His Holiness the Dalai Lama weak on self-immolations

[DharmaDefender]

https://youtu.be/gXCjy3YV7Ks

Sorry but theres no nice way of putting it. Just listen to this video of the Dalai Lama being interviewed by the Beeb on self-immolations. The answer isnt direct and he basically beats around the bush and says its not his place. How can he say that its not his place to comment on self-immolations because hes not a political leader any more ? Yeah fine Lobsang Sangay is in charge but mate, you can always talk about it from a spiritual point of view. Tell them they should stop committing suicide because its against Buddhism! Tell them that when you see people killing themselves because they think itll help you accomplish whatever it is you want, that it upsets you. Just. Say. Something. Anything. Like literally ANYTHING at all.

Im completely gobsmacked that people will find excuses to stay silent on this. People are DYING. How come no one is taking this seriously?! And you know, the video looks like an old interview? If Im not wrong, the Dalai Lama has been consistently avoiding saying anything on self-immolations, and he made similar pandering comments on the more recent interview with John Oliver (article is here: http://www.dorjeshugden.com/all-articles/guest-writers/tibet-burning/)

Hold on. Writing this has got me thinking. Maybe the Dalai Lamas been quiet and saying its Lobsang Sangays job to talk, because it really is. And every time he says that but Lobsang Sangay doesnt speak, it plants the idea in peoples brains, "Why arent the CTA saying something?" Maybe the Dalai Lamas being a realist about the CTAs lack of capabilities to get their Tibetan cause sorted, so hes finding subtle ways of getting people to turn against them to hasten their eventual demise.

But seriously though, someone just say something. People are DYING.

[aboutthetruth]

Interesting. So he will clamp down on Shugden practitioners for 20 years but not say a single word on self-immolations? The Dalai Lama has been saying that Shugdenpas will end up in the three lower realms for practicing Shugden but what about people who commit suicide? No matter which way you dress it up, self immolations are a form of suicide and the Buddhist scriptures don't have good things to say about it.

I share DD's opinion. I think the Dalai Lama can do a lot more to clamp down on self-immolations, like imposing fines on the families of self-immolators or even barring them from having an audience with him. Bar them from the schools and hospitals and all, just like he has done for Shugden people. That should be enough to discourage them from self-immolating. Or he could just tell them suicide is pointless as there is so much negative karma involved. But he doesn't do any of that and just stays schtum.

[Rowntree]

The westerners cannot and will not understand how influential and powerful His Holiness is to the Tibetans. If I am not mistaken, about 11 years ago, the Dalai Lama made a passing comment that he was ashamed that Tibetans in Tibet killed endangered animals for their skin. When the comment reaches Tibet, all leather shop closes down and US55 million worth of animal fur was burned and destroyed in order to please the Dalai Lama.

The Dalai Lama can definitely exercise this power, yet he came across giving excuses and blamed China for his limitation in speech. Since when the Dalai Lama ever worried about how the Chinese feel? He has always been saying what he wanted to say openly and directly. He even made fun of the Chinese Leadership at one point. Why is it now that he has to watch his speech and not wish for the Chinese to interpret his words?

The Tibetan Leadership will not speak up about this because this is one of their precious cards they use to garner more donations for themselves. Since the Dalai Lama kept quiet about it, the CTA has more reasons to not need to do anything to stop it.

Looking back at the trend on how they work, in the Dorje Shugden ban for example, it was the Dalai Lama who initiated the ban and then further executed by the CTA. The CTA is always hiding behind the Dalai Lama and find opportunities to corrupt from others using the Dalai Lama's fame and words. They do not respect the Dalai Lama but is using him as their cash cow for money they do not spend rightly for the betterment of the Tibetans-in-exile.

[Dondrup Shugden]

Once the responsibility is pushed around, then there is no care or the more worse scenario is that self immolation is serving a purpose.

