Mountain Phoenix Over Tibet's Approach

[icy]

A middle way approach to the Dorje Shugden controversy?  Read on what a Tibetan blogger has to say on Dorje Shugden And The Unresolved Political History Of The Gelugpas:

http://mountainphoenixovertibet.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/the-spirit-that-i-called-dorje-shugden_15.html

[Blueupali]

This is really very biased into doing, as usual, even if this person says we can see Dorje Shugden as enlightened into doing what the Dalai Lama wants.  This person says that the practice was Gelugpa and its political TO propitiate Shugden.
  What a load of horse manure.  The DL just wants to put all four lineages under him, so he wants this mixed approach so he can force people against their root teachers thus trumping them.
   This person also says that Dharmapala practice is not a central practice.  Oh contraire... in the Kagyupa they do the Mahakala puja every day at monestaries --- Green Tara in the morning and Mahakala in the afternoon.  Mahkala is a Dharma Protector folks.
  Also, Shamar Rinpoche, before his passing and Karmapa Thaye Dorje did Mahakala every day---
  So, uh, I need Dorje Shugden and do his practice everyday.  Why do I do his practice everyday?  Well you see, he helps with my inner wealth, increasing my bodhichitta and wisdom and compassion.  I can see that these qualities are growing in me due to this reliance; granted I also do Lam Rim meditations but the conditions that are always aranged increase my inner wealth virtues.... so that is why I rely on this Protector.  Not because I want to have Gelupgas ruling Tibet or something--- I am American and I also think the religion and state should be separate.
  One more thing, this person says that neither side has logical debate; I guess it depends who we listen to for debate; for me, there is no logical position the DL can take, but he makes a lot of logical argument errors that anyone with a little tiny training could spot.
  As for the Shugden people, you know, some lamas debate very well, but maybe this person didn't get a chance to talk to them, since they are in hiding for their very lives for doing this practice.  However, this lama gives a very logical talk about Shugden:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0adrhF8gAEU&index=4&list=UUqoNMBU48TJZ5ZUg9TL4qvg

[empowerment]

Here's an interesting take on Mountain Pheonix's point of view....

http://kadamemanation.com/freeing-dharma-from-political-pollution

[DharmaSpace]

Rather than going away any time soon, the topic is driving a wedge between people, leaving nothing but losers across the board with His Holiness the Dalai Lama's image suffering, the Gelugpa order in disarray, insecure practitioners and social peace shattered. With the spread of Tibetan Buddhism to the West, it's no longer an internal issue either. There must be a way to understand it in a manner that makes sense.

- I agree with this part there is no benefit to carrying on the ban for both sides, CTA please do the necessary and lift the ban.

In the past, it was unthinkable that Tibetans in the free world would join protests exclaiming, "False Dalai Lama, stop lying!" as some are heard shouting during his recent visits to Western countries. It was inconceivable that Tibetans would try to take a Dalai Lama to court for violating their religious rights, as some in India did. I am glad my grandparents didn't live to witness these developments. The rift runs deep leading all the way into Tibet where it splits age-old communities and families. What caused such a drastic estrangement?

- That is because there is no possible dialogue, between the Dalai Lama and Dorje Shugden lama and no other recourse to solve this issue. Most of us would rather be doing our practices than resort to demonstrating or other measures to highlight the ban. 

The decision to remove Dorje Shugden from the Gelug pantheon was similarly
high-handed. While it affects only a part of the community, it has met with resistance. This decision was not about replacing one political idea with another, such as independence with autonomy, with the Chinese running the show irrespective of Tibetan requests. On the one hand, it had a concrete effect on people's private practice: Suddenly their religious orientation drew public criticism from the highest level. On the other hand, the Dalai Lama's negative assessment of Dorje Shugden also had implications for the Gelugpa teachings in general: Propitiating this "spirit" was passed down by lineage masters held in the highest esteem. This last one in my view, is crucial for the dissonance coming from within the Dalai Lama's own ranks. Therefore I will look at it in a bit more detail.

- I am glad there are tibetan like yourself who can reason and understand that this ban is real and it is not fake, plus it affects people spirituality hence it brings suffering on a mental and physical level.

