Who really is the Dalai Lama?

Sur les traces du Dalaï Lama
Un reportage de Gilles Jacquier, Patrick Desmulie et Franck Nosal

Translation of part of the documentary on the Dalai Lama shown on France 2, one of the most popular documentary TV channels in France. This was watched by 4.000.000 to 5.000.000 people on Thursday October 9, 2008.

C’est l’apôtre de la non-violence, le pape du bouddhisme. Prix Nobel de la Paix, il est connu dans le monde entier ; mais qui est vraiment le Dalaï Lama?

Dalai Lama: C'est vrai, je suis toujours au pouvoir, mais cela est lié a la situation particulière au Tibet. Je mene un combat national, ca ce n'est pas de la politique ordinaire.
Dalai Lama: That's true, I am still the head of state, but it is because of the special situation of Tibet. I'm leading a national fight; this is not ordinary politics.

S'il y avait un débat démocratique entre 2 partis démocratiques comme chez vous, alors le dalaï-lama et les moines devraient quitter le pouvoir.
If there was a democratic debate between two democratic parties as you have in your country, then the Dalai Lama and the monks should give up their power.

Reporter:
Le dalai-lama serait donc chef de gvt malgré lui, investi d'une mission divine : sauver le Tibet. Mais fait-il l'hunanimité parmi les siens et d'autre voie peuvent elles se faire entendre ?
Reporter:
Thus, the Dalai Lama would be the head of government despite himself, entrusted with a divine mission: Save Tibet. But do all his people agree with him, and can other views be heard?

C'est en enquetant dans les monasteres que je vais le savoir.
Dans le sud de l'inde, je retrouve des moines dissidents. Eux ont choisi un autre chemin.
It is by investigating the monasteries that I'll come to know the answer.
In Southern India, I meet some dissident monks. They have chosen another way.

Lobsang Yeshe et Namgyal sont les anciens garde du corps du dalaï-lama. Il y a 50 ans, ils sauvaient la vie du chef tibétain fuyant les Chinois. Mais aujourd'hui, ils se sentent trahis.
Lobsang Yeshe and Namgyal were previously the Dalai Lama's bodyguards. 50 years ago, they saved the life of the head of Tibet, running away from the Chinese. But today, they feel betrayed.

Lobsang Yeshe: Le Dalai Lama, je ne veux plus en entendre parler. Ce n'est plus le bouddha de la compassion. C'est un traitre. Le dalaï-lama a commis le crime le plus grave. Il a divisé tous les Tibétains. Il s'oppose à notre divinité, Dordjé Shougdèn. Il nous interdit de la vénérer. A cause de lui, j'ai fait une crise cardiaque. Aujourd'hui, je suis un homme brisé.
Lobsang Yeshe: The Dalai Lama, I don't want to hear about him any more. He is no longer the Buddha of Compassion. He is a traitor. The Dalai Lama has commited the gravest crime. He has divided all the Tibetans. He is against our deity, Dorje Shugden. He has forbidden us from venerating him. Because of him, I had a heart attack. Today, I am a broken man.

Reporter:
Le dalaï-lama, Ocean de Sagesse, a offensé ses vieux compagnons. Et même, en janvier 2008, il va perdre un peu de son sang froid. Devant des milliers de fidèles, il tient des propos d'une rare violence contre des adeptes de cette divinité mystérieuse: Dordjé Shougdèn.
Reporter:
The Dalai Lama, Ocean of Wisdom, has offended his old friends. Furthermore, in January 2008, he will lose a bit of his composure. In front of thousands of supporters, he speaks with an exceptional violence against the followers of this mysterious deity: Dorje Shugden.

Dalai Lama: A cause de cette déité, certains sont devenus violents, c'est intolérable. Je ne veux plus de désordre dans les monastères. Et à ceux qui ne sont pas content, dites leur que le Dalaï Lama approuve les expulsions ordonnés par les abbés dans les temples.
Dalai Lama: Because of this deity, some have became violent, it’s intolerable. I don't want any more disorder in the monasteries. And to those who are not happy, tell them that the Dalai Lama approves of the expulsions prescribed by the abbots in the temples.

