Declaration concerning the demonstrations against His Holiness the Dalai Lama

[DharmaSpace]

September 28, 2014 1:32 pm
The following is a revised and abbreviated version of the Declaration by New Kadampa Survivors concerning the Demonstrations against His Holiness the Dalai Lama. (Click here)

We, the undersigned, as former members of the New Kadampa Tradition (NKT), and ex-practitioners of Dolgyal Shugden, are appalled and saddened that those who were once our NKT sangha demonstrate against and defame His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

The NKT, led by their teacher Kelsang Gyatso, operates as the ‘Western Shugden Society’ (WSS) and more recently as the ‘International Shugden Community’ (ISC). These groups attack His Holiness with unwarranted allegations and distortions of what we know to be the truth. We now believe it is time to speak out!

1) The NKT call His Holiness the Dalai Lama a ‘liar’. His Holiness holds a different view from Kelsang Gyatso concerning the nature and history of Dolgyal Shugden and the effects of this practice upon the well-being of His Holiness, the Tibetan people and their cause. A difference of opinion is not lying.

2) The NKT claim that His Holiness the Dalai Lama has broken samaya with all his teachers by rejecting the practice of Dolgyal Shugden. This practice was viewed as problematic by His Holiness’ Senior Tutor, Ling Rinpoche. After extensive historical investigation His Holiness saw that Dolgyal Shugden worship was often associated with sectarian views and ‘distorted aspiration’. He explained to his Junior Tutor Trijang Rinpoche why it was his duty to avoid this practice and advise others to do so. Masters of other traditions have also dismissed this practice after investigation. According to Buddhist scriptures and past masters, these are correct and appropriate actions.

3) Kelsang Gyatso claims that by rejecting Dolgyal Shugden, His Holiness is rejecting all the lineage teachings of the Gelug tradition of Je Tsongkhapa. Shugden was not taught by Je Tsongkhapa and His Holiness still holds his lineage gurus and all Gelug teachings in the highest esteem. Kelsang Gyatso, however, is never seen in public with teachers connected to the lineage he claims to represent. He is alone, with no influence from either peers or superiors. He created his NKT in 1992 after a schism with another Tibetan Buddhist group whose property he kept as his own. In 1996 he was unanimously expelled from Sera Je Tibetan Buddhist monastery for being a ‘holder of broken commitments and wrong view’. Kelsang Gyatso has made his own tradition of ‘Modern Buddhism’ and his own ordination system without the traditional monastic code of conduct. He has isolated his students from the wider Buddhist world.

4) The allegation that the Dalai Lama is repressing Freedom of Religion is more relevant to the way the NKT operates. NKT centres are dedicated to the exclusive devotion of Kelsang Gyatso and Dolgyal Shugden. No other Tibetan teachers are allowed. NKT centres only sell Kelsang Gyatso’s books. Students only study Kelsang Gyatso’s books with teachers trained in the NKT and appointed by Kelsang Gyatso. Teachers at all critical of the NKT are removed from their posts. Ordained NKT people and others are told they may never get enlightened if they leave the NKT.

5) The Tibetan people number little more than 6 million. An unknown number of Tibetans, often quoted as being more than one million, have been slaughtered due to the Chinese occupation and colonisation. Claims made by the ISC such as ‘4 million Dorje Shugden practitioners are suffering’ from His Holiness’ abuse of their Human Rights are obviously untrue.

No established Human Rights group or court has ever confirmed any of the NKT, WSS or ISC’s claims of intentional Human Rights abuses by His Holiness the Dalai Lama or the Central Tibetan Administration. In 2010 the Indian High Court rejected a law suit by Dolgyal Shugden followers because of ‘vague averments’ and ‘absence of any specific instances of any such attacks’.

6) There are many documented cases where the NKT has threatened to sue using libel law to silence other Buddhist organisations, umbrella groups, internet discussion forums and academics, authors and publishers. People inside the group can realistically fear social exclusion, illegal eviction or police arrest if they criticise policies. In our experience, the NKT generally prioritises the expansion of the group over the welfare of individuals. The NKT Survivors internet group numbers over 1,200 subscribers. There is no Dalai Lama Survivor’s group.

7) In 2008 Kelsang Gyatso stated that he was personally organising the NKT’s participation in the protests led by the Western Shugden Society (WSS). All the Directors of the WSS were and are members of the New Kadampa Tradition. However, the NKT has denied that they have any connection to the WSS. The latest NKT front group, the International Shugden Community (ISC) actively recruits protestors and fundraises for demonstrations against His Holiness the Dalai Lama inside NKT centres.

