Non-violence in Tibetan Culture
A Glimpse at How Tibetans View and Practice Non-violence in Politics and Daily Life Excerpted from: Larson, Zachary. (2000) Nonviolence in Tibetan Culture: A glimpse at how Tibetans view and practice nonviolence in politics and daily life. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin. Chapter One: The Continuing Tradition of Meat Consumption in Tibetan Culture Tibet: the “Last…
Offerings by Panchen Otrul Rinpoche
Offerings are the formal religious expression of the fundamental Buddhist virtue of giving. The perfection of giving, dana-paramita in Sanskrit, is first of the six or ten perfections. It encompasses every kind of generosity, whether it involves a gift to those higher than ourselves, such as deities in the merit field, or the poor or…
Je Tsongkhapa’s “Three Principal Aspects of the Path”
by His Holiness the Dalai Lama Translated by Lobsang Jordhen & edited by Jeremy Russell His Holiness gave this teaching at the request of a group of students from France in the main temple at Thekchen Choling in the Autumn of 1989 Today I am going to explain the Three Principal Aspects of the Path….
Tales of Intrigue from Tibet’s Holy City
THE HISTORICAL UNDERPINNINGS OF A MODERN BUDDHIST CRISIS by LINDSAY G. McCUNE LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 5DLPT = Blo bzang rgya mtsho. 1991-1995. “Thogs med drag rtsal nus stobs ldan pa’i dam can chos srung rgya mtsho’i mngon rtogs mchod ‘bul bskyang bshags bstod tsogs sogs ‘phrin las rnam zhi lhun drub ces bya ba bzhugs…
TWO SIDES OF THE SAME GOD by Donald S. Lopez, Jr.
Tricycle : The Buddhist Review: Spring 1998 edition To understand both sides ofthe Shugden debtate, Donald Lopez interviewed Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, founder of the New Kadampa Tradition, an advocate of Dorje Shugden worship, and the author of fifteen books, including Universal Compassion and Essence of Vajrayana; and Tibetan Jigme Norbu, who opposes Shugden worship. Jigme…
LETTING DAYLIGHT INTO MAGIC – The Life and Times of Dorje Shugden
Tricycle : The Buddhist Review, Spring 1998 edition by Stephen Batchelor Praise to you, violent god of the Yellow Hat teachings, Who reduces to particles of dust Great beings, high officials, and ordinary people Who pollute and corrupt the Gelugpa doctrine. – From “Praise to Dorje Shugden”, quoted by Zemey Rinpoche (1927-1996) The so-called Drakpa…
Newsweek article – “Did an obscure Tibetan sect murder three monks close to the Dalai Lama?”
© Newsweek April 28 1997 – Posted on May 6, 1997 by World Tibet News Did an obscure Tibetan sect murder three monks close to the Dalai Lama? BY TONY CLIFTON This murder mystery seems earthly to be set in the monastic palace of the God King of Tibet. Yet the facts are inescapable. Three…
Resolution adopted by consensus at the Tibetan general convention
(Translation of Tibetan original. Brackets and footnotes provided by the translator.) Resolution adopted by consensus at the Tibetan general convention of more than 750 ordained and lay Tibetans, at the auditorium of Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (T.I.P.A.) in Dharamshala, from August 27-31 corresponding to day 5 of the 7th Tibetan lunar month, Earth Tiger…
AN INTERVIEW WITH THUBTEN JIGME NORBU – The elder brother of His Holiness the Dalai Lama discusses Dorje Shugden as a hungry ghost
Thubten Jigme Norbu spoke with Donald S. Lopez, Jr., last summer at Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana. LOPEZ: What is the role of “protector deities” in Tibetan Buddhism? NORBU: There are two kinds: transcendent protectors and worldly protectors. Among the transcendent protectors, you will have Mahakala and many others. These are considered fierce forms of enlightened…
Deity or Demon? The Controversy over Tibet’s Dorje Shugden
The Controversy over Tibet’s Dorje Shugden Tricycle : The Buddhist Review, Spring 1998 Edition The Controversy over Tibet’s Dorje Shugden TIBETAN BUDDHISTS OF THE GELUGPA LINEAGE have been battling over a protector god named Dorje Shugden –and whether this spirit is a benevolent deity or an agent of evil. The conflict remainedlargely unknown to Westerners…
