You might want to read below the original writing that started this discussion, that I wrote in the Guestroom and that Beggar, our original Global Moderator, copied in the Forum. After that initial exchange, Beggar and I continued for months talking privately about the issue. Those were relatively happy times, in 2007, when we didn't suspect that things were going to become so dark as they did with the DL's forceful actions, forcing the monasteries to split in 2008. When these unfortunate times started, at the Winter Retreat 2007/2008, Beggar became extremely active trying to stop the DL's actions and help the monks that were so incredibly attacked. Then he decided to disappear from the website. We still miss him. Wherever you are, Beggar, how I would like to go on debating with you.
Dear friends,
First of all let me greet you all on this day of the coming of Lord Buddha from Ganden Paradise to our world. Secondly, let me tell you that it's been quite awhile that I've been observing this website and it's not without hesitations that I decided to send you a message. May be it's the influence of this most holy day that decided me and, friends in Dharma, please don't be hurt by what I might express here even if it sounds harsh. It's my love for sentient beings and utter devotion to the teachings that force me to write.
Of course, this website is very dear and beautiful, since it contains so many images of our holy King Protector, and so many words that are intended for his praise. I thank you from my heart he/she/they, whoever it is that is doing it, and also those who send messages of support.
Nevertheless, there is in this website an element of wrong view that doesn't in any way serve the holy Dharma nor shows any respect towards the Buddhas in general nor towards our Je Rinpoche nor towards the Protector of his teachings. It doesn't show respect, neither, for the Dalai Lama, contrary to the expressed intentions of the writers, because it perverts entirely the wishes and purposes that he has so clearly expressed and maintained year after year. It doesn't show respect towards the unknown number of victims of the religious persecution unleashed by the Dalai Lama against his fellow citizens, victims whose destiny is either ignored or treated with an extraordinary frivolity. I say frivolity lacking a better word. How to call the behaviour that you show, of praising the one who started years ago such incredible actions against our Deity, our Teachings, our fellow practitioners and to this day doesn't relent but continues such actions? When you praise the Dalai Lama in his actions against the Protector's practitioners, using the reason of skillful means, I don't think you understand the meaning of skillful means. Friends, it is true that the Buddhas can take the appearance of anything, including demons, to benefit sentient beings but when they do it, they never play a double game, they never do something conventionally wrong and at the same time proclaim, or make people to proclaim or even suspect that they are Buddhas, they never show their colours, otherwise they would be destroying the very skillful means they are using. Let's use the example of Devadatta, mentioned in your website. It is a view that I heard mentioning by worthy people, that the evil cousin of Lord Buddha was a somehow realized being that was playing a role to serve the purposes of the Buddha. But you can go and try finding one single piece of scripture or utterance of a Lama saying that what Devadatta did was good, or skillful, or wise. What Devadatta did was horrible and nobody that I know of is going to praise him for his actions. Lord Buddha said he loved Devadatta as much as he loved his own son, but he never said a word of praise, never. Are we more intelligent and wise than the Buddha?
But let's be simple, let's not complicate matters. What you are doing in your website, of praising the Dalai Lama for his actions, interpreting that they are skillful means to spread the Dharma –not less!– is a lokta, a wrong view in relation to the Buddha and to all the Buddhas. Because, friends, what is the main and foremost thing that the Buddhas do for us? They cannot take our bad karma with their holy hands and make it disappear, they cannot do that. Instead, they teach us what to keep and what to abandon. What to do and what not to do. So, friends, if you go about proclaiming that what is wrong is in reality good because it is skillful means, you are attacking, destroying the compassionate actions of our Buddhas. Please, do not do that. For your sake and for the sake of those who are going to acquire such wrong view.
Of course, it is an almost unbearable pain to see the one who we used to contemplate as the beacon of Dharma, we poor Westerners who put our faith there, we poor Tibetans who worshipped our leader, do things that are not in accord with Dharma. It is terribly painful. Awful. And it feels good to find justifications, it helps soothe our pain. But that is not the way to go about it.
The way to go about it is not to judge the person, the Dalai Lama. We have to be very clear about his actions, but even mentally we have to remain silent about him. Friends, only the Buddha is able to judge a person, and this is true both for the positive and the negative. You cannot condemn him, but neither can you justify him, otherwise you would be proclaiming yourselves a Buddha.
Also, if we suffered from his actions, we have our most holy teachings of Lojong, and we can remember our Geshe Langri Tangpa and say of the Dalai Lama, he is my utmost Mahayana teacher, because he is teaching me by this suffering he inflicts on me, that I did the same to others in the past. And because he is thus helping me to eliminate my bad karma. This Kadampa view is perfect, it doesn't judge the person, only the effects his actions have on me. And these I can choose, and I have a perfect instruction for choosing, the Lojong.
Enough. It's late, and I said already too many words. Thank you to those who had the patience for reading so far.
May your highest purpose become true, for the benefit of our beloved sentient beings, and may all things be good and happy and wonderful and perfect and joyous and you name it ... for all.
From Beggar to a friend: In your letter in our guest book you pointed out our wrong view of calling HH the Dalai Lama's policy regarding Dorje Shugden as skillful means. Now if we adopt your point as it is it leads directly to the extreme view that His Holiness has failed us, betrayed us, is not compassionate, not wise, and of no benefit, because if it is true, in your point there is no room for any others. You are really attacking His Holiness and asking us to believe he has become a demon, much like others are attacking us about our dharmapala.
From a friend to Beggar,
Dear precious one,
No, if you adopt my point (that you should suppress your lauding HHDL for what he did with regard our sublime Protector, because by praising that deed you are destroying in the mind of the common folk the basic enlightened actions of the Buddhas, which are to tell us what to keep and what to abandon), you would not be falling in any extreme views. To suppress the praise of what should never be applauded doesn't force you to say harsh things about HHDL. Just tell the facts and do not criticise, neither praise what is not worthy of praise. Why jump to the extreme view that he is a demon? There are many other things that you could say, instead. For instance, that because he is the political leader of the Tibetans he thought it was ok to unify the Tibetans behind a common "enemy". Bad idea, may be, but not of a demon, just of a politician. All the Tibetans I know -Sangha and lay people- maintain that this issue of our Protector is "politics, not religion". That's common sense, not extreme views. Anyway, what is a lokta, a wrong view, is to tell people that what is wrong is good. It destroys the Buddha's actions for sentient beings. You can worship HHDL as much as you want in the privacy of your heart, but in public, please worship him if you want, applaud him, rejoice about him, praise him... for what is correct: that he's been the champion of the Tibetan nation in the world at large, that he is for so many -not necessarily buddhists- the face of compassion, a beacon of hope, a bridge between religion and the scientific minds, a delightful gentleman when he chooses to show his carisma, and so many other pleasant things. But again and again, let's not praise what in the conventional field is wrong, to do it is not Dharma, even if to some it sounds like a nice view. One should not confuse people about the formidable matter of karma, about what actions are virtuous and what actions are not virtuous.
Let's talk instead about the wonders of our Protector and the teachings of our blessed holy Je Tsongkapa.
