We all understand that the basis and foundation of all Buddha’s teachings is centred upon the Vinaya, the Buddha’s code of conduct. Highly praised is the Buddhas’ wisdom, compassion and skillful means for the great Sage Himself has expounded the root of liberation in the form of sacred codes of honor which, when adhered to accumulates vast amounts of merits and prevents one from going down to the lower realms of existence.
Tibetan Buddhism though its colorful presentation, is not excluded from the Vinaya. All bases of the Buddha’s teachings is deeply rooted from the Vinaya itself. Therefore, there is a strong stress upon those who don the saffron robes regardless of which tradition a member of the Sangha may belong to, to adhere to these rules strictly. Out of the 3 baskets of the Tripitaka, the Vinaya is left untouched since the advent of the Buddha Sashana.
In a recent event in Dharamsala, Dagyab Rinpoche represented the people of Dagyab in offering a Tenshug or Long Life ceremony to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and openly denounced his practice of Dorje Shugden. The officials took this opportunity to gloat about how a great Lama such as Dagyab Rinpoche can denounce this practice, affirming their stance that the practice is bad and not welcomed by high lamas such as Dagyab Rinpoche.
Let me bring everyone’s attention to this. I am not discrediting Dagyab Rinpoche for his scholastic knowledge in Buddhism as he was tutored and trained by the highest Lamas in the Land of Snows. I have no doubt in his Buddhist knowledge. Kyabje Trijang Dorje Chang himself nurtured and tutored this young tulku to be a high initiation Lama and wanted him to carry on the lineage for the future. Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche have even asked Dagyab Rinpoche to compose initiation texts to Setrap Chen who is very close to the incarnations of Loden Sherab who he is acquittedly said to be the incarnation of the great translator. Of course he was a Dorje Shugden practitioner, a very strong one too as the entire area of Dagyab was heavily blessed and safe guarded by Dorje Shugden and his spiritual brother, Setrap Chen.
Things started to take a turn when Dagyab Rinpoche migrated to Germany and took on a consort, returning his vows of a monk. This made his root guru, Kyabje Trijang Dorje Chang very sad as what Trijang Rinpoche envisioned for the young Dagyab Tulku did not turn out to reach his full potential. Dagyab Rinpoche was still doing his practice and propagating the Dharma in his own means of course but not as impactful if he would have followed his Guru’s advice to the T. The next to happen would be more controversial and alarming.
Once your vows are returned, it is not allowed for a lay lama to don the robes of a monk in whatever ceremonies one may think fit. Reason is that the rules of the Vinaya are strictly adhered to. My question is this, why does Dagyab Rinpoche pose as a normal Lay Lama in the presence of the Dalai Lama and when he is teaching abroad, he wears the robes and hats of an ordained monk? Doesn’t this contradict the Buddha’s teachings? Does the Dalai Lama condone his act of doing such things as to mislead people to think that a married man(after he has taken his monk vows) with children and family can don the monk’s robes? (Watch here how monks and lay people offer tenshug to Dagyab Rinpoche wearing a monk robes outside the watchful eyes of HHDL and the tibetan community,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqLDlRbrLxQ)
On top of that, he has represented the entire area of Dagyab to denounce the practice of Dorje Shugden?
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http://www.dalailama.com/news/post/1213-commemoration-of-tawang-teaching-long-life-offering-and-lam-rim) I know for a fact that people in Dagyab are still strong practitioners of the Dharmapala. But why make such a scene in public and the media to put down one’s hometown and people whom you represent? Does Dagyab Rinpoche’s demeanor increases your faith when you attend his sermons and ceremonies being a two-identitied lama? It definitely does not for me
