Effects of the ban outside of Tibet

[Ensapa]

This is proof of the schism and the torrent of broken samayas created from the ban. Students are ripped apart fron their gurus and they are expunged from their own Dharma family all because of people who would want to adhere to the Dalai Lama compared to their own root guru! So they ursup the entire Dharma center and kick out people who are not on "their side". They dont mind damaging others to be right. Is that Dharma or just the extension of the ego?

Have a read and understand the extent of damage to Buddhism that the ban has caused.

"Does Lama Zopa’s closeness with H.H. the Dalai Lama validate FPMT Centres and members to be some kind of spiritual police?"
By Bhikku Yeshe Sangye -- a senior FPMT monk and close disciple of FPMT Founder Lama Yeshe -- who speaks up after 20 years about his grave concern over the FPMT's discrimination toward Dorje Shugden practitioners. Here are a few extracts from his long letter.


“We of FPMT, especially the people who joined after Lama Yeshe’s passing, should think of the future from a wide scope. Our founding father was a sound Dorje Shugden practitioner, and his legacy was passed to Lama Zopa, who was invested as a Tulku by Dorje Shugden. Our lineage lamas all practiced Dorje Shugden as their principal protector. We must not criticize this protector in any way.”

"Many, many, many of the older Lama Yeshe students have gone underground with their practices of Dorje Shugden. Some like me do not really go to the centers here in the USA anymore. They will not abandon their practice of Dorje Shugden because of their great devotion to Lama Yeshe and are somewhat flabbergasted at the direction that some new FPMT centers’ are going with their arrogant witch hunts. What is important to remember is JUST BECAUSE YOU ATTEND THE DALAI LAMA’S TEACHINGS, OR HAVE TAKEN PHOTOS WITH HH DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY VALIDATE YOU AS A SPIRITUAL POLICEMAN AND GO ON WITCH-HUNTS. We must practice the essence of what HH teaches as did Lama Yeshe, which are tolerance, compassion, forgiveness and not ever slandering any lama, dharma, lineage or practice. As the karmic retributions will fall onto us. We should never mislead new FPMT students toward this line of thought. We are destroying our organization slowly if we do so."

"We shouldn’t practice or not practice what the current political situation pressures us to or not to. We should do what our lama says. So during Lama's life Dorje Shugden is good and now Lama is dead, so Dorje Shugden is bad??? Wouldn’t that infer that lama was wrong, had bad degenerate practices, lacking in wisdom, had no refuge, had no attainments and wasted his life praying to a spirit?? So if lama gave us Heruka initiation and practice, then it had no blessings because lama's refuge degenerated due to his practice of Dorje Shugden?? Since Dorje Shugden is a spirit and Lama kept up his ‘sogtae’ (Dorje Shugden’s initiation) or life entrustment practices his whole life, then all of the other practices lama did was degenerated and ineffective when passed to us.

So any practices Lama Zopa received from Lama Yeshe and passes it to others would logically be degenerate also??? Wouldn’t it?

The implications are quite big if we choose to believe that way....So that would mean many of the practices that Lama Zopa does now and gives others that are directly from Lama Yeshe are degenerated because Lama Yeshe was degenerated?? Of course not. Very dangerous line of thought. Very ruinous direction we are heading toward. I watched Lama Zopa get brow-beaten into ‘giving’ up his Dorje Shugden practices."

If only FPMT centers around the world had this plastered all over their doors to WAKE THEM UP TO THE DAMAGE THEY'RE CAUSING...and its not Lama Zopa's fault. It's the students misrepresenting the lama...

[michaela]

I admire Bikkhu Sangye Yeshe who speak his mind openly.  It requires a lot of courage and faith to speak out like that in the middle of pressures against DS practitioners.

I personally think that to practice for the sole reason that it is politically correct is really shallow.  How can this type of motivation guide and inspire others towards liberation.  What is the sole purpose of these hypocrites to go on witch hunt?  Have they learned, study, and investigate that DS is really bad?  Does the fact that their reasoning is incorrect and/ or they are too lazy to investigate give them the rights to go witch hunting DS practitioners?  Who are they and who gave them such authority to do so?

We all have our weaknesses and such that we should look inward and try to improve ourselves instead of going out trying to police other people.  The type of people criticized by Bikkhu Sangye Yeshe is the main cause for degenerated time. 

