Himachal govt drops Karmapa's name from chargesheet in currency case

[WisdomBeing]

What great news that the Karmapa has been absolved of the charges leveled against him for re illegal currency. Now that charges against him have been dropped, I wonder if the Karmapa will be repositioned as a possible spiritual heir to HH the Dalai Lama – a possibility that was widely touted until the unfortunate incident. If so, I do hope that he will remove the ban and follow the stance of his predecessor, the 16th Karmapa who had predicted re Dorje Shugden, “Although the time is a little early in the future you will definitely need to rely on this deity.”

I do hope this prediction will come true sooner than later.

(See http://www.dorjeshugden.com/forum/index.php?topic=1809.msg25133#msg25133)
While the Sixteenth Karmapa (the previous Karmapa) was on a pilgrimage in Nepal he stopped at Urgyen Rinpoche’s new monastery. At that time the Nepalese king and queen were there and came out to greet him with a scarf. When he went into the monastery there was a statue of Guru Dragpo with Dharmapala Shugden being pressed down under the statue’s feet. The Karmapa stood in the presence of the statue for awhile, then pointed his finger at it and asked “who is the person that said to build this statue? This isn’t Nyingma nor Sakya, certainly not Gelug and not Kagyu either. I didn’t say to build it, this is not one of the deities you can’t rely on.

Although the time is a little early in the future you will definitely need to rely on this deity.” Out of all the abbots and masters present not one came forward to answer. The Karmapa said “remove this now.” Immediately a person with an axe and shovel came and had to remove it. Many lamas present at that time definitely remember, a seventy five year old man from Chamdo called Samcho witnessed this event. - from Kyabje Dagom Rinpoche's sungbum



Himachal govt drops Karmapa's name from chargesheet in currency case
Last Updated 14:04(24/04/12)
http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/NAT-TOP-himachal-govt-drops-karmapas-name-from-chargesheet-in-currency-case-3161204.html

Shimla: In a relief to Tibetan religious leader Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje, the Himachal Pradesh government has decided to drop his name from the charge sheet in the foreign and Indian currency recovery case.

26-year-old Karmapa was charged under section 120-B for conspiracy along with nine others who were charged under different sections of IPC including 419 (punishment for cheating by personation), 420 (cheating) and 467 (forgery of valuable security), in the challan filed by police in a Una court.

The government, in exercise of its power under section 321 (withdrawal of prosecution) of CrPC, decided to delete the name of Karmapa from the charge sheet after getting the matter examined by the Home and Law departments, an official spokesman said today.

Police had recovered currencies of 26 countries, including 120,197 Chinese yuan and around Rs.5.3 million in Indian currency, from the Gyuto Tantric University and Monastery located on the outskirts of Dharamsala, the seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile on January 28 last year.

The raids were made following seizure of Rs.1 crore from a jeep by Una Police on the interstate border and during investigations it was revealed that the money was meant for purchase of land for the Karmapa Trust.

Soon after the charge sheet was filed in the court, Karmapa had moved an application through the district Magistrate, Una, urging the government to drop his name from the charge sheet and maintained that he was only head of the Gyuto Tantric University and Monastery and had nothing to do with its day-to-day affairs and financial transactions.

The government directed the District Magistrate, Una to move the matter in the court through Public Prosecutor for deleting the name of Karmapa from the charge sheet.

[WisdomBeing]

I found another article on this... and it tickled me to be reminded that the Karmapa was accused of being a Chinese Spy - "The discovery led to allegations in the Indian media -- vigorously denied by the 26-year-old Karmapa -- that he was a Chinese spy."

The Karmapa temporarily joined the Dorje Shugden practitioners who are wrongly accused of the same thing! As the Karmapa is exonerated now, I hope he can empathise with the Dorje Shugden practitioners, who have no way of being so easily exonerated…

India drops charges against top Tibetan monk
http://news.yahoo.com/india-drops-charges-against-top-tibetan-monk-103824343.html
(AFP) – 21 hours ago

Indian officials said on Tuesday they had dropped all criminal charges against a top Tibetan Buddhist monk seen as a potential successor to the Dalai Lama.

