By: Wong Kim Seng

The opinion piece below was sent to dorjeshugden.com for publication. We accept submissions from the public, please send in your articles to ds@dorjeshugden.com.

In February 2014, the Tibet Autonomous Region Party Committee Office made an official statement about the Dorje Shugden conflict that the Central Tibetan Administration’s (CTA) unpopular ban created. As the Chinese government clearly identified, the anti-Shugden campaign is actually an attack against Chinese unity, causing divisions amongst Tibetans in the autonomous region which is a big problem for the Chinese government. Since then, the Shugden issue has split Tibetan Buddhists in India, China, America, Europe and everywhere it is being played out.

The Chinese government is taking these attacks seriously and have made the move to officially warn against those who use this religious conflict to create disharmony within their own country. And as it turns out, the Chinese government is right to be worried. On April 7, 2015, the ‘International Campaign for Tibet’ which is controlled by the CTA translated the Chinese statement and twisted it into yet another piece of anti-China propaganda, using the Shugden ban to keep anti-China sentiment high. (View the International Campaign for Tibet’s statement here).

The CTA’s strike would not be effective outside their immediate circle, so they have to use ‘agents’ to carry out the CTA’s smear campaigns. These agents bring the CTA’s campaign against China into their own countries and communities, and try to get bystanders to pick sides and in that way, draw numbers into supporting the CTA. Those who are unaware are tricked by these agents who tell them that if they are good dharma practitioners, then they must oppose Dorje Shugden, which also means that they oppose China since China is accused of promoting Dorje Shugden. By this method, Tibetan Buddhist practitioners around the world are drawn into CTA’s fight with China and they become unknowing participants and supporters, at the heavy cost of their own country’s social unity.

Recently, this conflict has been brought into the peaceful countries of Singapore and Malaysia. Both Malaysia and Singapore are countries whose citizens comprise of multiple races and religions, and it is very important for them to maintain peace amongst all religious and ethnic groups. The Malaysian and Singaporean governments and their citizens have worked hard to ensure that all religions are respected to avoid disharmony and social unrest due to religious differences. Yet, Thekchen Choling, a Buddhist centre based in Singapore, and the Vajrayana Buddhist Council of Malaysia (VBCM), a self-appointed Buddhist council, have done the opposite and carried the CTA’S hate messages into their own countries.

Both Thekchen Choling and the VBCM are supposed to be spiritual centres that practice and uphold peace, understanding, acceptance and other similar values in line with Buddha’s teachings. And yet, opposite to what they claim to practice, Thekchen Choling openly forbids Shugden worshippers from associating with them and their members. In addition, the Principal of the centre known as ‘Lama Namdrol’ has given public teachings that defame the 360-year-old practice and as a result, created much unhappiness and ill-will towards Dorje Shugden worshippers. Lama Namdrol and Thekchen Choling have also distributed anti-Shugden literature, which was extracted from the Tibetan administration’s websites and translated into Chinese, to ensure Chinese-literate Singaporeans and Malaysians are informed of what the CTA wants them to believe.

On their part, the VBCM have issued public statements openly calling for not only their members but also the general public to shun and reject Shugden believers. The VBCM claims to represent all Vajrayana Buddhists in Malaysia and promote goodwill amongst all people; instead they serve as an agent for the political manipulations of the CTA.

The Vajrayana Buddhist Council of Malaysia’s statement on Dolgyal (Shugden) practice (Click on image to enlarge)

Both Thekchen Choling and VBCM’s actions not only harm the unity of Malaysians and Singaporeans, but also undermine both Malaysia and Singapore’s relationships with a very important trade partner, which is China. The economies of Singapore and Malaysia depend on good relations with China and in turn, the citizens’ livelihood and wellbeing depend on well-performing economies. Therefore, when Thekchen Choling and VBCM undermine this relationship, they in fact harm the peoples of Malaysia and Singapore by advancing the politics of the CTA which do not concern Malaysians and Singaporeans.

What Thekchen Choling and VBCM may not realize is that they, and the people they rope in to spread anti-Shugden sentiment, are destroying the national unity of their host countries. What starts off as an attack against one religion will create an excuse and reason to attack other religions. So, in fact they place themselves and their members/volunteers at risk of breaking the law, for instance as provided by the Malaysian Sedition Act 1948 which was recently amended to include the creation of disunity via religion, in an effort to maintain the country’s peace and harmony.

