Gaden Shartse Monastery’s new abbot is not compassionate

Khen Rinpoche Jangchup Sangye, the new abbot of Gaden Shartse Monastery. Born in Tsum, Nepal, he denies of the Shartse monks the religious freedom that his own countrymen in Nepal receive to practice whatever they wish. This new abbot is well known to be very political and was chosen to be the abbot as he will be a good mouthpiece for the Tibetan government in exile. The ironic point is all the gurus of this abbot all practiced Dorje Shugden as well as the guru of his gurus for the last 400 hundred years. For political reasons and political gain this abbot persecutes the protector of his very own gurus such as Kyabje Lati Rinpoche and Kensur Jampa Yeshe Rinpoche as well their masters including Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche and Kyabje Zong Rinpoche. The monks in Gaden Shartse Monastery know there are many secret practitioners of Dorje Shugden within the monastery and many monks are very displeased with this abbot.

The opinion piece below was sent to dorjeshugden.com for publication. We accept submissions from the public, please send in your articles to [email protected].

 


 

By: Jangchup Wangmo

Gaden Shartse abbot’s letter. Scroll down to read in full.

MUNDGOD – Some disturbing news has come to light recently with the publication of two letters detailing the expulsion of monks from Gaden Shartse and Sera Jey Monasteries. Contrary to what the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA; Tibetan leadership in Dharamsala) has falsely claimed, the purge and expulsion of Dorje Shugden monks from Tibetan monasteries continues.

The Gaden Shartse Monastery letter is particularly disturbing because it was leaked for publication just a few days ago, showing that the Dorje Shugden ban and issue is not over. Both letters were published on their respective monasteries’ letterheads, no doubt with the involvement and approval of the abbots who are still actively dividing and creating schism within the sangha.

(1) As abbots, it is supposed to be their job to be guardians of the religious education and welfare of the monastery. It is not the abbot’s role to foster disharmony and engage in political games. Their behavior is much like those of the Burmese monks who uphold segregation against the Rohingyans just because of religious differences.

Gaden Shartse Monastery, Mundgod Tibetan Colony, South India. The abbot who is supposed to be the steward of its hallowed halls, has recently been acting in a manner that contradicts the compassion, learning and humanity we have come to expect from abbots.

(2) The abbots are supposed to be the heads of monastic institutions which are supposed to be the spiritual pillars of the community. It should be a JOY for people to connect with them. Yet, these days, our sources in the settlements tell us that Tibetans within the settlement camps no longer consider it to be an honor for their families to send their sons to become monks, as it used to be. Sick and tired of all the petty bickering and politicking, parents are now using the monasteries as a threat of punishment for their children, telling them that if they do not behave, they will be sent to become a monk. The fact people now view the monasteries as a punishment, is the responsibility of the abbots who have painted the monasteries in this light through their actions. Why would any parent send their children to a monastery, when abbots are busy expelling monks to win favors from Dharamsala, instead of encouraging positive religious education?

(3) Evidence of this is the fact monastic populations in the settlements are declining. Fewer Tibetan parents are willing to send their children to become monks and nuns, and fewer still are leaving Tibet to live a life in exile. The situation is exacerbated by the fact Tibetans are returning to Tibet every single day, drawn by the prospect of a traditional monastic education that is free from the control and interference of the CTA. As a result, monasteries are having to go farther afield to recruit children from remote villages to ordain them as monks. This is one of the reasons why His Holiness the Dalai Lama, despite his advanced age, is traveling more frequently to the northern regions of India these days. In places like Ladakh where culturally, they are very similar to the Tibetans, it is easier to recruit young monks for the monasteries in South India.

(4) Knowing all of this, still the abbots decimate the monastic population further, and destroy the monks’ morale by creating an atmosphere of fear amongst the sangha that they might be unwitting victims of the witch-hunt against Shugden practitioners. Our question is – if it was just advice to not practice Dorje Shugden, why does anyone need to be kicked out? Surely if it were just advice, it would be up to the individual to follow or not. And if they chose not to follow, they should not suffer any repercussions.

(5) If it was just advice, then the Gaden Shartse abbot’s letter and announcement of the expulsion contradicts what the CTA says. On the one hand, the CTA says it is just advice from the Dalai Lama to not practice Dorje Shugden. On the other hand, Gaden Shartse’s abbot says it is a RULE that no one is allowed to practice Dorje Shugden. Clearly, he also gains courage to implement such schismatic behavior because of the video of the Dalai Lama saying that all Dorje Shugden practitioners should be expelled from the monastery.


Or watch on server | download video (right click & save file)

(6) The abbot of Gaden Shartse, and the administration of Sera Jey are still actively perpetuating the witch-hunt against Shugden practitioners. This opens up the situation to abuse and personal vendettas – will innocent people be accused of being Shugden practitioners, so that violence can be directed against them? Tibetans will live in fear of this, much like the days of the Gestapo in East Germany and the Cultural Revolution of China, when neighbors would inform on one another, friends could not trust friends, and parents even had to be afraid of their children. Are the abbots guardians of the monastery, or are they the enforcers of divisive policies that have been handed down to them by the Tibetan leadership?

(7) In fact, spiritually-speaking, the abbots and monasteries have no right to expel the monks on the basis of Dorje Shugden practice. These monks received Dorje Shugden practice from their teachers, as part of a personal relationship between guru and disciple (samaya). Never in the history of the monasteries have abbots ever been allowed to dictate how the samaya between student and teacher should be played out. In expelling these monks from the monasteries, the abbots are in fact making a ruling over people who received practices from their teachers, when in fact there is no higher authority who should be allowed to interfere or interject with this personal relationship.

The arrow indicates the current abbot of Gaden Shartse Monastery. He is pictured here with some of his gurus, Kyabje Zong Rinpoche (seated left) and the then-abbot Kyabje Lati Rinpoche (seated right) of Gaden Shartse Monastery. Both Kyabje Zong Rinpoche and Kyabje Lati Rinpoche practiced Dorje Shugden very strongly.

(8) What is interesting is that the letters say the monks broke the monasteries’ rules, and therefore they are being expelled. Our question is – these monks received the practice from their teachers so theoretically, their teachers broke the rules too. If so, will their teachers be removed from the monasteries as well? Surely if their teachers broke monastic rules, they are no longer monks and no longer qualified to give teachings. According to the CTA’s logic, it would actually be dangerous for them to remain in the monasteries to continue giving teachings. If the abbots are serious about upholding these so-called monastic rules, it would mean that more people are going to be expelled. So how many more people do the abbots and monasteries intend to expel, before Gaden, Sera and Drepung are all empty? Who then will the abbots pretend to be administering and caring for?

(9) And when were these monastic rules introduced? It is historical fact that Dorje Shugden practice has been around for nearly 400 years, since the time of the Great 5th Dalai Lama. So who introduced these rules against the practice, and why were they suddenly introduced, and on what basis are the monastic administration acting upon to expel these monks? Surely it is not just on the basis of the Dalai Lama’s words or due to political pressures. If so, why are the abbots expelling monks based on a political directive? Should the abbots and monks not be above politics?

Monks being biased, fundamentalist and political in this way is a bad image for Buddhism. These abbots reflect a scary form of fundamentalist Buddhism that is arising from the Tibetan monasteries, and the CTA encourages it from behind the scenes, then steps back and watches and hides from the blame. They like to do this under the guise of rules and regulations in the monastery, when no such rule has existed for 400 years.

(10) More importantly, this expulsion contradicts all rules governing guru devotion. As Gelug practitioners, we are taught that guru devotion is the foundation and basis for all attainments, and that we should not abandon our teachers and the practices they give us even at the cost of our lives. Why are the monks being punished for being loyal to their teachers, when they have been taught all of their lives that their relationship with their teachers overrides everything else? It is the monasteries who taught them to remain loyal to their teachers, and to the practices given by their teachers. Yet they are now being punished for this loyalty. How does that affect those who remain behind, when they see that you can be punished for actually practicing what you have been taught?

(11) For many of the monks, especially older ones, being kicked out of the monastery is tantamount to be kicked out of your home with no place to go. Imagine being ordained into the monastery at a young age, and then being unceremoniously expelled in your later years, to be rendered homeless. Not only is it disrespectful for the monks to treat older monks in this way, but it is cruel to kick them out of their lifelong homes just because of their religious beliefs.

Logoan Tulku Jampa Choesang, the abbot of Sera Jey Monastery who continues to perpetuate the CTA’s illegal ban against Dorje Shugden.

If you have lived in the monastery your whole life, it is your home and the only home you HAVE EVER KNOWN. This can cause a lot of psychological damage for those who are kicked out and for those who miss the ones kicked out. Being kicked out affects the victim as well as the people who are left behind.

(12) The monks who were expelled were geshes, and therefore potential teachers for the younger monks of the monastery. What happens now that the monastery, already struggling to recruit and retain monks, has two fewer teachers? The abbots sacrificed the welfare of the monasteries’ spiritual education for the sake of currying favor with Dharamsala. Geshes are the assets of Buddhism and kicking them out is horrendous way to destroy Buddhism.

(13) Truly, who are the stewards of the monasteries now? Is it the abbot and the administration, or Lobsang Sangay and his band of merry men? The monks of Gaden Shartse Monastery whisper that the new abbot is very political, and trying very hard to stay in Dharamsala’s good books to woo His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the monastery. Hence he has gone ahead with this expulsion, so that he will be praised for his hardline stance against Shugden practice. The new abbot is not winning supporters from within the monastery because in his first year as abbot, he is expelling monks which is very inauspicious. 

It is a sad state of affairs when abbots are not firm spiritual pillars, and are instead more interested in personal praise and self-gain. It is even sadder still that they can be manipulated by external parties like the Gaden Phodrang (the palace, office and government of the Dalai Lama). Each year, the Dalai Lama visits the monasteries in South India, and these visits are dependent on the relationship between the monastic administrations and Gaden Phodrang. This relationship is governed by how many offerings the monasteries make to Gaden Phodrang, and how well the monasteries follow the diktats of the Gaden Phodrang. If Gaden Phodrang is not happy with the monasteries, they will advise the Dalai Lama to snub certain locations and not visit.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Drepung Monastery, Mundgod (South India) in 2017. The Dalai Lama will only visit monasteries which are ‘clean’ and approved by Dharamsala. In order to be approved by Dharamsala, the monasteries have to do whatever it takes to please the government by making massive offerings and following all of their policies. Everybody wants a visit from the Dalai Lama, not just for his teachings but because in this current economic climate, a visit from the Dalai Lama tells everyone that that monastery is good and worthy of financially supporting.

