A Letter to Ven. Geshe Tenzin Yeshe

Dear Most Venerable Geshe Tenzin Yeshe,

Your words are simple, straight, without politics and from your heart. I can feel how much devotion you have toward H.H. the Dalai Lama, love towards Tibet and your people and great faith towards Dorje Shugden. These three combinations of Dalai Lama, love of Tibet and Dorje Shugden have been ok and no issues before the 1990′s. Now suddenly it has become an issue. I don’t know what to say. But I can feel your immense pain, anguish, and the feeling of being ostracized. I feel for you so much. I shed tears for you and your plight.

Yet I feel no anger or malice in your words. Bless you Great Geshe-la.

When H.H. the Dalai Lama gives talks now, many people are afraid of what he is going to say or do next against the Dorje Shugden Devotees. Recently in Drepung (2008) he said that Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche is a manifestation of Atisha himself and that Kyabje Pabongkha Rinpoche is Heruka himself. But then how can such sublime holy beings as Atisha and Heruka make mistakes and NOT SEE DORJE SHUGDEN AS NEGATIVE? It is a contradiction.

I too wish so much that H.H. the Dalai Lama would retract what he says and does regarding Dorje Shugden. And restore the peace quickly before it goes beyond repair. The Tibetans are not united. The Tibetans are broken up. It does not suit a great being/leader like H.H. Dalai Lama to always speak on this one issue of Dorje Shugden always. It doesn’t match his station. Dorje Shugden is not the cause of Tibet losing its independence. So how can Dorje Shugden be the cause of it not getting autonomy now??

There are many Tulkus, Rinpoches, Teachers, Geshes and monks still practicing Dorje Shugden VERY SECRETLY AND QUIETLY NOW. Although they have to sign a letter stating they are not practising or forced into a referendum. Why? They have no where else to go. Many have lived in the monasteries peacefully their whole lives. Now suddenly they are told that what their gurus gave them to do is wrong. Very difficult situation.

All of these practitioners are very proud of their Tibetan heritage and land. All these practitioners LOVE H.H. THE DALAI LAMA SO MUCH. THEY HAVE NO WISH TO GO AGAINST HIM OR THE FREEDOM OF TIBET. BUT PRACTISING DORJE SHUGDEN HAS BECOME SYNONYMOUS WITH WISHING ILL TO H.H. DALAI LAMA AND AGAINST TIBET’S FREEDOM. THAT IS NOT THE CASE. IT HAS NEVER BEEN THE CASE. IT WILL NEVER BE THE CASE. How can any religious practitioner hate anyone let alone the Dalai Lama. Everyone loves the Dalai Lama. It is only this one issue. We cannot overlook H.H. the Dalai Lama’s other tremendous accomplishments throughout this 14th reincarnation. Truth be told. But at the same time, with folded hands, foreheads touching the ground and tears streaming from our eyes, WE SINCERELY REQUEST H.H. THE DALAI LAMA TO RESTORE THINGS BACK TO THE WAY IT WAS BEFORE HE STARTING SPEAKING AGAINST DORJE SHUGDEN.

H.H. Dalai Lama should check the writings of his own root gurus (Trijang Rinpoche) on Dorje Shugden. Trijang Rinpoche wrote extensively on Dorje Shugden in order to preserve it for future generations. From the writings of Trijang Rinpoche he can make conclusions that speak of the true nature of Dorje Shugden. Trijang Rinpoche wrote a whole volume devoted to Dorje Shugden with many chapters on history, practice, ritual, benefits, fire puja, retreats, biographies of Dorje Shugden’s previous lives, quoting from scriptural sources to validate everything. H.H. the Dalai Lama should read more of Trijang Rinpoche’s works contained in this volume on Dorje Shugden with all these chapters. Quote from there. Contemplate from there. In fact all practitioners of Dorje Shugden should do that . We should request the capable lamas in the world to work on a project to translate this volume into English and Chinese. It would benefit so many. It would clear so much and enlighten so much of Dorje Shugden’s practice and its tremendous benefits.

We should follow Dorje Shugden’s advice to not criticize and think negative toward H.H. the Dalai Lama. Dorje Shugden is a bodhisattva, but that is not the reason he is telling us not to disrespect H.H. He has higher reasons we have to trust. We trust him on all other things, so we must trust re his advice on H.H. Dalai Lama.

