Like a dictator, the present false Dalai Lama has complete control over both religious and secular life within the exile Tibetan community. One of his dictatorial actions has been to expel Tibetan Shugden practitioners from the Buddhist community, claiming that they are not Buddhist because they worship Dorje Shugden, who he says without evidence is an evil spirit; and at the same time he is preparing to remove western Shugden practitioners from the Buddhist community for the same reason. With blatant religious discrimination and extreme view, he has already expelled thousands of Shugden practitioners from Tibetan society. Not satisfied with this, he has ordered the collection of signed declarations from Tibetans in the East and West stating that they personally will abandon or never engage in Shugden practice, and that they will not support materially or spiritually, or maintain any connection with, anyone who does engage in Shugden practice.
His aim in collecting these signed declarations is to protect his own reputation, by claiming that he is not breaking the law but simply acting in accordance with the wishes of his people. His acts of religious discrimination are violations of basic human rights, and they defy any rule of democratic law. This is his own fault, not the fault of other people; he is being deceitful in blaming others for his breaking the law. Many people have signed this declaration only because they were afraid of being punished if they did not. These punishments have been clearly reported in many newspapers. Other people have signed because they are the Dalai Lama’s supporters and are trying to protect his reputation.
On 29 February 2008 the Western Shugden Society asked the Dalai Lama to produce evidence to prove that Shugden is an evil spirit, saying: ‘If you are not telling lies and you have valid evidence to support your actions you should show such evidence publicly, and you should do this yourself not through your people who until now you have hidden behind, having them perform your dirty work.’8 The Dalai Lama did not reply. His silence proves that he is lying and has no valid evidence.
To fulfil this false Dalai Lama’s wish to remove all Shugden practitioners from the worldwide Buddhist community, Robert Thurman has been quoted publicly as saying that Shugden practitioners are ‘the Taliban of Tibetan Buddhism’9and also that Shugden practitioners are working for the Chinese. To clarify this issue, the Western Shugden Society wrote the following open letter to him:
‘10th September 2008
An Open Letter
To Robert Thurman,
‘We the Western Shugden Society are writing this letter regarding your previous public statement that Shugden people are sectarian, naming them “the Buddhist Taliban”; and your recent public statement that the Western Shugden Society protestors are “working for the Chinese”.
‘As you know, Shugden people want to practise the Gelug tradition purely, without mixing with the Nyingma tradition. Because of this the Dalai Lama has said to Shugden people that they are sectarian. In truth, the Nyingmapa also want to practice their Nyingma tradition purely without mixing with the Gelug tradition; and it is the same for the Sakyapa and Kagyupa. So according to the Dalai Lama’s view, the Nyingmapa, Sakyapa and Kagyupa are also sectarian, but he only says that Shugden people are sectarian. In reality he is lying.
‘If you, Robert Thurman, are not yourself lying, then you must show your evidence to prove your public statements: that Shugden people are sectarian, “the Buddhist Taliban” as you named them; and that the Western Shugden Society is working for the Chinese. You should show your evidence publicly through the internet before 25th October 2008. If your evidence does not appear by this date then we will conclude that you have lied publicly and are misleading people.
‘Sincerely,
Western Shugden Society’10
The Western Shugden Society did not receive any reply from Robert Thurman. Again, his silence indicates that his statements are lies.
Since 1996 the Dalai Lama has stated publicly again and again that Shugden practice is harming his life and the cause of Tibetan independence. Because of their blind faith in the Dalai Lama many Tibetans believe what he says without investigating the actual truth. Consequently they have become extremely angry with Shugden practitioners and have tried to expel them from Tibetan society by many different means. These measures have included public humiliation, acts of provocation and intimidation, and threats; dismissing Shugden practitioners from jobs and positions, and denying them services; spreading lies and manipulating public opinion against them; not allowing other people to have material or spiritual relationship with them; withdrawing essential supplies to monks who engage in Shugden practice, not allowing them to attend classes or services at their monasteries, and forcing them to sign promises that they will abandon Dorje Shugden practice.
