Events in 1999 and after(from
www.shugdensociety.info)
January 13, 1999
H.H. the Dalai Lama paid visit to Trijang Labrang, the residence of His Holiness Trijang Rinpoche (1900-1981), his tutor. At a gathering of the Labrang's, H.H. the Dalai Lama says: “...during my visit to Switzerland, Lobsang said, the current Choktul Rinpoche be allowed to worship Dorje Shugden like his predecessor, without a decision through the dough ball divination. He also told me that the ban on Shugden worship is causing widespread suffering to everyone, and that it may be revoked. This is ridiculous talk. My reason for banning the Protector is in the interest of Tibetan's politics and religion, as well as for the Gelug tradition. In our face to face meeting, I also told Rinpoche to understand that we may meet each other for the last time. During this private audience with H.H. the Dalai Lama, Ven. Choezed la, the eldest official at Trijang Labrang, mostly humbly pointed out that the religious ban has created an unprecedented atmosphere of hostility against both Shartse monastery and against Trijang Labrang which is not very different from the atmosphere of the Cultural Revolution in Tibet. He requested that, to lift the suffering within the Tibetan public from this atmosphere, he may kindly consider revoking the ban.
To this, H.H. the Dalai Lama angrily said, “there will be no change in my stand. I will never revoke the ban. You are right. It will be like the Cultural Revolution. If they (those who do not accept the ban) do not listen to my words, the situation will grow worse for them. You sit and watch. It will grow only worse for them.”
January 14, 1999
During the first public address at Drepung monastery, H.H. the Dalai Lama touched briefly on the Tibetan issue, and dwells on his ban on the worship of Dorje Shugden. Excerpt: “Dorje Shugden Society play games at me wherever I go. They have published an announcement. They think that I will back off. That I will never do. If not in this life, a successor will be appointed to sustain this ban.”
January 15, 1999
In Mundgod, the Shugden Society called on Mr. Pema Choejor, Tibetan minister for the Dept. of Security and Mr. Khedrup, Secretary of the same Dept from Dharamsala. The society representatives, in their face to face meeting, explained their situation in details. Excerpt:
“The exile government has already taken away both our political rights and religious rights. The Tibetan public has been induced to hate us even more than the Chinese, with discrimination, defamation, abuse and baseless allegations. This has gone on for three years now. From our side, time and again, we have approached H.H. the Dalai Lama and exile government through personal representation and delegations, as well as numerous petitions. Till date, however, there has been no sympathetic solution from the exile govt.'s side. This day, His Holiness spoke out so angrily, violently, and so abusively against us and our faith in front of the entire settlement.
According to you, the worship of Shugden in Tibetan society harms the well-being of H.H. the Dalai Lama and the cause of Tibet. We do not have any intention to undermine the well-being of His Holiness; at the same time we cannot compromise our religious principals for the sake of political expediency.
To these representations, the exile govt. officials responses: “We understand your difficulty. We will convey your grievance clearly to the Kashag (cabinet) in Dharamsala. What you say is true, but since the ban comes from His Holiness, we are put into a very difficult situation. H.H. the Dalai Lama is taking a rock-like stand, and if you also take an equally rigid stand, we (exile govt.) are caught helpless in between.”
May 1st week, 1999
In an informal meeting of local Tibetan organizations in Darjeeling with new representative officer of H.H. the Dalai Lama, these groups unofficially announce to the local Tibetans that henceforth no one is permitted to invite any member of the Samten Choeling Monastery (Est.1952), Tharpa Choeling Monastery (Est: 1922) and Kharshang Monastery (Est: 1919) to any Tibetan gatherings or Buddhist festivals. All are Gelug monasteries related to Dorje Shugden.
July 24, 1999
Anonymous poster in Nepal:
The Mahayana Gelug Monastery in Kathmandu sent around 152 monks to Pomra of Sera-Mey and Dhokang of Gaden- Shartse monasteries. They asked Nepali families not to send children to these monasteries, because these monasteries worship Dorje Shugden.
September 12, 2000
Three Thousand Tibetans came to Dhokhang Monastery at Shartse monastery. They attacked the monastery and its monks with stones and bricks.
