Beach Boys - Kokomo (Aruba, Bahama, Jamaica... DOMINICA)

[Ringo Starr]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TadZubd0YSo

Why would the Karmapa give up REAL FREEDOM IN EXILE?
Freedom to turn the wheel of DHARMA as he so wishes?

(TibetanReview.net, Dec10, 2018) – The Karmapa, one of the most influential leaders in Tibetan Buddhism, is unable to come to India because New Delhi insists that he stick to the highly restrictive, little recognized overseas travel document called Identity Certificate (IC) it issues to Tibetan residents in the country whereas the former wants to surrender it and travel on a foreign passport he acquired recently, according to a report in the thehindu.com Dec 9.

It is on the basis of this logic that New Delhi reportedly says he does not need a visa to come to India.

The Karmapa, 34, recently said he had acquired a passport of Commonwealth of Dominica, a Caribbean island country, for the convenience of his travel to numerous countries where he has large number of centres and followings. However, India is said to be refusing to accept the surrender of his IC. Tibetans travelling on IC only need to obtain a return visa for coming back to the country whereas the Karmapa is seeking a visa on his Dominican passport.

The situation has reached an impasse and the Karmapa is currently in retreat. The report said that confirming the impasse, India’s former advisor on Tibetan Affairs, Mr Amitabh Mathur, who has been a key interlocutor, has said the matter had now been put on hold. “There are no restrictions on his travel, however,” he was quoted as saying.

Followers of the Karmapa in the state of Sikkim have for long urged New Delhi to permit him to visit the state, given the restrictions under which he had to live near Dharamsala since he escaped from Chinese ruled Tibet in Dec 1999 and reached the town, home to the Dalai Lama, in Jan 2000. It was much later that he was finally permitted, upon prior permissions, to travel to other parts of India and other countries. But the restriction on visiting Sikkim remained and was lifted only after he was out of the country. He has been visiting the USA and Europe since leaving India in May 2017.

The Karmapa has made clear his wish to visit Sikkim as well as to take part in a meeting of Tibet’s top religious leaders in Dharamsala. The meeting was originally scheduled to take place at the end of Nov 2018, but had to be postponed indefinitely following the sudden passing away of the head of the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism in a freak accident in Nepal.

http://www.tibetanreview.net/karmapa-in-impasse-with-new-delhi-over-his-travel-document/

[Rowntree]

Actually, I don't quite get what is going on. The Karmapa wanted to return to India with the new Dominica passport is very logical. Why would he want to keep the IC and the restriction that comes with it? Since India refused to accept his wish to surrender the IC, they forced him to not return at all. So now we know the truth behind him not returning to India last month.

The meeting was cancelled by sleazy Lobsang Sangay without the Dalai Lama's concern. He really got on the Dalai Lama's nerves and had the holy scream on him, hahaha! Sangay should just leave and let his karma come to him so he cannot continue all the harmful deeds he creates for as long as he is in office!

[PrajNa]

Actually, I don't quite get what is going on. The Karmapa wanted to return to India with the new Dominica passport is very logical. Why would he want to keep the IC and the restriction that comes with it? Since India refused to accept his wish to surrender the IC, they forced him to not return at all. So now we know the truth behind him not returning to India last month.

The meeting was cancelled by sleazy Lobsang Sangay without the Dalai Lama's concern. He really got on the Dalai Lama's nerves and had the holy scream on him, hahaha! Sangay should just leave and let his karma come to him so he cannot continue all the harmful deeds he creates for as long as he is in office!

I agree with you. The Karmapa has also been suspected to be a Chinese spy by the Indian government, so why live as a Tibetan refugee when you can get another passport. It is sad that after all this, they still wouldn't grant him a visa to return for the important meeting. It will look very bad if the Karmapa didn't appear for the meeting.

[Tracy]

I think it is good that the Karmapa has got himself a Dominican passport and he can travel around to give Dharma teaching which is something he would like to do. He is a very sincere Dharma practitioner, he said before what he wants to do is to spread Dharma, that is his mission. All he wants to do is to bring benefits to people but he was restricted by the CTA.

He was smart to insist to use the Dominican passport to go back to India. I believe the CTA wants the Karmapa to be back in India badly and they won't want him to leave India. If he travels back to India with the IC, the CTA can influence India to stop him from going out from India. The CTA has done this to Yongyal Rinpoche before. When Yongyal Rinpoche was travelling back to India, he was denied entry and was sent back to the US.

