The Ghost Of Tibetan Democracy
By Shashi Kei Tibet is supposed to be a democracy. At least that was the intention of the Dalai Lama, to bequest on his people the gift of freedom guaranteed by a Constitution [1], and let them have their civil liberties, something that the Tibetan people never enjoyed having lived as serfs in a feudalistic…
Letter to Dr Andrew Bennett, Canadian Ambassador For Religious Freedom
The Dorje Shugden ban enforced by the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), seemingly with the support of the Dalai Lama’s office, is fast becoming one of the human rights issues that the world is increasingly becoming aware of. For decades, the Dalai Lama via the “Tibetan cause” has appealed to the sense of justice that the…
An Abbot Betrays His Own
By Saavie Acker Phelgyeling Monastery was originally located in Nyanang, Tibet. After the series of events that eventually led to the Dalai Lama fleeing Tibet, Phelgyeling Monastery has since taken root in Kathmandu, Nepal. It is common knowledge to many that Phelgyeling Monastery is a stronghold for the practice of Dorje Shugden. Since the 1600’s,…
A Picture That Paints A Thousand Words
A cursory glance at this photo would lead most people to believe that it is nothing more than three monks posing for a simple photograph. But all is not quite what it appears to be, for hidden beneath the surface of this seemingly inconsequential photograph is a multitude of conclusions that give rise to many…
Contradiction in the Dalai Lama’s Public Statements
Based to current reports, the Dalai Lama recently issued statements regarding Dorje Shugden in a teaching at Gaden Monastery. In his speech, the Dalai Lama explained that the reason he had advised people not to practice Dorje Shugden was due to the divination result performed before the famous Palden Lhamo thangka (this holy thangka was…
Dalai Lama Loses Control
The Tibetan Youth Congress was as its name stipulated, was formed by the Tibetan youth in the 1970s. It is an organisation which headquartered in Dharamsala, which is a political group that voices its opinions on Tibetan affairs, culture, and its future. They have a meeting every 3 years of which this year 40 sub-centres…
Religious Apartheid in Tibetan Communities
By: Mar Nee The Loseling Altruistic Medical Association (LAMA) is a charitable medical association registered with the government of Karnataka, India. This medical association runs Loseling Clinic, at Drepung Loseling Monastery, which is supposed to provide healthcare to all Tibetans, both ordained and lay. It also conducts free medical camps in remote villages, and aims…
Highest Peaks to Lowest Gutters by Jamyang Norbu
Jamyang Norbu (http://www.jamyangnorbu.com/) is a Tibetan political activist and writer, currently living in the United States, having previously lived for over 40 years as a Tibetan exile in India. Taken from: http://www.jamyangnorbu.com/blog/2013/05/07/highest-peaks-to-lowest-gutters/ In a somewhat lame effort to divert attention away from the widening discussions on the Dharamshala instigated attacks on TYC and Chushigangdruk, some…
The CTA Violates Its Own Constitution
By: Shashi Kei On September 2, 1960, the year after the Dalai Lama escaped from Tibet into India, His Holiness declared a democracy for the Tibetan people in exile. It was an important landmark after centuries of theocratic feudalism dominated the social and political landscape of the Himalayan nation. The Dalai Lama’s declaration had wide…
Dorje Shugden assists the Great 13th Dalai Lama
The Tibetan Government being held by mostly uneducated and unexposed group of individuals who did not perform well unfortunately. Even if they had the intent, they cannot perform beyond their lack of exposure to the outside world and more advanced forms of governments. Their corruptions and self-serving attitudes brought down the last ‘Shangri-la’ in the…
Four Important Videos
Dear Dharma Friends, As we all know, Tibet is well known throughout the world for its deep spiritual tradition, its beautiful religion of Buddhism and the many thousands of great lamas who have arisen from the Himalayas. One such lama who is now famous throughout the world is H.H. Trijang Rinpoche. Almost every teacher in…
How Can There be Violence in Paradise?
By: Proteus Quay For a religion known for encouraging peace, tolerance and kindness, and for discouraging harm, it is especially sad to hear of violent disruptions in Buddhism. In recent decades especially, several unfortunate political controversies within the Tibetan refugee communities in India have arisen from and involved the religious schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Sadly,…
Caught in the Middle
By: TK One of the most difficult situations that has arisen from the ban on Dorje Shugden is that of Buddhist practitioners having to literally choose between their Gurus. In many cases, monks and lay practitioners have one Guru (such as the Dalai Lama) who has instructed them to stop the practice of Dorje Shugden…
Just a Matter of Time…
By: TK In the future, after the HH the Dalai Lama has passed away, there is only one direction the Dorje Shugden practice, lineage and practitioners can go: up. Whatever the Dalai Lama has said and done ‘against’ Shugden is only temporary. He has made Shugden famous and he continues to do so by keeping…
The Ban Has Made Us Stronger
By: TK There is more frequent news coming from Tibet and China these days that monasteries are practicing Dorje Shugden and lamas are bestowing initiations (sogtae) to practitioners there. From just one Geshe initiating so many people, many more will practice. The practitioners themselves will then initiate even more people and so on. This trend…
True Harmony or a Change of Tune?
