A new anti-Dorje Shugden website has recently been released by people close to His Holiness the Dalai Lama
By Kay Beswick
For the last 60 years, since they first entered exile in 1959, the Tibetan community has been the recipients of millions of dollars of aid from generous donors all over the world. Western governments especially keen to exploit Tibet’s position as a political thorn in China’s side pumped money into the Tibetan communities via their guardians, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) who were tasked to oversee the survival of the Tibetan people in India and later, around the world.
For any capable leader, the amount of aid that has been channeled through the Tibetan leadership would have resulted in the establishment of hundreds of schools, countless hospitals and other social services for their people. Instead, the Tibetans (in India especially) continue to languish in poverty-stricken environments six decades after they first left their homeland.
With this in mind, the question that naturally arises is what has the Tibetan leadership been doing with the funding they received? Dorje Shugden practitioners have always insisted that part of this funding has been used to suppress their religious freedom. Now there is even more proof, beyond the hundreds of signs erected throughout the Tibetan settlements banning Shugden worshipers from entering shops, restaurants and monasteries!
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Above is a screenshot of an exchange between anti-Shugden individuals who support the Tibetan leadership. Someone by the name of “Marisa SaveTibet” is extremely confident that the latest anti-Shugden website has been created by people close to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and his private office (Kukey Yiktsang). Even when questioned by others, she remains confident about who created the site because she personally knows them. And according to the people on the group, the real problem is not even the fact the Tibetan leadership has misused public funds to make such a website, but that the ownership of the website is revealed!
Evidently this is what the Tibetan leadership have been occupying themselves with, instead of initiating efforts to improve the welfare and living conditions of their people. Instead of improving literacy levels, healthcare or employment opportunities, or initiating programs to preserve Tibetan culture and religion, they have been creating and promoting anti-Shugden works. Please note that this is not the first time that the Tibetan leadership have been involved in the misuse of public funds to create anti-Shugden websites. In 2012, an investigation discovered that a now-defunct anti-Shugden website had been funded by Gangchen Kyishong, which houses the Tibetan leadership in Dharamsala.
Over the years, an increasing number of world leaders have declined to meet His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
It is unacceptable and ironic that public funds meant for the welfare of the Tibetan people are instead being misspent on websites promoting the suppression of the Tibetan people. The Tibetan leadership are regularly accused of financial mismanagement and this anti-Shugden website is yet another example of this.
In March of this year, members of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile were accused of embezzlement and corruption. Before that, back in 2012, US Congressman Dana Rohrabacher wrote to Prime Minister Lobsang Sangay demanding an explanation for the alleged financial mismanagement that he had come to learn about. He said if the charges continued unanswered, it would lead to a decline in Congressional support for the Tibetan leadership. Well, it seems Congressman Rohrabacher’s words came true as world leaders have grown increasingly reluctant to meet with His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Some of the world leaders who have declined to meet His Holiness the Dalai Lama over the years. Click to enlarge.
As guests of a democratic country (India), the Tibetan leadership should respect India’s democratic principles and try to foster religious harmony instead of funding websites that promote religious suppression. They do not encourage dialogue between those who rely on Shugden and those who do not. And instead of creating websites to promote harmony, they create websites that foster division and disharmony. Therefore it would not be unreasonable to conclude that the Tibetan leadership do not actually want to end the Dorje Shugden conflict, but they actually want it to continue.
It must be asked why they want to create problems and disharmony in democratic India, and why people in the Dalai Lama’s office are involved with activities like this. Why would so many anti-Shugden websites be necessary if there is no ban, and it is merely advice that people should give up Dorje Shugden?
If the Tibetan leadership have the time and resources to create websites like these using public funds, then it makes sense that they were behind previous websites. It also makes sense that they would be capable of threatening and paying people to riot against Dorje Shugden practitioners, and capable of producing hit lists to target Tibetan Dorje Shugden practitioners.
It would benefit the Tibetan leadership to continue the Dorje Shugden issue because it provides a convenient scapegoat and distraction from their political failures. In 60 years, they have failed to provide for their people, failed to develop any kind of economy for the Tibetans, failed to initiate meaningful dialogue with Beijing and, most significantly, failed to bring about His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s return to Tibet.
Anti-Shugden websites like these fuel the Tibetans’ fear about failing to achieve their political goals before His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s passing. By fueling the fear and by keeping the controversy alive, the Tibetan leadership have a free hand to continue exploiting their community for money and power.
Marisa SaveTibet’s Post
Marisa SaveTibet’s post can be seen here in the context of the Facebook group (We Need To Talk About Shugden) in which it was posted. Note that the group’s name is deceptive; although they claim to talk about Dorje Shugden, in reality there is no talk, no dialogue and only one-sided conversation.
The group does not allow for comments from non-members, and members who express views that deviate slightly from the official group policy, or are more moderate are either warned, or kicked out and banned. Just like the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), this group does not allow for dissenters, a variety of opinions or discussion. What kind of open talk is that?
This photo was taken by Carol McQuire, the administrator of the We Need To Talk About Shugden Facebook group. How did she obtain such a privileged seat at the Dalai Lama’s talks in Basel, a seat which requires a high level of security clearance unless she has already bee?
The discussions in this group are generally personal in nature, attacking a person’s appearance, lifestyle, work, friends, religious practice and even demeaning of their shrines, calling them plastic idols. Faiths are insulted and people’s methods of spreading the teachings are mocked. Many of those who engage in this kind of disturbing behavior are themselves ordained “monks” and “nuns”.
A conversation like this is in no way constructive towards resolving the Dorje Shugden issue. Yet an ordained “nun” starts this conversation, which is then gleefully continued by others.
People are encouraged to make nasty comments and those who attempt to moderate the conversation and stop it from getting personal, are immediately told to leave if they do not like the way the conversation is going. Others fill their responses with jargon and technicalities, to show off how much they know.