The CTA is very damaging to Tibetans and also to Buddhism. They don't provide the necessary for the high lama to spread and preserve Dharma. Instead, they make use of the high lamas as a political tool to gain power and to control people. Everything the CTA does is motivated by money and power, the welfare of the Tibetans are not their concern at all.

[SabS]

Kudos to the Karmapa for having the foresight to gain a passport from the Dominican Republic. Now he has the freedom of travel without restrictions. Why would he or anyone with freedom want to return to the oppression of CTA and their supporter? It is weird that India would only admit him based on his IC and not accept his surrender of his IC. And why does India restrict him from Sikkim?

[Tracy]

Kudos to the Karmapa for having the foresight to gain a passport from the Dominican Republic. Now he has the freedom of travel without restrictions. Why would he or anyone with freedom want to return to the oppression of CTA and their supporter? It is weird that India would only admit him based on his IC and not accept his surrender of his IC. And why does India restrict him from Sikkim?

The CTA still have some kind of influence in India, they must have told some officials in India not to approve Karmapa's visa application if he wants to travel to India using his Dominican passport. I don't think Karmapa really wants to go back to India and participates in the conference organised by the CTA. He was being polite to say he wanted to go back to attend the conference.

I think the CTA wants the Karmapa to be the successor of the Dalai Lama after the Dalai Lama passes away. The CTA is not powerful enough to command the Tibetans but they know religious head like the Karmapa is able to do so. Besides, they also need someone who has the charisma similar to the Dalai Lama to raise money for them. The CTA has to have a product to sell to the westerners and the sponsors and the Karmapa is the next best choice!

The Karmapa knows that he is only a money making tool to the CTA that is why he is reluctant to go back to India. If he really wants to go back, he could have used the IC to go back but he insists on using the Dominican passport. He is wise not to go back to India, now he can focus on doing Dharma work and also reconcile with the other Karmapa in order to resolve the conflict in Kagyu lineage.

[Alex]

His Holiness the Karmapa made a right choice to get a foreign passport and to surrender the travel document that was issued by the Indian government to the Tibetans. Who wants to keep a cheap travel document which is highly restrictive and less recognised. He would be crazy to have kept that lousy travel document. So now we know that the Indian government is unhappy towards Karmapa's decision and try to force him to keep their travel document.

Now with the new travel document, Karmapa will no longer be controlled by the CTA. CTA is renowned to exert control on high lamas like Karmapa because they know the secret to control Tibetans is through their lamas. Karmapa is a very influential lama in Tibetan Buddhism and CTA certainly would like to get him on their side and use him.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama is getting older and he may pass into clear light anytime. Without the Dalai Lama, CTA will lose control of the Tibetans and that is why they are in dire need of another High Lama to exert control onto the Tibetans. Since they can't get hold of the Panchen Lama, Karmapa is the best next in line. However, I do not think Karmapa will submit himself to CTA and his prolonged stay in US is a form of resistance.

CTA will finally lose their grip on the Tibetans and the Tibetans can finally be free from their corrupted government. 

[Drolma]

The CTA is making themselves look stupid again, they have just lost another high lama. They think they have the power to control people and do what they want, but somehow the Karmapa still managed to escape from them! The Karmapa must have quietly planned this for quite sometimes.

Tibet has a long history of mixing the religion with politics. Until today, the CTA is still doing that despite claiming themselves to be a democratic 'government'. They still want to use the reputation and power of a high lama to help them achieve their political agenda. I guess when they are incapable of doing anything, this is the only way they can rule the people.

The CTA never learns from their lesson. They lost the country because of how corrupted and backward their government was. The help from the West did not help them to improve, but make them worse. They are taking things for granted and just want easy money. Their use their people to make themselves rich.

[Tracy]

Until today the CTA has not said anything about the Karmapa giving up the IC issued by India and becoming a Dominican citizen, isn't this a betrayal? They said DS practitioners are traitor because we don't listen to the Dalai Lama, how about the Karmapa? This is again another double standard.

Why doesn't the CTA condemn the Karmapa? Is it because the CTA is guilty of it? Is it because they tried to control Karmapa and not give him the freedom to learn and teach Dharma that is why he runs away? Everyone knows that the CTA is trying to make him a successor of the Dalai Lama and trying to control him that is why he was living in a Gelug monastery when he was in India.

The Karmapa has never been a politician and as he said before, he can never be a good one. He has expressed his unhappiness and that he is depressed because he couldn't do much Dharma work. He has finally got away from the CTA. I hope he can fulfill his mission to preserve and spread Dharma to the world.