Misleading and deceitful media techniques are used in NKT campaigns. In his YouTube “News Broadcasts” for the ISC, senior NKT monk Kelsang Rabten hides his bias and status as a monk by not wearing his robes. An ISC video uses footage of young Burmese monks to fraudulently misrepresent the situation in India regarding the supposed ‘ostracism’ of Dolgyal Shugden followers. The mainstream press has published NKT accounts without confirming their accuracy.

9) Both in 1996-7 and in 2008 the NKT organised demonstrations against His Holiness the Dalai Lama that coincided with the public exposure on the internet of the alleged sexual misconduct of the Deputy Spiritual Directors of the NKT. His Holiness has not changed his view or his actions since 1996. Therefore we question what has caused NKT followers to start their demonstrations and defamations again in 2014.

We offer our support to the Tibetan people in their struggle to preserve their lives and their culture. We question the intentions of those who use their culture but do not support this struggle, not even acknowledging the kindness given in training their own teacher.

We feel that Kelsang Gyatso and his students have no basis in fact for making any attempts to discredit and disparage His Holiness the Dalai Lama. We request them to stop misleading and disturbing others with this false campaign.

26th September 2014

Carol McQuire
Jamie Kostek
Lynne Cracknell
Ani Tsultrim
Graham Smetham
Linda Ciardiello
Ian Thomas
David Cutshaw
Robert Helms
Steve Maxwell
Michael Brown
Charles Wesley
Andrew Durling
Andrew Cheadle
Kevan Webb
Tenzin Peljor
James Tregaskis
Tim Ford
Karma Yonten
Amanda Zinski
Stuart Everard
Andrea Ballance
Yeshe Tsomo
Richard Litchfield
Anne Maxwell
Andrea Clarkson
David Silver
Steve Cody
Peter Dornan
Ben Grimwood
Adrian Benson
Charles Miller
Chris Cliff
Michele White
Supporters
Lyn G Farrell
Charlie Worthington
Tony Allen
Ganesha von Hendricks
Ashoka von Hendricks
Dan Ballance
Joanne Clark
Carol Brearley
Jon Underwood
Erika Adler

Without going into details this is really an 'ignorant' action by these people.

They are criticising their ex Guru, who provided them with their initial spiritual and dharma path and probably was one of the first teachers they have encountered who poured the dharma into them. How kind is any teacher who give the dharma to students. No one forced any of this 'survivors' to take teachings or coerced them to do so. They went to the centers by themselves and enrolled themselves.

Some people may say I am harsh to these people who felt they endured abuse and were used by their ex Guru and their dharma organization. I would like to say this what spiritual student has excelled by saying and criticising their teacher whom they have had a spiritual relationship with and they learnt from before?

Milarepa despite initial hardship, never criticised his teacher, Naropa did not criticise his teachers. None of these greats adepts had anything but admiration for their teachers. So from a historical and logical perspective I do not think their actions will bring them to excel on their spiritual path, in fact they might regress on the path.     

[DharmaSpace]

1) The Dalai Lama denies there is  a ban thats the lie, you have got it all wrong.
2)  By saying Dorje Shugden is a spirit, then we are saying the Dalai Lama from the 5th to the 12th did not detect he was doing prayers to a mere spirit? The Dalai Lama is Chenrezig how can he be fooled for so many lifetimes? 
Also Ling Dorje Chang he wrote a serious Confessional Prayer and a prayer to request activities and serkym for Dorje Shugden.

http://www.dorjeshugden.com/all-articles/the-controversy/dalai-lama-and-ling-rinpoche-a-contradiction/
3) This issue is bigger than one's preoccupation with NKT and Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. This is a personal attack and not dealing with the issues.
4) There are many more parties involved in this issue. NKT has the right to conduct their affairs according to what they see as right.
5) There are 200k people attending the Dorje Shugden teachings in Tibet, look at how many people turned out to welcome Trijang Dorje Chang in Mongolia, how many centers does NKT have > 1000. Please se with your eyes, hear with your ears and investigate by going to South India, despite such agencies claim there isn't any discrimination on going.
6) NKT is not the only buddhist organisation suffering law suit, just because there are law suits and there is 'survivors' group it does not mean you can draw a conclusion Geshela and NKT are not dharma in nature. All the > 4 million practitioners, monks and lamas are part of Dalai Lama's survivors group, need we say more?
7) So what? Geshela is protesting against what he thinks it is not right. Is this not part of human rights to express when you see something is not right?
History will one day be the judge of this.
9) This is really stretching the imagination. If your group has proof of such an allegation why not produce it. As long as there is the ban and deceit the demonstrations will carry on. 
 

