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].
In today’s world, information is so readily available and we are just one ‘click’ away from getting the information that we seek. However, how many have considered whether the information they were fed is reliable and/or originates from a reputable source?
The reliability of one’s source of information is crucial, especially for the spiritually-inclined; it not only affects our future (in this life or the next) but also directly contributes to our eventual enlightenment. It is for this reason that within the Buddhist tradition, the authenticity of the lineage is one of the most important aspects for practitioners to understand and investigate when beginning one’s spiritual journey.
For centuries, the Gelug lineage masters have held their vows firmly. They are greatly respected until today, not only for their incredible deeds but for their incredible work in upholding and passing on the lineage for the benefit of future generations such as ourselves. It is from these masters’ works that one should quote, study and debate from, as their teachings and philosophies have been time tested to be reliable, accurate and proven to generate positive results in one’s journey to enlightenment.
In recent years, ever since the ban on the deity Dorje Shugden was imposed on Gelug practitioners by the Dalai Lama and the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), the Gelugpas have been split into two factions: traditional Gelugpas who choose to uphold the pure lineage that stems all the way back to Lama Tsongkapa; and the new Gelugpas who choose to follow the Dalai Lama’s bidding.
From this point forward, conflict arose as the Dalai Lama, who was also the political leader of Tibet at that time, enforced an iron-fisted ban while his Government in exile carried out their duties of intimidation to force Shugden practitioners to give up the deity. However, much of the forced conversion ended in failure as Shugden practitioners remained loyal to the Gelug lineage masters and understood that, while the Dalai Lama may have the political power and the means to carry out such a ban, spiritually he is not above the Gelug lineage masters.
The ban on the deity Dorje Shugden took a sour turn on an international scale as the issue became a target for disgruntled members of Dharma centres that engage in the practice of Dorje Shugden, such as the ex-New Kadampa Tradition (NKT) members. Like any large organization, it is not uncommon to have members leaving the dharma centre even as more new members join. While many have carried on with their lives, a handful of ex-NKT members who call themselves ‘survivors’ decided to tarnish the name of their ex-Dharma centre. And what better way to do so than to use the wrongfully demonized deity to achieve their personal goals of revenge.
With all the one-sided debates from the so-called “survivors” of NKT, to the setting up of a Facebook group to demonize the deity Dorje Shugden, what is their main motive for their actions online? It is clearly not a platform to establish understanding, tolerance or to help both Shugden practitioners and non-Shugden practitioners find common ground so that we may all live in peace. So it should come as no surprise that observers would eventually start questioning why a person who left the NKT would ignore every ethical code known to man today to suppress the religious freedom of hundreds of thousands of people whom they have no relations with.
Recently, a picture was circulated about an ex-NKT member, Carol McQuire, revealing inconsistencies (which is often the result of lies) in her ‘stories’ and efforts to cast ill light on the NKT and Dorje Shugden. It is obvious that these ex-NKT members are capitalizing on the Dorje Shugden ban to gain some mileage in their personal agendas; these alternative motives power someone like Carol and her group of friends.
Are inconsistent claims considered a ‘reliable’ source of information? Perhaps it is enough for some who wish only to listen to what they want to believe in regardless of the truth. However, what is shown above sheds doubt on Carol’s claims of how the NKT has hurt her.
So, why should we think twice about the information we receive from people like Carol and her group?
- What evidence have they given to prove that Dorje Shugden is as harmful as they claim? If Dorje Shugden has never harmed any of them, then why claim that his practice is a harmful one? Just because the Dalai Lama condones that view?
- It is without question that ex-NKT members may have a strong grudge against their old centres. However, Dorje Shugden is not the ONLY deity that is practiced in the NKT. So why vilify only this deity unless it is a convenient way to discredit the NKT?
- Spreading hate towards Shugden practitioners is not just a ‘hobby’, it’s a job. With so much time spent on putting down another person’s religion through social media platforms, physical protests, and production of anti-Dorje Shugden propaganda, it would be no surprise to discover that Carol and those who are engaging in similar activities are indeed employed by the CTA. What’s more, the perks of this job earn you front seats at the Dalai Lama’s teachings, private audiences with the Dalai Lama and a little pocket money to get you by.
Carol’s view from her seat in a teaching by the Dalai Lama
A seat at this location would only be possible if an internal arrangement was made – a clear indication that Carol and people like her are CTA-employed and carrying out the CTA’s smear campaign against Dorje Shugden practitioners.
