The world’s media have been reporting on this growing crisis surrounding the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, a crisis that has led to a major tragedy of violence and bloodshed within the Tibetan Buddhist community in India, and which has now spread to Buddhist communities around the world. Two of the principal political issues underlying this crisis are: (1) the Dalai Lama’s unilateral decision to abandon Tibetan independence as a political goal, and (2) his ban on the religious practice of Dorje Shugden.
Many newspapers and television networks have now reported on this situation, presenting in many cases the extreme views of the major contestants or the opinions of other journalists, usually unsubstantiated. Now that the public at large is aware that there is a problem, what is needed is a deeper investigation and analysis of the many complex issues involved, with the aim of ending this great tragedy of unnecessary human suffering.
16 June 1988 – ‘Dalai Lama asks Home Rule, with Chinese Role, in Tibet’, The Washington Post:
‘The Buddhist spiritual leader proposed talks with China to make Tibet “a self-governing, democratic political entity . . . in association with the People’s Republic of China [which] could remain responsible for Tibet’s foreign policy.”
‘The Dalai Lama said he was “well aware that many Tibetans will be disappointed by the moderate stand” these new ideas represent.’
16 November 1988 – ‘Dalai Lama offers Tibet Compromise’, The Boston Globe:
‘The Dalai Lama, revered by Tibetans, said yesterday he would settle for less than full independence for Tibet to prevent assimilation of the region by China. “I am not insisting we should be an independent country,” the spiritual and temporal leader of Tibetans said in an interview.’
11 March 1996 – ‘Refugees chafe at Dalai Lama’s rule’, The Independent (London):
‘Tibetan refugees began an 18-day walk from their northern India headquarters to New Delhi yesterday, hoping to step up pressure on China for Tibet’s independence. The march reflected growing impatience by a younger generation of Tibetans with the Dalai Lama, whose offer to compromise on independence has failed to win concessions from China.’
26 January 1997 – Paul Salopek, ‘The CIA’s Secret War in Tibet’, Chicago Tribune:
‘The Americans came, he said, in a big turboprop plane, a gleaming machine that he and other awed Tibetans called a “sky ship”. They wore sunglasses and baggy flight suits. They packed shiny automatic weapons on their hips. And speaking through an interpreter, they asked Nawang if he wanted to kill Chinese.
‘ “I told them I would be very happy to kill many Chinese,” recalled the 63-year-old rug merchant, one of thousands of exiled Tibetans living in this picturesque Himalayan capital.
‘ “I was very young and strong then. Very patriotic. I told them I would even be a suicide bomber.”
‘The strangers, Air Force pilots working with the CIA, must have liked what they heard because on that hot day back in 1963, at a secret air base in India, they took Nawang and 40 other Tibetan recruits on the first airplane ride of their lives. It was a journey that would stretch halfway around the world and into one of the murkiest chapters of the CIA’s long history of covert activity in Asia: a secret war in Tibet.’
20 November 1997 – John Goetz and Jochen Graebert, ‘Verklärt, verkitscht – Hollywood feiert den Dalai Lama’ (‘Modified and kitschified – Hollywood fetes the Dalai Lama’), ARD (German TV documentary):
‘Things are not so harmonious and tolerant around the Dalai Lama – especially not when it comes to his own power.
‘Shugden is one of many traditional Tibetan protector deities. For many years the Dalai Lama also worshipped this centuries old Deity. But now he has banned the worship of this Deity.
‘It’s alleged that Shugden worship endangers the personal safety and health of the Dalai Lama. There is a ban on any Shugden worshippers receiving employment in roles from Ministers to nurses. And on top of this the Dalai Lama demands that people spy on each other: [quoting government letter:] “Should anyone whosoever continue to worship the Shugden Deity, make a list of their name, address and place of birth. Keep the original and send us a copy of the list.” Denunciation and spying have poisoned the atmosphere amongst the Tibetan exiles.
