The ban has made us stronger

[honeydakini]

Was just talking about this on another thread (the one about Dalai Lama saying his Gurus are wrong and Lama Zopa saying they're not).... Big Uncle had talked about how the ban has indirectly made the practice grow stronger in China. And I added also that the ban also strengthens our faith, in a roundabout way. Reverse psychology works!

This reminded me of an article I read recently about this. It's actually an extract from this forum from an old poster TK, but the website team have turned it into an article of its own. Here you go:

Have a read and share what you think. IS the ban making us stronger and indirectly making the practice actually grow? More importantly, does the Dalai Lama know that his ban is haven't the opposite effect...... Or was that actually the POINT of the ban?

Like I said, reverse psychology works. Worked all the way back in that quintessential Bible story of adam and eve!


The Ban Has Made Us Stronger
http://www.dorjeshugden.com/all-articles/the-controversy/the-ban-has-made-us-stronger/


There is more frequent news coming from Tibet and China these days that monasteries are practicing Dorje Shugden and lamas are bestowing initiations (sogtae) to practitioners there.

From just one Geshe initiating so many people, many more will practice. The practitioners themselves will then initiate even more people and so on. This trend will continue to grow. It will not stop. Neither the current Dalai Lama nor any other lamas after him can stop this trend. Whatever negative things have been said of Shugden have already been said. Nothing new can be said. Whatever doubts people may or may not have, have already been expressed; no new doubts can arise.

Those who have not given up their practice, due to strong Guru devotion and holding their samaya strongly, will not abandon the practice but perpetuate Shugden even more so. Whatever damage the ban has created has reached its limit, not much more can be done to hurt Shugden practitioners. The ban has made us stronger and we will continue to grow. It has made me stronger.

Because of the ban, I direct a large amount of my income towards Shugden monasteries, practitioners and related activities and practices because I want to support these institutions. Every month, I have funds allocated for them. I am sure I am not the only one who has allocated his funds, time, resources, energy and knowledge for the growth of Shugden’s lineage and to the clearance of Shugden’s good name. The ban has made me stronger and even more determined. The truth of the matter is the more you ban something, the more people would want it. Reverse psychology always works.

More and more websites like this one (DorjeShugden.com) will spring up, and in many languages. We can find many ways to bring Shugden to others in our own ways. For me, this website and its forum is one method. There are more avenues and I will engage in them. The ban has made Shugden practitioners stronger and even more determined to bring Shugden to mainstream Buddhism and to make it accepted. Dorje Shugden should be accepted. After all, there is nothing wrong with Buddha Dorje Shugden no matter what others would like to wrongly perpetuate.

Many of those who have abandoned Shugden due to pressures, wrong views, fear, inadequate knowledge or seeking political ‘correctness’ will regret this decision eventually and seek Dulzin’s forgiveness (Shugden in trance of the oracle Choyang Dulzin Kuten said this himself at the start of all the problems in the 1990?s). It is not a day of reckoning, but the time will come as truth is truth and it will be revealed.

This opinion piece has been extracted from the DorjeShugden.com forum. Please add to the discussions on the forum if you have further perspectives, comments and thoughts. We always welcome debate and exchange. The original thread can be viewed at http://www.dorjeshugden.com/forum/index.php?topic=1156.0

[Positive Change]

Well there are many views on this and two main opposing camps on this as well. If we are to believe who HHDL is, then there is no question there is a higher purpose or a larger picture to the ban. It is then without question that an emanation of Avalokitesvara has only the well being of sentient beings in mind.

Even if one does not choose to believe or is skeptical, the "results" of the ban are very evident! Has the ban not created a circumstance whereby the spread of Dorje Shugden has gone forth to the 10 directions? Has it not created an international "hype/awareness" and made Dorje Shugden newsworthy? Has the ban not created a situation whereby the very principles of Buddhism are challenge which in turn makes us think further with regards to our practice and our faith. What does not kill us really makes us stronger.

And why is it that HHDL contradicts himself with only this regard... the ban on Dorje Shugden? Why ONLY this and nothing else... in fact one can say HHDL is consistent in all his actions... even in the consistency of the inconsistency of the ban and the Dorje Shugden issue.

[Ensapa]

I really agree with this article, that the band has make the practitioners stronger from strength to strength and eventually, people who turned away from Dorje Shugden and who went against him would have to apologize to him and make amends at the end of the day. Most people who do so is due to mistaken views and lack of investigation or knowledge, or perhaps peer pressure due to the surrounding communities who put pressure on them and this shockwave can be felt across various internet forums as well where even the mere mention of Dorje Shugden would be faced with a ban and all talk about him stifled in one of the most unbuddhist ways possible.

