Tibetan Democracy Day? If only.

Press release from Shugden Society USA: Sept 1st, 2011     
       

Today we would like to bring to the attention of all those who believe in 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.

September 2nd is The Tibetan Democracy Day, but the irony is that we 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 the rights to 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 the date of September 2 to create a global awareness of the plight as the Dorje Shugden believers continue to struggle against the religious persecution and segregation that has been imposed in the Tibetan community throughout the world by the Dalai Lama. (Scroll below for the most recent developments this year.)

Check out this video by Al-Jazeera, which recounts the atrocities committed by Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government in exile.

On 9 January 2008, the Dalai Lama declared: 

"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)”.  

Othe 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 in the Tibetan society, in the disguise of practicing democracy.  Furthermore, because of the 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 in the society and mislead the Tibetan people into believing that the Dorjee Shugden practitioners as 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 getting worse every day, and now in 2011 things have not improved -- the Dalai Lama has declared a war against the Shugden people, demonizing and segregating Shugden worshippers since 1996. This "war" has been fuelled by outrageous rumors promoted by the Dalai Lama and his supporters that if a non Dorje Shugden follower should kill a believer that is not considered a sin! and furthermore it provides cumulative merit towards the Dalai Lamas long life! Other such "non sins" include destroying Shugden monasteries, stupas and religious documents.

Recent developments in 2011

Following are few of the recent incidents of violence towards Shugden devotees (more details of the atrocities can be found here):

  

The most recent developments occurred this Summer (July 2011) when the Dalai Lama was here in the USA in Washington DC performing the Kalachakra Initiation which he requested that no Dorje Shugden followers attended. 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 Dharamsala who travelled with him to the USA 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 right here in New York City,  USA right now in 2011!

Also, this year in January the Dalai Lama speaking at a Tibetan Monastery in South India angrily said that  "Dorje Shudgen harms the Tibetan Government of Tibet" and proceeded to expel several High Lamas including  the ex Abbot of Jumay Monastery  who wrote to the Dalai Lama and the prime minister Samdong saying it was illegal as well as morally wrong to segregate and engage in religious persecution, even though he himself is not a practitioner of Shugden.  Because of this repudiation of the segregation and ostracization of the Tibetan people, he was immediately expelled.

On March 10th the Dalai Lama dissolved the "Tibetan Government in Exile" creating the Tibetan Organization of which he is still the head. While the rest of the world believes that he is resigning from political power, he is still in fact making decisions and ruling behind the face of the the Tibetan Organization

Some earlier examples of ostracism and persecution

Another example of an unfortunate development occurred when the Chushi Gangdurk Organisation, New York USA (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 His Holiness' happiness.

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

On February 20, 2010, 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 the 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 was introduced in the monasteries and Tibetan settlements.

Another example 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 autobiographies written by Lamdrim Rinpoche (from Deipung Monastery, Tibet). 

On April 5, 1996, after the Dalai Lama's teaching, Gaden Choeling nunnery in Dharamsala dragged the Shugden statue out, trod on it, and flung into a garbage pit. Throughout India and Nepal, tens of thousands of Dorjee Shugden statues, literature and scriptures were desecrated.

    

Threatening the lives of 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 properties damaged.

In Clement town, there was also an attempt of arson on a Shugden devotee's family 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 popping up here and there in international media. Still, these articles and the truth are few and far 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."

Our demands

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 blatantly ignored, and in addition to the plight:

• 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 Dorje 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 Dorje Shugden were ostracized in the schools' system.

Until the Dalai Lama stops religious segregation and and admits 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. 

*************

 

Free eBook, A Great Deception, by the Western Shugden Society

If you would like to help raise awareness in order to bring all this to an end, please share this free eBook, A Great Deception, with your friends and family.

The Dalai Lama's Secret Life -- now available as a free eBook

 
A Great Deception, explaining the secret life of the 14th Dalai Lama, is now available as a free eBook on the Western Shugden Society website.

Wherever you stand on the issue of the Dalai Lama and Dorje Shugden, or the Dalai Lama and other controversies, this book is certainly worth reading. It is well-researched and contains a great deal of documentation from third-party sources.

There is also a letter that is being sent along with the paperback version of A Great Deception to people around the world. 

Read the Open Letter to Everyone
Read the Open Letter to British Political Leaders

What is in the book

This book shows that the Wisdom Buddha Dorje Shugden is the manifestation of Je Tsongkhapa, who is the embodiment of the wisdom of all Buddhas. It also brings to light the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso's actions in banning this traditional spiritual practice and causing its followers to be persecuted.