[michaela]

To add my comments above, I think those who tried to police DS practitioners outside Tibet are accumulating negative karma by themselves.  Why?  They are doing this with their own free will without any pressures from HHDL or the CTA.  It is not HHDL’s fault that they become like this.  It is in their nature.  They want to feel powerful over others and cover their insecurities by saying, “I am right, you’re bad.”  I think this type of people are just a bunch of dwarfts.  “their intelligence sure are not much. 
If HHDL did not implemented the ban, this type of people can easily find other reasons to look superior anyway.  It is just happen that this time, DS practitioners are the scapegoats.

[Ensapa]

I admire Bikkhu Sangye Yeshe who speak his mind openly.  It requires a lot of courage and faith to speak out like that in the middle of pressures against DS practitioners.
It's so much better than so many other people who prefer to keep quiet and do nothing and suffer in silence...nothing too wrong with that except that their inaction causes other practitioners to suffer. Therefore, the actions of Sangye Yeshe to speak up does say a lot about his Dharma practice./color]

I personally think that to practice for the sole reason that it is politically correct is really shallow.  How can this type of motivation guide and inspire others towards liberation.  What is the sole purpose of these hypocrites to go on witch hunt?  Have they learned, study, and investigate that DS is really bad?  Does the fact that their reasoning is incorrect and/ or they are too lazy to investigate give them the rights to go witch hunting DS practitioners?  Who are they and who gave them such authority to do so?
Most of them do not do much Dharma studies. Their sole reason to practice the Dharma is only more or less as a quick fix to get away from something or to feel happy again. It's more or less like why people use drugs. Thats why they dont even see their actions as negative, they see it as positive that they are "correcting" people when they themselves need the most correction.

We all have our weaknesses and such that we should look inward and try to improve ourselves instead of going out trying to police other people.  The type of people criticized by Bikkhu Sangye Yeshe is the main cause for degenerated time.
Those types of people that Bikshu Sangye Yeshe talked about are the same types who will be causing Buddhism to degenerate and also the exact same type that will not hesitate to dump their Guru or Buddhism when things dont go their way and set a bad example to everyone else.

At this day and age, people just want a quick solution to their problems, and they are willing to do anything they need to in order to achieve that. They think that by being on the same side with an authoritative figure will solve all their problems and will make them a better person simply because they do not wish to work for what they want but rather find a shortcut to get it. Yup. Kaliyuga indeed.

[Big Uncle]

It's indeed very sad that FPMT has chosen to forget its roots and chose to sideline older monks and students of Lama Yeshe by enforcing this horrific ban on Dorje Shugden. Lama Yeshe obviously practiced Dorje Shugden intensively especially in the formative years of FPMT. Therefore, it can be said that the success that FPMT enjoys today is due to Lama Yeshe's practice of Dorje Shugden. In fact, Lama Zopa was recognized by Dorje Shugden himself and FPMT owes it to Dorje Shugden that Lama Zopa was recognized by

It is already really bad that Dorje Shugden is banned in FPMT but what's doubly worse, is that the Kopan monks are performing wrathful pujas to harm Dorje Shugden. I cannot imagine the karma accrued from such a heinous act of harming the very Protector that once benefited and made your organization grow. Needless to say, the Kopan monks were not successful because of the nature of Dorje Shugden. In fact, the recent illness of Lama Zopa Rinpoche was cured in part due to special and secret Dorje Shugden pujas.

It is so sad that FPMT has chosen this stance because they are attacking the very basis of the growth of their organization in the first place. They have rejected the kindness of Dorje Shugden and the lineage of their Lama in order to go all the way with a ban that doesn't really concern them. No wonder, Lama Yeshe's incarnation, Lama Osel has decided not to pursue his spiritual responsibilities.

[brian]

Whatever it is, the ban had a devastating effect on the practitioners and it is breathtakingly painful for the Shugden-pas to be discriminated and harshly treated. Because of the ban, many people were unfairly treated and even killed. Monks have to be separated, causes outrage to other practitioners outside Tibet. Many were torn into pieces and many families were broken apart too because of the split devotions.

But because of the ban too, that more and more people outside Tibet have got to know about Dorje Shugden. Whether it is "worth it" to compare the sufferings people gotten from the ban to the growing popularity (especially in China) is still a question. The more people gets to practie Dorje Shugden is of course good but at the expense of innocent people?