‘The Dalai Lama is renowned throughout the world for his wisdom. But in reality he makes all his important political decisions in a highly dubious manner: he asks traditional Tibetan oracles for advice.
‘Lhasang Tsering: “In terms of introducing democracy, I can only say that the exile government is half-hearted. In fact, almost embarrassingly so. The question of independence was decided by the Executive in isolation. Not even the parliament was consulted, let alone the people. So I say: the decision to give up the goal of independence was undemocratic.” ’
5 January 1998 – Beat Regli, ‘Dalai Lama: Discord in Exile’, 10 vor 10, SF1 (Swiss TV documentary):
‘A ban that shakes many Tibetan Buddhists at the core of their faith. In just one monastery in southern India about a thousand monks refuse to comply with the Dalai Lama’s decision.
‘Anonymous threats are spread against anyone who refuses to obey his directives: Whoever reveres Dorje Shugden, “… must be targeted and firmly opposed. We must bring them before the public. They have to be killed.”
‘The Thubten family was literally chased out of their residential area.
‘Mrs Thubten: “About a hundred people attacked us. Had we gone out of our house, they definitely would have killed us.”
‘Fanatical followers of the Dalai Lama tried to burn down this family’s house. They successfully forced these people who revere the Deity now banned by the Dalai Lama to flee. They lost everything. This family are pariahs of the Tibetan Community in India.
‘Mrs Thubten: “They broke into our house and destroyed everything. They smashed the china; demolished the TV with stones; wrecked the fridge. All the windows, they destroyed everything. My husband worked thirty-five years for all this.”
‘Only few victims are willing to speak out against this persecution.’
March 1998, Laura Durango, ‘Report – Bad Times’, Diario de Cordoba:
‘The media all over the world is taking notice of this conflict. The Swiss television SF1, the German television ARD and the Canadian magazine NOW have already reported on the supposed methods used by the Dalai Lama’s Tibetan government in exile to ban the worship of Shugden: destruction of statues and images of this Deity, forced signature campaigns to make people promise to stop their worship, intimidation of those who refuse to do so, expulsion of monks from their monasteries and punishments compared to those of Hitler against the Jews.’
26 April 1998 – Julian West, ‘Tibetans accuse Dalai Lama of spiritual betrayal’, The Daily Telegraph (London):
‘All is not well in Shangri-la. In the Dalai Lama’s mountain headquarters the chanting of Tibetan monks has been disturbed by loud voices of dissent.
‘Many members of the 130,000-strong Tibetan exile community are convinced that the Dalai Lama has betrayed their dream of a Tibet free of Chinese occupation.
‘Some are even accusing “His Holiness” of sacrificing Tibetan independence for “his own spiritual ideology” by constantly changing his aims and failing to modernise their society.’
28 April 1998 – Karen Butler, ‘Monks, nuns to protest Dalai Lama in NY’, United Press International (UPI) (New York):
‘Followers of the Dalai Lama will petition the Tibetan holy man during his visit to New York City this week asking him to reverse his ban on a traditional Buddhist practice, which they say is religious persecution.
‘It is the first time that the Dalai Lama has been faced with a protest from his own followers while visiting the United States. ‘The Dalai Lama, who arrives Friday, reportedly stopped Dorje Shugden as a protector deity in 1976 after an oracle told him that the deity was a malevolent spirit harmful to the leader’s well being.
‘A High Lama, Kundeling Rinpoche, says that on Saturday about 150 monks and nuns plan to present the Dalai Lama with a petition bearing 15,000 signatures objecting to the ban, which he compares to President Clinton forbidding Christians from worshipping the Virgin Mary.’
30 April 1998 – ‘Major Change in Political Complexion as Tibetans Call for Militant Campaign’, East Asia Today Reports, BBC World Service:
‘The death of Thupten Nudup[sic], the fifty year old monk, who self immolated this week in Delhi, is, according to analysts, producing nothing short of a sea change among the followers of the exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.
‘Tens of thousands of them came onto the streets of Dharamsala, the seat of their exiled government, to pay respects to the dead man.’