The Sedition Act is not just for Muslims; it is for the protection of all Malaysians. It is aimed at preventing any person who promotes feelings of hostility between persons or groups on the grounds of religion – whether the religion attacked is Christianity, Hinduism, Islam or any of the other faiths Malaysia is proud to be home to … We will not and cannot stand for the incitement of racial or inter-ethnic conflict. We have come too far to harm the progress that we have made.
~ Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Prime Minister of Malaysia
[Source: http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2015/04/09/Najib-Sedition-Act/]

The revised Malaysian Sedition Act promises greater inter-religious harmony and respect

Not only are Thekchen Choling and VBCM’s anti-Shugden activities dangerous to the community, they are also extremely irresponsible to involve their members in dangerous activities. Malaysia and Singapore’s foreign policy regards China as a friend, and so Thekchen Choling and VBCM should support their government instead of undermining national interest with their anti-Shugden activities. Whilst Thekchen Choling’s Lama Namdrol may be a Singaporean national, he has not hesitated to interfere with Malaysia’s close ties with China, using his Buddhist centre in Malacca (a city in Malaysia) to launch the CTA’s anti-Shugden (anti-China) attacks.

It is important to note that, for all the accusations levelled at China by the anti-Shugden people, the statement issued by China in February 2014 made it clear that China only wants to protect unity within the Tibet Autonomous Region and Greater China. For example, China’s position on the Dorje Shugden issue states without doubt that,

… they [the CTA] immediately launched a new evil action by reviving the dispute over the propitiation or non-propitiation of ‘Gyalchen Shugden’ by relying on opposition to it, with the evil hope to promote discord among believers within our borders… using religion to continue misleading the masses, and… as a pretext for stirring up discord among ordinary believers, creating disagreements and incidents, with intent to breed chaos in Tibet and other Tibetan areas…

And interestingly, contrary to the image of China that the CTA seeks to spread, China actually practices religious freedom:

The basic principle of our Party’s policy on religion is to respect and protect the public’s freedom of religious belief. Freedom of religious belief is an important policy in Tibet Autonomous Region and other Tibetan areas.

What is also important to note is how the CTA’s actions actually corrode the Chinese government’s efforts to promote freedom for Tibetans in the Tibet Autonomous Region. The CTA directly harms Tibetans in China by inciting them to create trouble in the Tibet Autonomous Region because when the Chinese authorities respond to the troubles, as any government would have to do, it is the Tibetans who suffer, not the CTA who started the troubles.

All these schemes work against the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people’s hopes and hard work in trying to return to their homeland, and it is extremely foolish. If the Chinese government is seen to be ‘aligning itself’ to Dorje Shugden, it is in fact trying to neutralize the CTA’s campaigns of false information using Shugden as the reason to cause trouble. It is not that the Chinese government is pro-Shugden, it is that they are anti-conflict. Thus, if the Shugden practice is the CTA’s basis for causing disharmony and the more anti-Shugden propaganda they seek to spread, then the more the Chinese government will counter it with positive notes. In fact, if the CTA intends to wipe out the Shugden practice, they are instead creating its positive growth.

The CTA’s dirty tactics also directly hurt the Dalai Lama in more ways than one. For example, in 2014 the Dalai Lama had expressed interest to make a pilgrimage to Wutai Shan in Northern China, a request the Chinese government rejected because of the CTA’s ‘separatist’ activities such as using the Shugden issue to split the Tibetans in the Tibet Autonomous Region. Clearly, before the CTA can hope to have meaningful discussions with China, it has to meet China’s condition of stopping all ‘splittist’ activities. Thus, the longer the CTA continue in foolishly using Dorje Shugden as a political weapon, the more they take away the Tibetan people’s chances of achieving their lifelong goal. Whatever the CTA had hoped to achieve by propagating the Shugden ban, it has hurt the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people more than anyone else.

China has proven that it will not back down to defend the harmony and wellbeing of its citizens – Chinese and Tibetan alike. The more the CTA attack China with the Shugden ban, the more China will do to ensure that the CTA’s efforts of destabilization are neutralized and the Dorje Shugden practice is promoted. Likewise, the more the CTA’s agents like Thekchen Choling and VBCM attack, abuse and threaten Dorje Shugden practitioners, especially those who are not involved in Tibetan politics, the more Shugden practitioners will be pulled into understanding the true nature of this so-called religious conflict. They will realize that, unlike the CTA’s propaganda, it is in fact the CTA that is doing the attacking and eventually, support for the CTA and the Tibetan cause will cease.

Logic will tell anyone that the CTA has seriously damaged its objectives and its credibility by continuing with the Dorje Shugden ban. What can be gained by getting more and more supporters to attack an economic giant that even super-powers need to be friends with? What can be gained by attacking innocent Shugden worshippers all over the world and calling them all kinds of derogatory names and labels only to draw their support away from the Tibetan cause? The CTA is only creating more enemies around the world. It is time the CTA wakes up to the nightmare they have created and stop damaging their own people. If the Dorje Shugden ban is not removed, the Tibetans will not achieve their goal and all their efforts and sacrifices would have been for nought.