His Holiness spoke on Religious Harmony and Dorje Shugden at Drepung Loseling Monastery in Mundgod, India, during a Lamrim teaching on December 9, 2012. Please refer especially to 21.00 minutes of the video onwards. A translated summary of what the Dalai Lama says can be found under the video. A translated summary of video above,…
The Karmapas and the Forbidden Buddha
One of the most contested issues within Tibetan Buddhism is that of the recognition of the 17th Karmapa, the spiritual head of the Karma Kagyus sect. This has been a central dividing factor within the Karma Kagyus, which has since split into two divisions – each following one of the two Karmapas. First, a bit…
Banning of Tulkus in History
The CTA (Central Tibetan Administration) and its predecessor, the Tibetan government has long been well known for their hard-line policies against Tulkus and their spiritual institutions. If one were to take a long hard look at the history books, one would find a number of high-profile cases where great lamas were marginalized, their great residences…
How the Shugden Lamas Are Bringing Tibetans Back to Tibet
While the 60th Anniversary of the ‘peaceful liberation’ of Tibet was regarded as a cleverly masked attempt of the Chinese to ‘undermine the Dalai Lama’, the event has also marked a different sort of celebration. Whatever the intentions of the Chinese were for holding such an event and inviting leading Buddhist lamas to the celebrations,…
The 17th Karmapa and the 11th Panchen Lama – a Chinese conspiracy?
Ogyen Trinley Dorje Rinpoche, one of the two main Karmapa incarnates, has been plagued by rumors for years that he is a Chinese spy. For this, he has been under scrutiny by both the Tibetan community as well as the Indian government. Yet he is considered close to HH the Dalai Lama and receives no…
Tibetan Buddhism: Erosion From Within Or Without?
By: Shashi Kei For centuries Tibet has been associated with the Buddha’s teachings and its reference as The Rooftop Of The World indicates its mythical status as the one place on earth where a person can get closest to the Buddhist heavens. It follows that the Dalai Lama, the spiritual and one-time temporal head of…
The Broken Samayas of FPMT
FPMT has broken a very strong samaya by giving up Lama Yeshe’s practice of Dorje Shugden. Dorje Shugden was the one that worked hand in hand with Lama Yeshe to obtain land for Kopan, find sponsors, build, and increase their centers around the world. Furthermore, H.H. Zong Rinpoche and H.H. Trijang Dorje Chang were the…
Does Dorje Shugden Encourage Sectarian Practices?
The commitments to Dorje Shugden’s practice are secret but I can 100% assure you that it does not involve any form of sectarianism. Instead, the commitments reinforce a dedication within you to: 1. Follow Tsongkapa’s tradition all the way until enlightenment 2. Hold Dorje Shugden as your principle Protector until you gain Bodhicitta Great masters…
Dorje Shugden Hits the Streets
When DorjeShugden.com first released a new concept of free-distribution brochures of our Protector, some people expressed their concerns on the forum that this was not a positive way of promoting the practice. In response, TK, one of the forum posters, offered a very helpful and insightful perspective on this and other methods of bringing Dorje…
Recognizing Tulkus
When news first broke on the DorjeShugden.com website about the incarnation of Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen being among us, the forum broke out in storm. Many were skeptical, even critical of the possibility and much doubt was cast. Discussions became very heated, not only about Kyabje Drakpa Gyeltsen but about the whole tradition of recognizing incarnated…
Nothing is Black and White
Views on how the ban is making Dorje Shugden bigger in the world We are often stuck with ideas of right and wrong, black and white etc. Differentiation is not bad; what is more important is the wisdom to be able to discern things. The problem is that once we have taken a position, we…
So what if Britain didn’t want to meet the Dalai Lama?