The solution will have to be that all the Tulkus, Lamas, Geshes, Teachers, monks and sangha who are devoted to Dorje Shugden, respect H.H. Dalai Lama and love the motherland (Tibet) form their own Monastery. This group would contain great numbers of qualified sangha to teach. It should be somewhere in India as most of the Sangha are in India and it is easier to move there. It should be a Monastery devoted to the preservation of this great Ear Whispered Lineage of Gaden. It should have open practice of Dorje Shugden. And sponsorship should be solicited from the great lamas living abroad. This monastery should engage in learning, study, debate, memorizations, passing of the lineage just like in the Three Great Seats of Gelugpa Pure lineage.

They should invite qualified lamas to pass initiations, transmissions and commentaries while they are alive and well. The Geshes should teach philosophy. Such a Monastery should be formed and focus on hearing, listening and contemplation. This monastery should also do translation works into other languages the practice of Dorje Shugden as written by Kyabje Trijang Dorje Chang. And in the main prayer hall of this Monastery, there should be a throne to:

1. H.H. the Dalai Lama in the centre
2. To the Left H.H. Gaden Tripa
3. To the right Tulku Trakpa Gyeltsen

These three thrones should be there to create the causes for ‘harmony’ to be created in the future between these three throne holders.

Then thrones to H.H. Kyabje Pabongkha Rinpoche and Trijang Rinpoche is a given.

Incarnations of greats such as Kyabje Dagom Dorje Chang should be found and reinstalled in this Monastery.

There should be a resident monk trained in the powers of the oracle to take full possession of Duldzin, wrathful Shugden, Kache Marpo, Namka Barzin. This monk should be able to converse in Tibetan and English. So when possession takes place, Shugden can speak either way.

No politics, or negative activities/speech toward H.H. the Dalai Lama should ever be done. Pure practice, meditation, learning, contemplation, retreats should be followed. A Geshe or equivalent program should be created in this Monastery, so monks can travel abroad to teach. If need be, the persecuted monks/teachers can join this monastery. For example the monks of Dokhang Khangtsen in Shartse, Serkong Khangtsen of Jangtze and Pomra Khangtsen of Sera Mey can join this monastery if necessary. It should also have a strong foreigners program to learn. For foreigners to become Geshe or equivalent. To become doctrine/lineage holders to disseminate all over the world would be the goal.

Such a Monastery of the Gaden Ear Whispered Lineage should be built immediately.

We need a strong FOREIGN INDIVIDUAL (because they will be FREE FROM TIBETAN GOVT RESTRAINTS) to head this project.

If a Tibetan does it, at this time, the Tibetan Government would do everything it can to stop them and they can. Whereas if a foreigner does so, then there are less chances of this happening.

This foreigner must form a dedicated team that will fundraise, locate land, get the approvals from the Indian Govt, organize the monks, build, construct and complete such a Monastery. It is a tremendous legacy to work on. This foreigner and his team must be a group of people who know the value of Dharma, preservation of this lineage and want to passionately and wholeheartedly do something with GREAT PURPOSE in their lives. A group of people who can see the faults of samsara, not attracted to the fallible pleasures life has ‘revealed.’ And who will do everything within the law of cause and effect to get this done. It is urgent now. Once someone starts and makes headway, then more and more people will join in and in time it will grow and gain momentum. This team should consult one of the great living oracles of Dorje Shugden living in Tibet, Taiwan or the USA. They should ask specific questions and get specific instructions on how to go about this. Dorje Shugden will procure the necessaries if this is the right path. That is for sure.

This is Something that has great meaning that will be preserved for all time.

A Gaden Ear Whispered Lineage with Dorje Shugden as its principle protector MUST MANIFEST AND TAKE ROOT.

IT WILL GROW, GROW AND GROW TO A NEW SCHOOL OF TIBETAN BUDDHISM UNDER THE YELLOW FLAG OF LAMA TSONGKAPA’S INFALLIBLE SYSTEM. A NEW SCHOOL OF BUDDHISM FREE FROM TIBETAN GOVERNMENT’S INTERFERENCE AND CONTROL.

After all, how much control will they have after H.H. passes away (I say that with the deepest respect to H.H. Dalai Lama and I do not wish him to pass away at all)? All their control and propaganda is just for a few more years, but this incredible new school of Buddhism will last another few hundred years! Many negative ministers in past Tibetan history are no more and we don’t even know of them, but Buddhism has survived. It will be the same way now. The current Tibetan ministers can only do temporary harm at this time. It cannot and will not last.

In fact many of the previous ministers are already living abroad or trying to get there. Many of the current ministers are trying to get to places like the US, Canada, or Australia. They even have families living there. Because they know when H.H. Dalai Lama is not living (sorry to say that again), they will be finished. Their exiled Government will crumble. No leader is being groomed by H.H. the Dalai Lama. No leader can ever take the place of the Dalai Lama. The Tibetan Government is not designed to be ready for the demise of the Dalai Lama. There will be great turmoil, fear, radical changes, and helter skelter, once H.H. passes away, among the Tibetan Government in exile and the 23 Tibetan settlements in India.