- They certainly are not champions of inter-religious harmony. Some have vehemently expressed in public their dislike of Tibetan Buddhism and publicly proclaimed their adoption of Christianity. So why would someone like that be more interested in suppressing Shugden practitioners (which has nothing to do with her), instead of doing something for her suffering brethren who are plagued by REAL terror such as ISIS?
So after all this, who should we trust? Who can we trust? The answer is simple. Ask yourself: if this concerned your health, would you rather take medical advice given by Dr. Oz or the British Medical Journal? Think about it.
Disclaimer: This article was submitted by a third party author and does not necessarily reflect the official opinion of DorjeShugden.com. We accept submissions from the public, please send in your articles to [email protected].
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paolo
January 5, 2016
Its obvious that CTA has been misused the public funding meant for Tibetan refugees into running campaign against Dorje Shugden practitioners. Various online accounts has been set up spreading untrue information splitting their own people (Tibetan), and among the buddhist practitioners. The convenient and purposes of social media has been abused and misused by these people who has been paid by CTA.
Bronson
January 5, 2016
Lies, why keep lying? Only tell the truth. Now can they stop lying? Goodness comes from telling the truth. Look at this this way, they have issues against the NKT, do they have issues against Shugden? I’m so happy to have Shugden practice. Very clear to me they are CTA stooges. Everyone knows. Do they really think they are so clever to hide it? All of the time they must be thinking about this. Losers!
A policy against Shugden practitioners is wrong. I think it is unfair to have such discrimination. Lies are like ghosts come back to haunt you. Am I wrong? Maybe they are under pressure? Anyway, good work ds.com!
Carol McQuirre
January 6, 2016
After all the comments Dalai Lama has been making in the press that especially degrade women, I am starting to have doubts in my allegiance to him. I use to be with Geshe Kelsang Gyatso and even one of his nuns and left when I saw some inconsistencies. I didn’t want or need another guru, but I thought the universal teachings of Dalai Lama would be more suitable for me without myself committing to him. I did some work for his close people in Dharamsala and was rewarded with seating close to his throne in his recent public talks in UK. That was exciting, but it’s starting to wear off. I really am having serious doubts if I have taken the right step supporting Dalai Lama and speaking out against NKT. What do you all feel. Lama Zopa says people like us are going to the hells.
Carol McQuirre
January 6, 2016
I myself followed Geshe Kelsang Gyatso for over a decade. I saw him as a honest monk, hard working, knowledgeable, gifted, insightful and had great abilities to lead. He had incredible devotion to his teacher and deep convictions to spiritual practice which inspired so many of us. I saw unpleasant people come and go who didn’t come for spirituality but for their own purposes. They would like to call themselves survivors of my teacher, but in truth, whatever they are angry about, they brought that with them long before meeting my teacher. They took a lot of energy to deal with. When the Dalai Lama came up with the ban against Shugden, all of us at NKT were in shock. We didn’t know what to make of it. We didn’t understand why Dalai Lama would suddenly do this. There were numerous meetings with top echelons with Geshe Kelsang. Many ideas were presented but the first was to write a letter to Dalai Lama to have him explain this ban. To appeal to Dalai Lama peacefully, but Dalai Lama never responded. He will not respond kindly to what he does not like contrary to his public image of peace it dawned on me at that time. I was so confused but I decided to dive into my work as after all I am a nun. It was my choice to join NKT, follow Geshe Kelsang, practice dharma, engage in Dorje Shugden practice and be a nun. I can’t blame anyone and I know that. But I had some psychological issues that were medical in nature that didn’t allow me to be me or be me for long. I didn’t want to go for psychotherapy and perhaps the medication I needed due to financial constraints as well as the embarrassment. Also I figured if I truly practiced dharma, I can overcome it but over time it gets stronger. I became angrier, depressed, disillusioned and I had to blame others. At first I didn’t dare speak out against Geshe Kelsang and my perception of his wrongdoings, but I had to blame someone for my inability to cope with my inner world. Blaming the top was easier at the time. Geshe Kelsang was much more accessible back then. I was angry, depressed and had to blame something external. It seemed easier to blame something on the outside then inside. I knew the truth but why face it. I started having doubts in my ordination, my practice, my teacher, the fellow spiritual aspirants and it just escalated. I know deep down inside it was me and not my teacher or the organization, but I had to justify to my family and friends. I couldn’t be wrong. Face is so important to cover my personal failures. I had failed again. It forced me to see things in a way that was negative, unpredictable and combustible. I wanted out and I had to justify it.
