Over 20,000 in Chamdo and Kongpo

Contrary to what the Dalai Lama and the CTA always claim, Dorje Shugden is not a minority practice as evidence here by these puja photos

Every year, Tibetan Gelug monks gather to complete their Prajnaparamita studies (Tib.: parchin, Perfection of Wisdom Sutras) and enter their Madhyamika studies (Tib.: uma, Supplement to the Middle Way). During this time, they perform prayers to celebrate the completion of their Prajnaparamita studies, and to remove obstacles for them to enter their Madhyamika studies. Recently, at Dorje Shugden monasteries in Chamdo and Kongpo, over 20,000 people gathered there peacefully to perform such prayers. In this crowd were over 1,000 monks who performed prayers which will include a propitiation to Dorje Shugden.

The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA; the Tibetan leadership based in Dharamsala) and the Dalai Lama always like to portray Shugden followers as a small minority. Even if it were so, they still deserve the right to practice without discrimination. The Dalai Lama has spoken against Shugden and followers in most of his public talks. He has been against Shugden for many years in his public talks which has created confusion, division and segregation. As a result, if you practice Shugden you either have to go underground or face segregation. Because they practice Shugden, large monasteries have been split, monks expelled, and people are denied their basic necessities as well as being singled out and labelled as unpatriotic. What does practicing your choice of faith have to do with patriotism? Well because in Tibetan society, the Dalai Lama cannot be opposed. If you oppose him, you oppose Tibet. Dalai Lama is Tibet in their view. The Dalai Lama always says he holds no political power and that he is retired. But in fact he holds all the power and no one dares oppose for fear of being ostracized. That however is now changing rapidly. People are speaking out against the authoritarian rule of the Dalai Lama and religious discrimination he is creating.

Whether a particular faith is being practiced by 10 persons or 10 million people, every person deserves the right to practice their faith without fear, prejudice or bias. When the Dalai Lama says there is no ‘official’ ban (which there is), yet he keeps speaking out against Shugden followers consistently, he enforces an invisible and psychological ban. If there was no ban or there were no objections, why does the Dalai Lama keep speaking about the issue repeatedly? In fact, it gets worse in that if you practice Shugden you are not allowed to attend any of his public events or join in mainstream Tibetan Buddhist society. Why are Shugden people not allowed to the Dalai Lama’s events? Because in the Dalai Lama’s opinion, their presence is an affront to him spiritually and his life will be shortened by their presence! As ludicrous as it sounds, that is what he has said on many occasions to the Tibetans and Tibetan Buddhists around the world by the Dalai Lama himself. Many Tibetan Buddhist Centres around the world have posted signs saying that if you practice Shugden you are not allowed to enter. Many ignorant Tibetans also spread this kind of talk among each other, saying that if a Shugden person attends talks by the Dalai Lama, it will harm the Dalai Lama. Can you imagine any sane or democratic leader, whether secular or religious, making this type of statement in today’s world? Imagine any leader not allowing a group of people to attend their public events simply because of their religious beliefs?

A centre in Singapore encourages others not to associate with Shugden practitioners as per the Dalai Lama’s wishes

The way the Dalai Lama speaks to his own people in his native language is vastly different than how he addresses non-Tibetans when he is abroad. With foreigners he stresses dialogue is important to solve any conflict. He has spoken about many conflicts in the world, saying that dialogue is the key to their end. However, this same treatment has not been extended to and apparently does not apply to Shugden practitioners. There are great divisions within the Tibetan Buddhist community due to all the negative talk against a practice of Shugden, who is relied upon by four million Tibetans and countless non-Tibetans. The leaders and representatives of the Shugden communities have written many times to the Dalai Lama over the past 18 years appealing to speak with him and straighten out this issue. Up until now however, the Dalai Lama and his obedient CTA have conveniently ignored all requests. He will not engage in any dialogue and has ordered his cronies to do the same. As a result, you see protests against the Dalai Lama asking for dialogue and an explanation regarding the persecution of Shugden by the Dalai Lama himself. Why does he ignore our requests for dialogue? What is the worst that can happen if he engaged in dialogue? He has said a few times within the Tibetan communities that he will go all the way to wipe out Shugden’s practice! This is no exaggeration.

Click to enlarge the image. The green sign on the left hangs above the Drepung Loseling Medical Clinic refusing medical treatment to Shugden practitioners. The CTA claims that business owners have the right to refuse service to whoever they want. However, when the CTA manipulates the situation in order to enforce the ban, then that is wrong. If you allow Shugqden people to come in then you’re seen as unpatriotic. This is not the first time in history when groups of people have been denied service based on their faith (see the sign on the right). Whether for a private business or a public service, people should not be refused service based on the colour of their skin, religion or sexual orientation. It impedes upon their inalienable birth rights of freedom of worship, expression and thought. No democratic government would ever police the thoughts of their people, or enforce and support any kind of discrimination against them by repeatedly referring to how negative, bad or evil they are.

