The Karmapa Cleared: Indian Police Drop Charges Against Tibet Holy Man

[Big Uncle]

Check out this piece of news :- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/21/indian-police-drop-charge_0_n_1533146.html

NEW DELHI -- Indian authorities have dropped charges against Tibetan Buddhism's third most important leader involving $1.35 million in cash discovered at his monastery in northern India.

Police had seized the money – found in some two dozen currencies including a large sum of Chinese yuan – from the Karmapa's headquarters outside Dharmsala, where the Dalai Lama and Tibetan government-in-exile are based.

On a recommendation from prosecutors, however, a judicial magistrate on Monday "decided to delete his name" from the charge sheet listing nine other suspects, Assistant Public Prosecutor Ram Swaroop Sharma said.

The next hearing is set for Aug. 4, and the defendants could face up to 10 years if convicted.

The Karmapa's office said it was relieved. It has said the money was from donations from his followers, who come from around the world, and was mishandled by staff unaware of Indian laws on undeclared cash. They said the Karmapa spent his time only in religious teaching and had no involvement in the trust.

"We have maintained all along that the allegations against His Holiness were baseless," the office's deputy general secretary Karma Chungyalpa said in a statement, adding that great spiritual masters were not involved in financial administration and money matters.

The Karmapa himself thanked the Indian government for giving him and thousands of Tibetans asylum, saying "India has been my home for almost half of my life."

Last year's raid on the Gyuto Monastery was unprecedented and particularly surprising since the Karmapa, Ugyen Thinley Dorje, is revered by Tibetans and Buddhists. India has gone to great lengths to provide asylum to Buddhist leaders who have fled Tibet, including the Dalai Lama.

The 27-year-old monk is seen as a possible successor to the Dalai Lama as the head of the Tibetan freedom movement in exile. He left Tibet in 2000, and has since been living at the monastery in Sidhbari, just outside Dharmsala where the Dalai Lama has been based since fleeing the Himalayan region in 1959.

China's government reviles the Dalai Lama, accusing him of pushing for independence for Tibet and inciting a spate of self-immolations among protesters there.

[Big Uncle]

Well, it looks like all Lamas no matter how high they are, have inefficient and bad assistants. They say that the Karmapa will play a bigger and bigger role as he grows into maturity and in some ways the Dalai Lama is advocating that.

I am just wondering if the current fiasco with the Indian authorities could have dented his reputation somewhat. I know he is a High Lama and all but that doesn't mean that he is immune to bad publicity. However, as the saying goes, bad publicity is better than no publicity and these days, it is what really makes people become celebrities. On a spiritual note, it could be a big obstacle for the Karmapa have just cleared, perhaps for something big to come for him.

Whatever it is, it doesn't affect us Dorje Shugden practitioners. His previous life seemed to have prophesied that Dorje Shugden would become so big that all sects will practice him. But I wonder what is this current incarnation's take on Dorje Shugden.

[WisdomBeing]

The Karmapa is no stranger to controversy. In fact I was just thinking that in general, Tibetan Buddhism is amazingly chaotic. There are 2 Karmapas, 2 Domo Geshe Rinpoches, 2 Panchen Lamas among others!

Yes I do get it that there can be different emanations, in which case how do we know which is the ‘correct’ incarnation? Do we listen to the Dalai Lama? If we listen to the Dalai Lama, do we listen to him about not practicing Dorje Shugden??

I do think it would be good for the Karmapa to step up as the next spiritual head of Tibet although I have no idea how that will work since there is NO Tibet.  There is NO Tibetan government because there is NO country. The sooner the CTA wake up and realise this, the faster Tibetans can move into the 21st century.

[Vajraprotector]

Perhaps the Indian government is being polite to the future spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism in India, and possibly China as well?

Despite there being 2 Karmapas, this Karmapa, Ogyen Thinley Dorje is the one who is being recognised by BOTH His Holiness and also China. Can you imagine that 2 great forces combined - Karmapa Ogyen Trinley in India, and Panchen Lama Gyaincain Norbu in China. That will be a great unification of the Tibetan Buddhists in India, China and worldwide.

Both are young, speaks Tibetan, English, Chinese - they are out to conquer the 'world' so to speak.  Karmapa is 26, Panchen Lama 22, and both are showing great potentials as spiritual heads. Karmapa is a possible spiritual head for the Tibetans in India and of course Panchen Lama is already the official head of Tibetan Buddhism in China.

Whether or not there is Tibet, it seems like Tibetan Buddhism will be the forefront to bring Buddhadharma to many via these 2 leaders, and I do hope the 2 leaders will work together. I am sure both of them do not have a problem with Shugden practitioners 

[michaela]

It's not really clear for me what the problem is.  Karmapa office receive donation but did not declare it for tax purpose? 

[dondrup]

Michaela was right, why didn't the Karmapa declare the huge donation for taxation purpose in the first place?  It would have saved him from so much complication.  It seems like the Indian Government has released him from any charges out of goodwill or out of respect for Karmapa like Ogyen Trinley Dorje. How could someone so important and of high profile amongst the Tibetans be involved in mishandling donation? 

Indeed, this charge against the Karmapa had indirectly made Ogyen Trinley Dorje well known. Similarly, we can see that HH Dalai Lama initiated the ban on Dorje Shugden practice to make Dorje Shugden famous far and wide!

[tsangpakarpo]

A Lama's work is to spread Dharma which usually means to teach. Therefore it is very important that a Lama especially a High Lama like Karmapa has very efficient assistants to attend to secular matters like donations. We cannot be expecting our Guru to be doing all these and teach as well.

Think about it, how fortunate for us to be able to serve our Lama directly. Taking care of all his other matters so he is able to focus on just teaching/spreading the Dharma. A Lama can do so much more if he had efficient students and assistants. So like it or not, whatever we do definitely affects our Lama. To do well or not to do well?