Actual attempts at resolving the Dorje Shugden issue are non-existent; dialogue and reaching out to Dorje Shugden practitioners is never encouraged in this group, and only counter-protests and other divisive behaviors are celebrated. Again, many of the people who participate in these conversations are ordained “monks” and “nuns” who themselves are supposed to be moderate in their speech.
Those like one “Annie Phaeton” who attempt to moderate the conversation are immediately told their attempts are not appreciated, because there are people, including ordained “monks”. who want to read the nasty remarks being made by others.
An ordained “monk” of Sera Mey Monastery mocks the title of one of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s tutors, exploiting people’s ignorance of Tibetan customs by using the “junior” title in a derogatory manner. In fact, His Holiness Trijang Rinpoche was referred to as the “junior tutor” because he was appointed after His Holiness Ling Rinpoche. The word “junior” refers to the order in which the appointment was made, and does not imply inferior or lower-ranking attainments. Click to enlarge.
The natural conclusion is that the people behind this group, and the people of the Tibetan leadership are not truly interested in resolving the Dorje Shugden issue. Their conversations are not geared towards a resolution; they focus instead on making derogatory remarks about others because it would benefit them personally if the ban and conflict were to continue. For the Tibetan leadership, keeping the Shugden issue alive functions as a scapegoat to distract from their political failures; for the people behind this group, it has been alleged that they receive funding from the Tibetan leadership for their activities.
So there is no surprise that Marisa SaveTibet felt comfortable enough on this group to announce that she knows the people behind the latest anti-Shugden website. Her only mistake, it would seem, is revealing too much. How come no one questions the ownership of the website and everyone simply accepts it, with one person immediately reminding her not to reveal too much?
No one questions it because everyone knows what she says is true. That is, the Tibetan leadership ARE behind this anti-Shugden website and they have been encouraging, supporting and funding anti-Shugden initiatives since the first day the ban was implemented back in 1996.
With this in mind, donors to the Tibetan campaigns should start asking some serious questions, and holding these campaigns as well as the Tibetan leadership accountable for the funds donated. It is clear to see that over the years, more and more public funds have been spent on the suppression, marginalization and violent discrimination of Dorje Shugden practitioners, and this should not go on any longer.
Update: December 30, 2015
After being SO absolutely sure of herself, Marisa has backtracked. With a formal-sounding and cautiously-worded apology, she has retracted her declaration that this latest anti-Shugden site is by His Holiness’ Office or those close to His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
She stated she personally knows the people behind the website so how could she have made such a significant mistake? Quite frankly, her retraction and apology sound like the result of someone admonishing her for revealing too much, as was pointed out in the comments since removed.
Is there anything else that We Need To Talk About Shugden needs to hide? The openness, dialogue and transparency that they are always demanding of others is conspicuously absent in all of their activities.
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Marisa SaveTibet’s Original Post
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Marisa SaveTibet
December 30, 2015
If what I posted is true … and I insist on the IF!!! Where do you deduce that the money to fund a website like that comes from the CTA???
Paolo
December 30, 2015
its disgusting to learn that contributions from the public and kind donors to CTA has been misused and abused. Generous donors who is kind hearted has contributed their hard earned money with the motivation of promoting the dharma and rebuild home for thousand of tibetan in exile. These money was missused and abused, the CTA has used the money for their own agenda, recruiting people in promoting anti shugden website, spliting the community and family, creating social disharmony, physical attack and damaging the properties of Dorje Shugden practitioner. This is inhuman, let alone people who called themselves dharma practitioners. CTA needs to stop their harmful act immediately.
Jangchup Cheoden
December 30, 2015
@Marisa Save Tibet, Whether the money to fund this website and the work behind it in the future comes from CTA or not is NOT the point. The point is that it is Dalai Lama’s own close people doing this. You said so and confirmed it when questioned and that is even worse for the first point. Secondly to do so, they will need to extract money from someone. So the CLOSE people to the Dalai Lama are using their positions to extract money for this purpose. Why? This type of website creates discord. If the Dalai Lama and CTA have no ban to enforce then why waste time, energy and money on this sort of derogatory website. This does not make the Dalai Lama look good at all. The Dalai Lama is top. Below him is Private Office (Kukey Yiktsang). Below this is the CTA. So when the top’s close people do this, of course the top agrees. Even if the top does not agree, it does not make the top nor the bottom (CTA) look good. They are creating more religious disharmony. The evidence is clear and it came from your mouth through We Need To Talk About Shugden FB page. WNTTAS’s portal allowed this information and you gave it. Thank you.
The money is one issue but the fact is Dalai Lama’s own CLOSE people are doing this derogatory website is worse than just CTA using the money for this. The Dalai Lama’s own close people is doing something so unethical, wrong and creating more religious disharmony. It leads the public to suspect what else are the close people to the Dalai Lama doing behind our backs while they pretend spirituality. They are fooling the public and Buddhist adherents that trust the Dalai Lama and his people. THIS TRUST IS BROKEN AGAIN. It is clear that they are enforcing the ban, using funds that can be directed at the betterment of the poor Tibetan refugees towards this website and it’s being done by people at the top!
Some food for thought. See this video and how direct and fierce His Holiness the Dalai Lama is in the ban and evicting monks from the monastery solely due to their practice of Shugden. Religious discrimination. Many monks had nowhere to go. Furthermore he said he rejoices. How can he rejoice or be so fierce in this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS6hq5HJNik
Choney
December 30, 2015
Dear Marisa Save Tibet, We all know Carol McQuire is paid by CTA to do her online ‘work’ by hosting We Need To Talk About Shugden. You are not the only person who have friends in Dharamsala. Carol does her best to squash Dorje Shugden’s practice for her personal vendettas which tides in well with what CTA wants to accomplish. Remember Lama Zopa said to David Cutshaw that he will go to hell for eons for breaking his samaya by creating Survivor’s group against his guru Geshe Kelsang. So that applies to Carol too. Don’t be selective in the advice from the lama and take what you like and delete what you don’t.