Repeated snubs would be detrimental to the monasteries, who are dependent on the Dalai Lama’s appearances to validate that they are good, clean and worthy of making offerings too. Of course it is an honor for the Dalai Lama to visit any place, and to turn the Wheel of Dharma while he is there, but it is a sorry state of affairs when spirituality can be politically manipulated in this way to gain favors so that the monastery can benefit financially and sustain itself.

(14) Having observed the situation, residents of the Tibetan settlements are starting to whisper how easily manipulated the abbots are, and how they are allowing the government to dictate their affairs. Who are the real leaders of the monastery now? Is it the abbots or are they just convenient mouthpieces for the actual leaders, who are the government in Dharamsala telling them what to do? Or, more disturbingly still, are the abbots not just mouthpieces but actually in cahoots with the Dharamsala government, working to divide and destroy the Tibetan community? With the expulsion of the geshes, the abbots have sowed the seeds of insecurity in the monastic sangha to worry and wonder who may be next.

(15) The actions of Gaden Shartse Monastery’s abbot, Khen Rinpoche Jangchup Sangye, are especially disappointing considering he is not even Tibetan. He is, by birth, a fully-fledged Nepali born in Tsum. In the country of his birth, the Nepalis have full religious freedom granted to them by their government. Their citizens enjoy the freedom to practice a wide range of religions from Buddhism to Hinduism, to animism and shamanism, and even Christianity. What the people of his country enjoy, he as the abbot of Gaden has denied his monks, even going to the extent of expelling them. His actions can only be for totally political reasons.

Despite all of this news, it is still inspiring to know that to this day, regardless of whatever the CTA has done to the monks, and regardless of the negative propaganda and lies they have spread about Dorje Shugden, there are still people quietly and secretly practicing. It is evidence that Dorje Shugden practice was so widespread, that it will never be fully stamped out. Everyone knows there are many secret practitioners of Dorje Shugden in Gaden, Sera and Drepung Monasteries. Because Dorje Shugden has been practiced in these monasteries for 400 years by the highest of Lamas to the ordinary monks, you simple cannot wipe it away.

Who decides what happens with the monasteries, the abbots or politicians like Lobsang Sangay? Are the abbots the leaders of the monastery, or are they just there to take orders from people like Lobsang Sangay who has done nothing but perpetuate the ban, create divisions and pocket the profits for himself? Or, worse still, are the abbots not actually mouthpieces but are really in cahoots with people like Sangay to destroy and divide the Tibetan community?

Yet, this is the situation we find ourselves in. While the monasteries’ populations are declining, while the CTA has failed to actualize any of their political goals, and while the Tibetans continue to languish as stateless refugees dependent on international handouts, the monasteries and their abbots disregard thousands of years of tradition, and clamor to curry favour with the CTA. Gaden Shartse Monastery used to have 1,400 monks. After the illegal ban on Shugden, over 700 monks have either left or been expelled. Some of the monks who were expelled or left were in their 70s and 80s. Now Gaden Shartse Monastery has around 700 monks, making it the smallest monastery compared to the other monasteries within Drepung and Sera Monasteries. Not many people want to send their children to the monasteries these days.

In this day and age, when the world rallies around religious freedom, freedom of expression and freedom of speech, the monasteries, their abbots and the CTA continue to keep the Tibetan people chained in the dark ages. Given this latest incident in a long program of discrimination against practitioners for their religious belief, once has to ask the question, when will Tibetans be free to practice what they so desire, free of the influence of a domineering Dharamsala? The monasteries used to be institutions that people derived inspiration, learning and spirituality from. These days, it would seem that the monasteries and their abbots are no more than chess pieces, ‘yes’ men and willing suppressors of religious freedom. When will Gaden, Sera and Drepung ever regain the glory of their pre-1959 days? At this rate, and with the kind of leadership, it is a sure bet that they never will.

 

Statement by Abbot of Gaden Shartse Monastery

Click to enlarge

TRANSLATION

Notice!

According to the situation within the Gelug community, since 2008 all members of the Sangha community from Gaden Shartse Monastery are no longer practicing Dorje Shugden, even to the extent of not having either secular or Dharma contact with Dolgyal (Dorje Shugden) practitioners anymore. They swore in front of Dharmapala Setrab’s thangka in Gaden Shartse’s main prayer hall.

After swearing, those found to still be practising Dolgyal (Dorje Shugden) will in the end be expelled from the Monastery. In the past and in accordance to such regulation, we have gathered proof that Geshe Jampa Thupten and Geshe Lobsang Jinpa who were from Gaden Shartse Monastery are still practicing Dolgyal (Dorje Shugden), therefore they were expelled from Gaden Shartse Monastery. As of today, we are announcing that these promise breakers are no longer included in the monastic community of Gaden Shartse Monastery.

What dogs do not eat is iron, what human beings do not eat are their oaths [a Tibetan saying], but these evil people have eaten (violated) their oaths and have found to be continuing their practice of Dolgyal (Dorje Shugden). We must know who these people are, and the main point is not to be cheated by these evil people.

On 21/1/2018: by Khenpo Geshe Janchup Sange the Abbot of Ganden Shartse Monastery, Mundgod Tibetan Colony, South India

 

Statement by the
Administration of Sera Jey Monastery

Click to enlarge

Translation

On 15 March 2002, the whole monastery including ex-abbots, tulkus, geshes vowed not to practice Dorje Shugden in front of the Hayagriva thangka. On 8 January 2008, in Sera Monastery there was discrepancy in this matter. Hence the whole monastery again vowed in front of the Hayagriva thangka not to practice Dorje Shugden, and not to associate with Dorje Shugden practitioners in terms of finances and Dharma. Recently, from reliable sources from (unnamed) khangtsen, “Rawa” Geshe Lobsang Reden was expelled. The monastery, also in order to uphold monastic codes, also expelled his monastery membership. Everyone please take note.

Administrative Office of Sera Jey
30 November 2017

Please support this website by making a donation.
Your contribution goes towards supporting
our work to spread Dorje Shugden across the world.
Share this article
141 total comments on this postSubmit yours
  1. I use to send donations to Gaden Shartse Monastery. But I have stopped since they decided to institute the damaging ban against Dorje Shugden practitioners of their own monastery. Disgraceful.

    This new abbot is very interested in using his position as abbot to find funds to channel to Tsum in Nepal. He has no real loyalty to the monastery. That is why he is doing his best to climb to the top using politics. He has to get close to the Dalai Lama to do this hence he is witch-hunting Dorje Shugden monks and expelling them to please his Tibetan govt ministers. The funny thing is this abbot’s gurus all practiced Dorje Shugden.

    Shame on this selfish abbot. Shame.

  2. This abbot like money very much

  3. Why is this Nepal abbot throw out innocent monks for praying to the deity of their choice? He is same like Burma monks who hurt Rohingyan because their religion is different😖

  4. If you look at the face of this abbot, he is very cunning, unscrupulous and has no energy of a real spiritual being. He goes against his own gurus who gave him the education to become a geshe. His gurus all practiced Shugden, so why is he like this?

    His aura is very dark and his mannerism is very rude.

    I met him before in India and he only wants money and donations for his family in Nepal. He is really only interested in money, money and more money.🤑🤑🤑

  5. This is money abbot. Politics abbot. We Tibetan don’t respect this new abbot of Shartze Monasetary😫

  6. Its really sad that monks have to be kicked out of a monastery they have lived in their whole lives. Where will they go now. How to find a new home?

    What about the students and friends left behind? How can religions be so divisive. Tibetan Buddhism was so pure prior to the ban against Shugden. Too bad, What kind of cruelty are they practicing in the monasteries these days for political reasons and personal agendas. These abbots are really the types of people who are like the bishops in the vatican that cover up pedophiles within their ranks.

  7. I’m sorry to say, but this is the stupidest move any monastery can do and they dare call themselves a monastery of Buddha’s teachings!

    Why?

    Let’s take a leaf from the historical Buddha himself.

    One of his chief disciples was Sariputta.
    Who is Sariputta? He is a Brahmin who later renounced the world to become a disciple of the sceptic Sañjaya Belaṭṭhaputta of the ajnana school of thought.

    Imagine if Buddha had chased him out from Buddha’s teachings because he was an ascetic who practiced the teachings of sceptic Sanjaya Belatthanputta? Can you imagine that?

    If Buddha had chased him out just like these monasteries are chasing Dorje Shugden practitioners out, would Sariputta have ever attained Arhat? No.

    So what are these monasteries trying to do? Propagate the Dharma, cause new arhats and attained beings or playing politics?

    Please teach everyone the Dharma. Buddha even went to hell to teach the hell beings and here you don’t even want to teach monks who have spent their lives learning the Dharma. What kind of monastery are you?

  8. An article published in 1997 in the Spanish magazine “Mas Alla” stated that Ling Rinpoche practiced Dorje Shugden. The magazine covers spiritual and metaphysical issues around the world, and doesn’t have anything to do with Tibetan Buddhism. So in that way, it has no reason to be biased in and to write articles in support of or against Dorje Shugden.

    The magazine was also issued in 1997, before the height of the ban, at a time when no one was compelled to hide the truth. So we can be sure that the reporting on this matter is therefore neutral and unedited and objective.

    It’s a fact that both the tutors of the 14th Dalai Lama (Kyabje Ling Rinpoche and Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche) practiced Dorje Shugden, which was confirmed by the research conducted by the reporter JC Deus from Mas Alla. Deus clearly interviewed the right people and since the truth will always prevail, it is not surprising that an independent researcher like him with no links to Tibetan Buddhism so easily discovered and reported that Ling Rinpoche does Dorje Shugden practice. Remember that Deus was just doing his duty as a reporter, and reporting it as a neutral historical fact, not with any agenda in mind.