30 April 1998 – Nadine Brozan, ‘Buddhists to Protest Dalai Lama during US Visit’, The New York Times:
‘The Dalai Lama may be bearing messages of peace when he arrives in New York today at the start of a 15-day American tour, but he faces the threat of protests from a coalition of Buddhists who contend that he has kept them from worshipping a deity that they revere.’
30 April 1998 – Karen Michel, ‘Protesting the Dalai Lama, All Things Considered’, National Public Radio, (USA):
‘The Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, is starting another visit to the United States.
‘This one could be less peaceful than previous visits. A group of dissident Tibetan Buddhists says the Dalai Lama’s ban on the worship of a Buddhist Deity called Dorje Shugden amounts to religious oppression. The Dorje Shugden International Coalition is also criticizing the Dalai Lama for heeding the advice of an oracle to issue the ban.’
1 May 1998 – Costas Panagopoulos, ‘Zero Worship: The Deity the Dalai Lama Doesn’t Love’, New York Magazine:
‘The Shugden Coalition … has collected some 15,000 signatures petitioning the Dalai Lama to lift the ban, which, the Coalition claims, has incited human-rights violations―house-to-house searches, destruction of prayer books and images of the deity―among some of his followers, primarily in Dharmsala, India, seat of the Tibetan leader’s exiled government. … also cites the Tibetan regional council’s statement that it is unlawful to worship gods not recognised by the government, and the fact that the Dalai Lama’s private office has asked for the names, birthplaces, and addresses of Shugden worshippers. “The Dalai Lama portrays himself as a Gandhi figure,” says Jampel, “but he is acting more like a modern-day Hitler.” ’
3 May 1998 – Cynthia Tornquist, ‘Dalai Lama Greeted by Protestors in Manhattan’, CNN TV:
‘Nearly 130 worshippers of a Buddhist Deity protested Sunday against the Dalai Lama during his visit to midtown Manhattan. ‘Worshippers of the Dorje Shugden, a 350-year-old Buddhist Deity, accuse the Dalai Lama of instigating a ban against the worship of the Deity, which they say is one of the most revered in the Buddhist religion.
‘A spokesman for an international coalition to lift the ban says worshippers are being discriminated against in many Buddhist regions of Asia. The group says the Dalai Lama is oppressing human rights.’
4 May 1998 – John Zubrzycki, ‘Patience of Tibetans Wears Thin’, Christian Science Monitor, International Section:
‘As Thupten Ngodup watched the first three Tibetan hunger strikers being taken away under cover, he decided there was only one way to fight back.
‘So as Indian riot police surrounded their camp in New Delhi at dawn the next day to pick up the three remaining protesters, the former monk poured kerosene over himself, struck a match, and walked behind a banner demanding independence for Tibet.
‘Mr. Ngodup died two days later on April 29….
‘Despite spending nearly 40 years in exile, the Dalai Lama remains the undisputed symbol of the Tibetan exile movement. But more and more exiles are beginning to question his authority as the political leader of their struggle. “There is a stagnation in the Tibetan struggle caused by indecision on the part of the leadership and a lack of political will to take the necessary steps to achieve results,” says Lhasang Tsering, former president of the Tibetan Youth Congress.’
5 May 1998 – Neelesh Misra, ‘Tibetans Try to Storm Embassy’, Associated Press, (New Delhi):
‘Indian police showered baton blows on Tibetan demonstrators trying to storm the Chinese Embassy today to protest Beijing’s rule of their homeland. About a dozen protesters were left injured and bleeding.
‘In a guerrilla-style operation that took the police off guard, about 200 slogan-shouting protesters converged on the embassy from different directions, waving banners and Tibetan flags.
‘Monks and nuns jostled and traded punches with the outnumbered policemen, who summoned reinforcements and attacked the crowd with bamboo truncheons.’