In Chamdo and Kongpo below, you will see that thousands of Dorje Shugden practitioners have gathered to do prayers and pujas for the success of the work done by Dorje Shugden practitioners. As you can see there are thousands in these locations only; it does not include the hundreds of other areas in Tibet where Shugden practice has been widespread for centuries. Contrary to the Dalai Lama’s claims, Shugden followers are not a minority and the practice is increasing worldwide as it is an effective practice. The Dalai Lama needs to stop speaking out against the followers of this faith and come to terms with it. The Dalai Lama has famously said Dorje Shugden is a spirit, and therefore worshiping a spirit is not a religion, hence there are no issues with religious suppression involved! If there was no issue, he would not even have to mention the name ‘Shugden’ or classify him as a spirit worship or spirit religion, as in his own definition. Therein lies another shocking revelation – in the Dalai Lama’s view Shugden is a form of spirit worship and therefore it is not a religion. Religious freedom of a religion, faith or path of spirituality is not defined by what you worship but the freedom to worship as you like. The Dalai Lama does not understand this important distinction. The Dalai Lama has also said worshiping Shugden will shorten his life because Shugden is a spirit. This contradicts Buddhist teachings. No matter what anyone worships, their faith cannot harm the Dalai Lama if he is what he says he is – a ‘humble’ Buddhist monk. According to Buddhism, monks are protected from negative energies due to their ordination vows protecting them. Therefore Buddhist monks should not be able to be harmed by spirits. Therefore the Dalai Lama’s claims that Shugden worship can harm him are illogical. But then again, Shugden’s practice is not aimed at harming the Dalai Lama or anyone. Shugden is in fact propitiated to gain clearance of obstacles on the path of developing peace, compassion and enlightenment.

Hundreds of highly esteemed teachers and their tens of thousands of followers over the last 400 years have peacefully followed their worship of Shugden in Tibet. How can only the Dalai Lama be right about Shugden and every other teacher be wrong, misguided and worshipping a spirit? In Tibetan Buddhism, it is believed that due to intense meditational practices, one can gain special psychic abilities to perceive formless and ethereal beings (of which Shugden is one of them) and gauge their level, benefits and power. For hundreds of years, many highly realized masters in Tibet have deemed Shugden to be a powerful and extremely benevolent guardian of the Buddhist teachings who, if propitiated, will grant great protection and assistance. But according to the Dalai Lama, all these masters are wrong and only he is correct. According to the Dalai Lama, his meditational abilities and research overrides the hundreds of erudite teachers for the last 400 years. According to the Dalai Lama, the Dalai Lama’s conclusions are correct because he is the Dalai Lama and he cannot be wrong.

Tibet’s patron god 1000-Arm Avalokiteshvara

To say that no Dalai Lama can be wrong simply because he is the Dalai Lama may not make sense to many people around the world, but it makes sense to himself and his cronies. In Tibetan society, anyone who opposes this view is opposing THE DALAI LAMA HIMSELF which is sacrilegious because the Dalai Lama has won the Nobel Prize, and is their great leader and speaks on compassion. It is sacrilegious because he is the preordained leader of the Tibetans prophesized by the masters of the past and he is considered divine as the Dalai Lama is the sacred incarnation of Tibet’s patron God Avalokitesvara. To the Tibetans, he is not human but an incarnation of a God. The Dalai Lama himself will not say this but he allows others to repeat this belief to seal his position, and make it sacred and sanctified. Because of this, people view the Dalai Lama as Avalokitesvara the Great Buddha of compassion’s incarnation, and therefore he can never be wrong. The basis of his power among the Tibetans stems from this belief. Because of this view, all other lamas, teachers and masters are below the Dalai Lama and he is supreme. Therefore if he says Shugden is negative, then it is and there should be no arguments. No debate is allowed. No dialogue, no debates and no opposition to the God-King is ever allowed or face the consequences.

Shugden practitioners in the millions have been shocked and hurt by the Dalai Lama’s negative public rhetoric against their form of worship and what they worship. The Dalai Lama’s speech has caused untold division, hatred and violence against Shugden followers within Tibet and around the world. After 18 years of the ban, Shugden followers will not remain silent now against the God-King and will continue to peacefully protest and speak up against this suppression of their religious faith and horrible discrimination. People should not be judged according to their faith or spiritual path. Have we not learned this from history already? The Nazis believed Judaism and the Jews were evil and should be wiped out. The religious zealots that are the ISIS harm others who do not accept their interpretations of religion. Many fundamentalists and people with extreme views have harmed in the name of their religion, using their power and prejudice against those who have differing views.

We cannot let history repeat itself where people are segregated and hated due to their religious orientation, because it could escalate to violence. We should unite the people through their commonalities which far outnumber their differences. People will always be different and diversity must be embraced, not repelled. Whether Tibetans or Tibetan Buddhists worship Shugden should never even be a factor in their participation in mainstream Tibetan Buddhist society. The Dalai Lama should not advise against Shugden practice or followers because the consequences are harmful. The Dalai Lama should accept all his people and all persons no matter what religion they follow. In his leadership of Tibetans, especially as a Buddhist teacher, religion should not even be an issue in any way. The Dalai Lama should not divide his people due to religion. As there are only six million Tibetans, it is important to be cohesive and to live peacefully with each other without divisions due to religion coming from the leadership.