Jules
December 30, 2015
Well said Jangchup Cheoden. Can’t agree more with what you have just pointed out.
The issue with this WNTTS page is the sole existence of this page cater towards the promotion of HATE and DISCRIMINATION against Shugden practitioners, and the sad thing is, some people are buying into it. Everything I have seen thus far in this page are people being goaded to hate Shugden practitioners. There’s no talks of reconciliation, there’s no BIGGER motive behind this page like bringing peace and harmony, or efforts to end the ban on Dorje Shugden, or find common grounds so we may all live in peace.
Everything is geared towards spreading hate, and so far, the outcome of all that gossiping: Carol earned a front seat in the Dalai Lama’s talk, and some pocket money from the CTA. While everyone on WNTTS drool over her pictures with the DL and say “Oh wow she is so lucky”, reality is, thanks to your participation, she got to meet the DL. LOL!
There is definitely a ban, and it shows with DL hanging out with people like Carol and Tenpel. I didnt even bat an eye when it was mentioned that the DL private office is behind it… It is obvious.
A. Ahern
December 30, 2015
Marissa, is this true? Frankly I am shocked to see how one the one hand you’re asking people to sympathise with the Tibetan people and on the other hand you represent them in such an abhorrent way.
I never did like the protests against the Dalai Lama but all these smear campaigns against Shugden is worse. Much more dishonest and sinister. I am wondering how much of the financial aid given to the Tibetan cause has gone into sites link this instead.
Lovett
December 30, 2015
@Marisa DO YOU THINK WE ARE THAT NAIVE? Just because the word official website is not pasted over the website does not mean it is not by the Dalai Lama’s people. You have lead us to believe with your own postings that it was done by close people of the Dalai Lama. Thank you very much! Everyone around the Dalai Lama is being paid by funds that was raised by the Dalai Lama anyway. This is a known fact. Therefore, you don’t really need to go around denying the obvious. People can put one and one together and just figure out the rest. You can rest assure, nobody is going to target them for violence or anything like that. That’s being done towards Tibetan Shugdenpas.
Shugden Library
December 30, 2015
Facebook and Twitter links at the top of the website to the official TV station of the CTA would suggest that the statement – “This website is a creation of several Buddhist scholars who feel the need to address the issue of Dolgyal properly. It is not endorsed by any organisation or prominent individual.” is false.
Oops!
Carol McQuirre
January 1, 2016
After all the comments Dalai Lama has been making in the press that especially degrade women, I am starting to have doubts in my allegiance to him. I use to be with Geshe Kelsang Gyatso and even one of his nuns and left when I saw some inconsistencies. I didn’t want or need another guru, but I thought the universal teachings of Dalai Lama would be more suitable for me without myself committing to him. I did some work for his close people in Dharamsala and was rewarded with seating close to his throne in his recent public talks in UK. That was exciting, but it’s starting to wear off. I really am having serious doubts if I have taken the right step supporting Dalai Lama and speaking out against NKT. What do you all feel. Lama Zopa says people like us are going to the hells.
Eli Buchen
January 2, 2016
My teacher always taught us never rejoice in others problems and difficulties.
I think Marisa got ahead of herself and was very excited, and blurted out that she knew the identity of the people behind the website.
This rejoicing by Marisa will create the causes for her to have the same problems that is being faced by Dorje Shugden people.
Save Us
January 2, 2016
Dear Eli Buchen,
I agree with what your teacher says.
At the same time Marisa Save Tibet is close to the leadership (CTA) in Dharamsala. Marisa resides in Italy and when CTA people like Drolma Gyari and Penpa Tsering visit with her in Rome. Many pictures are on the website. So when she says the Dalai Lama’s private office is doing the new anti-Dorje Shugden website, it is absolutely accurate. The Dalai Lama’s close people and CTA can continue their unethical propaganda against Dorje Shugden practitioners. They make the segregation and divide bigger instead of finding a solution.
Marisa Save Tibet should be ashamed to help in this persecution of people’s religious rights.
Carol McQuirre
January 3, 2016
I myself followed Geshe Kelsang Gyatso for over a decade. I saw him as a honest monk, hard working, knowledgeable, gifted, insightful and had great abilities to lead. He had incredible devotion to his teacher and deep convictions to spiritual practice which inspired so many of us. I saw unpleasant people come and go who didn’t come for spirituality but for their own purposes. They would like to call themselves survivors of my teacher, but in truth, whatever they are angry about, they brought that with them long before meeting my teacher. They took a lot of energy to deal with. When the Dalai Lama came up with the ban against Shugden, all of us at NKT were in shock. We didn’t know what to make of it. We didn’t understand why Dalai Lama would suddenly do this. There were numerous meetings with top echelons with Geshe Kelsang. Many ideas were presented but the first was to write a letter to Dalai Lama to have him explain this ban. To appeal to Dalai Lama peacefully, but Dalai Lama never responded. He will not respond kindly to what he does not like contrary to his public image of peace it dawned on me at that time. I was so confused but I decided to dive into my work as after all I am a nun. It was my choice to join NKT, follow Geshe Kelsang, practice dharma, engage in Dorje Shugden practice and be a nun. I can’t blame anyone and I know that. But I had some psychological issues that were medical in nature that didn’t allow me to be me or be me for long. I didn’t want to go for psychotherapy and perhaps the medication I needed due to financial constraints as well as the embarrassment. Also I figured if I truly practiced dharma, I can overcome it but over time it gets stronger. I became angrier, depressed, disillusioned and I had to blame others. At first I didn’t dare speak out against Geshe Kelsang and my perception of his wrongdoings, but I had to blame someone for my inability to cope with my inner world. Blaming the top was easier at the time. Geshe Kelsang was much more accessible back then. I was angry, depressed and had to blame something external. It seemed easier to blame something on the outside then inside. I knew the truth but why face it. I started having doubts in my ordination, my practice, my teacher, the fellow spiritual aspirants and it just escalated. I know deep down inside it was me and not my teacher or the organization, but I had to justify to my family and friends. I couldn’t be wrong. Face is so important to cover my personal failures. I had failed again. It forced me to see things in a way that was negative, unpredictable and combustible. I wanted out and I had to justify it.