If some Gelugpa masters of this caliber were now hoodwinked by a "spirit", had a sectarian bias, or even engaged in missionising and forced conversion, as is sometimes alleged, they couldn't possibly have been enlightened at the same time? And if they weren’t, then the conclusion can only be that the transmission was invalid: These root and lineage holders were charlatans and hundreds if not thousands followed an erroneous path. The criticism of Dorje Shugden being a sectarian spirit can thus be perceived as ultimately threatening the legitimacy of the Gelugpa transmission. This interpretation is the likelier cause for the current falling-out rather than political instigation by China using pecuniary means to damage the image of the Dalai Lama, as is sometimes claimed. When Tibetans are prepared to sacrifice their independence for the Dalai Lama, what difference could Chinese mammon make? What we in fact have is a fundamental disagreement about the nature of Dorje Shugden and the related consequences for the Gelugpa lineage.

- Yes then not only the Gelugpa transmission is brought into question so is the Sakya tradition who 'hosted' for lack of a better word Dorje Shugden before it went over to the Gelug tradition. Similarly Dalai Lama had many lifetimes of practicing so all his teachings and scholarship since the 5th Dalai Lama, lung etc all invalid and to be questioned? HH Penor Rinpoche of the Nyingma tradition who extended his help towards the Serpom monks cannot see sectarianism and is hoodwinked also?

Some Dharmapalas arose from hostile pagan spirits of pre-Buddhist Tibet and were converted by great masters of the past to protect the Buddhist teaching, it is said; then there are fantastic stories of Dharmapalas "recruited" from the Devas and Bodhisattvas; to complicate the concept, some protector deities are said to possess Buddha nature as the Three Jewels, not at all of inferior status assigned to do a lowly job as guards, as their form would suggest. And not enough: Enlightened masters, it is said, can also manifest as Dharmapalas; out of their great compassion, they make themselves available beyond their physical death, so to speak, so that practitioners can ask them for guidance via a medium. This in short, is the wondrous world of Dharmapalas as I have come to understand.

-No one can dispute that Guru Rinpoche subdued Nechung who is clearly a spirit brought from the Middle East. Unlike Nechug Dorje Shugden manifested from the Duldzin Drakpa line of incarnations so to think that after Tulku Dragpa Gyeltsen a negative spirit arises is a fallacious thought in line with Trijang Rinpoche's logic.

Then there are those who try to advance on the path by working more with their "wisdom mind". If we belong to this group, we must aim at a correctly derived analysis based on objectivity or non-attachment, above everything else. Aggravating the analysis in this specific case is that the person raising the doubts is the Dalai Lama. In Tibetan circles, there is a heavy dose of lèse majesté with regard to this issue. The topic is deemed too hot to handle with everyone preferring conspiracy theories and walking on eggshells in order not to compromise him. However, if we investigate the issue undeterred, we may first bring to mind the fundamental Buddhist principle of the so-called "inherently empty nature of phenomena" as Buddha Gautama proclaimed in the third seal of the fundamental "Four Great Seals of the Dharma". A popular association would be the story of a son who gives his old mother a dogtooth pretending it's a relic of the Buddha; wholeheartedly believing him, the mother worships it and eventually gains genuine spiritual insights from it. If a dogtooth had the inherent nature of just a dogtooth, the old lady would not have been able to produce such a result. Her attitude and motivation made all the difference. Many Tibetans are familiar with this story and its line of argument: The object of veneration is as holy or unholy as the mind of the venerator.

- Yes, most Tibetan loath to offend or say anything against their God-King, but of the God- King always says to have dialogue and conversation is paramount but it does not extend to cover the Dorje Shugden issue.

I do think Tibetan should be brave not to injure or hurt the Dalai Lama but to raise out doubts they have about the God-king's decision if they do not comprehend them.

Once Buddha Shakyamuni was a bodhisattva, he and 499 other students were asked by their teacher to go out and steal, all 499 agreed unquestioningly, but the bodhisattva asked why should we take from others is that not a violation against ethics. In the end the teacher praised the bodhisattva for using his head.

So why are the tibetan asked to just swallow edicts from HHDL without questioning the logic behind, when we receive an instruction we still have to think it through, this is probably the missing thought process amongst most Tibetans. Which is why many Buddhist masters feel there is great potential amongst Western students who are naturally curious and question to understand more.

With regards to the dog tooth story, if one has faith one can even at and cook rocks during a famine chanting an incorrect mantra as illustrated in the Lamrim.

