Saturday, October 11, 2008

"Does Lama Zopa’s closeness with H.H. the Dalai Lama validate FPMT Centres and members to be some kind of spiritual police?"

By Bhikku Yeshe Sangye -- a senior FPMT monk and close disciple of FPMT Founder Lama Yeshe -- who speaks up after 20 years about his grave concern over the FPMT's discrimination toward Dorje Shugden practitioners. Here are a few extracts from his long letter.


“We of FPMT, especially the people who joined after Lama Yeshe’s passing, should think of the future from a wide scope. Our founding father was a sound Dorje Shugden practitioner, and his legacy was passed to Lama Zopa, who was invested as a Tulku by Dorje Shugden. Our lineage lamas all practiced Dorje Shugden as their principal protector. We must not criticize this protector in any way.”

"Many, many, many of the older Lama Yeshe students have gone underground with their practices of Dorje Shugden. Some like me do not really go to the centers here in the USA anymore. They will not abandon their practice of Dorje Shugden because of their great devotion to Lama Yeshe and are somewhat flabbergasted at the direction that some new FPMT centers’ are going with their arrogant witch hunts. What is important to remember is JUST BECAUSE YOU ATTEND THE DALAI LAMA’S TEACHINGS, OR HAVE TAKEN PHOTOS WITH HH DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY VALIDATE YOU AS A SPIRITUAL POLICEMAN AND GO ON WITCH-HUNTS. We must practice the essence of what HH teaches as did Lama Yeshe, which are tolerance, compassion, forgiveness and not ever slandering any lama, dharma, lineage or practice. As the karmic retributions will fall onto us. We should never mislead new FPMT students toward this line of thought. We are destroying our organization slowly if we do so."

"We shouldn’t practice or not practice what the current political situation pressures us to or not to. We should do what our lama says. So during Lama's life Dorje Shugden is good and now Lama is dead, so Dorje Shugden is bad??? Wouldn’t that infer that lama was wrong, had bad degenerate practices, lacking in wisdom, had no refuge, had no attainments and wasted his life praying to a spirit?? So if lama gave us Heruka initiation and practice, then it had no blessings because lama's refuge degenerated due to his practice of Dorje Shugden?? Since Dorje Shugden is a spirit and Lama kept up his ‘sogtae’ (Dorje Shugden’s initiation) or life entrustment practices his whole life, then all of the other practices lama did was degenerated and ineffective when passed to us.

So any practices Lama Zopa received from Lama Yeshe and passes it to others would logically be degenerate also??? Wouldn’t it?

The implications are quite big if we choose to believe that way....So that would mean many of the practices that Lama Zopa does now and gives others that are directly from Lama Yeshe are degenerated because Lama Yeshe was degenerated?? Of course not. Very dangerous line of thought. Very ruinous direction we are heading toward. I watched Lama Zopa get brow-beaten into ‘giving’ up his Dorje Shugden practices."

Please go to the Dorje Shugden website for the full letter. Yeshe Sangye has been brave in speaking up, seeing as the FPMT now even disallows Dorje Shugden practitioners from attending teachings at their Centers. May Yeshe Sangye's pure spiritual wishes for the FPMT come true, and religious harmony and freedom be restored in the East and the West.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

People of conscience know within themselves, as to what is right and what is wrong. Some of us may be unable to discern the truth or are just afraid that the vows they've taken might be splattered against the wall. Some may think, I didn't sign on to get involved with this insanity of the Dalia Lama's 'Pinnocchiio Policies'
After all that's why they vowed to leave Samsara and get on the roadway to Liberation.

Spiritual Police? I thought this was all about self-governing. You know the Eight Fold Path to monitor your precepts taken from Lord Buddha and not some sort of Secret Police. The idea that people could fall into the trap that the German People did by ignoring the trains that took the Jews and Gypsies to the Smoke Stacks of oblivion. Later, the same people would plead,'We didn't know, what was going on! Honest! We thought they were making cookies and pies. What a surprise that we find the same type of arrogance within the Mahayannist Buddhist Groups. Wake up! before it's too late.

There is no confusion and photos opts make no difference. I have archival footage leading down the path to Stupas,with the Dalia lama and his brother.
See what it's gotten me?