    This is clear proof and it contradicts the false information the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) propagates that Ling Rinpoche does not practise Dorje Shugden. Lies like these will always be found out and exposed. This has been proven with the CTA who continue to make a fool out of themselves, losing trust among the Tibetans and supporters around the world.

    This is PART 1, the first part of my 4-part comment. It shows the first three pages (pg 28-29) and the cover of the Mas Alla magazine, which published this report about Dorje Shugden.

    27 Cover

    28

    29

  9. This is PART 2, the second part of my 4-part comment. It shows the next three pages (pg 30-32) of the Mas Alla magazine, which published this report about Dorje Shugden.

    30

    31

    32

  10. This is PART 3, the third part of my 4-part comment. It shows the next three pages (pg 33-35) of the Mas Alla magazine, which published this report about Dorje Shugden. Please take SPECIAL NOTE to see page 33. The part where it mentions Ling Rinpoche practices Dorje Shugden has been highlighted for your reference.

    33-A

    34

    35

  11. This is PART 4, the final part of my 4-part comment. It shows the last two pages (pg 36-37) of the Mas Alla magazine, which published this report about Dorje Shugden.

    36

    37

  12. It is sad that the ban on Dorje Shugden practice has badly affected so many practitioners, the lay people and the sangha community. The sangha members are taught to practice dharma, but politics reared it’s ugly head when such an abbot and other seniors behave politically. Where is the teaching and practicing of wisdom and compassion as spoken by the Dalai Lama to the monks in monasteries and to lay people wherever he goes? This puts dharma in a bad light. No wonder more and more Tibetan youth do not want to join the monasteries.

  13. དགའ་ཤར་ལྷོ་པ་སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་བྱེད་སྟངས་དེ་སྙིང་རྗེ་མེད་པའི་ལས་ཀ་རང་རེད།

  14. When religion and politic mixed together, we see religious figures fully exercise their un-dharmic behaviours and the expansion of their three poisons. An abbot is supposed to make a monastery continue to operate in order to protect the lineage and proliferate the dharma. His job is to make sure the sangha is well trained to represent the dharma and to attract like-minded practitioners to continue practicing the dharma and to bring benefits to others.

    This abbot by name, do not behave like one. His support of the banning of Dorje Shugden who was once their monastery’s protector is purely a political move. Not only did he not keep the prestige of Gaden Shartse that was once a centre that produces erudite masters Kyabje Zong Rinpoche, Kyabje Lati Rinpoche, Kensur Jampa Yeshe Rinpoche etc., he is making Gaden monastery another building that filled with political activities for his laziness in putting real efforts to transform, to teach and to raise funds for the monastery.

    It is very obvious that this person labeled as abbot just wants a comfortable life without needing to work hard. He is also taking this opportunity to gain personal favours and wealth totally against the principle of Buddhism.

  15. It is shocking and so demoralizing for practitioners of Gaden Tradition, that samaya is placed lower than politics and wanting to be in the good books of the Dalai Lama.

    May the two Geshes find a new home in Dorje Shugden monasteries and establishments and carry on their spiritual learning in other pastures.

    Having said that Gaden is a famous world acclaimed learning institution, a learning institution of good repute should not be expelling the students of the buddha dharma. CTA and the abbott should stop tarnishing the image of Gaden in the face of the world.

  16. This is surely clear evidence that there is a ban on Dorje Shugden practice. Two monks have recently been expelled by the CTA-aligned abbot of Gaden Shartse, showing that the Tibetan monasteries are continuing their purging and expulsion of Dorje Shugden monks, as directed by CTA.

    It is disappointing to see abbots , becoming involved in politics and creating schism within their monasteries. Where is the fostering of harmony and peace among the sangha, as Lord Buddha taught? Peace , harmony and unity among sangha members are necessary for them to be beacons of dharma , spreading the light of dharma in all directions? Indeed creating schism,like this , among the sangha is a very grave transgression as they are part of the Three Jewels in whom we take Refuge.

    The abbot has also broken his commitment on the practice of Dorje Shugden to his Gurus who all practice Dorje Shugden and gone against them as well as their teachers in this very drastic action! By such high-handed actions, they will have frightened parents into not letting their sons become monks in the future, a step which had been traditionally considered highly honorable.

  17. With reference to the following statement made by the Abbot of Gaden Shartse Monastery :-
    “What dogs do not eat is iron, what human beings do not eat are their oaths [a Tibetan saying], but these evil people have eaten (violated) their oaths and have found to be continuing their practice of Dolgyal (Dorje Shugden). We must know who these people are, and the main point is not to be cheated by these evil people.

    On 21/1/2018: by Khenpo Geshe Janchup Sange the Abbot of Ganden Shartse Monastery, Mundgod Tibetan Colony, South India”

    Since keeping oaths is so important then it makes sense why the monks who received their Dorje Shugden practice from their Gurus will continue their practice irrespective of the changes in the external environment. They received their oaths before the Ban started. Irrespective of the ban or not they have to continue their practice to keep their oaths/vows. So why are they punished for keeping their oaths to their Gurus?
    Second comment – the Abbot of the Gaden Shartse monastery is one of the highest position in the Buddhists world whereby one can only be an Abbot if they have the qualifications befitting that role. Expelling fellow Dharma brothers who have a valid reason to keep their vows in their practice given by their Gurus, is a very poor show of the qualities of an Abbot. What was his motivation ? Where is the wisdom and compassion ? One looks up to the Abbot to show the path out of sufferings, not to create more sufferings for others. One looks up to the Abbot for the path to Enlightment, not the path to Hell !!
    This is another grave example supporting the Buddha’s prophecy of this era of degeneration of the Buddha Dharma. Not the Buddha Dharma degenerating, but the practitioners degenerating the Buddha Dharma to such a low level 😞😞😞

  18. If all attainment can only comes from one’s guru, when a practitioner go against his/her guru they automatically lose their attainment or chances of getting attainment. On this basis, we can say those monks in the monastery who have sworn out of Dorje Shugden practice, betrayed their own gurus are not qualified practitioners because they have lost their attainments or chances of getting attainment. Why learn from monks who are not qualified? Why put our spirituality at risks?

  19. Mr. Mila Rangzen says the head of the Tibetan exiled govt is a sexual predator

    Since 2011, Lobsang Sangay’s tenure as the President of the Central Tibetan Administration has been mired with various scandals and failures, such as the election scandal and the US$1.5 million loan scandal. The 17% unemployment rate among the Tibetans in exile has also forced some Tibetans to become spies, betraying their host country India. Now, in more shocking news from Mila Rangzen, who has been proven to have access to a lot of insider news, Lobsang Sangay has been revealed to be a sexual predator who does not hesitate to risk the Dalai Lama’s reputation to satisfy his lust. More women and people are speaking up about this. This is really breaking news. These women deserve a platform to express the pain and humiliation and be open to heal.

    Mila Rangzen has, on numerous occasions, shared extremely accurate and reliable news for the benefit of the Tibetan community. He has never failed us with the accuracy of the news and they have all proven to be true. Mila seems to not be afraid to tell the truth.

    All the victims of the sexual predator Lobsang Sangay should not keep quiet anymore and must expose him once and for all. He should be punished for his actions and asked to step down from his position now! The victims should be empowered by this and speak up and point the finger at Lobsang Sangay if this is true. Do not stay in the dark and hide your shame because Lobsang Sangay is destroying the reputation of the Dalai Lama.

    President Sangay and the sexual assault on Ms Leslie Butterfield
    February 21, 2018
    Just as you, the reader, I am also very concerned about the direction that LS is taking the Tibetan community towards.  Just as Trump he is catering to his base of fanatic Khampa sanjor ex-monk supporters leading to disharmony and divisiveness. Let me start in 2011 during the Kalachakra in Washington DC. – During the Kalachakra from July 6-16th, LS also visited as is normal for him to bask in the glory of His Holiness.  An intern, Leslie Butterfield, at the ICT was assigned to him to assist him in his meetings and moving around DC.  Ms. Butterfield was in her early 20s then and a very attractive young woman who supported His Holiness and the Tibetan cause with her whole heart and being.  She is known to have been a very active participant in numerous activities to further the cause of Tibet and spread the work of compassion of His Holiness.
    It was the night of July 11th that LS physically assaulted her in his hotel room.  The next day she reported this to Mary Beth Markey, the then President of ICT.  There were others in the office who were also made aware of the incident of the previous night. Ms. Butterfield was convinced by Marybeth and others in the ICT not to file charges against LS using the name of HH as an emotional blackmail.  That she would be sullying the name of His Holiness if she was to file a complaint.  She was pressured into not filing a complaint which makes people at ICT complicit in a cover-up.  With so many women coming out with sexual abuse charges it may be time for Ms. Butterfield to come out too.
    She is now married with a child.  Maura Mohinyan comes to mind as someone capable of convincing her to come forward.  Maura as I know her has in-depth knowledge of LS dealings.
    During his last visit to NY and DC along with Kaydor, he had a meeting with the Tibet Fund regarding the $1.5 mil loan.  He is pressurizing TF to write off the loan before the parliament session begins in March so as to prove his point that it was a grant and not a loan even though existing documents show the money as a loan which I have written in depth.  During the meeting, he emotionally blackmailed the TF saying that he was going to ask HH for the money so that it is paid back to the TF just to prove that it was not a loan even though paying it back means it was a loan.  He explicitly asked the TF “if they were comfortable taking money from HH”.  There are ongoing talks between TF and OoT, DC on his behalf about this money.
    His exact words are in the minutes of the meeting at the TF which shall be released here in the next article as it pertains to the interest of the Tibetan people and political corruption.  It is common knowledge in India that HH is very disappointed, to say the least, with LS and the way he is using his office for personal glorification.  The only audience he got was in Gaya after months of trying to see HH.  He has no shame and had the audacity to ask HH to mediate and solve the loan issue.  HH’s response is one of pin-drop silence.
    There are numerous allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse of power in Dharamshala but all will not come out openly for fear of retribution as you and I know how the law works in India.  A spark/catalyst is much needed if these women are to get justice and it is where my role begins.
    https://thetibetstar.com/2018/02/21/president-sangay-and-the-sexual-assault-on-ms-leslie-butterfield/

