Huffington Post: Three Times as Many Buddhists as Communists in China: Dalai Lama’s Tibet Wish May Require Rapprochement with Former Adversaries
Dear friends,
I was pleased to be informed that The Huffington Post (HuffPost) just published a third article on the Dorje Shugden conflict. I can only guess that after the initial articles by HuffPost on this issue in mid-November 2017, the writer Mr. Martin Desai was intrigued to dig deeper into the matter. And as many people have discovered for themselves, there is a lot more than meets the eye. It is only when someone delves into the Dorje Shugden controversy carefully and looks at the facts (and not the propaganda and emotions) that we see how a campaign by Shugden detractors disregarded religious freedoms to almost destroy a very valuable lineage and practice. It is a practice that the greatest Gelugpa and Sakya masters have hailed as all-important, and they have preserved and passed the lineage from one generation to another for 400 years.
This series of articles on the Shugden controversy is truly a testament to HuffPost’s professionalism and integrity as an influential news media agency that is not shy about tackling difficult issues involving popular world personages. For them, what matters is the truth, and not the popularity of a personality who has been allowed to influence world media for a long time. It is no wonder that HuffPost is beloved by and relied on by millions around the world, and is definitely worthy of the Pulitzer Prize that it won.
This third article on the Dorje Shugden conflict by HuffPost is important because it addresses what has become the foundation and justification for a gross breach of human rights and a grievous error by the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), which is the exiled Tibetan leadership based in Dharamsala, North India. When the CTA implemented a prohibition on the practice of Dorje Shugden in 1996, it breached its own democratic Constitution and various United Nations provisions, and in the process damaged the unity of the Tibetan people almost beyond repair.
At first, those who implemented the ban claimed that this was necessary because Dorje Shugden practice supposedly harms His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s life. They also falsely claimed that Dorje Shugden practice is the reason why the Tibetan struggle has failed. Imagine that – they blamed all the political mistakes and woes of the Tibetan leadership on an ancient Buddhist practice, which existed long before the turmoil of 1959!
But after some time, it became clear that the Tibetan leadership’s reasons for the ban were not sound and logical at all. And so, they claimed instead that Dorje Shugden is a practice backed by the Chinese government to undermine the Dalai Lama and the CTA. Again, no evidence was ever provided but by making this claim, the Tibetan leadership managed to fan the already deeply ingrained resentment of the Tibetan people for losing their country and direct the blame to a religious practice. When Reuters published an article that reinforced these false accusations against Dorje Shugden practitioners, they legitimised an inaccurate and baseless claim that has for 20 years provided the foundation for a religious ban. Until this HuffPost article, no other news media has taken it upon themselves to investigate the issue impartially and without any political agenda.
Accusing all Dorje Shugden practitioners around the world to be Chinese spies is not only totally illogical, it is also wrong and damaging. No one should be tagged with a negative label just because of their religion, race, gender, beliefs or nationality. This kind of stereotyping is what creates senseless hate-crimes and violence, and it is extremely dangerous for anyone to do this. More so, if the perpetrator claims to be not only a democratic but also a Buddhist government.
In this HuffPost article, you can see how a very important and precious practice was dragged into politics and as a result, a damaging conflict ensued and was kept up for over 20 years. Dorje Shugden’s practice was established in the 17th century with the Great Fifth Dalai Lama making the first statue of this Dharma Protector and then writing a beautiful praise to the deity. After that it became a major practice in the Sakya tradition before it was embraced by the highest of Gelugpa masters including H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama himself, H.H. Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche, H.H. Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche, H.H. Kyabje Zong Rinpoche, Venerable Geshe Rabten, Venerable Lama Yeshe and so on. All of these events preceded Tibet’s geopolitical issues by a few hundred years.
Thus, to say that all of these people are Chinese spies and are against the Dalai Lama is simply absurd. Does it make sense to say that the Dalai Lama’s own tutor, Trijang Rinpoche, was a so-called Chinese spy who was against His Holiness the Dalai Lama? Does it make sense to say that millions of Shugden practitioners in Europe, USA, South East Asia, Australia are all Chinese spies? Think for yourself what makes sense.
So I am glad that HuffPost identified accurately the politics behind the controversy. It has never been about Dorje Shugden and whether the practice is good or bad. Once again, I thank Mr. Martin Desai and HuffPost for standing up for the truth without fear or favour and I hope as readers begin to understand the real issues behind the conflict, the healing will begin.
Tsem Rinpoche
More from HuffPost on Dorje Shugden
- November 28, 2017: When Machiavelli Dons Tibetan Robes
- November 14, 2017: Shugden Acolytes Decry Ostracism Within Buddhist Ranks
Three times as many Buddhists as Communists in China: Dalai Lama’s Tibet wish may require rapprochement with former adversaries
Martin Desai, Contributor | Journalist and financial investigator | 01/16/2018 07:27 am ET
Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche, ex-Prime Minister of the Central Tibetan Administration and present Personal Envoy of the Dalai Lama, who was rumoured to have visited China in November 2017 for secret talks.
Whilst China technically remains a communist country, it has over the last two or three decades relaxed draconian Mao-era rules, for example by opening the door to private sector capitalism and by allowing individuals to practice a religion of their choice, so long as it is not to be perceived as a potential threat to the stability of the state or of the Communist Party.
There are now almost three times as many Buddhists in China as there are Party members. An official communiqué released in July this year estimated the membership of the Communist Party of China at just under 90 million. Meanwhile, the State Bureau of Religious Affairs estimates there are some 250 million Buddhists in China, more or less evenly split between Tibetan Buddhism and Han Buddhism, and 200,000 registered Buddhist monks.
Chinese authorities monitor religious adherence closely, and are extremely sensitive to any challenge, real or imagined, that certain religions may represent. While the Chinese regime’s approach to Buddhism has been liberal – for example, no bans have been issued and open religious expression is permitted – it clearly takes the religion’s influence seriously, given its importance in Chinese society.
Above all the regime fears religious divisions or unrest, as evidenced by the swift outlawing of the Falun Gong movement and imprisonment of its leaders after a series of demonstrations by Falun Gong members prompted fears that the group’s swelling support could one day rival the Party. The regime is also acutely sensitive to the possibility of what it sees as external interference – especially on the delicate subject of Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism.
A particularly divisive issue for the Buddhist community, both within Tibet and abroad is the devotion to the Dorje Shugden deity, a 400-year old practice that began in the 17th century and has become a major practice in Tibetan Buddhism. Critics of Shugden devotion say worship of the deity promotes divisions among the four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism, all of which share the same fundamental philosophy, and whose differences lie in their interpretation of the extensive collection of Buddhist scriptures and the emphasis they place on various aspects of Buddhist philosophy.
At the origin of the controversy lie a number of ambiguous declarations from the current (14th) Dalai Lama. On the one hand, he has appealed for non-sectarian cooperation among all branches of Tibet’s religions. However, he has also effectively excluded Shugden practitioners from such cooperation despite once regarding Dorje Shugden as an enlightened being and authoring one of the most popular liturgies to this deity. Some Shugden devotees have claimed that these ambiguous declarations amount to a de facto ban on their practice and this exclusion is tantamount to being exiled in their own communities. The Shugden de facto exclusion has already existed for two decades since it was initiated by the current Dalai Lama and has slowly stirred disunity in Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) of China and among the exiled Tibetan communities.
In 2014 the Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet, which is chaired by the actor Richard Gere, said it had obtained a ‘directive’ from the Communist Party Committee of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) in China in February 2014 whose title translates as, “Some opinions on dealing correctly with the ‘Gyalchen Shugden’ issue”[1].