When we accord the insight of the inherently empty nature of phenomena to Dorje Shugden, it explains why some can say full of conviction that he is a manifestation of Buddha Manjushri. At the same time, the guy has absolutely no relevance to uninvolved onlookers because it's WYSIWYG - what you see is what you get. Tibetans are unlikely to knowingly worship a "spirit" because as Buddhists they know it's pointless to go for refuge in an object that is not a representation of the Three Jewels. But they cannot be unknowingly worshipping a spirit either because that would amount to Dorje Shugden having the inherent nature of a spirit, which blatantly contradicts the principle of the emptiness of all phenomena. My conclusion is therefore that for his adherents, Dorje Shugden must be a bona fide object of refuge, a so-called "enlightened Dharmapala" of the same nature as a Buddha

- I agree all sentient beings have the buddha nature inherent in them. So technically we cannot pray to a spirit. 

Historically, Rimé – which is often translated as “non-sectarian” - was the answer by Tibet's smaller orders to counter the Gelugpas’ sectarian expansionism. With political backing and powerful patrons, the Gelug order was free to spread its school of Buddhism into the farthest corner of the highlands. Precious transmissions and teachings from smaller orders were at risk of being extinguished and so great masters of the past - lineage holders in the true sense of the word - took it upon themselves to save and consolidate them, hence the Rimé movement was born. That a Dalai Lama would one day join the underdogs and stop putting the interest of his own school above the interest of the others is therefore extraordinary. Not only does it hold great symbolic significance for Tibet's religious minorities, but it is fulfills the necessity of exile to keep everyone together under one roof.

- In tibet I agree Gelug tradition has the upper hand in ensuring its survival and the spread of Lama Tsongkhapa tradition but with the Tibetan buddhism being exposed to the entire world and in the age of the internet there are no boundaries for the other traditions to thrive. Anyone can choose what they want to hear and when they want to hear it and who they want to hear it from. The Gelug big brother scenario just does not fit into our modern times.

[DharmaSpace]

What we are witnessing, in my view, is therefore nothing less than the dying days of Gelugpa rule. Any hegemony exhausts its cycle. Buddhists would say it's impermanence at work. The exile polity is becoming more inclusive and with it, the Rimé movement is experiencing a revival. At the dawn of this new era, it would seem Dorje Shugden has become a convenient scapegoat for the official Gelug school to absolve itself from its historical responsibility of institutionalised sectarian rule. Singling Dorje Shugden out as the culprit and projecting collective shortcomings of Gelugpa rule onto this "spirit" allows the official order to extricate itself from the potential stigma of religious Apartheid. By getting rid of Dorje Shugden, so perhaps the new Gelugpa calculation, the order would be able to survive historical accountability unscathed, and the Tibetans could have a new beginning. More research is required to back up my conclusions, but that's my hypothesis in a nutshell for the moment.

- Gaden Phodrang will never happen again, Gaden Phodrang arose from unavoidable circumstances. Giving up on Dorje Shugden is not an option. If mistakes was made under the Gaden Phodrang it is already in the past, even if one presses for a case against Gelug rule who is accountable, which lama will take that fall?

Gaden Phodrang was not something that the Gelug planned or schemed to have, the emergence of Gaden Phodrang spelled the end of the monarchy in Tibet.  With the Kagyu threatening war and Tsangpa princes who had expansionist ideas to counter the Gelug influence this resulted in violence, at best the Gelug can be called reacting to the circumstances. Many monks died when the Tsangpa dynasty attacked Drepung and Sera, it was either protect your tradition or wait to be assimilated? Such religious wars if allowed to last longer I think it had no value in having, two sides kept on finding allies and going at each other over and over again.

- Probably this head on battle was inevitable that as Tsongkhapa's tradition became more popular (pre Gaden Phodrang days) and the Tsangpa Dynasty were devoted Karma Kagyus could not find common ground. I do not think anyone can be faulted if their tradition appeals to more sections of the Tibetan society during the time of the 5th Dalai Lama. Another common trait to what happened during the time of the 5th dalai lama was that during Je Pabongka's time, due to his popularity and ability to reach out to the common people, certain quarters named him sectarian, well with certain people there is no way you can't win the argument.