‘ “The self-immolation was just the beginning”, said Pema Lhundhup, joint secretary of the Tibetan Youth Congress. “The frustration is boiling over. More and more Tibetans are getting ready to die.” ’
11 May 1998 – David Van Biema and Tim McGirk, ‘Monks vs Monks’, Time Magazine:
‘Tibet’s political and religious leader garnered not only a 1989 Nobel Peace Prize for efforts on behalf of his Chinese- occupied homeland but also (as the Apple Computer ads strove to exploit) the vague undifferentiated goodwill of a cynical and overcaffeinated world still auditioning sources of truth, calm and peace.
‘All the more jarring, then, that upon arriving in New York City last Thursday to start a 16-day American tour, the icon of enlightened harmony was met by demonstrators. And not just any protesters, but saffron- and maroon-robed Tibetan Buddhist monks and nuns hefting a sign that read DALAI LAmA, PLeAse gIve ReLIgIoUs FReeDom and accusing him of suppressing devotions to a deity known as Dorje Shugden.’
11 May 1998 – Kenneth Woodward, ‘A Scratch in the Teflon Lama’, Newsweek:
‘The reputation of His Holiness—despite constant trafficking with politicians, fund-raisers and media and movie stars—has remained as lofty as the Himalayas. He is the Teflon lama.
‘Now there is a scratch. At the start of a religious visit to the United States, the Dalai Lama was picketed in New York City last week by a group of Buddhists charging him with—of all things—religious intolerance.’
13 July 1998 – Christopher Hitchens, ‘His Material Highness’, Salon Magazine:
‘The Dalai Lama has come out in support of the thermonuclear tests recently conducted by the Indian state, and has done so in the very language of the chauvinist parties who now control that state’s affairs. The “developed” countries, he says, must realise that India is a major contender and should not concern themselves with its internal affairs. This is a perfectly realpolitik statement, so crass and banal and opportunist that it would not deserve any comment if it came from another source. …
‘The greatest triumph that modern PR can offer is the transcendent success of having your words and actions judged by your reputation, rather than the other way about. The “spiritual leader” of Tibet has enjoyed this unassailable status for some time now, becoming a byword and synonym for saintly and ethereal values. Why this doesn’t put people on their guard I’ll never know.’
1 August 1998 – Sara Chamberlain, ‘Deity Banned – Outrage as Dalai Lama denounces Dorje Shugden’, New Internationalist:
‘Buddhists picketed the Dalai Lama’s recent visit to the United States and Europe. They protested against the ban on the worship of the 350-year-old deity, Dorje Shugden, whom they say is one of the most revered in the Buddhist religion. In 1996 the Dalai Lama announced that worship of Dorje Shugden was banned and explained that his oracle, Nechung, has advised him that the deity was a threat to his personal safety and the future of Tibet.
‘According to P.K. Dey, a human-rights lawyer from Delhi: “Those worshipping Shugden are experiencing tremendous harassment … Dalai Lama supporters are going from house to house searching. For example, in Clementown, India, the house of a family of Shugden worshippers was stoned and then firebombed. Wanted posters describe people believed to be Shugden leaders as the top ten enemies of the state.”
‘Dorje Shugden worshippers say the ban and its implementation are in direct conflict with the proposed constitution of a free Tibet, laid down by the Dalai Lama in 1963. The constitution states that all religious denominations are equal before the law, and every Tibetan shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. But when Dorje Shugden worshippers challenged the ban, the Tibetan Government-in-exile stated that: “Concepts like democracy and freedom of religion are empty when it comes to the well- being of the Dalai Lama and the common cause of Tibet.”
‘During recent peace vigils a petition with 15,000 signatures was handed to the Dalai Lama stating the need for all Tibetan traditions to flourish. Protesters asked him to sign a declaration of freedom to worship Dorje Shugden. The Dalai Lama refused.’