Police in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh filed conspiracy charges against the Karmapa Lama last December, after authorities found more than $1 million in foreign cash, including Chinese yuan, stashed in his monastery.

The discovery led to allegations in the Indian media -- vigorously denied by the 26-year-old Karmapa -- that he was a Chinese spy.

"We have decided to drop all criminal charges against the Karmapa," state Home Office official S.P. Singh told AFP by telephone.

"The police and the government lawyers thoroughly investigated all the charges and found no real evidence to pursue a case against him," Singh said.

The Karmapa, Urgyen Trinley, is revered by his followers as the 17th incarnation of the head of the Karma Kagyu lineage, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism.

He fled Tibet in 1999 at the age of 14, reaching India after a perilous eight-day winter journey by foot and horseback over the Himalayas.

Recognised by both China and Tibet's exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, the Karmapa is seen as as having the highest profile of a cast of young lamas who might fill the void when the Dalai Lama, now 76, dies.

Since fleeing Tibet, he has mainly lived at the Gyuto Monastery in Dharamshala, the northern Indian hill station that is the seat of the Tibetan government in exile.

Officials at the Karmapa's office welcomed the decision to drop the charges.

"We had full confidence in the rule of law, and knew that the government would eventually conclude His Holiness was not involved in anything criminal," spokesman Gompo Tsering told AFP.

The Karmapa's office had always insisted that the money seized during a police raid on the monastery in January 2011 was accumulated from "offerings by devotees" from around the world.

The Indian media, quoting unnamed security sources, reported concerns at the time that the Karmapa could be a Chinese stooge sent to India to set up pro-Chinese monasteries.

The Karmapa had conceded there had been "financial mismanagement" but said he had trusted the administration of the funds to "lay workers".

"I have my hands full in fulfilling my religious duties," he told reporters in May last year.

[Ensapa]

There is the CTA sanctioned karmapa and there's the karmapa that was chosen by the sharmapa. One of them has manifested very clear signs as being the previous karmapa by recalling people from his past life and showing psychic power. Also related is that the line of karmapa incarnations are extremely close to the trijang line, and they have both interchanged positions before.

now, the CTA had a very bad relationship with the kagyus from the start, where they literally kicked the karmapa out as the secular ruler of Tibet at that time and suppressed the karmapa and sharmapa's influence and even went as far as banning their lineage. Many kagyu monasteries were also forcibly converted to gelug, notably phegeyling monastery. if you ask CTA, they will deny all of these happenings and try to make it look like it never happened.

there were also ridiculous stories on HHDL's website regarding this matter:

Now I would like to say something about Trijang Rinpoche. He and Karmapa
Rinpoche were very close. He himself related one incident that occurred after
we had moved here. He said that on the previous day he had received a bit of a
shock. Karmapa Rinpoche had turned up out of the blue just as he was doing
Dolgyal propitiation.  When he heard that Karmapa Rinpoche had arrived, he
said that he had to hurriedly clear away all of the offerings in order to
conceal them. The reason was that Karmapa Rinpoche was not at all keen on
Dolgyal. Think about this. What sort of a tutelary protector for the Gelug is
it that one has to conceal when a Kagyu Lama arrives? The Gelug tradition has
the Six-Armed Mahakala as a tutelary deity. It also has Damchen Chogyel
(Kalarupa). If it had been Mahakala there in full view, Karmapa Rinpoche would
have been quite happy. He would probably have offered a symbolic libation to
him. I do not know whether the same is true for Damchen Chogyel (Kalarupa).

So my question is why would HHDL try to paint a different picture of the Karmapa?
In my opinion, Trijang Rinpoche concealed them to respect the karmapa, as he was petitioning a Dharma protector that pledged to protect the gelugs so it would be disrespectful for him to do it in front of the karmapa. why are the facts twisted in this way?

[WisdomBeing]

Unfortunately this sounds very much like politics to me. The very antithesis of what Buddhism is about – which should be harmony and non-sectarianism. Unfortunately, Tibetan Buddhism is rife with stories like this which turns a lot of people off because they cannot distinguish between the politics and true Buddhist philosophy. Similarly, the controversy of the Dorje Shugden issue is purely political and for those who are not conversant with the facts and have not bothered to read about it, they will grasp onto what is promoted by HH the Dalai Lama AND the CTA. All i can say is please please please read the volumes of information available on this website so that you can gain a clearer picture.

