Pro - shugden protesters have right to protest, Dalai Lama says Phayul

[DharmaSpace]

Pro - shugden protesters have right to protest, Dalai Lama says Phayul
By Phuntsok Yangchen

His Holiness the Dalai Lama posing with members of the Tibetan community after their meeting in Birmingham, Alabama on October 26, 2014. Photo/Sonam Zoksang
His Holiness the Dalai Lama posing with members of the Tibetan community after their meeting in Birmingham, Alabama on October 26, 2014. Photo/Sonam Zoksang
DHARAMSHALA, October 28: The Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama, currently on visit to the US, said the pro-shugden protesters demonstrating outside the venues of his talks have the right to freedom of speech. However, the Tibetan leader also thanked those who had come to express their support for him. "Thank you," said the Tibetan leader.

A small number of pro-shugden protesters stood outside the venue with signs and banners accusing the Tibetan leader of infringing upon their religious rights. One banner even referred to the Tibetan leader as "false Dalai Lama", angering several Tibetans and Buddhists.

The Tibetan leader says he was himself a follower of Dorje Shugden but that he later quit in 1975 for reasons he describes as "strong sectarian overtones" and "a history of contributing to a climate of sectarian disharmony" among the four traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. The Tibetan leader denounces the worship of Dorje Shugden as "spirit worship" and fears that the propitiation of it might degenerate the "rich tradition of Tibetan Buddhism" into "mere propitiation of spirits."

The Tibetan leader was speaking on Monday to some four hundred Tibetans who had travelled from Atlanta, New York and New Jersey and Minnesota to Birmingham, Alabama. The Tibetan leader regularly meets with the local Tibetan communities in the cities he visits around the world.

The Tibetan leader said young Tibetans both in exile and Tibet must acquire good education for a self reliant community.

The Tibetan leader encouraged the Tibetans to pursue the goal of earning money in the US but reminded that they must use their hard-earned money purposefully for the common good.

The 1989 Nobel Laureate also expressed his hope for possible change in China with younger generation of communist leaders gradually coming at the helm. He said, "while the present leadership is made up of people who remember the hardships of the Cultural Revolution, there is a new generation who have experienced freedom and democracy when studying abroad and that when these people come to power there will be a change."

The Dalai Lama, who is known for his commitment to religious harmony, later took part in an interfaith dialogue "Beyond Belief" at the Alabama Theater in Birmingham, Alabama.

He said it is universal that everybody wants to achieve happiness and dispel sorrow but that the approach to achieve happiness must be realistic. “We need to look at the situation from all angles to assess our goal. After thorough examination of whether it can be achieved, we need to judge whether it can be done in a short or long time. That which can be done easily, we should do. That which will take more time, we should be patient about. We have to be truthful and honest, which will attract moral support as people come to trust us. Patience as we wait to take action is a kind of compassionate mind. Impatience on the other hand can be a source of failure,” he added.

The 79 year old Tibetan leader further noted that the existing education systems around the world must inculcate inner values in schools. “No matter how wonderful a religious tradition may be it will not appeal to everyone, so we need a more universal way to teach warm-heartedness and compassion.”

On October 30, His Holiness will give a day-long Buddhist teaching based on Geshe Langri Thangpa's Eight Verses of Training the Mind (lojong tsikgyema) and confer the Generation of Bodhicitta (semkye) organized by the Vietnamese Buddhist community at the Wang Centre for Performing Arts in Boston, Massachusetts.

http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?article=Pro+-+shugden+protesters+have+right+to+protest%2C+Dalai+Lama+says&id=35427

This is a new development the Dalai Lama says it is alright for us to protest against the ban.

There is a lot less of denial against the existence of a ban this time around. A watershed moment...

[Gabby Potter]

I really hope that someday His Holiness just announces that people are now free to practise whatever religion or worship any deity they want to... May this manifest soon! _/\_ Honestly I just can't wait for this day to come, can you imagine how happy and thankful the practitioners will be? Including myself.

[Clifford.Khong]

Interesting fact that HHDL has been practicing Dorje Shugden himself for many years and many life times, with the practice being around for more than 400 years suddenly denotes Dorje Shugden worship as spirit worship how does that make any sense and how can HHDL followers not ask any questions as to how can HHDL make a huge mistake such as this for many years and life times. How can His Holiness accuse his great teachers that they are wrong for practicing Dorje Shugden? Where is his Guru Devotion? Does Buddhism teach us to behave that I am right and everybody is wrong and everybody has to listen to me?

This continuous lies of Pro-Dalai Lama followers acting as spiritual police, attacking DS followers, disallowing DS practitioners into schools, teachings, hospitals, mini markets etc...but towards the media they behave that there is no ban and there has been no actions taken against DS practitioners is totally disgusting. We may have the luxury to practice Dorje Shugden in more developed countries but those who are suffering the most are ones in India and Tibet where they are not given enough media to tell their story.

Gabby Potter I too hope one day His Holiness would announce that people can freely practice Dorje Shugden and as their followers of His Holiness who are practicing "Buddhist" should welcome Dorje Shugden practitioners with open arms to be loving and compassionate and accepted of their practice. I like the term "less denial" of the ban and hope this opens the karma to further breakdown of the ban in the future. Thanks for sharing DharmaSpace.

[christine V]

Right, H.H Dalai Lama said Dorje Shugden people have right to protest. Seem Dalai Lama suddenly realized that there are freedom to speak & there are human rights. Wow! Amazing. When will Dalai Lama suddenly realize that we should have conversation to talk about this issues?  This ban, has cause so much confusion and disharmony amongst Buddhist. And it also harm the reputation on Dalai Lama. 

May this ban lift soon

[Rihanna]

Right, H.H Dalai Lama said Dorje Shugden people have right to protest. Seem Dalai Lama suddenly realized that there are freedom to speak & there are human rights. Wow! Amazing. When will Dalai Lama suddenly realize that we should have conversation to talk about this issues?  This ban, has cause so much confusion and disharmony amongst Buddhist. And it also harm the reputation on Dalai Lama. 

May this ban lift soon

[Christine V, you are absolutely right: so much CONFUSION. Perfect noun to describe the whole situation. Even from the Dalai Lama's own mouth, there has been contradicting speeches. At times the Dalai Lama says whoever practices Dorje Shugden should be expelled from their monastery without any hesitation, at times he says there has never been a ban, that he merely advicing Dorje Shugden practitioners the logic and reasons why they should abandon the practice. Watch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS6hq5HJNik   ]

[fruven]

For the Western and people who live outside of Tibet in Exiled there is no ban. You're free to practice simply because you're not a Tibetan. As for the Tibetans there is a ban because you're a Tibetan and not supposed to oppose the Dalai Lama. There is no religious freedom if you're a Tibetan. What an irony.

[yontenjamyang]

For the Western and people who live outside of Tibet in Exiled there is no ban. You're free to practice simply because you're not a Tibetan. As for the Tibetans there is a ban because you're a Tibetan and not supposed to oppose the Dalai Lama. There is no religious freedom if you're a Tibetan. What an irony.

Fruven, you are right. But it is not an irony simply because the Dalai Lama is not the leader of non Tibetans, neither secular nor spiritual and cannot enforce any ban on them. Also, because he is NOT the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism; never have been; he cannot enforce any ban no matter what He says.

Hence, the only ban he can make is a secular ban in the name of spirituality and this then proofs that He is only a secular leader. The protest are for and on behalf of Tibetans and not for the western practitioners.