While the fight for Tibet’s freedom continues to burn passionately throughout Tibetan communities across the world, it is becoming more and more evident that their actions and words may be doing more damage than good for themselves. Recently, there has been much attention given to the revelation that the British Prime Minister had banned his…
Self-immolations and the fight for true freedom
With the recent spate of self-immolations across Tibet, attention has inevitably turned again towards the Tibetans’ precarious position as they champion their continued cause for autonomy. And what of freedom? The Chinese claim that the self-immolations and ensuing unrest are masterminded by the Dalai Lama; the Tibetans living outside the mother country attribute the self-immolations…
Continuing the Legacy of Dorje Shugden
Whatever damage the ban has done to the reputation of the Dalai lama is now forgotten or minimal. He is still travelling non-stop, the govt leaders that have been meeting up with him are still meeting with him, the Indian Govt has done nothing re the court case. Dalai Lama is very powerful. He is…
Practicing Dorje Shugden is not Betraying the Dalai Lama
We should not give up our practice of Dorje Shugden and we should create awareness of this sacred practice among the general public as best as we can. If we have received benefit and help from Dorje Shugden, we should bring this sacred connection and practice to many more, so that they too can be…
Enlightened Path, Enlightened Tulkus
If any of the Oracles of Dorje Shugden recognizes a Tulku (an incarnated Lama), we should trust and believe in their recognition and in the tulkus all the way. If there was no use for the Tulku system, Dorje Shugden would not entertain any inquiries. Also, if the Tulku system was damaging, Dorje Shugden would…
Have the Lamas Made a Terrible Mistake?
By logical debate, if these lineage lamas can be wrong, then the Dalai Lama could be manifesting wrong. Since Dalai Lama says they are wrong, he is ‘allowing’ to say he could be wrong by his disciples. Anyone and everyone could be wrong. If that is the case, it is very damaging for samaya. If…
The Evidence that Dalai Lama is a Dictator
There is a protracted dispute among the Tibetans in exile in India concerning the devotees of a religious figure called Dorje Shugden. These people chose to worship Dorje Shugen for certain reasons while the Dalai Lama ordered a ban on this deity that caused religious persecution against his worshipers. He used various means within his…
Mary, Mary Quite Contrary – The Changing Views of the 14th Dalai Lama
By: TK In his younger days, when the Dalai Lama was still propitiating Dorje Shugden, he composed a prayer of praise to the Protector, entitled Melody of the Unceasing Vajra. The final verse in the prayer reads: ‘In brief, we enthrone you, O Deity, as the supreme Collected nature of all Gurus and Protective Deities!…
Tibetans in Exile: A False Democracy
By: TK The last time the monks ‘protested’ peacefully in Gaden Monastery against the ban on Dorje Shugden in the 1990′s, they were severely attacked by the lay people with stones, curses, sticks and breaking of windows. Many had to be taken to the clinic. As scary as it sounds, monks were attacked by the…
The New Lamas of the Near Future
By: TK Highly attained Lamas like Kyabje Trijang Chocktrul Rinpoche and Kyabje Zong Chocktrul Rinpoche are maturing before our very eyes. As H.H. the Dalai Lama slowly retires from the world, think of who will emerge to re-establish the Dharma and thus, of course, the practice of Dorje Shugden? It will be these young Lamas…
What the Dalai Lama has to say about Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen
By: TK Over the last two decades, the Dalai Lama has strongly maintained the stance that the Protector Dorje Shugden is an evil spirit who causes terrible damage to the individual practitioner, threatens the Dalai Lama’s life and creates obstacles to the cause for Tibet’s freedom. Practitioners are discouraged from praying to Dorje Shugden because…
The Knock-On Effects of the Ban on Dorje Shugden
By: TK Since the implementation of the ban on Dorje Shugden, there has been some discussion as to whether the protests held by groups like the Western Shugden Society were effective. The protests did have effects. It made the Tibetan Government-in-Exile (now known as the Central Tibetan Administration, CTA) more careful and wary, swallow some…
Why does the Dalai Lama Persecute Shugdens but not the Bon Religion
The Dalai Lama has declared the practice of Dorje Shugden as ‘non-Buddhist’ and took great pains to ostracise Dorje Shugden practitioners from the Tibetan community. This has included denying them of their basic human rights of medical treatment, access to shops that sell daily provisions, and denial of travel paperwork. He was responsible for expelling 900…
Court Case against the Dalai Lama concludes: No Victory, No Defeat Either
Due to the on-going persecution of Buddhist adherents of the four centuries-old practice of the protective Buddha Dorje Shugden by Tenzin Gyatso, aka the 14th Dalai Lama, and his “Central Tibetan Administration” (CTA), following a ban of that religious practice, the Dorje Shugden Devotees’ Charitable and Religious Society took the brave step of filing a…
December 11, 2024
Dalai Lama Admits He Was Wrong About Dorje Shugden
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October 16, 2024
At the Opening of Serpom Monastery
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