It is important to differentiate though, that contemporary followers of Dorje Shugden in Tibet and abroad, are private people without any association to state power and who have a different notion of the Dharmapala altogether. They also vehemently reject any wrongdoings with regard to belittling other Buddhist schools. The most vocal ones among them are not the most skillful in advancing their point, but if one listens to their message with a willingness to understand their concern, one may notice that their bewilderment at the accusation is actually genuine. - It shouldn't come as a surprise really because Gelugpas in general have a poor historical awareness of the problematic nature of their order's long-term marriage to political power. This unawareness also explains why the accused are totally clueless and the critics can direct any kind of sectarianism guilt pointedly on Dorje Shugden and his followers, without having second thoughts about themselves. On this point, all Gelugpas high and low are equally history-blind.

- There may be some truth that the Gelug institution having the ear of the Dalai Lama since the formation of the Gaden Phodrang could be blindsided somewhat. Ok we know now lets move on then. 

The political end is more difficult to foresee. In hindsight, the biggest miscalculation in the quest to remove Dorje Shugden from the Gelug pantheon was the assumption that as in the past, people would follow the Dalai Lama's recommendation out of loyalty. Had the Dalai Lama left the disassociation from Dorje Shugden at the state level and his personal situation as its head, the dispute may have ended with the separation from the dissenting monks. But for whatever reason he began to repeatedly raise the issue at large public gatherings. Once his concern was publicised, things developed their own dynamics. So when people still don't listen after nearly twenty years of constant reminders, it can't be because they haven't heard the message? Rather they don't seem to appreciate protectionist interventions with regard to their personal religious practice. Perhaps then it is time to look at the dissent as an exercise for the Tibetans to become more self-reliant. The Dalai Lama won't be around to coach his people forever. The sooner they learn to figure out what they want, the better.

- The Dalai lama is much more shrewd that the author suggests he know exactly what he was doing, he never underestimated Gelug opposition which was why he made sure lay and monks understood he was asking monks and lay Tibetans to give up their practice.

I don't know whether the "Dorje Shugden Tibetans" are aware of it but with their refusal to comply, they have created a historical precedence: For the first time since Lama Tsongkhapa, we now have a section of the Gelugpas that is completely cut off from the old ways of "religion and politics combined". These renegade monasteries and lay practitioners are now as independent as the Nyingmapa, Sakyapa and Kagyupa have been, never coming into the orbit of government. Could it be then that the Tibetan dispute so painful to observe at present, will be looked upon by later generations as a watershed in history, when a part of the Gelugpas was able to shake off the burden of government and become a normal Tibetan Buddhist school? In the heat of the polemics it may be difficult to envision this transition, but the Dorje Shugden supporters dominating the headlines are hardly representative of the whole group. There are less visible Tibetan masters, monks and and lay practitioners who stand on their ethics, and who focus on their spiritual practice to benefit others. By keeping a low profile, they help to avoid adding fuel to the fire. They also remain respectful of His Holiness the Dalai Lama though they do not share his view on the protector.

- It is just a return to the time before the formation of Gaden Phodrang. Perhaps as you say a fresh 'restart' for the Gelug tradition free of political machinations. It is a watershed moment.

It would be desirable for the head of the Gelugpa school, the so-called "Throne holder of Ganden" or Ganden Tripa, to play a more active role and put things into perspective for everyone. Dharmapalas are personal and not a main practice. Amidst the hype, a molehill appears like a mountain. The Ganden Tripa should also lead efforts to dissipate the doubts cast on the authenticity of the spiritual transmission. Furthermore, he should be at the forefront to investigate with ruthless candor the political role his order played during the Ganden Phodrang rule. At the same time it is clear that the Ganden Tripa's hands are tied. Even the person who represents Lama Tsongkhapa on earth has trouble stepping out of the Dalai Lama's shadow. The entire discussion is not easy because previous Dalai Lamas, especially the 5th to which the current 14th seems to feel particular affinity, are themselves implied in sectarian conflicts and the Dalai Lama is still among us, active in public affairs and dominating public opinion. It doesn't help either that, unlike the other Tibetan Buddhist schools, the big Gelugpa monasteries in India, including the throne holder of Ganden, are under the administration of the exile government and receive funding from them. - How can Lama Tsongkhapa's earthly deputy find a good way to act in the best interest of the lineage, irrespective of political concerns and without making His Holiness the Dalai Lama appear in a bad light?

- There is no separation of power and by right Gelug affairs do not fall under government administration or the Dalai Lama, it falls under the auspices of the Gaden Tripa like you said it. Yes it is extremely difficult to step out of the Dalai Lama's shadow.