24 August 1998 – Archana Phull, ‘Anti-Shugden agenda flares up conflict’, The India Express:
‘The “anti-Shugden agenda” of a convention to be hosted by the United Cholsum Organisation of the Tibetans in McLeod Ganj from August 27 has again flared up the Dalai- deity conflict with over 120 members of the Dorje Shugden Charitable and Religious Society, Delhi deciding to throng the venue, without any invitation, to seek direct “evidence of Cholsum accusations on Chinese funding to the hard core Shugden to divide the Tibetan community.” ’
2 September 1998 – Hema Shukla, ‘Protest by religious dissidents reflects schism among Tibetan exiles’, Associated Press:
‘NEW DELHI, India: About 150 Tibetan protesters accused the Dalai Lama of religious repression Tuesday, reflecting a schism in the Tibetan exile society that was once seen as cohesive.
‘The demonstrators were believers in Dorje Shugden, a Tibetan deity whose worship was banned by the Dalai Lama in 1996. They wore white masks during their protest march to symbolise what they called attempts to silence them.
‘Tibetan officials have indicated that the Dalai Lama believes the spirit of Dorje Shugden is working against him, hampering his goal of winning autonomy for Tibet from China.
‘ “We want the world to know that Tibetan society has problems. There is religious repression,” said Cheme Tsering, a spokesman for the marchers….’
15 September 1998 – Jim Mann, ‘CIA gave Aid to Tibetan Exiles in ‘60s, Files show’, The LA Times:
‘For much of the 1960s, the CIA provided the Tibetan exile movement with $1.7 million a year for operations against China, including an annual subsidy of $180,000 for the Dalai Lama, according to newly released U.S. intelligence documents.
‘The money for the Tibetans and the Dalai Lama was part of the CIA’s worldwide effort during the height of the Cold War to undermine Communist governments, particularly in the Soviet Union and China. In fact, the U.S. government committee that approved the Tibetan operations also authorized the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba.’
November 1998 – Brendan O’Neill, ‘Dalai Lama “a religious dicta- tor”’, Living Marxism:
‘… There is no outlet in Tibet or northern India for Shugden worshippers to protest about what is happening. The only independent newspaper in Tibetan exile society, Democracy, was forced to close in March 1996 after it criticised government- in-exile policy….
‘Perhaps it is not surprising that the Dalai Lama should be able to suppress debate in Tibetan society. More disturbing is that the Western media has also been largely silent about this. It seems that for many the Dalai Lama is beyond reproach; as Hollywood’s and the liberal media’s favourite good guy he can do no wrong.
‘ “It’s not the politically correct thing to do, to criticise the Dalai Lama”, says Dan Coote of the British branch of the Dorje Shugden Coalition. When Coote sent out press releases at the beginning of this year he was told by some journalists that “they would not touch this story”, because it was “too critical” of the Buddhist leader. “There seems to be a double standard”, says Coote, ‘‘where some freedoms are seen as worthy of support, while others are ignored”.’
10 January 1999 – ‘Dorje Shugden worshippers barred from Dalai Lama meet’, The India Express:
‘Theological differences among Tibetan Buddhists reached a climax here on Saturday with the arrival of the Dalai Lama with worshippers of Dorje Shugden deity demanding that they be derecognised as Tibetans so that they can apply for Indian citizenship.
‘Before the Dalai Lama’s arrival in Hubli where he will conduct a series of religious classes, a notice was sent to all the communities stating that followers of Dorje Shugden, addressed as Dolgyal (a derogatory term), would not be allowed to attend the seminar. Passes were issued only to those people and monks who gave a written statement that they were not followers of this deity.’
10 March 1999 – Iain S. Bruce, ‘The Dark Side of the Dalai Lama’, The Scotsman:
‘To much of the Western world he is the very embodiment of kindness and peace, a gentle robed figure of great wisdom and limitless virtue. Feted by politicians, pop stars and Hollywood stars, the seemingly undisputed spiritual and political leader of the movement to free Tibet has always seemed like a pretty safe bet in a diplomatic arena populated by rogues and charlatans.