Well rather than getting the counseling and treatment I needed, I decided to blame Geshe Kelsang and his ‘autocratic’ methods. I blamed him for my lack of perceived freedom and personal time. I decided I was in a cult and with the Dalai Lama bath mouthing Dorje Shugden it was convenient for me to say because we worshipped this ‘thing’, we are degenerating. I am degenerating. Geshe Kelsang is a cult leader. The organization is a cult and I am a victim. Playing victim really covered what was wrong inside. I realize if it was true, I could have gone to the law, but I would have been found out. I Had nothing else in my life. I failed in so many things in life and I am aging. I hadn’t achieved anything in my life. I hadn’t done anything. I was lazy, scared, afraid and didn’t want to fail. But I realized I was failing. But it was easier to blame Geshe Kelsang, his students, the organization and Dorje Shugden. My mind went back and forth on this. I wanted to blame something on the outside for my psychosis and medical condition that I didn’t want to face and get help. I decided to call myself a survivor. A survivor of the holocaust! A spiritual holocaust. I know there will be other lonely, self hating, disturbed souls out there who can relate. Who can blame others instead of getting real help and moving on in a positive way. So many unhappy people had joined us and left in the past. Those who have left our organization citing one reason or another whether real or imagined. Other people who have never joined in any spiritual organization but would like to blame others because they are so unhappy with their lives. One thing that puzzled me is I have supporters in my survivor group who have never joined, helped or contributed to any spiritual organization, but they like to join rank and file with us survivors to blast other teachers, organizations and Dorje Shugden. They are so bitter, angry with themselves about their lives, lack of relationship, appearance, childhood and so on that someone has to be blamed. This is a bit of a wonderment, but then who cares. I get the support I need for being a survivor. A survivor is like the holocaust victims I heard about growing up that were horribly tortured, killed and maimed. Some survived. Their strength really inspired me. They had meaning because they survived something. I had to ‘survive’ something too. How convenient to say I survived my guru, his organization and the drone like close disciples that jumped at his every beck and call stating they are serving a Buddha.
I know there was no blame to my teacher, but my mind has gone too far in my fantasies, anger and remember I needed psychotherapy and more that I was avoiding. I needed to start a survivors group to justify why I demonized my teacher, fellow spiritual aspirants who had been kind to me and Dorje Shugden who has never harmed me and if he did, it must be in my mind because I have no proof of it. Lama Zopa telling someone in our survivor’s group that by creating an online hate community specifically designed to belittle other teachers’ appearance, methods, organizations and worship of Dorje Shugden will bring him to hell struck me deeply as that would apply to me. I have a theoretical understanding of hell, but for sure my life is a hell now because I encourage others to hate, write vitriolic words against teachers and people I know nothing about. I have an online community of people that I basically have not met and we know nothing of each other, yet we can get together to hate, hate, hate and spread more hate. The teachings of the Buddha is about compassion, love, tolerance and understanding and not hate. I claim I am practicing this but in action I am not and I know it. I need treatment and I’ve avoided it for so long. It’s easier to hate and get a group to hate because so many people are so unhappy with themselves and they need to blame. To start an online closed group to specifically gather haters and criticize, joke, taunt and spread this hate helps to cover me and what I am feeling inside about myself. I have never told the Dalai Lama whom I think I respect what I am actually doing. I feel one day I will find fault with the Dalai Lama also. I am seeing cracks, but I can’t face it now. But would Dalai Lama approve of our hate group if I printed everything out and presented to him? If he would, then would the public accept such a man of compassion approving this hatred of imagined pain. After all a survivor’s group is about positive things, reinforcements and getting true qualified help. How to babble with a bunch of hatelful strangers online who are not trained, nor certified to help us ‘survivors’ to ‘heal’? That is what I have been questioning. None of the people I ‘chat’ with on my survivor’s group are qualified in any way to help survivors and all we do is rant, rave and hate. It’s a lot to mangage. What is my goal? I will never close down NKT or shut down anyone else I hate. Our group is just a small handful and none of this will get any further. How many people are we influencing against those we hate? Not many I know. I am encouraging this hate under the guise of surviving but what it really is I don’t want to face. We seem to enjoy this although we do have to becareful with being shut down as other hate groups have been shut embarrassingly. But the truth of the matter is I am having doubts. Why am I criticizing on and on year after year something I have left? Something I know I need to blame myself for? What do I get for this? Why am I encouraging others to hate? People I have never met. They praise one lama and hate another and they know very little and next to none of any of these lamas. I am setting a trend, when we are unhappy with our teachers, instead of working it out maturely, turn against them. They have to be demonized to justify my feelings at the cost of everyone else. The nagging feeling is if Dalai Lama who I know nothing of and spent zero time would encourage my online hate group? If he does, a lot of questions why a man of peace would? If he doesn’t then what am I doing. I am confused and I have to think further.