Well rather than getting the counseling and treatment I needed, I decided to blame Geshe Kelsang and his ‘autocratic’ methods. I blamed him for my lack of perceived freedom and personal time. I decided I was in a cult and with the Dalai Lama bath mouthing Dorje Shugden it was convenient for me to say because we worshipped this ‘thing’, we are degenerating. I am degenerating. Geshe Kelsang is a cult leader. The organization is a cult and I am a victim. Playing victim really covered what was wrong inside. I realize if it was true, I could have gone to the law, but I would have been found out. I Had nothing else in my life. I failed in so many things in life and I am aging. I hadn’t achieved anything in my life. I hadn’t done anything. I was lazy, scared, afraid and didn’t want to fail. But I realized I was failing. But it was easier to blame Geshe Kelsang, his students, the organization and Dorje Shugden. My mind went back and forth on this. I wanted to blame something on the outside for my psychosis and medical condition that I didn’t want to face and get help. I decided to call myself a survivor. A survivor of the holocaust! A spiritual holocaust. I know there will be other lonely, self hating, disturbed souls out there who can relate. Who can blame others instead of getting real help and moving on in a positive way. So many unhappy people had joined us and left in the past. Those who have left our organization citing one reason or another whether real or imagined. Other people who have never joined in any spiritual organization but would like to blame others because they are so unhappy with their lives. One thing that puzzled me is I have supporters in my survivor group who have never joined, helped or contributed to any spiritual organization, but they like to join rank and file with us survivors to blast other teachers, organizations and Dorje Shugden. They are so bitter, angry with themselves about their lives, lack of relationship, appearance, childhood and so on that someone has to be blamed. This is a bit of a wonderment, but then who cares. I get the support I need for being a survivor. A survivor is like the holocaust victims I heard about growing up that were horribly tortured, killed and maimed. Some survived. Their strength really inspired me. They had meaning because they survived something. I had to ‘survive’ something too. How convenient to say I survived my guru, his organization and the drone like close disciples that jumped at his every beck and call stating they are serving a Buddha.
I know there was no blame to my teacher, but my mind has gone too far in my fantasies, anger and remember I needed psychotherapy and more that I was avoiding. I needed to start a survivors group to justify why I demonized my teacher, fellow spiritual aspirants who had been kind to me and Dorje Shugden who has never harmed me and if he did, it must be in my mind because I have no proof of it. Lama Zopa telling someone in our survivor’s group that by creating an online hate community specifically designed to belittle other teachers’ appearance, methods, organizations and worship of Dorje Shugden will bring him to hell struck me deeply as that would apply to me. I have a theoretical understanding of hell, but for sure my life is a hell now because I encourage others to hate, write vitriolic words against teachers and people I know nothing about. I have an online community of people that I basically have not met and we know nothing of each other, yet we can get together to hate, hate, hate and spread more hate. The teachings of the Buddha is about compassion, love, tolerance and understanding and not hate. I claim I am practicing this but in action I am not and I know it. I need treatment and I’ve avoided it for so long. It’s easier to hate and get a group to hate because so many people are so unhappy with themselves and they need to blame. To start an online closed group to specifically gather haters and criticize, joke, taunt and spread this hate helps to cover me and what I am feeling inside about myself. I have never told the Dalai Lama whom I think I respect what I am actually doing. I feel one day I will find fault with the Dalai Lama also. I am seeing cracks, but I can’t face it now. But would Dalai Lama approve of our hate group if I printed everything out and presented to him? If he would, then would the public accept such a man of compassion approving this hatred of imagined pain. After all a survivor’s group is about positive things, reinforcements and getting true qualified help. How to babble with a bunch of hatelful strangers online who are not trained, nor certified to help us ‘survivors’ to ‘heal’? That is what I have been questioning. None of the people I ‘chat’ with on my survivor’s group are qualified in any way to help survivors and all we do is rant, rave and hate. It’s a lot to mangage. What is my goal? I will never close down NKT or shut down anyone else I hate. Our group is just a small handful and none of this will get any further. How many people are we influencing against those we hate? Not many I know. I am encouraging this hate under the guise of surviving but what it really is I don’t want to face. We seem to enjoy this although we do have to becareful with being shut down as other hate groups have been shut embarrassingly. But the truth of the matter is I am having doubts. Why am I criticizing on and on year after year something I have left? Something I know I need to blame myself for? What do I get for this? Why am I encouraging others to hate? People I have never met. They praise one lama and hate another and they know very little and next to none of any of these lamas. I am setting a trend, when we are unhappy with our teachers, instead of working it out maturely, turn against them. They have to be demonized to justify my feelings at the cost of everyone else. The nagging feeling is if Dalai Lama who I know nothing of and spent zero time would encourage my online hate group? If he does, a lot of questions why a man of peace would? If he doesn’t then what am I doing. I am confused and I have to think further.
Anna
January 4, 2016
Marisa I think you made you post worst when you immediate reword and apologised for wording it wrongly because it created more attention that it is true and you were trying to hide something. And now you’ve brought it up here again hoping you can cover your mistakes for being so excited and blurted out the truth.
You should be so sad, the fact that you know these people and they are “close” to the Dalai Lama makes it even worst because you are in support of “killibg” your own people and culture as they are further divided. You do not need China to do anything you and people close to the Dalai Lama are doing a great job already. What do you think all this will result to? More segregation, more disharmony, disunity… do you think this is going to help bring Tibet’s independence? How is this going to Save Tibet Marisa Save Tibet?
You should be ashame because you are part of those destroying Tibet and Buddhism from within by supporting, promoting and rejoicing is such websites. DO you not realise this? How can splitting your own people bring your nation any success, remember the saying “united we stand, divided we fall”?