‘The cracks in the Dalai Lama’s impeccable image, however, are beginning to show and accusations are being levelled with increasing frequency which link the 1989 Nobel laureate to religious repression, despotism and murder.
‘ “The Dalai Lama has two faces. In the West he enthusiastically creates an atmosphere of liberalism and open dialogue; in the East he treats people as a monarch does his subjects”, says Lama Kundeling, the abbot of the Atisha monastery in Bangalore and a respected member of the exiled Tibetan community. “There is no freedom for us – he has a total monopoly over all spiritual and secular matters and spreads confusion and distress among the Tibetan people.’’ ’
5 January 2001 – ‘Of the Dalai Lama and a witch-hunt’, Frontline (India’s National Magazine):
‘What has been the impact of the ban?
‘Kundeling Rinpoche: “Severe. I call it the Tibetan
Inquisition initiated worldwide, but particularly in India. For example, the house of every Tibetan was searched, pictures and images of Dorje Shugden were trampled upon, desecrated, burnt or destroyed publicly. The houses of prominent people – followers of Dorje Shugden – were attacked during the nights, and death threats issued to all those who did not follow the dictates of the Dalai Lama. A number of monks were expelled from the monastery at the Mundgod settlement for having participated in a peaceful protest march organised by me on May 15, 1996 in the Mundgod settlement. When the Dorje Shugden Society was established in April 15, 1996 in Delhi, the Dalai Lama and his so-called ministry used threats, money, and the Indian bureaucracy to close it down forcibly.” ’
18 September 2003 – Laurie Goodstein, ‘Dalai Lama says Terror may need a violent reply’, The New York Times:
‘The Dalai Lama, a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and one of the world’s most prominent advocates of nonviolence, said in an interview yesterday that it might be necessary to fight terrorists with violence, and that it was “too early to say” whether the war in Iraq was a mistake.
‘ “I feel only history will tell,” he said. “Terrorism is the worst kind of violence, so we have to check it, we have to take countermeasures.”
‘The Dalai Lama spoke in his first visit to New York City since the 2001 terrorist attacks. He is on the last stop of a United States tour that has highlighted his dual roles as Buddhist teacher and head of state.’
10 October 2003 – Colman McCarthy, ‘The Dalai Lama is no Gandhi’, National Catholic Reporter:
‘If you’ve ever had suspicions that the Dalai Lama is a lightweight, suspect no more. He is.
‘Recently finishing a U.S. lecture tour that attracted rock- concert crowds in major cities, the 68-year-old Tibetan Buddhist came up against a pesky New York Times reporter who asked questions about terrorism and the war in Iraq. In a story headlined “Dalai Lama Says Terror May Need a Violent Reply,” the monk said: “Terrorism is the worst kind of violence, so we have to check it, we have to take countermeasures.”
‘Soothing words to the Bush war makers as they seek $87 billion for countermeasures to bolster earlier countermeasures that failed. No amount of Buddhist incense smoked over the lama’s words can hide their meaning: Kill people to solve conflicts. Here is one more religious leader who is a pacifist between wars, akin to being a vegetarian between meals …
‘The Dalai Lama joins a long list of people who, in the parlance of celebrity, are famous for being famous. He is an entertainer, a headliner, a showman—complete with maroon robes and a bare shoulder. Nothing wrong with that. A shtick’s a shtick. But he’s nowhere close to being in the company of Gandhi, who said, “I do not believe in any war,” or the Mennonites Church of the Brethren or Quakers who don’t hedge their antiwar convictions, much less wait for history.’
23 May 2007 – Michael Backman, ‘Behind the Dalai Lama’s Holy Cloak’, The Age (Melbourne):
‘Rarely do journalists challenge the Dalai Lama.
‘Partly it is because he is so charming and engaging. Most published accounts of him breeze on as airily as the subject, for whom a good giggle and a quaint parable are substitutes for hard answers. But this is the man who advocates greater autonomy for millions of people who are currently Chinese citizens, presumably with him as head of their government. So, why not hold him accountable as a political figure? …
‘What has the Dalai Lama actually achieved for Tibetans inside Tibet?
