A Tribute to Ven. Lama Yeshe Rinpoche

If one thinks of the lamas who were influential in bringing Dharma to the West in the 1970s, one of the first names to come to mind is that of Lama Thubten Yeshe.

Lama Yeshe (left) with his disciples Lama Zopa Rinpoche (right) and Zina Rachevsky (center). Lama Yeshe was instrumental in bringing Dharma to the West

Lama Yeshe, together with his heart son Lama Thubten Zopa and American disciple Zina Rachevsky, founded Kopan Monastery in Nepal, which has since become the nucleus of hundreds of centers worldwide under the banner ‘Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition‘ (FPMT).

This monumental feat of propagating the Buddha’s doctrine to many was accomplished by a pure and “simple” monk who held his vows strong, displayed tremendous devotion to his gurus, and practised Dorje Shugden till the very end of his life.

 

Biography

The town of Tölung Dechen, Tibet, welcomed this special boy in 1935. At a young age, Lama Thubten Yeshe was recognized by a Kagyu lama renowned for his psychic powers, Nenung Pawo Rinpoche, as the reincarnation of the Abbess of Chi-me Lung Gompa, where nuns lived in accordance with the pure Gelug tradition.

Lama Yeshe is remembered for his extraordinary abilities to elucidate the Buddha’s teachings

As a young boy, he would often spend time in the nunnery’s shrine room, attending ceremonies and religious functions there. He always harbored a strong, deep desire to lead a religious life, and would often beg to join a monastery whenever a member of the sangha came by to visit his family.

At the tender age of six, Lama Yeshe joined Sera Jey Monastic College in Lhasa. He received his novice monk vows at the age of eight from Venerable Purchog Jampa Rinpoche and 20 years later, was ordained as a gelong (fully ordained monk) by H.H. Kyabje Ling Rinpoche.

While at Sera Monastery, Lama Yeshe received the highest tantric initiations, teachings and discourses from esteemed Dorje Shugden lamas such as H.H. Kyabje Ling Rinpoche, H.H. Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche, H.H. Kyabje Zong Rinpoche, and Geshe Rabten Rinpoche.

A loving photo of Geshe Rabten and Lama Yeshe

These included teachings on the Lam-Rim from Kyabje Trijang Dorje Chang who was the junior tutor to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, instructions on Prajnaparamita, Madhyamika, the Six Yogas of Naropa and Shantideva’s Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life amongst others, and the higher tantric initiations of Heruka, Vajrabhairava and Guhyasamaja.

Other great teachers who were influential in Lama Yeshe’s spiritual development during these years were Geshe Ngawang Gedun, Geshe Thubten Wangchuk Rinpoche, and Geshe Lhundrub Sopa Rinpoche.

Lama Yeshe remained in Sera for 19 years, until the age of 25. In 1959, his time in the monastery came to an end when he was forced into exile in India. He continued his studies in the Tibetan settlement camp of Buxar in India, and his erudite and profound learning equipped him with a fully awakened and purified mind. He would later go on to bring great benefits to sentient beings through his propagation of the doctrine. It was also here in Buxar that Lama Yeshe would become the guru of Thubten Zopa Rinpoche.

Geshe Rabten Rinpoche teaching at Lama Yeshe’s Tushita Retreat Centre in 1975. Translating was Gonsar Rinpoche

 

Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Lama Yeshe had a very special guru-disciple relationship with Geshe Rabten Rinpoche, whom he had studied under while in Tibet as well as in Buxar. Renowned for his powers of logic and single minded concentration, Geshe Rabten Rinpoche played a huge role in Lama Yeshe’s spiritual development and education.

Lama Thubten Yeshe with heart disciple, Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Similarly, Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche was a disciple of Geshe Rabten Rinpoche, and was entrusted to the care of Lama Yeshe when he was a young boy. As Lama Zopa received extensive instructions and teachings from Lama Yeshe, his disciples wished for this relationship to be formalized. They consulted H.H. Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche on this matter and it was done soon after. Lama Zopa would remain loyally by Lama Yeshe’s side until the end of his teacher’s life.

During their time together, Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa propagated the lineage far and wide, first with the founding of Kopan Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal in 1969. Kopan Monastery attracted many students from the West, and provided a place for them to practice the Dharma, meditate and eventually take on ordination vows. Over the years, Lama Yeshe’s organization eventually grew into a worldwide network of Buddhist centers under the banner of the FPMT.

Lama Yeshe often attributed his success to the blessings of his teachers and his Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden, and was known to have strongly relied on Dorje Shugden for FPMT’s growth. For instance, according to Lama Zopa, Lama Yeshe would always begin each course at Kopan Monastery with a Dorje Shugden kangsol.

Lama Yeshe relied and practiced Dorje Shugden till the very end of his life. In this photo, he is seen engaging in a puja with Lama Zopa Rinpoche, with a Dorje Shugden thangka in the background

 

Passing and Reincarnation

Lama Yeshe gave his all to propagating the lineage and imparting knowledge to his students right up until his passing in 1984 at the age of 49. He is especially remembered for his remarkable achievements in single-handedly surpassing geographical boundaries and greatly contributing to the flourishing of Dharma in the West for more than a decade.

Not long after his passing, Ösel Hita Torres was born in Spain in 1985 to students of Lama Yeshe and was later recognized as his unmistaken incarnation by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 1986. He was enthroned in March 1987 at Tushita Retreat Center in Dharamsala, India.

All of us at DorjeShugden.com make this virtual offering of a butterlamp to the incomparable master Lama Yeshe, requesting his incarnation Lama Osel to remain for another 1,000 years to continue turning the wheel of Dharma and benefiting countless beings.

 


 

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  1. Yes, we will keep & hold the promise well
    “Practised Dorje Shugden till the very end of our life” 📚

    8-2-200x300

  2. Lama Yeshe is with Maitreya Buddha in Borobudur.
    I like this picture very much.

    Lama meditating at Borobodur, Java, 1979

  3. Lama Yeshe trusted Dorje Shugden till the end of his life.

    btm1HNGS

  4. We were really blessed to have Lama Yeshe as our Guru. Although your family did not have the chance to meet him in person but in our hearts he is our Guru, someone whose wish was only to benefit and serve many with Dhamma. Able to learn so much and practice from his teachings is just so amazing. We are truly lucky have 3 jewels bless us too.

  5. “Of course, Lama and I practiced Shugden for many years. That was always the main thing that Lama did whenever there were problems to overcome. At the beginning of every Kopan course, Lama always did Shugden puja to eliminate hindrances.”

    Source: https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/his-holiness-dalai-lama-and-dorje-shugden

    It is not too late to mend Samaya.

  6. Lama Yeshe lived and breathed Dorje Shugden until the end of his life. Very much like the Coca Cola advertisement, lived, breathed Dorje Shugden in every aspect and action of his life.

    Kopan Monastery and FPMT grew so quickly in the earlier years is also due to Dorje Shugden. Many Gelug lamas have said, Gelug monks and teachers go everywhere in the world with a few belonging due to their hard work and trust and reliance on Dorje Shugden they build great temples and institution for the proliferation of Gaden tradition.

    Hope FPMT management and students rediscover their rich roots in the Dorje Shugden practices and lineage, and also come to realization that their key founder was a Dorje Shugden practitioner true and true.

  7. Guru Devotion
    CTA – stop making students break their samaya with their gurus by forcing people to stop their Dorje Shugden practice. Bad karma.😱

  8. Lama Yeshe sounds like a true blue lama spreading the Buddhist doctrine throughout the world successfully and who has kept his samaya with his Guru and Dorje Shugden.

    A very special lama much loved by many and benefited many as well. His students were very lucky to have him as their guru. His students must be feeling very blessed that their Guru has come back perfectly in Ösel Hita Torres in 1985 and enthroned in 1986 after being recognized by none other than His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama in 1985.

    To echo the request of DorjeShugden.com admin, “requesting his incarnation Lama Osel to remain for another 1,000 years to continue turning the wheel of Dharma and benefiting countless beings.”

  9. Thanks to the CTA for discriminating Dorje Shugden and Lama Yeshe’s reincarnation, Osel, cannot continue with his previous life’s activities. Lama Zopa also manifested deteriorated health due to broken samaya that the FPMT group supports him to. It is a whole messy business when CTA is involved. Nothing good will come out when you go near the CTA. They will only drag you down, definitely on a secular level, because they have never been spiritual. The whole act of replying on Nechung is just a packaging they use to deceive the public. Very simple childish trick that a 3 year old can see through very easily.

  10. For all that Lama Yeshe had done to establish Kopan Monastery later known as FPMT, it is shocking that the current holders of this institution would abandon Dorje Shugden.

    Would it not be broken samaya of Lama Yeshe’s students with Lama Yeshe?

    Lama Yeshe’s guru was H.H. Zong Rinpoche who was one of Dorje Shugden great lamas. And of course Lama Yeshe was a DS lama.

  11. When the ban started, many high lamas dropped Dorje Shugden practice despite they have been practicing for their whole lives and benefited tremendously from this proctor. They abandon their protector because HHDL said so even though they knew about the heavy consequences. For those the Guru still around, pls repair the Guru samaya, for those the Guru has passed on, you should not give up without your Guru permission. Dorje Shugden is being used by CTA for to draw the people‘s attention away from their failure.

  12. I always wish for a great teachers Lama Yeshe come back again and teach Dharma. And openly give public a Dorje Shugden practice.

    I wish His Holiness The 14th Dalai Lama live long and lift the ban of Dorje Shugden soon. And i prayed for these.

    3333

  13. How could Dalai Lama still able to recognize Lama Osel as Lama Yeshe reincarnation which Lama Yeshe must have been reborn in the three lower realms due to his Shugden practice ?

    At one hand FPMT is glorifying the success of Lama Yeshe which is a Shugden Lama and on the other hand giving up Dorje Shugden for the sake of political correctness and reputation gain. What kind of message does FPMT giving to the people?

    May FPMT realise their root of success from the founder Lama Yeshe should not be abondon and amend back the broken samaya before it’s too late.