And if this is what those close to the Dalai Lama do, what else are they capable of doing you wonder. Violence is not uncommon with them. It seems the pattern is the same, since the time of Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen, those close to the Dalai Lama will eliminate anyone who pose as a threat, so they tried to “kill” him and now in the 21st century, they are still at it!
Linda
January 4, 2016
To Carol McQuirre,
If you have all these doubts, then why do you continue to run the hate site you started on FB?
Why do you use the hate page to vent out so much insults, degradation and insults at other people. Even insulting the iconography representing their object of worship? Why do you judge? How is that a survivor’s healing? Whatever survivor you claim to be.
You should stop all your hatred. None of this will bring you benefits.
Stewart
January 6, 2016
Dear Admin,
This is the best and most authoritative website on Dorje Shugden. The reason is the information is varied, in-depth as well as broad. The biggest plus why you have won me and thousands of others over to this site is because you offer no hate, show no hatred and you are not a hate site. The minute a site starts showing hatred, you attract only one type of crowd and the rest will disperse. This is your secret. Bravo.
I have a request please. Can you make you make your comments section be able to upload pictures and video links also?
Thanks for all you do.
Rinchen
January 8, 2016
Well done admins, once again, another plot of the CTA being exposed.
Marissa Save Tibet, if there is no wrong in what you posted in the first place, then why change the post after that? Unless what is suppose to be hidden is being exposed. And it is true that this website is run by H.H. Dalai Lama’s office personnels that you are now trying to hide so that it will not look bad for H.H.
So now we know the truth of where the funds that are being donated by the kind public for the Dalai lama and CTA goes to. They use the funds to support their discrimination of Dorje Shugden practitioners further. Making more comments about the situation so that people will be mislead by them believing wrong information that they want to give. Not giving the full truth about who Dorje Shugden is and how His practice has arose.
Just a quick look on the newly set up webpage, it can be seen that all articles are being written in a very bias way with a sole goal of putting Dorje Shugden practice down. Misguiding the people that do not have more knowledge about the deity to believe that the enlightened protector Dorje Shugden is bad and will cause harm when His practices are being done.
If Dorje Shugden is really bad and will harm people like what is being said, then why hasn’t Dorje Shugden done anything to the people that talk negatively about him or hurt his practitioners? Simple, it is because Dorje Shugden is an enlightened being that has compassion towards all these people. Thus, will only look after them and still help them if they need it.
sushilla
January 10, 2016
There’s still so much Dharma to learn in this generation; for those who have met the Dharma are really fortunate. Why do some of them go off track and indulge daily in discussing hatred and revenge on the pretext of practicing Dharma ? These people are really sick !!
Carol McQuirre
January 13, 2016
I failed in so many areas of my life. I wasted my relationships. I messed up my spiritual life. I use to practice Dorje Shugden. I was never taught to damage or hurt anyone by doing this practice. But because of my romantic infatuation with one of the monks in our organization I got mixed up and messed up and left. I am regretting it now. I protest and write against NKT because I can’t accept my mistakes. Sometimes I want to get help, sometimes I don’t. I am ashamed. Easier to blame others. Easier to call NKT a cult and lay the fault on them. I wanted to find blame where there was none. I left NKT and now I encourage others to leave. I know I can’t keep doing this because I am so frustrated with my life as I have accomplished nothing. All I have ever done is run and escape. I have to stop all the nasty talk I do and blaming others. But I need help to stop. I need help. I don’t like psycho-analysts and psychologists because what they say hurts. Truth hurts.
Ashrok Rao
April 28, 2016
Another attempt by the Central Tibetan Admininstration to keep the Tibetan under their thumbs because they are power hungry and greedy. The Tibetan Administration are known for doing this, as they fear that heaven forbid, the Tibetans might actually integrate in to the countries they are living in.
The ban on the practice of Dorje Shugden is simply another tool for the Tibetan Administration to use to control their people. But this tool is very damaging not just on the social landscape but the religious and is eroding away Gelugpa tradition as well as fanning ancient sectarian tendencies which had almost but disappeared during the Tibetan exodus into India. At that time all sects were perfectly harmonious in the Baxa refugee camp, a place that fostered religious harmony due the environmental circumstances of being in such close quarters with each other. It is truely a shame that the Tibetan Administration is now undoing what was achieved there.
Daniel
April 28, 2016
By now, everyone should already realise that the Tibetan ‘government- in -exile’ is not an honest one. Just look at the recent ‘elections’ for the Sikyong that Lobsang Sangay won and see how they rigged the rules to oust Lukar Jam from the race and how dirty the election was.
Look at the way they undermine their own constitution and democratic process, the way they persecute their own people because of their religion, and the way they have completely neglected the Tibetans who have followed them in exile. Look at how they mislead the world with their true intent for over a century.
Why is it so shocking that the CTA would sponsor the propaganda of hatred against people who stand in their way? What is more mystifying is why Western people like Carol and her gang would be prepared to be a tool of the CTA. Sooner or later, the CTA will lose all political support, either through China’s influence or the true agenda of the CTA being uncovered and Carol will have a lot to answer legally for all the libel and slander and lies she has been disseminating.
N. Shastri
April 28, 2016
CTA has in the past funded another website anti-shugden.com that was hacked. You can read about it here: http://www.dorjeshugden.com/all-articles/the-controversy/anti-shugden-website-apologized/
So CTA funding another anti-Shugden website is nothing to be denied, thanks to Marisa who shared this with the public.
However, the differences is that the public, especially Tibetan supporters are growing more impatient of the inefficiency, the fake democracy (the recent failure and injustice of the Sikyong election), as well as the corruption.
His Holiness and the CTA have, on many occasions, requested all the world to help Tibet, and expressed their appreciation for the assistance given by Tibet Supporters and Tibet Support Groups around the world. Recently, 27 of them sent an open letter to the to the Sikyong, Kashag, and Election Commissioner of the Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamsala and told them that “… we who answered the call (for assistance). That continuing support should not be wholly taken for granted.”