‘If his goal has been independence for Tibet or, more recently, greater autonomy, then he has been a miserable failure.
‘He has kept Tibet on the front pages around the world, but to what end? The main achievement seems to have been to become a celebrity. Possibly, had he stayed quiet, fewer Tibetans might have been tortured, killed and generally suppressed by China.’
5 February 2008 - French Politician Jean-Luc Mélanchon on the Olympic Protests, Telematin, France 2 (French TV):
‘Jean Luc Melanchon: “If people want to protest against the Olympics, it means they accept the Dalai Lama’s claims about Tibet. But there we need to look carefully and not be naive. I find it unbelievable, really, to see French people, who would argue forcefully for the separation of church and state, finding it desirable to have a theocracy in Tibet …
‘We know how these things work. It’s not a simple affair about an association or an NGO. There are strategic interests being played out. Kosovo didn’t demand independence, but ended up with a US military base. So let’s not pretend to be naive, and say that this isn’t about geo-political or geo-strategic issues. People are being manipulated.” ’
6 March 2008 – Brendan O’Neill, ‘Why Tibetophilia won’t set Tibet free’, edited version first published on Comment is Free on 6th March 2008 (available on www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/ article/4852/, March 10th 2008):
‘At the same time, [free Tibet] campaigners’ unquestioning support for the Dalai Lama suggests they see Tibetans as an immature people who need a godlike figure to lead them. The Dalai Lama was never elected by anybody; rather, in a process that makes Britain’s House of Lords seem almost modern and democratic (I said almost), he was handpicked by a tiny sect of monks who believed that he represents one of innumerable incarnations of the Buddhist entity Avalokitesvara.
‘Indeed, some writers on Tibet have pointed out that the idolisation of the Dalai Lama by Western activists and officials, and of course by some Tibetans, might actually undermine the development of democracy in Tibet. In her book The Tibetan Independence Movement: Political, Religious and Gandhian Perspectives [Routledge, 2002], Jane Ardley writes: “[It] is apparent that it is the Dalai Lama’s role as ultimate spiritual authority that is holding back the political process of democratisation. The assumption that he occupies the correct moral ground from a spiritual perspective means that any challenge to his political authority may be interpreted as anti-religious.”
‘In elevating the Dalai Lama to the position of unquestionable representative of the Tibetan people, pro-Tibet activists are helping to stifle “the opportunity for opposition and the expression of different views” – the very lifeblood of democracy. Indeed, some Tibetan Buddhist groups that have challenged or questioned the authority of the Dalai Lama have found themselves denounced and suppressed by the Dalai Lama’s people.’
21 March 2008 – Somini Sengupta, ‘Some Tibetan Exiles Reject Middle Way’, The New York Times:
‘Since March 10 the Dalai Lama has stuck to his “middle way” script and appeared remarkably affable, at least publicly, even as China accused him of masterminding the uprising and called him “a devil with a human face.” …
‘Yet, a handful of radical Tibetan exile groups have said angrily that the “middle way” has achieved nothing in nearly 30 years. They have called for an Olympic Games boycott, burned Chinese flags and refused to call off a march from here to Lhasa, Tibet’s capital, which he has called impractical in opposing a mighty state intent on using force.
‘So the question arises of whether the Dalai Lama, who has spent the last 49 years here in India and built one of the most powerful exile movements in the world, is out of touch with his own people.’
31 March 2008 – Pankaj Mishra, ‘Holy Man: What does the Dalai Lama actually stand for?’, The New Yorker Magazine:
‘Since the Dalai Lama speaks English badly, and frequently collapses into prolonged fits of giggling, he can also give the impression that he is, as Pico Iyer reports a journalist saying, “not the brightest bulb in the room.”