    President Sangay and the Sexual Assault of Ms Leslie Butterfield1

    • President Sangay launches attacks on Mila Rangzen
      February 28, 2018
      Like a true citizen of Tibet, I have been critical of powers that be including LS as the president of CTA on policy, conduct, nepotism, regionalism, transparency, and accountability and the price I am paying is his personal attacks on me using his stooges today. What triggered the attacks is this informative piece https://thetibetstar.com/2018/02/21/president-sangay-and-the-sexual-assault-on-ms-leslie-butterfield/ I wasn’t surprised because I was expecting it from a touchy vindictive man like him.
      However, it’s encouraging to be noticed and I will continue to speak up for our people and for our cause stronger than ever. Rights and responsibilities are not properties that belong only to the President, ministers and the parliamentarians. It also belongs to us –the people. Anyone who implies otherwise is either a fool or a threat to democracy and freedom around the world.
      The details of the attacks will be released in the next article.
      Till then stay strong and be determined to pay any price and when necessary make them pay a heavy price too for treading on a king cobra taking care of rats that are destroying our crops.
      This too shall pass!
      https://thetibetstar.com/2018/02/28/president-sangay-launches-attacks-on-mila-rangzen/

      milarangzenls5

  20. President Sangay launches attacks on Mila Rangzen
    February 28, 2018
    Like a true citizen of Tibet, I have been critical of powers that be including LS as the president of CTA on policy, conduct, nepotism, regionalism, transparency, and accountability and the price I am paying is his personal attacks on me using his stooges today. What triggered the attacks is this informative piece https://thetibetstar.com/2018/02/21/president-sangay-and-the-sexual-assault-on-ms-leslie-butterfield/ I wasn’t surprised because I was expecting it from a touchy vindictive man like him.
    However, it’s encouraging to be noticed and I will continue to speak up for our people and for our cause stronger than ever. Rights and responsibilities are not properties that belong only to the President, ministers and the parliamentarians. It also belongs to us –the people. Anyone who implies otherwise is either a fool or a threat to democracy and freedom around the world.
    The details of the attacks will be released in the next article.
    Till then stay strong and be determined to pay any price and when necessary make them pay a heavy price too for treading on a king cobra taking care of rats that are destroying our crops.
    This too shall pass!
    https://thetibetstar.com/2018/02/28/president-sangay-launches-attacks-on-mila-rangzen/

    milarangzenls

  21. Tibetan govt in exile is corrupt, liars, segregationalists, greedy, bigots and this is what they do when Dalai Lama is alive. After Dalai Lama is no more, the whole Tibetan govt in exile will just collapse overnight.

    They lost their country in 1959 because they are too corrupt to keep it. For the last 60 years they cannot get their country back. Tibetan govt is a failure whether in Tibet or in exile.👎

    lstd

  22. The abbot and monastic community is clearly breaking their vows. They do things consciously for material gains, which totally opposes the monk vows. So, why are they operating a monastery that supposedly teaches pure dharma from our lineage lamas if not for their own gains? Eventually, the monastery will only be destroyed from within.

    The abbot is teaching the sangha to not have compassion. Knowing that the senior monks, when expelled has no where to go to, and still going ahead shows them wanting to bring suffering upon others. Buddha taught to always take the suffering of others away. So again, what is the abbot and the monastic curriculum teaching? The monastery belongs to the sangha, all sangha, so there is no right for them to be expelled, and even more so, because they were practising guru devotion. Totally unacceptable.

    The abbot might as well expel the entire monastery, because they are all ‘unclean’ to begin with, having practised Dorje Shugden at an earlier part of their lives. How can you become clean from being so-called ‘unclean’ practitioners, if Dorje Shugden were that bad and was a practice amongst all sangha members. They would have already broken all their vows in the many years of their lives practising Dorje Shugden at the beginning before the ban, if DS was really that bad as CTA claims.

    How come Zong Rinpoche’s, who was a great DS practitioner, incarnation is back at Gaden Shartse despite having relied on DS all his life? When DS was practiced, the monastery was thriving. It is in a worse state now.

    This Abbot is totally not interested in the welfare of the monastery, but for his own gains.

  23. Comic drawn by Tendor, a prominent Free Tibet activist.

    @IMG_0977

  24. Politics & Religion can never mix. Politics is a game of winners and losers. Religion is about compassion and benefit to others out of compassion and loving kindness.

    It is so saddening to see evidence and proof of politics within the monasteries being practised by the Abbots.

    What is indeed a terrible situation is that the noble and honourable path of monastic order is being destroyed by such schism whereby parents no longer see the honour of their sons and daughters in wearing the robes.

    When there are less monks and nuns to uphold the stainless dharma is the result of politics within the religious order.

    What a same!!!

  25. This is really a new low when even non-Buddhist have the general understanding that compassion and tolerance are the essence of Buddhism. And yet disappointingly a supposedly highly learned Abbot tasked to helm a great Buddhist monastic establishment is instead enforcing discrimination and intolerance. What else can be said but clearly the case of another one of the “three great” Gelug monastic universities of Tibet has fallen into the hands of a (samsarically) ambitious one who clearly deviated from what Buddha has taught.

  26. Talking about vows.
    I’m sure senior monks of Gaden Shartse have taken Bodhisattva Vows (or have they not?)

    Well here are a few major ones which the abbot has broken with regards to expelling monks for no good reason:

    Not giving material aid and Dharma.
    This vow is usually broken when we are miserly. When we have an abundance of material things and somebody asks for material aid due to their great poverty or lack of something, but we refuse, then we accrue the second transgression. If we have no sense of miserliness, but refuse to give because it may cause obstacles or hindrances to our Dharma practice, then under these circumstances, not giving is validated.

    Secondly, there is miserliness regarding teaching Dharma. We feel miserliness over imparting these teachings and we also feel lazy to explain the teachings sometimes. That’s the second way to break the vow. The only circumstances when it is valid not to give teachings is when this would not benefit someone but would cause harm, and in that case we can refuse to give teachings. Generally, in giving Dharma teachings, the kind of people that we should teach are those with much aspiration and enthusiasm towards the teachings.

    Causing an ordained person to disrobe.
    This vow includes things like, for example, taking away robes that belong to monks, or causing someone else to take the robes away.

    Committing the five immediate negativities.
    We commit these “immediate negativities” when we kill our father, mother or an arhat, cause a Buddha to bleed, or cause disharmony within the community of the Sangha.

    Turning someone away from complete enlightenment.
    The twelfth downfall occurs when, for example, somebody has full aspiration towards complete enlightenment and we influence the person by saying that there is not much benefit, and that it is better to work for our self-liberation through either the Solitary Realizer’s path or the Hearer’s path. If we influence the person to turn away from full enlightenment through our talk, we incur this twelfth downfall.

    Laying down harmful regulations and passing false judgment
    The next vow is putting together rules or disciplines that are not valid. An example of this downfall is when a gelong is practicing very purely and we make certain rules and regulations that would disrupt his progress. We do this out of jealousy for that person who is doing his practices purely, and in order to distract him away from his meditation.

    Source: https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/bodhisattva-vows

  27. Lhatse Lobsang, the President of Utsang Yargay Tsokpa, warns the elected leaders including the Sikyong Lobsang Sangye/Tibetan leaders and members of the parliament of his self-immolation in protest if they don’t resolve the termination issue in the coming March parliamentary sessions. Tibetans in India are so unhappy with their Tibetan government in exile in North India, they wish to self-immolate in protest. This would spell big disaster for the corrupt Tibetan government in exile in India.

    Utsang monk warrior warns President Sangay of self-immolation
    March 4, 2018 | Mila Rangzen
    It is no secret His Holiness the Dalai Lama was disappointed with the 2016 Sikyong election that was marked by Khampa negative regionalism that caused disharmony and division in our small community that is surviving on handouts from Indian and foreign individuals, NGOs, and governments for the past six decades.
    Actually, it was the 18,000 Utsang people who voted for Khampa Lobsang Sangay that made him win but in return Khampa fanatics, to say thank you,  gifted gang intimidation, criminal threats, insults, death threats and violence to the Utsang people.
    As if this was not bad enough, President Sangay poured gasoline on the house on fire by terminating former speaker Penpa Tsering whose mother is Utsang from the post of Representative at Washington DC on November 6, 2017, without any valid reasons.
    Lhatse Lobsang, the President of Utsang Yargay Tsokpa, warns the elected leaders including the Sikyong and members of the parliament of his self-immolation in protest if they don’t resolve the termination issue in the coming March parliamentary sessions.
    https://thetibetstar.com/2018/03/04/utsang-monk-warrior-warns-president-sangay-of-self%E2%80%8B-immolation/

    Utsang monk warrior warns President Sangay

  28. This is truly sad to know as an Abbot in a well known monastery, should be role model of monks and other monasteries as a very kind, compassion, adherence to his Guru. In fact, none of this quality show and as there is vows for sangha that shouldn’t be involved in politics. Breaking vows already bad karma and breaking samaya with the Guru, I just can’t imagine how deep bad karma it will cause. 😰😰

  29. If I’m the parents, why do I want to send my kid to be a monk in the monastery like this? Geshes being expelled, monks that loyal and wanted go upkeep their samaya with their gurus being expelled. Abbots that working hard to gain credit from the CTA and HHDL. What’s going on in the monastery now? What activities actually left to teach? Dharma? Or being taught to chant “Om CTA Hum pet” all day long? What value a monastery stand for now? What value could monks have learn from their abbots and gurus that left?

    No wonder being a monk now has became a type of punishment for the kids. Is the monastery now a prison or hell? It’s used to scares people off. HHDL and CTA can have all the fans and supporters they want but none of them will be faithful and loyal because this arise from bad agenda. They are damaging the Buddha dharma. I pray for this darkest period to pass very soon. May the light appear at the end of the tunnel.