Through the Dalai Lama’s acts of religious discrimination, Tibetans throughout the world are now divided into those who accept what he says concerning Dorje Shugden and who are consequently angry with Dorje Shugden practitioners, and those who reject what he says about Dorje Shugden and who are consequently experiencing great suffering within their communities. This situation pervades throughout the world, both in the East and in the West.
The entire Tibetan community has lost its internal trust, peace and harmony, and is experiencing a very dangerous situation. The single source of all these problems is the Dalai Lama himself. Through his destructive policies, the Gelug Tradition is divided into those who follow his view and believe that Shugden is an evil spirit, and those who believe that Shugden is a Wisdom Buddha. In this way the Gelugpas have lost their trust, peace and harmony, as well as their common spiritual activities, and are experiencing many dangers. Because of other actions of the Dalai Lama the Kagyupas are also divided into two groups, and have likewise lost their trust, peace and harmony, and their common spiritual activities (see Chapter 11: The Karmapa Affair).
For many years the Dalai Lama repeatedly said that he was not seeking Tibetan independence and that he has not done anything to promote it, yet in 2008 he suddenly organised demonstrations in Tibet against China for this purpose. Although the demonstrations were intended to embarrass the Chinese government in the year when the Olympic Games were held in China, the widely distributed video footage of Buddhist monks involved in looting and violence brought Buddhism into disrepute. He himself enjoys life in his luxurious palace in India, while the poor Tibetan people experience great suffering and danger. His senseless actions have caused Tibetans living in Tibet many difficulties, again through destroying their internal trust, peace and harmony.
As soon as he arrived in India as a refugee in 1959 he made plans to transform the four traditions of Tibetan Buddhism – Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu and Gelug – into one single tradition. This was his method to destroy the pure lineages of the Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu and Gelug, and make himself alone the head of them all by establishing a new combined tradition. In this way he sought to achieve complete power to control everything within Tibetan society at a spiritual, political and material level.
At that time, the Tso Kha Chusum (‘Thirteen Groups of Tibetans’) opposed his plans and because of this for many years the Tibetan community lost its harmony and peace. In 1977 the leader of the Thirteen Groups, Gungtang Tsultrim, was shot dead (see Chapter 11:The Assassination of Gungtang Tsultrim). It is commonly accepted that the assassin was paid by people working for the Dalai Lama, in particular the Dalai Lama’s notorious brother Gyalo Dondrub (see Chapter 11: The Dalai Lama’s Brother, Gyalo Dondrub). Later, other important members of the Thirteen Groups also died suddenly and in suspicious circumstances, again causing many people to believe that organisations behind the Dalai Lama caused their deaths. It is said that there is a secret organisation based in New Delhi led by his notorious brother, whose function is to threaten, destroy the reputation of, or even kill those who oppose the Dalai Lama’s plans.
Although the Dalai Lama received an advanced education in Buddhism from his kind Teacher and root Guru Trijang Rinpoche, who was the lineage holder of Je Tsongkhapa’s teachings, after he arrived in India his behaviour towards his root Guru sadly changed. He continually acted against the intentions of Trijang Rinpoche, and worked hard to destroy Trijang Rinpoche’s spiritual tradition, the pure tradition of Je Tsongkhapa’s doctrine.
Since 1996, Shugden practitioners throughout Tibet, India and Nepal have suffered because many Tibetans followed the Dalai Lama’s view and adopted the belief that Shugden practitioners are their enemy. In both India and Tibet, many Shugden temples, shrines, statues, paintings and texts have been unlawfully destroyed, and many monks have been expelled from their monasteries. Following the Dalai Lama’s orders, the authorities within the monasteries and Tibetan settlements are continually making effort to expel those who have devotion for Trijang Rinpoche and who practise Dorje Shugden. In this way, the Dalai Lama has caused great sorrow and suffering to millions of people.
What is clear is that all these dreadful situations have developed through the power of the Dalai Lama’s evil actions. By dictatorial decree he has caused great suffering to people throughout the world, threatened the continued existence of pure lineages of Buddhist practice, opened up deep divisions in the Buddhist community and rendered the cause of Tibetan independence hopeless by destroying the internal trust, peace and harmony of the Tibetan people.