[Namdrol]

There is a very interesting details involving this issue, a letter sent by the Himachal home secretary to the Una deputy commissioner suggests that the Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, is "likely" to become the 15th Dalai Lama.

Can the Tibetan community accept this? The Karmapa becoming the god-king of Tibetans? The institution of the Dalai Lama has established for hundreds of years, if it is going to happen, the transition will surely not be an easy one, will the Tibetans accept this? Will the Gelugpa accept this?

Bear in mind that the country Tibet is lost, most likely forever, the only "Tibet" are scattered all over India, the Dalai Lama "god-king" institution will never be the same again...

But perhaps it will be a good news for Shugden practitioners? Based of the fact that the 16th Karmapa indirectly supports Dorje Shugden (as in the story quoted by WisdomBeing above), and if the Karmapa  Ogyen Trinley Dorje is if the same mental continuum as that 16th Karmapa, then maybe the whole Shugden saga will be turned around?


http://www.hindustantimes.com/Punjab/Chandigarh/Karmapa-likely-successor-of-Dalai-Lama/SP-Article1-846365.aspx

Karmapa 'likely successor' of Dalai Lama?
Gaurav Bisht, Hindustan Times
Shimla, April 26, 2012

It is a claim that could turn Tibetan history on its head. If the Himachal Pradesh government is to be believed, controversial Tibetan Buddhist leader, the 17th Karmapa, is the likely successor of the Dalai Lama. The 14th Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader in exile in India, has himself not mentioned any succession plans and there is no precedent for the Karmapa being chosen as the Dalai Lama in the history of the two institutions that go back several hundred years.
 
But a letter sent by the Himachal home secretary to the Una deputy commissioner suggests that the Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, is "likely" to become the 15th Dalai Lama.

The letter goes on to say that Dorje is worshipped as the "Holy Guru" in the exiled Tibetan community in India.

"It may be noted that Dalai Lama has been given political asylum by government of India and 17th Karmapa, Gylwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje, is the likely successor of Dalai Lama and by this analogy also if the case against co-accused Dorje is not withdrawn and tried in local court at Una, it may certainly entail law and order problems," the five-page letter says.
 
The Karmapa has been in the news for the wrong reasons. A case related to recovery of foreign currency from Gyoto Tantric monastery in Dharamsala - allegedly meant to buy land - during police raids in January 2011 witnessed several twist and turns, with the police chargesheet naming the Karmapa as co-accused along with nine others.
 
But the state government has decided to drop the charges against the Karmapa, who heads a Tibetan Buddhism sect called Kagyu.
 
Hindustan Times has a copy of Himachal principal secretary (home) PC Dhiman's letter directing Una deputy commissioner K Bharti to drop charges against the Karmapa.

"No active participation on part of said Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje was suggested by investigating agency regarding his role in land transaction and the case was weak against him," the letter says, apprising Bharti about the investigation and the law department's opinion that the Karmapa's name be dropped from the chargesheet.
 
The Karmapas have a long lineage in Tibetan Buddhism, predating the Dalai Lamas by more than two centuries.

[Namdrol]

By the way, what authority does Himachal home secretary have to say that the Karmapa is likely to be the Dalai Lama's successor? How can an Indian state home secretary, who is a lay person, decide Tibetan affairs, which involves not only secular but also spiritual level?

[brian]

Well well well, what more can I say to the relief of so many people out there esp Karmapa's students. This is definitely good news really but on the other hand re Karmapa's position as heir of His Holiness Dalai Lama, I am not agreeable to this as a Gelugpa because the laymen are dictating who to be the succesor to the "throne" rather than leaving it to the spiritual leaders to decide. Why not politics be separated from spiritual matters all together?

May all the conspiracy against Dorje Shugden practitioners be eradicated and the practice of Dorje Shugden be flourished to all corners of the world!

[Ensapa]

The Karmapa was the political head of Tibet before the 5th Dalai Lama manifested, so it is only natural for him to take over HHDL's place both in political matters and also spiritual matters although there is no telling if he would be less tolerant of the gelugs as there still are karmic repercussions from what happened during the 5th Dalai Lama's time. But in any case, it is something eventual.

