Discrimination in Bodhgaya

[jagger]

About 30 Serpom and Shar Gaden monks are in Bodhgaya for about a month to do their preliminaries of prostration and Mandala offerings.

Every morning, monks and nuns from all traditions would go and receive breakfast of tea and bread from Namgyal monastery monks. The Namgyal monks would ask which monastery they're from and did not allow the Shar Gaden and Serpom monks to have their food because it was an order from the Namgyal monastery changtsos.

Namgyal monks told other people who were in Bodhgaya not to make offerings to the Shar Gaden and Serpom monks whenever they saw people wanting to make offerings to them.

Namgyal Monastery is the personal monastery of HHDL and this is another incident which is now happening and discriminates religious freedom. How can this go on?

[eyesoftara]

One of the basic refuge commitments is that one has to regard one who wears the ropes as a Sangha member. As Sangha members, they are part of the Refuge formula, ie the Sangha Refuge that is fit be offered offerings. By advising people not to offer to the Shar Gaden and Serpom monks, the Namgyal monks broke their own Pratimoksha commitments and all no longer pure Sangha and ironically, not fit to receive offerings; unless they repair their vows.

The above, does not every need to reason in the Protector practice. Just in basic Vinaya alone, it is wrong.

[kris]

@eyesoftara, it is not only wrong at Vinaya leve, it is so wrong at any level. Even person who has no religion background with good heart will not discriminate.

I thought Buddhism teach about compassion, kindness and equanimity? And they are monks, and they are holding monk vows?! Or the problems didn't arise from the monks but the higher authority, and the monks have no choice to carry out the instructions? Either way, it is just so wrong.

[fruven]

Even people have gave offerings to the city monks on the basis of them wearing the robes although there are complaints that they are just lay people wearing the robes. This is so one sided and at the lowest. It just shows the lack of conviction to Buddha's teachings and not putting it to practice fully.

[dondrup]

It is so inauspicious and unfortunate that at the holiest place where Lord Buddha had gained enlightenment that we witness inequality and discrimination of the monks from Shar Gaden and Serpom monasteries.

Namgyal Monastery has the right to offer breakfast to anyone. But to tell people who were in Bodhgaya not to make offerings to the Shar Gaden and Serpom monks is very unkind and inappropriate.  This is discrimination of the holy sangha who was founded by Lord Buddha!

This incident is a clear example of the effects of the ban on Dorje Shugden by Dalai Lama and CTA.  The ban has brought Buddhism into serious disrepute!  Look at the degeneration of the practice of Compassion and equality by the monks from Namgyal Monastery!  The monks from Namgyal Monastery may submit themselves to political pressures but it is at the expense of their spiritual practices!  We sincerely hope Dalai Lama and CTA lift the ban quickly before the eventual destruction of the monastic order and Buddhism!

[Dondrup Shugden]

It is really heartbreaking to know how the monks of Namgyal Monastery are breaking their vows of compassion by not giving the Serpom and Shar Gaden monks their breakfast and to further enhanced this negative action to also stop people making offerings to these monks.

It is very meritorious for lay people to make offerings to the Sangha and the Namgyal monks are preventing them from so doing.

True degeneration of the practice of Pure Buddhisim in the most holy place of Bodhgaya.  Unthinkable just because of a senseless ban we are all guided to such degeneration.  Very sad situation.

[RedLantern]

It is a very sad and distressing that the monks from Shar Gaden and Serpom Monastery are treated this way. Bodh Gaya is the place where Gautama Buddha attained unsurpassed, supreme Enlightenment.  This holy site is  a powerful inspiration , awakening people of all nations to the real possibility of enlightenment. People are prevented from making offerings to the Sangha which is very meritorious practice in Buddhism.
May this Ban end soon!

[grandmapele]

Sad indeed is the day that monks are denied sustenance and offerings on the holiest of holy grounds - Bodghaya.

Buddha Shakyamuni taught equanimity, compassion and generosity to all sentient being to practice those teachings on all sentient beings. It is heavy negative karma on lay people to practice the kind of discrimination and obstruction practiced by the Namgyal monastery monks. Worse still for the monks to practice that. That is destroying Buddhism at it's roots.

So very wrong in dharmic terms and still very wrong in samsaric terms.

OM MANI PADME HUM

[bahamut.white]

This is indeed an discrimination action of HHDL. In buddhism, everyone is equal and deserved to practice our own practices. Shar Gaden and Serpom Monastery monks should be treated well by Namgyal monastery.

They are innocent and what they want is just to practice Dorje Shugden, which they received from their lineage masters. HHDL please treat everyone equally and lift the ban on Dorje Shugden

[lotus1]

Sad to hear this. Buddhism is teaching of peace, compassion, equanimity and generosity to all sentient beings. Why is there discrimination and double standards towards the Dorje Shugden monks? Are they human? What’s wrong about them as they are just practicing what their teachers taught them with full Guru devotion and they did not even harm anyone? Namgyal Monastery is showing a very bad example for the Buddhists monasteries. It is also putting up a very bad image to HH Dalai Lama as a Nobel Peace Prize winner.
Please lift the ban. Please do not causing more degeneration to Buddhism.

[Tenzin Malgyur]

Reading about the actions of the monks from the Namgyal monastery is leaving a sour taste in my mouth. I could not imagine how the pilgrims there felt when they were told by the monks to not make any offerings to the monks from Serpom or Shar Gaden. How can monks in holy robes be discriminating in selecting who gets food? Are they telling the world that kindness can be given only to selected groups? Even if they felt that the Serpom and Shar Gaden monks do not deserve their food, what rights do they have to stop others from making offering to the Serpom and Shar Gaden monks? This is happening right in the land where Lord Buddha have placed his holy feet! I pray that HHDL would end the ban soonest.

[pinecone]

Equanimity in Buddhism means to have a clear state of mind - not being overpowered by delusions, illusions or agitation. With equanimity,  we do not distinguish between friend, enemy or stranger, but regard every sentient being as equal.  The Namgyal Monastery monks should be fully aware the cause and effect of breaking their vows for ill treating the Sepom and Shar Gaden monks. Where is the essence of their practice if  even compassion and equanimity have no room in their heart !  Really sad and distraught in seeing Buddhism has degenerated till this stage.

[MoMo]

Bodhgaya is the place where millions of spiritual seeker or practitioner congregate to seek solace, peace and inspiration to emulate Lord Buddha enlighten qualities.
By openly asked and denies alms to a sangha really reflect badly on Lord Buddha teachings on practice of generosity, patience and compassion. It was like telling the whole world that in HHDL compassion was only directed to selective few.
This Changtso of Namgyal Monastery should be sacked  from his position and learn to practice generosity from ground up without such discrimination.
 

[pgdharma]

This is very sad news to know that the monks from Shar Gaden and Serpom Monastery are denied their rights and are treated in this manner. This is outright discrimination! Buddhism is about compassion, generosity and tolerance, so why are the monks from Nyamgal Monastery breaking their vows in such a holy place

[WisdomBeing]

This is very sad news indeed. Isn't this schism in the sangha, telling sangha not to give food to another sangha just because of an illogical ban by the Dalai Lama? Surely Namgyal monastery does not need to enforce it to this extent, i.e. if they have to stop fraternising with Dorje Shugden practitioners, why put in this much extra effort to question each monk which monastery he comes from? What is the point? Gain brown nosing points with the Dalai Lama? And lose merits? After all, schism is one of the heinous sins, isn't it?