Stewart
January 6, 2016
Dear Admin,
This is the best and most authoritative website on Dorje Shugden. The reason is the information is varied, in-depth as well as broad. The biggest plus why you have won me and thousands of others over to this site is because you offer no hate, show no hatred and you are not a hate site. The minute a site starts showing hatred, you attract only one type of crowd and the rest will disperse. This is your secret. Bravo.
I have a request please. Can you make you make your comments section be able to upload pictures and video links also?
Thanks for all you do.
Neil in Morden
January 6, 2016
I give thanks to Shugden for protecting my spiritual practice and my fabulous complexion.
Kevin Landes
January 6, 2016
We today live in the information technology era. News travel fast and wide but reliability is not guaranteed. Just because 100 people say the same thing doesn’t make it reliable because the source could be one and the other 99 people simply forwarded, re-post or re-tweeted.
Personally I don’t buy into any website or anyone who like to claim theirs are from reliable sources, etc. Why should anyone believe you more that others. If you want to post some news or information you received that is fine, go ahead. Do not claim more credentials to justify your piece of news or information.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama has received just as much verbal slandering, abuse, criticism, insults from all over but He has also done so much more that the average person. What have you done? Who has you benefited? You want to stand up for a cause, yes by all means do so. But how different are you from CTA if you criticize, put down, insinuate, verbally abuse the other camps. Actually CTA should not be your standard, why compare to CTA when you find them so appalling.
Let information be information, knowledge be knowledge without making it sounds like I am right, you are wrong. If you need to make the other person wrong so as to be right, how right can you be.
Sarah
January 7, 2016
The ban on Dorje Shugden’s practice has created a lot of suffering and confusion. It’s high time the ban is removed. Let people practise their faith in peace.
Elibuchen
January 12, 2016
@Kevin Landes- Carol Mcguire is more than capable to ‘protecting’ herself.
If that screen shot of hers is a lie, she can with all the resources available to her defend herself. If she did not post up those things, she should be able say something about.
Discrimination has happened to Dorje Shugden people, we should have the right to protest and write about such unfair treatment for Dorje Shugden people right? We have been long accused of being Chinese spies and people who accept wads cash from the Chinese, I wish. Now we are just highlighting that Carol Mcguire might be getting some benefits from all her hate speech, and that it wasn’t because of her association with NKT or the experience she had that she went ahead and set up an anti Dorje Shudgen Facebook, whats wrong with that, why get so touchy about it. Some of the things thrown at us from the Anti Dorje Shugden people is much more malevolent and rude for that matter.
Mark
January 17, 2016
Thank you, Admin! I like this article. The religion haters are without bounds. Time to clear all the smoke they make.
Christine
January 23, 2016
People can have a lot of hatred when the agendas of what they need do not fulfilled. They can do anything just to harm.But, they forget why at the very first place they get into dharma center. – To get into a dharma center is to learn.
For these group of people who claim have so call evidence, if you have spoken to them more on dharma, you will not be surprise that their knowledge on dharma is very surface. They do not even know who is Dorje Shugden manifested from. They do not even know the LAMRIM.
Thus, instead of believing in other people said. We have to be smart reader to understand more on the issues.Not follow without thought.
John Swainson
February 1, 2016
A Reiiable Source of Information?
Carol McQuirre……………who?
Carol McGuire………….who?
Try Carol McQuire
Daniel
April 26, 2016
Dharma centres like the illustrious Geshe Kelsang Gyatso’s New Kadampa Tradition (NKT) should be defined by the thousands who have benefitted and continue to be enriched spiritually by the Centre and by the Dharma they are preserving. Great works like that of the Mahasiddha Geshe Kelsang cannot be tarnished by tantrums and theatrics of few ex-students.
That people like the gang at WNTTAS should accuse Geshe Kelsang is only to be expected. The Buddha had Devadatta and all great men in history had to face antagonists who decided that it was easier to oppose something good that to oppose the evil in themselves. This Carol woman is just bored and have nothing going for her so hate becomes a project for her. Sad.