  14. May Dorje Shugden ban lift ASAP. More
    people will live in peace, harmony. Give Tibetans freedom choice, give them ammend back their samaya with their Guru. United Tibetan with their love ones without prejudice, without segregation, without violence.

    CTA should create a good bond with their people. Forcing people on to your own doing is a NO NO in a democratic world.

  15. It is inspirational and motivational to know that venerable Lama Yeshe had great devotion to his gurus and kept his practice until the end of his life. This is what true Tibetan masters teach and practice. But those ignorant people in CTA do not care and are doing their best to break the guru-disciple relationship

  16. Lama Yeshe’s reincarnation as Ösel Hita Torres in 1985 and enthroned in 1986 after being recognized by none other than His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama in 1985.The incarnation prove to everyone that Dorje Shugden is not an spirit worship. If Lama Yeshe was praying to a spirit, then why didn’t he take rebirth in the 3 lower realms?? Therefore how can FPMT give up the Dorje Shugden practice and broke the samaya. Base on logic , if you have received initiation and practice from Lama Yeshe, then your practice had no blessings now because lama’s refuge degenerated due to his practice of Dorje Shugden. Then how about Lama Zopa?The practice that Lama Zopa received from Lama Yeshe and passes it to others would logically be degenerate also. Don’t mix Buddhism with politic and being used by CTA

  17. Tenzin K
    November 8, 2017
    “How could Dalai Lama still able to recognize Lama Osel as Lama Yeshe reincarnation which Lama Yeshe must have been reborn in the three lower realms due to his Shugden practice ?”

    What Tenzin K said is right… there is no history of Dorje Shugden committed practitioner went into bad conditions. Everyone is practicing because his practice brings good results👍😀

  18. Will all the respect to Lama Yeshe to bring buddhism to the west .It had show many people by follow guru devotion and dharma will florish where ever you go. Since Lama Yeshe has pass away, FPMT has deline associal with Dorje Shugden practitioner. Don’t forget, previous Lama Yeshe get most his practice from Kyejab Trijang Rinpoche and Zong Rinpoche. How can them just cut of from their lineage master. Which bring confussion to many follower of previous Lama Yeshe.

  19. Lama Yeshe’s life story is inspiring to many. Lama Yeshe also practices Dorje Shugden. Although he passed into clear light not at old age but his reincarnation came back and was recognised by H.H. Dalai Lama. So, whoever said that Dorje Shugden is a spirit or evil is totally wrong.

  20. The CTA said that whoever practice Dorje Shugden will be going to Three lower Realms. In this case, why it is Lama Yeshe reincarnate back as human and recognize by H.H Dalai Lama? I thought H.H Dalai Lama do not favor those who practice Dorje Shugden?

  21. Lama Yeshe has touched thousands of lives and imprinted the with the dharma, set them on the path of Buddhism. He benefited so many during his lifetime that these people continued his work to further benefit more. But, at the core of it all, was his reliance and faith in Dorje Shugden as quoted from abovearticle: -

    “Lama Yeshe often attributed his success to the blessings of his teachers and his Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden, and was known to have strongly relied on Dorje Shugden for FPMT’s growth. For instance, according to Lama Zopa, Lama Yeshe would always begin each course at Kopan Monastery with a Dorje Shugden kangsol.”

    That Lama Yeshe was so successful in growing FPMT was testament to his great effort, blessing from Dorje Shugden and efficacy of Dorje Shugden practice.

  22. “When he reached ten years of age, Thubten Zopa Rinpoche was taken to Tibet where he began studies at Domo Geshe Rinpoche’s monastery near Pagri. This monastery followed the Gelug lineage, a clear exposition of the entire spectrum of Buddhist teachings and practice founded in the fourteenth century by the renowned Tibetan scholar and practitioner, Lama Tsongkhapa. It was there that he received his novice vows as a monk.

    After three years in Pagri, Thubten Zopa Rinpoche wanted to move to Sera Monastery in Lhasa but, speaking through an oracle, the Dharma Protector 💗💗💗 said he should do a meditation retreat at Pema Choling Monastery near the Bhutanese border. …. In 1959, a few months after the exodus of monks and nuns from Lhasa, Chinese soldiers were approaching Pema Choling and Thubten Zopa Rinpoche was taken across the mountain to the safety of Bhutan.”

    Page 130, A Leaf in the Wind: A Life’s Journey; by Venerable Adrian Feldmann.

  23. A very detailed discussion regarding Lama Zopa and Dorje Shugden can be seen here: https://www.dorjeshugden.com/forum/index.php?topic=49.0;nowap

  24. In this teaching, Lama Zopa recalls consulting Dorje Shugden many times in Pagri. https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/chapter/kadampa-teachings-4-bodhgaya-december-2007

  25. CTA in big trouble now!!!

    >>>Dharamshala Tibetan Settlement Officer appeals for peace

    By Lobsang Wangyal
    McLEOD GANJ, India, 14 November 2017

    Sensing the momentum gathering around a mass demonstration in Dharamshala against Kashag’s continuous silence over its decision to sack Penpa Tsering as the representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in North America, the Tibetan Settlement Officer in Dharamshala has issued an appeal to the people to maintain peace and harmony.

    Calls for a demonstration were made after the Kashag (Cabinet of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) ) refused to divulge details of the reason for expelling Representative Penpa Tsering.

    Kashag issued an announcement about the termination of Penpa Tsering’s duties through their website on 7 November, stating that he will end his duty on 30 November, and the current CTA Education Minister Ngodup Tsering will replace him.

    The Kashag stated “dereliction of duty” as the reason, and said that three warnings had been served, but that Penpa Tsering didn’t show any improvement in his conduct.

    The actual nature of the warnings was also not clear when the officiating President of the CTA convened a press conference on 9 November.

    Penpa Tsering on the other hand denied any wrongdoing.

    Settlement Officer Dawa Rinchen said in his appeal message that since Dharamshala being the seat of the Dalai Lama and of the Central Tibetan Administration, he urged people to respect the sanctity of the place.

    Speaking to Tibet Sun, Rinchen said that he envisaged a demonstration on the 27th of this month, but couldn’t have any estimate of its size.

    The 27th came to be the date for demonstration after an activist in NYC suggested it through his article published on Tibet Sun.

    He said, ”There’s so much talk and discussion about the issue and preparations for the protest. Many people are seen registering and others giving donations towards this event.”

    President of CTA Lobsang Sangay, who is on a European tour, spoke on 13 November about the issue in Norway, but he also refused to give details as to why Penpa Tsering was suspended.

    He said that it is the prerogative of the Kashag to appoint and terminate representatives and staff members of CTA. Kashag is not required to explain the reasons for their termination.

    Some Tibetans in the United States are saying they would stop paying the annual tax to CTA (record maintained through the “Green Book”), and people in New York are calling for a boycott of an event in New York on 10 December, the Tibetan Rally for Peace and Non-violence, which is to be attended by CTA President Lobsang Sangay and Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile Khenpo Sonam Tenphel. It is to be held at United Nations Plaza, led by North American Chithues and is organised by North American Tibetan Associations.

    However, Penpa Tsering has appealed in a video message to people in New York City and nearby areas to attend the event.

    Source: https://www.tibetsun.com/news/2017/11/14/dharamshala-tibetan-settlement-officer-appeals-for-peace

    ____________________________________________________

    >>>Tibetan unity in peril: Call for massive street protest in Dharamshala

    By Mila Rangzen
    NEW YORK CITY, US, 11 November 2017

    Like most Tibetans, including those who voted for Sikyong Lobsang Sangay in the 2016 election, I am shocked by what Sikyong Lobsang Sangay did to former speaker Penpa Tsering — the Dalai Lama’s Chief Representative posted in Washington DC. He fired Penpa Tsering a few days ago for no reason other than political revenge.

    Penpa Tsering was Lobsang Sangay’s opponent in the 2016 Sikyong election, and a tough one at that. Penpa Tsering is the only Tibetan statesman who can stand up to Lobsang Sangay and speak the truth to his face for the good of our cause and our community as a whole.

    Stand up he did, in and outside the Parliament. With humility but firmly. Roughly twenty-eight thousand Tibetans in our small exile community voted for him.

    Recognizing Penpa Tsering’s capability, experience, and integrity, the Dalai Lama’s private office recommended Penpa Tsering as the right man for the Representative job. Sikyong had no choice but to relent. Also, to appear to be burying the election grudge and the regional hatchet, that was the best bet he had. No need to point out that Lobsang Sangay is a Khampa man and Penpa Tsering is an Amdo/U-Tsang man. Track the source of the conflict. It will help the reader understand the Tibetan domestic politics. To turn a blind eye because it makes you feel uncomfortable is, in fact, an endorsement for negative regionalism to continue.

    When the media asked for elaboration on why Sikyong fired him, the response from him and his subordinates was shocking. Sikyong, laughing sarcastically, avoided the question by telling the media to talk to the Cabinet Secretary. The secretary simply said Sikyong fired him because it is in his power to do so according to the exile charter. No specific reason was given.

    The Deputy Sikyong Youthok Karma Gelek responded, at an only 10-minute-long press conference, by saying that Sikyong had served three warning notices to Penpa Tsering to mend his ways in the past one year and that he was not respecting Sikyong. When pressed for what precisely wrong did Penpa Tsering do, Youthok became overbearing and left.

    CTA, where is the transparency?

    The Dalai Lama publicly rebuked both the candidates in Dharamshala in April 2016 for stirring regional tensions among the Tibetan community during the election. Both the candidates publicly apologized. And so, we believed the matter got settled there and then. Sangay even delivered tons of speeches on the importance of Tibetan unity.

    But to our dismay, Lobsang Sangay proved us wrong. The man is still in the election campaign mode despite being in office again for almost two years. This firing on unfounded grounds is an attempt to tarnish the image and reputation of Penpa Tsering. How vindictive can Sikyong get? This is absolutely unacceptable, and it also goes against the very teaching of the Dalai Lama.