The International Campaign for Tibet’s evaluation of the directive accuses China of seeking to gain a political advantage from the controversy. Entitled “China’s new directive on (the) controversial Shugden spirit in Tibet in (a) further bid to discredit Dalai Lama”[2], even the title of the critique dispels any expectation of objectivity.
While the Chinese position is that the authorities are aiming to guarantee the right of all Tibetans to choose who and how they worship, the directive issued by the Communist Party Committee of TAR is couched in rather divisive language. It calls the Shugden controversy “an important front in our struggle with the Dalai clique” and “a deceitful ploy by the 14th Dalai’s clique to split the country…”
The Chinese directive was made in response to the de facto religious ban implemented by the Dalai Lama and Tibetan Government in Exile, and to their suspected destabilising activities inside the TAR. The directive proposes educational and law enforcement measures to be implemented inside the TAR to mitigate the risk of division and unrest that the controversy may cause. Tashi Tadchen, a representative of the European Dorje Shugden Society which was set up to create awareness of the supposed ban, says that following the exiled Tibetan leadership’s edict against the Shugden practice, there have been frequent clashes which at times have led to loss of lives between those who feel obliged to follow the Dalai Lama’s decree and adherents of the Shugden practice.
The directive mirrors Chinese fear of discord within Tibetan Buddhism and Buddhism in general. What it does not do, despite the International Campaign for Tibet’s claims, is take a specific position on Shugden devotion outside the TAR. In spite of the content of the directive, the Exiled Tibetan Government and related NGOs around the World have repeatedly used it as evidence to attest that Shugden practitioners are “spies of the Chinese Communist Party.”
A late 2015 report from the news agency Reuters looking into the Shugden controversy relied heavily on the Communist Party Committee of TAR directive, and especially the International Campaign for Tibet’s interpretation of it, as solid evidence that China is financing various Shugden groups in the West, in particular the International Shugden Community (ISC) which has seen strong support from individual members of the New Kadampa Tradition (NKT) and Tibetans living in the West. The NKT has meditation centres around the world and has been vocal in its public opposition to the Dalai Lama’s position.
Even so, no concrete evidence has ever been supplied. However, whilst the intended objective is unclear, the Dalai Lama’s Shugden exclusion has created unrest amongst Tibetans inside the TAR. This is precisely what China fears. China sustains a “One China” policy to maintain stability and prosperity of the state. Any divisive conflict in the TAR such as the Shugden split, does not augur well for its objectives. This is not an objective the exile Tibetan Government necessarily shares and its ability to influence affairs in the TAR is one of its key bargaining chips.
What we have, in effect, is both sides calling for unity while at the same time continuing to bicker. The Communist Party of TAR has certainly sought to politicise the rift, as the Dalai Lama and his supporters also appear to have done. The Dalai Lama’s comments have served to alienate Shugden devotees from other Tibetan Buddhists, and are somewhat jarring when considered alongside his calls for unity in the Tibetan diaspora. Shugden adherents have insisted that if indeed the exiled Tibetan leadership believes that the Communist Party of China is leveraging this issue, then a simple pronouncement by the Dalai Lama declaring an end to the de facto ban would have the effect of rendering it harmless.
Could the time now be ripe to call for closure of hostilities? The Dalai Lama has recently expressed a desire to return to his Tibetan homeland, a wish that would have no chance of fulfilment without a significant thawing of China’s attitude towards Tibet’s spiritual leader.
Harmony among Tibetan Buddhists is in the interests of both sides. Moreover, having said in November 2017 that “Tibetans want to stay with China” and that he would return to Tibet at once, if China agrees, the Dalai Lama has flagged a willingness to try and overcome the longstanding political impasse. In addition, a high ranking emissary of the Dalai Lama, Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche – former Prime Minister of the Tibetan exile Government – was nominated in the autumn as the Dalai Lama’s envoy for talks with the Chinese authorities and is believed to have held secret meetings with senior Communist party leaders.
Given that one of His Holiness’ early reasons for his criticism of Shugden worship – that it “harms the life of the Dalai Lama” – no longer seems justified given his longevity and continuing fair health, a rapprochement with Shugden acolytes may be a good starting point if his desired return to Tibet is to be anything more than a pipe dream.
[1] http://www.savetibet.org/the-official-line-on-shugden-translation/
[2] http://www.savetibet.org/chinas-new-directive-on-controversial-shugden-spirit-in-tibet-in-bid-to-further-discredit-dalai-lama/
Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/three-times-as-many-buddhists-as-communists-in-china_us_5a5dedb8e4b003efadb6b0d1
More from HuffPost on Dorje Shugden
- November 28, 2017: When Machiavelli Dons Tibetan Robes
- November 14, 2017: Shugden Acolytes Decry Ostracism Within Buddhist Ranks
Original Article
The original article on Huffington Post. Click on image to enlarge.
Addendum
Central Tibetan Administration’s Website
Below is a screenshot of Tibet.net, which is the Tibetan leadership’s website. In it, they have a section with “information” about Dorje Shugden which is designed to promote hatred, negativity and direct vulgarities towards Shugden practitioners. What kind of democratic leadership has a section like this on their site targeting a religious group? Imagine the uproar there would be if the American or Canadian, or any other democratic government had sections like this on their site for the public!
The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) website which has a section on Dorje Shugden. What kind of democratic government has sections on their website which target a religious group? Click to enlarge.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Website
This is a screenshot of DalaiLama.com which is the official website of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. When this section exists on His Holiness’ website, it actually emboldens Tibetans to discriminate against and segregate Shugden practitioners. This section is basically the Dalai Lama’s ‘endorsement’ of such behaviour; when anti-Shugden individuals see this, they think it is okay to segregate against the practice “because the Dalai Lama said so”. I don’t think the Dalai Lama would agree with this but the webmaster and shadow writers behind his website should not put this type of anti-Dorje Shugden section which subscribes to discrimination against a group because of religion. In the 21st century, this is not fitting of a great spiritual leader like His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Do not discriminate tolerate; is the way to go.
If the Dorje Shugden ban is just advice and not a ban, then why is a section like this necessary on any website?
His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s website which has a section on Dorje Shugden. This section emboldens Tibetans to discriminate against Shugden practitioners because it is the Dalai Lama’s endorsement of such behaviour.
Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile’s Resolution Stating Government Employees Should Not Rely on Dorje Shugden
In 1996, the Tibetan leadership passed a resolution stating that all departments (and ergo their employees) should not rely on Dorje Shugden (point 8). The resolution also stated that individuals who do engage in its worship will harm the Dalai Lama’s life and the so-called Tibetan cause. That being the case, how will anyone within the Tibetan settlements and government be able to openly engage in Dorje Shugden practice after that, if their worship has been widely labelled as anti-Dalai Lama, anti-CTA and treasonous? To openly practice after that will leave them open to criticism, vulgarities, harassment and discrimination, as Dorje Shugden practitioners have been for the last 20 years. So they will be left with three options: to give up the practice (which many will not do), to practice secretly, or to give up their jobs.
A screenshot of tibet.net, showing the 1996 resolution which proclaimed that departments under the Tibetan leadership should not propitiate Dorje Shugden and that doing so will harm the Dalai Lama’s life.
Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile’s Resolution Naming Dorje Shugden Practitioners as Criminals in History
This is a screenshot of tibet.net, the Central Tibetan Administration’s official website, which shows the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile’s unanimous resolution dated 17 March 2014 naming Dorje Shugden practitioners as criminals in history (point 3, paragraph 2).
The Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile passed a resolution on 17 March 2014 naming all Dorje Shugden practitioners as “criminals in history”. On what basis can the Tibetan leadership condemn all Dorje Shugden believers, including the elderly, infirm, young, and those not of Tibetan nationality, as criminals?
VIDEO: Dalai Lama bans Dorje Shugden practice
and expels monks
His Holiness the Dalai Lama was recorded in Drepung Monastery in 2008 clearly stating that those who refused to give up their Dorje Shugden practice should be expelled from the monasteries. His Holiness even said that if people found it difficult to fulfill this instruction, that they should say that the Dalai Lama told them to expel Dorje Shugden practitioners.
My question is this: if giving up Dorje Shugden practice is just advice, and it is up to us who we wish to rely on, then why are there such heavy repercussions for people who choose to keep the practice? As a result of His Holiness saying this, thousands of Shugden monks were expelled from the monasteries, and were forced to set up their own monasteries where they would be able to continue their Dorje Shugden practice.
VIDEO: Gaden Monastery Attacked
Since the inception of the Dorje Shugden ban 20 years ago, the CTA (Central Tibetan Administration) continues to organize a hateful campaign against Dorje Shugden practitioners. In doing so, the Tibetan leadership has gone against the very core teachings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama on compassion and tolerance and thereby, misled the world over the nature of their activities. The Tibetan leadership pursues huge sponsorship and financial aid from the West in order to run its operations but they actually channel these funds towards campaigns that suppresses religious freedom within the Tibetan communities through various means to instigate violent suppression against Dorje Shugden practitioners.
This video footage shows clearly how Dorje Shugden practitioners have lived their lives in fear for the last 20 years due to the ban on Dorje Shugden. Although the Tibetan leadership and supporters have continued to use various violent and underhanded means to segregate and discriminate Dorje Shugden practitioners, the practitioners themselves have not fought back. Instead, they continue to uphold their peaceful reliance on their Dorje Shugden lineage lamas and especially the practices and teachings they have received in relations to the protector deity. The main part of the video was filmed in 2000 and it shows 3,000 lay and ordained Tibetans heading towards Gaden Shartse Monastery in South India in order to riot against a group of Dorje Shugden practitioners.
Disclaimer: This video belongs to a third party. Permission was granted for us to upload here. This video is not being used for any commercial purposes, it is being used for educational purposes only.
VIDEO: Dorje Shugden practitioner rejected
from Gaden Shartse Monastery Guest House
A Dorje Shugden practitioner enquiring about room rates at the Gaden Shartse Monastery Guest House in Majnu-ka-tilla, Delhi was rejected by the hotel staff and asked to leave.
VIDEO: France 24 reports on the Dorje Shugden issue
France 24 is a reputable news network based in France, known for their objective reporting style. They covered the Dorje Shugden issue extensively, surely a reflection of the seriousness of the issue for them to devote so much airtime to it. In their video, France 24 captured on film the discrimination against a Dorje Shugden monk.
VIDEO: Al Jazeera reports on the Dorje Shugden issue
Based in the Middle East, Al Jazeera was formed in response to the heavy influence of Western culture on the media. They are known to cover controversial topics that other news agencies may be reluctant to cover, and provide hard-hitting, objective coverage of current affairs.
Evidence of the Ban
Over the years, my students have collected evidence of the ban against Dorje Shugden. Personally, I find it quite disappointing and sad that they have been able to collect so much evidence because it just goes to show how widespread and pervasive this ban has become. As you can see below, notices banning Dorje Shugden practitioners can be found just about anywhere in the Tibetan settlements. Whether a Dorje Shugden person is trying to access healthcare or enter a restaurant, or try to buy something from a shop, they are banned everywhere and refused service. How is this just ‘advice’ when the repercussions of practising Dorje Shugden are so violent inside the Tibetan communities and settlements?
For more interesting information:
- Huffington Post: When Machiavelli Dons Tibetan Robes
- Huffington Post: Shugden Acolytes Decry Ostracism Within Buddhist Ranks
- Dorje Shugden – The Protector of Our Time
- Dorje Shugden: Our Personal Stories
- Dear Dalai Lama, please read this
- Dear Dalai Lama, With Folded Hands
- Why so rude?
- 700 Meet A Buddha (七百人幸睹佛现)
- Great Masters Speak about Tsem Rinpoche
- Dorje Shugden Retreat: A powerful practice to fulfill wishes
- Dorje Shugden People Do Not Go to the Three Lower Realms
- Why Accepting Dorje Shugden Is Good for Tibetan Democracy
- Why can’t the Dalai Lama ‘bind’ Dorje Shugden?
- H.E. Tsem Rinpoche’s first live streaming!
- The Dorje Shugden category on my blog
- Manjushri Nagarakshasa comes to KFR!
- They were not wrong
- Can Tibetan Lamas Make Mistakes?
- My plea to His Holiness the Dalai Lama
- My plea to His Holiness (Tibetan) | ངའི་༧གོང་ས་མཆོག་ལ་སྙན་ཞུ་ཞུ་རྒྱུར།
- The Fourteenth Dalai Lama & Dorje Shugden | ༧གོང་ས་ཆེན་པོ་སྐུ་འཕྲེང་བཅུ་བཞི་པ་མཆོག་དང་རྡོ་རྗེ་ཤུགས་ལྡན། | 十四世达赖尊者与多杰雄登
- The Fifth Dalai Lama & Dorje Shugden | ༧གོང་ས་ལྔ་པ་ཆེན་པོ་དང་རྡོ་རྗེ་ཤུགས་ལྡན། | 第五世达赖尊者与多杰雄登
- Dorje Shugden: My side of the story
- Should there be a separate autonomous Dorje Shugden state? Part 1
- Should there be a separate autonomous Dorje Shugden state? Part 2
- To Sum It Up
- The Buddhist Divide – An Unholy Campaign against Religious Freedom
- Tibetan Leadership’s New Anti-Shugden Video
- Updated: Dorje Shugden Teaching Videos
- The Dalai Lama Speaks Clearly About the Dorje Shugden Ban
- Nechung – The Retiring Devil of Tibet
Please support us so that we can continue to bring you more Dharma:
If you are in the United States, please note that your offerings and contributions are tax deductible. ~ the tsemrinpoche.com blog team
HuffPost is an American liberal news portal, with localized and international editions. Well this portal offers news, blogs, and also covers politics, business, entertainment, environment etc . It cannot be wrong when mentioned about the Dorje Shugden controversy. It is a practice that the greatest Gelugpa and Sakya masters have hailed as all-important, and they have preserved and passed the lineage from one generation to another for 400 years. HuffPost’s professionalism and integrity says all. Those articles on the Shugden controversy is truly a testament.
The H H 14th Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, has for decades travelled the globe with a message of peace, love and compassion. Yet these Dorje Shugden controversy happened due to some having their own agenda. Shugden practitioners have been relying on Dorje Shugdn for more than 350 years. Why now??? It had cause more sufferings, misunderstanding , families divided and so on. May all this be over soon for the sake of Tibetans . Interesting read……hopefully more people will read this blog to understand the situation better.
Thank you Rinpoche for this sharing.
Mantras are sacred verbalized words that invoke the protection and blessings of the deity to whom the mantra is ascribed. Mantras are also the manifestations of Buddhas in the form of ‘sounds’, hence the various mantras of Dorje Shugden contain the essence of the Protector.