Ashok Rao
April 26, 2016
Again, this website highlights the fallacy, greed and down right undemocratic means by which the Tibetan Administration use people for their own ends, and the way they prey on people to for their own ends.
The case highlighted in the article is testament to this fact. It is so undemocratic and a blatant violation of religious freedom when a government goes around giving funds to and actively supporting those who carry out smear campaigns against organizations they may have once belonged to. This is not the actions of a government who is democratic in nature.
Amber Sonam
April 26, 2016
How far can you go with hate? This page run by Carol McQuire and her “team” provide conflicting information, and they often fight among themselves over petty issues. There is nothing informative on the page, but angersome, disrepectful and negative comments.
It is amazing how people can spend so much time hating someone and leaving negative comments on a daily basis. When a person spends most of her day to think negatively about someone or an organisation, she is feeding herself with many poisonous substances that lead to a terrible and meaningless life.
I feel very sorry for this group of people for they have chosen to earn from the wrong livelihood that will take them to only three lower realms. If they are real Buddhists, they would have to think twice before taking CTA’s money for such degrading task.
Michaela Smith
April 26, 2016
Dear DS.com
Thank you for highlighting this article. I have read several comments and social media posts made by ex-NKT members with strong grudge toward their former Dharma center and guru. They are charged with hatred. Sometimes they tried to apply logic in the arguments, but they skewed their logic to their advantage. I have no idea what karma these people accumulated in the past that they can see everything pure as bad. The situation is aggravated when money is involved and they got paid to spread the spirit of hatred and lies.
I sincerely hope that these people will stop defaming their former center and teacher and creating confusion among the newbies who knows little.
Michaela
Olivia
April 26, 2016
This again goes to show that the Tibetan leadership is capable of doing whatever it takes to accomplish their selfish and greedy goals. This is very scary because their ultimate goal is not to benefit the people and their people but it’s for their own gains, Tibet will never improve of the leadership continues to persecute and fool their own people.
The self proclaimed ‘democratic’ country is not so democratic after all, they do not respect religious freedom and human rights at all, as long as they get what they want, they don’t care about anything else. They are doing it to those poor Dorje Shugden practitioners now, using them as a tool for their whatever self political reasons.
I hope that it will draw more attention to the public and especially the sponsors in the states, they have no idea that the funds were used by the administration to ostracise Dorje Shugden practitioners.
Victor
April 26, 2016
Who is this Carol? Who made her the authority in Tibetan politics and spirituality? The CTA must be really desperate to hire her to put Dorje Shugden people down. I wonder how much she is paid. Must be cheap.
Sounds really fishy how that she suddenly gets to sit so near His Holiness in a teaching. That must be the fee for bashing and telling lies about Shugden practitioners. What a joke to get a house wife, an ex-nun and a bitter ex-NKT Buddhist to fend for the CTA’s injustice ban. The qualifications speaks volumes.
ALso why does she keep going on and on about NKT this and that? Looks like someone who is bitter and likes to just blame others for all of her problems, forgetting she is the owner of her own actions and problems. So sad that she can’t move on and grow up instead she starts a facebook just to slander and b@#$% about NKT and Shugden practitioners and this is what represents the Dalai Lama these days – wow – how the standard has fallen I guess!
Jon
April 26, 2016
What a bunch of numpties. Whinging on and on about how they were hurt, how they were abused, etc. Well if things were so bad, lodge a police report, take the whole Kadampa lot to court and stop whinging about it online!
People who want to get in with this lot and believe their nonsense need to consider what they get out of doing so. Will they get money if they join this bunch of whingers? Will their spiritual practice excel? Is this a group of people who will nurture your spirituality, or are they going to drag you down to the three lower realms with them because their whole life, activity, practice and focus is all about hate, hate, hate?
If things were so bad, get counselling and seek treatment. Stop focusing on it, stop talking about it, stop bringing it up. That’s not called hiding or denial. It’s called “stop paying so much attention to your pain, amplifying it and making it worse.”
Bloody hell, there’s so much whinging coming from them!!!
Aloysius Bong
April 27, 2016
Oh, please don’t wast time on Carol McQuire, McGuire or whatever, she is most likely getting paid by the CTA, or some kind of special privilege by the CTA for her smear campaign against Dorje Shugden. With that, it pleases the Dalai Lama, therfore she can get front seat in Dalai Lama’s public talk, and even special audience with Dalai Lama. Carol knows next to nothing about lineage and Dorje Shugden, she is just doing the smear campaign to get attention which she successfully get some, as compared to being a “nobody” if she were to continue practicing in NKT. We have seen a lot of Dharma-shoppers like her around, so there is no need to give extra attention and time to her, we have better things to do in life, and she has her karma to deal with big time later.
