His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama’s talk on Dorje Shugden during the 32th Kalachakra teaching in Bodhgaya, 5 Jan 2012
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Extracted from: http://www.dorjeshugden.com/forum/index.php?topic=1571.
Thank you HH Dalai Lama – for saying that it’s up to us whether we practise or not.
From the article below, I’d just like to draw attention to a few points of interest.
- Again the Dalai Lama urges people not to follow Dorje Shugden “After thorough study and research” but again, there is no elaboration of WHAT this thorough study and research is.
- It’s up to you – so we can practise if we want to? So it’s not that harmful??
- The decade-old allegations that Dorje Shugden practitioners murdered someone. Firstly – this was not proven. Secondly, if a Christian or Muslim murders somebody – does that mean ALL Christians and ALL Muslims are bad?
- With regard to the Charter of the Monastic Discipline of the Gelugpa Sect, which “categorically forfeits the enrollment of monks who continue to propitiate Shugden in all Gelugpa monasteries”. This directive, however, did not involve those “who wish to join schools in the exile community”. – aren’t all Shugden monks ostracised in the exile community? Now they can join schools?
- Thank you again, dear HH Dalai Lama for bringing Dorje Shugden into the limelight. The world does need constant reminders about this issue so that people will do their own research and find out more about Dorje Shugden. Please keep it up!
Wisdombeing
It’s my responsibility to urge not to follow Shugden deity: The Dalai Lama
Phayul[Friday, January 06, 2012 15:09]
By Tendar Tsering
BODH GAYA, January 6: During the course of his ongoing ten-day Kalachakra teachings, the Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama firmly urged his devotees on Thursday not to follow the Shugden deity.
“After thorough study and research, I realised that it is harmful to follow the Shugden deity, so I stopped worshipping,” said the Dalai Lama to the gathering of around 200,000 disciples from 63 countries in Bodh Gaya.
So, after knowing and understanding the harmful impacts of worshipping the deity, it is my responsibility to urge my devotees not to follow it.
“But it is up to you whether you still want to continue following it or not. My responsibility is to show you the proper way,” 76-year old Tibetan leader said while cautioning Shugden followers not to attend his teachings as it went against the Buddhist concept of the pure relationship between the teacher and the disciple.
The Shugden issue took a gruesome turn more than a decade back when followers of the deity murdered a Tibetan monk teacher and his disciples in Dharamshala, north India for toeing the line of the Dalai Lama.
Local Indian investigating police had concluded that the accused of the murder succeeded in escaping to China occupied Tibet.
There have been concrete evidences of Chinese government exploiting the situation to create disturbances and un-stability in the Tibetan community since the debate on Shugden surfaced.
The Dharamshala based Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) in a release issued on October 3, 2007 exclusively on its position on the Shugden followers from Tibet had directed the Tibetan Reception Centre not to issue referral letters to those Tibetans coming from Tibet who continue to propitiate Shugden to the monasteries.
According to the release, the Charter of the Monastic Discipline of the Gelugpa Sect, adopted in 2006,
categorically forfeits the enrollment of monks who continue to propitiate Shugden in all Gelugpa monasteries”. This directive, however, did not involve those “who wish to join schools in the exile community.
In order to undermine the peace and harmony within the Tibetan people, China provides political and financial support to Shugden worshippers in Tibet, India and Nepal in particular, and in general, across the globe” said the CTA in the press statement.
While speaking to an exclusive audience of over 8000 Tibetans from Tibet, a few days back in Bodh Gaya, the Dalai Lama had clarified his stand on the Shugden deity.
I heard some Tibetans in Tibet think that I am still following the Shugden and I have further heard some even say that I have not urged an end to Shugden worship,” the Dalai Lama said. “So today, I have made it very clear.
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Manjushri
January 17, 2012
Wow, how kind of the Dalai Lama to now slowly allow people a little bit of religious freedom by saying that:
“But it is up to you whether you still want to continue following it or not. My responsibility is to show you the proper way..”. If I remember correctly, it was a strong stance from H.H. The Dalai Lama NOT to practise Shugden for it would shorten his life. So now, if he is allowing people to practise it by saying that it is up to us, does that mean that his life would not be shortened anymore? Anyways, he is a Buddha, I don’t think his life can be shortened based on what people practise. I think the negative karma of mankind can cumulatively shorten a high lama’s life because the causes are not created for the lama to stay and benefit people. But if you practise a diety like Shugden and show compassion, kindness, generosity, respect, integrity, devotion, then I don’t think this can affect the life of HHDL, because these are the qualities that Buddha wants us to develop within ourselves, so how can it be contradictory.
DL also mentioned that his responsibility is to show “you the proper way”. What is the proper way? The Dalai Lama got a huge bulk of his teachings from his junior tutor Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche, so I am assuming that HHDL’s “proper way” has been derived from Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche’s teachings. Therefore, being such a strong practitioner of DS, Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche would have definitely passed this practise down to HHDL. Why would HHDL do “thorough study and research” now, when all these years, HHDL did not question the authenticity of the practise, its qualities and lineage? Therefore, there must be a bigger reason as to the reason for this ban.
In the article, it is also said that China provides “…financial support to Shugden worshippers in Tibet, India and Nepal in particular, and in general, across the globe”.
Being an upcoming country of power and influence across the globe, China has decided, for whatever reasons they have, to provide financial support to Shugden worshippers. The action of providing support to others is very meritorious in itself, albeit the motivation to do so. Could it be that this ban has come about so that the Chinese would pick it up and spread it far and wide, and by the time the ban on DS has subsided, the Chinese would continue to practise DS because they have received tremendous benefit from this practise. That they will be the ones keeping the Shugden practise alive for many years to come in this degenerate times? If DS is bad, why wouldn’t all the high lamas who continue to practise DS today come forth to take their stance in Shugden’s practise as well? Why do their centres keep on growing?
There is only one reason I can think of as to why this ban has come about.. and that is HHDL’s skillful way of promoting DS into global recognition for DS’s practise is very apt for our degenerate times. DS is Manjushri afterall, and so if the mindstream of any enlightened being is the same, then practicing yamantaka would also lead to negative results as well, for yamantaka is an emanation of manjushri too? hmm.
admin
January 26, 2012
Towards the end of the video, His Holiness Dalai Lama mentions that it seems the Dorje Shugden practice is growing in America, England, various countries in Europe, Taiwan, Singapore and China.
Very interesting he makes that remark because the ban makes the Shugden practice grow bigger and spread further.
Admin
negra orquida
February 29, 2012
Interesting that HHDL would mention about the practice growing in America, England, Europe, Taiwan, Singapore and China. Why would he want to mention that? Usually if we are on a project to achieve a certain goal, we would generally not disclose to the public any information about possible problems of the project, as this implicates failure on our part. So in this case, the goal of the Ban-DS-Project is to.. well.. ban and stop the DS practice, right? So why would HHDL want to reveal information which points towards the opposite of this goal? I would like to take the positive stance and believe that he is hinting to DS practitioners that we are doing a good job! =D