Dorje Shugden and Dalai Lama - Spreading Dharma Together » religious rights

The Lord Dorje Shugden

admin — Fri, 04 May 2012 23:07:13 +0000

The Mighty Lord Dorje Shugden is one of the most popular Buddhist protectors of all. Maybe some of the credit for his popularity goes to HH Dalai Lama for his tireless efforts in publicizing the controversy that had resulted in chaos within Tibetan Buddhist Monasteries as well as amongst Dharma centers around the world.

If you think that Shugden practitioners are not really suffering then you are highly recommended to visit the monasteries and talk to their monks who have had horrible experiences. You will see the thousands of documents, video clips, images, posters, notices etc. and you might be speechless for while after seeing the evidence of the troubles that the Dalai Lama has intentionally created for Shugden practitioners.

You can also witness with your own eyes the notices put on the walls around non-Shugden monasteries. You would never know the hidden truth by staying in an air-conditioned office full of luxurious things nor by hearing from your friends etc. You should discover the truth for yourself instead of blindly agreeing on this issue.

These days some people use the controversy relating to Dorje Shugden as a tool to have personal gain and fulfill unfinished business. This might sound strange to you but that’s the inconvenient truth about Tibetan communities and its exile government. So far, there have been some individuals and organizations who had refused and protested against the unacceptable decisions made by the Dalai Lama’s government.

Later, the individual became invisible, treated as if he was a traitor or moved permanently in abroad, and the organization had been unapproved, pressured to shut down or separated from the community. The Tibetan government has used this agenda throughout its history.

There are those in Tibetan History who had refused or protested against government policy and were either imprisoned or terminated or treated as enemy of the state for the rest of their lives. This shows that there is no democracy and a lack of human rights because freedom of religion is a fundamental right in terms of human rights.

We seek your kind support in order to restore peace and harmony amongst Tibetan and Western Buddhists that we used to have. The criticisms regarding Dorje Shugden have no basis, and it has really nothing do with any other sects or religions.

Source : http://www.religiousforums.com/forum/articles/93715-lord-dorje-shugden.html

Why is the Dalai Lama suppressing religious freedom?

admin — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 20:35:04 +0000

Do you know that the Dalai Lama…

the Nobel Peace Prize winner and supposed champion of human rights is busy at work removing the religious rights and the freedom of his own Tibetan people and persecuting all those who are trying to stand up for these rights;
and that he is using all his political power to destroy a well-loved and centuries-old religious tradition, causing huge confusion and pain among thousands of Tibetans;
and that this religious tradition he is trying to destroy is the one taught to him by his own Spiritual Guide, His Holiness Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche (1901-1981), the Junior Tutor of the Dalai Lama;
and in a world where the Western ideal of the separation of politics and religion to prevent such abuses of power, the Dalai Lama is the very embodiment of this union of politics and religion;
and that his actions are illegal and unlawful, directly contravening the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Indian Constitution, and even the Tibetan government-in-exile’s own constitution;
and that no matter how many peaceful representations, letters and petitions have been sent to him over the last ten years begging him to reconsider, he has ignored every single one and refused to engage in any dialogue;
and all this makes the Dalai Lama’s actions contradictory and hypocritical – if you go around preaching non-violence and religious tolerance, it is hypocritical to then actively suppress religious freedom to advance your own political agenda of keeping control of the Tibetans:

…From the AP reports, Seattle, April 14, 2008:Inside the (University of Washington) arena, the Dalai Lama received an honorary degree and spoke of the importance of employing dialogue and mutual respect to solve problems. “You will make this century of peace,” the Dalai Lama told students. “Today’s world (is) heavily interdependent. Destruction of your neighbor or enemy is destruction of yourself.”