It also highlights other controversies, including the mixture of church and state for political and personal ends, the Dudjom Rinpoche affair, the assassination of Gungtang Tsultrim, the Karmapa affair, the politics of the Kalachakra initiations, the defamation of revered Buddhist masters, the Dalai Lama's being on the payroll of the CIA, the Dalai Lama's involvement with Tibetan Guerillas and the Tibetan arms trade, the attempted coup in Bhutan, the Dalai Lama's fascination with Nazism, the friendship with Shoko Asahara, the strange and somewhat sordid history of all the Dalai Lamas, and how the Dalai Lama really "won" the Nobel Peace Prize.

From the Preface:

The purpose of this book is to achieve the following four aims:

• to liberate millions of innocent practitioners of the Buddhist Deity Dorje Shugden and their families from suffering;
• to restore peace and harmony between Shugden and non-Shugden practitioners;
• to re-establish the common spiritual activities of Shugden and non-Shugden practitioners; and
• to free Buddhism from political pollution.

Achieving these aims depends solely upon whether the present Dalai Lama will accept the four points set out at the conclusion of Chapter 4 of this book.

The Dalai Lama wishes to ban Shugden worship in general; and in particular to remove Tibetan Shugden worshippers from their communities, and Western Shugden worshippers from the international Buddhist community. Since 1996 the Tibetan exile government has continually applied effort to fulfil these wishes. In February 2008 alone, 900 monks who are Shugden practitioners were expelled from their monasteries in India.

In 1996 the Tibetan exile government publicly decreed to the Tibetan communities of each country, including Tibet, that Shugden practitioners were their national enemies and were against the Dalai Lama's wishes. The decree stated that unless Shugden practitioners promised to stop Shugden worship they would not receive any official position or job, nor any help or support, even medical assistance, either from the Tibetan exile government or from individual members of the Tibetan community. Further, any connection at all with Shugden practitioners should be cut. Children of Shugden practitioners were no longer permitted to attend Tibetan schools, and Shugden practitioners themselves could not join community meetings, social events and so forth....

(... and the situation has gone from bad to worse.)

Download the free eBook today to find out more.

What does the Dalai Lama's 'retirement' means for religious freedom?

The romantic image of the Dalai Lama
as Spiritual Leader - a holy man in robes

There are recent reports that the Dalai Lama's decision to retire from politics, expressed earlier this month, has been accepted by the Tibetan Parliament.  So does this mean that the Dalai Lama has really retired, and what are the implications for Dorje Shugden practitioners who are still experiencing discrimination at the hands of the Tibetan Government in Exile?

Time will tell.  Perhaps the Dalai Lama has simply retreated into the background to create a 'democracy with 'Tibetan characteristics' (a continuing Theocracy) and from a practical point of view will continue to control all aspects of life for ordinary Tibetans, as has been the case for the past sixty years and beyond, or perhaps his decision heralds a new era of openness and true democracy with a genuine democratically-elected secular leader, the Kalon Tripa.  The main question is - what will happen to religious freedom in this new system; will things be better or worse?

 The hypocrisy of the Dalai Lama's 'non-sectarianism'

The Dalai Lama's
words and actions
 don't match

Although the Dalai Lama has encouraged Tibetans to freely practice all traditions of Tibetan Buddhism and not to see any differences between them, a policy that heralds disaster for the future of Tibetan Buddhism and that is not even in accord with the Rime or non-sectarian movement of the last two centuries, he has been consistently hard on those who practise Dorje Shugden.  To the Western world, the Dalai Lama proclaims that we should be respectful and open minded towards all faiths, even writing a book on the subject, but, with characteristic hypocrisy, he has been less charitable towards the followers of Dorje Shugden, the main Protector practice of many powerful Gelugpa Teachers for four hundred years, and has preached anything other than peaceful co-existence. He has introduced an undemocratic ban on the practice, galvanising both Tibetans and Westerns to abandon the practice and ostracise those who refuse to give it up.  Tibetans have had to swear an oath to do these two things, even in free, democratic countries such as Switzerland and the USA.



Ostracism and discrimination

The unacceptable face of the
Dalai Lama's sectarian ban

The ban has meant that Shugden practitioners are denied basic rights, such the freedom to travel, enter certain shops and receive medical treatment and education. You can watch Al Jazeera's unbiased report on this issue. It seems that Dorje Shugden has been the Dalai Lama's particular political obsession of the past thirty years, along with the problem of Tibet, but it has only ever been a means to an end, a smokescreen to distract from his failure to secure any autonomy for Tibet.  Behind the scenes, he has tried to cement his position of holder of supreme spiritual and political power in Tibetan society while at the same time, showing a public face of tolerance, peace and compassion to the Western media.  This policy of having two faces has served the Dalai Lama very well up to this point, but what does the future hold?

What is the Dalai Lama's role now?

The Deification of the Dalai Lama
began with the political machinations
of the 'Great Fifth' 

Although loved by the Tibetan people and held to be a Buddha by Tibetan Buddhists, the Dalai Lama's role as a spiritual leader is completely unnecessary because each tradition of Tibetan Buddhism has its own Head, so what is his role?  It seems that, over the past nearly four hundred years, the Dalai Lama has made himself indispensable to the Tibetan people, where they cannot think to do anything without his guidance.  He built the Potala palace and made himself into a God-King.  It's shocking to realise that the Dalai Lama has played the role of the cloying mother for four hundred years who, out of fear of redundancy, has refused to let her children grow up and stand on their own two feet.  He has dictated Tibetan religio-political policy, creating the 'Lama Policy' that has poisoned Buddhism and threatened the pure teachings of Buddha Shakyamuni in this world, and he has used them to build a fortress of respectibility to the point where he is considered one of the most influential people in the world by Time Magazine.

The future for Shugden practitioners

The Shugden ban -  largely ignored by the world's media
despite extensive protests worldwide

What does the Dalai Lama's retirement from front line politics mean to Shugden practitioners who have been persecuted by him and his followers for the past thirty years?  At this point, it's hard to say.  It's hard to imagine that the Tibetan Government in Exile will immediately change their policy, given that it is clearly one of the Dalai Lama's most treasured, but maybe over time a true democracy and non-sectarianism will emerge if the Dalai Lama's influence is allowed to fade.  The draconian ban of Shugden practice is clearly not a democratic policy but the heart aim of just one person, so there is every hope that things will change.  However, in the meantime, as a 'spiritual leader'. the Dalai Lama will have more time on his hands and this doesn't bode well for Shugden followers as he will have many opportunities to speak out and further poison the hearts of Tibetans and Western followers of Tibetan Buddhism towards the practice and its devotees.  It's hard to believe that he will stop following his long treasured aim of destroying the practice and only time will tell what this all means for true democracy and religious freedom.

The Dalai Lama's sectarian "non-sectarian" approach

The Dalai Lama makes a great deal of being non-sectarian and claims that those who practise Dorje Shugden are sectarian.  He quotes such 'sectarianism' as one of his main reasons for banning the practice of Shugden:

2. Obstacles to the emergence of genuine non-sectarianism: His Holiness has often stated that one of his most important commitments is the promotion of inter-religious understanding and harmony. As part of this endeavour, His Holiness is committed to encouraging non-sectarianism in all schools of Tibetan Buddhism. In this His Holiness is following the example set by his predecessors, especially the Fifth Dalai Lama and the Thirteenth Dalai Lama. Not only is a non-sectarian approach mutually enriching for all Tibetan Buddhist schools, but it is also the best safeguard against a rise of sectarianism that could have damaging consequences for the Tibetan tradition as a whole. Given the acknowledged link between Dolgyal* worship and sectarianism, this particular practice remains a fundamental obstacle to fostering a genuine non-sectarian spirit within the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.

(*Dolgyal is a derogatory term for Dorje Shugden)



Bigotry, discrimination, hatred

So how non-sectarian is the Dalai Lama?  This is the definition of sectarianism from Wikipedia:

Sectarianism, according to one definition, is bigotry, discrimination or hatred arising from attaching importance to perceived differences between subdivisions within a group, such as between different denominations of a religion or factions of a political movement.

Identity Card

Trijang Rinpoche

This definition contains many powerful words such as 'bigotry, discrimination and hatred', all of which apply to the Dalai Lama's public pronouncements about the practice of Dorje Shugden.  An enforced signature campaign to stop the practice has led to Tibetans practising bigotry and hatred towards those who disagree with the Dalai Lama's political ban of the practice. Discrimination is exactly what Shugden practitioners are experiencing in Tibetan communities throughout the world (shockingly, even in democratic Western countries such as the USA, France and Switzerland) as they are branded as spirit worshippers by the Dalai Lama.  Paradoxically, this makes the Dalai Lama's own Guru Trijang Rinpoche a spirit worshipper and invalidates the whole Gelugpa lineage; but this unwanted consequence doesn't seem to have dawned on the Dalai Lama.

Considering the evidence of ostracism and discrimination, and the Dalai Lama bringing the subject of Shugden up at every public meeting of Tibetans in an attempt to completely stamp out the practice, how can the Dalai Lama be said to be non-sectarian?

Rime

Another red herring is the Dalai Lama talking about 'Rime' or 'Rigme' (pronounced Reemay).  Here is an example from a talk he gave on 14th January 2011 as reported by Voice of Tibet radio:

Since I, as an ordinary body of Amdo, got the name of fourteen Dalai Lama, I ought to follow the steps of my predecessors.  It is my responsibility to serve the Rigme teachings of Tibet.

Rime is a non-sectarian movement that began in Tibet, prompted by the political infighting between the different traditions of Tibetan Buddhism.  The Dalai Lama is claiming the Rime is non-sectarian and should be followed whereas the practice of Dorje Shugden is sectarian.  By making such false claims, and encouraging discrimination against a religious tradition that was promoted by his own Teacher, the Dalai Lama shows himself to be sectarian.  The approach of Rime is quite different to that of the Dalai Lama.  Ringu Tulku says:

Ris or Phyog-ris in Tibetan means "one-sided", "partisan" or "sectarian". Med means "No". Ris-med (Wylie), or Rimé, therefore means "no sides", "non-partisan" or "non-sectarian". It does not mean "non-conformist" or "non-committal"; nor does it mean forming a new School or system that is different from the existing ones. A person who believes the Rimé way almost certainly follows one lineage as his or her main practice. He or she would not dissociate from the School in which he or she was raised.

Rime therefore doesn't mean practising all traditions.  It also doesn't mean blurring the lines between traditions, as the Dalai Lama is wont to do:

Rimé is not a way of uniting different Schools and lineages by emphasising their similarities. It is basically an appreciation of their differences and an acknowledgement of the importance of having this variety for the benefit of practitioners with different needs. Therefore the Rimé teachers always take great care that the teachings and practices of the different Schools and lineages and their unique styles do not become confused with one another. To retain the original style and methods of each teaching lineage preserves the power of that lineage experience. Kongtrul and Khentse made great efforts to retain the original flavour of each teaching, while making them available to many.

Fourteenth Dalai Lama

This shows that the Dalai Lama is using Rime for his own political purposes of uniting all the schools of Tibetan Buddhism (and even the non-Buddhist Bon school) under his control.  He has distorted the meaning of the teaching.  This is clear from a talk he gave to a Russian audience on 27 November 2010 in response to a question about receiving empowerments from different traditions:

There is no problem. No differences are there at all. You should receive Gelug empowerment; you should receive Nyingma empowerment; you should receive Sakya empowerment; and you should receive Kagyu empowerment. As for me, I receive all of them. Well, all Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu and Geden are students of seventeen Mahasiddas and scholars. Shugden worshippers are saying that if a Gelugpa worship Shugden, it is incorrect to keep a text of Nyingma. That is wrong. In twenty century, because of Shugden, sectarian is developing in Tibet. This is wrong.

Notice that the Dalai Lama uses this occasion to unfairly brand Shugden practitioners as sectarian. He also uses wrong logic to justify eclecticism: 'Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu and Geden are students of the seventeen Mahasiddhas and scholars'. While this is undoubtedly true, there are important differences in their presentation of Buddha's teachings which are appreciated by those who follow Rime but not by the Dalai Lama.  We can therefore see that true Rime celebrates diversity, whereas the Dalai Lama's idea of Rime is to amalgamate the schools by claiming there is no difference and everyone should practice all schools, expressly against the Rime edict that one should follow one lineage as one's main practice and no dissociate from that school.  The Dalai Lama has dissociated himself from the Gelugpa school and from his root Guru through his criticism of Dorje Shugden practice and practitioners.  His actions are therefore sectarian and non-Rime, even though he claims to have banned the practice because he's non-sectarian!

Ask yourself this question:  How is someone non-sectarian by banning a religious practice and outlawing it?  This is clearly contradictory.  It's against the Rime teachings that the Dalai Lama claims to support.

Je Gendundrub, First Dalai Lama

There are further contradictions in the Dalai Lama's position. In his speech of 14th January, the Dalai Lama says he must follow his predecessors by protecting the Rime school, but the First Dalai Lama, Je Gendundrub wrote a beautiful praise to Je Tsongkhapa called Song of the Eastern Snow Mountain in which he says:

From now until enlightenment
I shall seek no refuge other than you.
O Venerable Father and Sons (Je Tsongkhapa and his two spiritual sons, Khedrubje and Gyaltsabje)
Please care for me with your compassion.

The Rime system didn't exist until the nineteenth century, five hundred years after the First Dalai Lama  proclaimed his sole refuge to be Je Tsongkhapa.  Rime is therefore a relatively recent development. The present Dalai Lama seems to have forsaken Je Tsongkhapa's tradition for the sake of following no tradition (he's not following Rime, as clearly explained) and he has also forsaken the kindness of his Gurus by having them branded as spirit worshippers.

Finally then:  why doesn't the present Dalai Lama show the example of his ultimate predecessor, the First Dalai Lama and remain within the Gelugpa school of Buddhism while respecting all others, appreciating and celebrating their differences as a true Rime practitioner would?  Instead, he has chosen the path of sectarian intolerance by banning one of the main practices of Je Tsongkhapa's tradition, which he seems intent on destroying, and merging all schools of Buddhism into one by claiming they are all the same. The only explanation can be that Je Gendundrub was a pure spiritual practitioner whereas the present Dalai Lama is, first and foremost, a politician with worldly concerns who is twisting the meaning of non-sectarian and Rime for his political ends: power and influence.

The Dalai Lama's Shady Past

There is another book out about the previous Dalai Lamas, called
Secret Lives of the Dalai Lama: The Untold Story of the Holy Men Who Shaped Tibet, from Pre-history to the Present Day

Part of its write up says:

His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama is known to the world for his efforts to preserve Tibetan culture and for his inspiring spiritual teachings. Often unnoticed, however, is the long, colorful history from which this most beloved of holy men has emerged. In Secret Lives of the Dalai Lama, Alexander Norman tells this story in full for the first time, from Tibetan Buddhism’s foundational narratives to the present-day crisis faced by Tibet.

And what a story it is. Along with dedicated monks selflessly serving the Tibetan people, among His Holiness’s spiritual forebears there are a Dalai Lama who waged wars, a womanizing and inebriated poet, and several who wound up dead following disputes over temporal power. Also, while Western practitioners focus on Tibetan Buddhism’s liberating vision of enlightenment, it simultaneously contains ritual practices of prophecy and magic, as well as a vivid pantheon of deities and demons.

"Holy men"??! Upon reading the history of the previous Dalai Lamas, the only "holy men" amongst them would appear to be the first four and the Seventh, none of whom had political power or abused their position as spiritual teachers.

It is a stretch to call the rest "holy men". That is unless you call womanizing drunks (the Sixth), violent power-hungry people (the "Great Fifth" and the "Great Thirteenth") and political dictators (the current Fourteenth) "holy men". The Eighth handed over his political power to regents, and the Ninth, Tenth and Twelfth died too young for anyone to make their mind up about them.

During a rebellion of the Karmapas in Tsang, the Fifth Dalai Lama (the 14th Dalai Lama's favorite "spiritual forbear") issued orders:

[Of those in] the band of enemies, who have despoiled the duties entrusted to them:
Make the male lines like trees that have had their roots cut;
Make the female lines like brooks that have dried up in winter;
Make the children and grandchildren like eggs smashed against cliffs;
Make the servants and followers like heaps of grass consumed by fire;
Make their dominion like a lamp whose oil has been exhausted;
In short, annihilate any traces of them, even their names.

The "Great Thirteenth" (1876-1933) (the current Dalai Lama's other favorite "spiritual forbear") was also a cruel leader. As chief judge he commanded severe punishments to be meted out to trouble-makers, including floggings, amputations and exile. His friend Sir Charles Bell gave the damning verdict:

He loved the work... and he liked the power which the work gave him.

Doesn't sound very holy to me. Nor does the current Dalai Lama's current ban of a beloved spiritual practice and the threatening language he uses to back it up, such as (to monks in India who questioned the ban on practicing Dorje Shugden):

14th Dalai Lama inspecting 
troops at Chakrata in 1972

"There will be no change in my stand. I will never revoke the ban. You are right. It will be like the Cultural Revolution. If those who do not accept the ban do not listen to my words, the situation will grow worse for them. You sit and watch. It will grow only worse for them."

As for the 14th Dalai Lama's "inspiring spiritual teachings", they come from the kindness of his precious Spiritual Guides. Yet he superseded and denigrated all of them as he assumed more and more temporal power.

Sometimes cliches hit the mark: Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

This all sounds incredible. It is true though. To find out more, including all the sources for this information, read A Great Deception.

Here is a very good article on why we feel it is okay to criticize the Dalai Lama.

Dalai Lama messes with Tibetans' minds

The Dalai Lama continues to spread pain throughout the Tibetan communities. Recently a speech given to his followers during teachings in the Himalayan region of India were reported on the Tibetan radio station 'Voice of Tibet'. Here is a transcript:

Pachen Dorje (reporter): Today on the second day of his teaching in Varanasi, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, public jewel and supreme leader of Tibetan religion and politics, was kind to deliver a special advice to over six thousand devotees from Bhutan, Nepal and Indian Himalayan regions, who came to receive his teachings. On the occasion His Holiness explained he knew that some people of Shugden society recruited children in the name of education in Himalayan regions, and that if parents send their children with full awareness of the Dalai Lama's ban on worship of Shugden, he does not question and oppose. However, he also explained that there would be problems in future if children are sent without any knowledge.

Dalai Lama: I heard that the so-called Geshe-la of Shugden society comes there, and they take children, saying that children would have good education. Similarly this is possible in Gashar; it is possible in Monpa; it is possible in Nepal. I do not oppose if the guardian parents send their children after knowing everything about Gyalpo Shugden; everything about the reasons of the ban imposed on it, and that the Shugden society is opponent of the Dalai Lama. Do you understand? If you do not know, are deceived, and say that there are good facilities and education, later your children have no way to meet the Dalai Lama.

Here the great Prayer Festival is held. Many monks from Sera, Drepung and Gaden monasteries came here. Down there, the monks from Dhokhang Khamtsen of Gaden and Dholgyal worshippers of Pomra in Sera Mey have no way to come here. (slight laugh) When I went to the seats down there (South India), they have no way to come to my teachings, except that they stay performing puja separately.

I clearly state that Guru and disciple require uncontaminated commitment. If someone with degenerated commitment receives teaching, it rather harms Guru; it doesn't help disciple.

Therefore it is unnecessary that you send your children to Dholgyal worshipping organizations, and you regret later when you come to realize. First you need to know. When Tibetan monks come and say you have place to go, you must ask their affiliation.

The Dalai Lama spooks the Tibetan community with his heavy-handed language. For example: “later your children have no way to meet the Dalai Lama” and "if someone with degenerated commitment receives teaching, it rather harms Guru; it doesn't help disciple."

When he first introduced the ban on Dorje Shugden, the Dalai Lama used similar rhetoric, claiming that the practice of Shugden harmed his health and shortened his lifespan. In this way, the Dalai Lama plays on the spiritual fears and superstitions of his audience.

The Dalai Lama, “supreme leader of Tibetan religion and politics”, is using this self-proclaimed status within Buddhism to enforce his own biased view. He demands compliance from an audience who may have a Guru-disciple relationship with him and/or who fear dire consequences if they do not fit in with the crowd.

Such use of Buddhism for political aims is distasteful. The Dalai Lama’s bigoted views and oppressive actions are also contrary to the love and compassion with which Buddha originally gave his teachings.

Sadly, there is only one source of religious disharmony in the Tibetan community, and it is the Dalai Lama. He uses his position to split the Tibetan community by spreading his wrong views about Protector Dorje Shugden, bringing pain to his people who are torn between loyalty to the Dalai Lama and their heartfelt commitments to their other precious Gurus who gave them this practice.

Many bravely continue to practise in secret, waiting and hoping, fearing the witchhunt should they reveal their true feelings.

It is sad that someone who preaches love, compassion and religious tolerance should continue to be the source of division, disharmony, and fear. Particularly someone who wears the robes of a Buddhist monk.

For more information, see A Great Deception.

Dalai Lama receives the Mother Theresa Award for Social Justice

First of all, if you have not yet read the ground-breaking book, A Great Deception, it is a real page-turner. Everything is backed up and all facts consistent with the Western Shugden Society claims, and it contains a wealth of other material to do with the Dalai Lama that might raise your eyebrows. It is very well researched, documented, and written.

This book is not just about the Dalai Lama’s destructive ban against Dorje Shugden, though it puts that ban in the clearest possible context. It will prove to be historically very significant, signalling an end to the pollution of Buddhism by politics, by showing the utter corruption, power struggles, violence and deceit that have marked the government of the Ganden Phodrang since the time of the Fifth Dalai Lama, especially during the reigns of the 5th, 13th and 14th Dalai Lamas of Tibet. This book is worth reading even just for its chapter on the history and institution of all the Dalai Lamas, 1st through 14th.

Meanwhile, the Dalai Lama is still at it, and we will continue on this blog and our website, Wisdom Buddha Dorje Shugden, to call him on his deception and hypocrisy whenever we see it (if we can keep up). He was given the Mother Theresa Award for Social Justice in Delhi on Thursday 18 November. At a glittering ceremony at the Hotel Taj Palace, Bollywood actress Rani Mukherjee presented the award to the Tibetan leader.

In his address to the gathering, the Tibetan leader lauded India for its ancient tradition of Ahimsa (non-violence) and harmonious existence of various religious traditions for many years.

“India (is), I feel, the only country where major world religious traditions live together. Occasionally some problems happen, that’s understandable, over billion human being, some mischievous people always there.”

The Tibetan leader said India’s tradition of Ahimsa and religious harmony is not only an ancient one but also very relevant even in today’s world.

“So I myself lived in this country for 51 years, and I am carrying to various parts of the world these two messages, message of Ahimsa based on love and compassion, and message of religious harmony,” said His Holiness.

So why was the Dalai Lama given this award?

His championship of non-violence?

As it says in A Great Deception, page 220:

“Of all the lies that surround the Dalai Lama, surely the greatest is that he is the champion of non-violence.”

For example, during the Dalai Lama’s reign in Tibet, serfs were routinely tortured just down the hill from his grand Potala palace and he turned a blind eye. He spent a lot of time with Nazis. He wrote hymns to Chairman Mao. He was close friends with Shoko Asahara, the deadly leader of the Japanese AUM Cult. Newly declassified US State Department documents show that from the mid-1950’s to the mid-1970s there was an active and violent Tibetan resistance movement that was funded by the CIA with the full support of the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama was also responsible for the 2008 demonstrations by Tibetans in the lead-up to the Chinese Olympics that caused death and destruction to property. And that is not all you'll find out about if you read the book.

Moreover, the Dalai Lama has not once spoken out against the on-going violence inflicted by his followers on Dorje Shugden practitioners. Indeed, the Dalai Lama has encouraged disharmony and hatred with his words that, when it comes to him, “it might be justified for one or ten enemies to be eliminated”, leading to the Tibetan Administration’s Ten Most Hated Enemies of the Dalai Lama and Tibet and Wanted Posters being circulated throughout Tibetan settlements in India and Nepal. These give precise details of their names, families and living places and are clearly designed to encourage violence. There is plenty of documented violence against Dorje Shugden practitioners.

His championship of religious harmony?

One news report claims that he received the Mother Theresa Award for 'his commitment to human values, fostering inter-religious dialogue and the welfare of Tibetan people'; yet he doesn't even foster dialogue between Buddhists. He has managed to interfere in all four schools of Tibetan Buddhism, with disastrous consequences, as explained in detail in A Great Deception. The Dalai Lama has repeatedly failed to take up offers of discussion to resolve the conflict over Dorje Shugden; rather his public pronouncements have led to more bitter entrenchment and angry accusations towards Shugden practitioners. They are treated like criminals even though they have done nothing wrong.

On the subject of religious harmony, the Dalai Lama has caused religious DISharmony by banning the practice of Dorje Shugden and disparaging his own Teachers who promoted this holy practice. He is responsible for schism in the international Buddhist community because of the ban. Check out the growing number of news articles and programs that attest to this.

The Dalai Lama has denied human rights (the very foundation of social justice) to Dorje Shugden practitioners by ostracizing them from Tibetan society. In an enforced signature campaign by the Tibetan Government in Exile, Tibetans have had to swear to have nothing to do, materially or spiritually, with Shugden practitioners. Those who refused to give up the practice are still denied medical treatment, education and even freedom to enter shops run by Tibetans. Nor are they issued with travel permits because of their beliefs. This is a strange implementation of social justice that does not fit the definition!

Even those who obey his religious edicts have received no benefit from him. He has repeatedly failed to achieve any agreement with the Chinese government on the future of Tibet. Those in Tibetan communities throughout the world are under his power of his repressive theocracy where, ironically, there is no real freedom or benefit even though that's what he's being awarded for.

On the two messages that he claims to carry to the world -- non-violence and religious harmony -- his actions fall woefully short of his speeches. He 'talks a good talk', but unfortunately doesn't practice what he preaches to the masses.

Are there any valid reasons for giving the Dalai Lama an award for Social Justice?

It seems that the Dalai Lama garners awards simply for being the Dalai Lama and not for any other reason. These awards seem to be given for what people imagine the Dalai Lama is doing to benefit others. This must be so because the Dalai Lama, in reality, is doing the complete opposite of what he claims to stand for.

Through the publication of A Great Deception, may this charade be brought to an end, and Buddhism finally freed from pollution by Tibetan politics.

A Great Deception - freeing Buddhism from political pollution

The latest edition of A Great Deception has just been printed, with some additions.

This book will be distributed widely by the Western Shugden Society. It clearly shows that the Wisdom Buddha Dorje Shugden is the manifestation of Je Tsongkhapa, who is the embodiment of the wisdom of all Buddhas. It also brings to light the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso's unconscionable actions in banning this beloved spiritual practice and persecuting its followers.

From the Preface:

The purpose of this book is to achieve the following four aims:

• to liberate millions of innocent practitioners of the Buddhist Deity Dorje Shugden and their families from suffering;
• to restore peace and harmony between Shugden and non-Shugden practitioners;
• to re-establish the common spiritual activities of Shugden and non-Shugden practitioners; and
• to free Buddhism from political pollution.

Achieving these aims depends solely upon whether the present Dalai Lama will accept the four points set out at the conclusion of Chapter 4 of this book.

The Dalai Lama wishes to ban Shugden worship in general; and in particular to remove Tibetan Shugden worshippers from their communities, and Western Shugden worshippers from the international Buddhist community. Since 1996 the Tibetan exile government has continually applied effort to fulfil these wishes. In February 2008 alone, 900 monks who are Shugden practitioners were expelled from their monasteries in India.

In 1996 the Tibetan exile government publicly decreed to the Tibetan communities of each country, including Tibet, that Shugden practitioners were their national enemies and were against the Dalai Lama's wishes. The decree stated that unless Shugden practitioners promised to stop Shugden worship they would not receive any official position or job, nor any help or support, even medical assistance, either from the Tibetan exile government or from individual members of the Tibetan community. Further, any connection at all with Shugden practitioners should be cut. Children of Shugden practitioners were no longer permitted to attend Tibetan schools, and Shugden practitioners themselves could not join community meetings, social events and so forth....

(... and the situation has gone from bad to worse.)

Read more...

Mountain Phoenix on Dorje Shugden

I'd like to draw your attention to a couple of blog posts by Tibetan Mountain Phoenix on her blog 'Mountain Phoenix over Tibet' which provides some interesting analysis of the Dorje Shugden issue from a less biased point of view than other Tibetan commentators:

http://mountainphoenixovertibet.blogspot.com/search/label/Dorje%20Shugden

Even though the blog posts are a couple of years old, the issues she refers to still pertain, unfortunately. For example, in her first post, amusingly titled 'Ghostbusters: I ain't afraid of no ghost', she says:

Even if the pro-ghost people were all unpatriotic, selfish, pro-Chinese, Kundun-haters, and devil-worshippers, I’d wish Kundun followers wouldn’t behave like riffraff. Honestly, it’s not flattering to the Dalai Lama to have such a following. I would wish for His Holiness to distance himself from this kind of behaviour. And I would also wish he would stop raising the issue in public. From an innocent bystander view, it would be more effective to debate the issue with the defiant Lamas and Geshes directly. After all, it’s them who are meant to be persuaded. The collateral damage of raising the issue in front of the public has reached a frightening dimension.

Actually, I wish Kundun would consider dropping this thing altogether - just like some of the Tibetan-language media. He has successfully discouraged the practice for years. So then the ones who remain stubborn just can’t be helped, can they? Why not leave it at that? There can’t be too many renegades left by now, can there? A couple of Lamas here and there, most keeping a low profile. If Kundun stops to speak against the practice, they will stop defending themselves. If he intensifies his efforts, they will too. The way I see it, Kundun can control this

.

'Kundun' is a name for the Dalai Lama. The destruction of Dorje Shugden practice has been an obsession of the Dalai Lama's for over thirty years. He can't stop mentioning it in public. As Mountain Phoenix says:

The collateral damage of raising the issue in front of the public has reached a frightening dimension.

It certainly has. Every time the Dalai Lama mentions it, there is a witch hunt in which innocent Dorje Shugden practitioners are persecuted. They are already denied basic human rights such as travel permits, education and medical treatment. They are also barred from shops because of their religious beliefs. This has gone on for far too long now, and has even resulted in a split in the spiritual community. Dorje Shugden worshipping monks have been expelled from the monasteries under the control of the 'Ganden Podrang' or Tibetan Government in Exile and have had to build their own monasteries of Shar Gaden and Serpom. The division caused by the Dalai Lama's words is probably irreparable, even if he were to retract his statements tomorrow.

Mountain Phoenix wants to say this to the Dalai Lama:

Dear Kundun, do you surf the net sometimes? - I really hope so. I humbly wish you would read what a fellow Tibetan has to say and people like Acha Purbu-la think. I wish you would agree that this ghost hunt leads us nowhere and is disrupting social harmony. I wish you would stop making the ghost an issue and lead us again on the path to cope with the big problems that lie ahead of us as a people.

Sadly, because she follows the Dalai Lama, she refers to Dorje Shugden throughout as 'a ghost', even though later she acknowledges that there is a view held by some that he is a Buddha:

To be fair to the other side, I should mention that they don’t think they are worshipping a ghost. For them, the ghost is an enlightened being (a Buddha or something to that effect). A view, that many people don’t like to hear, no Tibetan media reports on, and nobody wants to openly talk about. Nevertheless, if the other side believes the ghost is a divine thing, it’s their right. Just as it’s the right for the mainstream to believe the ghost is a deamon. Believe one or the other but keep quiet. Or opt out altogether and keep quiet.

She refers to the view that Dorje Shugden is a demon as mainstream. This shows how much damage the Dalai Lama's views have caused in thirty years. Through blind faith in 'Kundun' and his draconian ban on the practice, Tibetans have turned away from the practice of Dorje Shugden, a once mainstream Gelugpa practice, with the result that those who are sincerely wishing to keep their commitments to their spiritual Teachers and who steadfastly refuse to abandon the practice have been marginalized and ostracised from Tibetan society.

Her final conclusion, from her later post '"Evil Spirit" puts Tibetan democracy to test' which is fairer and more balanced:

The way Tibetans have been handling the Dholgyal/Shugden issue says quite a bit about the state of our democratic values. We Tibetans are okay with dissenters being forced into obedience. We see nothing wrong with this political style. We have no issues with the Dalai Lama exerting pressure on dissenters by using secular government organs and tolerating oaths and signature actions in his name. Some even believe it is their duty to expose Dholgyal/Shugden supporters and slander them.

Sadly, we can report that not much has changed since Mountain Phoenix wrote her original blog posts two years ago. The Dalai Lama is still speaking out against the practice (even as recently as last month) and Dorje Shugden practitioners are still ostracised and vilified by the majority of Tibetans.

Dalai Lama, please give religious freedom.