Dalai Lama speaks out against caste based discrimination, but how about Shugden

[Tenzin Malgyur]

I have the highest respect for His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and share the same feelings of the caste based discrimination. What my mind failed to understand is why HH is also promoting the same discrimination in Tibetan Buddhism with imposing a ban on the practice of Dorje Shugden. It is very obvious the DS ban is creating worse consequences than just not being able to eat and drink with people of a lower caste. Monks were beaten and ostracised for continuing with their Shugden practice and shopowners refused to deal with Shugden believers.
What is the use of taking photo with the lower caste people if the discrimination still exist? How about lifting the ban so that there is no more segregation of Shugden and non-Shugden practitioners.

[prodorjeshugden]

I really wonder how the Dalai Lama can talked about caste based discrimination while doing the exact same thing behind his back.
For decades Shugden people were treated as lower class people, they lived everyday of their life knowing in fear knowing that at any moment they could be killed by people from the CTA. Besides that they also have problems getting about with their day to day activities like shopping, most shops do not sell goods to Shugdenners as such they have to go really far to shops that sell goods to Shugdenners. Is this how a Buddhist should treat another Buddhist? Is this the teachings of the Buddha? No. So how can the CTA and the Dalai Lama call themselves Buddhist when they abuse their own fellow Buddhist members?

I really hope that the ban and mistreatment against Shugdenners will end soon without any further delay.

[Gabby Potter]

It's against Buddha's teachings to discriminate but why doesn't His Holiness have some compassion on Dorje Shugden practitioners too? Why does caste based discrimination is not allowed but discrimination against Dorje Shugden practitioners is encouraged? Doesn't it contradict with the Buddha's teachings too?

I beg His Holiness to reconsider his decision and stance on Dorje Shugden related matters. Dorje Shugden is merely just a practice, a belief, a religion that belongs to hundreds and thousands of people around the world. ..

taken from dorjeshugden.com front page: http://www.dorjeshugden.com/?p=40313


Recently the Dalai Lama visited Zanskar and speaks out against caste based discrimination:

“I found out that some castes were considered lower caste and others don’t eat and drink with them”…

“Monks also don’t go to their house to perform prayers”…

“But I went along with them and took a picture with them”…

“It is against Buddha’s teaching that in some part of Tibet monasteries don’t enroll people who belongs to a family of blacksmith or butcher”…

[Tenzin K]

This is really funny or rather hypocrite. His Holiness disagree with caste system but agree with discrimination of Dorje Shugden practitioners. His Holiness said it’s against Buddha’s teaching in some part of Tibet monasteries don’t enrol people who belongs to a family of blacksmith or butcher…. But it’s OK to dispel the monks that practice Dorje Shugden which has been practice since 400 years ago from the same monastery. What kind of logic is that?

It doesn’t seems like following the Buddha teaching here, but more to selective teaching according their own preference. I believe the caste system is just causes much suffering to the people and it’s a unfair system to determine their faith from birth. The bottom line here is the suffering that we are disagreeing. This is the same happening to Dorje Shugden practitioners and why it’s double standard? People fall under the caste are human so to Dorje Shugden practitioners.

I totally agree with His Holiness advice and action towards the caste system and humbly request His Holiness did the same to Dorje Shugden practitioners. We are all the same and compassion has no preferences.

[Tianni]

Compassion, kindness and equanimity, all these are selectively practising among the Tibetan leadership towards the Tibetan themselves. And their speech are just confused the world about Buddha teaching.  I am a practitioner of Dorje Shugden, while HH Dalai Lama said about “Religion that divides caste is not a religion”, and within the Tibetan community in India, we have Shugden Practitioners and non-shugden Practitioners due to the shugden ban. Shugden devotees  are discriminated against, and prevented by ordinary people from entering shops and denied hospital services. Again you will hear Tibetan leadership continue to insist that there is no ban and yet in 1996 shugden ban was formalised and made official with the passing of resolutions in the Tibetan Parliament and CTA also passed a resolution against the employment of Shugden practitioners in government department. Speaking compassion to others region, others people but how about own peoples? Until now, the Shugden practitioners still suffering, where is the compassion? Show the world your compassion by end our suffering immediately, lift the ban, please......