…From The Washington Post, April 20, 2008:Dalai Lama Urges Religious Tolerance. ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The Dalai Lama encouraged people gathered at the University of Michigan on Saturday to preserve their own religious traditions while respecting others with differing beliefs. “As you know, I always believed, since all different traditions have the same potential to bring inner peace, inner value, . . . it is important to keep one’s own tradition,” he told about 8,000 people at Crisler Arena.

* and when the Dalai Lama says “I now practice all Tibetan religious traditions and think you should too”, what he really means is “I want to control all Tibetan religious traditions”;

and that the Dalai Lama’s “spiritual” reasons for repressing the practice of Wisdom Buddha Dorje Shugden comes across as both superstitious and incompatible with basic Buddhist teachings:

For example, the Dalai Lama says that Wisdom Buddha Dorje Shugden is a spirit who causes harm to his own life and the cause of a free Tibet. However, every Buddhist knows that if you go for refuge to Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, you are protected from harm from spirits. So how can such a spirit harm a supposed Buddha? How can such a spirit affect the cause of a free Tibet? It makes no sense, but of course these reasons are designed to produce a powerful emotional response in the intensely nationalistic, devout and loyal exiled Tibetans.

and that, because of the Dalai Lama’s calculated and uncompassionate political campaign of religious oppression, many Tibetans in India are now outcasts within the exiled community;
and that even some Western followers of the Dalai Lama are blindly repeating his claims that those who are following this tradition are spirit-worshippers and a sectarian cult, despite all evidence to the contrary (in this way deliberately setting out to destroy the reputation of Western Dorje Shugden practitioners and prevent people attending their Centers);
and that just because the Dalai Lama is a media darling of the West does not mean that he is infallible and beyond reproach, and that just because he is a supposed God King and Nobel Peace Prize winner does not make him above the law or immune to grave mistakes;

If you now read the points on the right, you will see actions and behaviour that are contradictory and hypocritical. If you say one thing to everyone in the West, but in your own backyard you engage in systematic calculated political religious repression, then what is the world to think?

The purpose of this article is not to slander the Dalai Lama, but to point out a grave mistake that he is making. We urge him, yet again, to lift his ban on the practice of the Wisdom Buddha Dorje Shugden and to ask his followers to stop persecuting Dorje Shugden practitioners right now.

We don’t like hypocrisy. We hope you don’t either.

Source : http://wisdombuddhadorjeshugden.org/

Press release: Sept 1st, 2011

admin — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 15:00:18 +0000

Today we would like to bring to the attention of all those who believe in peaceful co-existence of all faiths and beliefs in this world, and particularly the attention of the people who believe in freedom of religion and human rights.

2nd September is The Tibetan Democracy Day, but the irony is that the Tibetan people do not have true democracy due to the policies of the Tibetan government in exile, under the powerful guidance of the Dalai Lama, that undermines Religious Freedom as embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and other international conclaves. Hence, we, the proponents of equal human rights, are commemorating 2nd September in order to create a global awareness of the plight of Dorje Shugden believers as they continue to struggle against the religious persecution and segregation that has been imposed in the Tibetan community throughout the world by the Dalai Lama.

The video by Al-jazeera, which accounts the atrocities committed by Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government in exile is at http://english.aljazeera.net

On 9 January 2008, the Dalai Lama declared that “Dorje Shugden devotees are supported by the Chinese and therefore, there is no need for them to be in exile, they can go back to Tibet (under Chinese rule)”. On the same day, he also called for “holding an open referendum, to decide if the majority of the Tibetans want to coexist with the devotees of the deity”. This is an invitation for open segregation of Tibetan society, under the disguise of practicing democracy. Furthermore, because of Dalai Lama’s position and influence, his statements become government policies, and therefore have great consequences. These statements from Dalai Lama’s position, undermine the fundamental rights: the right to exercise freedom of religion, right to peaceful living, and right to equal opportunity for the people. These statements have great potential to cause communal violence and mislead Tibetan people into believing that Dorjee Shugden practitioners are the enemy. As a result, the followers of this deity and their family members have been victims of ostracism and violence.