  30. I only read sad posts nowadays.I keep asking myself why it decline to this sad state.If I am not a practitioner, reading these sort of news just make me want say,too much politics in this religion and I don’t think I want to be a buddhist.Why is this spiritual path such a struggle?Why mix religion and politics?The abbot as a monk should not be involved just to look good.So absurd.Which vow he took that said that he should divide & force ppl?Sickening

  31. An abbot of a monastery is someone who is highly respected but whatever the new abbot of Gaden Shartse Monastery is doing contradicts the work of an abbot should do. What will happen when no one send their children to become monk / nun in the future because of the way Khen Rinpoche Jangchup Sangye manage the monastery? My question, why is Khen Rinpoche Jangchup Sangye listens to the CTA? What benefit does he or the monastery gets?

  32. The abbot of Gaden Shartse Monastery would rather sacrifices the doctrine of Buddha teaching with political interest. He’s exchanging fund with enlightenment. Is this true Buddhist teaching?

  33. The abbot’s Gurus practice Dorje Shugden but he expel people practice Dorje Shugden. The abbot is telling others that his Gurus is wrong and he learn from his Gurus, how can he be right?

  34. We don like this abbot. Only think of money. Ganden Monastery is respected but this abbot is damage the name. Very bad.

  35. It’s because of event like this that caused Dharma falling apart… People just need to get some slaps from Karma then they will realized that they are in hot pot.

    BestFacebookStatusMindPictures-16883

  36. The abbot only need to answer to his Karma . We will still continue practice compassion to others, freedom of religion and always remember compassion conquer all.

  37. In the fist place, why do monks ever involved in politics? I have a few friends who know that I’m a Tibetan Buddhism practitioner, asking me this question. And, I am also stunt by their question. Why do monks involve in politics? Thank you CTA, thank you Khen Rinpoche Jangchup Sangye, this is the reason why many people don’t want to practice Tibetan Buddhism, even Buddhism. Sorry for those who doesn’t have choice, but in my country, people get to choose whether they want to practice Mahayana or Vajrayana. But lay people doesn’t know that there are Mahayana and Vajrayana. To many of them, there’s only one BUDDHISM! Thanks to all these CTA and the abbot, more and more people don’t like Vajrayana. Because they say it’s too POLITICS! This is really a disgrace of Buddhism.

  38. No matter how hard people want to justify such expulsions, it is undeniable that such expulsions stemmed from discrimination and intolerance. To make matters worse, a supposedly highly learned Abbot tasked to helm a great Buddhist monastic establishment is discarding Buddha’s teachings and instead enforcing discrimination and intolerance. It really is such a shame to have to see yet again such blatant evidence of politics infiltrating great Buddhist monastic institutions.

  39. Is so dissappointed and feel sad seeing monk has dispel from their monastery and reason behind because they keep their spitual practice and not allowing by monastery. Question is then where the monk should study dharma and keep their practice?. I thought monk should just focus spiritual practice and not involving politic issue. If the so involve in politic then better become politician. Monk are suppose stay at monastery and study buddhism and benifit others.

  40. The Nepalese officials have again turned down permission for Tibetan refugees to commemorate the Tibetan uprising day in order to protect its alliance with the Chinese Communist Party, which has proven to be more beneficial to Nepal as compared to supporting the Tibetan refugees.

    The Nepal Chief District Officer issued a written notice in 2005 to the Representative of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Refugees Welfare Office (TRWO) in Kathmandu to suspend both offices, ending a 45 years partnership to care for some 2,500 Tibetan refugees who would transit in Nepal from Tibet. This move was a lesson to the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) for not addressing the tensions between the Tibetans and Nepalese, as well as not contributing back to Nepal for as long as they have been there. The fact that the Tibetan refugees continue to protest on March 10 is a perfect example in which they will jeopardise the relationship between Nepal and China, who is now the top assistance providers to Nepal. The Tibetan refugees are forever taking, and never reciprocating the favour has proven to be an ineffective way of dealing with the Nepalese as they feel they are taken for granted always.

    Nepal to ban March 10 Tibetan uprising day events
    Thursday, March 08, 2018 19:49 | By Tenzin Dharpo
    DHARAMSHALA, Mar. 8: The Tibetan refugee community in Nepal will not be allowed to commemorate the anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising day due this Saturday, after Nepalese officials turned down the permission to hold any “protests” or “public gathering” by Tibetans on the day.
    An official notice sent out by the Central Tibetan Administration’s ‘Tibetan Refugee Welfare Office’ in Kathmandu on Wednesday, appealed to Tibetans in Nepal to refrain from organizing protests or public gatherings on the day and instead pray from their homes.
    The notice stated that the Nepalese officials have turned down permission to commemorate the Tibetan uprising day this year as well like the previous years in the near past and that refugee Tibetans should abide by the laws of the land.
    The official appeal is most likely, in anticipation to avoid any violent interruption by Nepalese police towards Tibetan refugees, as were seen after 2008 when the tension was at its height following alliance between Beijing and Kathmandu. Over 200 peaceful Tibetan protesters were arrested on 10th March 2008 and over 1,100 Tibetans arrested prior to the Beijing Olympics for holding demonstrations the same year. 
    Tibetan refugees have been subjected to clampdown by Nepalese police over the years on this day, which marks the uprising of the Tibetan people in Tibet in 1959 against the colonial Chinese rule.
    Nepal, a tiny Himalayan nation wedged between occupied Tibet and India was once a sanctuary for Tibetan refugees. Until the late eighties, the Nepalese government issued RC (Registration certificate) to Tibetans who came from Tibet as well as their children. A “gentlemen’s agreement” to continue allowing Tibetan refugees to cross over into India was struck between the government of Nepal and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in 1989 following the Kathmandu government refusal to give refugee status to Tibetans.
    However, that agreement has since been pushed aside after Nepal started receiving a lucrative patronage from China. The influx of Tibetan refugees has been severely restricted with the once average of 2000 immigrants a year dropping to a lowly 200 since 2008 Uprising in Tibet. In an extreme case of heavy handedness, 18 Tibetans including some children in 2003, and 3 Tibetans in 2010 were detained by Nepalese police and handed over to Chinese authorities in Tibet.
    Nepal which is home to more than 20,000 Tibetans who either came across the border or were born to settlers, are finding it hard to sustain a free and normal existence. The Nepalese government’s treatment of the Tibetan refugees has taken a turn for the worse in the last few years with China pumping in cheap interest loans and relaxed FDR (Foreign Direct Investment) schemes in exchange for its will to be imposed. China’s FDR in Nepal has shot to $128 million in 2015 up from $24 million in 2014 besides perks such as a fleet of Mercedes SUVs.
    http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=40222

    Nepal to ban March 10 Tibetan Uprising Day Event

  41. Indian and Chinese foreign ministries have both made statements thawing relations between the two Asian giants. Determined to improve ties between the countries, the Indian government is taking steps to ensure nothing jeopardizes their efforts. First, they told their officials to distance themselves from the Tibetans, and then the planned #ThankyouIndia2018 events were moved from New Delhi (India’s political capital) to the out of the way Dharamsala.

    Now, even Chinese ministers are hoping for improved relations, bringing stability to the volatile region. The Chinese dragon and the Indian elephant need to dance in order to become stronger said the Chinese Foreign Minister.

    Will this be the end of India’s support of the Tibetans? What will they do next?

    China’s foreign minister suggests ‘Chinese dragon’ and ‘Indian elephant’ should dance, not fight

    NEW DELHI — A pair of statements from the Chinese and Indian foreign ministries this week appeared to show an opening in relations between Asia’s most powerful rivals, long competitors on trade and territory.

    “The Chinese ‘dragon’ and the Indian ‘elephant’ must not fight each other, but dance with each other,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in Beijing on Thursday. If the two countries joined hands, he said, “one plus one will equal not only two, but also eleven,” referring to how powerful they would be together.

    On Friday, India foreign ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed that stronger ties “are a factor of stability amid today’s global uncertainties” at a meeting at Xiamen in September 2017.

    “We are willing to work with the Chinese side to develop our relations based on commonalities, while dealing with differences on the basis of mutual respect and sensitivity to each other’s interests, concerns and aspirations,” Kumar said at a news conference in New Delhi.

    Relations between the two countries have been fraught in recent months, as tensions escalated over border issues and Tibet, a semiautonomous region of China. But the statements could suggest willingness to cooperate.

    “I don’t think it’s a fundamental shift in the relationship,” said Shashank Joshi, senior research fellow of the Royal United Services Institute.

    “We are still looking at broad strategic competition between China and India, which stretches over the Himalayas and into the Indian Ocean. The statement doesn’t mean India is any less concerned on the Belt and Road initiative or the China-Pakistan economic corridor, but India does not want those disagreements to undermine relations,” he said, referring to China’s flagship program to increase connectivity in central, west and south Asia. New Delhi has refused to back the initiative, raising concerns it could directly link its two bordering strategic foes — China and Pakistan.

    Earlier this week, Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharam said in parliament that both countries had redeployed troops at Doklam, the contested site of an intense standoff between the two countries last year.

    “The strength of both sides have been reduced,” she said, adding that the Chinese army had started the construction of sentry posts, helipads and trenches in the area.

    The statements came after unconfirmed reports in Indian media this week that senior government officials were asked not to attend events to mark the Dalai Lama’s 60th year in exile from China. Events for the Buddhist leader — whom China considers a dangerous separatist — were moved from New Delhi to the Himalayan city of Dharamsala, headquarters of the Tibetan government-in-exile.

    “India and China recognize that they can’t afford to let these disagreements erupt into open conflict,” Joshi said. “Diffusing Tibet issue for now is one for India to signal that’s what it wants to do.”

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/chinas-foreign-minister-suggests-chinese-dragon-and-indian-elephant-should-dance-not-fight/2018/03/09/b27f81ac-2397-11e8-a589-763893265565_story.html

    China’s foreign minister suggests ‘Chinese dragon’ and ‘Indian elephant’ should dance

  42. The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) should really learn from Nepal. Aligning with Chinese policy is necessary if you wish for growth and economic stability. The Dalai Lama was recently quoted to say, “We want to stay with China. We want more development.”