Pema
April 27, 2016
Indeed to rely on a safe lineage is crucial when it comes to our spiritual journey. I would for sure follow a 300 year of lineage with many, many practitioners and high lamas instead of listening to a ban inflicted on so many with no logic reason and since 20 years already!
Why are there so many hateful comments? What do these comments show about the writer?
I follow what my Guru has told me. To make these negative comments about high lamas and practitioners is really a bad idea.
We need a Dharma Protector on our spiritual journey badly.
May this ban come down without delay.
Aloysius Bong
May 11, 2016
Carol McQuire used to follow Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, he is her guru. And now Carol McQuire is one of the most outspoken critique of her guru. In Buddhism, once you take someone as you guru, there is no way to un-guru him or her. Imagine how much negative karma Carol accumulate day after day slandering her guru that taught her the Dharma and showed her nothing but love. I hope she reads again “50 Verses of Guru Devotion” before it is too late, the karma is extremely heavy.
SabrinaS
June 29, 2016
I find it strange that these ex-NKTs would do such things. I mean, they went to NKT for precious teachings from a highly attained Guru, Geshe Kelsang Gyatso but are not willing to overcome their ego which keeps them unhappy. Then they leave and start a hate group to compound their existing unhappiness. Creating more negative karma on top of their already heavy negative karma bank. Instead of using the precious teachings that they had received to douse the fire, they are feeding more oil into a fire and turning it into an inferno.
What more, their activities will also collect more bad karma from all the potential practitioners disillusioned and turning away from their faith by this group’s negativities. Such a heavy burden to bear, especially when we in our human body has the best potential to practise the dharma. What a Shame!
Dominique
August 23, 2016
REAL Buddhist do not encourage schism and do not encourage gossip, negative bitchy speech and basically whatever this Carol lady is doing. Real Buddhist do not act this way! It is obvious that this person is playing Dharmasala’s politics and highly likely that she is getting funds to keep the bitching over the internet and wherever because how can anyone like their live being so negative all the time. It is like having a vendetta to cause disharmony in people and their faith. WHO would be so driven to do this day in day out, what does this Carol not have a life?
How can a Buddhist spew hate, incite hate and be full of hate all the time, this must not be healthy, let’s not even talk about the spiritual aspect of things. And only those who are truly ignorant would follow and actually believe her.
REAL Buddhist would forgive and focus on the positive. We already have enough negative problems and anger in our lives, we really do not need someone like Carol who proclaim to be Buddhist to keep on encouraging us to hate and to be negative and discriminate others. So I would definitely not buy even one world she says because her results is just negative. Exactly what has she done to be a better person besides creative a fan page to encourage hate? And when you see who are her followers, all of them are the same, bitter, angry people who just wants to blame the world for all the mistakes they make and they do not want to take any responsibility and to keep blabbing it over and over again shows you they are either not well up there or they have an incentive from another source to keep them talking. Otherwise, look, it is far better to just go shopping and be happy than to be so religiously negative and spiteful all the time. If I didn’t know any better I would say she is not a Buddhist! So open you eye, your ears and use your brains people.
Sierra
September 9, 2016
These people, despite the time and learning spent with their centre have not learnt anything. They may acquire scriptural knowledge but know nothing. It is just a convenient way of making a living without having to work very hard.
They are just using whatever that falls in with their expectations and perceptions and make a good living out of it. when you talk bad about others and incite hatred, people will tend to listen and without proper knowledge will try to put in their 5 minutes of fame.
May they have realizations and may the real Dharma give them a peace of mind.
Lhakpa Dhendup
August 11, 2018
What will the all the people around the world and in Tibet do now? Dalai Lama says he is happy that Tibet is a part of China and should remain a part of China. So many Tibetans self-immolated for Tibet to be independent and now Dalai Lama did a 360 degree turn and says he wants to go back to Tibet and China and Tibet should be a part of China. So unbelievable. So many are angry and disappointed.
Dalai Lama should set things right
August 12, 2018
Dear Dalai Lama,
Since you started the cruel ban against the 350 year Dorje Shugden practice, how has it benefit your Tibetan society and Buddhism in the world? Things have become worse and most educated Tibetans can see this. They don’t speak out not because they don’t see your ban as wrong, but you instill fear in them and not respect. It is like fear of a dictator. I am sorry to say so. Everyone is divided. There is no harmony. Before your ban there was more harmony and unity.