However, the question is still whether or not HHDL's Karmapa or Sharmapa's Karmapa will ascend the throne and assume the position as the leader of Tibet, spiritually and politically. Or, do they rule side by side? A tulku can manifest 5 different emanations so its not exactly controversial to have multiple forms of the same tulku or a few different claimants of the same title.

In the case of the Nyigmas, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and Dongzar Khyentse Rinpoche are believed to be of the same mindstream, of Jamyang Khyentse Lodro who had emanated in 2 different incarnations to achieve different purposes. So definitely multiple incarnations are possible and there is no dispute whatsoever, however in the case of being a political leader, this would be interesting to see.

What would be more interesting to see is which karmapa would go to Trijang Rinpoche and rekindle the close bond they used to have, as well as the respect that he used to have for Dorje Shugden in this past life. The Karmapa candidate that can do so would be the candidate that should be making the decisions while the other would need to manage the other aspects of the CTA.

[DharmaDefender]

Funny that, Ive always maintained too that the money couldve come from offerings from devotees hmmmm hahaha maybe Im an emanation of His Holiness the Karmapa? No but in all seriousness, it just takes a few rich sponsors to offer a bucketload of dosh and thats not such a far-fetched idea when you consider his position as the Karmapa.

And funny also that it was such a HUGE deal when the Karmapa was caught. Now his names dropped off the charge sheet, not so much noise is made.

Sad the way the world works really. Its really a case of bad news sells. I mean, nothing more scandalous than a monk caught with millions in various currencies supposedly tucked under his throne (or some such bollox I read somewhere), eh? But its much less scandalous when his names taken off.

Same goes for the DS ban I spose. Itd be much less scandalous, and would probably take up fewer column inches if the Dalai Lama had said, "Ohhhh practise Dorje Shugden as much as you want, hes very good!"

[Ensapa]

Funny that, Ive always maintained too that the money couldve come from offerings from devotees hmmmm hahaha maybe Im an emanation of His Holiness the Karmapa? No but in all seriousness, it just takes a few rich sponsors to offer a bucketload of dosh and thats not such a far-fetched idea when you consider his position as the Karmapa.

And funny also that it was such a HUGE deal when the Karmapa was caught. Now his names dropped off the charge sheet, not so much noise is made.

Sad the way the world works really. Its really a case of bad news sells. I mean, nothing more scandalous than a monk caught with millions in various currencies supposedly tucked under his throne (or some such bollox I read somewhere), eh? But its much less scandalous when his names taken off.

Same goes for the DS ban I spose. Itd be much less scandalous, and would probably take up fewer column inches if the Dalai Lama had said, "Ohhhh practise Dorje Shugden as much as you want, hes very good!"

I believe that the Indian government's actions were the karmic repercussions of certain actions done by the Karmapa's disciples, such as politicking and name smearing. Tai Situpa employed scholars to write books that were specifically written to discredit the Sharmapa and his choice of the Karmapa, and the Sharmapa had to defend himself by exposing what really happened when Tai Situpa picked his candidate.

Neverthenless, the 16th Karmapa and his previous incarnations were famous for being close with Dorje Shugden as well as being very close to Trijang Rinpoche. It is still odd to see that neither of the 3 Karmapa candidates exhibit this sign. The Karmapa is the leader of the Karma Kagyu, and so even if he defies the ban nothing much will happen because HHDL cannot control him.

Why is it that there is so much confusion and argument about which Karmapa candidate is the real one when all we have to do is to wait and see which karmapa would actually make contact with Trijang Rinpoche as they have always been extremely close for many lifetimes. Then everyone's problem will be solved. The Karmapa is supposed to be enlightened and fearless, how could the authentic one be afraid of HHDL?

To me, the whole Karmapa thing sounds more like the Karmapa manifesting his displeasure over the politicking of who would take over Rumtek, his traditional seat and all the treasures inside it. It is also him manifesting displeasure against Nyigma and Kagyu masters who choose to go against Dorje Shugden wholly due to sectarian reasons and sealed their disciples from finding out the truth while at it. This generated misfortune will bring about many karmic repercussions for them in the near future.