[WisdomBeing]

I know what Positive Change is saying about the ban has made Dorje Shugden's practice grow throughout the world, and i think that people have just misinterpreted the Dalai Lama's ban on the practice in the sense that I am sure the Dalai Lama did not want people to decimate the Dorje Shugden practitioners on a psychological or physical level, and it is people's overzealousness that has made this subject taboo in most buddhist forums on the internet. Emotions run very high on this but it really does not make sense to me why they have to, which results in such angry responses as brought up in this thread http://www.dorjeshugden.com/forum/index.php?topic=3179.0.

This is something i really do not understand about Buddhists who are so angersome. If you wish to disagree, fine, but is it really necessary to be so vituperative and derogatory to someone who follows a different religious practice? My mantra is what happened to loving kindness? Compassion? Maybe they think that they are exerting wrathful compassion to benefit the wayward ones, but sorry, i think it's a load of B.S.

[dsiluvu]

I know what Positive Change is saying about the ban has made Dorje Shugden's practice grow throughout the world, and i think that people have just misinterpreted the Dalai Lama's ban on the practice in the sense that I am sure the Dalai Lama did not want people to decimate the Dorje Shugden practitioners on a psychological or physical level, and it is people's overzealousness that has made this subject taboo in most buddhist forums on the internet. Emotions run very high on this but it really does not make sense to me why they have to, which results in such angry responses as brought up in this thread http://www.dorjeshugden.com/forum/index.php?topic=3179.0.

This is something i really do not understand about Buddhists who are so angersome. If you wish to disagree, fine, but is it really necessary to be so vituperative and derogatory to someone who follows a different religious practice? My mantra is what happened to loving kindness? Compassion? Maybe they think that they are exerting wrathful compassion to benefit the wayward ones, but sorry, i think it's a load of B.S.

I know what you mean Wisdom Being... those who are showing anger and hatred just because we have a different faith or practice... clear proves to me that they are not real Buddhist. In a nutshell this ban has clearly shown us who we truly are inside isn't it? Now we can see everyone's "true colours" and not hide behind a facade of hypocrisy. The sad part is that these are the very attitudes that will create the causes for Buddhism to degenerate and slowly dissolve. This is what the Buddha means by Buddhism will die from within... within its own people.

So whenever we are face with such reactions and I guess looking what we Shugdenpas have to go through now... the eight verses of thought transformation comes to mind, especially the phrases in "bold", for us to stay sane and calm and at the same time it also made me realise not many Tibetans practice Dharma. Outwardly is Dharma, but internally it is not so unfortunately... otherwise they would be applying this very prayer and thoughts... as it has also been taught by HHDL I believe.

Eight Verses of Thought Transformation

With the thought of attaining Enlightenment
For the welfare of all beings,
Who are more precious than a wish–fulfilling jewel,
I will constantly practise holding them dear.

Whenever I am with others,
I will practise seeing myself as the lowest of all,
And from the very depths of my heart
I will respectfully hold others as supreme.

In all actions I will examine my mind
And the moment a disturbing attitude arises,
Endangering myself or others,
I will firmly confront and avert it.

Whenever I meet a person of bad nature,
Overwhelmed by negative energy and intense suffering,
I will hold such a rare one dear
As if I’ve found a precious treasure.

When others out of jealousy,
Mistreat me with abuse, slander and so on,
I will practise accepting defeat
And offering the victory to them.

When someone I have benefited and in whom
I have placed great trust hurts me very badly,
I will practise seeing that person
As my supreme teacher.

In short, I will offer directly and indirectly
Every benefit and happiness to all beings, my mothers.
I will practise in secret taking upon myself
All their harmful actions and sufferings.

Without these practices being defiled
By the stains of the eight worldly concerns,
By perceiving all phenomena as illusory,
I will practise without grasping to release all beings
From the bondage of the disturbing unsubdued mind and karma.

[Ensapa]

I know what Positive Change is saying about the ban has made Dorje Shugden's practice grow throughout the world, and i think that people have just misinterpreted the Dalai Lama's ban on the practice in the sense that I am sure the Dalai Lama did not want people to decimate the Dorje Shugden practitioners on a psychological or physical level, and it is people's overzealousness that has made this subject taboo in most buddhist forums on the internet. Emotions run very high on this but it really does not make sense to me why they have to, which results in such angry responses as brought up in this thread http://www.dorjeshugden.com/forum/index.php?topic=3179.0.