    Nepal has developed so much since collaborating with China, with China now contributing to around 58 percent of foreign direct investment (FDI) commitments received by Nepal. China has promised that areas of mutual cooperation with Nepal would be expanded in the days to come.

    ‘Nepal committed to One-China Policy’
    Published: March 08, 2018 1:01 pm | RASTRIYA SAMACHAR SAMITI
    Kathmandu, March 7
    Defence Minister Ishwor Pokhrel said Nepal was committed to One-China Policy.
    Minister Pokhrel said this during a meeting with Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Yu Hong at the former’s office in Singha Durbar. He also said the relations between the armies of the two countries could also be expanded.
    Minister Pokhrel assured the Chinese ambassador that all agreements between the governments of the two countries would be implemented. He also hoped that the Chinese government would continue to provide support for infrastructure development in the country.
    According to spokesperson for the defence ministry Rishiraj Rajbhandari, Ambassador Hong congratulated the minister and expressed belief that China’s friendly relations with Nepal would be further enhanced during the government led by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.
    Areas of mutual cooperation would be expanded in the days to come, said the Chinese ambassador. The meeting was also attended by Defence Secretary Binod KC, senior Nepali Army officials and officials from the foreign ministry.
    https://thehimalayantimes.com/kathmandu/nepal-committed-one-china-policy/

    Nepal committed to One-China Policy

  43. Not only was the thankyouindia2018 forced to move back to McLeodganj, the Tibetans are warned to keep the event low key! BJP leadership, including L K Advani and Shanta Kumar, and former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh had been invited for the event in Delhi but none of them replied to the invitation. Apart from the change of venue now, new invitation list has to be prepared. It is clear that the Indian government is distancing itself from the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) and they will do what is necessary to mend their ties with China.

    Post-venue shift from Delhi, Tibetans to keep event low key in McLeodganj

    Shri Puri| TNN | Updated: Mar 7, 2018, 11:08 IST
    DHARAMSHALA: The event cancellation in Delhi has forced a change of plans in the Tibetan administration and the shifting of venue to McLeodganj. The ‘Thank You India’ event, which was aimed to mark 60 years in-exile of the Dalai Lama, will now be organized in the hill town on March 31.
    The venue was shifted to Dharamshala after the foreign secretary wrote a note to the cabinet secretary on February 22, asking government functionaries and senior leaders to skip the Tibetan event in view of “sensitive time” for India and China relations.
    On Tuesday, Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) president Lobsang Sangay reached here from Delhi via early morning flight but avoided the media. ‘Thank You India’ programme was the brain child of CTA. Beginning March 31 at Rajghat in New Delhi with an inter-faith meeting, this year-long event was to end on December 10, 2018.
    Confirming that the event has been shifted to Dharamshala, Tibetan department of information and international relations secretary Dhardon Sharling told TOI, “We do not know the reason, but we have received information that the event has been shifted to Dharamshala from Delhi. This is a minor change, but is being interpreted wrongly. There are no differences between the Indian government and the Tibetan leadership.”
    The Tibetan administration is now in talks with the HPCA to organise its event at the cricket stadium, confirmed HPCA spokesman Sanjay Sharma.
    The Dalai Lama’s office, too, maintained a distance on this issue, with the Tibetan leader’s private secretary Tenzin Takla saying the CTA was managing the event. “We have not received any invitation yet. The Tibetan administration is dealing with all this, not the Dalai Lama’s office,” he said.
    Sources revealed that top BJP leadership, including L K Advani and Shanta Kumar, had been invited for the event in Delhi. Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh was also among those invited. However, confirmation had not come in from anyone. Now, after the change in venue, the Tibetan government is preparing a new list of invitees for the event, they added.
    Asked about China’s pressure on India on this issue, CTA official spokesperson Sonam Dagpo said relations between the two neighbouring countries were important for the world, particularly for South Asian countries. “We don’t feel that the Indian government was under pressure from China,” he said. “We don’t feel this would have any kind of impact the Tibetan movement,” Dagpo added.
    https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/shimla/post-venue-shift-from-delhi-tibetans-to-keep-event-low-key-in-mcleodganj/articleshow/63193258.cms

    Post-venue shift from Delhi

  44. It is very clear by now that the Indian Government does not want the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA)’s thank you. No matter how the CTA orchestrates the propaganda campaign to please India, it is very clear that the Indian Government had enough of the Tibetans and are making effort to distance itself from the CTA. Although India will continue to support His Holiness the Dalai Lama and his spiritual works, the distinctions between His Holiness and the CTA is made very clear. Looking at the trend, we may be able to speculate that the Indian Government’s plan for the next few years is to end decades of support to the CTA and its people, eventually clearing all Tibetan refugees from India.

    Why Tibetans Shouldn’t Be Offended by India’s Snub to Dalai Lama
    THUBTEN SAMPHEL | 12H 00M AGO
    When you thank a person for his or her hospitality or a favour done or courtesy shown to you, that person’s usual and expected response is “You are most welcome.”
    In the lead-up to a major year-long Thank You India event to commemorate 60 years in exile and to take place across India and organised by the Central Tibetan Administration, the government of India’s response seems to be “We don’t want your thank you.”
    As reported, the cabinet secretary of the union government issued a circular advising central and state leaders and officials not to attend any ‘Thank You, India’ event. The Central Tibetan Administration was advised to move the highlight of the event from New Delhi to Dharamsala.
    India’s Diplomatic Tip-Toeing Should Not Distract the Tibetan Refugees
    This is the trending topic among Tibetans on social media. Tibetans have expressed their disappointment, suspecting a shift in the attitude of the government of India to the Tibetan cause.
    But they shouldn’t be disappointed, and there is no shift in the Indian government’s policy to the issue of Tibet.
    In fact, India’s diplomatic tip-toeing around the issue of Tibet should not distract the Tibetan refugees from the Indian government’s massive, consistent and unstinting support to them. With India’s support and under the Dalai Lama’s guidance, the Tibetan refugees have been able to establish a productive and cohesive community serviced by schools, settlements, hospitals, clinics, old people’s homes, monasteries and higher learning centres, all centrally or autonomously supervised by the Central Tibetan Administration.
    More importantly, India’s tolerance and hospitality has given space to Tibetan refugees to re-energise and revitalise the institutions, values and disciplines of Tibet’s Buddhist heritage. This ability to re-establish Tibet’s cultural and spiritual heritage in India has attracted students and scholars from areas which once came within the ambit of Tibet’s Buddhist civilisation. The Dalai Lama’s tireless travel and his message of peace and compassion have drawn new students and scholars to India from across the world.
    Some scholars call the ability of Tibetan refugees to plant the roots of cultural Tibet in India “one of the miracles of the twentieth century.”
    What the next generation of Tibetans does with this gift given to them by the Dalai Lama and India will test the mettle on which depends the continued survival of Tibet outside of the plateau.
    As for the government of India’s policy to Tibet is concerned, that was settled in 1954. That year, India and China signed the Panchsheel agreement in which India recognised Tibet as an autonomous part of the People’s Republic of China.
    Against this historical background, how the government of India will continue to view the exile community will depend on the Tibetan refugees themselves. How they conduct themselves, how they use the enormous freedom granted to them, and how they use the same energy to strengthen their cultural and community cohesion will shape the central government’s view.
    As for the Indian public, there is a groundswell of sympathy and support generated by the Dalai Lama. This support and sympathy should never be squandered.
    (Thubten Samphel is the director of the Tibet Policy Institute, a research centre of the Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamshala. The opinions expressed are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)
    https://www.thequint.com/voices/opinion/why-tibetans-shouldnt-be-upset-by-india-snub-to-dalai-lama

    Why Tibetans Shouldn’t Be Offended by Indian Snub

  45. The author of the article is trying to separate between Buddhist brotherhood by citing fake news about Burmese monks. The author sounded like ignorant from truth covered by smokes of biased international media, dishonest lobbyist and probably irresistible dependence on some supporters. Please visit to Myanmar (Burma), sincerely learn Buddhist society and be open to listen direct voices of Burmese monks and people.

  46. Although both China and India are seen as giants, India has been seen submitting to China more and more. The relocation of “Thank You India” event from Delhi to Dharamsala and Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha’s note to Indian officials to not attend the event because it is a “very sensitive time” for bilateral relations with China both clearly show that India is bending backwards to please China. And they are definitely not going to entertain Lobsang Sangay anymore because the Tibet issue is no longer a trump card for India. 

    Lobsang Sangay said not long ago that an official usually wants to do something big in their last term of office so that people will remember them. In this case, he will forever be remembered for his incapability and his focus on building closer ties with young women, such as Dhardon Sharling, instead of significant diplomatic ties. He has done a lot of big things in his last term as the President of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) but none of these shows any leadership characteristics whatsoever. These include:

    1) The sacking of Penpa Tsering to evade the Tibet Fund loan scandal of US$1.5 million. He even tried to push the loan on to His Holiness the Dalai Lama to settle on his behalf. 

    2) Allowing a downsized, low-key #thankyouindia2018 event to celebrate 60 years of exile, something which Dhardon Sharling, the Secretary of Department of Information and International Relations, claimed to have no idea as to why the events were shifted. 

    3) Allowing fake monk Tenzin Dhonden to use His Holiness’ fame to conduct dubious activities including being involved in a cult and sex scandals.

    4) Losing India’s half-century worth of support towards the CTA and its people for his ungrateful attitude. Instead, he focused on filling up his own pockets instead of thinking of the welfare of the Tibetans in exile. 

    Lobsang Sangay’s intention to take on the role as the President of the CTA is clear and his best ‘achievements’ definitely outshine his predecessors as inept failures.