The Dalai Lama’s words as a leader can result in great harm or great benefit. For 18 years, the ban on Shugden has harmed and hurt the sentiments of millions who cannot give up the practice because of their devotion to their teachers, lineage and faith, and therefore suffer the consequences of continuing their practice. The Dalai Lama should lift the ban against Shugden and followers and never speak against Shugden again. He must sit down with Tibetans and non-Tibetans and find a peaceful resolution to the Shugden issues he himself has started. This issue will not go away.

Kay Beswick

Chamdo Jampal Ling, Chamdo, Tibet

Chamdo Jampal Ling Monastery in Chamdo, Tibet. All of the monks here rely upon and do daily prayers to Dorje Shugden

Kongpo, Tibet

Thousands have gathered at a Dorje Shugden monastery in order to perform prayers which include propitations of the special Buddhist Guardian Dorje Shugden. Ironically, the Chinese in Tibet allow religious freedom to worship any god, gods or religion you choose.

The Dalai Lama says his teacher is wrong and all masters who say Shugden is benevolent are wrong. Only the Dalai Lama is right. How can that be? How can hundreds of masters who practiced Shugden for the last four hundred years all be wrong and only the Dalai Lama is right? What makes only the Dalai Lama right and everyone else wrong? Sometimes when leader speak illogically, it makes the public think there is an alternative agenda they are not revealing. If Dalai Lama can say everyone else is wrong and only he is right, would it not be possible someone else can say Dalai Lama is wrong or could be wrong. Either all spiritual teachers can be wrong or all are faultless. Who is to judge and label which one is perfect and which one is not. Dalai Lama is without mistakes and every other teacher, scholar, master, saint and practitioner are wrong for four hundred years since the inception of Shugden practice? It does not make sense to anyone. Only the Dalai Lama is correct on the Shugden issue and every other great master is wrong. Who can accept that? If you can, think again. Even many of the Popes for the last few hundred years have been called for their mistakes and modern Popes apologized for their past mistakes from these Popes or Church.

The Dalai Lama is visibly angry with the interviewer for countering his explanations. When the journalist says he himself has seen the violence this ban against Shugden has created, the Dalai Lama cuts him off and denies no harm was done to Shugden practitioners. Dalai Lama is not his usual jovial, tolerant self when someone dares to question him on his policy against Shugden and the harm it has left in it’s wake. Dalai Lama does not give any more interviews to foreign journalists after this as he does not like to be questioned and called out for his lack of logic and the pain it has created.

In this video, the Dalai Lama forcefully says he is happy that Shugden monks are expelled from the Monastery. He encourages the monasteries to further expel the monks who refuse to abandon their faith in Shugden. This may not be a ban, but it’s worse. The Dalai Lama encouraging division, expulsion and segregation if his ‘advice’ of abandoning Shugden is not obeyed. You decide for yourself. Is this gentle advice or a strict order from an ‘autocratic’ like leader? His tone with his own Tibetan people is starkly different from the speeches he gives in Western countries of openness, dialogue and tolerance.

If you observe carefully in 00:25 of the video which was in 2013 he is more ‘gentle’ in his congratulatory message that Shugden monks are not present in the monastery and been expelled. He says the monks observed the logic and expelled them and it was not Dalai Lama who ordered it. But if you go to 1:26 of the video taken in 2008, he is quite fierce and overt in his orders to expel the monks who refuse to give up Shugden. Why the stark difference? Because between 2008 up till 2013 the Dalai Lama has come under intense pressure for his iron-fisted commands to expel Shugden under scrutiny from the international community. He was sued in India and nearly taken to court for his transgressions on religious freedom in democratic India. The court appearance never manifested in the end as his representatives went in his stead, but the fact it can be raised in court tells you how serious it was. Dalai Lama had to tone down his rhetoric against the 400 year old Shugden faith and faithfuls. Foreign leaders in particular India warned Dalai Lama to tone it done as it looked quite autocratic. Hence by 2013 in his speech, he is more ‘gentle’ and also takes the chance to tell the monks that it was not he that ordered the Shugden practice/monks to be expunged, but the monasteries themselves examined the virtues and logic of the situation expelling the monks themselves. The Dalai Lama due to pressure absolves himself of the blame and tells the monks it is not him, but they who expelled Shugden from the monasteries. Be it so, but if Dalai Lama just advised once and not repeat this ‘advice’, this would never have happened. Over 600 monks left Gaden and over 700 monks left Sera. They established their own monasteries that the CTA attempted to close down but unable to because protected by Indian law and freedom of worship. The video is clear how Dalai Lama himself went ahead with the witch-hunt against Shugden practitioners within the monasteries and lay communities where the issue is not resolved till now. Prior to the Shugden ban by Dalai Lama, everyone was living in harmony as much as they can.