Never forget that Lama Osel is after all, Lama Yeshe, so his choice to move away is not just a simple choice. And I do agree with what has been said about students not just waiting for Lama Zopa to become better but creating the causes to receive the teachings from a qualified teacher again.
This article reminded me of something I read recently, where Lama Osel is quoted to have said to Ven. Roger "I am creating my world, FPMT is doing well creating its world. Later, we will merge my world and FPMT."
This could well be the next phase of growth within FPMT - it's very much up to the students to make that "merge".
Beautiful. May both worlds merge. May this be the next phase of growth. We at this website rejoice when this happens.
Mana
A quick search of Lama Osel's recent activities reveal that he is still very much involved in the furtherance of FPMT work:
The following from Osel, was included in FPMT’s Annual Review, Feb 2011:
2011 was a great year for me. I was able to travel so much and had the opportunity to become involved in many FPMT activities.
I was thrilled to be able to meet many old friends and to make so many new friendships too.
From my home in Ibiza, Spain, I traveled to California for an FPMT Board meeting in March.
In April together with Gomo Tulku I traveled to Australia to visit Lama Zopa Rinpoche who was in the initial stages of recovering from his stroke.
In July I traveled to Kopan with Karuna Cayton. I very much wanted to visit Khensur Rinpoche Lama Lhundrup whose health was declining.
It turned out to be a great visit. Lama Zopa Rinpoche requested me to speak to the assembly of nuns at the nunnery and then to all the monks at the monastery. I was very happy with the visit and connected very well with the monks and nuns.
In August I was able to direct the filming of a documentary on Universal Wisdom Education (UWE) along with Matteo Passigato and other crew members. The filming took place at Vajrayogini Institute in France during the first international gathering of UWE which was attended by individuals and families from all over the world. The documentary is currently in the stage of “director’s final cut.”
In November I traveled with my partner Mai, and brother Kunkyen to India. We stayed in my former home Osel Labrang at Sera Monastery.
I was invited to address the Kopan monks at Sera and was able to spend time with my teacher, Geshe Genden Chomphel, and thoroughly enjoyed the visit. From Sera we traveled onto Bodhgaya to attend the Kalachakra initiation given by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in January 2012.
In between my travels, I have been developing a number of business concepts I hope will contribute to FPMT’s long-term sustainability.
So many people welcomed and helped me everywhere I went and I really thank everyone especially those I didn't get to thank personally. I am looking forward to being much more in touch with everyone who has been helping me over the years, and I am so happy to be available to help wherever I can in the future.
Big love,
Osel
So Lama Osel has not just dropped out of Dharma work but as the Update above indicates, he spent much of 2011 working on projects associated with the furtherance of Dharma. Osel himself said in 2009 that there is no separation between him and FPMT. Perhaps, there are those like Lama Osel, Trijang Choktrul Rinpoche and others who find that they are a lot more effective in spreading the dharma and the practice of Dorje Shugden by being away from the centre of politics, controversies and prying eyes.
Here is a link to Lama Osel's recent talk given to a community of Lama Tsongkhapa's practitioners in April 2012. In it he said that for the last 11 years he has been trying to help himself so that he can come out to help everybody else. I am encouraged to know that Lama Yeshe's incarnation is still very much in Dharma and I am quite sure Osel is still practicing Dorje Shugden:
http://www.fpmt.org/images/stories/teachers/osel/20120412-OselHitaTorres_with_Gomo_Tulku.mp3