[Ensapa]

It's indeed very sad that FPMT has chosen to forget its roots and chose to sideline older monks and students of Lama Yeshe by enforcing this horrific ban on Dorje Shugden. Lama Yeshe obviously practiced Dorje Shugden intensively especially in the formative years of FPMT. Therefore, it can be said that the success that FPMT enjoys today is due to Lama Yeshe's practice of Dorje Shugden. In fact, Lama Zopa was recognized by Dorje Shugden himself and FPMT owes it to Dorje Shugden that Lama Zopa was recognized by

It is already really bad that Dorje Shugden is banned in FPMT but what's doubly worse, is that the Kopan monks are performing wrathful pujas to harm Dorje Shugden. I cannot imagine the karma accrued from such a heinous act of harming the very Protector that once benefited and made your organization grow. Needless to say, the Kopan monks were not successful because of the nature of Dorje Shugden. In fact, the recent illness of Lama Zopa Rinpoche was cured in part due to special and secret Dorje Shugden pujas.

It is so sad that FPMT has chosen this stance because they are attacking the very basis of the growth of their organization in the first place. They have rejected the kindness of Dorje Shugden and the lineage of their Lama in order to go all the way with a ban that doesn't really concern them. No wonder, Lama Yeshe's incarnation, Lama Osel has decided not to pursue his spiritual responsibilities.

But you know the worst part was really the way how the ban was implemented in the centers. It was totally not what Lama Zopa has advised at all and done in a very sectarian and nasty way. They pasted a notice at their door saying that Dorje Shugden practitioners  may not enter. What? I dont remember Lama Zopa saying that! He only said that he will not be inviting DS lamas to teach in their FPMT centers. He said nothing about not allowing practitioners to enter. Now where did that come from? And your center teaches about Mahayana and compassion? What kind of compassion is this? discriminative? And you're Buddhist? But these actions are anything but Buddhist. The Buddha himself allowed people of any creed or race to partake his teachings and now you're creating new rules that are directly against the Buddha's principles? A Dharma center that goes against Buddhist principles of openness and compassion, can it still be considered as a Dharma center? Did Lama Zopa asked you to speak up and discriminate against other Dorje Shugden practitioners on newspapers? Why is there a need be the police Dharma?

In this aspect, how can the FPMT people expect Lama Osel to come back? How can they expect Lama Zopa to live long if they misinterpret his teachings and twist his instructions to give in to their negative instincts? How can they even expect their own centers to grow? If they were more focused towards the study and practice of what they know, I dont think that they would have time to actually "speak up" against the "incorrect" practices of other people. As Atisha had said to examine our own faults instead of examining ours, thats what they should do too. Would it not be great if FPMT centers all over just keep quiet about NKT and other Dorje Shugden institutions, and just do their own thing? Because they're clearly not following Lama Zopa's instructions, and they're clearly not interested in the Dharma as their actions transgress the advice of the Buddha, Atisha and even that of their own Guru. My heart aches for Lama Zopa.

[vajratruth]

I have read quite a few articles about the Dorje Shugden ban, especially the effect the ban has had on different categories of people. The more I observe the more convinced I am that it is the practitioners of Dorje Shugden who truly understand and practice the Dharma. When you strip away the words people say and write and look carefully at what they do, then everything becomes clear.

This here are some of my observations:

CTA:

The DS ban has clearly shown the CTA to be impotent and ineffective in representing Tibetans and instead caught the CTA out to be totally hypocritical in their behaviour. The CTA has completely failed in their duty, provided for by the Constitution, to protect the rights of all Tibetans. Even with HHDL divesting himself of political power (and hence surrender secular decisions to the CTA) the CTA now with full powers to lift the ban and guarantee freedom of religion, has not done so. Why is that? And how do you trust and support a "government" with  no country that cannot even be true to their Constitution?

The CTA has made no progress whatsoever in regaining Tibet either as an independent or an autonomous entity. The CTA failed take any measures to stop or even discourage self immolations by so many Tibetans, and have instead abused these noble but senseless sacrifices of human lives, as excuses to condemn China. CTA has done nothing for Tibetans still in Tibet and even less for those in exile. On the other hand, we see China doing a lot more for the welfare of the Tibetans under their government.