[yontenjamyang]

In this website itself there are definitive proofs of the ban of the Protector Dorje Shugden. Please go to this link to fins the proofs. http://www.dorjeshugden.com/all-articles/features/definitive-proof-of-the-ban-and-discrimination-against-dorje-shugde/

I think these ex-NKT people are just trying to proof they are right to leave NKT and Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. It is normal that people who have done something to try to justify their actions are right.
Regardless of the claims by the NKT/WSS/ISS and by these ex members it is clear that there is ban by HHDL and implemented by the CTA that violated the rights of the Shugden practitioners as we can see from the link above.
I am NOT in the opinion that the Dalai Lama is false and I do think that He is Chenrezig and there must be a reason why He is banning the practice. At the same time I believe the practice that is given by my Guru is enlightened and of course I will not go again the advice of the Guru.
One can easily see why the Protector is NOT a spirit as claimed by His Holiness and I take that as a wisdon teaching from His Holiness and at the same time it is a test of our Guru Devotion. However, the most important thing in the practice of the Dharma is the study and contemplations of the scriptures. It is from my study that I affirmed the practice of the Protector is correct.

[Lineageholder]

I feel concerned for those who have the Dalai Lama as their Guru. It must be very difficult to reconcile him being your Guru with his actions of banning Dorje Shugden practice.

Someone was claiming on the 'We Need to Talk about Shugden' Facebook group that none of these ex-NKT people have broken their samaya with Geshe Kelsang because samaya is about not breaking commitments to practise Dharma, not reliance on a particular person. This is sadly wrong. All Dharma realisations come from the instructions, blessings and inspiration of a fully qualified Spiritual Guide. I believe the Dalai Lama has broken samaya with Trijang Rinpoche and the other lineage Gurus by rejecting their view and teachings and therefore the Dalai Lama has no connection with Je Tsongkhapa's teaching any more. This is also true for these ex-NKT people - by rejecting their Guru they have broken their commitment if they ever regarded him as their Spiritual Guide and the consequences of such breakage is very bad indeed if you read the Lamrim teaching. I cannot help but feel sorry for them.

[psylotripitaka]

Dear "Survivors",

Involvement in Group Dynamics
With respect to the emotional trauma you have from being involved with spiritual organizations, there are two things happening: the practical conventions of the situation, and your own subjective response to it.

For the sake of true healing I urge you to blame every single experience of suffering on your own self-grasping and seek refuge in emptiness. I mean really concentrate, not just think about it, for that is the whole point of having met the Holy Dharma. If we do not make a firm decision that the meaning of life is realization, we will definitely find it very difficult to use our experiences as fuel for realization, and instead will continuously invest our energy in blaming others. How unfortunate that would be, to get to the end of our life and realize we wasted our precious opportunity being upset. It is time to change our direction.

"It is not only time, it is almost too late" - Heruka Je Pabongkhapa

There really is nothing wrong with communicating our perspectives, disappointments, or needs, but it is also unrealistic to expect that in samsara we will never be let down. If we cannot handle a situation or are confused about how to deal with it on a practical level, we need to separate ourselves from the situation and concentrate primarily on controlling our subjective response! Expecting people to be perfect and always treat us with respect is contrary to the way things function within the samsaric system. If we constantly say 'this is entirely natural in samsara', we'll be less inclined to get upset. Therefore, it is crucial that we develop a realistic and clear distinction between what is going on practically, and what we must take responsibility for in the situation - our response. Looking very carefully and closely at circumstances in our life, we find that the only thing we are ever really harmed by is our own view of what is appearing and that we are the only one's to blame for our emotional turmoil. Taking personal responsibility for our own mind is the first real step towards true healing.

I do not discredit the situations that happened in your involvement with the NKT, but when we boil it down it is really our own subjective perspective that is to blame for our experience, not other people or an organization. By continually thinking about all the things that rubbed us wrong, we victimize ourselves through our own thought processes; thoughts that are clearly not aligned with correct view or correct intention.

This does not mean we have to continually be involved in the group dynamic or stay in a situation, but it is foolish to mentally throw away the whole thing based on a few challenging experiences that we ourselves responded to with delusions. In short, rather than wasting life victimizing yourselves, redirect that energy to genuinely applying the Dharma to destroy your samsara.

