Thank you Mana for the uplifting perspective.
My lama also recently gave a very clear explanation for how every single one of us can create the cause for the ban to be lifted and for the practice to spread. This is very logical and I'd like to share it with all forum readers. Do feel free to share this with others, so as to help the practice to grow and face less and less obstacles and opposition.
With every person that is benefitted by Dharma, merit is gained. When WE benefit someone in dharma, WE also collect merit - either as individuals or as a part of a group, such as our Dharma centres or temples. out of great compassion for others, we can work very hard to bring Dorje Shugden to as many people as possible, introducing even his image or mantra to them. When these people are benefitted, find some relief or are led to deeper Dharma practice, we gain some merit by our action and good intention towards them.
We can dedicate this merit towards anything - such as THE LIFTING OF THE BAN ON DORJE SHUGDEN or THE GROWTH OF DORJE SHUGDEN'S PRACTICE THROUGHOUT THE WORLD (and by that, of course, the growth of Lama Tsongkhapa's teachings and the Buddha Dharma in general).
So for every person that is benefitted by Dorje Shugden, the result is twofold - first, that person receives the protection, blessings and help of Dorje shugden, and secondly, we gain merit that can then be dedicated towards helping even more people through Dorje Shugden.
I believe this website alone is one of those efforts to create global merit and make this practice spread. By doing things like making articles available, creating comics and videos, brochures, making information widespread and easily accessible in so many languages, this all adds to a collective merit that can lessen the impact of the ban and simultaneously make the practice grow.
I'd like to believe that the Dalai Lama knew all along that we would all react in this way... and inadvertently make DS grow... We are like petulant children who, upon hearing an instruction that we shouldn't do something, will do it all the more
In this case, the instruction NOT to practice DS has only strengthened our resolve to practice harder, stronger and bring the practice to even more people.
Yes, I like this big and global picture.