PRINCIPAL POINTS OF THE KASHAGʹS STATEMENT CONCERNING DOLGYAL
(English Translation, commented by the Tibetan Studies Press Office) After nearly forty years in exile under the leadership of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the chances of achieving our goal of freedom for Tibet continues to improve. Tibetans stand out among all the refugees in the world for their unique achievements. This is no doubt…
The Cult and Iconography of the Tibetan Protective Deities
Extracted from Page 445 of Oracles and Demons of Tibet | by Réne De Nebesky-Wojkowitz NOTE: The material for this book was collected between 1951 and 1954, with the assistance of two Gelug lamas, and one Nyingma lama The various descriptions of Nechung Gompa, vivid and interesting as they may be, still do not suffice…
Extract from Pg 208 of The Fourteen Dalai Lamas: A Sacred Legacy of Reincarnation by Glenn H. Mullin
Another controversy surrounding the Great Fifth concerns the details of the death of Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen, a famous Gelugpa lama of the period. He was one of the most prominent lamas of his day, and in fact in some circles was held in even higher regard than was the Great Fifth, for the Fifth at…
Lama Zopa Advice Book
Dorje Shugden is a spirit or mundane Dharma protector that some believe is a fully enlightened being. He has become a rallying cry for some who wish to return Tibet to a theocracy (His Holiness the Dalai Lama wants democracy) with one school or sect as the official ‘church’. No FPMT centre does this practice…
Tibet in Exile
In March 1959, the Dalai Lama, together with his two teachers and family, succeeded in escaping from the besieged Summer Palace in Lhasa. The escape route was secured by the guerrilla organization of the Khampas (East Tibetans), who suffered severe losses in the process. Approximately 100,000 Tibetans followed the Dalai Lama to India, and about…
Advice from Kyabje Trijang Dorje Chang
Kyabje Trijang Dorje Chang was His Holiness the XIVth Dalai Lama’s philosophical assistant and personal tutor for fifty years. Trijang Rinpoche also received these lineages of Tapo Dorje Chang. Pabongka was his root guru and helped him to grow. He was very kind to Trijang Rinpoche. Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche was responsible for keeping the teaching…
Does the Minister of the Tibetan Exile Government Lie?
PRESS RELEASE Ref.: Triple murder in Dharamsala, India, February 1997 Murder of the abbot Losang Gyatso, friend of the Dalai Lama by Helmut Gassner ([email protected]) On January 25th, the Swiss Television DRS reported on a murder-case in Dharamsala, India, in its broadcast called Sternstunde. An interview with the police chief of Dharamsala presented the leaders…
Dalai Lama – Dorje Shugden by Helmut Gassner
Friedrich-Naumann-Foundation, Hamburg, on March 26th 1999 by Dipl.Ing. Helmut Gassner Letzehof 6800 Feldkirch, Austria ([email protected]) Download the article in PDF or Word docx. How a runaway Austrian gets to meet the Dalai Lama is a story most of us probably know from the wonderful account of “Seven Years in Tibet.” But how a run-of-the-mill…
The Two Truths by Denma Lochö Rinpoche
Denma Lochö Rinpoche, the ex-abbot of Namgyal, His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s monastery in Dharamsala, India, taught for two weeks at Root Institute in Bodhgaya, India December 1995. Here is an extract. Translated by Ven Gareth Sparham I have been asked to give a talk on the Two Truths: the conventional or surface level of…
Advice from Dorje Shugden that His Holiness should leave and that He guarantees H.H. safety
Leave and I guarantee your safety… Excerpt from the autobiography of Kyabje Trijang Dorjechang regarding the advice from Dorje Shugden that His Holiness should leave and that He guarantees H.H. safety When I was fifty-nine, in the year of the earth boar, on the first day of the year, I performed elaborate fulfillment offerings before…