No one can tell another what to do, let alone what to think, really. Think for yourselves as Lord Buddha said. What other advice can be offered.Think for yourselves and we'll all be just fine. I'm this sure of the truth. Think for yourselves and you'll be alright. Just make sure that, that's what you're doing!

Anonymous said...

Three Cheers for Yeshe Sangye! May this message be heard far and wide! Just today my NKT Dharma teacher has given a teaching in which he spoke of the dangers of Dharma Centres pursuing development at the expense of a truly spiritual outlook, so this letter has particular resonance for me in light of this.

We can only hope that things will start to get a bit better if more people like Yeshe Sangye are willing to speak out.

Someone should try to send him a letter of thanks and appreciation.

Lineageholder said...

I'm sure that Lama Zopa is in a difficult position because it's almost impossible to go against the Dalai Lama, but I wish that he had had the courage to speak out in support of Dorje Shugden. If he had, FPMT would have more integrity because he would be following the founder's view (Lama Yeshe) and maybe Shugden practitioners would be less marginalized today, who knows?

Anonymous said...

Thank you to Yeshe Sangye for showing the courage that is not afforded to many practitioners who have either abandoned their lineage Guru's advice or are "underground", practicing in secret. It is hard to believe that any Buddhist who understands that consciousness continues would make such a grave mistake to abandon their Guru, criticize another, or create divide within the Sangha. I pray that others will step forward with such grace and fearlessness to protect the pure lineage of Buddha. SNT

Anonymous said...

This makes me see that there may be many "underground" Dorje Shugden practitioners within the FPMT and that their situation, even as Westerners, is similar to Tibetan practitioners in monestaries in India. How sad that even Western students of Lama Yeshe have no freedom within their own tradition. They are not free from Tibetan politics. I hope more underground FPMT students will have the courage to speak out and stand up for religion free from politics. As a member of the NKT I have experienced discrimination for practicing Dorje Shugden but it is nothing compared to students such as Bhikku Yeshe Sangye and others like him in the FPMT. I don't have to hide my practice from those who say they are my Sangha. I feel more and more fortunate to have the freedom to practice as I wish. May all people have the same good fortune.

Anonymous said...

"We can only hope that things will start to get a bit better if more people like Yeshe Sangye are willing to speak out.

Someone should try to send him a letter of thanks and appreciation."

Yes Adam! I agree with you and shout out, BRAVO! Well done and
keep it up, as you can see, that We need the Voice Of Lions to Roar Out the Truth and Send these Jackals back to their lairs!

I request Yeshe Sangye continue out here and help make it clear on a daily basis. What he is thinking and discuss and lead the confused, like me, out of ignorance. Kindly ask all the other Geshes, Lamas and Tulkus too! Come out and say that which is from your mouths.
Help us out and reveal yourselves. Be as Fearless Warriors from Shambala, Beating the Drums of Freedom with Your Vajra Hammers of Light to Show us the Way!

Anonymous said...

For me any and all who find it diffi_cult to leave or abandon a bona fide liar called Dalia Lama. Is only a sign that none of these Lamas or practioners are neither practicing nor Buddhist! They have not the courage to abandon the comforts of the cash flow the New Dharma in the West has brought to them. All the Grants and Royalties that keep their Rice Bowls Full. Fat Cats On Parade. Or maybe they are afraid that Dl will have them killed and what would be the use of that?

Maybe they are just plain old afraid? I can understand that!
I used to live in constant fear next door to the Tibetan Cultural Center,the opposite of what one might expect as the Benefactor to receive some other kind of reward than negativity day and night.

Anonymous said...

I truly believe Lama Zopa is in support of our cause,why else would he make the most obvious statements in his advice column to students who felt bad to practice Dorje Shugden but but then Lama Zopa told them they cannot abandon Geshe Kelsang because that was their root guru.

If he was as fanatical as some of the others he would never say this.
his motivations for hiding his true stand is something we wont understand right now..but maybe the the future?

Soon HE Trijang Rinpoche will be more and more public and he will probably stand up with us.
Hes on the highest lamas of our century and he's still on our side!!
Don't get down,the sun will soon shine.

Anonymous said...

I agree with last statement he is a holy being he is nepali sherpa nothing doing with the tibetans