Dorje Shugden’s main mantra 多杰雄登主要咒语
OM BENZA WIKI BITANA SOHA
Dorje Shugden’s mantra for peace 平和咒语
For gaining attainments through the energy of Peaceful Shugden, peace of environment and mind, harmony in one’s abode and dwelling area, and calming of disasters
OM BENZA WIKI BITANA SHANTI SIDDHI HUNG
Dorje Shugden’s mantra for health 福寿安康咒语
For long life, increasing life, healing of disease and protection from diseases
OM BENZA WIKI BITANA AYU SIDDHI HUNG
Dorje Shugden’s mantra for increase 增长咒语
For gaining great merits and increase of all necessary needs, both material and spiritual
OM BENZA WIKI BITANA PUNYE SIDDHI HUNG
Dorje Shugden’s mantra for control 控制咒语
Of worldly deities, negative people and nagas and for influencing friends towards the positive
OM BENZA WIKI BITANA WASHAM KURU HO
Dorje Shugden’s mantra to grant protection 庇护咒语
Visualize that you are in the Protector’s mandala, fully protected from outside interferences. Recite when in danger or for dangerous situations, for protection while travelling or when residing in dangerous/hostile places
OM BENZA WIKI BITANA RAKYA RAKYA HUNG
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videouploads/comment-1544345059.mp4
Dear friends,
Tibet has produced many powerful meditations, rituals and guidelines to help us gain spiritual protection, gain wisdom and higher states of consciousness. In general Tibet has produced many powerful methods for the growth of our spiritual evolution. Dorje Shugden is an angel, a saint, a powerful spiritual protector-warrior who originated 350 years ago when a highly awakened Tibetan Lama fulfilled his vows to become a special being to grant protection, wisdom, material needs, safety when travelling (normal and astral travel) and spiritual awakening. Both the Great 5th Dalai Lama and the current His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama composed short yet effective prayers to invoke upon the power and blessings of this special saint and protector. One can recite either one of the prayers that you feel suits you, anytime or even daily. When you feel a special need for help, you can recite either prayer anytime. When you are feeling down, afraid or just need a blessing, you can recite them. After reciting either invocation, it is good to chant the mantra of Dorje Shugden: Om Benza Wiki Bitana Soha.
You do not have to be a Buddhist or practitioner of any religion to invoke upon the blessings and protection of this special enlightened and awakened angel Dorje Shugden. He helps all without discrimination or bias as he is filled with compassion and love. Divinity has no boundaries, they help all who call upon them.
Enclosed are the prayers in English, Chinese and Tibetan.
May you be safe, protected and blessed.
Tsem Rinpoche
More on the Great 5th Dalai Lama and Dorje Shugden – https://bit.ly/2w7KHv6
More on H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama and Dorje Shugden – https://bit.ly/2QdaL4n
Chapel (Trode Khangsar) built by the Great 5th Dalai Lama dedicated to Dorje Shugden in Lhasa – https://bit.ly/2zBTd8M
—
亲爱的朋友们，
西藏产生了许多有助于我们得到精神庇佑、取得智慧和更高层次之觉悟的强大禅修法、仪式和教诲。总括来说，西藏产生了许多有助于我们在修行上取得提升的强有力方法。多杰雄登是一个天使，一位圣人和一名护法战士。他的崛起始于350年前，当一位高度觉悟的西藏高僧履行本身的承诺，化身为特别的护法，赐予我们守护、智慧、物质需要、出入平安（平日外游和神游时）和灵修上的觉醒。任何人都可以随时随地在任何时候念诵适合自己的祈愿文。当你需要特别的帮助时，你可以随时念诵任何一篇祈愿文。当你感到沮丧、恐惧或仅是需要加持时，你也可以持诵这些祈愿文。在念诵任何祈请文后，你应该接着念诵多杰雄登的心咒：嗡 班杂 维格 毗札那 娑哈 Om Benza Wiki Bitana Soha。
要祈请多杰雄登这位特殊、觉悟和觉醒的天使赐予加持和庇佑，你无需是佛教徒或任何宗教的修行者。他总是没有分别或偏见，充满慈悲和慈爱地帮助一切众生。神圣是没有界限的，圣者会帮助有求于他的任何人。
以下附上英文、中文和藏文的祈愿文。
愿你平安，常受庇护和加持。
尊贵的詹杜固仁波切
更多关于第五世达赖尊者和多杰雄登护法的内容 — https://bit.ly/2zsC3tG
更多关于第十四世达赖尊者和多杰雄登护法的内容 — https://bit.ly/2r4aaDN
第五世达赖尊者为多杰雄登护法在拉萨建造的护法殿（布旦康萨）— https://bit.ly/2zBTd8M
Divination (‘mo’) Text by Dorje Shugden
This is an important divination (‘mo’) text composed by Dorje Shugden himself. Dorje Shugden took trance of the Choyang Dulzin oracle lama, the senior oracle of Gaden Shartse Monastery, and instantly on the spot composed this text within two hours.
The divination text contains information on how to use dice to do divination for the future and is known to be highly accurate. When practitioners use this text, they will be in direct contact with Dorje Shugden to get answers to questions about the future. It is for those who have good samaya with Dorje Shugden and are free of the eight worldly dharmas to be of benefit to others in divining the future.
Tsem Rinpoche
DS-MO-choyang.pdf
Be blessed with these rare videos featuring explanation and advice about Dorje Shugden practice by His Holiness Kyabje Zong Rinpoche in his own voice. The teaching was requested by Geshe Tsultrim Gyeltsen, one of the earliest masters who taught Tibetan Buddhism in the West.
Video 1: H.H. Kyabje Zong Rinpoche Explains Dorje Shugden Initiation and Benefits (With English Subtitles)
Kyabje Zong Rinpoche was an erudite scholar, ritual master and practitioner of the highest degree from Tibet. At the request of Geshe Tsultrim Gyeltsen, one of the pioneers who taught Tibetan Buddhism in America, Kyabje Zong Rinpoche gives clear explanation and advice about the life-entrustment initiation of Dorje Shugden and how to go about the practice and get the maximum benefits in this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzFMvlxAqtc&feature=youtu.be
Video 2: H.H. Kyabje Zong Rinpoche speaks on the History and Lineage of Dorje Shugden (With English Subtitles)
In this video, an erudite scholar, ritual master and practitioner of the highest degree from Tibet, Kyabje Zong Rinpoche talks about the incarnation lineage of Dorje Shugden and how the practice arose, with examples of Dorje Shugden’s previous lives that reveal his powerful spiritual attainments and contributions. This very rare teaching was given at the request of Kyabje Zong Rinpoche’s student, Geshe Tsultrim Gyeltsen, one of the pioneers who taught Buddhism in the West to many disciples since the 1970s.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIzKSJgK618&feature=youtu.be
For more information: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/great-lamas-masters/kyabje-zong-rinpoches-advice-on-dorje-shugdens-practice.html
For the first time available, Dorje Shugden and his entourage of 32 asssistants of his mandala.
Dorje Shugden is a powerful protector deity who is also an emanation of Manjushri, a wisdom bestowing Buddha. Therefore, he has great ability to help us to progress further on the spiritual path. He does this by helping us to overcome obstacles and problems for the modern individual.
Due to his enlightened nature, Dorje Shugden is able to manifest 32 deities and within the same abode resides Setrap and Kache Marpo:-
1. 5 Dorje Shugden families or emanations. They consists of the following:-
– Dulzin Dorje Shugden, which performs activities to eliminate inner and outer obstacles.
– Shize, which performs activities to pacify all illnesses and disease.
– Gyenze, which performs activities to increase all desirable material and spiritual wealth.
– Wangze, which performs activities to control difficult people and circumstances.
– Trakze, which performs activities to wrathfully eliminate all insurmountable obstacles and life-threatening situations.
2. 9 Mothers. They represent protection of the five senses and developing control of the four elements. These are all attributes that signify their ability to assist tantric practitioners with their higher meditations.