No other leader within the Tibetan communities can ever replace H.H. the Dalai Lama. The only reason people now even listen a little to what Kalon Tripa Prime Minister Samdhong Rinpoche says is because he is backed up by the Dalai Lama. If H.H. is not present, no one would listen to him. On the whole, lay Tibetans are pragmatic, they will just find the best ways to provide food on the table and find a better place to live. They will not be so concerned on religious issues at all. If you talk to a lot of young Tibetans in the Tibetan Settlements, they know very little of Buddhism and are remotely interested.

The new breed of monks/nuns filling up the great monasteries are mostly from Tibet itself. Refugees from Tibet. They have very little exposure, education, knowledge, experience or understanding of anything. They are termed as ‘unripes’ in the monasteries. Like an unripe fruit. They take on face value what H.H. the Dalai Lama says. If stirred, these new monks from Tibet can be quite violent at times. And they have been in the past, surprisingly.

They are the ones now in Sera, Drepung and Gaden making the noise to follow H.H.’s ‘advice’ to abandon Dorje Shugden practice. Some of these monks who have followed their teachers (Geshes) for years to receive philosophical teachings/trainings in their respective monasteries, abandon their teachers at the drop of a hat because their teachers practice Dorje Shugden now. That was unheard of in Tibet. Imagine receiving hundreds of hours/if not thousands of hours of philosophical training that is the direct causes for your understanding of Dharma and to become a Geshe, and then now you abandon your teacher BECAUSE HE PRACTISES DORJE SHUGDEN and you suddenly find him not a worthy object of refuge/respect? Well that is exactly what is happening in Sera, Drepung and Gaden now.

These young breed of monks in Sera, Drepung and Gaden are fanatical to follow the literal words of H.H. The Dalai Lama. If they really were devoted, they would be engaged in practice/study and remain quiet. Not engage in any political activity and never transgress their vows.

Any Tibetan now, if they had the chance to immigrate to another country, they immediately would. Once they are there, the next generation of lay Tibetans will more or less be Buddhists only by name. The Dorje Shugden issue will have just a distant resonance in their consciousness. It is in the other countries besides India/Tibet/ Nepal that the Dorje Shugden practice will take off. But currently, we need a monastery to manifest in India due to logistics. During this interim phase, the Tibetan Clergy can disseminate/ transfer this lineage to non-Tibetans.

The Tibetan Ministers in exile know very little if nothing of Buddhism. They have some devotion to H.H., but their devotion is more towards a good life, moving abroad and securing their families’ future. Many of them are quite comfortable in foreign lands or planning a comfortable life there. If they were really devoted, they should set an example and all ministers and ex-ministers should stay in India and ‘suffer’ with the masses. But in their travels with H.H. to other countries, they are feverish to make connections to immigrate for themselves and their families.

The bottom line is, when the sun sets (passing of HH), the Dorje Shugden issue will become ‘resolved’ and grow. H.H. is now making Dorje Shugden the most famous Tibetan protector in the world. Think about it. I choose to believe it is within the scheme of things that this is happening.

I believe it is within the scheme that a new school of Tibetan Buddhism will arise; strong, powerful, beneficial with blessings ripe for the pickings. After all Lama Tsongkapa combined the living traditions of the three schools during his life to create what we have now. Again why can’t that happen. True, we don’t have someone like Tsongkapa, but we are not creating new teachings or combining teachings of other schools, but preserving what Lama Tsongkapa has compassionately elucidated. From the infallible teachings of Lama Tsongkapa, the many Monasteries by him or inspired by him have produced thousands of countless great sublime beings. Many of these beings have incarnated back or purposely taken rebirth back. They haven’t all necessarily taken rebirth back as teachers, monks, nuns, geshes or tulkus again. Many could be ‘ordinary’ men and women in many non-Tibetan countries, waiting for the time that perhaps something like this writing can trigger something latent in them planted lifetimes ago. Ready to ripen and take on the role/job/ mission to spearhead this new school of Gaden’s Buddhism. The time has come to not just type, talk, wish, and pray but to take peaceful action by building and creating such an illustrious Monastery. If started, who can actually stop it? Certainly no one.

These sublime beings teachings, practice and lineage now must be preserved in a new Monastery/new school with Lord Dorje Shugden as its principle Dharma Protector. The time has come.