    Penpa Tsering said on Voice of America that he was served only one warning notice, and that too without any explanation. Sikyong also denied Penpa Tsering his right to explain his position. Sangay revealed his actual colours. Also, the removal of Penpa Tsering from the office is a slap in Dalai Lama’s face, and a kick to the rear of the twenty-eight thousand Amdos and U-Tsangs who voted for him.

    What can we do now?
    When we think an issue is this important, we are left with no choice but a massive protest. Protesting can help raise public awareness and prevent a cheap political vendetta that can ruin the Tibetan unity thus far achieved.

    I call for the Tibetans to come out in thousands at Gangkyi on 27 November 2017 at 10 am sharp, and do the following.

    Picket by holding up large signs at the Cabinet building and demand detailed explanation for the firing of Penpa Tsering. Gather first at McLeod Ganj and march to Gangkyi, demanding the reinstatement of Penpa Tsering to the office. Hold a vigil at night in memory of Penpa Tsering’s dedication and service to our community. Do sit-ins at the Cabinet building lobby until the demand is met. Resist threats and violence with resolute non-violent action. Be the peace warriors!

    Organise a core group of U-Tsang Association and Amdo Association if the Cholsum Association fails to do so. Assign roles to members pertaining to media coverage, permits, equipment, safety, transport, signs, and placards.

    Gather as many people as you can to help out on the day. Remember to contact them the night before to remind them about the protest. Put the word out through emails, posters and flyers, local media, social media, word of mouth, and any other way you can.

    Organise speakers for they can inspire and educate the Tibetan public, but keep the speeches short and powerful.

    Thunder into the streets! Pound sense into the head of Sikyong! Lead by example, not by ego!

    Source: https://www.tibetsun.com/opinions/2017/11/11/tibetan-unity-in-peril-call-for-massive-street-protest-in-dharamshala

    TibetSun-2017-11-15

    TibetSun-TibetanUnitityPeril-2017-11-15

  26. Lama Yeshe has strong guru devotion and also practiced Dorje Shugden until he entered the clear light in 1984. Soon later, Lama Yeshe has reincarnated and returned in 1985, also being recognized by HH Dalai Lama. Great master like Lama Yeshe has returned showed the result of his spiritual attainment and the clean samaya between him with his students.
    If Dorje Shugden is a spirit as claimed by CTA, then Lama Yeshe’s incarnation was not true.

  27. What a shame that Sharling is busy massaging Lobsang Sangay when their biggest sponsor is coming hehe…

    https://youtu.be/Na3lcejmqZ4

    7b44bf47-5640-4d0a-80ad-ef457a048c58

    b0872346-1b78-11e7-b4ed-ac719e54b474_1280x720_180009

  28. Thanks to Lobsang Sangay President of Taxi Union, now Tibetans cannot have peace and unity.

    Growing public anger as Kashag reluctant to give clear statement on NA Rep. row
    [Thursday, November 16, 2017 21:19]
    By Tenzin Dharpo

    DHARAMSHALA, Nov. 16: Following the announcement to relieve North America CTA mission representative and former Speaker Penpa Tsering from his position on Nov. 7, there has been a general sense of dissatisfaction among sections of the community with some even suggesting protests and boycott of events where President Sangay is scheduled to attend.

    While the Kashag asserts that the issue was handled as per the binding rules and with rightful authority, the handling of the situation, many say, has rolled back on President Sangay’s campaign claims of transparency and unity. An official announcement and a press briefing by Kashag have not mentioned a clear reason for Penpa’s ousting other than vague reference to dereliction in his role there and hints at insubordination.

    Officiating President Ven. Karma Gelek Yuthok told the media last week that the Kashag need not give a clarification over the transfer or firing of any staff and that the issue is an “internal matter”.

    The growing impasse between the public and Kashag’s (cabinet) reluctance to give a clear explanation over the cause of Penpa’s ousting has escalated over the last week. A New York based individual going by the name of Mila Rangzen has called for a non-violent mass protest at the end of the month here in Dharamshala, prompting the settlement officer here to issue a public appeal, urging peace and order in the community.

    Dharamshala settlement officer Dawa Rinchen told Phayul, “While I have no knowledge of when and how many people are going to hold a protest, my prerogative is to avoid any incidents here in Dharamshala where His Holiness the Dalai Lama resides where the CTA is based and subsequently where the eyes of the international community is transfixed on. Hence I appealed the public to maintain peace here.”

    Sporadic posts and videos on social media sites such as Facebook and WeChat expressed dissatisfaction over the handling of the situation calling for a transparent approach to the matter by President Sangay led Kashag. A Tibetan nitezen Tsering Chomphel wrote on Facebook, “I personally think transparency is the first rung of so called democracy ladder. In today’s world, we cannot and should not trust any individual or group blindly. If PT is innocent this time, he needs to speak out. It’s not about PT or Kashag. It’s about peoples trust. People will surely lose trust and interest in our politics if things are not made clear this time.”

    Tsering Samdup, a Tibetan sweater seller, said that it would be inappropriate if the Kashag issues a clarification simply because some section of the community demands it. “The concerned individual here is Penpa Tsering and if he denies Kashag’s decision and seeks clarification then Kashag might be obliged to give one. Otherwise, there is no need to clarify.”

    Another nitezen opined that three advisory letter/directives were enough caution by the Kashag. Tenzin Kunkyab wrote, “He got fired after three written warning (three yellow cards) after that they pulled red card, I don’t see any wrong with that unless PT himself have some explanation.” Penpa Tsering however claimed he only received one letter prior to his termination letter and has maintained he is not at fault.

    Some people have even called for more dramatic action to boycott the ‘Solidarity with Tibet rally for peace and non-violence’ on 10th December in New York where President Sangay is scheduled to attend. Penpa Tsering, the outgoing representative urged Tibetans in North America to participate in the event with the broader sense of the Tibetan issue at mind and not divisive politics.

    Meanwhile the Tibetan President who is currently on an official visit to northern Europe indicated that the Kashag might not budge and give a clear-cut answer on the issue. He said that Penpa Tsering has accepted the Kashag’s decision to remove him from the Washington office and his cabinet’s decision to remove and appoint liaison officers abruptly, is neither unprecedented nor illegal.

    The NA office remains the most crucial position in the hierarchy of outposts of the Tibetan polity. The new man in that seat, Education minister Ngodup Tsering today said he has gotten the blessing of His Holiness the Dalai Lama for his new role in Washington.

    Source: http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=39805&article=Growing+public+anger+as+Kashag+reluctant+to+give+clear+statement+on+NA+Rep.+row

    __________________________________________________________________________

    Citing Fatigue, Dalai Lama Appoints Personal Emissaries

    November 16, 2017 12:29 PM
    Yeshi Dorje

    WASHINGTON —

    The Dalai Lama says he has appointed emissaries to attend international engagements or speak on his behalf indefinitely.

    Citing increasing physical fatigue, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader made the comments while meeting with a group of international youth leaders brought to Dharmsala, India, by the Washington-based Institute of Peace.

    “I’m 82 years old, and since last year [my] feeling of tiredness has been much increased,” he told the group during video-recorded meetings last week.

    Because he may not be able to maintain a regular international travel schedule, he said, the president of Tibet’s current government-in-exile, Lobsang Sangay, along with prominent Buddhist scholar and former prime minister in exile, Samdong Rinpoche, would act as his official emissaries.

    These “trusted friends, they know my thinking,” he said. “Our work, continuously, should be more active [and internationally engaged], so in these two persons,” he said, pointing to Lobsang and Samdong, “I have full trust.”

    Looking to the dialogue moderator, USIP President Nancy Lindborg, the Dalai Lama said: “If your side … or your government’s side” has concerns, “then these two persons, either one, can participate as my representative or my personal emissary.”

    Penpa Tsering, representative for the Office of Tibet in Washington, which represents the Tibetan government-in-exile, downplayed the significance of the Dalai Lama’s statement.

    “I think this was more of a general statement,” he told VOA. “His holiness is sometimes too tired to travel, and his April visit to the United States has been suspended indefinitely, but he will continue to travel in India, and Europe is only a seven hour flight.”

    Adding that Lobsang’s presidential term is limited to five years, and the fact that Samdong has long served as a kind of unofficial deputy to the Dalai Lama, he said the November 6 comments do not represent a major diversion or change in Dharmsala’s official representation on the world stage.

    However, Carole McGranahan, a University of Colorado anthropologist and historian of Tibet, says although prioritizing the Dalai Lama’s health requires a reduction in his international travel schedule, his physical absence from global engagements cannot be substituted via proxy.

    “So much of the goodwill and attention Tibet receives in the world is due to his holiness, and specifically due to his personal interactions with world leaders and with the large audiences he draws around the world. His deep wisdom, his humor and charisma, his serious attention to pressing world issues, and, of course, his model of compassion and leadership, make a deep impression on people,” she told VOA’s Tibetan Service via email.

    “For so much of the world, the Dalai Lama is the symbol of Tibet. Will his trusted emissaries be able to achieve the same effects? Of course not, as no one can truly stand in for the Dalai Lama,” she wrote. “They will be able to represent him, but no one can embody the message of Tibet as he does. His holiness’s stepping back from international travel will signal a new era of Tibetan diplomacy in the world.”

    Robert Barnett, director of the Modern Tibet Studies Program at Columbia University, says the decision may be a signal to Beijing.

    “Of course, there’s always the possibility that this move is intended as a post-19th Party Congress signal to Beijing of increased openness to a resumption of talks, or possibly even a response to a request from there,” he said. “It certainly should make Zhang Yijiong happier,” he added, referring to Communist Party’s Tibet working group chief, who told reporters on the sidelines of a party congress that there could be no excuses to meeting the Dalai Lama.

    “Except that it seems unlikely that warhorses of that type can ever be appeased,” Barnett said.

    In the United States, a California-based Tibetan monk named Tenzin Dhonden, who chairs the non-profit Friends of the Dalai Lama and was secretary of the Dalai Lama Trust, a charitable organization chaired by the Dalai Lama, has acted as a gatekeeper between the Dalai Lama and American philanthropists, scholars, celebrities and donors.