3. 8 Guiding Monks. They represent the Eight Great Bodhisattvas (Avalokitesvara, Manjushri, Vajrapani, Samantabhadra, Maitreya, Kshitigarbha, Akashagarbha, Sarva-nivarana-viskambini) and they bring about the growth of the Dharma, through the Sangha, Dharma practitioners and Dharma establishments.
4. 10 Youthful & Wrathful Attendants. They represent the ten wrathful attendants to avert inner and outer obstacles. They are beings who are from Mongolia, China, Kashmir, India, Bengali, etc.
5. Setrap. He is a senior Dharma Protector from India and an emanation of Amitabha Buddha. He had enthroned Dorje Shugden as an authentic Dharma Protector. Therefore, he also resides within the same mandala of Dorje Shugden.
6. Kache Marpo. He is not an emanation of Dorje Shugden but he is still an enlightened Dharma Protector in his own right. He was originally known as Tsiu Marpo of Samye Monastery. However, he has placed himself under the service of Dorje Shugden as his chief minister, performing many activities in order to protect and benefit practitioners. Therefore, he stands guard at the main entrance of Dorje Shugden’s mandala. He often takes trance of qualified mediums to speak.
7. Namkar Barzin. He is the reincarnation of an old Mongolian monk and when he passed away in Phari area of Tibet, his spirit was placed as a powerful assistant of Dorje Shugden. He guards and protects buildings and great institutions especially those that benefit others. He rides on a mythical Gyaling animal that resembles a goat but with scales.
These sacred images are available on *Vajrasecrets. They are made of high quality alloy and are one of a kind. They are based on the lineage of His Holiness Panchen Rinpoche’s monastery, Tashilhunpo in Shigatse, Tibet. In fact, the iconography of these statues are based on detailed photographs taken by H. E. Tsem Rinpoche during a trip to Tashilhunpo’s protector chapel. These are based exactly as the 10th Panchen Lama’s personal collection.
Dorje Shugden mandala: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/?p=131570
Dorje Shugden’s benefit and practice: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/?p=62422
Dorje Shugden’s origins: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/?p=106424
Dorje Shugden chapel in His Holiness Panchen Rinpoche’s Tashilhunpo Monastery in Tibet: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/?p=68698
*Stand not included
His Holiness the 10th Panchen Lama
Tibetans commonly refer to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and His Holiness 10th Panchen Lama as the “sun and moon” of Tibetan Buddhism. They are the center of Tibetan Buddhist civilization, which draws to its sphere of influence millions of non-Tibetan practitioners. The Panchen Lama’s incarnation line began with the 16th abbot of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, Lobsang Chokyi Gyeltsen (1570 – 1662). He was bestowed the title of Panchen Lama by His Holiness the 5th Dalai Lama after being declared as an emanation of Amitabha.
After being given the title, his three previous incarnations were posthumously also bestowed the title, making Lobsang Chokyi Gyeltsen the 4th Panchen Lama. He became a teacher to many Tibetans, Bhutanese and Mongolian religious figures, including His Holiness the 4th and 5th Dalai Lamas, and the 1st Jetsun Dampa of Mongolia. A prolific author, Chokyi Gyeltsen is credited with over a hundred compositions, including a number of commentaries and ritual texts that remain central in the Gelukpa tradition today. Along with his role as a teacher of the Dharma, the Panchen Lamas are usually responsible for the recognition of the rebirths of the Dalai Lamas, and vice versa.
The 10th Panchen Lama, Lobsang Trinley Lhundrub Chokyi Gyeltsen (19 February 1938 – 28 January 1989) continued both the spiritual and political roles of his predecessors. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, his contemporary, was even heard to say and echo the Panchen Lama’s own words that the Dalai Lama would safeguard Tibet from the outside while the Panchen Lama would safeguard Tibet from the inside, as he never left Tibet after the political troubles of 1959. He was truly loved by the Tibetans, all the way until his passing. When he taught, thousands of people would attend, not only from his own Gelug lineage, but masters and practitioners from all traditions of Tibetan Buddhism.
At his sprawling monastery of Tashi Lhunpo, he has a special chapel specifically dedicated to Dorje Shugden, where prayers and rituals are performed on a daily basis. In his great omniscience the Panchen Lama held Dorje Shugden as the principal Dharma protector of the monastery. He also personally propitiated Dorje Shugden among other Dharma protectors, and even wrote extensive prayers and rituals to Dorje Shugden. These rituals and prayers are contained within his ‘sung bum’ or collected works, which are provided here. As such a great lama, with an erudite and clear understanding of the Buddhist scriptures, a teacher to millions in both Tibet and China, from an established incarnation line and an emanation of the Buddha Amitabha, he could not be mistaken about his practice of Dorje Shugden.
His Holiness 10th Panchen Lama is known for his composition of commentaries and practice texts that are still in use by contemporary Buddhist practitioners both in Tibet and across the world. One of these is a powerful ritual composition propitiating the compassionate Dorje Shugden.
Upon the request by Acharya Lobsang Jangchub to compose a shorter version of the prayer (sadhana) for the exhortation of activities of Dorje Shugden, Panchen Lama immediately composed an abbreviate form of Dorje Shugden’s Kangsol. This text is entitled “Manjunatha’s (Tsongkapa) Lineage protector Dorje Shugden and five forms wrathful propitiations and confessional prayers and fulfilment of activities rites” or “Melodious sound of Accomplishment of the Four Activities” for short. Once the prayers were completed, he had signs and strong feelings that Dorje Shugden has been working hard to protect the Buddhadharma in general and the lineage of Lama Tsongkhapa specifically.
Mirroring the abilities of one of his earlier incarnations, Khedrub Je, a disciple of Lama Tsongkhapa and master of both sutra and tantra, the Panchen Lama used his compositional skill and poetic prowess to create a masterful sadhana. Worthy of note is a praise in which the first letter of each verse is a Tibetan vowel. Such compositions are rarely seen, and have historically only been used when propitiating senior Dharma protectors such as Palden Lhamo and Kalarupa.
The Panchen Lama also stated that while composing the Dorje Shugden sadhana (prayers) he was filled with a sense of happiness and bliss. He ends the composition with not only his official title but his ordination name, Tenzin Trinley Jigme Choje Wangchuk, endorsing the validity of his work. He composed the sadhana in his own Tashi Lhunpo monastery while in the Hall of Clear Light and Bliss.
See the Panchen Lama’s writings and download: https://bit.ly/2KIfeXb
This elderly & innocent monk in India was brutally attacked, find out why. Shocking – https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/?p=163953
“If the Dalai Lama, if His Holiness the Dalai Lama can be harmed by Dorje Shugden, then we might as well not practice Buddhism anymore. If His Holiness the Dalai Lama can have his life shortened by a so-called evil spirit, any evil spirit, then can he be Avalokiteshvara? So on one hand you say, we say, I say, everybody says, he is Avalokiteshvara; on the other hand you’re saying that he can be harmed by an evil spirit… Which one is it? Can he be harmed by an evil spirit or is he Avalokiteshvara? Do you think Avalokiteshvara, Manjushri, Vajrapani, Tara all take refuge in something else to protect themselves from Dorje Shugden? How illogical is that? How illogical of people to say His Holiness the Dalai Lama can be harmed by an evil spirit, any evil spirit or “Dorje Shugden” evil spirit. How is that possible?” – Tsem Tulku Rinpoche
Photo: His Holiness the Dalai Lama, young Tsem Tulku Rinpoche and Tsem Tulku Rinpoche’s tutor Kensur Rinpoche Jampa Yeshe
DON’T MISS THIS! FANTASTIC NEW GREAT STUFF! High quality videos redressing the misinformation about Dorje Shugden practice and people and the current sad Tibetan situation and why they are losing ground in the world. Powerful and truthful – CLEAR VIDEOS – https://bit.ly/2LJbo35
Amazing post!!!!!