    No need to thank India — just grow up a little
    By Lobsang Wangyal | MCLEOD GANJ, India, 13 March 2018
    While the Doklam issue was heating up in June 2017, the Indian media was kept busy, and that in turn kept the public busy. I also had many discussions over this issue. I remember one with two young Indian men who were saying that India is not the same 1962 India, that it has changed and become powerful. They boasted that in case of a war India could take on China easily. So I followed that thought to its logical conclusion, saying “sure, there should be a war between India and China, then we will know for sure who is more powerful.” When it came to walking the talk, the two retreated from their strong position and changed their tone, now making it seem that I was promoting war, and was against India.
    The Doklam stand-off resulted from an attempt by China to extend a road into an area claimed by both China and Bhutan. I was expecting that India would stand up for itself and launch a “surgical strike”, putting an end to the confrontation. But after a military face-off and many diplomatic engagements, going on for close to three months, it all fizzled out without coming to a military conflict, as India and China agreed to withdraw their armies. (In the meantime, Indians learned what Doklam means in Tibetan — Path of the Nomads.)
    China contains India
    China’s road extension is a cause of concern for India because it would shorten the distance for the Chinese army to reach India’s strategically vulnerable ‘Chicken’s Neck’ area — the Siliguri Corridor, a narrow stretch of land located in the Indian state of West Bengal that connects India’s northeastern states to the rest of India.
    After the situation cooled off, reports started to emerge that China had built military facilities in the very same area. But the Government of India said that the status quo at the site of last year’s face-off still held. It dismissed reports of any Chinese activities in the area.
    In the competition for global player China has succeeded in containing India through diplomacy, economically, strategically, as well as outright bullying. China takes a contrary position to India wherever possible, and blocks India’s rightful places in UN councils. It is well known that China has invested heavily in the neighbouring countries of India. India’s neighbouring countries have more Chinese influence than Indian. China flexes its muscles without resistance in places such as the South China Sea, Doklam, and Aksai Chin. It complains whenever possible about anything perceived to be “anti-China”. It goes even to the extreme that due to China’s influence, Pakistan politicians have suggested that Mandarin be taught in the schools.
    So China has always created problems for India, yet somehow India seems to feel that China is its friend, and that China will benefit and support India — will give business, recognition, and support. So far nothing of this has happened — in fact, the opposite.
    India submits to China
    Tibet is India’s best card against China, and India plays it but in a very confusing way. By volunteering the statement that Tibet is part of China, without even any pressure from China to do so, India has wasted this trump card, and received nothing in return. Yet the boundary issues have not been solved, and China doesn’t allow India to take its position on the global stage. China has made sure that all India’s neighbours are closer to it than to India.
    India seems to be submitting to China more all the time. What is India trying to achieve by this? The latest sign of submission is India’s objection to the “Thank You India” event planned in Delhi by the Central Tibetan Administration. A series of events were to follow throughout the year. First the Government of India asked its officials not to attend it, and then apparently India objected to holding the opening event in Delhi at all.
    Perhaps Sangay received a dressing-down from officials of MEA, when he interrupted his schedule to hurry to Delhi after India’s objection to the event. It is unclear if he was summoned by MEA or he went voluntarily to do some damage control.
    This whole incident only shows a weak India, losing the contest of superiority with China, and lowering India’s image on the global stage. And on the flip side of the coin, it showed that the Government of India is not in favour of Sangay’s moves.
    Why “Thank You India” now?
    In 2009, Tibetans had their “Thank You India”, a sort of “Golden Jubilee”, when Tibetans marked 50 years of life in exile. The Dalai Lama, then as both the political and spiritual leader, in his “Thank You India” address said, “Overall India has given us the greatest moral and material support. Looking back over the past 50 years, we feel confident that we made the right choice when we sought refuge in India.”
    Was that “Thank you” not enough? Did India ask for more? I am lost why are we doing it again. 50 years is a milestone — to do it again 10 years later seems gratuitous.
    Also there is the expense. The Tibetan administration is asking for funds for their museum project. All the money that would go for (well, be wasted on) these “Thank you” events could be used for the museum project. Although, the effectiveness of this project is debatable: Whether a museum on the premises of CTA, at some distance from McLeod Ganj where most of the tourists are, would get near as many visitors as the current conveniently-located site. This is altogether another matter for discussion.
    Grow up a little
    One domino effect of Sangay’s superfluous actions is that now the CTA had to indefinitely postpone the World Parliamentarian’s Convention on Tibet, which had been planned to be held at the end of April in Delhi.
    The Government of India has clearly signalled that they are not in favour of Sangay’s moves. The exile Cabinet led by Sangay needs to do a retrospection and learn from this experience — that some press coverage and flowery Facebook posts for a little hype don’t help anything. CTA is the hope and heart of six million Tibetans. We need to see some maturity in it.
    Didn’t Sangay himself say not long ago, that an official always wants to do something big in their last term of office that people will remember him by?
    https://www.tibetsun.com/opinions/2018/03/13/no-need-to-thank-india-just-grow-up-a-little-bit

    DS.com No-need-to-thank-india-just-grow-up-a-little-bit-2018-03-13

  47. India has lost significant support from Nepal, especially since Nepal’s devastating earthquake in 2015 when China gave the country funds for aid and rebuilding infrastructure. It is now losing its grip more and more, such as in its internet monopoly, now threatened by alternatives from China. China is making inroads into Nepal aggressively. India, which originally thought of China as a friend, can only sit by and watch China exert its influence and power further, such as improving telecommunications and building railway extensions from the border with Nepal and Yadong across Sikkim, to Kathmandu and Lumbini. 

    Nepal and India have historically enjoyed good ties and strong trade relations and if India does not take advantage of this fast-closing window of opportunity, China will be successful in wooing Nepal. Kathmandu already signed trade and transit agreements with Beijing in March 2016. This gave Nepal an alternative route for its trade and supplies. As China builds a stronghold in Nepal, it will continue achieving its strategic objective of eliminating Indian influence and curbing the Tibetan refugee population.

    China rises in Nepal, eyes Lumbini
    By JAYADEVA RANADE | NEW DELHI | 11 March, 2018
    Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Oli
    China’s strategic objectives include eliminating Indian influence and curbing the Tibetan refugee population.

    Consequent to the expansion of Chinese influence, the delicate balance in India’s relations are now under strain and at a crucial juncture. With a new government in Kathmandu, the Prime Ministers of Nepal and India will meet to exchange views and review relations. After Prachanda broke tradition and travelled to Beijing, instead of India, on his first visit abroad as Prime Minister, the symbolism of this gesture has diminished and it is possible that Prime Minister Narendra Modi may ignore precedence to emphasise the importance of India-Nepal ties and travel to Kathmandu first. Nevertheless, it is imperative that India makes a candid, clear-eyed assessment of the extent of Chinese influence there and state of India-Nepal ties.
    Shaping the background is China’s unmistakable imprimatur. Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Oli’s critical reference to India came in the midst of the political crisis in the Maldives and coincided with China’s unprovoked warnings to India against acting unilaterally in the Maldives. Just a few days ago the Pakistan Prime Minister paid a two-day visit to Kathmandu, becoming the first high level foreign leader to meet Prime Minister Oli. The visit was covered in the Chinese media. There is now no room for missteps. India should avoid accepting the sanguine argument that India and Nepal are tied by geography. Modern construction technology has unshackled the constraints of geography as amply evidenced by the transport infrastructure built by China in the inhospitable, high altitude Himalayan region.
    China’s interest in Nepal is long term. It has designated Nepal a “friend”, induced it to join Chinese President Xi Jinping’s flagship “Belt and Road Initiative” and offered it financial and other assistance in addition to holding out the prospect of a security arrangement. China’s strategic objectives include eliminating Indian influence and curbing the Tibetan refugee population. Mao Zedong’s well known observation, that Tibet is the palm of the hand, while Ladakh, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh are its fingers, remains relevant with attendant implications for India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. 
    Following Nepal’s distinct pro-Beijing tilt ever since Prachanda’s appointment as Prime Minister, China has cultivated the full spectrum of political parties and spread its influence among Nepal’s politicians, army, academia, media and businessmen. During the visit of Chinese PLA General Chen Bingde in March 2011, a section of Nepal’s media suggested that he be conferred the rank of honorary general of the Nepal Army—an honour thus far reserved for the Indian Army chief. Echoes of this were evident in Oli’s remarks on 22 February 2018, which pointedly excluded reference to the recruitment of Gorkhas by the British Army and ignored that over 125,000 Nepalis have direct links to the Indian Army. 
    China has meanwhile acquired long-term leverage in Nepal through ZTE and Huawei, both Chinese telecom companies intimately associated with China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Huawei set up mobile telephone networks in Kathmandu and other cities, while ZTE upgraded Nepal Telecom’s nationwide mobile phone capacity. Earlier this month, Nepal agreed to enable use of China’s internet. 
    The network of 35 China Study Centres (CSC) strategically sited in southern Nepal along India’s border, ostensibly to popularise the Chinese language, also disseminate anti-India propaganda and reinforce traditional Chinese diplomacy. China’s propaganda offensive includes the China Radio International’s local FM radio station in Kathmandu and Nepal-China Mutual Cooperation Society (NCMCS), funded by the Chinese embassy in Nepal. 
    The game changer is, however, the Qinghai-Lhasa railway capable of carrying an estimated 7 million tonnes of cargo a year, augmented by an all-weather road network. Discussions to extend the railway, which has reached Zhangmu on the border with Nepal and Yadong across Sikkim, to Kathmandu and thence to Lumbini—barely 30 kilometres across the border from India—are fairly advanced. China’s new dual-use transportation network provides alternate routes to landlocked Nepal. 
    To create a belt of Chinese influence along Nepal’s border with Tibet, China agreed last year to provide annual subsidies totalling US$1.6 million for education, health, basic amenities and roads to residents of 15 border districts in northern Nepal. Twelve of these districts are densely populated by Himali people of Tibetan origin. Early this month the Nepal government instructed all government officials to learn Mandarin!
    China’s specific strategic focus has also been on establishing a presence in Buddha’s birthplace of Lumbini. Chinese government-sponsored NGOs have unveiled plans estimated variously at between US$1 billion and US$3 billion for the redevelopment of Lumbini, including an airport and seminary-cum-monastery. Prominent Nepal politicians have been appointed office-bearers of Chinese NGOs. The international airport and railway in Lumbini will mean the long-term presence of Chinese military personnel, who will construct, operate and maintain them. The seminary has the potential to destabilise India’s vulnerable Indo-Tibetan Himalayan Border Belt. China’s plans to make Lumbini a China-dominated hub for the “Buddhist tourism circuit” of Lumbini, Bodh Gaya, Sarnath etc., will marginalise Indian businessmen and tour operators. It could lead to the “illegal” settlement of Chinese who will inevitably migrate to the Northeast. 
    India needs to quickly and effectively counter this expansion of Chinese influence and power and especially prevent Chinese dominance of Lumbini. Options are available, but the window of opportunity is fast closing. 
    Jayadeva Ranade is a former Additional Secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India and is presently President of the Centre for China Analysis and Strategy.
    http://www.sundayguardianlive.com/news/13054-china-rises-nepal-eyes-lumbini

