Sikkim offers Tenshug to the Dalai Lama

[vajratruth]

It is a significant reason to rejoice to know that His Holiness the Dalai Lama has agreed to accept a long-life offering from the Sikkim Government and the Tibetan community. Accepting Tenshug means that the Dalai Lama is intending to remain with us for a significant length of time to continue to turn the wheel of Dharma.

It is also interesting that the Dalai Lama is visiting Sikkim, the Indian state which is host to Rumtek Monastery, the traditional seat of the the Karmapa which is at the centre of the Karmapa controversy. There are two claimants to the throne, one of the two being Ogyen Trinley whom the Dalai Lama and CTA supported and endorsed - a decision which split the Karma Kagyu community in an unfortunate and similar fashion the way the Dalai Lama and CTA's ban on Dorje Shugden split the Gelugpa community.

Ogyen Trinley was the Karmapa that the Chinese Government recognized and enthroned after the successful maneuvering of Tai Situ Rinpoche, some say a crony of the Chinese government. Standing against Ogyen Trinley is the other claimant Thaye Dorje, who was recognized and enthroned by the senior regent of the Kagyus, the Shamarpa as was his right. It was somewhat of a surprise that the Dalai Lama would validate a candidate (in a matter of the Karma Kagyu which the Dalai Lama has no locus to begin with) that would appear to place Sikkim firmly in the hands of the Chinese. And this in light of the fact that not only does the CTA view China as an enemy of the Tibetans, but Sikkim is also a high potential flashpoint for a Sino-Indian conflict given that China once claimed (and perhaps still does) Sikkim as its state, much to the displeasure of the Indian government.

The Dalai Lama and CTA's decision to back Ogyen Trinley has three major repercussions which are as yet, unresolved:

(i) it split the Karma Kagyus which make up a large percentage of the Tibetan population and pitched monks against monks in a manner unbecoming of the sangha, and one which seriously threatens the good standing of monks in the community [ http://www.dorjeshugden.com/all-articles/the-controversy/how-can-there-be-violence-in-paradise/]

(ii) it undermined the Tibetan people's requirement to respect the laws of their host nation, India. Three Indian courts have found that the legal claimant to the Rumtek seat, and therefore the throne of the Karmapa is Thaye Dorje. This is law. And yet with the Dalai Lama and CTA backing the opposing candidate, the message can be interpreted that Indian law need not be heeded or that the decisions of the highest court in India cannot bind the Dalai Lama or the Tibetan government. By now agreeing to visit Sikkim officially the Dalai Lama is in fact affirming the Tibetan people's stance against the Federal Laws of India. While the Dalai Lama was invited by the State government of Sikkim, one would presume that the Tibetans have a duty to observe the federal laws of their host country;

(iii) it betrays the trust of the Indian people who are highly sensitive to border issues with China, which in the past have sent the two Asian giants into war. Sikkim is an important state to India due to its location as a security buffer between China and India and rather than being sensitive to that, the Dalai Lama and CTA continue to stand by Ogyen Trinley whom the Indian government have in the past suspected to be a Chinese plant. Ogyen Trinley and his mentor Tai Situ Rinpoche remain closely watched by Indian security and in fact are restricted from entering Sikkim.

The Karmapa controversy together with the Dorje Shugden ban account for the biggest splits within the Tibetan Buddhist community.

Dalai Lama leaves Dharamshala for Northeast India Tour
Phayul[Thursday, March 21, 2013 17:00]

His Holiness the Dalai Lama leaves Dharamshala, March 21, 2013. (Phayul photo/Norbu Wangyal)
DHARAMSHALA, March 21: The Tibetan Spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama today left Dharamshala for visits to Ravangla, Sikkim and Salugara in Northeast India.

The Sikkim Government has requested the five-day tour to the state.

The Tibetan Nobel Laureate is scheduled to begin his visit from Ravangla in Sikkim where he will perform the Vajrakilaya (Dorjee Phurba) consecration ceremony of the Buddha Statue followed by a teaching on Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattva (Gyasay Laklen Sodunma).

On second day in Ravangla, His Holiness will confer White Tara Long Life Empowerment (Dolker Jenang Tsewang) and the State Government of Sikkim and Tibetan Communities in Ravangla will offer the long-life prayer ceremony (Tenshug) to His Holiness.