History of Various Gelugpa Monasteries
1. Ganden Monastery In 1409, Tsongkhapa instituted the Great Prayer Festival (sMon-lam chen-mo) at the Lhasa Jokang Temple (Lha-sa Jo-khang, Jokhang). Afterwards, his disciples, concerned about the effect of constant travel on their teacher’s health, offered to build him a monastery at any site of his choice. Tsongkhapa accepted and chose Drogri Mountain (‘Brog ri-bo-che), approximately…
Advice by His Holiness Kyabje Ling Rinpoche
Given at the conclusion of the Yamantaka initiation, Enlightened Experience Celebration, Dharamsala, 24 April 1982. Translated and clarified by Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche, Dharamsala, June 1982. From the Report on the first Enlightened Experience Celebration in Bodh Gaya and Dharamsala, India. January-June 1982. If, after receiving an initiation, you practice well, you can become like…
Various Aspects of Tantra by His Holiness Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche
The Relationship between Buddhist Tantra and Hindu Tantra Translated by Gavin Kilty. Prepared by Michael Lewis. Printed in From Tushita, edited and published by Michael Hellbach, Tushita Editions, 1977. Although some scholars have maintained that Buddhist tantra was derived from Hinduism, this is not correct. The theory, prevalent among those who adhere to the tenets…
Gelug Conference
Speech by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama to the Second Gelug Conference (Dharamsala, 6 Dec 2000) We meet here today with Ganden Tri Rinpoche, the representative of Jamgön Gyalwa (Lama Tsong Khapa), chiefly gracing us with his presence. The abbots representing the three seats of Sera, Drepung, Ganden, as well as those of Tashi…
Concerning Dholgyal with reference to the views of past masters and other related matters
A talk on Dholgyal by H.H. the Dalai Lama during the course of religious teachings in Dharamsala, October 1997 There may be many among you who have never been involved in the practice of Dholgyal at all. In many other cases, you may have practised it in the past, but have later given it up….
Spirits in Dharamsala
As you can see this history of Pehar’s previous lives do not point to actions of higher level being. Part 2 of the video: According to Tibetan Buddhist myth, Gyalpo Pehar is a spirit belonging to the gyalpo class. When Padmasambhava arrived in Tibet in the eighth century, he subdued all gyalpo spirits and put…
101st Ganden Tripa Leaves Ganden Shartse to Join Dorje Shugden Monastery
In a shocking move, the most recent head of the Ganden tradition along with his Labrang, or office, has joined them. The Ganden Trisur’s personal assistant related that, in the words of one member of the Dorje Shugden Forum…
Advice from Dorje Shugden that His Holiness should leave and that He guarantees H.H. safety
Watch this video to see proof of how Sera Monks recalls Dorje Shugden giving the actual advice Excerpt from the autobiography of Kyabje Trijang Dorjechang regarding the advice from Dorje Shugden that His Holiness should leave and that He guarantees H.H. safety When I was fifty-nine, in the year of the earth boar, on the…
The 100th Gaden Tripa with controversial Master Loo Sheng-yan together in Kurukule Puja
Master Loo Sheng-yan is a controversial monk based in USA originally from Taiwan. He openly claims he is an enlightened Buddha, that he had tea with Shakyamuni, and many other controversial statements. The 100th Gaden Tripa Lobsang Nyima was from Drepung Loseling. This Tripa openly discouraged and criticized Dorje Shugden s practice. He was not…
“An Unbelievable Expert on All Subjects…”
Sermey Jetsun Khen Rinpoche Losang Tharchin on Pabonka Rinpoche Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche Dechen Nyingpo and his classmate, Gyelrong Sharpa Choje—known as Jangsem Choje Lobsang Nyima—went together very often to debate when they were at their monastery. Indeed, both of them became Geshes. Later Jangsem Choje Lobsang Nyima entered Gyu Me Tantric College and became a…
Black Magic Indeed!
