Kyabje Yongdzin Ling Rinpoche
November 2, 2009 by truthaboutshugden (extracted from http://truthaboutshugden.wordpress.com)
“…Then I thought of taking the Secret Essence Tantra from (Kunnu Lama Tenzin Gyaltsen) as well. I happened to mention this to Ling Rinpoche one day, but he discouraged me. He told me that it was rather controversial and that it would be better not to take it.
Now what actually had happened was that Ling Rinpoche, being rather timid, seems to have been under the impression that if I were to take the transmission, Dholgyal was likely to have responded by inflicting some harm.
I was the one who was pushing to take this. The Secret Essence Tantra is, I believe, one of the texts that Buton Rinpoche decided to exclude from the collection of the Kangyur. However, it is a text that the Nyingma and Karma Kagyu treat as authentic.
Anyway, Ling Rinpoche’s opposition to me receiving the transmission of that Tantra was based upon his fear of Dholgyal. Therefore, what happened was that though I wanted to take that Tantra, because of someone’s fear of Dholgyal, I was unable to. My rights to freedom of religious choice were thus violated.”
-Tenzin Gyatso XIV Dalai Lama
Does this strike anyone else as strange? Was Ling Rinpoche, Guru to the Dalai Lama, tantric master, and pure preceptor, really afraid of harm from a worldly spirit? All Buddhists know that pure refuge protects from spirits and the like, that is why the Dalai Lama said, in reference to Dorje Shugden, “I don’t even visualize the protection wheel.”
If the Dalai Lama had nothing to fear from Dorje Shugden, why should Ling Rinpoche, his own Guru?!?
Perhaps more distubing still, this quotation raises an important question….
Since when does following the advice of your Vajrayana guru constitute a loss of religious freedom?!?
The only freedom lost through following the advice of one’s spiritual guide is the freedom to wander endlessly in the scorching pits of samsara.
This kind of attitude marks the begining of the end of the secret Mantra path in this world. The Guru gradually comes to be seen as outmoded, unecessary in the attempt to attain liberation from suffering. The result of this view spreading in our world is that the Vajrayana becomes a hollow shell, a vehicle without power, a car with no engine.
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Arisa
February 18, 2011
What Ling Rinpoche has advised against taking the Secret Essence Tantra to someone is not that he is afraid that Dhogyal will harm. Ling Rinpoche may hav e skilfully say that if you take Secret Essence Tantra Dhogyal would be angry and harm. But Dhogyal being an Enlightened Being will not harm. I think Ling Rinpoche would have accessed the situation and think that since you are already into one practice. You don’t have to have another. If Ling Rinpoche is your Guru you don’t have to take another practice from another Guru. He knows best what is good for you and he has not violated your choice of Religious freedom. If he stops you there must be a reason. Guru Devotion is more important than practicing Tantra without Guru Devotion.
Sarah
February 20, 2011
I agree with what Arisa said above about the importance of guru devotion. When one already has a guru, it is best not to request for teachings from gurus from another tradition. It has nothing to do with religious freedom, which is a foreign concept and does not take into consideration one’s vows to one’s teacher. One should be clear about this and know the difference between guru devotion and religious freedom.