    China-rises-nepal-eyes-lumbini

  48. Dalai rejects invite
    PTI and Our Special Correspondent Mar 13, 2018 00:00 IST
    New Delhi: The Dalai Lama will not attend the Indian Science Congress, which opens in Manipur later this week, a conference organiser said on Monday.
    The monk was one of several Nobel laureates invited as chief guests, and the organisers had earlier told The Telegraph the monk had confirmed his participation. His latest decision comes after the cancellation of an event here where he was expected.
    The event, planned at Rajghat, was meant to mark his 60th year in exile in India, but was moved to Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh following a government communiqué distancing officialdom from the commemoration.
    Tibetan expatriates scaled down or cancelled several other events that had been planned to mark the occasion.
    Achyuta Samanta, general president of the Indian Science Congress Association, said the monk had expressed inability to attend the event. “We were also told that he had visited Manipur two months ago.”
    The government has side-stepped questions on its directive to officials about shunning the Tibetan celebrations. It has officially maintained that there’s been no change in India’s position on the Dalai Lama.
    https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/report-indian-officials-told-to-avoid-tibetan-exile-events/2018/03/02/eb3eacde-1e01-11e8-98f5-ceecfa8741b6_story.html?utm_term=.096e8585e2d3

    hhdlrejectsinvite1

  49. By hosting the Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi when India-Pakistan ties are at an all-time low, Nepali Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli is telling the world that he is not afraid of India, especially after landmark trade and transit agreements were signed with China. This seems to go well with the general sentiments of the Nepali people, as Oli’s pro-China stance is wildly popular among his core constituencies.

    As mentioned in the article, New Delhi must learn to accept China’s presence in the region and to work with it. As China works on building trilateral cooperation with Nepal and India, the Tibetans will have no standing. Recently, the report that the Indian government had asked senior leaders and officials not to attend events that would mark the Tibetans’ 60 years in exile, as well as the cancellation of 2 events in Delhi, are clear signs that everyone is trying to please China. The Tibetans have no more sympathizers who will continue to support them as it risks jeopardising relations with China.

    Is This the End of India’s Influence Over Nepal?
    As India loses its clout, the Nepali prime minister asserts his country’s independent identity.
    By Biswas Baral | March 14, 2018
    KATHMANDU — There is now little doubt that India has lost strategic space to China in Nepal. Some reckon the era of “special relations” between India and Nepal is nearly over as China makes steady inroads. There has been a truly breathtaking rise in Chinese influence and a corresponding fall in Indian sway in this country of nearly 30 million. The main catalyst for the sea change? The 2015-16 India-inspired blockade of the India-Nepal border, imposed, in part, owing to India’s displeasure over the new constitution Nepal had just promulgated.
    As if to rub salt into India’s wounds Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli last week hosted Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, who in the process became the first foreign head of government to visit Nepal after Oli assumed office for the second time on February 15. In the words of one geopolitical commentator, Abbasi’s visit was ill-timed. With India-Pakistan ties at an all-time low, asks this commentator, “What other purpose will it [the Pakistan prime minister’s Nepal visit] serve save for antagonizing India?”
    But that is not how most Nepalis see it. Oli knows that the more he tries to assert Nepal’s independent identity by distancing himself from India, the greater his popularity will be. Following the 2015-16 blockade. which brought great hardship to common people, the public pressure for closer ties with China has been steadily building, along with the demand that Nepal diversify its relations away from India, heretofore its predominant business partner. This is where Pakistan enters the picture.
    By hosting his Pakistani counterpart, Oli — who crested the popularity wave as a valiant blockade-time prime minister — wanted to give a clear message that he doesn’t care what the Indians think of him. After all, his China tilt is wildly popular among his core constituencies. Moreover, the common perception is that Nepal is these days not as reliant on India as it has historically been, especially after the landmark trade and transit agreements signed with China in the wake of the blockade.
    Too Little Too Late
    It is true that Oli has also sought to mend his frayed ties with New Delhi following his election as prime minister. Indian Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj visited Kathmandu on February 1 after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi got a clear signal from Oli that he was ready to forget past bitterness and start anew. Earlier, when Modi called Oli to congratulate him on his re-election and invited him to visit India, Oli not only accepted the invite; he replied that he was as keen to welcome Modi to Janakpur and Muktinath, the two holy sites in Nepal Modi has long wanted to visit. The inclusion of Madhesi parties in the Oli government is expected to further ease bilateral ties. Concerns over Madhesi representation were at the core of India’s concerns over the 2015 Nepali Constitution.
    There has, moreover, been progress in negotiations on the revision of old Nepal-India treaties that many Nepalis consider unequal. According to recent news reports, India is now ready to discuss regulating the open border, and even considering allowing Nepal to import arms from third countries. India had otherwise treated these issues as non-negotiable. These negotiations may again come to a naught. Nonetheless, Nepali interlocutors in these dialogues sense a definite shift in India’s stand.
    But current efforts to revive India-Nepal relations may be a case of too little, too late. Oli knows that for his political longevity he cannot afford an openly hostile India. But at this late stage in his political career, those close to him say, all he cares about is leaving behind a strong legacy as a statesman. With his health failing, Oli knows time is not on his side.
    He seems determined to be remembered as the Nepali leader who dared to dream of a future for Nepal independently of India. But not just that. Above all, he wants to be remembered as someone who took concrete steps to turn that old Nepali dream intoa reality. This is why even before assuming office after winning recent elections, he had vowed to expedite connectivity projects with China. To show he is serious he has newly empowered the Prime Minster’s Office to personally oversee their progress.
    SAARC Attack
    There are other ways Oli can help China’s cause. During Abbasi’s Nepal visit, the two prime ministers agreed on reviving the moribund South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). India has in recent times made a concerted effort to isolate Pakistan, which is why the SAARC summit planned for 2016 in Islamabad had to be postponed indefinably. Abbasi came to Kathmandu to ask for Oli’s support for a prompt holding of the summit — and on Pakistani soil. Abbasi also in a roundabout way suggested that Nepal could mediate talks between India and Pakistan.
    India will not be pleased. The last time Nepal and Pakistan were seriously talking was on the eve of the 2014 SAARC summit in Kathmandu. Back then, the two countries had agreed to make China a full SAARC member, which had earned them the great ire of India. India has traditionally not taken kindly to any suggestion for third-party mediation on Kashmir, for example, or for China to play a greater role in SAARC.
    India nonetheless may have no option but to accept the writing on the wall. Rather than browbeat its neighbors into following its diktat, as it tried to do with the blockade — or so most Nepalis felt — New Delhi must learn to accept China’s presence in the region and to work with it. China has always supported the idea of trilateral cooperation with Nepal and India, for example with a connecting rail link via Nepal. But India has resisted the suggestion tooth and nail.
    This is not to imply that closer relations with China are unquestionably in Nepal’s interest. The political systems of the two countries are polar opposites. There is also little people-to-people engagement, even though cross-border tourism and business exchanges are growing apace. Geography too makes India Nepal’s natural development partner. It would thus be unwise to write the obituary of Indian primacy in Nepal, as some have done of late.
    But the Modi government would do well to learn from its mistakes. These days in Nepal, there is no shortage of advice for India on how it can mend its errant ways, or forever lose even its reduced clout. The consensus is that only through open and unconditional engagement with small countries in the region like Nepal and Bhutan can India have a peaceful neighborhood that is conducive to its continued economic rise.
    Biswas Baral is the editor of The Annapurna Express, published from Kathmandu. Follow him on Twitter: @biswasktm
    https://thediplomat.com/2018/03/is-this-the-end-of-nepals-special-relationship-with-india/

    Is This the End of India's Influence Over Nepal?

  50. Tibetans in India go home!! Go back to Tibet! Tibetans in India go home!! Go back to Tibet! Tibetans in India go home!! Go back to Tibet! Tibetans in India go home!! Go back to Tibet! Tibetans in India go home!! Go back to Tibet!Tibetans in India go home!! Go back to Tibet! Tibetans in India go home!! Go back to Tibet! Tibetans in India go home!! Go back to Tibet! Tibetans in India go home!! Go back to Tibet! Tibetans in India go home!! Go back to Tibet!Tibetans in India go home!! Go back to Tibet! Tibetans in India go home!! Go back to Tibet! Tibetans in India go home!! Go back to Tibet! Tibetans in India go home!! Go back to Tibet! Tibetans in India go home!! Go back to Tibet!

Submit your comment

Please enter your name

Please enter a valid email address

Please enter your message

Show More
Show More
+

(Allowed file types: jpg, jpeg, gif, png, maximum file size: 10MB each)

You can now upload MP4 videos to the comments section. "Choose File" -> click "Upload" then wait while your video is processed. Then copy the link and paste it into the message box. Your video will appear after you submit your comment.
Maximum size is 64MB

Contemplate This

.…Instead of turning away people who practise Dorje Shugden, we should be kind to them. Give them logic and wisdom without fear, then in time they give up the ‘wrong’ practice. Actually Shugden practitioners are not doing anything wrong. But hypothetically, if they are, wouldn’t it be more Buddhistic to be accepting? So those who have views against Dorje Shugden should contemplate this. Those practicing Dorje Shugden should forbear with extreme patience, fortitude and keep your commitments. The time will come as predicted that Dorje Shugden’s practice and it’s terrific quick benefits will be embraced by the world and it will be a practice of many beings.

Dorje Shugden and Dalai Lama – Spreading Dharma Together | Terms of Use | Disclaimer

© DorjeShugden.com 2024 | All Rights Reserved