In 2008, we gave a deadline to a Tibetan Government in Exile and Dalai Lama to stop the religious persecution and segregation of the Shugden practitioners and their families, including children at schools. However, the situation is worsening every day, and now in 2011, the situation have not improved. The Dalai Lama has declared war against the Shugden people, demonizing and segregating Shugden worshippers since 1996. This “war” has been fueled by outrageous rumors that the Dalai Lama and his supporters allegedly promoted a view that if a non-Dorje Shugden follower kill a believer, it is not considered a sin! Furthermore, the killing would provide cumulative merit towards the Dalai Lama’s long life! Other such non-sins include destroying Shugden Monastaries, Stupas and Religious documents.

The following are a few of the recent incidents of violence inflicted upon Shugden devotees (more details of the atrocities are attached at the back):

The most recent developments occurred this Summer (July 2011) when the Dalai Lama was in Washington DC performing the Kalachara Initiation, which he barred Dorje Shugden followers from attending. However his tone seemed edited for the Western audience.

Following this meeting on August 23rd 2011, the Abbot of the Namgyal Monastery (the Dalai Lama’s private monastery) in Dharmasala who travelled with him to the USA and called an emergency meeting with the Lithang Organization of NY, as a result of this meeting, anyone who is caught associating with a Shugden follower is automatically expelled from the organization and subject to persecution. This is religious persecution happening right here in the USA and right now in 2011!

Also in January of this year, the Dalai Lama speaking at a Tibetan Monastery in South India angrily said that “Dorje Shudgen harms the Tibetan Government of Tibet” and expeled several High Lamas including the ex-Abbot of Gyume Monastery, who wrote to the Dalai Lama and the Prime minister Samdong Rinpoche saying it is illegal as well as morally wrong to segregate and inflict religious persecution although he is not a practitioner of Shugden. It is because he spoke against the segregation and ostracizing of the Tibetan people, he was immediately expelled.

On March 10th, the Dalai Lama dissolved the “Tibetan Government in Exile” and created the Tibetan Organization while maintaining himself as the head. While the rest of the world thinks that he is retiring from political power but he is still making decisions and ruling behind the facade of the Tibetan Organization.

Another example occurred when the Chushi Gangdruk Organisation (which is a political association) met with the Dalai Lama on May 2010, and informed him that they had removed the members who believed in Dorje Shugden and vowed to disassociate and remove any Shugden believers in the future for the happiness of His Holiness’.

In 26th February 2010, Central Chushi Gangdruk Organisation’s head quarter in New Delhi gave a letter to Dalai Lama which stated that they hadn’t associated with the Shugden believers since 1996 and vowed to continue disassociating with Shugden people in the future too.

On February 20, 2010, when 68 of the 100 invited guests as well as performers left the wedding party in New York City because a few Dorje Shugden devotees were invited. Those who left apologized and explained that they did not want to break the oath that they had taken to segregate from the followers of Dorje Shugden.

In July 29 2009, the Tibetan section of Radio Free Asia, with intention to turn the general Tibetan people against the Shugden devotees, demonized the Shugden devotees of being responsible for the abductions of Tenzing Thakpa, Woeser rinpoche’s father and a 13-year-old boy along with few goats and sheep in Markham, Tibet. In reality, Woeser rinpoche’s father and the boy were victims of flood and Tenzing Thakpa was seen alive and well, traveling in Lhasa and India.

In 2008, the oath and signature campaign of breaking off religious and material relationship with Shugden devotees were introduced in the monasteries and Tibetan settlements.

Another example of persecution was the shutting down of Tibetan Association of Western Massachusetts, in US on October of 2008 because it had some Shugden believers as its members.

In July 2008, wanted posters of several monks involved in the Western Shugden Society protests appeared in Queens, New York. Al-Jazeera reported about the wanted posters saying, “No Shugden worshipper has ever been charged or investigated for terrorism and yet the monks that continue to worship Shugden remain victims of name and shame.”