‘His simple-Buddhist-monk persona invites skepticism, even scorn. “I have heard cynics who say he’s a very political old monk shuffling around in Gucci shoes,” Rupert Murdoch has said. Christopher Hitchens accuses the Dalai Lama of claiming to be a “hereditary king appointed by heaven itself” and of enforcing “one-man rule” in Dharamsala, the town in the Indian Himalayas that serves as a capital for the more than a hundred and fifty thousand Tibetans in exile. …
‘His critics may have a point: the Dalai Lama’s citizenship in the global cosmopolis seems to come at a cost to his dispossessed people.’
6 May 2008 – Venkatesan Vembu, ‘Dalai Lama’s Middle Way has failed’, DNA (India):
‘Jamyang Norbu: “There’s now a very strong voice among Tibetan people, especially among young people. … A lot of them, who are coming out of Tibet into exile, are not so reverent of the Tibetan government-in-exile. They are now saying that the Tibet government’s policy – and the Dalai Lama’s ‘Middle Way’ approach – is a failure. The Dalai Lama in some ways is desperate. He doesn’t comprehend the nature of modern politics – and I don’t think he has an understanding of totalitarian regimes.” ’
17 May 2008 – Stefan Kornelius, ‘A politician in Monk’s Robes’, Suddeutsche Zeitung (Germany):
‘Even in the first hours of his journey through Germany the spiritual leader of the Tibetans, the Dalai Lama, didn’t want to utter a thoughtless word. In countless interviews, accompanied by cameras at every step, and in his speeches to followers and believers he patiently repeated the same old claims and assertions: No, this is not a political visit, he is just a simple monk, it’s about religious and cultural autonomy for the Tibetan People and protecting the environment. The unity of China is not being challenged and all his efforts are based in non-violence.
‘Whoever examines this flow of words for their political substance will quickly realise that, according to the Constitution of the Tibetan Government in Exile, enacted in the Tibetan year 2218 (1991), the Dalai Lama is the lord over the executive and the legislative. Nothing goes in the world of the Tibetan Exiles without his say so.’
17 May 2008 – ‘Stop Lying’, Suddeutsche Zeitung (Germany):
‘It sounds like a battle cry from the stadium, which is diagonally opposite, yet it is an accusation: “Dalai Lama, stop lying” Again and again the 300 robed protesters chant the sentence.
Motorists wind down their windows, perhaps they cannot believe what they are hearing. Are there actually people outside China, even Tibetans who have something against the Dalai Lama?…
‘This is not about politics but about religious freedom. Nothing is being asked of the Dalai Lama other than what he is asking of the Chinese, but nobody is interested in what he’s actually doing. “Here the Dalai Lama presents himself as a Spiritual Leader. We want people to look behind the mask”.’
18 May 2008 – Mariam Lau, ‘The Laughing King without a Country’, Die Welt am Sonntag (Germany):
‘Wherever the Dalai Lama shows up – and he shows up pretty much everywhere – a spiritual supermarket immediately pops up. For example, in front of the RuhrCongress in Bochum, the second stop on his long planned tour of Germany are stands selling Tibet Snowlion cushions, mousepads with his likeness, incense, wooly hats and “Free Tibet” ringtones. Across the way, in a gold and burgundy throng, are the monks from the Western Shugden Society accusing him of lying: “Dalai Lama, stop discrimination!”
‘Indeed in an unusual act of political and religious constriction, a few years ago the religious leader of the Tibetans banned the worship of the Buddhist Deity Dorje Shugden that he felt was backwards and bloodthirsty….
‘He isn’t opposed to having his face on screen-savers. He happily writes forwards for embarrassing books and has made a dubious Temple of Hollywood. At the end of the day all he has is PR. If the Palestinians could have a figurehead like him instead of leaders intent on self-destruction they would have probably regained their country longer ago. But the Dalai Lama hasn’t achieved much for his people up to now. Not one influential head of state in the world has given clear and concrete support to his campaign for cultural autonomy.’
18 May 2008 – from ‘Rights pleas against Dalai Lama’, The Telegraph (Calcutta):
Shimla, May 17th: ