This event was very powerful for bringing the Dorje Shugden issue up to the mainstream media. I just hope that the media will cover it. However, I must say that I am not comfortable with the anti-Dalai Lama rhetoric. I can understand that their purpose is to discredit the Dalai Lama because the ban came from the Dalai Lama, but I always am mindful of what HH Trijang Rinpoche said, which was to not lose faith in the Dalai Lama nor Dorje Shugden in future. Vilifying the Dalai Lama is in direct contradiction to this instruction. Also, if any of the monks who spoke have received teachings from the Dalai Lama, they would be criticizing their guru, in which case the karmic repercussions are severe.
Despite this spiritual view, if we can just look at the points raised in this press conference, they are worth thinking about.
1. China has been supportive Buddhism in Tibet.
2. The Dalai Lama is hypocritical in his campaign for animal rights.
3. The Dalai Lama has encouraged self-immolations not just by not condemning it but actively supporting, eg creating the statue of the first immolator and making him a martyr.
4. The Dalai Lama contradicts his stance for non-violence by not condemning the immolations.
These facts and figures below are a grim reminder of the result of the ban:
At that time 908 stores burned down, most belonging to Tibetans. 6 schools for Tibetan children burned down. 120 houses burned down. 5 hospitals burned. 20 high rise buildings burned down. 84 cars burned. 382 people were injured, 58 so serious they never recovered. 18 died. Is that really peace? The damage cost 2 billion dollars. The world must wake up and see, is the Dalai Lama really a non-violent person?
And one last question. Does anyone have any details over the 9 people who were murdered over the past 2 years as mentioned by Sonam Lama? Perhaps it was in the papers he handed out. Anyone here who was present at that press conference?
Press Conference of the North American Gelug Buddhist AssociationInternational Human Rights Day – December 10, 2012
Tibetans speak the truth about the Dalai Lama’s Oppression and Violence
All the major news organizations, including the BBC, CBS, The Boston Globe, China Daily, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post and the World Journal were contacted.
The event began with Dechen Tulku, host of Tibetan Public Talk Show, the only Tibetan news outlet with freedom of speech outside of Tibet. At 12:30 he introduced the days topics and guest speakers.
Sonam Lama, former Vice President of NAGBA, Present Board Member of the Dorje Shugden Devotee’s Charitable & Religious Society in New Delhi, and Representative from NAGBA to New Delhi, introduced the topics and speakers in English.
The first speaker was Venerable Geshe Lama Thupten Phurbu Rinpoche. He spoke about the DL’s religious ban in Tibet and the violence that it has instigated. For his own purpose the Dalai Lama is misleading the world outside of Tibet. He claims there is no religious freedom in Tibet. But Tibet has religious freedom. For example, if you wish to be a monk, no one will prevent you, if you want to study Buddhism, no law will prevent you, you can give all of your money to temples, lamas or monasteries and the government will not stop you. The Chinese government is actually giving protection to all of the five major lineages of Tibetan Buddhism. In recent years at Ganden Monlam Chenpo more than 10,000 monks gathered. People gave millions in offerings. The Chinese government did not interfere but only made it easier, providing protection and health services. The same with the Kagyu Monlam, Bonpo Monlam and Nyingma Monlam. Monks receive a monthly salary from the government so they can concentrate on their studies and even have retirement plans. The Dalai Lama is mixing religion with politics and contaminating pure Tibetan Buddhism. The result is that now Tibetan people are burning themselves alive for him. This is absolutely against Buddhism. The Dalai Lama never spoke against it. It shows that he has no compassion for these people.
The next speaker was Lobsang Dorjee, the President of the Association. He spoke about the Dalai Lama’s receiving the Nobel Peace Prize and the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal. Both of these awards were earned by deception. After receiving them the Dalai Lama used his power to destroy Tibetan religious freedom and started widespread segregation in the Tibetan community, even instigating murders of Tibetans by other Tibetans. These awards have become worthless because he has never created peace anywhere, he has only been interested in his own fame.
Adar Tsering, former General Secretary of NAGBA, said the Dalai Lama is pretending he is an environmentalist and animal rights activist. There is a nursing home in south India that had chickens. The Dalai Lama has banned them from keeping the chickens, saying that eating eggs is a sin. Yet he eats fried fish every morning for breakfast. At the same time, his sister owns a restaurant in Bangalore, India that I have been to a few times. On their menu is fried chicken. They kill approximately 3,000 chickens a week. The Dalai Lama calls his contaminated Buddhism “21st Century Buddhism.” This is not true Buddhism.