On 2006, the burning of thousands of autobiography written by Lamrim Rinpoche (from Drepung Monastery, Tibet).

In 1997, a nun in Tibet was beaten up and left naked in the street to die. Fortunately, she survived.

On April 5, 1996, after Dalai Lama’s teaching, Gaden Choeling nunnery in Dharamsala dragged the Dorje Shugden statue out, trod on, and flung it into a garbage pit.

Throughout India and Nepal, tens of thousands of Dorjee Shugden statues, literature and scriptures were desecrated. Threatening the lives of the people who believed in Shugden and ostracizing them from the Tibetan community throughout the world. An attack on Gaden Shartse monastery in South India by over three thousand Tibetans settlers resulted in 40 people wounded and damaged property. In Clement town, there was also an arson attempt on a Shugden devotees family’s house.

These are just a few cases from countless incidents of atrocities involving violence and discrimination towards Shugden followers. Some Westerners are beginning to understand the issues and the plight of the Tibetans people and editorials such as this one – “Darkness behind the Guru-bubble” by Mike Carlton for the Sydney Morning Herald are gaining more and more coverage in the international media but these articles that highlight truth is still few and far in between.

“Silliness is one thing. Nastiness is another. The so-called apostle of kindness has been ruthless in crushing a rival Tibetan Buddhist sect known as Dorje Shugden, expelling its monks from monasteries and ostracising or exiling its adherents.” You can read more: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/darkness-behind-the-gurububble-20110617-1g7si.html#ixzz1WiMO9qzN

In reference to the letter to the prime minister of the Tibetan Government in exile, Samdong Rinpoche and The Dalai Lama, dated April 25, 2008, we had appealed to the Tibetan government to enforce our demands within the deadline of September 2, 2008.

Our Demands were:

To entitle us to the fundamental rights of freedom to speech, beliefs, and the rights to live peacefully as guaranteed in the Constitution of Tibetan Government-in-Exile and Democratic countries.

To lift the ban on Shugden practice and the religious persecution of its practitioners.

To stop the systematic process of segregation in the Tibetan communities in exile, that has led to the social, psychological and physical torture of Shugden practitioners.

As our demands were repeatedly and blatantly ignored, the Tibetan government in exile continues to ostracize and segregate the Shugden practitioners from the rest of the Tibetan society. Hundreds of monks, who worshipped Dorjee Shugden, were ostracized and expelled from the monasteries. As a result, a new wall at Ganden monastery in Southern India was built in March 2008 to segregate the Shugden worshippers.

Monks who worshipped Shugden were denied medical services from the health clinics in the Tibetan communities in exile.

Students, whose parents practiced in Dorje Shugden, were ostracized in schools. Until the Dalai Lama stops religious segregation and admit his horrific mistakes, We will continue to fight for the peaceful coexistence of all faiths and beliefs in this world, and particularly the attention of the people who believe in freedom of religion and human rights.

Shugden Society USA
shugdenusa.2009@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/notes/lozang-gyaltsan/revisiting-my-position-on-dorje-shugden-earlier-this-year-i-posted-an-article-it/10150355294735955

My Position on Dorje Shugden

admin — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 19:41:40 +0000

This will not be a re-hashing of the pros and cons of this controversy. In this respect, I take a position of neutrality. Recent conversations with Lamas and other Dharma practitioners have convinced me that it is time for me to make a public statement. As a long-time Dharma practitioner in the Gelug Lineage, this is not a topic with which I am unfamiliar.

My Tsawa-Lama is Chodag Tulku Rinpoche, with whom I studied until his passing at the end of 2001. I was ordained by Dagom Rinpoche at Dagom Ganden Tensung Ling Monastery in Bloomington, Indiana.

