Abbot betrays his own monastery

[Q]

Just when you thought you've seen it all... there's yet another news that would shock you. The Abbot of Phelgyeling monastery has not only denounced DS practice which is the main practice of the monastery for the last 4 centuries... he also sold off several precious items that has been passed down for generations in the monastery!

Read more about the issue: http://www.dorjeshugden.com/all-articles/the-controversy/an-abbot-betrays-his-own/

[DharmaSpace]

A monks vows protects him against spirits and karmic infractions. Especially the robes of the monks, from monks who held their vows.

So how can monk attract such karma if they had not broken their vows and commitments? Selling the dharma is really not something any monk or dharma practitioner should be doing.

[christine V]

This is a very heartache article! An Abbot not only giving up practices that given by His Guru, but, sold the monastery precious items. His actions, not only brought damage to himself, but, too destroyed people who trust the monastery over the years. The reasons for him to betrayed, might not be the force from the banned. From the link to the article, what i see is is for his own personal gain. The banned is just an excuses.

I hopes , CTA can see clearly how this banned should be stopped NOW! Its causes people to use as an excuses to destroy the Dharma and the harmonious between Buddhist .
At this degenerate age, to be a monk or nun is not easy. Adding in with this banned against Dorje Shugden , it's confused lots of people who wanted Dharma. Worst, it stopped people who wanted to be close to Dharma to leave.

[Losang_Tenpa]

Just to clarify, the monastery has been under new leadership for some time. The new abbot is a very pure monk with much devotion to Dorje Shugden. These events described happened 7-8 years ago. The monastery has not let any of these past events overshadow their determination to uphold the pure lineage of Je Tsongkhapa.

Much respect to these brave monks!!

[icy]

Thank you venerable Lobsang Tenpa-la for your update.  So much relief to hear this news from you.  During this challenging time, abbots have to be strong in their faith and uphold the lineage well.  He is exemplary to the rest of the monks and followers and is of foremost importance.

[Manjushri]

Lobsang_Tenpa, thank you for your clarification.

Whether this happened recently or 7-8 years ago, it still doesn't dismiss the fact that the ban and pressure from CTA has indirectly caused many of the sangha to break samaya with their guru, and the extent of sufferings it has caused to many. I am in disbelieve that an abbot can act this way but it also shows that pure sangha members is really a jewel among a haystack.

Karma really gives no immunity to anyone. You will always reap what you sow.

[dsiluvu]

It is indeed very sad to read this news about Geshe Thardö. To have your own Abbot betraying you and on top of that stealing precious belongings of the Buddha and sangha to sell and even selling the land that belongs to the monastery is really something unheard of in Buddhist history if can say so?

If you label what is evil, I would label this BAN that causes such chaos and mind shifts evil. Seems like the CTA is the slowly but surely poisoning the sangha. Because of their pressure in wanting Phelgyeling to give up their practice of Dorje Shugden, they caused the negative actions of the monastery's Abbot to arise. This would probably not have happened if there was no ban, no pressure! Sad to say, even an Abbot cannot escape negative karma, and what Geshe Thardo did is definitely so negative and everyone knows stealing from the sangha is huge heinous crime... hence the drastic repercussion... him being paralysed.

What a degenerate age!

[Tenzin Malgyur]

Oh dear. It is certainly not a pleasant news to read of the abbot Geshe Thardo suffering a massive stroke after all the unethical deeds he carried out. Not only did he betray Dorje Shugden, it is so shocking to know that he sold off so many treasured holy items belonging to the Phelgyeling monastery for his own gain. Having read about all the misfortunes that struck so many ex-Shugden practitioners, we must understand that it is due to their broken samaya the illness manifested and definitely not a punishment executed by DS who is a Buddha.

[bonfire]

Just to clarify, the monastery has been under new leadership for some time. The new abbot is a very pure monk with much devotion to Dorje Shugden. These events described happened 7-8 years ago. The monastery has not let any of these past events overshadow their determination to uphold the pure lineage of Je Tsongkhapa.

Much respect to these brave monks!!

And I do hope that this would not happen today anymore.
I hope that the words of the ban have lost, if not all, at least some weight.
I am sure that soon the words of the ban will not carry any more weight, they'd just become some non-sense blabber...