I am no CTA nor Dalai Lama, but I would implore these innocent people not to self immolate for the Tibetan Freedom cause.  Many of these youngsters were not even born in Tibet nor do they really know what the history is all about.  They are just desperate and want to do something for a cause which is futile.

Killing is definitely against Buddhism and for the Dalai Lama not to say something is so lame, especially when it is about his own people the Tibetans. 

Even if the Dalai Lama lacks, as he claims, the power to say something effective, I wonder if he means about not being political, then he can still ask the Tibetans to stop self immolation out of kind humanity care.

I agree with Rowntree, that the Dalai Lama is very influential to Tibetans, as they view him as the King God.  If that is so, just be kind and say something to stop the dying of innocent Tibetans.

It is difficult to imagine that the CTA is not controlled by the Dalai Lama nor that they are not together in all decisions, if not then why do CTA carry out and execute such atrocities against Dorje Shugden practitioners.

Do not lie to the world with ambiguous speech.  Just say something to stop the dying of innocent people. 

[AshRao]

For someone who is known all over the world as a leader who promotes peace, love, harmony and non-violence, I find it really strange that the Dalai Lama does not address the issues. Shouldn't he just stand up and say such actions are wrong? That would make the most sense for a religious leader, as they should care about the spiritual welfare of individuals. But that's just my opinion.

Perhaps as others have mentioned, the Dalai Lama does not say anything, because the issue is more political than spiritual. If that is the case, the responsibility to stop such reckless suicide would be on the leadership of the people. But, as we know, the Central Tibetan Administration are nothing but selfish individuals, who only want to line their own pockets rather than help their people. They have received so much money from all over the world and foreign governments who in the past have been sympathetic to their plight. But they don't seem to have done anything to help their own people.

In fact, they have done the opposite, especially in relation to Dorje Shugden practitioners. They spend other people's money to segregate an entire section of their people. All because they need to keep the Tibetans under their thumb. The get involved in other religious affairs too, like the recognition of the Karmapa, which they had no business in doing. In short, they manipulate their people so much to keep their control. And staying quiet about self-immolation is just another example. As the article mentions, they instead use self-immolations as a means to line their own pockets. When greed comes at the cost of someone else's life, you know for a fact that they are not a worthy leadership. 

[AshRao]

As the article mentions, they instead use self-immolations as a means to line their own pockets.

I was refereeing to this article: http://www.dorjeshugden.com/all-articles/the-real-reason-the-tibetan-leadership-does-not-condemn-self-immolations/

[dsnowlion]

This is indeed very very sad to see. The Dalai Lama talks as if his hands a tied. What happened to the Buddha of Compassion Chenrezig? Why would the Dalai Lama send them straight to hell? Isn't committing suicide a  crime and bad karma, hence as a spiritual leader the Dalai Lama should by right advise them to NOT burn themselves. WHy can't he when he can voice out so many times to "advice" not to practice Dorje Shugden?

So I think this is very sad indeed because the whole world knows that the Dalai Lama still has the last say and every Tibetan would adhere to what he "advice" if he did say something about self-immolation. It is so strange of him not to say anything to discourage these students. He could always say they go to the three lower realms as stated in the scriptures as it is taking one's own lives and the CTA could implement a rule whereby if you do "kill" yourself, your family will face difficulties like what they have imposed on the Shugden practitioners, whereby they are deprived of so many social welfares.

This will really start turning people's faith already families are voicing out and saying it is NOT good for youths to do this, that it is the wrong way... this will make Tibetans start to rebel and go against their exile leaders more.

[michaela]

I think the Dalai Lama doesn't want to talk about self-immolation for whatever reason. Even after the Dalai Lama stepped down as a secular leader, he is still commenting on various political issues and meeting with the world leaders. For example, he is still commenting about the Doklam issue recently.

It is unfortunate that the Dalai Lama stays silent on the subject of self-immolation and use the reason that he is not a secular leader anymore. He can use a religious angle that self-immolation is killing oneself and it is wrong to kill oneself or other people.