I guess the money that these 27 people sent, partly went to set up this website perhaps?
John Ackerly, Former President, International Campaign for Tibet, USA
Anders Højmark Andersen, Member of Tibet Support Committee, Denmark
Agurtzane Berasarte, Co-Founder and General Secretary, Phagma Drolma Association for Solidarity for the Tibetan People, Basque Country
Christophe Besuchet, Co-Founder, Comité de Soutien au Peuple Tibétain, Switzerland
Alan Cantos, CAT – Comite de Apoyo al Tibet, Spain
Philippa Carrick, Chief Executive Officer, Tibet Society, UK
Jack Churchward, Former CACCP Coordinator, USA
Florence Cotte, Militante Pour Un Tibet Libre, France
Monika Deimann-Clemens, 24 years TSG Germany; Tibet Flag Campaign, Germany
Angela Dempster-Passang, Member of SFT New Zealand, University of Otago Chapter, New Zealand
Dan Haig, Founder of Tibet Online, Past-President of Committee of 100 for Tibet, USA
Eva Herzer, Former President, Tibet Justice Center, USA
John Hocevar, Founder of Students for a Free Tibet and Former Co-Chairman of International Tibet Support Network (ITSN), USA
Jeff Inglis, Member of Tibet Justice Center, USA
Neville Jacobs, Member of Tibet Committee of Fairbanks, USA
Blake Kerr MD, Independent Human Rights Investigator, USA
Linda Mancini, Member of Boston Tibet Network, USA
José Elias Esteve Moltó, Main Research Lawyer and Author of Tibet Lawsuits, Professor of International Law, University of Valencia, Spain
Olivier Mores, Co-Founder and Honorary President, Les Amis du Tibet, Luxembourg
Rebecca Novick, Former President, Board Member and Consultant, Los Angeles Friends of Tibet; Founding Producer, The Tibet Connection; Country of Origin Information Expert on Tibet for Fahamu Refugee Programme, USA
Anthony O’Brien, Co-Founder of TSG-Ireland, Co-Founder of ECO-Tibet, Ireland
Jean-Paul Ribes, President, Comité de Soutien au Peuple Tibétain, France
Conrad Richter, Former Editor of World Tibet News (WTN), Canada
Sandra Ross, Director, Member of US Tibet Committee, USA
Elliot Sperling, Professor of Tibetan Studies, Indiana University, USA
Neil Steedman, Founder Chairman of TSG-Ireland, Co-Founder of ITSN, Member of Committee of 100 for Tibet, Ireland
Giovanni Vassallo, President of Bay Area Friends of Tibet, Past-President of Committee of 100 for Tibet, USA
Michaela Smith
April 28, 2016
Dear Kay
Thank you for this article. When Marrissa Save Tibet indicated that anti-Shugden people are paid to make anti-Shugden website, then it suddenly make sense as to why these people are so dedicated in their effort to defame DS and their followers. Sometimes, their comments are irrelevant – why make comments about people’s appearance? Why encourage hatred? Incredible.
I can’t imagine why someone can spend their lives day in day out hating others and can make it a career to do so. I think paying these people are not worthy because it is apparent from their comments that they do not study the subject well – all they are good at is spreading hatred.
I wish very much that this DS conflict will end soon.
Michaela
Olivia
April 28, 2016
This is why their political conspiracy should be exposed, they are using all the funds that were donated to them to instigate discrimination against Dorje Shugden practitioners, even if they were their own people. Dorje Shugden practitioners are not to enter schools, restaurants, buildings, shops and so on, even hospitals too that are run or funded by the leadership. This is how bad the ban is, and yet that they said that there’s no ban. If there really isn’t a ban, then what is the discrimination all about?
Sponsors from overseas should be in the know of what’s happening to the money they have been donating to Tibet to better the country, the leadership is using the funds for their own selfish political gains, which is not something to be tolerated.
Tessa T
April 28, 2016
Why am I not surprised. CTA is not exactly a clean, uncorrupted, honest, democratic administration although it claims to be. But what surprises me is that they would use public sponsorship to create anti-Shugden websites, and many silly westerners are so blinded by wanting to rub their shoulder with His Holiness that even Guru Devotion and Commitments is being thrown out of the window. Seeing someone like this Ms. Carol lady is a real embarrassment to His Holiness and Buddhism as a whole. She should stop because politics is not permanent and karma can be a b!@#ch.
So if I was Carol, I would really just stop harassing or saying anything negative about Shugden people cos all of it will come back to her anyway and she will still be bitter and even more anger some.
Tashi Choezom
April 28, 2016
This is what Tibetans are pay for our leaders to do . Rangzen ladeb is just account for how much we are pay to Dhasa for this things hahaha . this is sad is OK if we are die from TB cos we cannot get the treatment from clinic we are the Shugdenpas but they can spend the money on website . Gyalwa Rinpoche is say to Men Tse Khang that they are spend their money on useless things instead of help to the people . THis website is another useless thing.
Aloysius Bong
April 28, 2016
The world donated to Dalai Lama and CTA thinking that they are helping Shangri-la, now the truth is out that Dalai Lama and CTA are using the goodwill money to create hate campaign against a sect that they dont like – Dorje Shugden, and they creates hate websites, pay people to suppress Dorje Shugden practitioners. There is nothing holy about the Tibetan leadership, stop supporting them.
Pema
April 29, 2016
It is so good to have information and background dorjeshugden.com provides. Indeed it is deeply disturbing how a government who gets so much support from all over the world, with H.H. the Dalai Lama as guide comes up with such a devastating result.
The funds provided to help all the Tibetans who have lost their country, who had to travel on dangerous paths, risking their lives and in need of education and a home don’t get the support meant for them.
The Tibetan people was helped by so many people, with best intentions or with an intention against China. Nevertheless, funds have to be used in a honest way and to benefit always and not to discriminate and harm.
People who know the truth will stop the support and nobody can blame them.