December 14, 2000
The Delhi High Court has directed the Delhi Police to look into the complaints of torture of Lord Dorje Shugden devotees by H.H. the Dalai Lama. In a writ filed before the court, Geshe Konchog Gyaltsen said that he received telegrams singed by "S Killer" in which he has been threatened to be killed in the same way as Geshe Lobsang Gyatso had been murdered. A division bench of Justice Usha Mehra and Justice K. Ramamoorthy after hearing the criminal writ filed by Dorje Shugden devotees' Charitable & Religious Society, directed the Deputy of Commissioner of Police (North) to look into the complaint and take decision in accordance to law within six weeks.
March 20-21-22, 2001
The Human Rights and Religious Freedom Summit was held at India International Center, New Delhi. It was attended by members of Parliaments, MLS, Professors, Doctors, delegates of Dorje Shugden across the world.
April 2001
From Lama Zopa Rinpoche, spiritual director of the FPMT. Excerpt from a letter to Lozang Jinpa, private secretary to His Holiness H.H. the Dalai Lama - April 2001: “The FPMT Board of Directors has just made a policy regarding the practice of Shugden. FPMT will not invite anyone who practices this as a resident teacher or a visiting teacher. Of course sometimes it is difficult to say if someone is hiding the practice. Can you please inform His Holiness of this.”
July 30, 2002
In an anonymous notice posted in Lama Camp no 2, along with the concluding meeting of this examination, in the interest of the general policy of Tibet, and for the very sake of Gelug sect, we wish to pass a resolution and take signature to ban devotees of Dholgyal (Shugden) from appearing at this examination.
June 20, 2002
Sera-Jey monastery sent a letter to the representative of H.H. the Dalai Lama at Lugsung Samdupling Tibetan settlement, Bylakupee, Karnataka State. It reads:
"As the one person mentioned below requires an Identity Certificate for traveling abroad, he is not a worshipper of Dholgyal (Dorje Shugden). As such, we have no objection for his traveling abroad.”
June 30, 2002
The letter was issued by the so-called Examination candidates who have no wish to study or hold any religious exercise with apostates.
“Some perverted worshipers of Dholgyal (Shugden) have been engaged in slander against His Holiness the Dalai Lama. They have been engaged in various activities, which are detrimental to the cause of Tibetan polity. The reason why this is so, is the fact that till now none of you have taught them (Shugden worshippers) a strong lesson. You have left them free. When you offered long life prayers to him (Dalai Lama) at Pang-pe this year, he (Dalai Lama) shouted out of exasperation: "Am I the only person who should challenge the Dholgyal Society?”
“...the need of the hour is to make a complete discrimination between those who worship and those who do not worship Shugden...”
“...the abbots and former abbots should establish a complete ban blocking the inclusion of any Dholgyal worshipper in the Gelug Board Examinations. “...we will institute a signature campaign, to the effect that henceforth we do not wish to conduct or sit at examinations alongside those who worship Dholgyal. Copies of this signature and oath will be submitted to the (exile Tibetan) Cabinet and the Private Office of H.H. the Dalai Lama.”
July 8, 2002
For official announcement by the (Administrative) House Teachers, with the seal of Sera-Jey monastery:
1) It has been resolved at the meeting of July 8, 2002 that oath will be taken from the entering of the monastic community that henceforth no one will worship Dholgyal (Shugden).
2) On that day, all the adjacent monks of respective houses will be stringently called together for this taking of oath. Whoever does not attend, will be treated as "voluntarily expelled" from the monastery's communal auspices.
5) The monastery will not take cognizance of any posters for or against this decision, once the oath-admission is completed. House teachers will take stringent steps over their members on this point.
June 28, 2002
Sera-Jey abbot Dhonyoe, Gyumey Khensur Lobsang Tenzin, Geshe Wangdhu and Jangtse abbot had used their full force and power to let the monks of their monasteries to put their signature, saying that I have no connection with Dorje Shugden. At that time, seven monks were badly attacked.
Jan 5 to 20, 2005
The names and photographs of seven people were sent to the police station and media. Their photographs were posted and they were reported to be serious threat to H.H. the Dalai Lama’s life. Three are the monks who lived in the monastery for 20 years and became Geshes. As worshipper of Shugden, they were accused that they might attempt to assassinate H.H. the Dalai Lama during his Kalachakra ritual. The news of the threat fade away.
“The Tibetan authorities informed us that these persons might attempt to assassinate him during his stay in Amravati," said a police official. Police confirmed they had received reports from intelligence officials in Tibet about a serious threat to H.H. the Dalai Lama's life. The report said he faced threats from seven people in Tibet and China. The names and photographs of the seven, said to be former followers, have been sent to Guntur police.” Let’s see how many innocent and how many Buddhist lamas were tortured by such false accusations.