Further reading

• China gives Tibet religious freedom
• Singapore and the Dalai Lama
• Obama, the Dalai Lama and China
• CTA, Stop Irritating China
• Who’s the hypocrite?
• Dalai Lama and China: A Disturbing Trend

I hope you are in good health. I am writing to bring your attention to an important issue within the Tibetan Buddhist community today and hope you will join us to make a change for real religious freedom.

While Buddhism is a very open religion which encourages tolerance and harmony between all people, there is now a big division within the Tibetan Buddhist community. This is because of an instruction that the Dalai Lama issued to stop the practice of the Protector Deity Dorje Shuden. People are now not permitted to practice this Protector or associate with anyone who does. If they do, they are expelled from monasteries, excluded from all Tibetan communities, refused access to welfare and suffer verbal and physical attacks.

The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), the governing body of the Tibetan exile community living mainly in India, have been very aggressive in maintaining this ban. They exert a tremendous amount of pressure on Dorje Shugden devotees, accusing them of being traitors to the Tibetan cause and being Chinese spies.

This is contradictory to the practices of Buddhism as a whole. Buddhists are encouraged to be kind to all beings, including animals and even spirits! Anyone of any religion and culture is permitted to attend Dharma teachings and the Dalai Lama’s talks – except for Shugden practitioners. For anyone to associate with Shugden practitioners is considered a very bad traitorous act and they risk being completely excluded from their community. Should this be the behavior of a culture and people who are most famous the world over for their spirituality?

It seems to us that it is because the CTA failed to obtain independence and freedom for Tibet that they have turned their attention to Dorje Shugden instead. Because of their failed policies and their inability to get their country back, they have lost much respect in the eyes of their own people. So they have placed the “blame” onto Shugden instead, declaring that this practice threatens the Tibetan independence cause. Naturally, while everyone got caught up in the “excitement” of the Shugden ban, everyone forgot about the Tibetan freedom cause for a while and the attention moved away from the CTA to Shugden. Was this just a convenient action for the CTA, to distract the public’s attention and blame away from them?

Meanwhile, in the rest of the world, there are many groups engaged in practices that are questionable or which appear to move away from the established lineages and practices. An example currently being discussed online is an organisation in Australia called Chinese Han Tantrayana Buddhism – Holy Tantra Jin-Gang-Dhyana Buddhism: www.jingangdhyanaincnet.org (Photos and extracts of the discussion are attached below). We are not in a position to judge all religious groups but this clearly does not seem to be in accordance with traditional Vajrayana practices. Even the shape of their hats have never been seen or recognised in any established Vajrayana or Tantric schools.

Our question is this: Why don’t the CTA examine groups like this further? They are using the sacred name of Tibetan tantra but not following the established practices – shouldn’t this be under investigation? The CTA speak openly and issue public statements about the need to preserve the purity of Buddhism; this is their reason for stopping Dorje Shugden’s practice because they claim it is not a pure practice. If this was really the case, then why do the CTA put so much effort, time and money into stopping the practice of Dorje Shugden, but allow all these other strange practices and groups to continue everywhere else? If they want to protect the purity of the Buddhadharma, then they should monitor all such strange groups that use the name of tantra so casually.

The CTA cannot claim to be a secular government but issue orders and instructions only for selected religious issues. On the other hand, IF they are going to start commenting on religion and establishing themselves as a religious authority or monitor, then they should also do this fully and investigate all questionable tantric groups. To focus only on Shugden practitioners is very selective and makes the CTA seem very biased against a minority group. Is this a fair way for a democratic government in the modern world to treat their own people?

We do not mean disrespect towards anyone, but we call for fairness and equality. If Shugden practitioners are being constantly questioned and examined, then other unconventional groups also should be. To act in any other way reflects on the CTA badly and shows them to be biased, undemocratic, intolerant and not progressive. We hope you will heed our advice and create a better religious future for all Buddhists.

Best wishes,
dorjeshugden.com
dorjeshugden.net
xiongdeng.com

Topic: Maybe CTA should look into this Chinese Tantra Buddhism Organisation?

Discussions on the dorjeshugden.com forum:
www.dorjeshugden.com/forum/index.php?topic=1734
Topic started by “namdrol”

I don’t know how to begin, but I just found this in some Chinese forum, it is an organization in Australia called Chinese Han Tantrayana Buddhism – Holy Tantra Jin-Gang-Dhyana Buddhism…something like, even the name is confusing, but looks like it has something to do with Vajrayana/Tibetan Buddhism.