    Late last month, Dhonden, who falsely named himself Personal Emissary of Peace for the Dalai Lama in 2005, was suspended from the trust over corruption allegations.

    This story originated in VOA’s Tibetan Service. Pete Cobus contributed original reporting.

    Source: https://www.voanews.com/a/dalai-lama-appoints-personal-emissaries/4118315.html

    Growing public anger as Kashag reluctant to give clear statement on NA Rep

    Citing Fatigue, Dalai Lama Appoints Personal Emissaries

  29. You know in other people’s government offices they get notices about our leaders going to meet some other big leaders or we are hosting some meeting with some big leaders, but this is the kind of notices we get around CTA. Exciting isn’t it?

    xxx

  30. THE CTA NEED TO GET THEMSELVES TOGETHER
    —–
    Kashag’s charges unacceptable: Representative Penpa Tsering

    By Lobsang Wangyal

    ON THE WEB, 19 November 2017

    Penpa Tsering refused to accept the Cabinet’s ten charges against him, and said he will challenge all of them after he leaves office on 30 November.

    He also hinted at filing a case in the exile Tibetan Supreme Justice, saying the charges are unacceptable as he hasn’t committed any mistake.

    In a clear demonstration of the power of the people, the Cabinet of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) finally issued a clarification as to why Penpa Tsering had been terminated of his duties as North America Representative. Ten reasons were given, but each would surely be scrutinised and analysed.
    Details of warnings remain unclear

    Penpa Tsering’s sacking was announced on 7 November. As the news shocked the Tibetan world, the demand for reasons of the ousting mounted on the Cabinet. Questions asked by journalists received no comments from the Cabinet and the President of the Central Tibetan Administration.

    Due to popular demand from the press and the public, a press conference was convened after two days. At the conference, the officiating President of CTA Karma Gelek said that Penpa Tsering was sacked due to “dereliction of duty”, and stated that three warnings had been sent to him in the last one year, with the last one being sent in July. Gelek refused to say what the warnings were about.
    On 18 November, CTA President Lobsang Sangay during his visit to Norway said, without giving any details, that the revelation would paint a bad image. He added that it was not required for the Cabinet to reveal the reasons for the ouster, as it was the Cabinet’s prerogative to appoint and suspend any staff subordinate to it.

    As pressure from the public mounted, Kashag came out with the ten-point explanation. However, the ten reasons given didn’t seem to support the severe picture painted by Sangay.
    The nature of the warnings still remained unclear, as well as the specific rules Penpa Tsering was supposed to have violated.

    *Penpa Tsering clarifies his stand*

    When contacted for explanation about the ten points, Penpa Tsering said that the Kashag has hacked together these ten points so they could say that there were ten reasons to dismiss him.

    Sticking to his claim of not having committed any mistake, he said, “I still stand by my earlier statement that I haven’t committed any mistake, and I do not accept any wrongdoing. But I am leaving office because that’s what Kashag (Cabinet) has ordered.”

    “I cannot publicly discuss the issue now as I am still bound by the rules. I will be free to speak after 30 November, and I will challenge all the ten points one by one,” he said by phone.

    He claimed that he received only one letter from the Cabinet that was stated as “the last warning” in July, which concerned the information that the USD 1.5 million dollars from Tibet Fund used to purchase DC office building was a loan.

    He said that as reported in Tibet Sun, the issue of the 1.5 million dollars came up during the meeting of the representatives after the 5/50 Conference. “There is no truth in how Kashag has framed the charges, but I will explain about the details after leaving the office.”

    “I didn’t get any any other warning letters. And the letter that said ‘last warning’ only mentioned about the loan issue. And now there are ten points accusing me of dereliction of duties. All the points they have mentioned were events that happened before the ‘last warning’ they sent.”

    However, he said that he did receive two letters from the Department of Information of the International Relations, but they were not warning letters.

    “One was about the appointment of Chinese liaison officer Kunga Tashi at the Office of Tibet in Washington, DC. I clarified that he would be appointed upon approval from Kashag, rather than I announce him as having appointed.

    “Let alone any warning about that issue after I clarified, there was no follow up on that.”
    With regard to the second letter, he said, “The other letter that I received from the Department was about a group of Shugden followers welcoming President Xi Jinping to the US in April. I was questioned about not sending a report about that. I replied to that, and if I clarify, it takes time to find out the details about who the people. But we send a report after we got all the information we could gather.”

    https://www.tibetsun.com/news/2017/11/19/kashags-charges-unacceptable-representative-penpa-tsering

    New Penpa

  31. Hey Sangay… hope you liking your reception… this is call karma comes back!!! 😜👎👎👎💩

    Tibet Fund recorded 1.5 million USD as loan for legal purpose: President Sangay responds on ‘loan-gate’
    [Monday, November 20, 2017 19:36]
    By Tenzin Dharpo

    DHARAMSHALA, Nov. 20: The Tibetan President currently on an official tour in Canada on Sunday responded to queries on the “loan” of 1.5 million USD dollars from Tibet Fund, saying the non-profit organization had to record the amount as loan due to legal and regulation-bound reasons but is not a loan.

    President Sangay said that an agreement between Tibet Fund and Central Tibetan Administration recognize the amount to be a contribution to purchase the property that did not have to be paid back in the future but instead will be collateralized as payment for the lease for the office space by the Tibet Fund. Tibet Fund subleases office space at the Office of Tibet’s Washington DC office.

    The issue became a crucial element in the ousting of the North America representative and former Speaker Penpa Tsering by Kashag (cabinet).

    The Kashag among its 10 reasons, cited an incident of trust deficit when Penpa Tsering questioned President Sangay whether a sum of 1.5 million USD was a loan to Tibet-Fund. The Sangay led Kashag on Saturday released a clarification, which stated, “Sikyong clearly explained that it was not a loan, but an amount that Tibet Fund had contributed and did not expect to be paid back. Despite Sikyong’s clarification and without consulting and seeking guidance and approval from Kashag and DIIR, Representative Penpa Tsering reported to CTA auditors that a loan payment for OoT DC office was outstanding.”

    The financial statement of Tibet Fund for the year 2015 available on the organization’s website, clearly recorded a same amount of 1.5 million USD under Fixed Asset as “Loan receivables” that year.

    The auditor’s report also mentioned in the footnote that on, “March 31, 2014 the Fund entered into a $1,500,000 Loan Agreement with The Office of Tibet to purchase a building that will then be partially subleased by the Fund. The loan is partially collateralized by a lease agreement between the Fund and The Office of Tibet in an aggregate amount of $425,000. The loan matures on March 31, 2043 at which point the balloon payment of $1,500,000 will be due. The interest rate is 1% and the interest income for the year ended December 31, 2015 was $15,000. The amount outstanding as of December 31, 2014 is $1,500,000.”

    The President told Tibetans in Toronto that repeated incidents of underperformance and questionable actions by the NA rep. Penpa Tsering led to his termination. “The Kashag could not trust Penpa Tsering in Washington DC office following multiple incidents that eroded the trust and expectations placed on him,” the President said. The Kashag stated that growing “trust and performance deficit” as well as “insubordination” as key reasons to remove the incumbent NA representative of the Washington CTA mission.

    Former Speaker Penpa Tsering in response told a Tibetan media agency that he will respond to the allegations soon after November 30. Some Tibetans carried out peaceful protest at the venue of the public event with placards that read, “We are not protesting against our government, all we ask is the truth.”

    The Washington CTA mission remains the most crucial position in the hierarchy of outposts of the Tibetan polity. Education minister Ngodup Tsering will take charge of the office beginning next month.

    Source: http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=39817

    1-5 million

    Proteston1-5mil-Sangay

  32. Heart advice for the U-Tsang People

    The Modus Operandi to silencing us:

    “If you want to protest, then go to the Chinese embassy.”

    ——

    MY HEART ADVICE TO MY DEAR U-TSANG PEOPLE PART II
    NOVEMBER 22, 2017 (WILD JEPA)

    This is Tibetan domestic politics, not Tibet-China politics. So, keep the debate in context.

    Their modus operandi in silencing us is this:

    (1) Your criticism will create division within our community along regional lines. But when Khampas do it, either people claim it as their fundamental rights, or they will just ignore it. Shugden activists (99% are Khampas) talked shit about the Dalai Lama and CTA on youtube for years, and nobody lifted even a finger. Why this double standard? Why is it wrong for a non-Khampa Tibetan— who has not sold his soul to the Chinese— to blow a whistle?

    (2) This “division” will upset the Dalai Lama, and he will not live long. If something happens to him, then you are responsible. Don’t do it near the CTA and HH. You are a Shugden follower.

    (3) Such criticism will make our enemy glad and our brethren sad. Why are we doing this to ourselves?

    (4) We are an exile community and not an independent country so don’t copy the West. Shame on you!

    (5) If you want to criticize, do so to the Chinese. When you do, they tell you to do the Middle Way, not the Rangzen way!

    (6) Your freedom of speech hurts our unity. Stop comparing our society to others because we are refugees.

    (7) Your freedom of thought is disturbing the minds of our people and the peace in our community.

    (8) Your freedom of expression is a bad example to the Tibetan youth.

    (9) Freedom of speech has limits. Why are you doing the work of Chinese–our enemy? You are one brainwashed idiot.

    (10) You are hurting the Tibetan cause.

    (11) You are anti-Dalai Lama, anti-CTA, anti-Tibetan, anti-Gaden Phodrang, un-Tibetan, un-Buddhist, CCP agent

    (12) If you want to protest, then go to the Chinese embassy.

    (13) One scare tactic they use quite successfully is “The ghosts of regionalism from the 60s up to 90s will revisit our small community and the Dalai Lama will be upset.

    Bottom line is STF! Follow the Chota Supreme Leader! Follow him blindly!