By enacting the ban, you split the monasteries, split so many families, split regions in Tibet apart, split your disciples from you, split your own gurus from you, split Tibetan Buddhism apart. You have created so much disharmony.
It is not democratic what you have done to ban a religion within your community. You always talk of tolerance and acceptance and democracy and yet you do not accept and tolerate something different from your beliefs. When people practice Dorje Shugden you ostracize them, ban them from seeing you, ban them from using Tibetan facilities. You know you have done that. There are videos that capture your speech and prove this point. You even had people expelled from monasteries just because they practice Dorje Shugden. Some of the monks you expelled have been in the monastery for over 40 years. Many older monks shed tears because of this.
Many young educated Tibetans lost confidence in you as they saw the damage the Dorje Shugden ban created and they lose hope. Many have become free thinkers. They reject what you have done. So many people in the west left Buddhism because of the confusion you created with this ban against Dorje Shugden which is immoral.
You could of had millions of people who practice Dorje Shugden to support, love and follow you, but you scared them away. They are hurt and very disappointed. They loved you and respected you deeply before the ban. It has been 60 years and you have failed to get Tibet back. Your biggest failure is not getting Tibet back after 57 years in exile. Now you are begging China to allow you to return to Tibet to the disappointment of thousands of people who fought for a free Tibet believing in you. So many self-immolated for a free Tibet and now you want Tibet to be a part of China with no referendum from Tibetans. Just like a dictator, you decide on your own. It was your government and you that lost Tibet in the first place. Your policies and style of doing things do not benefit Tibet and Buddhism. You have been the sole ruler of Tibet your whole life and you still have not gotten our country of Tibet back for us. Our families and us are separated. Yet you create more pain by creating a ban to further divide people. Please have compassion.
No other Buddhist leader has banned or condemned any religion except for you. It looks very bad. You are a Nobel laureate and this is not fitting of a laureate. You should unite people and not separate them by religious differences.
You said Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi did not do right to the Rohingya people in Myanmar due to religious differences, but you are doing the same thing to the Shugden Buddhists within your own society. There is a parallel in this. You separate the Shugden Buddhists from the others in Tibetan society.
You have lost so many people who would have loved and supported you. You have lost so much support around the world. The Shugden Buddhists who love you number in the millions. When you are fast losing support from governments and private people, it will not do you well to lose more.
After you are passed away in the future, the rift you created between the Dorje Shugden and non-Dorje Shugden people will remain for a while and that will be your legacy. Disharmony. You will be remembered for this. Not as a hero but a disharmony creator.
Dorje Shugden will spread and further grow, but you will be no more as you are a human. No one wishes you bad and in fact we hope you have a long and healthy life, but we have lost so much hope and have so much despair because of you. All the hundreds of Dorje Shugden lamas, tulkus and geshes are maturing and there are hundreds of Dorje Shugden monasteries in Tibet who will not give up Dorje Shugden. You have made a mistake. These hundreds of teachers and teachers to be will spread Dorje Shugden further in the future.
The gurus that gave us Dorje Shugden as a spiritual practice and you have called these holy gurus wrong and they are mistaken in giving us Dorje Shugden. How can you insult our gurus whom we respect so much? If they can be wrong, then you can be wrong. Then all gurus can be wrong. So no one needs to listen to any guru? You have created this trend. It is not healthy. Your own gurus practiced Dorje Shugden their whole lives. Your own gurus were exemplary and highly learned.
Dalai Lama you have created so much pain with this ban against so many people due to religion. You are ageing fast. Are you going to do anything about it or stay stubborn, hard and un-moving. You show a smile and preach peace and harmony wherever you go. But will you do the same to your own people? Please rectify the wrong you have done. Please before it is too late. You can create harmony again or you can pass away in the future with this legacy of peace. May you live long and think carefully and admit what was a mistake in having this unethical ban against Dorje Shugden religion.
Tracy
October 20, 2018
It is true that a Dharma center is just like any other secular organisation, people come and go. However, when we leave an organisation, we don’t have to make any comment about it, especially the negative one. We can always part amicably.
These ex-NKT people seem miserable and wicked. Most likely it is because they couldn’t get what they want and out of anger, they started the ‘hate group’ to say bad things about Geshe-la and NKT people. If Geshe-la is really bad, how come his organisation is so big? Geshe-la’s teachings are all written in the books, his teachings are no different from the Buddha’s teachings, so he is an authentic Buddhist teacher for sure.
