I thought this article was interesting because the Dalai Lama is going to this politically sensitive area. I wonder if he will visit Rumtek, or talk about the 17th Karmapa he endorsed, Ogyen Trinley, as opposed to the Shamarpa Rinpoche endorsed Thaye Dorje, and persuade the Sikkim authorities to let Ogyen Trinley enter Rumtek.
A friend of mine told me that Tai Situpa has said that Dorje Shugden is bad, but Ogyen Trinley has apparently not said anything either way. Perhaps since he is Chinese endorsed, do you think Ogyen Trinley will be more open to Dorje Shugden practice? After all, the 16th Karmapa Rangjung Rigpay Dorje was known to have been against anyone putting down Dorje Shugden (
http://www.dorjeshugden.com/forum/index.php?topic=1809.0).
Dalai Lama to unveil 135 ft tall Buddha statue in SikkimIndia TV webteam [ Updated 04 Feb 2013, 18:41:20 ]
Gangtok, Feb 4 : The Tibetan temporal head Dalai Lama will inaugurate a 135-feet tall statue of Buddha at Ravangla in Sikkim on March 26.
The Dalai Lame will also open a Buddha Park being built here. Buddhist devotees from Southeast Asian countries have been flocking to Sikkim in recent years, after it has been added to the Buddhist tourist circuit.
Parts of the holy Buddha relics will be brought on this occasion from Southeast Asian countries, a state government official said.
Ravangla is a small tourist town in South Sikkim from where the moutain peaks of Kanchejunga, Pandim, Sinialchu and Kabru are clearly visible.
Ravangla has a sizeable Tibetan community, and the ralang monastery of the Kagyu school of tibetan Buddhism is located six km away from Ravangla.