    Their objective is to create fear, guilt, and shame in you, so you get paralyzed even to react, and that’s when they gain total control over you with ease. Our job is not to behave slavishly. No response can be more fitting than this! Their deflection tactic for criticism will fail!

    Anytime you criticize a Utsang leader, Khampas will tell you ” You are an honest upfront brave man!” But when you criticize a Khampa leader they will tell you,” I thought you were brave and honest, but you are not! You are rude! You are regional!

    Dear U-Tsangs, I understand it is not easy for you to come out of your deep slumber. For centuries, we practiced pacifism after having been inspired by Buddhism. But the price we pay for pacifism and meekness is the erosion of our pride, courage, unity, and determination. It is psychologically harmful to our children. No more nyamchung crap!

    Sing this new prayer with the same Tsemay younten tune, and you will get the message.

    Tsemay younten gyatsoe pel nga shing

    Nyamchung go la dho tar shak sha rey

    Jigten dodhang dhinday yin na

    Dhue nam yang khur thuppa mindhuk !

    When my nine-year-old son Gyakhab Rangzen asked me one day out of the blue “Daddy, why are our U-Tsang people so meek? “

    At first, I was taken aback at his observation. Regaining my composure, I told him “Son, we are not cowards. We had a central government, and so we abandoned tribalism for unity long ago. We are used to peace for long, and hence we forgot the art of war. And to protect our skin, we now do become selfish not realizing that it is harder to break a dozen arrows than one. Remember, we U-Tsangs once unified the whole of Tibet and conquered distant lands through war. We were warriors once. History is the witness. We can be warriors again”.

    He hugged me with his chest puffed up with pride and confidence. I will never forget that day because I was the happiest daddy and he was the proudest son in the whole world, and we both are hardcore U-Tsangs.

    Yes, in pacifism, we become rats. And when the rats get disoriented with fear they will attack the victim, not the perpetrator because it is safe and comfortable. We allow Khampas to use U-Tsangs to attack our own. Remember Yapchen Passang Tsewang attacked our hero Dawa Tsering with false allegations. Who can forget it?

    Tenpa Yarphel and his ilk bullied him for fifteen years over the Yongling school despite losing the battle legally many times. They also brought up false murder allegations against Penpa Tsering to bring him down to ensure the victory of their root guru Lobsang Sangay. What U-Tsang attacked Khampas so mercilessly with such hate and jealousy raging in their eyes in the past six decades? None.

    We respected them for their courage, straightforwardness, decisiveness, resoluteness and the help they render to their tribe. But what have we got back? Nothing but negative regionalism, intimidation, hatred, jealousy, bullying, exploitation, discrimination, insults, death threats, and assaults. Nothing but attacks after attacks!

    Now we begin to witness our patience has both depth and limit. Always remember, when a Khampa hurls outrageous allegations on a U-Tsang, our leadership is silent. But when a U-Tsang fights back, the administration goes reciting the mantra,

    “Om, Unity! Unity! Unity!”

    Call me names or do what you can, I will not budge an inch so should you not. Let the sky fall; I don’t give a damn. If regionalism and disunity are suffering–let both, not one–suffer!

    I will never ever abandon the death-bed advice that my father gave me long ago, “Even if you are reduced to a life of slums and misery, never sell your soul to the Red China who is responsible for the loss of our country and our dignity. Fight if you can as a Tibetan for nothing less than total independence. But if Khampa regionalism urinates on the head of U-Tsangs, then you should stand up first and fight as a hardcore U-Tsang! And lead others by example. When in international politics, play your Tibetan role: When in Tibetan domestic politics, play your U-Tsang role. ”

    Vow not to shove shit in to the mouth of a U-Tsang who served you butter and honey!

    Vow not to kiss the ass of a Khampa who urinated on your head!

    If you stick to these two vows then you are a U-Tsang who will earn the respect and votes of all other U-Tsangs.

    Don’t forget November 27, 2017 Monday 10 am sharp!

    Blast the Kashag building with slogans !

    P.S. If you know of corruption or injustice at high levels and if you have facts, evidence, photos, audio, videos, contact me–the Tibetan WikiLeaks at [email protected]

    https://wildjepa.com/2017/11/22/my-heart-advice-to-my-dear-u-tsang-people-part-ii/

    Comment

  33. Happy Birthday Sangay… love Penpa!

    penpa01

  34. Tell me! Why should India continue to play host to the ungrateful Tibetans😠

    1

    2

  35. 😧 Whole Nepal say Buddha born in Nepal, but DL says this is nonsense. DL lied and this is very shameful.

    💻 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxUI3_d6hQU

  36. This Nepali woman is very unhappy with the Dalai Lama. Listen to her here बुद्ध भारतमा जन्मेका हुन भन्ने दलाइ लामालार्इ बेलायतबाट इशा गुरुङले दिइन कडा जवाफ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoiHkF5Nz7Q. The whole world respected the Dalai Lama but not anymore. He has gone mental and is total wrong. People donated thousands of dollars and kept the Dalai Lama’s pictures in temples and houses and had great respect. But now no more. Dalai Lama has upset people all over the world and should be very careful what he says in the future.

  37. Look at these for Tibetans.

    MT01

    MT02

    MT03

  38. Look at this.

    ME01

    ME02

    ME03

  39. Penpa Tsering is gone & now maybe Dhardon wants his cushy job in USA. So she gotta be nice to her big boss Sikyong to get this job.

    b623c06a-bc16-4888-9d1f-619dd527deda

  40. I think this Kalon visited Jonang Temple, next he should visit a Dorje Shugden temple.

    Chorig Kalon Attends Special Conference on Jonang Tradition

    November 25, 2017
    Published By Jamphel Shonu

    DHARAMSHALA: Ven Karma Gelek Yuthok, Kalon of the Department of Religion and Culture, Central Tibetan Administration, today attended a special conference on the evolution of Jonang tradition and its present status at Duekhor Monastery near Norbulingka institute. The conference was organised by Jonang wellbeing Association.

    The chief guests at the conference were Kalon Karma Gelek Yuthok and Gyalwang Gyaltsab Rinpoche. Other guests at the conference include settlement officer Dawa Rinchen and representatives from non governmental organisations.

    Kalon Karma Gelek Yuhtok also inaugurated a compilation book of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s speeches and teachings published by the Jonang Wellbeing association.

    Tsangyang Gyatso, President of Jonang wellbeing Association, explained that the objective of the Special conference was to revive and spread awareness about the Jonang school of Tibetan Buddhism, and to acquire equal religious status as other schools of Tibetan Buddhism.

    http://tibet.net/2017/11/chorig-kalon-attends-special-conference-on-jonang-tradition/

    Kalon Visit Jonang1

  41. The Dalai Lama said that he cannot change his religion to enter into the Hindu temple. He wants to visit the Hindu temple, but he cannot change his religion. Only those of Hindu faith can enter this temple. He tried to enter by saying indirectly make an exception. But the Hindu priest said no. Even for the Dalai Lama, a big celebrity, the rules cannot be changed. It would have been nice if the priest did change the rules because the temple is to be visited by all and blessings are for everyone.

    Similarly, Dorje Shugden people cannot change their religion so they cannot enter the Dalai Lama’s temple. So the situation is exactly the same. It would be nice if the Dalai Lama himself can change his rules too.

    Ngodup Tsering

    Dalai: Why Puri temple doors shut for non-Hindus?
    Minati Singha| TNN | Updated: Nov 22, 2017, 02:35 IST
    BHUBANESWAR: Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, on Tuesday questioned the practice of not allowing non-Hindus inside the Puri Jagannath Temple premises while criticising the Christian missionaries for trying to convert people of other faiths.
    “During my last visit to Odisha in 2010, I wished to go to the Jagannath Temple in Puri. I have a practice of visiting holy places wherever I go. I go to local places of worship like churches, gurdwaras, Hindu temples, Buddhist temples and mosques. I have made pilgrimages to Jerusalem (the holy city of the Jewish), the Syrian Christian Church and the Muslim sacred rock,” the Dalai Lama told TOI in an interview on Tuesday. He was responding to a question on the state’s unique Jagannath culture.
    The Dalai Lama, who is here on a two-day visit, said he cannot change his religion to enter the Jagannath Temple. “When I wanted to enter the Jagannath Temple in Puri, they said only Hindus are allowed inside the temple. So, in order to make a pilgrimage to the Jagannath Temple, I have to become a Hindu, which is very difficult,” said the Nobel laureate.
    The Dalai Lama also questioned conversions by Christian missionaries. “I never say Buddhism is the best religion. I never try to promote it in non-Buddhist countries and in Christian countries like Europe and America. I admire Christian brothers and sisters but don’t like it when they try to convert people. Being secular, like India, is a very practical and wonderful approach,” he said.
    Reacting to the Dalai Lama’s comment, Jagannath Temple priests said not allowing non-Hindus inside t is an age-old tradition. “Non-Hindus have not been allowed into the temple for centuries and the rule cannot be changed,” said Ramkrushna Das Mohapatra, president of the Daita Pati Nijog (an association of priests).
    https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/dalai-why-puri-temple-doors-shut-for-non-hindus/articleshow/61746509.cms

    Hindu Temple

  42. Picture caption:

    Sign in Sarnath that barred Shugden practitioners from a Gelug Monastery

    The Dalai Lama said:

    “When I wanted to enter the Jagannath Temple in Puri, they said only Hindus are allowed inside the temple. So, in order to make a pilgrimage to the Jagannath Temple, I have to become a Hindu, which is very difficult,” said the Dalai Lama ~ ya we knew that long ago

    Picture2

  43. Picture caption:

    A Gelug monastery in Sarnath bans Shugden practitioners from their monastery and teachings

    What the Dalai Lama said:

    “When I wanted to enter the Jagannath Temple in Puri, they said only Hindus are allowed inside the temple. So, in order to make a pilgrimage to the Jagannath Temple, I have to become a Hindu, which is very difficult,” said the Dalai Lama ~ ya we knew that long ago”

