In the future, you may want to post your messages to ``soc.rights.human''
as well. Some of the Dala Lama's friends are active on the newsgroup.
-LS
: The following Open Letter was posted today to the Office of Tibet in London.
: ==========================================================================
: Open Letter to H.H. the Dalai Lama by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
: Your Holiness,
: For over eighteen years you have been continually speaking out against the
: practice of Dorje Shugden, saying that this practice is bad. Due to your
: high position, many people believe what you say. If Dorje Shugden practice
: is really harmful, then this implies that both Je Phabongkhapa and Kyabje
: Trijang Rinpoche made a big mistake and misled their disciples. If they were
: wrong then the entire Gelug tradition is incorrect.
:
: As you know, all practitioners of the Gelug tradition, including yourself,
: are directly or indirectly the disciples of these two Lamas. Your assertion
: that the practice of Dorje Shugden is harmful has already destroyed the
: reputation of these two Lamas and of the Gelug tradition.
: In particular, beginning in 1996 you have been speaking out publicly against
: the practice of Dorje Shugden, saying that he is a harmful spirit and harms
: both the cause of Tibetan independence as well as your health.
: Your speech has caused the Tibetan people much anxiety, and they have become
: angry, blaming Dorje Shugden practitioners for their problems, difficulties,
: and lack of freedom. So, in order to fulfil your wish, which is to destroy
: the practice of Dorje Shugden, the government-in-exile and many individual
: Tibetans are engaged in an organized campaign to destroy this practice by
: whatever means they can:
: (1) Removing statues and images from Temples, and destroying them;
: (2) Organizing forced-signature campaigns to make people promise to stop
: this practice;
: (3) People who refuse to sign and give up their practice receive abuse and
: threats, lose their jobs, lose their allowances, are expelled from their
: monastery, are beaten, etc.;
: (4) Those who continue with their practice are treated like outcasts in
: their own community, like the Jewish people in Germany under Hitler's rule.
: In this way, internal harmony within the Tibetan settlements has been
: destroyed. But this problem is no longer just a Tibetan problem; it has
: become an international one. Many thousands of people are now experiencing
: suffering, confusion, and loss of faith. You travel throughout the world and
: everywhere you speak out against the practice of Dorje Shugden, destroying
: the reputation of Gelugpas everywhere.
: This situation became increasingly difficult for us to bear, and so, for
: these reasons the NKT here in the west, and Tibetans in India, organized
: peaceful demonstrations last year.
: The demonstrations intended no disrespect to you, but rather were an
: indication that you had made a mistake in banning this practice, and a
: request to you to lift the ban. Immediately after the demonstrations the NKT
: stopped all activity related to this issue, in the hope that you would
: reconsider your actions and agree to lift the ban.
: However, your organization has continued to spread false information in
: western countries, saying:
: (1) The NKT is working for the Peoples' Republic of China;
: (2) The NKT is receiving large sums of money from the Chinese;
: (3) The NKT is sectarian;
: (4) The practice of Dorje Shugden is sectarian and disruptive of communal
: harmony;
: (5) The practice of Dorje Shugden leads to the degeneration of Buddha's
: teachings;
: (6) 'Research suggests' that association with the practice of Dorje Shugden
: attracts misfortune;
: (7) H.H. Trijang Rinpoche changed his mind and rejected the practice of
: Dorje Shugden;
: (8) Worship of Dorje Shugden harms Tibetan independence and the Dalai Lama's
: life;
: (9) The practice of Dorje Shugden is innately disruptive and divisive.
: I clearly understand that the purpose behind all this negative publicity is
: to destroy the NKT and the practice of Dorje Shugden in the west. The
: reputation of the NKT and of Dorje Shugden practitioners in the west has
: been severely affected because people believe these statements, which are
: simply lies.
: In April of this year one article appeared in Newsweek magazine in which you
: made unpleasant and humiliating statements about the NKT and myself. As you
: know this magazine is published in almost every country in the world, in
: many languages. There can be no purpose for this other than to destroy the
: NKT.
: At that time, I made the decision to clarify this religious issue in public.
: Nowadays, there is much debate and argument about you, myself and Dorje
: Shugden, which is causing the reputation of Buddhists world-wide to
: degenerate. This is shameful; this problem has not been created by the Deity
: Dorje Shugden but by human beings under the influence of delusion. No matter
: how much everyone debates and argues, it seems that there is no solution;
: instead the problem is getting worse.
: I have written to you several times asking for valid proof of your
: statements that Dorje Shugden is harming the Tibetan cause and your life. I
: have not received a reply from you. I did receive one letter from your
: office in Dharamsala, trying to prove your assertions about Dorje Shugden by
: quoting from books written by other Lamas that say he is a worldly spirit.
: The quotes never mention that the practice of Dorje Shugden could harm
: either the Tibetan cause or your life. Since many other Lamas have said and
: written that Dorje Shugden is a manifestation of Buddha Manjushri, the above
: reason is clearly not valid.
: Your ban on the practice of Dorje Shugden is a direct attack on religious
: freedom. This is against the UN 'Universal Declaration of Human Rights', and
: also against the law in democratic countries such as the United States. You
: are also engaging in Deity discrimination, which breaks the constitutional
: law of India.
: If the worship of Dorje Shugden is really harming the Tibetan cause, your
: people and your life, then you have good reasons for this ban, but I need
: clear evidence from you. Until now this has not been forthcoming. I do not
: want this situation to deteriorate any further, and would like to see this
: problem come to an end as soon as possible. This completely depends on you.
: It seems that there are only two possibilities here: either you can give
: valid reasons proving that Dorje Shugden is harming the Tibetan cause, your
: people and your life; or you should accept that you have made a mistake and
: publicly retract your statements. If you are really a Bodhisattva and love
: your people and truly want Buddhadharma to flourish throughout the world
: then you must solve this problem.
: Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
Mick
Liguo Sun wrote in message ...
> Liguo Sun has been shown over many posts that he is anti-Buddhist.
> What ever
> any of you do don't think he is agreeing with this for any other
> reason than
> it is against HHDL not because he is for any lineage.
I am pro-Buddhist. Can I be the next Dalai Lama ?
Come, Mick, pls. campaign for me to succeed the old man who is too old
to do a good job.