This is something i really do not understand about Buddhists who are so angersome. If you wish to disagree, fine, but is it really necessary to be so vituperative and derogatory to someone who follows a different religious practice? My mantra is what happened to loving kindness? Compassion? Maybe they think that they are exerting wrathful compassion to benefit the wayward ones, but sorry, i think it's a load of B.S.

you're right. It is the overzealousness of people who have blown this ban out of proportion. Firstly, the Dalai Lama has every right to tell his followers to not practice Dorje Shugden but they, as the Dalai Lama's followers have no right to impose their beliefs on others and prosecute and rebuke those who do. The Dalai Lama never once said "If you want to follow my teachings, you have to not only not practice Dorje Shugden but you must rebuke and crush their practitioners to the ground", so why are these so called disciples who claim that they are following the Dalai Lama act in ways that does not reflect his teachings, and putting words into the Dalai Lama's mouth, although I can imagine that it can be fun to be the crusader sometimes.

[Rihanna]

It is fun to be a crusader sometimes, but we must examine the motivation behind our actions. Are we keeping up the ban because it is what we truly believe in, having examined and considered all arguments? Or are we keeping up the ban because it makes us look good since we are on the "right" side? Everything in samsara, no matter how good it looks, is always governed by ego!

[Ensapa]

It is fun to be a crusader sometimes, but we must examine the motivation behind our actions. Are we keeping up the ban because it is what we truly believe in, having examined and considered all arguments? Or are we keeping up the ban because it makes us look good since we are on the "right" side? Everything in samsara, no matter how good it looks, is always governed by ego!

In most cases, I can easily tell that the author of those posts that speak up for the ban base their reasons on very shaky evidence and also that they dont really believe in helping others when they behave in such a way. I understand that it is fun and easy to condemn something or a person just because they can and it is rather unfortunate that many of these people use the ban to justify their hate against something when it could have been done in a better way. It is pretty clear, from the way that they attack people who talk about Dorje Shugden in the other so called Buddhist forums that they are doing it because they want to be on the 'right' side. And I am not surprised that most of these people dont even know who Dorje Shugden really is.

[Manjushri]

The more one has to endure and suffer, the stronger one becomes. Just like someone who has successfully survived cancer, they grow and become stronger from it. Or if someone had to deal with a painful loss, most become stronger from it as you grow to appreciate something more. In this case, being suppressed and discriminated against will of course give you the strength and will power to rise even more.. because success, result and satisfaction will be the best weapon to have against others.

Who can decide for you what you want to do or should follow? If someone asks you to stop doing something, but you know that the basis of them asking you to do it has flaws, then you should have a choice to ignore it.

[Ensapa]

The more one has to endure and suffer, the stronger one becomes. Just like someone who has successfully survived cancer, they grow and become stronger from it. Or if someone had to deal with a painful loss, most become stronger from it as you grow to appreciate something more. In this case, being suppressed and discriminated against will of course give you the strength and will power to rise even more.. because success, result and satisfaction will be the best weapon to have against others.

Who can decide for you what you want to do or should follow? If someone asks you to stop doing something, but you know that the basis of them asking you to do it has flaws, then you should have a choice to ignore it.

From this forum, I think we have witnessed Dorje Shugden practitioners grow from strength to strength in more ways than one. We can see so many Dorje Shugden Lamas who thrive despite the conditions of the ban and despite having to go through so much. We have so many success stories of Dorje Shugden Lamas making it and building huge temples as well as having great Dharma activities that spread all over. And even in China, Dorje Shugden's practice is growing very well and we can see Lamas there giving Dharma talks and Dorje Shugden initiations en masse to bless the people there. All these are the sucesses of Dorje Shugden Lamas and for their zeal to bear what is hard to bear.

[vajratruth]

The more one has to endure and suffer, the stronger one becomes. Just like someone who has successfully survived cancer, they grow and become stronger from it. Or if someone had to deal with a painful loss, most become stronger from it as you grow to appreciate something more. In this case, being suppressed and discriminated against will of course give you the strength and will power to rise even more.. because success, result and satisfaction will be the best weapon to have against others.

Well said Manjushri. Persecutions, as unpalatable it is, actually builds strength and perseverance. It is the testing of our faith in Dorje Shugden and in our Guru and therefore an opportunity to be proven worthy, not that the Protector needs us to prove ourselves but we need to prove to ourselves that we are indeed worthy of the blessings and merits. It is easy for anyone to worship Dorje Shugden under normal conditions but only those true in faith will endure to be reviled under such oppression. The same strength and conviction will see these practitioners though all the vows they have taken.