    Picture3

  44. Prominent Buddhists in North America welcome the suspension of the Dalai Lama’s Personal Emissary of Peace, Tenzin Dhonden. Although it is not official that Tenzin Dhonden has been permanently replaced as he has hired a New York legal firm to reclaim his position on the trust, a temporary replacement has been appointed as the organisation’s “acting secretary”. It is unfortunate that His Holiness the Dalai Lama is surrounded by officials who seemed to be self-serving. This incident, and the sudden removal of Penpa Tsering are series of scandals that continue to expose more corruption and abuses within the top Tibetan leadership circle. You may want to read more here:

    Controversial monk and Dalai Lama aide replaced amid corruption accusations
    Rory Carroll in Los Angeles
    Wednesday 29 November 2017 12.19 GMT
    Prominent Buddhists in North America are welcoming the apparent downfall of the Dalai Lama’s self-styled “personal emissary of peace”, a Tibetan monk who befriended celebrities and billionaires but has been accused of bullying, celebrity worship and corruption.
    The Dalai Lama Trust has replaced Tenzin Dhonden as its executive secretary with a temporary appointment following claims, which the trust has said they are investigating, that Dhonden abused his position as a gatekeeper to the Buddhist leader.
    It is not known what the outcome of the trust’s investigation is or whether they have reached any conclusions. Dhonden has vigorously denied the corruption accusation, which was made by a Seattle-based philanthropist. He has not publicly responded to the other allegations.
    If permanent, his replacement by the trust would be a severe blow to Dhonden, who from his base in La Jolla, near San Diego, California, built a network of wealthy supporters, including the eBay founder Pierre Omidyar and the Seagram heiress Sara Bronfman.
    The Guardian revealed last month that the 53-year-old had been suspended pending an investigation into allegations from a Seattle-based technology entrepreneur that Dhonden extracted unjustified payments from him between 2005 and 2008, in return for setting up an event with the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama’s personal secretary said the monk had been suspended pending a “conclusion” to the allegations.
    Dhonden strongly disputed the allegations and hired a venerable New York legal firm, Patterson Belknap, to defend his reputation and reclaim his position on the trust.
    But last week Dhonden’s name disappeared from the trust’s website and a trustee, Tashi Namgyal Khamshitsang, took his place as the organisation’s “acting secretary”.
    It is not known in what circumstances he has left his position as secretary of the trust. It has made no public comment about the new appointment or the status of its investigation into Dhonden. The trust and the Dalai Lama’s office did not respond to requests for information for this article. Emails to Dhonden’s attorneys asking about his fate and future plans also went unanswered.
    Prominent Buddhists in North America with connections in Dharamsala, the hill town in India which hosts the Dalai Lama and other exiled Tibetans, have welcomed the trust’s appointment of a new secretary, a decision said to have been taken at a board of trustees meeting on 10 November.
    The accusations against Dhonden shone a light on his role as a bridge between Dharamsala and Dalai Lama supporters in Hollywood, Silicon Valley and elsewhere.
    “I would like to join many others in expressing my deep gratitude to you all for stepping in to protect the precious reputation and legacy of His Holiness through effecting the recent transition of the leadership of the Dalai Lama Trust,” Thupten Jinpa, the Dalai Lama’s principal English translator, said in a letter to trustees seen by the Guardian.
    Jinpa, a former monk who has translated and edited about a dozen books by the Dalai Lama, wrote that it had been “painful” to see the spiritual leader’s name and legacy snagged by “unnecessary distractions … and discordant messages” which he said reflected “celebrity orientation”.
    Jinpa’s letter did not name Dhonden but said that under his stewardship the trust had alienated allies with “embarrassing” and “bullying” behaviour. “Most sadly, the Trust has unfortunately acquired a reputation of being authoritarian, confrontational, petty, and uncaring, characteristics so far removed from His Holiness’ personal ethics.”
    His questionable values, arrogant disposition and objectionable behavior have generated confusion and anxiety.
    In a phone interview Jinpa said the letter had been intended just for trustees but confirmed its contents. The Dalai Lama, who is the trust’s chairman, took a “very firm” stand once alerted to the allegations, he said. “I think his highness was clearly disturbed by the allegations.”
    The criticism is a marked contrast to praise for the monk’s “equanimity” and “pure goodness” in a 2015 San Diego Union Tribune profile. The article said he was a diligent emissary for the Dalai Lama.
    Other prominent Buddhist figures, however, share Jinpa’s satisfaction at the apparent fall of a monk who grew up in Dharamsala and moved to the US in 1991, where he helped organise celebrity-studded public events and private audiences for wealthy donors during the Dalai Lama’s visits to the US.
    “His questionable values, arrogant disposition and objectionable behavior have generated confusion, anxiety and extensive unhappiness for many years, impeding the work of His Holiness in North America and jeopardizing his reputation,” Marty Krasney, director of the San Francisco-based Dalai Lama Fellows, wrote in a letter to the Dalai Lama’s private office, and copied to trust board members, which the Guardian has seen.
    Krasney thanked the board for taking action to “protect” the Dalai Lama and to keep his vision and message “untarnished”.
    Richard Grace, a Napa vineyard owner who has been friends with the Dalai Lama for more than 20 years, also wrote to the Dalai Lama’s office to welcome the decision.
    Grace initiated the push against Dhonden after attending an 80th birthday celebration for the Dalai Lama in 2015 in Anaheim, near Los Angeles, which featured a golden cake, dancers in tight bodysuits and celebrities previously unassociated with Buddhism – “insulting” elements he blamed on the monk.
    Krasney and Grace persuaded Daniel Kranzler, a Seattle-based entrepreneur, to meet the Dalai Lama face to face in June and lay out allegations that Dhonden had demanded payments in return for ensuring the spiritual leader appear at a large event which Kranzler hosted in Washington state in 2008.
    Dhonden has not responded to requests for comment but vehemently rejected wrongdoing via his attorneys. They said last month that Kranzler’s allegations related to events that “occurred nearly a decade ago, are largely inaccurate and otherwise relate to conduct that is not unlawful, unethical, or even inappropriate”. They added that the allegations were “designed to falsely and unfairly tarnish” Dhonden’s reputation and that any payments he received were for legitimate work.
    In a phone interview last week Grace, a former marine, claimed Dhonden loyalists in Dharamsala had insulated the Dalai Lama from complaints and that action was overdue.
    A California university administrator who liaised with Dhonden over Dalai Lama events, and requested anonymity, said colleagues gave the monk a coarse nickname for his perceived obsession about inviting celebrities regardless of whether they had any interest in Buddhism or Tibet.
    Some critics also blamed Dhonden for organising an event in Albany in 2009 hosted by Nxivm, a controversial self-help organisation that has been compared to a cult, a description adherents reject. The event was initially cancelled after an outcry but then went ahead, giving a misleading impression that the Dalai Lama endorsed Nxivm, according to Dhonden’s detractors.
    Leading Nxivm adherents include Sara Bronfman, a wealthy heiress with a longstanding interest in Buddhism whom Dhonden has befriended, according to several sources.
    The monk is also close to Pierre Omidyar, the eBay founder, and his wife Pam, travelling in their private jet, visiting their estate in Hawaii and facilitating meetings with the Dalai Lama, according to people who have attended some of the meetings. The couple has a longstanding interest in Buddhism.
    Bronfman and the Omidyars did not respond to requests for comment.
    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/nov/29/tenzin-dhonden-dalai-lama-corruption-celebrity-investigation?CMP=share_btn_fb

    a1

  45. Finally it is apparent to the public the main reason why His Holiness recently appointed the former sikyong, Samdhong Rinpoche, as his personal emissary. Unlike the current sikyong, Dr. Lobsang Sangay, who is unable to build any rapport whatsoever with China, Samdhong Rinpoche’s term as Sikyong was marked by no less than nine rounds of negotiation with China. Not long after Samdhong Rinpoche recent appointment as personal emissary, he was able to convince China to go back to the negotiation table. Samdhong Rinpoche’s visit to China also shows that the Dalai Lama is serious about wanting to go back to China.

    Tashi Dolma

    Dalai Lama’s Envoy Samdhong Rinpoche Discreetly Visited China
    In one of the hottest news unfolding recently is that His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s personal emissary, the former Prime Minister of Tibetan government in Exile, His Eminence the Samdhong Rinpoche is being said to have made a discreet visit to China! Besides the discussions going on in the Social media, an article in a major online media suggests the same.
    “In a rapidly-unfolding development, the Dalai Lama may have sent his envoy Samdong on a discreet visit to Kunming (China). Samdong’s visit, starting from mid November, must have been facilitated by no less than You Quan – newly-appointed head of the United Front Work Department that overseas Tibetan affairs. Quan, who formerly served as party secretary of Fujian, is a close associate of President Xi. He had earlier successfully dealt with Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan’s business communities.” suggested the report in The Wire.
    However, there are no any official information available about the visit. The article which titled as ‘The Dalai Lama Wants to Return Home’ suggested that the Dalai Lama appointing the emissaries and lessened foreign visits recently have significantly pleased China.
    “Appointing personal emissaries satisfies China. Beijing has been emphatically asking Dalai Lama to stop travelling to Western capitals, if talks are to be resumed. At the 19th party congress, the Tibet Work Forum chief told reporters that international figures have no excuse for meeting with the Dalai Lama. Recently, the Dalai Lama even had to abort his planned visit to Botswana, citing physical “exhaustion”.” added the report.
    Besides the article also suggested the while the former prime minister’s visit to China meant the working at the Five year’s plan to resolve the Tibet issue while the incumbent Prime Minister Dr. Sangay’s foreign visit during the same period meant the forming of sustaining the for the next fifty years if the need be for the struggle. This discusses about the Five-Fifty policy being endorsed by the Tibetan Administration.
    The article also noted that there is some hope in this juncture over the dialogue in view of the fact that the Chinese President Xi is reportedly known for having a soft side for Tibet while His Holiness himself has called President Xi has being open minded and a realist leader. However, the facts are yet to be seen and the past is very bitter as far as the dialogues despite having held more than ten rounds of talks having held between the two!
    http://www.tibetanjournal.com/index.php/2017/12/05/dalai-lamas-envoy-samdhong-rinpoche-visited-china/