The Controversy
I understand where you're coming from and do not belittle your perspectives, and dialogue is good, thank you for sharing. All I wish to say on this subject is this:

A simple difference of opinion about something does not give anyone the right to abuse the other party. Who Dorje Shugden is or is not is really completely irrelevant. There is extensive verifiable and undeniable evidence of the Dalai Lama and his followers abusing human and religious rights of Dorje Shugden practitioners. That people cannot acknowledge this fact is astonishing, especially since it completely contradicts Buddha's advice to 'abandon harming others, be kind to them'.

If you cannot be kind and respect other people's right to have a different practice, and you cannot stop the ostracism and negative behavior towards Dorje Shugden practitioners, you should stop calling yourself a Buddhist.

The protests are not arising from nothing; they are practical attempt to stop abuse.

To me, it is absolutely astonishing that a supposed emanation of the Buddha of Compassion and Master of Logic does not see the contradiction in this situation. And so, the BuddhaDharma is being destroyed from within, all from a simple lack of respect. How sad!

[Blueupali]

Psylotripitaka,
  Your advice about generally thinking things in samsara are not very good, like if something bad is happening, we can think "this is entirely natural in samsara" is some I will really try to remember myself, when dealing with people like survivors.  I really do thank you, sincerely, for this succinct way of pointing this out....  when we are in unpleasant situations, we can think, "this is entirely natural in samsara."
  However, I do have to say what I think is entirely natural in samsara is Dalai Lama people coming into the NKT, pretedending to join us, making a commotion about being a survivor etc.
  Oh yes, I know you are either supposed to say
 1. There are no Dalai Lama people in the NKT (even though we have not prohibited them ever in anyway from coming
 2. These are the projections of mind or something....
I think a good dose of "I don't buy the survivors.  I think they are Dalai Lama people who came to destroy the NKT and are causing a bunch of problems, trying to make us look like a cult, after trying to take us down from within...." I mean, can you imagine having this Carol from the Shugden Panel as your class teacher?  I mean really?  Because if the Dalai Lama's uber-fanatics didn't have death threats out on Geshe-la, then I think you know, we would have had much less of people like Carol teaching.... as it is, it sometimes gets a bit odd.... odd in the knee deep in Dalai Lama bullshit when people like Carol teach.
  Yes, people, they were already with the Dalai Lama, by any logic....

[psylotripitaka]

Blueupali,
I'm don't doubt Lhamo Dondrub (LD) followers intentionally get involved with the Kadampas to examine or cause a stir, but it definitely isn't black and white. There may be people who relied on LD or held him in high regards who became involved in the NKT and had good feelings then eventually they hear about the controversy and it is really disturbing, or there are some who become involved then there's some kind of challenging situations that they are not mature enough to deal with practically, emotionally, or spiritually, so they leave bitter and confused then need to blame something or someone for their pain, or some who get involved and get disturbed by the controversy and can't comprehend how someone so perfect like LD could be wrong or destroying Dharma so they become a supporter who has forsaken common sense and clear reasoning to feel connected to a spiritualized hallucination of someone that doesn't bare resemblance to the actual person and so on and so forth.

What have they 'survived' anyhow? Such a childish title to begin with, like, what, 'I survived perfect conditions for training the mind in Holy Dharma'. It is not surprising in this Kali Yuga that people don't apply themselves correctly so they don't gain the deep transformation that comes out of genuine application, so what is left? An emotionally traumatized person spiritually damaged by their own mistaken views that result in a sense of victimization blaming something external. When you truly practice, there should be a great reduction in complaining and blaming others and elaborating constantly about the bad qualities of an experience.

Many years ago there was a yahoo forum that positively explored some key issues that kept coming up in the NKT and from what I hear many of these things have been rectified, so the forum must have been somewhat productive. But that doesn't mean any organization is going to be perfect...nothing is perfect in samsara and to think otherwise is the view of a fool, and so they'll suffer continuously from self-inflicted wounds.

[psylotripitaka]

I don't mean to sound belittling. It's just that the "survivors" have been wining for a really long time and there's gotta come a point when you say to yourself 'enough is enough'. Put the Dharma into practice and stop wining about how someone said something you didn't like a couple times a long time ago in a very brief moment of time, or go do something with your life that will bring you some happy minds.

[DharmaSpace]

@psylotripitaka Thanks for writing about the word 'survivors' it prompted certain thoughts of my own. When one labels one as a survivor it seems to suggest they have survived an ordeal that is not of their own making. That fault lies outside and under no circumstances that whatever ordeal they endured came from an external source. This sounds to me like people who made such a group the NKT survivors blame NKT and its spiritual director as the source of their hurt and pain. Pure nonsense.

This goes against the laws of karma. Can anyone experience karma they have not created. The NKT survivors seem to go against the laws of nature. Hence the 'survivors' may not even be a buddhist at all due to their conduct.