I hope the Dalai Lama will issue a statement to prevent further self-immolation one day very soon.

[Big Uncle]

Why can't His Holiness speak from the point of spirituality? He does need to commend on political reasons but the standpoint of spirituality, of Buddhism. It is clear that killing of oneself is a heavy sin to commit because it is the act of killing. There's no way around it and these people who had self-immolated definitely do not have Bodhichitta motivation and so their act of killing would accumulate tremendous negative karma. I don't see why the Dalai Lama cannot comment from that standpoint. When he refuses to comments means he condones the self-immolation of these people. Now, that's not good for anyone.

[Gabby Potter]

It's how interesting how strongly the Dalai Lama suppresses Dorje Shugden practice AND practitioners but he does not say anything about self-immolation. It's in the scriptures that killing is extremely negative, taking our own lives is considered as killing as well. My question is, why doesn't the Dalai Lama condemn the families and friends of these people who self-immolate? Or at least say something to discourage people from doing so?

If saying something to discourage people from self immolating is political, then what about prohibiting people from practising Dorje Shugden? What about segregating Dorje Shugden practitioners from the rest of the society? Is that compassion? Is that acceptance?

[michaela]

It's how interesting how strongly the Dalai Lama suppresses Dorje Shugden practice AND practitioners but he does not say anything about self-immolation. It's in the scriptures that killing is extremely negative, taking our own lives is considered as killing as well. My question is, why doesn't the Dalai Lama condemn the families and friends of these people who self-immolate? Or at least say something to discourage people from doing so?

If saying something to discourage people from self immolating is political, then what about prohibiting people from practising Dorje Shugden? What about segregating Dorje Shugden practitioners from the rest of the society? Is that compassion? Is that acceptance?

While I agree that committing suicide is wrong, I do not agree that the family and the relatives of the self-immolation victims should be penalized because of it. They already lost their relatives, and they may not necessarily agree with the self-immolation concept to promote the Tibetan cause. So why prolong and add to their suffering?

[dsnowlion]

Found these self-immolation messages floating around the online... speaks directly about this issue! You can share to it out all over. It is very sad that the Tibetan leadership does nothing to stop their own people from committing suicide for a "lost cause".

They can implement so many rules to threatened and ostracized Shugden practitioners but nothing to discourage their youth from dying young? I don't think families are happy with this at all. And that is where you are wrong Michaela... think broader.

The rules or penalty they impose can be to PREVENT and DISCOURAGE self-immolation out of care, so that these youth would "think" twice before they set themselves on fire And at the same time get pressure from their family who would have to pay and face the consequences once they are gone. This should be done out of great compassion.

[Big Uncle]

It is indeed quite sad that the Dalai Lama finds that he cannot comment on self-immolation because it touches on Tibetan sensibility about the Tibetan cause. There's no way Tibetan self-immolating themselves would change anything with Tibet simply because China has too much economic clout. It's just too bad that no Tibetan has realized this fact and decided its time to change the way in which to deal with the problem.

I am sorry to say that these poor Tibetans have lost their lives for nothing. They would have been better off remaining alive and doing more to reopen fresh talks with China. I don't think that killing themselves make them a hero as many Tibetans see it this way because it is not enough to kill oneself.

[michaela]

I think these rangzen people do not want to talk with China. If they do, they won't be so blatantly rejected the Chinese authority. Many of the people who have self-immolated do not believe that they are more options than independence and self-immolation. I also noted that the self-immolation victims are getting younger each day and they may not comprehend fully the consequences of their actions and where? Too bad that a lot of young lives have been loss for the impossible Free Tibet cause.

[Belinda Mae]

If the CTA does not take actions about self-immolations we can say they can't be bothered and heartless but if Dalai Lama does not take action or say anything then it is not so good because the Dalai Lama should be showing compassion and kindness. I wonder why the Dala Lama is not speaking up? How can he see people suffer like this?