November 11, 2009 by truthaboutshugden (extracted from http://truthaboutshugden.wordpress.com) “Later, on another occasion, we were performing a ritual of Hayagriva. It was not particularly aimed at Dholgyal. The aim was to destroy anything, be it human,non-human, a lama, a deity or a ghost, that harms the Dharma and the just cause of Tibet. Whatever it is,…
Not Afraid of Spirits
November 10, 2009 by truthaboutshugden (extracted from http://truthaboutshugden.wordpress.com) “That’s why, as I just mentioned, when it is said that (my opponents) have been doing lots of black magic, I just have to laugh. I don’t do anything about it, I don’t even visualise the protection wheel(…) I really have true faith. I told the government…
The End of the Vajrayana
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…
Ganden Tripa Authorizes Dorje Shugden Practitioners to represent the Gelugpa tradition
July 11, 2009 by truthaboutshugden (extracted from http://truthaboutshugden.wordpress.com) I confer upon Trijang Buddhist Institute the authority to represent and transmit the teachings of the Gelug order of Tibetan Buddhism in the United States. In April of this Year, the Ganden Tripa, spiritual head of the Gelugpa tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, wrote a letter authorizing Trijang…
“This feeling of renunciation was overwhelming…”
(From The introduction to Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand – A Concise Discourse on the Path to Enlightenment By Pabongka Rinpoche Edited by Trijang Rinpoche Translated by Michael Richards Wisdom 1991. All formatting and emphasis mine…) His kindness is without equal. He was — and now I shall give his name in view…
“…Our childish minds were unfit vessels for so vast an ocean of teachings…”
(From Trijang Rinpoche’s introduction to Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand- A Concise Discourse on the Path to Enlightenment By Pabongka Rinpoche, Edited by Trijang Rinpoche Translated by Michael Richards Wisdom 1991. All emphasis and formatting mine) Prasdrin pararia syaklutaki yanta, Tray am guhyanatd tigolama eka, Sudhi vajradharottarah muni aksha, Prayachchha tashubham valdruga kota….
His Eminence Trijang Dorjechang Losang Yeshe
March 18, 2009 by truthaboutshugden (extracted from http://truthaboutshugden.wordpress.com) His Holiness Kyabje Trijang Dorje Chang was one of the foremost Tibetan Buddhist Masters of our time, taking birth at the turn of the twentieth century and passing away in 1981 at the age of eighty-one. Not only had he followed in age exactly the example of…
“…It was in his private quarters at the Tashi Chuling hermitage that I first met Pabongka Rinpoche…”
(From the Forward to The Principal Teachings of Buddhism by Tsongkhapa, with a commentary by Pabongka Rinpoche, translated by Geshe Lobsang Tharchin, Mahayana Sutra and Tantra Press, 1998, all emphasis and formatting mine…) Meeting Je Pabongka… It was in his private quarters at the Tashi Chuling hermitage that I first met Pabongka. He had been…
The Dalai Lama’s Question Answered….
December 20, 2008 by truthaboutshugden (extracted from http://truthaboutshugden.wordpress.com) In his speech to the Gelug council, the Dalai Lama asked: “Who originally bestowed the title ‘Protector of the teachings of Je Tsongkhapa’ upon Dorje Shugden?” Answer: The Dalai Lama! The eleventh Dalai lama that is. This is clearly detailed in he writings of The fourteenth Dalai Lama’s…
Lama Zopa on Je Pabongka Part 1
Regarding allegations that Pabongka Rinpoche was a sectarian Lama who presided over the destruction of the monasteries and sacred images of other traditions…. “Another thing is that some Tibetans and others severely criticize Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo because he practiced Shugden, making him out to be some kind of demon. However, Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo wrote incredible…
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At the Opening of Serpom Monastery
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