Dorje Shugden practitioners are drug traffickers

[Mana]

This statement appears in every forms of Amitabha Buddhist Center, Singapore (http://www.fpmtabc.org/), whether it is a trip to attend Dalai Lama's teaching in South East Asia, Kalachakra, or a trip to Dharamsala. On top of name, passpost number, addresses etc personal details, you need to declare that you do not practice Dorje Shugden first.

Huh? Practicing Dorje Shugden has become like drug trafficking? You have to declare on your arrival form that you do not carry any illegal drugs when you are going to certain countries, and now you have to declare that you do not practice Dorje Shugden before you are allowed to go on a trip? ? ? ? ? ? ?

[kris]

Come on!!

HH Dalai Lama talks about freedom & compassionate! Can we have some freedom to practice here?!

I am wondering if this statement/declaration is a direct instruction from HH Dalai Lama himself, or it is just something made up by his people... reminds me of what 5th Dalai Lama's students who stuffed the khata...

[Lawrence L]

This kind of action contributed to the unfreedom of belief within the Buddhist society.
Dorje Shugden practice says nothing bad about the Dalai Lama, teaches nothing bad about the Dalai Lama, and what the practitioner learn, is just same as the other Buddhist.
Why they never get the same right to learn the beautiful Dharma from the Dalai Lama?
Did the old Trijang Rinpoche, the Dorje Shugden practitioner harmed the Dalai Lama during the past? Then why stop the Dorje Shugden practitioner from learning equally as the other people?

This is not the way which a Buddhist should act!

[triesa]

It is madness to see this, this anti-Shugden sentiments has come to a point that it becomes redicluous and irritating.

I wonder if such declaration would appear later on as below :

1) Are you born from parents who are Dorje shugden practitioners?
2) Have you been in contact in the past 14 days with Dorje Shugden practitioners??
3) Have you visited any temples in the past 3 months that has a Dorje shugden statue???

If you call yourselves buddhists, just stop being rediculous please! Start practising Equanimity

[hope rainbow]

In case nobody knew about Dorje Shugden yet and wanted to go and meet the Dalai Lama, there was no better way to let them know about this Dharmapala.
I would just have improved the text like this though:

I HEREBY DECLARE AND CATEGORICALLY STATE THAT I AM NOT A DORJE SHUGDEN PRACTITIONER AND AM NOT IN CIRCUMSTANCES ASSOCIATED OR AFFILIATED IN WHATEVER MANNER WITH SUCH PRACTICE AND/OR ORGANIZATION. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE MATTER REFER TO THE FOLLOWING WEBSITE: www.dorjeshugden.com

That'd would have been real cool... Grin 

[Barzin]

I mean seriously, how do you tell whether a person is practicing Dorje Shugden?  Of course, by signing up a form stating that you do not practice but you actually do it's bad karma and everything and there is definitely no point to even lie.  We should be proud to be able to receive such practice at times like this.  While the world is talking bad about this practice, now almost every single Buddhist form you see a name of Dorje Shugden on it.  Even the name has planted a dharma seed in our mind stream.  In other words, Dorje Shugden is everywhere!  The more his name appears, the more people will ban and talk about it.  Those who are lucky will begin to practice.  The practice will grow.  The more you don't give us freedom, the more freedom Dorje Shugden gets.  Keep talking, keep doing, and keep it going!

[dondrup]

Barzin is right, each time a person reads this clause, that person reads out Dorje Shugden’s name.  It is equivalent to reciting a Buddha’s name! How wonderful! A seed of Enlightenment will be planted in the readers’ mind. 

This clause will only attract and arouse people’s attention to want to know why there is a need to declare the non-association and practice of Dorje Shugden (DS).  People will question why Dalai lama (HHDL) is biased toward Dorje Shugden practitioners. In short, the clause is very effective in attracting new people to learn more about DS.

How can FPMT tell if someone had chosen to lie – with no intention of harming - because they sincerely want to attend HHDL’s teaching? FPMT does not realize that people will be offended with this type of restrictive clause because the clause reflects its discrimination and prejudice! Aren’t Buddhists supposed to practise equanimity? 

Even with this clause, some will lie just to attend HHDL’s teachings.  Isn’t non-harming a virtue that Buddhists practise?  The clause indirectly will bring harm to others because others had to lie to attend HHDL’s teaching.  It is saddening to know that people had to lie to listen to Dharma!
 
The clause in this form will do the opposite of banning the DS practice.  Instead it will encourage the growth and spread of DS practice!

[WisdomBeing]

Barzin, that's a great way of looking at it. Every attendee of HH the Dalai Lama's teachings will have to read the words Dorje Shugden, even though some of them shudder to see his name!!! *Yes, another Harry Potter moment!*

It does amaze me still - if we take it at face value - that HH Dalai Lama highlights Dorje Shugden at every available moment. There are many demons out there, i'm sure, and legions of them, so why does the Dalai Lama pick on Dorje Shugden? Up til today, there is not a shred of proof that Dorje Shugden is a demon. If there was, the anti-Shugden brigade would be happy to highlight them, but the fact is - there isn't.  In fact, everything points to Dorje Shugden NOT being a demon, except for the Dalai Lama's say so.