Lovett
April 29, 2016
CTA is just plain nasty and what a huge waste of money that was not earned by them. CTA naturally runs on donations, sponsorship and handouts from the west. Would these sponsors like it if they knew that their contributions are squandered by religious fanatics on a medieval and religious ban? I don’t think so. There is a danger that they might eventually pull the plug. Upholding the ban is a setback for the Tibetan leadership if they really sit down to think about it.
Amber Sonam
May 3, 2016
As much as Marisa SaveTibet wish to cover the truth, it is too obvious not to note that the group of people In “We Need to Talk About Shugden” are working for the CTA and being paid by the CTA with money kindly donated by others for the improvement of the general well-being of the Tibetans in exile.
Setting up websites or Facebook page to denigrate people of different faiths, spiritual leaders of other beliefs; putting people down based on their religious practice are actions of immature individuals. These individuals are no other than the CTA, the childish bunch who are the source of income for websites like this.
Also, the CTA hire the group at We Need To Talk About Shugden among many other things they do to suppress the Dorje Shugden people. For the last 60 years, the CTA has been investing in these petty actions buying time to cover their incapabilities in taking care of their fellow Tibetans.
The purpose is clear for this website to further discriminate and segregate the Tibetan people. Supporting the website will only bring more harm to the already suffering Tibetans.
Linda
May 10, 2016
Yes I believe it is true.. sad but true… this is where all the foreign aids to Tibetans go to… creating websites to spread more hatred and yes Carol McQuire and her group cronies are paid by the CTA to keep harassing those who practice Shugden.
No sane human being who was so traumatised by her experience in a place would keep talk and talking and talking about it… yes and we all know who she is talking about — her own ex-temple NKT. If really if you are sane and you practice Dharma, you would just let it go and quietly do your practice. But not Carol and gang they would find every means and ways to publish anything negative about the NKT and keep on asking is Geshela is dead so that they could rejoice perhaps?
It is quite despicable to see this because it is an exploration of people’s faith and trust in His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Sooner or later people will find out and they will speak up and I think they have already started.
Dharmacrazy
May 14, 2016
It is so sad that the CTA would put money to pay these online bullies to create havoc instead of putting the money of sincere sponsors to better use. The CTA use the refugee status of Tibetans all over the world to gain sympathy of the global community but does not use the fund accountably. However sponsors feel if they know fund and resources are directed to create disharmony, division and discrimination instead of improved quality of life for TIbetans.
The CTA has gone too far and they must be stopped starting with the ban on Dorje Shugden. THe corruption can only spread because the CTA was permitted by the public to continue the wrong against Dorje Shugden practitioners. This gave them the courage to do more wrong. I am happy to see leaders like Maura Moynihan and Dana Rohrabacher calling on the CTA for their misrepresentation and suspicion of corruption.
Camilia
May 24, 2016
It is sad to see that CTA misuse the funds from kind donors around the world to fuel hatred and aggression towards a peaceful Buddhist community from pure lineage. Majority of the Tibetan in exile community still scattered across India cities looking for jobs and stability in their living. CTA should be ashamed of their inability to care for the people and the total lack of integrity in holding the office.
SabrinaS
May 31, 2016
Ah! It shouldn’t be a surprise anymore how the CTA squanders the goodwill of the donors on irresponsible websites. Actually what I don’t understand is why aren’t the donors waking up to their antics. Unless the donors too have their agendas! Oh horrors!! So the circle goes round and round while the real practitioners suffer.
CTA should really concentrate their efforts on creating unity and lift their people out of the state of “refugees” with all the donations and sponsorships that they receive. Otherwise the Dalai Lama’s dream of returning to Tibet will never be realized. Why? How could bad karma bring good results?
@Marissa saveTibet and @Carol McQuirre, you should really stop participating in creating more conflicts and insults towards the Shugden practitioners, especially the highly attained Lamas. As Carol knows, it straight to hell (as Buddha had taught). Ignorance is never an excuse. You may have created a lot bad karma to date but you do not have to continue creating more. Its all your choice and actions.
Sierra
June 21, 2016
That is quite a piece of investigative reporting. But, I must say that looking at the evidence and Ms Beswick’s arguments, I tend to incline to agree that there is a ban and that the CTA and others in power are doing their utmost to enforce this ban.
It is very unbecoming of ‘monks’ and ‘nun’ to be harsh in their speech. They really should not be creating schism nor endorse it in any way. After all they are supposed to have renounced worldly affairs. How can anyone put faith in the speech of such ‘monks’ and ‘nun’. It would be very foolish indeed to believe them.
As a Buddhist, not to mention monks or nuns, one has to practice mindfulness. Hope this is not the new low level of Tibetan Buddhism.
Thanks, Ms Beswick for the insightful article.
Prajna
February 7, 2017
In relations to anti-Shugden sites created by the CTA, the fact that Tenzin Peljor was redirecting his own domain (shugden.info) to the (earlier) CTA anti-Shugden site shugdeninfo.com before anyone had told him about it is a clear indication that Peljor is paid by the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), and involved in the website.
Tenzin Peljor originally registered shugden.info using his legal name, Michael Jaeckel and used the address of Bodhicharya Centre in Berlin. Later, he updated the registration of his domain (shugden.info) through the same anonymous service as shugdeninfo.com and hosted it on the same servers as shugdeninfo.com. Both domain names then had exactly the same settings. (info source: http://www.arebuddhistsracist.com/tenzin_peljor.html)
Another clear indication is that his “independent websites” are listed as resources for journalists by the CTA/ Tibetan exile leadership, and he is promoted to journalists by Tibetan NGOs. Why would CTA do that? We all know that Tenzin Peljor is not a journalist ;D.
Tenzin Peljor’s connection with Carol McQuire, Dhardon Sharling of Department of Information & International Relations (DIIR) and the rest is also obvious. It was soon after Tenzin Peljor’s ordination in 2006 that he began to take an interest in countering the protests. He remained in India and began to assist the Tibetan government (CTA) with their disinformation campaign by editing pages on Wikipedia and became the main editor for the page about the NKT.