And it is through this stronger faith that we accomplish good results in our higher practice because at the foundation of all attainments is our trust in, and obedience to our Guru. Nothing is more important than that. Through this faith and devotion, strong merits to do even more for the Dharma accrue and therefore it is not a coincidence that the Shugden lamas have been extremely successful in spreading the Dharma across the globe. Other than the Dalai Lama who is a media drawcard, we hardly hear of any anti-Shugden lama undertaking tremendous projects to spread the Dharma.

Even those who discriminate against the Protector practice must secretly marvel at the will and courage of the Shugden practitioners and it is through such witness of faith that veneration of Dorje Shugden will eventually spread to all.

The ban has all but exhausted itself after so many years and we hardly hear much criticisms of Dorje Shugden any more. What we do see and hear are more and more stories of Shugden lamas building monasteries around the world and giving initiations. Trijang Choktrul Rinpoche is one fine example of a Shugden lama who is only beginning to spread the lineage along with the Dharma. If there is only one thing this proves, is that Dorje Shugden is not a demon but a Buddha. You simply cannot ban a Buddha but an evil spirit would have been dealt with a long time ago.

The only demon is the wrong views in the mind of Shugden critics who see an enlightened being as an evil spirit.

[brian]

Not only the ban have made us stronger and united, the ban have made Dorje Shugden's name famous far and wide. More and more people came to know about Dorje Shugden's practice of course credits to dorjeshugden.com as well

Seeing so much suffering been handed onto some of our fellow Dorje Shugden practitioners such as discriminations, murders and hardships ensuing protests and repeated calls to CTA to stop have certainly created major headlines around the world that made the name of Dorje Shugden spreaded far and wide.

[Ensapa]

Well said Manjushri. Persecutions, as unpalatable it is, actually builds strength and perseverance. It is the testing of our faith in Dorje Shugden and in our Guru and therefore an opportunity to be proven worthy, not that the Protector needs us to prove ourselves but we need to prove to ourselves that we are indeed worthy of the blessings and merits. It is easy for anyone to worship Dorje Shugden under normal conditions but only those true in faith will endure to be reviled under such oppression. The same strength and conviction will see these practitioners though all the vows they have taken.

And it is through this stronger faith that we accomplish good results in our higher practice because at the foundation of all attainments is our trust in, and obedience to our Guru. Nothing is more important than that. Through this faith and devotion, strong merits to do even more for the Dharma accrue and therefore it is not a coincidence that the Shugden lamas have been extremely successful in spreading the Dharma across the globe. Other than the Dalai Lama who is a media drawcard, we hardly hear of any anti-Shugden lama undertaking tremendous projects to spread the Dharma.

Even those who discriminate against the Protector practice must secretly marvel at the will and courage of the Shugden practitioners and it is through such witness of faith that veneration of Dorje Shugden will eventually spread to all.

The ban has all but exhausted itself after so many years and we hardly hear much criticisms of Dorje Shugden any more. What we do see and hear are more and more stories of Shugden lamas building monasteries around the world and giving initiations. Trijang Choktrul Rinpoche is one fine example of a Shugden lama who is only beginning to spread the lineage along with the Dharma. If there is only one thing this proves, is that Dorje Shugden is not a demon but a Buddha. You simply cannot ban a Buddha but an evil spirit would have been dealt with a long time ago.

The only demon is the wrong views in the mind of Shugden critics who see an enlightened being as an evil spirit.

I agree with you that the ban clearly shows the power of strength and conviction of the Dorje Shugden practitioners because most practitioners are still very resilient against the ban and they are not hating the Dalai Lama for it. I mean, no one in Shar Ganden or Serpom is bitter about the whole situation and against the Dalai Lama. Neither has Gangchen Rinpoche or Serkong Tritul. Holding on to vows and the lineage Guru's instructions is far more important than being politically correct at the Dalai Lama's side and to get support from the community just because you are in their 'club'. I am not sure about people who are against Dorje Shugden; they seem to be to be a selective bunch and tend to selectively follow the Dalai Lama's advice and selectively read information and they always forget a lot of facts such as why Dorje Shugden Lamas keep coming back if he's a demon, or why are there so many Dorje Shugden Lamas building huge temples everywhere. Not surprising why they have little attainments compared to those who avoid or keep quiet and focus on their own practice.

[Gabby Potter]

Yes, the ban has indeed made us stronger, I'm so grateful of the people who stuck around even after so many years, they are the people who will watch the ban lifts, who contributed towards the lifting of the ban. May the ban be removed very quickly and smoothly so that everyone can live in peace, no religious discrimination, no protests.