New Video of Monks Swearing Out!

[thor]

I found this new video which shows the monks being forced to choose between Dorje Shugden and the Dalai Lama's rule. It seems to be a documentary created by Bod Gyalo, the magazine for the Tibetans in Exile.

Watch at 0:26mins when an old monk hits the tray of sticks with the stick he is holding. Also watch at the end where even the young monks are forced to swear against Dorje Shugden, without realising the implications of what they are doing.

Tibetan Gov forced Monks and Monastries to Sign and Swear to quite Dorje Shugden practise

Can someone who speaks Tibetan help to translate? I want to know what they are saying.

[vajratruth]

I wonder what the significance of hitting the tray was, but the old monk did not seem too pleased with the entire affair. The entire process seemed very contrived with many Tibetan Government officials at watch.

IF HHDL is truly the emanation of the Buddha Of Compassion, why would a Buddha need ordinary human beings to supervise the swearing of loyalty to him? Isn't a Buddha supposed to have claivoyance to see what is truly inside a person's heart? The whole process stinks of political manipulation.

Anyway, the enlightened mind of Dorje Shugden cannot be affected by something like this. The Protector swore an oath to preserve and protect the perfect teachings of Lama Tsongkhapa, not to run a popularity contest against the Dalai Lama. However, those who are the cause for a monk to break his vows have much to answer for.

[Aurore]

The old monk appeared to be hitting the tray full of red stick as if to indicate he will never choose the red stick. Go away, his actions is telling me.

So quickly people turn their backs on Dorje Shugden after so many years propitiating him and asking for assistance. Shugden, the protector who plays a very important role in these monk's spiritual path, to assist and guide them during the times when practicing spirituality becomes harder and tougher.

To swear out of no choice, one should do it quietly and respectfully.

[Big Uncle]

I don't understand Tibetan but I am guessing that there are 2 sets of sticks, hence 2 trays that are being carried around. One tray has red sticks and another yellow sticks. If the monk chose a red stick, it means that he practices Dorje Shugden and will be expelled from the monastery.

If the monk chose the yellow stick, it means that he doesn't practice Dorje Shugden and he has to recite a swear verse that goes along with it. In the video, one of the old monks hit the tray with the red sticks because it was as if he was hitting the 'spirit' of Dorje Shugden or rejecting him. It was all just a show and this video is very political.

[Manjushri]

Big Uncle, thank you for your explanation on the red and yellow sticks. I'm thinking that most monks need Manjushri for them to gain merits to understand the sutra that they are studying!... Dorje Shugden is Manjushri.. why shun the practise of Manjushri especially if you are a child? If you choose Dorje Shugden, you get kicked out of the monastery, you lose a home. If you swear out, you lose your sacred practise from your guru, and the lineage holders. What point is there to free Tibet when its people are not even free from religious and political persecution.

[Barzin]

This is so silly of an act of the government, they should know better the monks are "trained" to benefit sentient beings and not wasting hours choosing sticks!  I just get a sense of guilt and uneasiness that lay people are forcing holy sanghas to break their vows and commitment to the guru.  His Holiness should have known better!  No offense to His Holiness but it just seems illogical to me that this banning issue is turning out to be a joke.  Not only they are feeding the government wrong information, it also causes a lot of disharmony and wrong views among the sanghas and practitioners and give Buddhism a bad name. 

Of course, Dorje Shugden wouldn't care less as he is a Bodhisattva and definitely His Holiness has a better reason than to force the people to choose sticks.  But how long do we have to wait still for the ban to be lifted? 

[Galen]

The old monk appeared to be hitting the tray full of red stick as if to indicate he will never choose the red stick. Go away, his actions is telling me.

So quickly people turn their backs on Dorje Shugden after so many years propitiating him and asking for assistance. Shugden, the protector who plays a very important role in these monk's spiritual path, to assist and guide them during the times when practicing spirituality becomes harder and tougher.

To swear out of no choice, one should do it quietly and respectfully.

It wasn't a choice for the monks in the monasteries to swear out, especially the old monks. If they do not swear out, where would they go? They have no where else to go in their old age as they have lived in the monastery all their life. So, the old monk who hit the tray is a protest that he does not like the swearing in but forced to do so.

As for the young monks, they do not know any better and probably are just following instructions from their elders.

However, I totally do not agree for lay people (CTA) to meddle with matters of the monasteries as it is out of their jurisdiction and the monasteries is in a better position to know what they are doing. All of these are political motivated.

[dsiluvu]

This is so disgusting to watch! I cannot believe that “lay people” are allowed to treat monks in this manner! Even the Abbot of the monastery is being put down or degraded by the CTA which is so unacceptable, so so wrong. The way the Abbot Ken Rinpoche had to announced and the way some monks were reading the statement of swearing out of Dorje Shugden practice seemed reluctant and forced because eyes were watching.

To me the old man hitting the tray of red sticks indicates to me he is not happy at all with the whole affair and what can he do when he has no choice but to pick the yellow stick otherwise face being thrown out. I agee with Galen… “It wasn't a choice for the monks in the monasteries to swear out, especially the old monks. If they do not swear out, where would they go? They have no where else to go in their old age as they have lived in the monastery all their life. So, the old monk who hit the tray is a protest that he does not like the swearing in but forced to do so.”

For a society that swears by their faith in Buddhism, compassion and kindness.. I find the whole event disgusting, hypocritical and political.  To me it is far more disgusting then the “Jihad” activity carried out… at that one, they are straight forward and out right about what they are doing and why.

[kris]

It is such a shame to watch this video.. It seems like no one who knows Tibetan has responded. I will post this video in Facebook and see if anyone can help to translate.

I do agree with Galen that the old monks have no choice but to swear against. The monks have served the monastery for many many years by giving teachings, doing pujas etc, and it is the system of the monastery to take care of them when they are old. But now they are "turned back" and are required to swear against, otherwise they will not get basic supplies especially medicines..

We need to get CTA to stop this unkind acts NOW!!

[lotus1]

It is very heart breaking to see that old and young monks are forced to swear out due to political reasons. By swearing against Dorje Shugden, they are actually against the practice that is passed down by their Guru and this also implied that they have broken samaya. I am sure it is a very difficult decision for the monks. I agreed with Galen that some monks especially the old monks who have no place to turn to or some monks due to want to protect their disciples, have no choice but to choose to swear against Dorje Shugden. However, they may swear out, but I am sure some of them are still quietly practice Dorje Shugden as they are devoting to their Guru and Guru cannot be wrong.
Religions and politics should be two separate issues! CTA please stop this ASAP. I just afraid you will get a lot of negatives karma from doing this.

[samayakeeper]

BLACKMAIL.

That's what it looks to me in this video. Like what is opined here, for those monks who chose to stop Dorje Shugden practice remains in the monastery and be taken care of.
For those who don't, leave. I would leave and join Shargaden. Maybe for some older monks it could be far from where their monastery is from Shargaden but many older monks did traverse the Himalayan mountains in the sixties from Tibet to Nepal, Bhutan and India. I think that was farther.

[Ensapa]

Does anyone know that if a monk 'swears', he breaks the vinaya vows? Monks are not allowed to swear. CTA is wrong to do this to monks. They will reap very heavy negative karma in due time as all the monks who have broken their vows, the karma will go back to the CTA. They have already been downgraded once. Is it time to downgrade again soon?

[Dondrup Shugden]

It is so sad to see Shugden practising monks denounce their faith through force.  And the younger ones who do  may not understand what they are doing.

Sad video to watch but the experience makes us thankful that we can have religious freedom.