    Dalai Lama’s Envoy Samdhong Rinpoche Discreetly Visited China

  46. Kashag’s allegations “false, incomplete and manipulative,” says former NA envoy P. Tsering
    [Wednesday, December 06, 2017 12:59]
    By Tenzin Dharpo
    DHARAMSHALA, Dec. 5: The former North America representative Penpa Tsering refuted all the allegations against him saying they are “false, incomplete and manipulative,” at a press conference here today. He said that while the executive body of the Central Tibetan Administration led by Dr. Lobsang Sangay has the authority to terminate him, he rejects the allegations which he said was an “attempt to malign his image.”
    The row over the termination of Penpa Tsering’s tenure in Washington office began on Nov. 7 when the Kashag made a public announcement that former education minister Ngodup Tsering will be the new NA envoy. Later the Kashag made public a 10-point statement which cited growing “performance and trust deficit” as well as “insubordination” by Penpa Tsering.
    The former Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament in exile today said that he couldn’t respond sooner to the allegations as he was bound by regulations not to speak out while being a staff of the CTA. He shared a 97-page document that included official correspondences, some of which appeared confidential.
    In response to the Kashag’s allegation of ‘trust deficit’, he said that it was the Sangay led Kashag which portrayed reluctance in trusting him. Tsering said two additional Directors for the TCDF (Tibetan Community Development Fund), including a close aide of the President, were added just two months into his tenure and that he was kept in the dark on matters related to US government funding under the PRM and USAID initiatives despite reaching out to President Sangay on the matters. He also said that his office was not notified on a few occasions when the President or a member of the cabinet visited the North America on official schedule.
    Penpa Tsering said that he categorically refutes ‘lack of performance’ allegation as he had left no stones unturned as far as output of his office is concerned. Responding to the charges of failure to set up key meetings with officials of the US government, he said that his office had approached concerned offices through official mails but that the meetings could not materialize due to scheduling conflicts. He added that closure of the bank accounts was a political move that no one could have avoided, he said while addressing the allegation over the warning by a prominent bank to close several accounts under the OoT. He backed his claims with copies of the correspondence to the media. “Was any of my predecessors charged for not being able to set up meetings for the President?” Tsering questioned.
    The former NA envoy also said he does not accept the “insubordination” allegations against him. Addressing the incidents cited by the Kashag, he said Chinese liaison officer Kunga Tashi’s appointment was not finalized and he told the public that such appointment was subject to Kashag’s.
    On the loan debacle concerning the Tibet Fund and OoT, the former Speaker said the President first raised the issue in the ten point statement and that any problems arising out of it for the CTA or chaos amongst the public will be the responsibility of the Kashag.
    He shared a copy of the “Promissory note,” an internal agreement between the OoT and Tibet Fund. He said that the non profit organization continued to show the amount of 1.5 million USD as loan despite the President’s insistence that “it was not a loan” and that such back door agreements with an organization based in a foreign land is a breach of the Tibetan Charter’s article 6 where compliance to the laws of the host nation is stressed clearly. Penpa Tsering said it was his duty to question such discrepancies and does not consider such acts as insubordination.
    Through the three hours fifty-minute press conference, the former NA envoy reiterated that he had not breached any rules and regulations of the exile Tibetan administration and called on the Kashag to speak out on any specific breaches.
    http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=39878&article=Kashag%E2%80%99s+allegations+%E2%80%9Cfalse%2c+incomplete+and+manipulative%2c%E2%80%9D+says+former+NA+envoy+P.+Tsering

    2017-12-07_0-48-58

  47. Penpa Tsering challenges Cabinet to prove charges against him
    By Lobsang Wangyal
    McLEOD GANJ, India, 6 December 2017
    Penpa Tsering responded Tuesday to the Cabinet’s charges against him regarding his termination from the post of Representative of the Dalai Lama in North America. He presented a 97-page document which contained arguments refuting each point, and claimed that the charges were intended to blacken his reputation.
    He challenged the Cabinet to prove their allegations with documentation, and said that failing to respond, he will take further action.
    “I am a human being. I have family and friends. Even they will be dragged down because of the charges against me. I will not let this issue go scot-free,” Penpa Tsering said during a press conference that took more than three hours.
    He said that he didn’t start the fire, and that the current commotion in the Tibetan community was a result of the actions of the Cabinet of the Central Tibetan Administration led by its President Lobsang Sangay.
    He repeated his previous statements that although he did not accept the Cabinet’s accusations, he did accept the termination order, as it was the Cabinet’s prerogative to terminate the services of the Representatives.
    Penpa Tsering said that Sangay initially approached him for an appointment as the Representative in Belgium, a post the liaises with the European Union. But later, he was told that he has been appointed the North American Representative based in Washington DC.
    He felt there was a fissure even before going to DC to take over the position. He said that he met with Sangay in Delhi to seek his guidance, particularly to follow up on any CTA funding intiatives. Previous Representatives had the responsibility to manage the US government funds provided through the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID). He felt that Sangay disconnected him from these responsibilities, signalling a lack of trust right from the beginning.
    The 10 points and rebuttals
    The Cabinet issued a 10-point clarification on 18 November of the reasons for Penpa Tsering’s termination on 7 November. Penpa Tsering said that the ten points were forced to create some reasons for his dismissal.
    The first point was an introduction stating that there was a growing trust deficit, under-performance, and insubordination. A few days before issuing the 10-point document, the Kashag said that three warnings were served, but Penpa said that he received only one.
    With regard to point two, which accused him of not submitting any formal reports, he said an order had been issued by the Department of Information and International Relations of the CTA to submit reports only on 20 April 2017. He showed documentation proof to that. He further said that the accusation that no reports were sent during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to the US was in early April, prior to the DIIR’s letter.
    Point three cited as a case of insubordination, his announcement of Kunga Tashi as Chinese Liaison Officer in New York, and he said this lacked any truth. “I didn’t announce him as an appointee. I told the people of New York that approval has been sought from the Cabinet, once approved he will be appointed.”
    “I have made this clear through the DIIR, and when they got the picture clear, I never got any further inquiries about that.”
    Point four concerned “not following DIIR’s mandatory standing order” and not reporting “Dholgyal-related activities.” He said that the welcome rally by some Dholgyal followers to Xi Jinping had been reported to the Secretary of the Department of Security of the CTA, and further, that the accusation of not following DIIR’s order to send reports was after the event, as Xi was in the US in early April, and DIIR sent the order to all the Representatives on 20 April.
    The juxtaposition of the Dholgyal’s welcome to Xi in April and the Dalai Lama’s visit to the US in June are precarious, and raises the question of the coorelation of the two events. “It feels like a design to look for faults in order to terminate me had already been happening.”
    The fifth point accused Penpa Tsering of being “unable to schedule any such meetings for Sikyong” with Speaker of the House, or the Majority Leader of the Senate, or even with members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
    To this, Penpa Tsering stated that the documents would speak for themselves. He showed several documents to prove that he contacted and tried to schedule meetings, but because of scheduling conflicts of the US leaders, no meetings materialised. “We had short notice of Sikyong’s visit, and we were unable to resolve schedule conflicts. Would it be right to blame me for these things which are out of my control.”
    He questioned how many of his predecessors from 2011 had scheduled meetings of Sangay with US leaders. “Have they been warned about not arranging meetings?”
    Challenging the accusation of “negligence raising funds” in point six of the Cabinet’s reason, Penpa Tsering said that there was a new Donald Trump administration, and many new contacts to be made. But despite that, his requests to State and Foreign Operations ranking members helped to get continued funding assistance for Tibetans from the US government.
    To point seven, the “closure of five bank accounts” of the Office of Tibet in Washington, Penpa Tsering said that due to political reasons, CitiBank announced the closure of the five accounts. “There wasn’t anything we could do about the closure.”
    “We informed the DIIR Secretary, and acted promptly as per Sikyong’s order to disperse funds to other Offices of Tibet. Sikyong’s claim that a huge loss in tax had occurred was a lie, as there wasn’t any loss in tax. The closure was not due to my negligence. The closure notice came all of a sudden for political reasons.”
    He further added that Sikyong was misinforming the public, and providing incomplete information and twisting the facts.
    Regarding the 1.5-million-dollar issue raised in point eight, which stated “the amount was not a loan”, but an amount that Tibet Fund had contributed and did not expect to be paid back, Penpa Tsering said that the accounting of Tibet Fund shows the amount as a loan every year.
    The Office of Tibet building was purchased for 2.6 million dollars in August 2014, with a contribution of 1.3 million dollars from Ganden Phodrang and a 1.5-million-dollar loan from Tibet Fund.
    Penpa Tsering said that Tibet Fund continued to show 1.5 million as a loan, but there wasn’t any documentation showing that the Office of Tibet is liable for repayment of the loan.
    During the audit of the accounts of the Office of Tibet, Penpa Tsering asked the auditor how best to solve this issue so that there would not be a problem in the future. The auditor told him that he would ask his senior in Dharamshala about finding a solution.
    However, the matter appeared in the audit report. Sikyong then summoned the Auditor General twice for showing the issue in the audit report. Penpa Tsering was charged by Sikyong for instigating the auditor to mention the loan issue in the audit report, failing which he would not sign the report. “I never thought it would become an issue. I was only trying to find a solution. The charge that I will not sign the audit report if the issue was not mentioned was a lie. The auditor could be asked, and what I said to the auditor could be asked to all the staff members of the Office of Tibet.”
    “If raising such an issue was seen as insubordination, then why should there be meetings? If we are not able to raise issues and are to just follow orders, wouldn’t that be an autocracy, not a democracy?”
    Concerning point nine, Penpa Tsering accepted that he had a long chat one evening with Dhardon Sharling, the DIIR Secretary, but denied the Cabinet’s charge that “he tried hard to convince a female Kalon nominee against working with Sikyong.”
    He said, “all those present should be asked about what he had said during the gathering.”
    The tenth point was a summary of the firing of Penpa Tsering and of providing for his replacement.
    https://www.tibetsun.com/news/2017/12/06/penpa-tsering-challenges-cabinet-to-prove-charges-against-him

