Bodh Gaya

[DharmapalasDharma]

I recently heard that His Holiness the Dalai Lama has banned Shugdenpas from visiting Bodh Gaya. This is very sectarian and hard to understand. First His Holiness uses identity cards to say who is and isn't a true Tibetan and now if you follow Shugden you are not seen as Buddhist and therefore can't visit Bodh Gaya. How sad.

[Middleway]

I recently heard that His Holiness the Dalai Lama has banned Shugdenpas from visiting Bodh Gaya. This is very sectarian and hard to understand. First His Holiness uses identity cards to say who is and isn't a true Tibetan and now if you follow Shugden you are not seen as Buddhist and therefore can't visit Bodh Gaya. How sad.

hi - this indeed would be a terrible development - do you have a source for the rumour? I'd like to check it out.

[DSFriend]

I recently heard that His Holiness the Dalai Lama has banned Shugdenpas from visiting Bodh Gaya. This is very sectarian and hard to understand. First His Holiness uses identity cards to say who is and isn't a true Tibetan and now if you follow Shugden you are not seen as Buddhist and therefore can't visit Bodh Gaya. How sad

Dear DharmapalasDharma

Pls provide the source of information..it's quite a disturbing news.

much thanks
DSFriend

[DharmapalasDharma]

Source

http://wisdombuddhadorjeshugden.blogspot.com/2010/01/sectarianism-in-bodh-gaya.html

[Zach]

Having read that im rather Disgusted. 

[WisdomBeing]

Thanks DharmapalasDharma for the link.. http://wisdombuddhadorjeshugden.blogspot.com/2010/01/sectarianism-in-bodh-gaya.html

I quote from that website - please write in to the email addresses at the bottom and end this nonsense:

Why does the Dalai Lama feel the need to keep justifying his sectarian position unless he doesn't feel confident that everyone has heard and accepted the message? In essence, Bodh Gaya has been a non-sectarian place for all Buddhists, but the Dalai Lama is playing politics and is taking advantage of this to give very emotional driven, divisive speeches to further the separation of Dorje Shugden followers.

Bodh Gaya's religious sites are in the care of the Mahabodhi Society of India. If you object to the Dalai Lama's sectarian speech and would like to make your disagreement known to the Society, they can be contacted at the following addresses:

[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]

[Zach]

Ive sent them an email i only hope that they listen. 

[Zach]

Oddly enough it seems i am unable to send an email to said address [email protected]
I keep getting the message sent faliure back...

[Middleway]

He banned them from attending his teaching at Bodh Gaya. Disgusting, but standard. The ugly thing is that even though he can't directly ban DS practitioners from going to Bodh Gaya per-se, unchallenged his words would have that effect.

[DharmaDefender]

Why pay any attention to an Old Man whoses brain is about as flat as a pancake?

Because based on past experiences, his words have a direct impact on people's lives? Like Middleway said, "unchallenged his words would have that effect."

Having said that, at the end of the day, isn't Bodhgaya just a place? The people who attend the Dalai Lama's teachings, if they aren't real practitioners, listening to him will have little effect on them, they will still take rebirth in the three lower realms (as will most of us). And the people who don't believe he's a bodhisattva, believe he has lost the lineage, etc - why want to go and receive teachings from him?

[Zach]

I would once again kindly ask people to stop using such harsh language against a kind mother 
Dorje Shugden never speaks ill of the Dalai lama and neither should we in such a respect. 

[a friend]

The people who attend the Dalai Lama's teachings, if they aren't real practitioners, listening to him will have little effect on them, they will still take rebirth in the three lower realms (as will most of us).

Dear Dharmadefender, could you explain why are you uttering such terrifying prophesies? If we do a proper practice of refuge, cultivate bodhicitta and abstain from harming living beings (not such a heavy task methink) we are not going to any lower realm.
Anyway I thank you for doing it, it's an excellent Lamrim reminder.
Please friends, let's always go back to basics: renunciation, bodhicitta, correct view. Listening, studying, contemplating, meditating. Please!

[DharmaDefender]

The people who attend the Dalai Lama's teachings, if they aren't real practitioners, listening to him will have little effect on them, they will still take rebirth in the three lower realms (as will most of us).

Dear Dharmadefender, could you explain why are you uttering such terrifying prophesies? If we do a proper practice of refuge, cultivate bodhicitta and abstain from harming living beings (not such a heavy task methink) we are not going to any lower realm.
Anyway I thank you for doing it, it's an excellent Lamrim reminder.
Please friends, let's always go back to basics: renunciation, bodhicitta, correct view. Listening, studying, contemplating, meditating. Please!

Because, as I've had it explained to me, there are many people who may be doing excellent Dharma work and truly wonderful practitioners in this lifetime. However, due to karma accumulated in previous lifetimes which may come to fruition upon death, even the work they do in this lifetime will not prevent a rebirth in the three lower realms. It does not mean that the work they are doing in this lifetime goes to waste - the merit accumulated remains in 'storage' (so to speak!) until such a time when it can propel them to have a more positive rebirth.

So although an excellent step, simply taking refuge every day, cultivating bodhicitta and abstaining from harming living beings (which requires wisdom, which many of us have yet to achieve) will not prevent such a rebirth, since we've still got karma from lifetimes past to deal with.

[a friend]

True refuge definitely protects you from the lower realms. This is one of the advantages of taking refuge.

Thank you for bringing up this more than important subject: the time of death.
A practitioner should have all the knowledge needed to obtain a rebirth with the wonderful base that allows you to work for liberation and enlightenment, the noble human life.
 
Because what you say it's true, as a possibility, we need to know what to do to avoid it. The bad karma "coming to fruition at the time of death" is not a rule. A practitioner needs to learn how to prevent it. Our holy system gives us all the tools of Dharma needed. The time of death is not a lottery.

We'll talk more about it, thank you again.

[DharmaDefender]

True refuge definitely protects you from the lower realms. This is one of the advantages of taking refuge.

Thank you for bringing up this more than important subject: the time of death.
A practitioner should have all the knowledge needed to obtain a rebirth with the wonderful base that allows you to work for liberation and enlightenment, the noble human life.
 
Because what you say it's true, as a possibility, we need to know what to do to avoid it. The bad karma "coming to fruition at the time of death" is not a rule. A practitioner needs to learn how to prevent it. Our holy system gives us all the tools of Dharma needed. The time of death is not a lottery.

We'll talk more about it, thank you again.

Thank you for your response, a friend, I do agree that the time of death is not a lottery. However, even if we have the tools to prevent a lower rebirth, and karma can be manipulated so that negative karma does not fruition at time of death...still, at some point, do we not need to experience it as Lord Buddha himself did? Therefore at some point, despite having taken true refuge, won't we will still suffer a rebirth in the three lower realms (no matter how brief)?