[ilikeshugden]

I completely agree with WisdomBeing. All of these words regarding Dorje Shugden being a demon are only through the Dalai Lama's mouth. There is no further proof that he is a demon. There are so many legions of demons out there, why would His Holiness want to just pick on Dorje Shugden. It is because through this ban, His Holiness managed to promote Dorje Shugden. If he did not want anyone to practice Dorje Shugden, he would just make people forget about him, right? Regarding this form, I think it is very silly to have to say that you do not practice Dorje Shugden if you are going to Dharamsala and other stuff like that. I think that would demote freedom even when the Dalai Lama loves freedom. It contradicts.

[DharmaSpace]

Dorje Shugden practitioners do not serve, love care and resources because they practise Dorje Shugden. I have met monks who came from Shar Gaden before they are really practise as they can bear difficulty and despite the ban affecting many aspects of their lives and many Tibetans shun and ostracize them, they bear it with a lot of dignity like how spiritual practitioners should be.

I will practise compassion to all beings except Dorje Shugden practitioners. Is that really a path to enlightenment? Did Buddha love everyone except one or two beings in the universe?

[kris]

This kind of small gestures always amaze me.. These people are really indeed too free to do anything else... Why not spend the energy to spread Dharma..

If people have to declare that they are not Dorje Shugden practitioners, then why not also declare that they do not worship other gods or evil? There are so many people in the world who practices evils or spirits practice for self gain and hurt others, why not ask them to declare too?

All I know is that the practice of Dorje Shugden is to ask me to be a better person and serve others. What is wrong with that? Why do we need to declare??

[negra orquida]

In case nobody knew about Dorje Shugden yet and wanted to go and meet the Dalai Lama, there was no better way to let them know about this Dharmapala.
I would just have improved the text like this though:

I HEREBY DECLARE AND CATEGORICALLY STATE THAT I AM NOT A DORJE SHUGDEN PRACTITIONER AND AM NOT IN CIRCUMSTANCES ASSOCIATED OR AFFILIATED IN WHATEVER MANNER WITH SUCH PRACTICE AND/OR ORGANIZATION. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE MATTER REFER TO THE FOLLOWING WEBSITE: www.dorjeshugden.com

That'd would have been real cool... Grin 

heheh good one Rainbow! at first i thought well this was ridiculous.... my friend lives in a country where there are many different ethnicities and religious beliefs, and until now the government still wants to distinguish the people according to race and religion in the official registration forms, he told me that that is so annoying!  his view is that, we live in the same country, why want to create a distinction? how does it help build a harmonious nation. what Amitabha Buddhist Centre is doing with this form is just like how my friend's country's government is doing to it citizens.

however Rainbow's view here is a positive way to look at this

[dsiluvu]

Oh my lord! I cannot belief this I just simply cannot belief my eyes... how can this happened... how?

Wow this is worst then being in a Muslim country... even they do not have such questions on religion on any forms! In fact even questions on what race you are would race so many issues, have raised many issues and debate. This is really really low CTA!!! Not only is it backward, it is total religious discrimination... so what's all this talk about humanity? Apparently there isn't one for us.

But yes another perspective is hey Dorje Shugden appears again... he does not seem to wanna go away lol. Perhaps this is also another way, like what Barzin and WB is saying, of actually highlighting Dorje Shugden. Yes everyone who will have to fill in this form will have to read his name... and when they do... they believe something bad will happened to them correct. So if I think along those lines... then many anti-shugdenpas will probably be cursed with something bad by Dorje Shugden..maybe they will fall ill??? So in a way we will have less anti-shugdenpas?  LOL... So ridiculous!! 

[diablo1974]

Since we are able to gain much merits by just seeing his image , we can also able to plant seed into our mind by just reading his name in such declaration. Anti shugdens will comtinue to find means and ways to make their stance clear, i am not surprise you may find more antishugdens individual or organisation doing that. I have heard of an organisation in singapore even printed a book to warn ppl about DS.  We as individual can spread His name wide by promoting this forum in a skilful way, distributing related DS information and dharma gifts, as well as having nice and new digital images of him targeting younger individuals. (images of him in different poses and forms, it might not need to follow the traditional thangka style but diff aspects of art forms to gain him wider attention and eventually popularity.

[Barzin]

Someone must have visited this post and it surface again!  I wonder what is the status now?  From that time until now, I am sure there is some progression in Singapore judging that the movement is growing in Singapore.  Even His Holiness has mentioned Singapore as one of the fastest growing country of Dorje Shugden practitioners.

It would be ironic if one day the ban is lifted, and will those who banned the practice before pick up the practice?  It would be very interesting to see.   But if we truly believe that Dorje Shugden is a Buddha, by even reciting his name, seeing an image of his plants imprint in our mind.  So indirectly, those who ban Shugden done are helping the people to plant imprint in their mindstream so when they return or take rebirth, they immediately will connect to Dorje Shugden strongly thanks to the controversial.