Dear friends, For months we have been working on this BEAUTIFUL and meaningful mural in Kathmandu, Nepal. Please click here to enjoy the many stunning pictures of this mural: https://bit.ly/2LgOj8J
Tsem Rinpoche
Sakya tradition’s thangka of Dorje Shugden sitting on a throne within his palace with his four emanations and high Sakya Lamas nearby. Tsem Rinpoche
Antique Pelden Lhamo thangka with sacred Dorje Shugden at the bottom right. Can see Tsongkapa and Guru Rinpoche on the top also. Beautiful and holy.
A true democracy allows everyone the freedom to exercise their human rights, including the freedom to practise any religion they want. In democratic countries, the government does not interfere with this right. Neither are democratic governments prejudiced against their citizens’ choice of religious belief. They do not force people to stop their religious practice or pass legislation criminalising people because of their religion.
The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), the Tibetan leadership who are based in Dharamsala are the exception. They are the only so-called ‘democratic’ leadership that puts a stranglehold on its people, persecuting them for their religious beliefs. They deny the rights of Dorje Shugden practitioners for simply practicing their religion as they have done for the past 400 years. Dorje Shugden practitioners are ostracised from their own community, denied medical care, education or even employment in government offices. The CTA definitely does not live up to the right to be called a democratic administration, especially when in it inflicts suppression of people’s freedom and disrespects basic human rights.
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videouploads/comment-1523907609.mp4
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videouploads/comment-1519934791.mp4
Will the CTA (Tibetan govt in exile) and their supporters in East and West say voodoo is evil and cannot be practiced too? Will they advise against Voodoo and say its a demon’s practice and people who practice are bad too? Truth be told, no one has the right to say anything about anyone’s religion. Listen to what this man says in the short snagged clip because he speaks well and with the truth.
Watch the rest of the video on Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0_syJQBteA
Isn’t this just lovely?! Look at these cute Tibetan kids singing praises to Dorje Shugden during Losar celebration in Tibet! Great blessings to all – Click to watch! ???
https://video.tsemtulku.com/chat-videos/chat-1519938132.mp4
There are so many benefits to be friendly with Dorje Shugden people and lamas, the CTA is absolutely not taking up the opportunity to repair such a rift. The CTA is again revealed as small minded people with no vision and capacity to benefit their own people in a great way.
Soon I feel the Chinese, will initiate an action to bring Dorje Shugden people and reconcile with the non Dorje Shudgen people, and China will again shine for their far seeing diplomacy and insight into solving problems for their people and internationally. NOT the police of the WORLD and PEOPLE, unlike how the CTA have tried to be.
China truly officially supports Dorje Shugden as shown in its country’s constitution, which stipulates that its citizens have freedom of belief in Tibet, where all religions and sect receive equal respect and protection. It also further stipulates that all normal religious activities and religious belief is protected by the Law. “Dorje Shugden” is a protective diety who has been worshipped throughout by several schools in Tibetan Buddhism, with specific religious practices, forms of worship and seances passed on; whether to believe or not in the protecting diety “Dorje Shugden” is said to be totally a free and private matter for the religious followers. This should make a total eye-opening effect on Huffington Post, why there are three times as many Buddhists as communists you have in China! This is further strengthen by our Tsem Tulku Rinpoche’s article which stipulated that, “For China to say every citizen in their country has religious freedom, and that it is their right and personal choice, shows the direction that this powerful, influential and ancient culture is moving towards and that she is modernishing herself into a 21st century World Power”.
Rinpoche is right in also saying, “The Dragon is rising and will fly high in the sky.” Humbly with folded hands, May the Ban of Dorje Shugden be lifted soonest, to end the sufferings of all its practitioners and follwers in this World! Om Benza Wiki Bittana Soha.
HuffPost is a liberal American news ,website and blog that has both localized and international editions. Powerful article from HuffPost about the ban on Dorje Shugden so as more people will be aware of it and understand . Dorje Shugden ban that has created tremendous sufferings, hardship and confusion among the practitioners and non-practitioners. The Tibetan leadership’s reasons for the ban were not logical at all with a number of false accusations without evidence . The truth must be reveal.
May the ban of Dorje Shugden will be lifted soon.
Thank you ag HuffPost and Mr. Martin Desai for highlighting and do a good research to disclose the truth on this controversy.
This excerpt of the Swiss Television documentary presented in 1988 is a painful reminder of the hypocrisy and the sad reality of the oppression, discrimination, and ostracisation of Dorje Shugden practitioners. For 20 years, Dorje Shugden practitioners have endured this and no one supported their fight as the Tibetan leadership in exile continues to undermine their effort by denying the existence of this ban, and silencing their voice by peer pressure, flooding the media and fooling the general public with accusations that Shugden practitioners are political tools supported by the Chinese government to create discord within the Tibetan community. Please listen to their plea and please share this video far and wide to end this injustice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gis2vaURT40
I love what Martin Desai wrote : “Given that one of His Holiness’ early reasons for his criticism of Shugden worship – that it “harms the life of the Dalai Lama” – no longer seems justified given his longevity and continuing fair health, a rapprochement with Shugden acolytes may be a good starting point if his desired return to Tibet is to be anything more than a pipe dream.”
I fully agree with Martin’s opinion and I too think that the Shugden ban should be lifted to align with China to create harmony on both sides of the divide and for the big picture of Tibetan cause or fulfillment of the Dalai Lama’s wish to return home. No one can do it better than the Dalai Lama to state that he had in fact made a mistake on banning Dorje Shugden and now the ban is lifted.
The Tibetans in exile, especially the Dalai Lama’s government should really do what will help to fulfill the Dalai Lama’s wish to go back Tibet. However, it is sad to see the Tibetans in exile, especially the Dalai Lama’s government are doing the total opposite that is going against His Holiness’s wish. They continue to put China and Chinese people down, name calling them, and even accusing their own people who practice Dorje Shugden as ‘Chinese spies’, ‘Chinese dogs’, ‘Chinese pigs’, online and offline. And the Dalai Lama’s government also does nothing to contribute to His Holiness’s wish, they contribute nothing in bringing the Dalai Lama to talk to the China government, realizing Dalai Lama’s Umaylam wish.
The Tibetan government in exile has no constructive ideas and approach to fulfill their wishes, be it Umaylam or Rangzen, but they only do their best to garner financial and emotional support from the West for their own benefit. The fact that many the government and the Tibetans in exile who live in India are still suffering from poverty, lack of education opportunity, and still expecting financial aid from the West, it shows the people in the government are not doing what they need to do. Thus it is obvious that Dorje Shugden is just another easy scapegoat – by linking the deity Dorje Shugden and its practitioners to China and label them as pro-China and they are harming the Dalai Lama, the Dalai Lama’s government will immediately gain support from the West, as China is now rising rapidly, some of the countries in the West are feeling insecure and uneasy.
It is total pointless to talk about how a deity can harm the Dalai Lama and Tibet cause, don’t speak superstitiously but we should all speak with modern science. How could a deity harm a person and Tibet cause?? Blaming a deity for losing independence and blaming a group of people based on their religion for losing independence are ridiculous and not scientific. This proves how incapable the Dalai Lama’s government is and how superstitious they are(this is not Buddhist at all but Dalai Lama represents the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha). The Dalai Lama’s government represents him WRONGLY.