February 14, 2006
A statue of Dorje Shugden was forcefully removed and destroyed along with a statue of Setrab by a few monks in the Nyakri-department of Ganden Monastery, Lhasa, Tibet. Some pilgrims seeing this reported to people in Lhasa and a few hundred Tibetans from Kham regions, particularly from Dagyab, for whom both these deities are very important, were shocked and alarmed and went up to the Ganden monastery to question the responsible for this sabotage. However, one man from Dagyab, who was working as a driver foresaw the dire consequences of a meeting between these people and the monks, and informed his boss. The Chinese police reached the monastery before these few hundreds of people arrived from Lhasa, and thus prevented direct clashes. The responsibles for this destruction were then put under interrogation. The dozen of monks who had participated in the destruction were just carried away, following the two main instigators, who had to face legal consequences.
Such unrest and activity occurs inside Tibet due to strong denouncement by H.H. Dalai Lama at Kalachakra initiations, as well as due to sending people to Tibet with the particular mission to spread such allegations, as "the deity Dorje Shugden is harming the Tibetan freedom and is a danger for the life of His Holiness".
In similar acts houses of practitioners of Dorje Shugden and their relatives have also been attacked by planting heavy explosives. In some cases, when the responsibles were caught by the Chinese authorities and brought to justice, the exile administration publicized these people as national heros fighting for Tibetan freedom.
July 19, 2006
A house of a family in Lhasa known as a practitioners of Shugden was attacked by four Tibetan fanatics who wore masks and claimed to be Dalai Lama's messengers. The only person who was at that time in the house was their 20 year old son who was tortured and cut his fingers off and threatened that the next time they were going to cut his hands off and they will cut his head off if his family doesn't listen to Dalai Lama.
December 9, 2006
Dorje Shugden Society organized a Grand Puja in Delhi. Many senior Lamas, Geshes, and monks were invited from various monasteries including Sera and Ganden.
December 20/21, 2006
The 10th Anniversary of founding of Dorje Shugden Society and 5th International Dorje Shugden Summit was held at India International Center, New Delhi. The summit was attended by dignitaries, scholars, and delegates from 14 different countries.
January 12, 2007
At the public speech at Sera-Mey monastery, H.H. the Dalai Lama accused the Dorje Shugden Society and Shugden devotees as murderers and beaters, and said "they receive money from China".
February 2, 2007
In the morning puja of Gaden Jangtse monastery, the abbot Lobsang Choepal declared that the monks who have no identity card must make a decision within two weeks. To get the ID, every monk must give a signature that he will give up the worship of Shugden. As monks of Serkong house worship the deity, they didn't get the ID from the monastery.
February 5, 2007
The society sent petitions to Prime Minister, Home Minster, and Foreign Minister of India, requesting them to stop the religious repression by the abbot of Gaden Jangtse monastery in South India, and let the devotees enjoy their religious freedom granted by Indian Constitution.
February 15, 2007
The delegates from women association and Youth Congress sought permission from the abbot to conduct peaceful demonstration in the monastery against Shugden devotees.
February 23, 2007
Tsering Dondup, General Secretary of Department of Religion & Culture (Tibetan government in Exile) sends a letters to the abbots and staff of every Gelug monasteries. It reads:
“Even the Head Reception Center are explaining why H.H. the Dalai Lama has banned the worshipping of Dholgyal (Dorje Shugden) to our brothers who newly arrived from Tibet. However, we give the same recommendation, without discrimination, for schools and monasteries to the few newcomers who take rigid stand to worship Dholgyal.”
“However, in Gelug code of Conduct resolved on the gathering of Gaden Tripa, Shartse Choje and Jangtse Choje, abbots and representatives, in article 4, 7 of section 12, about do and don't. Those who will join a monastery must give up the worshipping of Dholgyal (Dorje Shugden). The head reception Center must explain like before as to why H.H. the Dalai Lama has imposed a ban on worshipping Dholgyal. In case they didn't listen and take staunch stand despite your explanations, there is no way to let them go like present in every Gelug monastery including Sera, Drepung and Ganden. Therefore, from the day you received this degree, you must implement the policy not to provide recommendation [to those who continue worship Dorje Shugden.] in every monastery which was registered in the Tibetan Exile's Department of Religion and Culture."