Anti-Shugden Monks/Practitioners:

The self-appointed witch hunters of Buddhism who would have made the wicked Juan de Torquemada proud.  Whenever I read about this people I wonder how they can possible call themselves Buddhists and yet break even the most basic instruction of the Buddha which is to do no harm. Look at all the harm they have caused the old monks who have given their entire lives to the practice , to families whom they have chased out of homes and centres and to the very unity of the Sangha-hood. Regardless of how they feel about Dorje Shugden, what is it to them for others to practice their own beliefs? Could they not have practiced their belief peacefully without launching a crusade against Shugden practitioners? Nowhere in the teachings of the Buddha does it say to put down other faiths, let alone fellow Buddhists.

And what about their own broken Samayas and the samayas they have forced others to break. Are they not afraid of consequences?

The ban has shown these people out not to be true practitioners of the Dharma, not to have understood basic compassion and tolerance and ultimately, not to be true believers of Guru Devotion, and even worse, not to be true believers of Karma.

As for the older and supposedly more attained monks who have abandoned Dorje Shugden? Shame, shame, shame for they have also abandoned the very practice  Dorje Shugden swore to protect, i.e. the teachings of Je Tsongkhapa. It was not practicing Dorje Shugden that can cause all their practices to degenerate but on the contrary, it was the giving up of the Protector King and the breaking of their vows that will cause all their practices to come to nought. To gain the wordlly favour they gave up the rich blessings of the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. What a waste.

This bunch is precisely the source of degeneration in practice that the Buddha foresaw. The ban has shone light on to their true nature.

Those who continue with the Practice:

Persecuted, chased out, beaten and down-trodden they have refused to break their vows and they understand true Dharma and true Guru devotion. They care not for the sufferings that the witch hunters have wreaked upon them and instead decided to stay focus on keeping their Samaya clean with their Gurus and their Protector. Are they not the true sons of the Buddha and worthy of our respect. They are the inspiration that teaches us to rest in the Dharma, obey the Gurus and trust in the Buddha when everything seems to go wrong.

Oppressed they chose to remain meek in the face of the bullying ways of the samsaric world and yet immovably strong in their spirituality. They are the reason why the Dorje Shugden practice has spread far and wide benefitting many people around the world. Each day they continue with the practice in the face of terrible persecutions, they bring more light to the world for what they are upholding are non other than wisdom and compassion.   

 The ban has separated them from the pretenders of the Dharma and shown the world who the true upholders of the Dharma are.

His Holiness The Dalai Lama:

The ban has shown HHDL to be the master tactician whom he truly is and all the time doing what is necessary to spread the Dharma, even to the detriment of his own reputation. He is compassion personified. HHDL has made himself the filter the separate the wheat from the chaff. But for the ban, the world would not have known who has true Guru devotion and who doesn't.

His ban was the sole reason for Dorje Shugden to become famous and for the most populous country in the world to embrace the Protector of the Dharma whose time has come.

[Ensapa]

I have read quite a few articles about the Dorje Shugden ban, especially the effect the ban has had on different categories of people. The more I observe the more convinced I am that it is the practitioners of Dorje Shugden who truly understand and practice the Dharma. When you strip away the words people say and write and look carefully at what they do, then everything becomes clear.

This here are some of my observations:

CTA:

The DS ban has clearly shown the CTA to be impotent and ineffective in representing Tibetans and instead caught the CTA out to be totally hypocritical in their behaviour. The CTA has completely failed in their duty, provided for by the Constitution, to protect the rights of all Tibetans. Even with HHDL divesting himself of political power (and hence surrender secular decisions to the CTA) the CTA now with full powers to lift the ban and guarantee freedom of religion, has not done so. Why is that? And how do you trust and support a "government" with  no country that cannot even be true to their Constitution?

Until now, CTA has been living off lies and propaganda that it has been disseminating to people. What is there to trust? Lobsang Sanggay has failed to deliver the changes that he has promised, and he has failed to make any resolutions with regards to the matter. On top of that, he made statements that made self immolation sound like it's a good thing.

The CTA has made no progress whatsoever in regaining Tibet either as an independent or an autonomous entity. The CTA failed take any measures to stop or even discourage self immolations by so many Tibetans, and have instead abused these noble but senseless sacrifices of human lives, as excuses to condemn China. CTA has done nothing for Tibetans still in Tibet and even less for those in exile. On the other hand, we see China doing a lot more for the welfare of the Tibetans under their government.
It's so funny that 50 years later they still fail to realize that provoking China and making them angry will not help at all with their dream of independence but it will only make things worse for them. When will they learn? CTA does not care for the welfare of any of its citizens nor the Tibetans, and it becomes clearer and clearer that CTA is not working for independence, but rather to regain their former political powers. Dont think they will get that anytime soon, tho.