On the final leg of the visit, the seventy-seven-year-old Tibetan leader will visit to Salugura, Siliguri, where he is scheduled to teach on Tsong Khapa’s Concise Stages for the Path to Enlightenment (Lamrim Dudon) and Longchen Rabjam's Relaxing the Mind Itself (Sem-nyid Nyesol).

On March 29, His Holiness will confer an Avalokiteshvara Initiation (Chenresig Wangchen) and will return to Dharamshala on March 30.

The Tibetan leader visited Sikkim in 2010, during which he toured Ravangla in the south of the state, where he addressed a congregation of people at the Tibetan settlement. He also visited the Ralong Monastery, arguably the oldest monastery in Sikkim built during the late 1600’s.

http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?article=Dalai+Lama+leaves+Dharamshala+for+Northeast+India+Tour&id=33229

[Ensapa]

(ii) it undermined the Tibetan people's requirement to respect the laws of their host nation, India. Three Indian courts have found that the legal claimant to the Rumtek seat, and therefore the throne of the Karmapa is Thaye Dorje. This is law. And yet with the Dalai Lama and CTA backing the opposing candidate, the message can be interpreted that Indian law need not be heeded or that the decisions of the highest court in India cannot bind the Dalai Lama or the Tibetan government. By now agreeing to visit Sikkim officially the Dalai Lama is in fact affirming the Tibetan people's stance against the Federal Laws of India. While the Dalai Lama was invited by the State government of Sikkim, one would presume that the Tibetans have a duty to observe the federal laws of their host country;

Well, the Tibetans are unfortunately, famous for breaking all the rules in their host country for some reason, and then when they do, Phayul posts a pity me poor me story on how the Tibetans are being oppressed. I am not surprised at all that the Tibetans would choose to break the country's laws for their own personal gain. Case in point would be the tibetans who went on a hunger strike for China to return Tibet, and they did it without any consideration that it is the exact same methods that the people of india use to oppose their government which is not a good thing. Another story is how the abbot and chant master of a monastery in China decided that it would be fun to build a Guru Rinpoche statue - without a permit, and they were arrested. Western media sort of ignored the no permit part and said how much they were discriminated etc. As long as the Tibetans can do this, they wont be free.

[Tenzin Malgyur]

Oh dear! The CTA and the Tibetans in exile seems to be stepping on the toes of their kind host country, India. Not only are the Tibetans running the risk of losing their homeland, there are much scandals and unresolved matters that are dividing the Tibetans. It looks like the Tibetans are hurting themselves more than what they claimed the Chinese government are doing to them. On the brighter note, it is good news to hear HH Dalai Lama have accepted a Tenshug offering from the Sikkim Government and the Tibetan community. May HH continues to turn the dharma wheel and benefit sentient beings every where.

[Ensapa]

Oh dear! The CTA and the Tibetans in exile seems to be stepping on the toes of their kind host country, India. Not only are the Tibetans running the risk of losing their homeland, there are much scandals and unresolved matters that are dividing the Tibetans. It looks like the Tibetans are hurting themselves more than what they claimed the Chinese government are doing to them. On the brighter note, it is good news to hear HH Dalai Lama have accepted a Tenshug offering from the Sikkim Government and the Tibetan community. May HH continues to turn the dharma wheel and benefit sentient beings every where.

Like what many of us have noticed and have mentioned here, the CTA has been sabotaging themselves all along and they have been undoing whatever progress they have with China with every step of the way. I'd say that Samdhong Rinpoche made even more progress with China ever than Lobsang Sanggay and LS is just making things worse with all the self immolations happening and it is quite obvious that he is behind the self immolations. China aint stupid and they are aware of what is going on with CTA and they will only talk with CTA when they know CTA is being honest and transparent with their dealings.

[DharmaDefender]

Thanks for posting this vajratruth, Im really pleased to hear His Holiness accepted tenshug because it means we have the merits for him to extend his life.

Having said that, itd be interesting to see how this plays out in the wider scheme of things since His Holiness has previously talked about his clear light and what will happen after it. If you take a look at the article below (which is a little old), the Dalai Lama has clearly been planning for his clear light, to ensure the Tibetans are okay after he is gone.

What is interesting to note is that even among Tibetan intellectuals, they find that it is difficult to have an independent view when you exist within the Tibetan hierarchy. It means even Tibetans with half a brain know that the ban is unfair, but it is impossible to do otherwise because of the internal peer pressure the Tibetans create...also interesting is the fact that even in Western media, the potential for squabbling amongst Buddhist sects is already being noticed...

But what we all want to know is, does this mean that the ban is going to continue for a lot longer, since it will not be so soon that another Tibetan religious leader assumes a leadership position?

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/religion/2010-05-31-lama30_ST_N.htm

DHARMSALA, India (AP) — The question looms over this raggedy hillside town, a place where ancient mysticism constantly brushes against the realities of modern geopolitics. The monks who fled across the Himalayas ask it quietly, as do the exiled politicians. Even the angry young activists are careful how they raise the issue.
But as the man at the center of the Tibetan exile movement approaches his 75th birthday, the question has become impossible to escape: What happens after the Dalai Lama dies?

The issue echoes far from Dharmsala, the Dalai Lama's home since he fled Tibet after a failed 1959 uprising against Chinese rule. It ranges from policy decisions in Beijing to widespread fears inside Tibet and among the 150,000 exiles that their struggle for autonomy may collapse with the death of their icon.

It is something he thinks about all the time.

"When I pass away, when I die, of course (there will be) a setback. Very serious setback," the Dalai Lama said quietly in a recent interview in his private hilltop compound, speaking in his often-tangled English. His words spill out in bursts, and he can veer suddenly between resignation and determination. "But then, this younger generation will carry this on. There is no question."

That younger generation, though, isn't so sure.

"Right now we are under His Holiness' leadership," said Tenzin Norlha, a 29-year-old Tibetan genetics researcher in Dharmsala, her face creased with worry. While the Dalai Lama is thought to be in reasonable health, he has struggled with a series of ailments in recent years and turns 75 in July. "After he passes away, then what will we see? ... Who can take care of us as His Holiness has done?"

It is hard to exaggerate the hold that the Dalai Lama, like his predecessors over the centuries, has over Tibetans. To them he is a king, the leader of Tibetan Buddhism and the embodiment of compassion. He is The Presence, The Holder of the White Lotus, The Absolute Wisdom, The Ocean. His presence often reduces his followers to speechless weeping.

For nearly 500 years the tradition has continued, with each dead Dalai Lama reincarnated into the body of a young Tibetan boy. But with Tibet's leadership in exile and an aging Dalai Lama, Tibetan history is at a precipice.

"Once the Dalai Lama dies, the whole exile structure is going to be under enormous pressure," said Robbie Barnett, a Tibet scholar at Columbia University.

Among the possible aftershocks: a rival Dalai Lama anointed inside China, home to some 5.4 million Tibetans; squabbling among various Buddhist sects; a plunge in donations; infighting in the exile government and a drop in interest among wealthy foreign supporters and young activists.

In many ways, the Dalai Lama is a man who could be undone by his own charisma. Behind the monk's robes he might look like a midwestern 1960s retiree — with a buzz haircut, oversized glasses, maroon polyester socks and orthopedic shoes — but decades of visitors have talked about his ability to make intense personal connections. He laughs loudly, he slaps playfully at people he barely knows.

His most fervent Western supporters revere him as a mystical amalgam of Nelson Mandela and Yoda, and his wealthy and powerful allies range from actor Richard Gere to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

He will be a hard man to follow.

"The Tibetan government is now standing on the strength of one man," said Jamyang Norbu, a writer who once fought for the small, long-disbanded Tibetan guerrilla army. He is one of the most outspoken intellectuals favoring complete Tibetan independence, as opposed to the limited autonomy the Dalai Lama now demands.

Norbu worries about the personality cult that surrounds the Dalai Lama, and the way his god-like status can make it difficult for dissenting voices to be heard. "In many ways I am loyal to him. But it's difficult to have an independent point of view" in the exile community, he said from his Tennessee home.

The Dalai Lama, the 14th in the line of reincarnations, has at times insisted his reincarnation would be born in exile and has also said the tradition could end with his death. He has talked about dividing his power, with his reincarnation carrying on spiritual duties while someone else — perhaps someone he appoints — takes up the leadership of the exile movement.

He regularly meets with high-ranking monks to discuss his succession. The group includes the Karmapa, a 24-year-old monk known for his daring escape from China and appreciation of PlayStation war games. Many observers believe he is being groomed to take on more power.

Publicly, the Dalai Lama often treats the issue lightly — his advisers "are hoping my life may remain infinite," he said, laughing — but he is clearly sending up trial balloons, gauging what his followers will accept after he dies.

And always, Beijing's potential reactions are weighed.

"There's a fear that unless we can strengthen the exile government before His Holiness passes away, the Chinese will make a strong attempt to control his reincarnation process," said Norbu.

China has left little doubt that it intends to be deeply involved in the Dalai Lama's succession, ridiculing his scenarios and insisting that religious law requires the reincarnation be born in a Tibetan area under Chinese control.

This means a government led by fierce atheists may soon be trying to steer an ancient mystical process, using monks loyal to Beijing to install a China-approved successor.

The Dalai Lama shrugs at the idea: "This is very possible," he said, adding no one will be fooled: "One Dalai Lama is official; one Dalai Lama is Dalai Lama of the Tibetan heart."

Such a move would echo Beijing's tactics with the Panchen Lama, one of the leading figures in Tibetan Buddhism. In 1995, when the Dalai Lama named a young boy as the reincarnated Panchen Lama, that boy disappeared and has not been seen since.

Another boy, backed by Beijing, was soon named the official reincarnation, though he has little support among Tibetans.

It was far different in 1939 when, after a series of mystical signs, a young Tibetan boy named Lhamo Dhondrub was announced at age 2 to be the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama.

The new Dalai Lama was enthroned in a feudal Himalayan kingdom that had remained deeply isolated until well into the 20th century. It was a place where indentured servitude was common, telephones nearly unknown and where, in the 1930s, a politician was sentenced by the Tibetan government to having his eyeballs removed for trying to use black magic to kill a rival.

The Dalai Lama found himself jousting with China while he was still a teenager. In 1950, when he was 15, Chinese soldiers invaded Tibet. Nine years later, as talks with Beijing collapsed and a Tibetan uprising was crushed, the Dalai Lama fled with a handful of supporters across the mountains into India.

Over the past half-century, the once-feudal king has become a master of the modern world. He is an ascetic Buddhist monk long accustomed to celebrities who want to prostrate themselves before him. He travels and lectures constantly. He has raised tens of millions of dollars for the Tibetan cause, supporting everything from orphanages to a soccer team. He has become an international symbol of peace.

In Beijing, though, he's something different: "A jackal wearing a monk's robe," one China-appointed Tibetan official said. "A demon," said another. Beijing accuses the Dalai Lama of being a "splittist" who is secretly plotting for Tibet's complete independence from China.

Tibetan exile leaders and independent human rights observers, meanwhile, say China is systematically stripping Tibet of its heritage. Ethnic Han Chinese are pouring into the region, while Beijing has arrested generations of political activists and oversees a vast military and intelligence network that reaches into nearly every village and monastery.

While the Dalai Lama still advocates talks with China — the discussions have limped along for years — he has few other choices.

"So far, dialogue failed, but that does not mean in future no possibility," he said in the Dharmsala interview. He insists one minute that change is at hand, but then says he is always disappointed. "Eventually, all these hopes disappear."

Today, increasing numbers of Tibetans are putting their hope in a new generation of political leaders.

In 2011, Tibetans will choose the exile government's next prime minister, an election widely seen as the most democratic yet for the exiles. Reflecting the constant tug here between tradition and modernity, exile politicians have long tried to do what they think the Dalai Lama wants — while the Dalai Lama says politicians need to make their own decisions.

"In a way, it's like saying 'Who will be our next leader?'" said Tenzin Choeying of the activist group Students for a Free Tibet. "Without mentioning His Holiness, this is a way of addressing the issue" of his death.

And, he insists, one day the movement will succeed: "People say we're dreamers, but the same thing might have been said about Indians who wanted independence (from England) in the 1890s."

That pervading sense of hope is perhaps the strangest thing about Dharmsala, this town of Tibetans and wandering hippies, with its astrologers, crystal shops and enough yoga masters to form a small but exceedingly limber army.

The Dalai Lama, despite his occasional lapses into pessimism, is hopeful that things will improve in Tibet. The activists are hopeful.

Even the state oracle is hopeful.

The oracle is an avuncular 52-year-old monk named Thupten Ngodup who, during trances, is said to be able to communicate with the spirit world and look into the future. He is a powerful political and spiritual adviser to the government and the Dalai Lama.

Ngodup, who fled Tibet as a child, has no doubt that he'll return.

"Perhaps my hope might sound a little stupid," he said in his monastery office. "But in this century, the era of dictatorship is passing."

"Change will come," he said. "Change will come to China."

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[Ensapa]

"Right now we are under His Holiness' leadership," said Tenzin Norlha, a 29-year-old Tibetan genetics researcher in Dharmsala, her face creased with worry. While the Dalai Lama is thought to be in reasonable health, he has struggled with a series of ailments in recent years and turns 75 in July. "After he passes away, then what will we see? ... Who can take care of us as His Holiness has done?".

Right here, you see, is the problem with the Tibetans: their dependency towards the Dalai Lama. They expect the Dalai Lama to take care of them. They expect the Dalai Lama to lead them and to baby them and do everything for them from a secular point of view and no one wants to take charge. Since the Dalai Lama is gonna take care of us all, there is no need for us to take control of our own government or take care of ourselves -  that is the mentality of most Tibetans and why they dont take charge of their own happiness and also their own government. As long as this attitude persists, CTA will never go anywhere and HHDL cant babysit them forever. They have to stand up and be their own leader.

[Big Uncle]

It is good but lets be serious. No ritual or auspicious gesture can prolong the Dalai Lama's life indefinitely. It is traditionally inauspicious to talk about the demise of a lama but I was thinking about the ban on Dorje Shugden. Right now, the Dalai Lama seemed to have ceased all mention of Dorje Shugden from what I read from the little bits of news that trickle into this forum.

As I said before, the best case scenario of how the ban would come to an end, would be for the Dalai Lama to be the one to issue the decree and that would solve everything. However, I do not see that happening right now because why would the Dalai Lama issue a statement that overrides on his instructions given years ago. We know that the Dalai Lama has his higher reasons for it and whether those reasons have been met yet or not, we don't know. Whatever it is, the worst case scenario would be that the Dalai Lama enters clear light before the ban is officially called off. Then, the ban would be around for a while more before it dies away. High Lamas and perhaps the new incarnation of the Dalai Lama can call it off but some pople would still hang on to it.

That's why I do hope the Dalai Lama really has a change of heart about Dorje Shugden and officially declare the ban to be lifted. It is nice that the Dalai Lama plans to live longer which I hope will buy us more time that he would indeed decided to lift the ban. Time is of essence right now. Whatever the pujas do cannot ensure that the Dalai Lama will live indefinitely.

[Ensapa]

It is good but lets be serious. No ritual or auspicious gesture can prolong the Dalai Lama's life indefinitely. It is traditionally inauspicious to talk about the demise of a lama but I was thinking about the ban on Dorje Shugden. Right now, the Dalai Lama seemed to have ceased all mention of Dorje Shugden from what I read from the little bits of news that trickle into this forum.

As I said before, the best case scenario of how the ban would come to an end, would be for the Dalai Lama to be the one to issue the decree and that would solve everything. However, I do not see that happening right now because why would the Dalai Lama issue a statement that overrides on his instructions given years ago. We know that the Dalai Lama has his higher reasons for it and whether those reasons have been met yet or not, we don't know. Whatever it is, the worst case scenario would be that the Dalai Lama enters clear light before the ban is officially called off. Then, the ban would be around for a while more before it dies away. High Lamas and perhaps the new incarnation of the Dalai Lama can call it off but some pople would still hang on to it.

That's why I do hope the Dalai Lama really has a change of heart about Dorje Shugden and officially declare the ban to be lifted. It is nice that the Dalai Lama plans to live longer which I hope will buy us more time that he would indeed decided to lift the ban. Time is of essence right now. Whatever the pujas do cannot ensure that the Dalai Lama will live indefinitely.

Offering of such pujas can only last for only so long. It cannot extend the Dalai Lama's life beyond the limits of a human body, but what it can do is ensure that His Holiness will reincarnate back once his body is no longer able to serve him or the Dharma. The pujas, theoretically, helps to strengthen the Dalai Lama's connection with our world, but it does not mean that he will live forever. It is simply illogical and unrealistic to expect the Dalai Lama to live beyond the normal age of an average human. The Tibetans need to take charge and the best way to show that they take charge is to defy the Dalai Lama on the ban on Dorje Shugden because the ban should not affect how the secular government behaves as it is strictly a spiritual one.

[Gabby Potter]

Personally I do not have any ill feelings towards His Holiness no doubt that He enforced a ' ban ' on Dorje Shugden. But I strongly believe rhythm His Holiness has His reasons of doing this, Dorje Shugden is an enlightened Buddha, and I don't see the physical reason why His practise should be banned, so I'm pretty sure that there are some things that its just not up to us to give answers. May the Dalai Lama live long and continue to turn the wheel of Dharma.