My question is, who is the next scapegoat after Dorje Shugden? Who is the Dalai Lama’s next target after Dorje Shugden? For hundreds of years, the same old tactic has been using by the Dalai Lama’s government. Dorje Shugden is not the first scapegoat and will never be the last!
CORRECTION: My question is, who is the next scapegoat after Dorje Shugden? Who is the Dalai Lama’s government next target after Dorje Shugden? For hundreds of years, the same old tactic has been using by the Dalai Lama’s government. Dorje Shugden is not the first scapegoat and will never be the last!
Good question Abby. This is the USD1 trillion question
HuffPost article are powerful and have many facts to talk about current tibet issue and ban on Dorje Shugden with fair reason and unbias. I am happy to see the powerful media like HuffPost take a interest and concern about tibet human right and freedom practice of religion.
I do wish His Holiness will leave Dorje Shugden ban soon while he and Samdhong Rinpoche is meeting up eith China representive. Hope this meeting will bring good news for His Holiness to return tibet and tibetan can live at their home land after 60 year of exile.
Thank you for Huffpost for provide unbiased points for the world to understand the ban of Dorje Shugden Practice. Dorje Shugden never was a malicious practice but the politician make it as like a malicious practice so that they can gain benefits from this. If China would allow HHDL to be back to stay in Tibet, it would solve lots of the problems of Tibetan in exile and their suffering. I wish that the issue of Tibet can be solved peacefully and harmony between China & Tibet and wish HHDL long life to teach the Dharma.
I am actually will be very excited to see Dalai Lama return to Tibet one day. With Dalai Lama returning to China it will mean all conflict between Chinese govt and CTA will subside and maybe all Tibetans still in exile will one day return to Tibet and there will be peace again
It will be more beneficial for the Tibetans in exile if Dalai Lama was allowed return back to Tibet. More people will receive his Dharma teaching and as well as increment development of their state infrastructure aid by China. The Tibetans will be well educate, more independent and motivate them to go further improvement. In additional, they gain freedom of choices, freedom of voice, freedom of spirituality rather living in life of miseries and fear.
China is now the most watched, most dynamic, modern and robust nation of current times. It would be good for all parties should HHDL be allowed to return to Tibet. HHDL is an icon of Tibetan Buddhism, a spiritual practice of peace and loving compassion. If China would allow HHDL to stay in Tibet and teach the dharma, it would greatly bring peace and stability to the land and its people living there. Buddhism is more of a spiritual way of life, and people of this modern age need this very much. And the government and people of both divide might heal and learn to live in harmony.
I’m so glad to read this article from HuffPost. Dorje Shugden practice has been baned by the Tibetan leadership causes so much suffering to many people for over 20 years. This unbiased article pointed out many important points to the world to understand the situation of the ban. The illogical reasoning of the ban really discredit Tibetan leadership as a democracy governance and using religious as a scapegoat for their failure is totally unacceptable.
China has always been firm in uniting their people in order to be strong in their governance. Dorje Shugden ban is definitely a big NO NO for China as this is obviously separating their people. No leaders will do that to weaken their strength. If His Holiness really want to go back to Tibet with the rest or the Tibetan, as pointed out in the article the ban should be remove. Harmony and unity is what every country would want to achieve.
Thank you Mr Desai for spending time to write yet another interesting article, towards relieving the plight of those suffering because of the unjustly Dorje Shugden ban which should not even exist in the first place. To ban a practice which has been around for 400 years and to say that He cause many problems is just illogical. So many learned and attained masters from different lineages have and still practicing. Spiritually, there are certain type of prayers in Buddhism which one can do to ‘subdue’ a being that is not Enlightened hence, if they can say that Dorje Shugden is ‘bad’ and not Enlightened, they can actually do something about it. But NO, the CTA had to drag a spiritual practice into politics and use it to cause confusion and discrimination.
This article is very good as it is written with unbiased research and it gives people an idea of what the controversy is about and to read from a different perspective. It is not just base on what the CTA said, which is totally irrelevant to their cause.
The reason of Dorje Shugden ban that was executed for the last 20 years, that created tremendous sufferings, divisive and confusion to the Tibetan in exile and TAR finally began to surface.
After all there’s nothing wrong or evil with practicing Dorje Shugden neither the Dorje Shugden people are China spies. The idea is to make Dorje Shugden split become the bargaining chip for China to sustain “One China” policy.
If the above is truth, then it made sense as HHDL wisely chose no other deities but Dorje Shugden knowing that Dorje Shugden practice is widely treasured and trusted, also massively practiced all over the world. In order to create that powerful impact, Dorje Shugden was chosen.
The question is would China fulfilled HHDL wish?
The Chine Xinhua news agency reported under “China to achieve leapfrog development, lasting stability in Tibet” Archived January 27, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. mentioned the following facts.
“On January 15, 2009, China announced the construction of Tibet’s first expressway, a 37.9 km (23.5 mi) stretch of controlled-access highway in southwestern Lhasa. The project will cost 1.55 billion yuan (US$227 million).[84]
From January 18–20, 2010 a national conference on Tibet and areas inhabited by Tibetans in Sichuan, Yunnan, Gansu and Qinghai was held in China and a substantial plan to improve development of the areas was announced. The conference was attended by General secretary Hu Jintao, Wu Bangguo, Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin, Li Changchun, Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, He Guoqiang and Zhou Yongkang, all members of CPC Politburo Standing Committee signaling the commitment of senior Chinese leaders to development of Tibet and ethnic Tibetan areas. The plan calls for improvement of rural Tibetan income to national standards by 2020 and free education for all rural Tibetan children. China has invested 310 billion yuan (about 45.6 billion U.S. dollars) in Tibet since 2001. “Tibet’s GDP was expected to reach 43.7 billion yuan in 2009, up 170 percent from that in 2000 and posting an annual growth of 12.3 percent over the past nine years.”
This shows the Communist Party is not neglecting Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). If the CTA were to exist to benefit all Tibetans and they are sincere in uniting all Tibetans, then it must seriously consider terminating the Dorje Shugden ban immediately.
It’s heartening to read such news and coming out from Huffpost which I think offers very factual and unbiased reporting.
The CTA would need to take a real serious and final decision on ending the Shugden ban. With the termination of the ban, then the entire Tibetan community, in the eyes of everyone, will be a united force and governments around the world will take them on a more serious note.
China, like it or not, is a superpower today – economically, politically, socially, and culturally. From big names like Alibaba, Ten Cent, etc., it is a world stage player and it serves one no purpose at all to antagonize China in anyway.
Tibetans – unite for a better future.
22 years of Ban on Dorje Shugden practice, 22 years of hardship and sufferings of many practitioners (both ordained and lay people), sufferings of being separated and ostracized by their families and associates and strangers, sufferings of High Lamas who stand forward to defend a practice which have created no evil but instead helped endless beings, risking the disappearance of a precious authentic lineage of the Buddha’s teaching – all these caused by the degeneration of humankind, humans driven by power and greed.
The HuffPost has rightly said that it’s time to call it quits on the Ban if
1) The Dalai Lama has a desire to return to his Tibetan homeland, a wish that would have no chance of fulfilment without a significant thawing of China’s attitude towards Tibet’s spiritual leader.
2) “Tibetans want to stay with China” – then harmony amongst all is crucial
3) Given that one of His Holiness’ early reasons for his criticism of Shugden worship – that it “harms the life of the Dalai Lama” – no longer seems justified given his longevity and continuing fair health, a rapprochement with Shugden acolytes may be a good starting point
Thank you HuffPost for making the effort to research and report in depth into this controversy and bring to the surface suggestions of peace and harmony. It is so refreshing and heartwarming to read genuine sharing motivated with selfless intentions, helping foes to become friends. The world certainly needs more of this type of noble reporting !! With folded hands.
