control the abuse and attack from the protesters. The abuses and attacks continued. Some of the monks within the gate rushed out and charged at the protesting mob.

Soon there was hand-to-hand fighting between the protesters and the monks. It was an uneven match: about 40 monks, young and old, trying to combat about 3000 screaming protesters. Many on both sides received bad beatings. Many on both the sides started bleeding from injuries. Some protesters begged for mercy, saying they had no choice but to join the procession or face penalty from the TWA. Nuns in the procession from the local Tibetan nunnery fled to the nearby Lhopa Khangtsen. Amidst sobs they cried that the TWA came to their nunnery twice to ask them to join to this protest march, be fined, or ‘face a Tibetan inquiry commission’. The fight was continuing. Sticks, stones and bricks were landing everywhere. The protesters fled screaming. But again they regrouped and advanced towards the monks. The in-fighting became bitter and tragic. Some of the protesters, while fleeing, fell into ditches and nearly suffocated to death. Others, while fleeing, smashed the window panes of the Shartse Monastery student canteen and the library above it.

Some old Tibetans were seen weeping at the steps of the Shartse student canteen, sobbing that that this attack on the monks was a replay of the cultural revolution in Tibet. The violent confrontation and fighting, however, grew in strength and continued for about two hours. In desperation, the police fired several times into the air. This proved effective.

Many Tibetans on both sides suffered injuries. Among the protesters some fell unconscious; others had to be lifted and carried away. Some of the monks had to be immediately taken to Indian hospitals in Mundgod. About 40 protesters were treated for various injuries at the local Tibetan hospital near Camp 3. About seven of them were said to be admitted. We also heard that one monk and a nun had fatal injuries, and were rushed to Hubli hospital for intensive treatment.

The prayer convention was resumed. The Supreme Court lawyers, who had witnessed the confrontation from their car throughout the duration, were shocked beyond belief. They addressed the convention. They observed that according to the constitution of India, every Tibetan living in India has complete freedom to adopt any religion and worship any god.

About lunch time the police commissioner arrived at the Tibetan settlement from his headquarters in Karwar (three-hour bus ride) to evaluate the situation for himself and to inspect the attack on his officers by the protesters. For the local police chief whose uniform was splattered with blood from injuries on his face, the commissioner asked for a change of his officer’s uniform.

Meanwhile, at the settlement office, the Tibetan Women’s Association, the Tibetan Youth Congress and other Tibetans were planning a second protest march in the evening. Apprised of this development the local Indian administration decided to ask the delegates to leave by nightfall. At the same time, they imposed a 24-hour curfew throughout the Tibetan settlement. Sensing that even the leaving of delegates was not enough for the protesters and the organisers, fearing an even more serious civil unrest, the police commissioner imposed another 24-hour curfew at 6PM on Tuesday, September 11 over the entire settlement.

What happened at Sera after the Mundgod incident:

On Sep. 12 the next day, there was another clash among the Tibetans. This took place at the Bylakuppe Tibetan settlement, the largest Tibetan enclave outside of Tibet. Delegates from various Tibetan monasteries and camps had objected to the presence of the United Cholsum Organisation (UCL) who had arrived from Dharamsala to pitch for elections. Though both the police and the settlement Chairmen ordered them to be out of the settlement by 8AM, they evaded the order and stayed on. The entire delegation of the Dorje Shugden devotees from all over India and Nepal, who had a brief reception at the local Pomra Khangtsen monastery on their return from Mundgod, left the place as asked by the police.

About 600 Tibetans awaited them at Camp 1. They missed the delegates’ car, which left by another route. However, about 20 monks of Pomra Khangtsen, who saw off the delegates up to Priyapatna, were not so fortunate. When they returned towards their monastery after seeing off the delegation, they fell right into the waiting arms of a 600-strong Tibetan mob. In complete defiance of the police intervention, they attacked the monks. There was no compassion. None of the monks were spared. They were beaten without mercy by their fellow Tibetans. All of them received massive injuries. The police imposed a 24-hour curfew in the settlement.

Although the 20 monks were beaten without mercy by the Tibetans, the police took them into judicial custody. The UCO leaders, who responsible for the clash, and were contravening their expulsion order from the police, were left untouched.

Source: www.schettini.com