Reporter:
Pour la première fois, je découvre un visage autoritaire, lui le sage Tibétain appelle à l'exlusion de fidèle. Pourquoi et qui est cette divinité ? Pour le comprendre je vais rencontrer les adeptes de Dordjé Shougdèn. Ces moines sont pour le dalai-lama de dangereux extrémistes.
Reporter:
For the first time, I discover an authoritarian face – himself the wise Tibetan is calling for the exclusion of the faithful. Why, and who is this deity? To understand this, I am going to meet Dorje Shugden followers. These monks are for the Dalai Lama dangerous extremists.

Moine : Allez-y, c'est par la.
Monk: Go ahead, this way.

Reporter:
Dissimulé au fond de cette salle de prière, je découvre enfin la divinité Dordjé Shougdèn. Elle tient dans sa main droite un couteau, et dans l'autre un coeur humain. Pour ses partisans, Shougdèn apporte la protection, mais pour le dalaï-lama, cette divinité encourage la violence, c'est elle qui divise le Tibet.
Reporter:
Hidden at the back of this prayer hall, I finally discover the deity Dorje Shugden. He is holding a knife in his right hand and a human heart in the other. For his followers, Shugden brings protection, but for the Dalai Lama this deity encourages violence, and is the one who is dividing Tibet.

Moine : Cette déité n'a jamais divisé les Tibétains. C'est faux. C'est le dalaï-lama qui nous a divisé, en nous interdisant de vénérer Shougdèn. Avant, tout se passait bien. La communauté vivait en paix.
Monk: This deity has never divided Tibetans. This is untrue. It is the Dalai Lama who has divided us, by banning Shugden practice. Before, everything was going well. The community was living in peace.

Reporter:
Aujourd'hui les adeptes de Shougdèn sont expulsés de leur monastère, et leur photo placardé dans les rues. Une chasse au sorcière a commencé dans le sud de l'inde, et sur cette affaire, le dalaï-lama a une réponse de spécialiste de la logique.
Reporter:
Today, Shugden followers are expelled from their monasteries, and their photos are posted in the streets. A witch hunt has started in Southern India, and on this matter, the Dalai Lama has the answer of a specialist in logic.

Dalai Lama : Je vous assure, je n'ai jamais donné d'ordre pour écarter les adeptes de Shougdèn. Rien n'est venu d'en haut. Ce sont les abbés qui décident de ces expulsions.
Dalai Lama: I guarantee you, I have never given the order to get rid of Shugden followers. Nothing came from above. It is the Abbots themselves who decide these expulsions.

Reporter:
En fait, le dalaï-lama soupçonnerait ces moines d'etre manipulé par la chine, et ces opposants d'un genre nouveau, je vais même en retrouver en France.
Reporter:
In fact, the Dalai Lama would suspect these monks of being manipulated by China ; and I will even find some of these new types of opponents in France.

Manif: Dalai Lama, Menteur!
Demo: Dalai Lama, liar!

Reporter:
Une démonstration de force sur la plage de la Baulle. Ces bouddhistes européens paradent avec un slogan choc, quitte à déplaire.
Reporter:
A strong demonstration on the beach of La Baule. These European buddhists parade with an impactful slogan, even if unpleasant.

Homme sur le trottoir : Vous etes récuperer par les Chinois !
Man on the sidewalk: You are being used by the Chinese !

Reporter :
Tous ces bouddhistes manifestent pour défendre leurs freres tibétains, adeptes de la divinité Shougdèn. Anabelle vient de Marseille. Cette opposante pointe du doigt les contradictions du dalaï-lama.
Reporter:
All these Buddhists are demonstrating to help their Tibetan brothers, followers of the deity Shugden. Anabelle comes from Marseille. This opponent is pointing the finger at the Dalai Lama's contradictions.

Anabelle: Il y a une escroquerie de la part du dalai-lama à porter les deux robes : et le politique et le moine. Le dalaï-lama est un homme politique, et c'est a dire qu'il a des interets politiques. Et il faudrait qu'on s'en rende compte parce que on dirait qu'on voudrait se voiler la face en Occident parce qu'on veut coute que coute voir apparaître sur l'estrade politique un homme immaculé.
Anabelle: It is fradulent on the Dalai Lama’s part to wear the two robes -- that of the politician and the monk. The Dalai Lama is a politician, and that means he has political interests. We need to realize this because in the West we don’t want to see the truth -- we want by any means to see a stainless man on the political stage.