I am not in a position to judge another guru/organization so I will not comment on their authenticity, but from the physical outlook, it is quite unorthodox if it is a Vajrayana group.

Since it could be Vajrayana, then perhaps the CTA should look into it? Didn’t CTA persecute Geshe Michael Roach for his long hair and other stuff a few years ago? And I think this Chinese Tantra Organization surpasses Geshe Michael Roach’s “weird look” by miles?

And what about the Tsongkhapa-hat-look-alike thingy? Can CTA please kindly write to them and ask them not use a hat similar to Gelugpa’s yellow hat because it may create confusion to the public? Please help us to protect the purity of Gelugpa’s image will you CTA since you are the Vajrayana’s highest authority.

Since CTA is so engrossed to be a religious police in Vajrayana, can CTA pls go check this organization out? Give the Shugden monks a break will you? At least Shugden monks still wear proper monks’ robes, hold their vows, do their pujas, serve their gurus…

I will keep looking out for organizations like this for CTA to keep them busy, so that they can leave Shugden monks alone for a while…

Other comments and responses:

“samayakeeper”

Why is the CTA so selective and target only the Dorje Shugden practitioners? Why the selective witch hunts targeted at only Dorje Shugden practitioners? Well, the CTA may say they have the right only over Tibetans who are Dorje Shugden practitioners, so should not CTA also ban Tibetans who are practitioners of Bon or other religions and deprive them of their basic human rights?

It is time already for CTA to focus and help Tibetans in their daily needs and lives and STOP playing being the highest governing spiritual body for Tibetan people!

“Dorjedakini”

in response to samayakeeper

It is what they should do and focus on since day one. They just hide behind Shugden issue and did not do their best to improve the living quality of their citizen, worse is that they create disharmony and doubt between their people.

“Triesa”

I am hopeful Dr Lobsang Sangay, the present Kolan Tripa of CTA, will slowly relax the pressure for DS practitioners, after all this is the 21st century, how he runs CTA is being watched and observed by heads of other countries. And the language spoken in the 21st century is freedom of religion, freedom of human rights. Why prosecute your own people because of a difference in belief in one dharma protector and accept all the other religions with even more differences in the whole context of the spiritual practices?

“dsiluvu”

I remember when I was holidaying in Singapore one time, there was this YELLOW BOOK that were placed in several strategic center around Singapore… they even got it translated in to Chinese! Well this is the kind of ways that the CTA poke their noses and centres that like to rub shoulder with His Holiness to get fame and sponsorships do, could do to make other people’s life difficult even though it is not in their jurisdiction to do so. Many accounts of such negative experiences, really you cannot even practice Dorje Shugden freely even though you are outside of Dharamsala. There are many centers who will judge, ban and condemned you, sometimes even smear your name to others saying you worship a “demon” hence you cannot even enter their center or events! Down right religious discrimination!

Basically a statement was put out in every forms of Amitabha Buddhist Center, Singapore (http://www.fpmtabc.org/), whether it is a trip to attend Dalai Lama’s teaching in South East Asia, Kalachakra, or a trip to Dharamsala. On top of name, passpost number, addresses etc. personal details, you need to declare that you do not practice Dorje Shugden first.

So yeah, not only our dear sanghas in Dharamsala are going through injustice, we outside of India and Nepal are also going through such ridiculousness which why it is high time we put a stop to such injustice. And we shall do so by working harder to educated anyone who crosses our path on Dorje Shugden.

Thank you Namdrol for saying it! CTA why don’t you look at those who are more weird then the Shugden practitioners?

“Aurore”

CTA may not have the authority over others outside of Tibetan community of India, however they have done a lot to destroy reputations of certain lamas which creates a rippling effect to other mindless Vajrayana/Buddhist councils around the world.

There are politics involved everywhere and not only within the Indian community. CTA … please focus on organizations that looks weird rather than lamas which are proven authentic already. If this will get them off their case, then I support Namdrol to continue scouting.

Chinese Han Tantrayana Buddhism group

Chinese Han Tantrayana Buddhism group

Chinese Han Tantrayana Buddhism group

Dear sir,

My name is (YOUR NAME). I am from Singapore where we got a lot of Buddhist centre. I just join one temple there. Is quite nice, very colourful but first time I go to this centre, I see they got one sign that say not to practice Dorje Shugden. I just join Buddhism so I don’t know what this is about, so I check the Internet for more information.