[Blueupali]

Well yes, the whole thing is that the survivors are quite a silly bunch to begin with-- unfortunately they are getting bad karma from interfereing with a religion.
  And their issue seems to be with Geshe-la, not with the current GSD.
  So, their whole thing is that I don't think they ever intended at all to really be in the NKT--- only to subvert it.  So, they probably heard we were a cult, and realized that people who come to the NKT didn't think it was a cult!  (That's because it's not a cult okay).  But what is a cult is when a bunch of Dalai loyalists come to NKT centers, act like Newbies, stay around awhile, join up, take robes, NEVER INTENDING TO DO ANYTHING BUT MAKE THE NKT LOOK BAD.  Okay, I am not saying it's  completely clear to people right from the beginning what these guys are doing, but after a year or so in the NKT I began to catch on.... also they do this nonsense where they don't really teach our dharma, but twist it all around so that it tries to make us sound like a cult....
  But anyone who has been around a few years realizes that these guys are full of crap.... they tend to come in groups so they can back each other up.... I guess if one of them is getting to close to being caught with the DL or otherwise wants out, they go cry survivor.  I used to wonder why Geshe-la allowed them to do this--- I think it is so they will demonstrate to all of us what a cult the Dalai Lama is running that he has fanatical followers pretending to be NKTers but really just subverting.  I am cured of ever being around any Dalai Lama Center, "teachings" or anything by the subversion which is really an attempt at conversion to the DL school.  So thanks, NKT survivors, for curing me for real of wanting anything to do with the DL ever again. In any life, you have turned people completely away from him; (I only didn't take him as a teacher, now I see he is evil due to your behavior).  So, do you think you are helping all living beings?  Because yes you make the NKT a circus and maybe people turn away when they meet people like you, and think the NKT is bad.  But eventually, those of us who notice what is going on with you, realize how very very dangerous is the Dalai Lama.  And you probably have to understand if the people you manage to turn away ever see you with the DL, they will probably turn away from the DL too, so all you are doing is turning people from the BUddhist path, guys.

[psylotripitaka]

Time to stop thinking so much and spend alot more time in meditation.

[Blueupali]

Well generally I like Dorje Shugden's sadana for meditation.  Any takers?

[Blueupali]

I also practice at home more now...  it's a Dalai Lama free zone:)

[psylotripitaka]

Blueupali

I'm glad u find the phrase useful. In order free the mind of worldly concern, we have to gain a genuine experience of being a traveler bound for future worlds, and this experience brings a sense of being elevated out of the gravity well that only sees the walls of birth and death of this life. It is only when we do this that we really become an actual Buddhist of initial scope, and it is only through this that our renunciation will become more qualified.

It is because of such an elevated viewpoint that renunciation sees and accepts both good and bad circumstances as entirely natural occurrences within the Samsaric system. It is essential to connect therefore to the experience the phrase you find helpful is pointing to. The more qualified our renunciation becomes thru this elevating experience, the more pure and qualified our compassion and bodhichitta will be.


On a side note, regarding the Survivors, you keep speaking to them and of them in a generalized way as if they are all double agents so to speak, which is not accurate. Some of these people got involved with the NKT out if genuine interest, but in some cases due mainly to a lack of Dharma experience, they were unable to tolerate challenging life circumstances or have enough courage and wisdom to think and act for themselves in such circumstances, so naturally they push it away, and then as a natural consequence of denying personal responsibility for ones own mind and experiences, they resort to blaming and labeling something a cult, when in reality the only thing they encountered was a challenging opportunity to increase their Dharma realizations.

[Blueupali]

I've been thinking about this "entirely natural in samsara."  I used to think, like samsara is really terrible when things would go badly or even things seem fine now but everything is impermanent in samsara.... but I like "entirely natural," because for me it helps lessen the concept of blame.
  Why are beings acting nutty and why is my country always blowing people up?  Ah, confusion such as this is entirely natural in samasara.  Of course, to help relatively I do try to make contact with law makers or support anti-war groups, because Buddhists already know enough about karma to understand that war is very useless and unhelpful--- even though it seems like it solves lots of problems to a lot of people--- they just don't happen to know about karma, which is entirely natural in samsara for a lot of people....
  So, yeah, I am afraid, Psylotripitaka, that you see I am finding it entirely natural that DL people come and pretend to be honest NKT students, so I guess I don't buy the 99 percent of the survivors....
   I appreciate in the NKT they never liked to say anything.... but we all have different activity and roles to play in this--- and mine is to say you know, why are we up to our eyeballs in DL people right now?