Chodag Tulku and I had many long and detailed conversations about this matter. He gave me very specific instructions regarding how I was to handle discourse on this topic and the things I have to say about it are either his direct words or are informed by what he taught me. His teaching was that while this all started as an internecine religious squabble some centuries ago, it has degenerated into a squabble about Tibetan politics and not religion.

Tibetan politics, both before and since the introduction of Buddhism, has a long, violent, bloody history filled with deep political intrigue, and long-standing sectarian hatred, including the assassinations of many religious figures, even the Dalai Lamas, and open warfare between monks in rival monasteries. My Lama said that as a practitioner and a monastic, I am to avoid the mixing of politics and Dharma. It is always disastrous and always poisons both.

This first thing I want to address is the first question usually asked, aside from, perhaps, “What is all this Shugden mess?” And that question is: “Are you a Shugden practitioner?” As with ALL tantric practices, I will neither deny nor confirm any connection to this practice. As with all of one’s practices, especially Tantra, it is an inappropriate topic for public discourse for any practitioner; period. A true Tantric practitioner will not engage in any public discourse with respect to whether or not they have an empowerment for a specific practice. To do so violates one’s tantric vows. This is the teaching of my Tsawa-Lama.

Some of you will make an immediate assumption one way or the other about what my answer “means”. If you actually care one way or the other about whether or not I, or anyone else, is a Shugdenpa then you already have a proclivity for wasting your time and meddling in affairs that do not concern you. My personal observation would simply be that you do not spend enough time on your meditation seat or reading the Bodhisattva and Tantric vows.

The second thing I wish to address is this. I do not have relationships with Lamas and other practitioners, or friendships and acquaintances with anyone, based on their position on this matter. I don’t know how most people feel about this controversy and, truthfully, don’t much care what anyone thinks.

I know many people who are Shugden practitioners, even more who are not and, for the most part, have no clue about the vast majority of the practitioners I know. If it matters to you, then I’m probably not someone you want to know. I base my decisions regarding friendship on how one treats other people and whether or not they are disruptive to my mind-stream.

My Lama’s teaching on this was, also, quite clear.

You can have all the compassion and loving-kindness toward another sentient being and, quite reasonably (and well within the dictates of yogic principles) not want that being to be anywhere near you.

You should always avoid those who are disruptive to your mind-stream regardless of who they may be.

Any of you who have gone to hear Tibetan Lamas since the introduction of the Dharma in the West has taken teachings from, studied with, or has been empowered by one or more Shugden Lamas, whether you know it or not. Many of you still take teachings from a Lama who is a practicing Shugdenpa. The fact that you don’t know is an example of the both the critical importance of secrecy in Tantra and the facetious pretense of superiority that is at the heart of this centuries-old, occasionally rehashed, squabble about political influence and sectarian persecution.

I have a zero-tolerance policy toward, and absolutely no respect for, anyone who engages in such nonsense, who perpetuates this blatant disrespect for the teachings of the Buddha, or for anyone who harasses or intimidates another person for their spiritual beliefs and practices.

My Lama was very clear on this aspect of the teaching of Shakyamuni: The beliefs of others are not your concern.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/notes/lozang-gyaltsan/revisiting-my-position-on-dorje-shugden-earlier-this-year-i-posted-an-article-it/10150355294735955

The Debate Test – 2011

admin — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 20:57:07 +0000

Or watch on server | download video (right click & save file)

The Debate Test of the Annual Geluk Exam is displayed before the superior masters of both monasteries – Shar Gaden and Serpom. This year (2011), it takes place in Shar Gaden as per the rule of rotating its venue every year.

It is an acid test for every exam candidate where randomly-selected subjects written on a piece of paper are selected and debated upon. Each candidate needs to demonstrate the highest level of debating skills in this exam.