Sonam Lama said the Dalai Lama has two faces. He has mislead the world for several decades now. He has been recognized as a world leader in politics by a number of Western nations, and today is the day they celebrate his receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. Sadly, the world’s ignorance about the truth of the current situation has allowed the Dalai Lama to encourage not only self-immolation of his followers, but also the murder of Tibetans by other Tibetans. The Dalai Lama has openly persecuted Tibetans solely on the basis of their religious beliefs. In 1996, the Dalai Lama began persecuting and segregating Shugden practitioners. He denied them basic human rights, and he has forced them to hide their true beliefs. The Dalai Lama’s religious ban on Shugden practice has lead to mob violence and even murder. During the past two years nine people have died. He handed out papers with more details.
This is not the only damage he has done to Tibetans. His encouragement of the politically-motivated self-immolation of Tibetans has also shown his true colors. In 1998, a Tibetan man named Thupten Ngodup burned himself alive in New Delhi, initiating the chain of suicides that continues to this day. The Dalai Lama visited Ngodup in the hospital, showing approval and support for his actions. If that wasn’t enough, after Ngodup’s death the Dalai Lama built a statue of him in Dharamsala. People continue to visit and honor this statue. He has been made a hero to young Tibetans. Since 2008, more than 100 Tibetans have burned themselves alive because of their belief in the Dalai Lama.
In 2010, Tibet suffered one of the worst earthquakes in history. The death toll is estimated to be in the thousands. Chu Zhi Gangdrug organized a large memorial for the dead outside the Dalai Lama’s palace in Dharamsala. Although they pleaded with the Dalai Lama to join, he refused to come. It is hard to imagine what could have been more important than the death of so many Tibetans. Yet, he had time to organize prayers for those who died by self-immolation and read aloud their names and the villages that they came from. After these prayers, 82 more people burned themselves this year.
Jampa Lobsang, Advisor of the Association, said the Dalai Lama started the ban on Shugden saying he was a controversial protector. That is why he was banned. If that is so, the Dalai Lama himself is a controversial Dalai Lama, so we must ban him too. We don’t need to argue about whether Dorje Shugden is a good protector or not. There are many high lamas in the lineage who for more than 300 years praised Dorje Shugden, wrote books about him and prayed to him as a lineage protector. Look at what the Dalai Lama does. He goes against those high lamas of the past, and at the same time he pretends to preach peace and non-violence. If the Dalai Lama teaches non-violence, then why doesn’t he request his followers not to burn themselves?
Tenzin Tsultrim, Advisor of the Association, spoke about how he started working for the Dalai Lama in 1956. He trained for the CIA for 2 years in Colorado and worked very closely with the Dalai Lama and the Dalai Lama’s brother Gyalo Dondhup to escort the Dalai Lama to India. He knows them very well. He then worked closely with the CIA and the Dharamsala Security Department for 12 more years. The Dalai Lama only kept close to him people who tried to please him. People who tried to speak the truth or who cared for the Tibetan people were expelled. He only likes people who agree with him. Someone who speaks the sincere truth will not last long with the Dalai Lama. Because of that now Tibetan’s problems are worse every year. For example, last week the Dalai Lama’s Lamrim teaching in south India was sponsored by Ling Rinpoche. When the Dalai Lama came to south India Ling Rinpoche was in a bad car accident, breaking both of his legs. This shows the result of the bad karma they created.
Tenzin Gyatso, former President of the Association, said he was very grateful that the timing of Lama Thupten Phurbu Rinpoche’s visit from Tibet allowed him attend the press conference. The Association’s board members and former board members also appreciate it. In 1996 the Dalai Lama started banning Shugden practice. He destroyed thousands of Dorje Shugden statues and scriptures. Things got worse in 2008 when he began ostracising and segregating Shugden practitioners, splitting the monasteries in two. But monasteries were not the only places affected. Schools, shops, hospitals, everything in the Tibetan exile community in India that the Dalai Lama has control over. In Lhasa City in Tibet his followers started 300 fires. At that time 908 stores burned down, most belonging to Tibetans. 6 schools for Tibetan children burned down. 120 houses burned down. 5 hospitals burned. 20 high rise buildings burned down. 84 cars burned. 382 people were injured, 58 so serious they never recovered. 18 died. Is that really peace? The damage cost 2 billion dollars. The world must wake up and see, is the Dalai Lama really a non-violent person?
Dechen Tulku closed things up saying Dalai Lama and his organization received millions of dollars in donations but the people who practice Shugden do not receive any aid. When the Dalai Lama talks to the world, he pretends that these funds are to help all Tibetans, but he uses them to persecute and segregate Tibetans. We must let the world know about these issues.