One of the site I check is Dalai Lama website. I thought because he is leader of Tibetan Buddhist he is very knowledgeable. I have already seen many of his teaching on YouTube. I think he is very compassion because he always teach about kindness and harmony and peace. Also he is Nobel Prize winner.

But to me is quite weird, because Dalai Lama is a monk but his website got section against Dorje Shugden. I think even if Dalai Lama staff don’t agree with Dorje Shugden, they shouldn’t put a section like this on Dalai Lama’s website. I check the Pope website and also some other people like Sai Baba, Gandhi, Desmond Tutu, and they don’t have section like this on their website where they talk bad about other people or other practice.

I just think if my parents is not Buddhist then maybe I become Christian already because I don’t like my religious leader talk bad about other people. He is suppose to teach me to not talk bad about other people, so why he talk bad? But then I think for a little while and after that I think maybe is not Dalai Lama who do this website because he is very busy. I think maybe is his workers and students who make this website. That is why I write to you.

I like Dalai Lama a lot and I also wish him long life. He is very kind to everyone to give us teaching so we can become happy and pray for ourself. So I hope you will take down this section because it make Dalai Lama look very bad.

Thanks,

(YOUR NAME)

Relics Expo organizer “Gelugpa Buddhist Association Singapore” not recognized by HH Dalai Lama

Singapore — The office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama has expressed its concern about the so-named “The Buddha and His Principal Disciples’ Relics Grand Cultural World Exhibition”, from December 9 to 17, 2006 at the Singapore Expo, hosted by the “Gelugpa Buddhist Association Singapore”.

A statement from H.H.’s office also states that the organizing party of the expo – although branding itself as a Gelugpa centre, is not recognized as such by H.H. the Dalai Lama nor H.H. the Ganden Trisur Rinpoche (the Official Head Emeritus of the Gelugpa Tradition). Therefore, labelling itself as a “Gelugpa” centre is inaccurate and misleading.

The Dalai Lama’s office further clarifies that its position is clear and consistent with regard to the worship of “dolgyal-shugden” which it strongly considers as “worship of the unenlightened evil spirit”.

The statement further elaborates that students of the Dharma who continue to rely upon a worldly spirit such as dolgyal-shugden actually contradicts the Buddha’s own advice against taking refuge in samsaric spirits.

By participating in events related to the practice of this worldly spirit, one effectively “breaks” one’s Refuge Vows and will effectively become a Non-Buddhist, negating the source and root of all Dharmic practices, the statement continues.

In a separate announcement, the Charitable Assistance Society (CAS) of Thousand-Arm Chenrezig have, on behalf of the Tibetan Buddhist community in Singapore, urged all to adhere to the H.H. Dalai Lama’s office advisory.

The CAS statement further urged Tibetan Buddhist practitioners to ….inform all other unknowing Buddhists, that, according to the Buddha’s holy Teachings as preserved in every tradition and lineage as well as His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s advice, taking refuge in worldly-spirit, in this context, this programme’s uncompromising stand of practising and taking refuge in dolgyal-shugden, effectively contravenes one’s Refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.

The CAS also said the organizing party have failed to clarify or justify the authenticity of the source of their claimed “relics”, most of which were presented as plasticine-looking coloured balls. “The organization too claimed many of their “relics” as being originated from Lord Buddha’s blood, bones, saliva and other bodily parts,” the statement concluded.

The Dalai Lama is no Pope
by Visakha Kawasaki, Kandy, Sri Lanka, The Buddhist Channel, Dec 6, 2006

I write with regards to the article, “Dalai Lama’s office disapproves Singapore Expo on ‘Buddha Relics’”

Aside from the fact that the Dalai Lama seems to have some problems with discipline within his own sect, with the expo’s organizers claiming to be Gelugpa, it needs saying that the Dalai Lama is not in a position to declare that all Buddhists who revere relics of the Teacher or his chief Disciples are somehow worshipping “the unenlightened evil spirit!”

He is certainly mistaken too when he claims that by showing reverence for the relics of the Buddha and other Arhats, a Buddhist “effectively ‘breaks’ one’s Refuge Vows and will effectively become a Non-Buddhist, negating the source and root of all Dharmic practices.”

The Dalai Lama’s followers have been urged to ….inform all other unknowing Buddhists, that, according to the Buddha’s holy Teachings as preserved in every tradition and lineage as well as His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s advice, taking refuge in worldly (sic) -spirit, in this context, this programme’s uncompromising stand of practising and taking refuge in dulgyal-shugden, effectively contravenes one’s Refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.

Although the Dalai Lama may deserve respect as the head of his sect, he is not a Buddhist Pope, and might do well to educate himself about other Buddhist traditions, and avoid pronouncements of such a “catholic” nature.