    2017-12-07_0-55-31a

    2017-12-07_0-55-31b

  48. The Dalai Lama Wants to Return Home
    BY P. STOBDAN ON 04/12/2017
    Is India bracing for the potential fallout?
    The impact of the 19th Communist Party of China congress and affirmation of President Xi Jinping as China’s ‘most powerful’ leader in decades seems already to be having a bearing on India – especially on the ‘Tibet Issue’ that deeply intersects with the boundary problem. Is India bracing for the potential fallout?
    There may be more to the Dalai Lama’s desire to return home than meets the eye. The Tibetan leader’s November 23 statement – “The past is past, Tibetans want to stay with China” – carries a serious political overtone, coming as it does immediately after the 19th party congress and the Doklam standoff between India and China.
    The Dalai Lama’s statement that he is “not seeking independence for Tibet and wishing to stay with China” is not new; however, his declaration that “he would return to Tibet at once, if China agrees” has sparked fresh speculation of a possible rapprochement with Beijing.
    The sign of rapid thawing strangely comes on the heels of President Donald Trump’s recent visit to Beijing. Most likely, Trump wouldn’t have made Tibet a pressure point in his dealings with Beijing; rather he would have dumped the Dalai Lama (whom the US fostered for over half a century) on the altar of a better trade deal and for securing China’s commitment to exert more pressure on North Korea. During the trip US officials made to Dharamshala prior to Trump’s visit, this prospect would probably have been discussed.
    The inevitability of this change was clear when the US had started faltering on Tibet even earlier, when Barack Obama had to welcome the Dalai Lama through the back door of the White House, signalling Washington’s inability to withstand Beijing’s pressure.
    Trump was not even inclined to embrace the issue, as he refused to meet the Tibetan leader and instead proposed zero aid in 2018 to the Tibetans, reversing the decades-old American policy. The State Department has also not appointed a special coordinator for Tibet.
    Surely it couldn’t have been a coincidence that a week after Trump’s China visit, the Dalai Lama abruptly selected two personal emissaries (for an indefinite period) to represent him in all ‘global engagements’. He has cited increasing physical fatigue, but the decision to appoint two “trusted friends” – former ‘prime minister-in-exile‘ Samdong Rinpoche and current president of the ‘government in exile’, Lobsang Sangay – was meant to send a calibrated signal to China.
    Anyway, the Dalai Lama has been working on a new plan – 5/50 vision – that envisaged a five-year strategy for returning to dialogue with China, but preparing for a 50-year struggle if needed – along the “hope for the best and prepare for the worst” proverb. The 5/50 strategy reaffirmed his middle way approach (Umaylam) as a realistic political means of realising the dual aim of his early return to Tibet and fulfilling the aspirations of the Tibetan people.
    Appointing personal emissaries satisfies China. Beijing has been emphatically asking the Dalai Lama to stop travelling to Western capitals, if talks are to be resumed. At the 19th party congress, the Tibet Work Forum chief told reporters that international figures have no excuse for meeting with the Dalai Lama. Recently, the Dalai Lama even had to abort his planned visit to Botswana, citing physical “exhaustion”.
    Within this rapidly-unfolding scenario, the Dalai Lama appears to have sent Samdong on a discreet visit to Kunming (China). Samdong’s visit, starting from mid November, must have been facilitated by no less than You Quan – newly-appointed head of the United Front Work Department that overseas Tibetan affairs. You Quan, who formerly served as party secretary of Fujian, is a close associate of President Xi. He had earlier successfully dealt with Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan’s business communities.
    Clearly, Samdong’s visit forms part of the first five-year plan to engage with China, while Lobsang Sangay’s 17-day tour to Europe and Canada is meant to sustain the struggle for the next 50 years, if the first plan fails.
    Will the talks succeed now? In the past, Chinese leaders stymied the Dalai Lama’s desire to return to Tibet. But there is a distinct possibility that it may bear fruit this time.
    First, Xi, widely known to have a soft spot for Tibet, hitherto kept his own approach close to his chest, fearing resistance from hardliners. Unlike others, he held the view that the prospects for solving the Tibet problem would peter out once the Dalai Lama is no more. Xi now finds himself in a perfect position to resolve the issue as no other Chinese leader could do in the past, for he also stands to gain personally both in political and moral terms, to become the most credible leader in China’s history.
    Second, the Dalai Lama too long hoped for Xi to change tack, as he hailed him as “realist” and “open-minded” in contrast to his predecessors. In fact, the Tibetan leader has admitted to having received positive signals from top Chinese officials, especially from the moderate elements as streams of Han Chinese flocked to meet him during Xi’s first term. In May this year, the party was shocked to find their own party members clandestinely funding the Dalai Lama.
    But, most critically, Tibetans living inside Tibet may have pressured the Dalai Lama to seize the opportunity and resolve differences during Xi’s second term, before the window for a deal closes a few years from now.
    With time running out fast, the Dalai Lama can be anything but hopeful. He has been steadily losing international support in the face of China’s rise as a world power. No longer does any country dare to receive the Dalai Lama officially.
    Apart from his own ageing, the Tibetan leader faces the challenge of keeping his flock together. For example, the delay in reaching a solution causes anxiety, uncertainty and division among his people. Even inside Tibet, rising frustration and hopelessness have been highlighted by people resorting to self-immolation. The number stands at 149 so far.
    And so, in what must be an embarrassing climb-down for the exiled Tibetan leaders, all they can do now is settle for the cause of “development”, besides hoping that the Chinese will not resort to repression of the Tibetan people.
    Therefore, in a way, we are likely witness the curtains finally being drawn on Tibet’s quest for an independent state. Tim Johnson knew this when he aptly titled his book Tragedy in Crimson: How the Dalai Lama Conquered the World but Lost the Battle with China.
    And finally, for India, the question is whether New Delhi has any role to play in this rapidly-evolving scene, and if so under what political parameters. There is no sign of anyone having even considered the impact of this. But to be cautious, any Sino-Tibetan deal would seriously risk undercutting India’s position on the boundary dispute with China.
    Seemingly fretful about impending developments, the Dalai Lama now finds himself walking a political tightrope by espousing reconciliation between India and China, “living peacefully by putting the differences aside”. He maintained a hands-off position and tried not to get drawn even into the Doklam standoff – instead calling for a peaceful solution. One hopes he is successful this time.
    P. Stobdan, a former Indian ambassador, specialises in Chinese, Tibetan, Mongolian and Uighur affairs.
    https://thewire.in/201726/dalai-lama-india-china-tibet/

    2017-12-07_0-34-40

  49. Tibet Fund confirms 1.5 million USD loan to grant agreement
    [Thursday, December 07, 2017 18:23]
    By Tenzin Dharpo
    DHARAMSHALA, Dec. 7: Non-Profit organization Tibet Fund in a statement on Wednesday said that the 1.5 million USD provided by the organization for the purchase of the Office of Tibet property is a “loan” which however was “expected and hoped” to be forgiven in the future. “We are issuing the statement to clarify Tibet Fund’s position on the loan issue,” the statement read.
    Tibet fund said they “entered into a $1,500,000 loan agreement with the Office of Tibet on March 31, 2014,” and that, “the loan was scheduled to be repaid in thirty years.” The organisation also mentioned that the agreement was “consistent with customary legal practice in New York.”
    Tibet fund cited an official correspondence from the organization’s Chairman to the CTA (Central Tibetan Administration) dated July 6, 2017 stating, “At the time the loan was made, both the Board of Tibet Fund and the CTA hoped and expected that at some point the loan would be forgiven and the full amount would then be deemed outright grant from Tibet Fund to the CTA, although the specific timing of this grant was never discussed or agreed. It was certainly our hope that after some number of years and experience working together, the board would feel that the time right to confer the loan to a grant.”
    However, the non-profit organization wrote that the conversion of the loan into an “outright grant” is condition upon the CTA honoring the terms and condition of the loan and where the relationship between CTA and Tibet is “one of mutual respect and support”.
    On Dec. 5, former North America envoy Penpa Tsering said that the agreement between the two parties concerning the 1.5 million USD, a part sum used to purchase a 500 square feet office space for the OoT in Washington was not as per laws of the host nation. Penpa Tsering said that the act was in violation of the the article 6 of the Tibetan charter where compliance to the laws of the host nation is stressed. A copy of the “promissory note” between Tibet Fund and CTA was shared by Tsering to the media yesterday.
    The acting-President Yuthok Karma Gelek today told Tibetan media that the Kashag maintains that the amount of 1.5 million USD is not a loan.
    Tibet Fund is an organization that is reliant heavily on US government funding and is essentially a social service outfit based out of New York, US, that has been involved in uplifting various spheres of the exile Tibetan community in the Indian sub-continent and in the west.
    http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=39888&article=Tibet+Fund+confirms+1.5+million+USD+loan+to+grant+agreement

    sean-20th-w-susan-and-dzamser

  50. The Dalai Lama, this great monk has been cheated by all those around him and these articles on DorjeShugden.com are maybe only the tip of the iceberg???!!!

    How bad to be with the Dalai Lama like this. Same for the CTA as we can read that so much money was used for themselves and not for the Tibetans… sigh

    Thank you DorjeShugden.com

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.…Instead of turning away people who practise Dorje Shugden, we should be kind to them. Give them logic and wisdom without fear, then in time they give up the ‘wrong’ practice. Actually Shugden practitioners are not doing anything wrong. But hypothetically, if they are, wouldn’t it be more Buddhistic to be accepting? So those who have views against Dorje Shugden should contemplate this. Those practicing Dorje Shugden should forbear with extreme patience, fortitude and keep your commitments. The time will come as predicted that Dorje Shugden’s practice and it’s terrific quick benefits will be embraced by the world and it will be a practice of many beings.

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