Conventional Untruths: Orchestrated Deception in the ban on Dorje Shugden Prayer

admin — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 18:56:08 +0000

Following the media coverage of the protests against the Dalai Lama by the Western Shugden Society, one inevitably comes across a very basic contradiction. On the one hand, here is this Buddhist group protesting the ban on Dorje Shugden practice, and on the other hand there is the world’s generally accepted “face” of Buddhism, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, along with representatives of the Tibetan Government in Exile, saying there is no ban.

So what exactly is going on?

We can all agree that the Dalai Lama doesn’t like the practice of Dorje Shugden and that he has his stated reasons for disapproving of it. Leaving these reasons for future debate, the intention here is to focus on whether or not the Dalai Lama is using his position as a political leader to ban Dorje Shugden prayer, which is clearly a religious practice.

This is an important point for investigation because the Dalai Lama declares publicly that he is not banning the practice, merely advising against it because it is not “Buddhist in nature.”

“In a BBC interview, the Dalai Lama said he had not advocated a ban, but he had stopped the worship of the spirit because it was not Buddhist in nature. The exiled Tibetan leader said people were free to protest and it was up to individuals to decide.”

(BBC News 2008, Click here for source article)

Factually speaking, the consequence of this statement is that those speaking up about the ban on Dorje Shugden prayer by the Dalai Lama are being routinely discredited, and the documented crimes and abuses that they are protesting against are being disregarded as non-existent. Politics has a long history of employing such tactics. If a fact is denied often enough and loud enough and by enough people (especially if a weighty figure of authority lends his or her voice to the dismissal), the fact eventually becomes generally viewed as a falsehood.

Question: How many Iraqi nationals were on the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center buildings?

I have nothing against the Dalai Lama personally, and I possess no abiding need to defame him, but I do have to say, Dalai Lama, “Your pants are on fire!” In a speech the Dalai Lama made at a Tibetan University in Southern India January 2008:

“I have meditated and considered (my decision to put aside the Shugden) at length in my soul and spirit before coming to the right decision”, he said. People have killed, lied, fought each other and set things alight in the name of this deity. These monks must be expelled from all monasteries. If they are not happy, you can tell them that the Dalai Lama himself asked that this be done, and it is very urgent.”

(To see the Dalai Lama saying this on video please click here)

For more quotes and translations of speeches given by the Dalai Lama where he bans the practice of Dorje Shugden please refer to: http://www.westernshugdensociety.org/guest-blogs/ban-by-another-name/

It is through words that we reveal our mind and our heart. A cool-headed assessment of the words of the Dalai Lama on this subject reveal quite a complexity of ‘truths’ about what this revered leader is actually saying and actually meaning.

Much of the confusion that has presently developed in the Tibetan diaspora and within the Buddhist community surrounding the Dorje Shugden issue is a result of these contradictory messages, because there is, quite plainly, a ban. And a severe ban at that. The free flow of information is crucial to the ability of human beings to use reason in order to make correct decisions about what the proper course of action is in any situation. This is one of the guiding principles of a qualified democracy; that the free flow of information to the masses via the press will lead to an organic system of checks and balances wherein the actions of the government can be scrutinized by the reason and intelligence of the populace. We see all too often that when governments seek to distort, censor, and manufacture the information that is fed to the populace, this natural immune system against political despotism shuts down because of course there is no basis for rational discourse.

The Dalai Lama’ s wordplay in the matter of his clearly intended ban on the practice of Dorje Shugden is no different. Ultimately it is the Tibetan society and the Buddhist community as a whole that suffer as a result of any manipulation of information by the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government in Exile (TGIE). In the face of such manipulations, public forums even for discussing the pros and cons of the policies become increasingly crippled, and even vanish altogether. An honest argument can only be built on facts. Distort – or remove – the facts, and healthy discourse ceases. Meaningful discourse ceases. Essentially, manipulation of ‘facts’ is the means of manipulating an entire populace. Muddy the waters sufficiently, and uncertainty and confusion as to what are the actual policies and intentions of the government are the guaranteed result.

This confusion can be highlighted by the following example.