[dondrup]

It is very sad that Geshe Thardö had succumbed into the pressure from CTA and swore against the practice of Dorje Shugden.  I can't believe that Geshe Thardo had chosen CTA over Dorje Shugden! How pathetic! Also he had the audacity to steal the holy treasures from the Sangha!

Geshe Thardo is all but fake! He does not deserve the title Geshe. How could he possibly continue his spiritual practice after his betrayal of Dorje Shugden, his lineage, guru and monastery? He lacks integrity! How could he possibly be trusted by anyone anymore even CTA? Nobody accepts traitors!

In short Geshe Thardo had lost everything!

[vajrastorm]

Even though this happened 7-8 years ago, it is still sad to read about betrayals and broken samaya by a monastic. This is after knowing that the sangha of Phelgyeling Monastery had suffered for so many years because they had refused to give in to the decree that they gave up the practice of Shugden.

Geshe Thardo bowed to pressure and caved in and denounced the practice of Shugden. Not only that, he even sold sacred treasures of the Monastery for his own gain. That he suffered a stroke and was paralyzed afterwards, shows how powerful was the negative karma he had created with such gross transgressions- breaking vows and breaking his samaya with his Guru who had given him his Shugden practice. His negative karma was made heavier by his abuse of authority, as abbot of the monastery.

Fortunately, a new abbot took over from him and restored the temple to the original purity of teachings of Lama Tsongkhapa.

However, Lobsang Tenpa, may i ask if the practice of Shugden was reinstated.? Thank you.

[kris]

I have been to Phelgyeling Monastery and have the fortunate merits to see THE Dorje Shutden statue by 5th HH Dalai Lama. I was told by the monks there that they constantly harressed by CTA and had to endure many hardship, for example many shop owners won't sell things to the monks in the monastery. It is not easy for Dorje Shugden practitioners (especially in Nepal) to practice already, and yet the Abbot betrayed them It must be very saddening.

I do pray that with the new Abbot, things can improve and that's why we need to let the ban down as soon as possible so that less suffering of the monks and practitioners.

I agreed with what the article said, and leave the Dorje Shugden practitioners alone!

We urge our readers to think about the ban on Dorje Shugden at a spiritual level. While Buddhism teaches us compassion, tolerance and integrity, the CTA’s insistence on enforcing the ban on Dorje Shugden despite H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama’s recent comment that “it is up to the individual to decide if they wish to practice Shugden” is destroying the only thing that Tibetans are renowned for – their spirituality.

[jeff Ryan]

I was shocked, alarmed, confused, heart broken, etc. at the news reported in this article from my Face Book News Feed. Fortunately, I checked the forum to learn more about this event before I started making international phone calls to check on this "new development".   I wish the author would have been more considerate and informed the reader this event is old news  that happened 7 or 8 years ago.  Thank you Venerable  Lobsang Tenpa for revealing  the truth.

[Kim Hyun Jae]

Thank you Losang Tenpa who pointed out that a new Abbot had already replaced Geshe Thardo of Phelgyeling Monastery 7 to 8 years ago and reinstated the practice of DS to its former purity.

The point the article was pointed to was that an abbot would "betray" his own Gurus and Masters, the sangha community and his own personal practice due to DS BAN and his own greed. What drove him to such destitute or desperate act as to go against his own practice? Is it because he caused his merits to run out or his karma had ripen?

It is still a pity and a lesson to be learned for us. If such karma were to ripen onto us, we would not have be able to continue our practice and illness will befall upon us. We need to be cautious of that too.  

[lotus1]

It is really sad to read about this article on abbot of a known monastery has betrayed his own monastery by giving up the teachings by his Guru & lineage, and also selling off precious items owned by the monastery for his personal gain! A monk, not a young monk but an abbot, broke the basic refuge vows – Stealing! It is really degeneration of Dharma!

I am glad to hear form Losang Tenpa that there is a new abbot who has taken over the leadership of the monastery and upholding the pure lineage of Je Tsongkhapa. Bravo to the brave monks!

May the teaching and lineage of Je Tsongkhapa flourish and may the ban for the great protector Dorje Shugden whose role is to protect the pure teaching of Je Tsongkhapa will be lifted soonest!