This evening, I had the opportunity to visit Kyabje Yongyal Rinpoche (Rinpoche has been back in the US for a little over a week now) and also offer dinner to Rinpoche. Since Rinpoche's detainment and deportation from India, a lot of people have expressed their thoughts and views on the incident. So, given this opportunity, I asked Rinpoche his thoughts on what had occurred. Kyabje Rinpoche's reply was sheer evidence of Rinpoche's level of attainments.
As a starter, I asked him whether it was correct to say that in part, it was the lack of merit and bad karma on the part of the students that the students in India were not able to receive the teachings, since it is said in the sutras and tantras that it takes many lives of accumulating merit before one even has the good fortune to receive sutric teachings, let alone tantric teachings. Rinpoche said in terms of the law of cause and effect (karma), it is true that the students had planted a cause that led to the effect of their not being able to receive the initiation of the three yidams (apparently, Rinpoche was going to bestow the grand initiations of Yamantaka, Heruka, and Guhyasamaja, along with other tantric deities such as Vajrayogini and Chittamani Tara, etc.). BUT, and Rinpoche made special emphasize on the next point, it is even more so that the guru (referring to himself, Yongyal Rinpoche) had committed an error or cause in the past that created these obstacles preventing him entry into India.
Sensing it was time to have dinner, Rinpoche, his attendant, and I got into the car. On the way to Soup Plantation (Rinpoche is a vegetarian and every now and then, likes the variety of salads offered at Soup Plantation), Rinpoche proceeded with the discourse. He said, some people might now question the Dharmapala Dorje Shugden and wonder why Dorje Shugden couldn't eliminate the obstacles. But Rinpoche said, sometimes, the karma of a person (referring to himself) may be so heavy that even the Buddhas cannot help. Rinpoche then referred to the story of how Buddha Shakyamuni had tried to save his own Shakya clan from destruction by King Virudhaka. Even when the Buddha and His chief disciple Maudalyayana tried to save 500 Shakya people in his begging bowl, he later found that they had become a pool of blood water. So, it is definitely not that the Dharma Protector did not help.
Finally, Rinpoche advised that when such incidents and obstacles occur, we need to develop altruistic thoughts. We need to contemplate and meditate that when these types of unfortunate incidents befall us, we hope it has instead alleviated the suffering and karma of someone else or in general, our mother-like sentient beings (classical tonglen meditation). When one takes this approach and does this meditation, no anger will arise and one will be at peace and ease.
It is no wonder Rinpoche was able to maintain good spirits while he was detained in the airport! Rinpoche used this entire incident as a moment to reflect on his own karma (humility) and also practice tonglen (compassion). This is truly the difference between an enlightened buddha versus a confused human sentient being.