Marisa Save Tibet or Marisa Burns as we know is a board member of Tibetan Social Service (TSS) and has been in the Tibetan scene for almost a decade. She came into the picture after her mother’s passing in 2007 where she went to India and managed to teach a class of Geshe for the Dalai Lama’s office.
Carol McQuire is Tenzin’s recruit and in her own words, her “greatest refuge for a long while was Tenzin Peljor”. According to inside news, Carol was influenced by Tenzin Peljor to officially leave the NKT by disrobing in September 2007. She admitted that Tenzin Peljor primarily attacks the NKT because he is, “involved in looking after the Dalai Lama’s interests in the most profound way”, aka paid by the CTA. Carol was very helpful in Tenzin’s work for the CTA that at one point, she had the rare privilege of being seated on stage with the Dalai Lama during one of the sessions at the Dalai Lama’s teachings in Basel in February 2015.
Their latest ‘work’ is the 13-minute documentary titled ‘Shugden Protesters: Allegations vs Facts’, a project that perhaps came about after the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan leadership met with NKT Survivors in Cambridge, UK on September 18, 2015.
Lhakpa Dhendup
August 11, 2018
What will the all the people around the world and in Tibet do now? Dalai Lama says he is happy that Tibet is a part of China and should remain a part of China. So many Tibetans self-immolated for Tibet to be independent and now Dalai Lama did a 360 degree turn and says he wants to go back to Tibet and China and Tibet should be a part of China. So unbelievable. So many are angry and disappointed.
Dalai Lama should set things right
August 12, 2018
Dear Dalai Lama,
Since you started the cruel ban against the 350 year Dorje Shugden practice, how has it benefit your Tibetan society and Buddhism in the world? Things have become worse and most educated Tibetans can see this. They don’t speak out not because they don’t see your ban as wrong, but you instill fear in them and not respect. It is like fear of a dictator. I am sorry to say so. Everyone is divided. There is no harmony. Before your ban there was more harmony and unity.
By enacting the ban, you split the monasteries, split so many families, split regions in Tibet apart, split your disciples from you, split your own gurus from you, split Tibetan Buddhism apart. You have created so much disharmony.
It is not democratic what you have done to ban a religion within your community. You always talk of tolerance and acceptance and democracy and yet you do not accept and tolerate something different from your beliefs. When people practice Dorje Shugden you ostracize them, ban them from seeing you, ban them from using Tibetan facilities. You know you have done that. There are videos that capture your speech and prove this point. You even had people expelled from monasteries just because they practice Dorje Shugden. Some of the monks you expelled have been in the monastery for over 40 years. Many older monks shed tears because of this.
Many young educated Tibetans lost confidence in you as they saw the damage the Dorje Shugden ban created and they lose hope. Many have become free thinkers. They reject what you have done. So many people in the west left Buddhism because of the confusion you created with this ban against Dorje Shugden which is immoral.
You could of had millions of people who practice Dorje Shugden to support, love and follow you, but you scared them away. They are hurt and very disappointed. They loved you and respected you deeply before the ban. It has been 60 years and you have failed to get Tibet back. Your biggest failure is not getting Tibet back after 57 years in exile. Now you are begging China to allow you to return to Tibet to the disappointment of thousands of people who fought for a free Tibet believing in you. So many self-immolated for a free Tibet and now you want Tibet to be a part of China with no referendum from Tibetans. Just like a dictator, you decide on your own. It was your government and you that lost Tibet in the first place. Your policies and style of doing things do not benefit Tibet and Buddhism. You have been the sole ruler of Tibet your whole life and you still have not gotten our country of Tibet back for us. Our families and us are separated. Yet you create more pain by creating a ban to further divide people. Please have compassion.
No other Buddhist leader has banned or condemned any religion except for you. It looks very bad. You are a Nobel laureate and this is not fitting of a laureate. You should unite people and not separate them by religious differences.
You said Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi did not do right to the Rohingya people in Myanmar due to religious differences, but you are doing the same thing to the Shugden Buddhists within your own society. There is a parallel in this. You separate the Shugden Buddhists from the others in Tibetan society.
You have lost so many people who would have loved and supported you. You have lost so much support around the world. The Shugden Buddhists who love you number in the millions. When you are fast losing support from governments and private people, it will not do you well to lose more.
After you are passed away in the future, the rift you created between the Dorje Shugden and non-Dorje Shugden people will remain for a while and that will be your legacy. Disharmony. You will be remembered for this. Not as a hero but a disharmony creator.
Dorje Shugden will spread and further grow, but you will be no more as you are a human. No one wishes you bad and in fact we hope you have a long and healthy life, but we have lost so much hope and have so much despair because of you. All the hundreds of Dorje Shugden lamas, tulkus and geshes are maturing and there are hundreds of Dorje Shugden monasteries in Tibet who will not give up Dorje Shugden. You have made a mistake. These hundreds of teachers and teachers to be will spread Dorje Shugden further in the future.
The gurus that gave us Dorje Shugden as a spiritual practice and you have called these holy gurus wrong and they are mistaken in giving us Dorje Shugden. How can you insult our gurus whom we respect so much? If they can be wrong, then you can be wrong. Then all gurus can be wrong. So no one needs to listen to any guru? You have created this trend. It is not healthy. Your own gurus practiced Dorje Shugden their whole lives. Your own gurus were exemplary and highly learned.
Dalai Lama you have created so much pain with this ban against so many people due to religion. You are ageing fast. Are you going to do anything about it or stay stubborn, hard and un-moving. You show a smile and preach peace and harmony wherever you go. But will you do the same to your own people? Please rectify the wrong you have done. Please before it is too late. You can create harmony again or you can pass away in the future with this legacy of peace. May you live long and think carefully and admit what was a mistake in having this unethical ban against Dorje Shugden religion.