Anti-Shugden Monks/Practitioners:

The self-appointed witch hunters of Buddhism who would have made the wicked Juan de Torquemada proud.  Whenever I read about this people I wonder how they can possible call themselves Buddhists and yet break even the most basic instruction of the Buddha which is to do no harm. Look at all the harm they have caused the old monks who have given their entire lives to the practice , to families whom they have chased out of homes and centres and to the very unity of the Sangha-hood. Regardless of how they feel about Dorje Shugden, what is it to them for others to practice their own beliefs? Could they not have practiced their belief peacefully without launching a crusade against Shugden practitioners? Nowhere in the teachings of the Buddha does it say to put down other faiths, let alone fellow Buddhists.
Because Dharma practice is too hard, so they think that they can substitute all the hard work and study with prosecuting people they think is practicing incorrectly with the "noble" intention so that people will not fall prey to cults. What's wrong with teaching people how to check out and let them decide for themselves instead of organizing witchhunts?

And what about their own broken Samayas and the samayas they have forced others to break. Are they not afraid of consequences?
They dont see it as that way. they see it as that people who practice Dorje Shugden have broken their samaya (twisted logic that they get from the CTA and some anti Gelug traditions) and thus its okay to part them.

The ban has shown these people out not to be true practitioners of the Dharma, not to have understood basic compassion and tolerance and ultimately, not to be true believers of Guru Devotion, and even worse, not to be true believers of Karma.
Thus their centers remain stagnant and never grow.

As for the older and supposedly more attained monks who have abandoned Dorje Shugden? Shame, shame, shame for they have also abandoned the very practice  Dorje Shugden swore to protect, i.e. the teachings of Je Tsongkhapa. It was not practicing Dorje Shugden that can cause all their practices to degenerate but on the contrary, it was the giving up of the Protector King and the breaking of their vows that will cause all their practices to come to nought. To gain the wordlly favour they gave up the rich blessings of the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. What a waste.

This bunch is precisely the source of degeneration in practice that the Buddha foresaw. The ban has shone light on to their true nature.

Those who continue with the Practice:

Persecuted, chased out, beaten and down-trodden they have refused to break their vows and they understand true Dharma and true Guru devotion. They care not for the sufferings that the witch hunters have wreaked upon them and instead decided to stay focus on keeping their Samaya clean with their Gurus and their Protector. Are they not the true sons of the Buddha and worthy of our respect. They are the inspiration that teaches us to rest in the Dharma, obey the Gurus and trust in the Buddha when everything seems to go wrong.

Oppressed they chose to remain meek in the face of the bullying ways of the samsaric world and yet immovably strong in their spirituality. They are the reason why the Dorje Shugden practice has spread far and wide benefitting many people around the world. Each day they continue with the practice in the face of terrible persecutions, they bring more light to the world for what they are upholding are non other than wisdom and compassion.   

 The ban has separated them from the pretenders of the Dharma and shown the world who the true upholders of the Dharma are.
The Ban has somehow became the smelt that parts gold from impurities. The insincere practitioners are in one faction, almost completely separated from the sincere ones. How many great teachers that are on the side of anti Dorje Shugden that are really famous and Gelug? None. What does that tell us?
His Holiness The Dalai Lama:

The ban has shown HHDL to be the master tactician whom he truly is and all the time doing what is necessary to spread the Dharma, even to the detriment of his own reputation. He is compassion personified. HHDL has made himself the filter the separate the wheat from the chaff. But for the ban, the world would not have known who has true Guru devotion and who doesn't.

His ban was the sole reason for Dorje Shugden to become famous and for the most populous country in the world to embrace the Protector of the Dharma whose time has come.
You got that right!

Thanks for the summary, vajratruth. You have excellent points there although i felt that i had to add in some of mine. You have captured the essence of the current situation to date..but what is next and what can we do to lift the ban? The most fundamental thing would be to educate people about Dorje Shugden and make them realize what is really going on. Then people will truly have a choice for them to decide.

[Dondrup Shugden]

The ban on worship of Dorje Shugden has created much much sufferings for students who wish to follow their Guru's teaching with devotion especially after their Guru has entered clear light.

Seems to be the way at FPMT after Lama Yeshe passed into clear light. 

I read with compassion to the students of Lama Yeshe who now find it difficult to even be in their center.