The CTA wants to get Dorje Shugden lamas for their political agenda, so these ex-NKT people become a very useful tool for them. Their words are convincing to some people because they have the first-hand experience with NKT. For the ex-NKT people, they will be happy to receive a paycheck to vent their anger.
Roy
February 10, 2019
A survival group should be a support group that gives hope and positive energy to the people to overcome what makes them suffer. But Carol’s group is a group of people who are angry and just want to vent their anger. I believe whenever they meet up, they just talk about negative things and make each other more unhappy and depressed.
Anyone with sense will eventually leave her group. Her opinions on Geshela and the NKT are all baseless. People might believe her in the beginning, but they will eventually lose their trust in her as there is no evidence to support what she says. Besides, people can also see that there are more people who stay in the NKT than those who leave.
Carol’s survival group will not last long as at the end of the day, there is no benefit for people who join them. Instead of feeling more positive, their anger grows and they become more miserable. Carol should really dissolve her group because what she is doing is harming a lot of people.
Anonymous
February 27, 2019
Carol is a very good example of how anger, greed, and jealousy can bring us down more and more. Buddhism is a practice of mind, to examine what is in our mind, acknowledge it and abandon the negative habituation or work hard to get rid of the habituation. Buddha Shakyamuni has proven to us that Dharma can get rid of suffering, there is no doubt. If we don’t feel that, it means we have not applied Dharma in our lives!
Carol has the good merits to meet her teacher Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, who is a great master. However, Carol didn’t have enough merits to continue to support her to see the good qualities of the teacher and continue to progress in her spiritual journey. Everything started with a small wrong view on the teacher and things just start to get worse.
Carol’s wrong view on the teacher has blinded her to see the truth. Even though she is still in the Buddhist scene but what she is doing is the total opposite of what Buddhism is. She disparages her teacher who is a Buddha. She is creating the cause to be further away from Dharma. In the 50 Stanzas of Guru Devotion, it is said that if we disparage the Buddha, we will go to hell. It looks like Carol will end up in hell.
Tracy
April 15, 2019
Not too long ago, Prince Harry and wife visited NKT. I believe the royal couple did not visit NKT on a religious basis, they were visiting NKT for the work NKT has done and the good values their organisation are spreading to make the world a better place. To say Buddhism is a religion, it is actually better to say it is a set of teachings on how to lead a virtuous life. It gives us the methods on how to cultivate good values such as generosity, kindness, love and compassion.
Prince Harry and The Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle are doing a lot of charitable work. They love to help the underprivileged. The visit to NKT can definitely help them to learn how they can do more and how to apply more good values in the work they do.
Carol and the gang on the other hands are still spreading hatred and being negative about everything in life. While other people are pursuing real happiness, they are getting themselves an express ticket to the hell of suffering. I hope one day Carol and the gang will realise what they are doing is not helping them to live better but will bring more misery to themselves.
Drolma
August 12, 2019
Geshela definitely is a great teacher and he has benefitted many people. He has established thousands of Dharma centers all around the world to preserve and spread Buddhism. If what he has taught is not the truth, it is impossible he will have so many students.
Due to her own anger, Carolle McQuirre started a hate group to put Geshela and NKT down. Some members in her group disrespect Geshela’s Dharma book. What they don’t know is, they are creating a lot of bad karma to themselves. By disparaging their teacher, it is as good as disparaging a Buddha, they will end up in Avichi hell.
Carolle should be regretful of what she has done and do something about it. Karma accumulates, the more she delay to do the purification practice, the heavier the negative karma will be for her. Never ever criticise a monk whether or not we agree with what they are doing.
Anonymous
August 25, 2019
It was said that Carol left the centre because she could not get the attention she wanted from Geshela. Out of anger, she set up the hate group to put NKT and Geshela down. It is quite sad to see how a student has forgotten the kindness of the teacher and started to attack and harm the guru.
Carol was an ordained nun before, she would have studied enough to know how to behave as a student and the right way to treat the teacher. When she accepted Geshela as her guru, she has to view Geshela the same as a Buddha so she can get the blessings for her spiritual practice. This is very important for Vajrayana Buddhist to understand and to follow.
By setting up a hate group, Carol is disparaging Geshela and causing others to have doubt in Dharma. Some will lose faith in Dharma and stop practising. Carol has taken away the opportunity of others to be liberated from suffering. She has definitely created a tremendous amount of negative karma.