(Taken from www.philly.com news on July 16th, 2008: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20080716_Dalai_Lama_speaking_today__and_so_will_protesters.html)

(Editor’s Note: This link appears to have been removed from the mentioned website)

John Ackerly, president of the International Campaign for Tibet, an advocacy group that promotes human rights for Tibet, said that the Dalai Lama had discussed the issue in a question-and-answer session after an address Monday at Lehigh University.

“He’s really trying to create an atmospheric tolerance around this by saying . . . that he thinks the worship of Shugden is inadvisable and harmful,” Ackerly said. “But he says people can worship it or not. That’s their choice. There’s nothing that should befall anyone who chooses to do so… People have the right to demonstrate, and the important thing is that there really needs to be an atmosphere of tolerance and acceptance,” Ackerly said. “To my knowledge, there is no tolerance for any discrimination, and certainly nothing that says in writing that followers in Shugden should be excluded [from anything].”

Well, that was Lehigh. Clearly John Ackerly didn’t hear the Dalai Lama’s speech quoted above where he says that “These monks must be expelled from all monasteries.” In fact Ackerly’s statement is perfectly in-line with the misinformation put forth in the BBC interview where the Dalai Lama says that “he had not advocated a ban.” This highlights the basic problem that is created by this misinformation; the public’s perception of the Dalai Lama’s policies is the exact opposite of what his actual policies are. In this environment how is one to determine whether or not the Dalai Lama is governing in an ethical and humane fashion?

How are we to question, or even discuss, His Holiness’s leadership of the Tibetan people, not to mention Buddhist practitioners worldwide? It seems to me that the implication of the don’t-question-him mindset falls under the very scary category of “divine justification for the exercise of power.” The Buddha himself certainly never advocated such a truth-killing notion. After all it was Buddha who said “Do not accept my teachings simply because I am called Buddha.” Unfortunately in our current environment, the Dalai Lama’s well-tended spiritual stature serves to stifle discourse to the point where it is deemed inappropriate simply to raise a dissenting voice.

If one looks, it doesn’t take much to see the layers of deception taking place. In addition to denying that the ban on Dorje Shugden practice exists there is a consistent campaign by the Dalai Lama and the TGIE to discredit the idea that the government is responsible for the ban. (although in doing so it is discrediting its first assertion that there is no ban).

For example, in a Time Magazine Online article on July 18, 2008 (Click here to see source article):
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1824531,00.html

“Tashi Wangdi, the Dalai Lama’s American representative, denied the allegations. “I have heard about the ,” he said. “But as far as official policy goes, there’s no discrimination.” Regarding the oath to give no assistance, he said, “I am sure that no Tibetan government administration office has asked anyone to sign this document.” However, he notes, “It is within the rights of individual organizations to have conditions that they stipulate for members.”

This quote from Tashi Wangdi clearly distances the Dalai Lama and the TGIE from the ban, portraying it as the activity of “individual organizations.” Once again I have to say: “Tashi Wangdi, your pants are on fire!” The following is an excerpt from the TGIE website:

“In sum, the departments, their branches and subsidiaries, monasteries and their branches that are functioning under the administrative control of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile should be strictly instructed, in accordance with the rules and regulations, not to indulge in the propitiation of Shugden.” (Source: http://www.dalailama.com/messages/dolgyal-shugden/atpd-resolutions)

The government departments, monasteries, and their branches where these practices are prohibited are under the control of the Tibetan Government in Exile. The irony (the inconsistency; the willful manipulation of facts) is that the Tibetan Government website claims there is no ban, no abuse of human rights, and that they are merely discouraging the practice. But then on the very same web page they “strictly instruct” people to “not indulge in the propitiation of Shugden.” Let me translate that into English for you: There is a ban.

(Source: http://dorjeshugdenblog.wordpress.com/2008/09/27/conventional-untruths-orchestrated-deception-in-the-ban-on-dorje-shugden-prayer/)