As time goes by, the official ban of Dorje Shugden which was started by Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), has further lost their credibility because there are more righteous people looking into this conflict in order to find out the real facts entirely. The third article on Dorje Shugden conflict, written by Mr. Martin Desai and published by HuffPost, has clearly stated the practice of Dorje Shugden will not harm H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama’s life as currently the Dalai Lama’s longevity is proven with good and stable health. Further, the ban of Dorje Shugden that causes the split of Tibetans between Shugden’s and non-Shugden’s practitioners inside the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) and other parts of the world, has gone to the opposite direction of “One China” policy as China is sustaining and supporting the stability and prosperity within their country. The negative impact and effect cause by the ban of Dorje Shugden has even spread to other Mahayana Buddhists with the inaccurate details about Dorje Shugden as a spirit but in real fact, Dorje Shugden is an enlightened being and an emanation of Manjushri Buddha (Buddha of Wisdom). The practice of Dorje Shugden has been started since 400 years ago and it was never ever related to any political issue at that time.
May the ban of Dorje Shugden will be lifted soon to end the suffering endured by many Shugden’s practitioners and may the Buddhadharma continues to grow and spread to the ten directions without obstacles.
Humbly with folded hands,
kin hoe
This HuffPost article makes very strong points namely, the conflict started as the result of Dharamsala’s decision to discriminate against Shugden Buddhists. No one could really work out why His Holiness the Dalai Lama would ban the practice of a deity that he knew very well that his own teachers propitiated and trusted. That makes no sense on spiritual or secular grounds and it does not help the cause of the Tibetan people one little bit.
HuffPost is not saying it but I can see now that if the Tibetan exile government wishes to create problems for China (perhaps to gain some bargaining power), then introducing a highly contentious issue into the TAR community would be the way to do it. Clearly they did that with the Dorje Shugden ban and it got out of control. The reason has never been that Dorje Shugden was a malicious spirit. More like malicious politicking were at play.
This being the case, then the CTA did politicise a religious practice and as the result, endangered a very precious lineage and ruptured the unity of an already disenfranchised community of people. How the CTA then turned around to blame innocent Shugden Buddhists for their missteps is quite shocking and devious.
Another good point made in the article is the suggestion for the CTA to abolish the Shugden ban if indeed they truly believed that China is leveraging the conflict. Why continue to let China do this? And yet the CTA had kept the ban going for over 20 years. It has to be asked – what do those whose interest this ban serve have to gain at the expense of the Tibetan people?
Much of the view in this article is exactly what i thought as well. I think that the CTA should really look at abolishing the Shugden ban on the basis that it actually furthers the Tibetan cause sole because it brings Tibetans together. As the old adage goes, unity brings strength.
When one is fighting with a very powerful adversary like China, it is very important to be united or at the very least appear united. And this shows to the world that the Tibetans really sincere about their cause. There’s no way China would give in to the demands of the Tibetans and so one would need to play into one’s adversary in order to get what the Tibetans really want – a self-autonomous Tibet.
It’s great that Huffinton Post is always keeping up with the latest updates on Dalai Lama and Dorje Shugden issues. Hope Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government will settle this issue positively and peacefully soon which has been creating chaos and havoc for DS practitioners.
As I see it, China may have destroyed many monasteries but as the years roll by, they have progressed and now place importance on religions as well. They have since started renovations and rebuilding of monasteries.
As a geographically and culturally huge country, the government is understandably concerned with unity and harmony. They are allowing religion as long as practitioners stay out of politics, staying true to the motivation behind religions especially Buddhism.
As a China grows, they are becoming more aware of Human Rights as well as the fact that schism must not take place, unity is important. Religious freedom is important which is why they do not wish to see the divide created by the Dorje Shugden issue which has created a lot of violence and division. If the CTA is using this Dorje Shugden ban as an example of China “is leveraging this issue, then a simple pronouncement by the Dalai Lama declaring an end to the de facto ban would have the effect of rendering it harmless.” In fact, it is because the ban was created that China was given this leverage. So, don’t play into China’s hand, lift the Dorje Shugden ban.
I read the title of the Huffington Post article with great interest (in the statistics) – “Three times as many Buddhists as Communists in China: Dalai Lama’s Tibet wish may require rapprochement with former adversaries”
This statistic has not gone unnoticed by the CTA and its President Lobsang Sangay who is featured in the following article: http://tibet.net/2018/01/cta-president-on-why-his-holiness-the-dalai-lama-is-committed-to-reviving-nalanda-tradition-in-india/
In this article, he is quoted saying: “The Chinese government has destroyed almost 98% of the Tibetan monasteries during its brutal occupation of Tibet in 1959. It was an attempt to completely annihilate Tibetan Buddhism. However, after coming into exile, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has successfully revived Tibet’s Buddhist heritage from the ashes of China’s destruction,” President Dr Lobsang Sangay said.
“Not only did His Holiness revive Tibetan Buddhism in exile, he also made sure that this tradition is strengthened in the lower Himalayan regions who share the Tibetan Buddhist culture. Today, Tibetan Buddhism is flourishing all over the world and this is an undisputed legacy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama,” Dr Sangay remarked.
“Even inside China, it is estimated that there are at least 300 – 400 million Buddhists, making it one of the largest Buddhist countries in the world. India in contrast is the birthplace of Buddhism but has only a miniscule population of Buddhists,” he added.
I cannot understand where the CTA and Lobsang Sangay is coming from when he attributes the flourishing of Tibetan Buddhism all over the world as an undisputed legacy of His Holiness Dalai Lama, and that even inside China there are at least 300 to 400 million Buddhists.
Wasn’t the CTA the one who has called all Dorje Shugden practitioners criminals? If they are all criminals, and based on the above statements by the Sikyong, then His Holiness Dalai Lama is responsible for the creation of criminals, and a great number of them, all over the world including millions in China?
Wasn’t the CTA the one who encouraged discrimination and ostracization of Dorje Shugden practitioners, even calling them puppets (and worse words which I won’t repeat here) of China. However, in the above article, Sikyong credits His Holiness for the spread of Tibetan Buddhism including in China. So is the CTA for or against the Dalai Lama’s mission to spread the Dharma?
By politicizing Dorje Shugden, isn’t the CTA against the spread of Buddha’s and Dalai Lama’s teachings by creating schism, doubt, etc.? Especially so in countries where practitioners have nothing to do with politics or China; where there is freedom of religion and the practice of human rights?
On balance, given what the CTA has done to discredit the Tibetan Buddhist lineage, I find it rather deluded for the Sikyong to be making such claims and nonchalantly too.
To me, it is rather that China is embracing human rights and human values more and more that is the reason behind the swelling number of Buddhists in the country.
we see how a campaign by Shugden detractors disregarded religious freedoms to almost destroy a very valuable lineage and practice.
ey blamed all the political mistakes and woes of the Tibetan leadership on an ancient Buddhist practice, which existed long before the turmoil of 1959!
no evidence was ever provided but by making this claim, the Tibetan leadership managed to fan the already deeply ingrained resentment of the Tibetan people for losing their country and direct the blame to a religious practice. When Reuters published an article that reinforced these false accusations against Dorje Shugden practitioners, they legitimised an inaccurate and baseless claim that has for 20 years provided the foundation for a religious ban. Until this HuffPost article, no other news media has taken it upon themselves to investigate the issue impartially and without any political agenda.
Accusing all Dorje Shugden practitioners around the world to be Chinese spies is not only totally illogical, it is also wrong and damaging.