Reporter:
Principale critique de ces dissidents européens : l'intolérance religieuse du dalaï-lama.
Reporter:
The principal criticism from these European dissidents: the Dalai Lama's religious intolerance.

Demonstrations against the Dalai Lama in Nantes, France

Partying for Freedom in Nantes : A first hand account of three days of demonstrations against the Dalai Lama's ban of Dorje Shugden

I've just got back from a tiring but incredibly rewarding three days in Nantes. We were demonstrating outside the Zenith Metropole concert hall where the Dalai Lama was giving talks. I heard that they only allow two demonstrations per year at this venue, so we were fortunate.

The demonstrations began on the morning of the first day with a march at La Baulle, a local beach resort. 400 demonstrators took part and we were cheered and clapped by many locals and holiday makers who had taken advantage of a French national holiday to have a long weekend. We marched and chanted along the beachfront for an hour before boarding our coaches and heading off to the main demonstration site.

The weather was bright and sunny to match the mood of the 700 demonstrators, who were from Mexico, Spain, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, India, France, Holland, Ireland, UK and the USA. I'm constantly inspired by the dedication and determination shown by WSS demonstrators who travel long distances because they care so much about the future of Je Tsongkhapa's tradition and are totally determined to stop the Dalai Lama from destroying it.

We were delighted to be joined by a group of Tibetan Shugden practitioners, including Geshes and monks who had been expelled from their monasteries when Dorje Shugden practice was first banned in 1996. Along with many placards, the Tibetan flag flew over our enclosure once again.

Over the course of the three days, many brochures were given out and the situation explained to an often incredulous public. They had come to see an iconic man of peace, but when some heard they were actually attending the talks of a hypocritical and divisive religious dictator, they left.

The demonstrations get better and better and we are able to chant for longer. On the first day, cries of 'Dalai-Lama, menteur!' (Dalai Lama, liar!) and 'Dalai-Lama donne la liberté religieuse' (Dalai Lama, give religious freedom) were accompanied by the sound of clapping and water bottles being bashed together as impromptu percussion instruments that gave a light and joyful air to the proceedings – surely no one would think that we were angry as we all looked to be having such a good time? It was one big rave for religious freedom!

On the second day, drums and bongos appeared, giving a definite Latin feel to our chanted requests. Many demonstrators were dancing to the infectious rhythms and looked a lot happier than anyone who was attending the Dalai Lama's teachings ;-) Our chants went on for well over an hour at a time and at no time did anyone look tired or bored as we were jointly energised by our dedication to our cause and the party atmosphere that crackled through the crowd like high voltage electricity.

Unfortunately we didn't get close to the Dalai Lama as we had in Oxford, but each day as he arrived and departed from the venue he was greeted with 700 people simultaneously bellowing 'menteur!....manteur!', rolling like thunder across the arena.

However, on the final departure on Day Three, circumstances led to a golden opportunity. Access to the venue was obtained by crossing a footbridge over a main road, and each day the Gendarmes would close it off prior to the DL's departure, not allowing anyone to cross it, presumably to prevent someone from dropping something onto his car as it sped underneath. On that final day, many Shugden supporters arrived back late from the cafe on the other side of the road and were prevented from crossing the bridge. They lined the road on one side and the rest of us lined the road on the other. When the DL left, instead of driving him away from us as they had the day before, his motorcade came straight between the two lines of Shugdenites! He was greeted with exuberant roars of 'menteur!' - from both sides of the road this time! He can have been in no doubt after his three days in front of an adoring French public what we, who know of his dishonesty, thought of him.

Well done everyone; see you in Basel!

Posted courtesy of Lineage Holder.

Demonstration against the Dalai Lama in Nantes, France: Aug 15-17

As Kelsang Pema, WSS spokesperson, said recently:

"The purpose of the Western Shugden Society is to bring the Dalai Lama's hypocrisy to the attention of the public in the hope that millions of Buddhists will be able to live in peace and harmony again. For this reason we protested in Philadelphia this week and will continue to protest around the world, wherever the Dalai Lama is scheduled to perform."

Why we were protesting the Dalai Lama, Philadelphia Daily News, July 2008