(Read Part 1 and Part 3)

Q: What are the politics behind the ban by the Dalai Lama and what may have prompted him to issue such a ban?

In 1961 the Dalai Lama tried to become the supreme head of Tibetan Buddhism by merging all the schools of Buddhism into one (a position never held by any previous Dalai Lama). This move was opposed by many. From the Western Shugden Society booklet: “The Tibetan Situation Today, Surprising Hidden News”:

As soon as you arrived to India as a refugee you made a plan to transform the four traditions of Tibetan Buddhism—Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu and Gelug—into one single tradition called Rigme (Non Lineage) tradition. This was your method to destroy the pure lineages of the Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu and Gelug and make you alone the head of all of them by establishing a new tradition. In this way you now have complete power and control of everything at a spiritual, political and material level.

At that time, the Tso Kha Chusum (“Thirteen Groups of Tibetans”) were against your plan and because of this for many years the Tibetan community lost their harmony and peace. Finally, the leader of the Tso Kha Chusum, Gungthang Tsultrim, was murdered by a shotgun. Tibetan people believe that Gungthang Tsultrim was killed by people working for you. Later, some other important members of the Tso Kha Chusum suddenly died, and people believed your organizations created the conditions for their death.

At that time he had so much opposition that he had to abandon his ambition, but it seems he did not give it up. For example, he later meddled with the internal spiritual affairs of the Kagyus, going against their tradition and choosing his own Karmapa, which has led to a well-documented schism, conflict and opposition to him amongst those who follow the Sharmapa and want to preserve the autonomy of the Kagyu lineage. The most likely reason for his issuing a ban on the Protector of Tsongkhapa’s tradition is to weaken the Gelugpas, thus bringing them under his power as well.

There is no doubt that he is trying to destroy the autonomy of the four different schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The only school he has not directly meddled with is the Sakyas, probably as there are too few of them to oppose him.

He is getting away with this by appealing to a liberal West, calling his approach “ecumenical” or “inclusive” whereas those who want to keep to their own tradition are “sectarian” or “exclusive”. The reality is that he is dispensing with centuries of authentic time-honored tradition and starting his own tradition so that he can be the head of it, stomping over people’s freedom of worship to do so.

In other words, it is likely that he is banning Dorje Shugden out of a political motivation to increase his power and influence. This could be the only justification for saying that his own Teachers (who were universally beloved in Tibetan society just 30 years ago) were wrong and banning the practice. How sad!

The reasons he gives to convince people to support him are that relying upon Dorje Shugden amounts to spirit worship. This then leads to many paradoxes (explained in detail on this website and elsewhere); not least of which is that, if it were true, his own Teachers would be non-Buddhists for taking refuge in a spirit! It would invalidate the whole Gelugpa lineage and what could be said, then, for his own Buddhist education? However, the greatness of the deeds and teachings of these Lamas attests to their state of realization, which would not be possible if they were non-Buddhists relying on a spirit. The only conclusion we can come to is that the Dalai Lama is definitely wrong!

Trijang Rinpoche also gives many valid reasons why Dorje Shugden is a Buddha which can be read here. In summary, Dorje Shugden is a Buddha because he is the incarnation of Tulku Dragpa Gyaltsen who himself is from a long line of enlightened Masters including Manjushri. Since all these incarnations practised pure moral discipline for centuries, how would it be possible for Dragpa Gyaltsen to be reborn as a spirit? This would contradict the law of karma and imply that ethical conduct can lead to lower rebirth. Either that, or it would mean that an enlightened being could degenerate from the state of enlightenment and become a hungry ghost! All of these are the absurd consequences of holding Dorje Shugden to be a spirit.

The Dalai Lama has also repeatedly claimed that Dorje Shugden harms his health and the cause of Tibetan independence. He seems to be playing this down more recently because, again, it is ludicrous. If Dorje Shugden is harming his health, how is he a healthy-looking 72-year old? Also, one of the benefits of Buddhist refuge is that one is not harmed by demons or other evil influences. If the Dalai Lama is being harmed, he must be a non-Buddhist. Furthermore he abandoned the cause of Tibetan independence a long time ago, so how can Dorje Shugden harm it more than the Dalai Lama has by completely letting it go?
Posted courtesy of Lineageholder.

(Read Part 1 and Part 3)

(Source: http://wisdombuddhadorjeshugden.blogspot.com/2008/06/frequently-asked-questions-about-dorje_21.html)

In this video extracted from the BBC, HH says that he cannot control or tell the Tibetans to shut up regarding the Tibetan Independencemovement. It is very important that HH holiness tells them to stop or else many more will get killed. Embarrassing the Chinese govt will only make the crackdown in Tibet more severe. The Tibetans in Tibet will suffer. HH is the only person they will remotely listen to. They have to protest peacefully, as they are hopelessly outnumbered by the Chinese army. Supresssion will be brutal.

With the Dorje Shugden issue, HH says that he will go all the way with this issue. Why is it in that issue, he will make the Tibetans listen by saying it is a threat to tibet and his life? Isnt many ppl being killed in Tibet a ‘threat’ to his life, reputation and future of peaceful tibet-sino relations? Aren’t the safety of both the Tibetans and Chinese in Tibet upmost in HH’s mind? If he can make so many speeches that hurt many regarding the Dorje Shugden ban, surely he can make many speeches to stop the violent protests that can save many lives in Tibet. Isn’t saving lives much more worth speaking about and spending money on by the Tibetan Govt in exile?

These days it is widespread and believed that HH orchestrated the Lhasa uprising in which so many were killed. In the video you see monks throwing stones and sticks at the Chinese. You also see them violently tearing down doors and breaking windows. HH should send a message to all of them that they are monks, and to be seen doing that brings the prestige of the Tibetan Sangha down.

Even in the protests by Burmese Sangha in Burma, you do not see Burmese sangha behaving such as the Tibetan Sangha behaves. HH should say something of that. He should make speeches to ask the Tibetan Sangha in Tibet to stop being violent,and acting violent. If he can go all the way with the Dorje Shugden issue, why can’t he go all the way to stop the many monks rioting in Lhasa. After all monks can be patriotic. But the practice of Buddhist peace, gentleness and forgiveness should be above patriotism. After all, it brings the prestige of the monks down in the eyes of the world.

These videos are being shown everywhere on the news. It makes the HH look very bad. If HH Dalai Lama can go all the way with the Dorje Shugden ban, why can’t he go all the way to ban monks from protesting and why can’t he asks the Tibetans to ‘Shut up’ and don’t create violence??

Going all the way with the Dorje Shugden ban which restricts religious freedom and HH having the feeling he has the power to stop this practice that goes back 350 years, why can’t he go all the way with banning the violence of the Sangha? He can say that violence by the Sangha shortens his life and endangers the Tibetan Cause. That is what he said of the Dorje Shugden issue. How can that apply? Simple. The main support the world gives Tibetans is because of Tibetan Buddhism. Tibet has no other famous ‘export’ commodity from their country. No scientists, doctors, actors, writers, artists that are world famous or contribute to humankind. When we think of Tibet, we think Tibetan Buddhism immediately. So if the Sangha’s prestige is damaged or lost, so will Tibetan Buddhism.

If Tibetan Buddhism’s prestige is lost, so will the support for Tibet. So HH should lift the ban on Shugden and put a ban on rioting monks, sangha and the violence that arises from them. It is a very bad public image. Since they wear the robes and HH wears the robes, and he is their leader it reflects badly.