I really appreciate  Mountain phoenix for giving a go at analysing this issue and providing a much needed thought out perspectives and not the usual, Long liv His Holiness the Dalai Lama rhetoric, or Dorje Shugden practitioners are on Chinese mammon we find on social media. And it is said with a lot of honesty not wanting to take sides of one faction over the other, trying to be as objective as possible. Thanks. 

[Blueupali]

What we are witnessing, in my view, is therefore nothing less than the dying days of Gelugpa rule. Any hegemony exhausts its cycle. Buddhists would say it's impermanence at work. The exile polity is becoming more inclusive and with it, the Rimé movement is experiencing a revival. At the dawn of this new era, it would seem Dorje Shugden has become a convenient scapegoat for the official Gelug school to absolve itself from its historical responsibility of institutionalised sectarian rule. Singling Dorje Shugden out as the culprit and projecting collective shortcomings of Gelugpa rule onto this "spirit" allows the official order to extricate itself from the potential stigma of religious Apartheid. By getting rid of Dorje Shugden, so perhaps the new Gelugpa calculation, the order would be able to survive historical accountability unscathed, and the Tibetans could have a new beginning. More research is required to back up my conclusions, but that's my hypothesis in a nutshell for the moment.

....
I really appreciate  Mountain phoenix for giving a go at analysing this issue and providing a much needed thought out perspectives and not the usual, Long liv His Holiness the Dalai Lama rhetoric, or Dorje Shugden practitioners are on Chinese mammon we find on social media. And it is said with a lot of honesty not wanting to take sides of one faction over the other, trying to be as objective as possible. Thanks.

I disagree that Mountain Phoenix is not taking sides, as the idea that the Dalai Lama is trying to be less sectarian by his Rime/anti-Shugden stand is actually taking the Dalai Lama's side.  The Dalai Lama is a master of doublespeak, so it is possible that Mountain Phoenix missed what he was doing; when the Dalai Lama pins that Gelugpa wants to be most powerful therefore they want their "sectarian" Dorje Shugden, and he of course, the amazing and pure holy Dalai wants to make everything egalitarian, he will just help out by saying that he doesn't want the Gelugpa sect to be dominant, but rather he wants to merge all four traditions into one mixed sect, with the Dalai Lama himself in charge.  So, he doesn't want Gelugpas in power might be true, but only on the (obvious) conclusion that the Dalai Lama is not himself a Gelugpa; basically the Dalai wants all the power in his own hands, no one elses.
  The Dorje Shugden lamas were not the Gelugpas ruling Tibet--- that was the Dalai himself.

[Blueupali]

DharmaSpace,
  I appreciate that you rever the Dalai Lama, but I have to point out, that you could still rever him and think he is teaching in reverse--- like there is not a chance I would want religion and state mixed in Tibet after what he has demonstrated outwardly.  So, here is why I think it is biased toward the Dalai Lama to pretend he is actually trying to help the other schools have as much power as Gelugpa; he seems to just want to be in charge of all four schools, okay, as per below, so, really it's not Gelugpa in charge of anything, it's really the Dalai in charge, and he says it is Gelugpa; Dorje Shugden is opposed to religion in politics, which is why the Dalai gives the appearance of not liking him.  I think if one has 'pure view' of the Dalai Lama as a Buddha, one could remember that Buddhas sometimes teach by reverse psychology, and simply ignore everything he says with his mouth.  Here is what I mean by he tried to merge the 4 schools under him.  Technically it was the TGIE, but he kind of like was um, in charge of the TGIE so that means he wanted to merge all four schools under him:

In 1961 the Tibetan government in exile proposed to merge the four Tibetan schools into one religious body headed by Your Holiness. This policy inflicted serious spiritual suffering on much of the Tibetan exile community. Rallying behind Karmapa's authority, thirteen Tibetan settlements challenged the Exile Government's plan and as a consequence the whole scheme was abandoned. Later in the seventies Karmapa came under blame because he had chosen to defend the autonomy of the three other lineages. The aggressive atmosphere which had been fomented during that period triggered joyful celebrations at the Tibetan camps in Ladakh when H.H. the 16th Karmapa died in 1981. This painful incident further inflamed the mistrust between the two schools.

http://www.karmapa-issue.org/arguments.htm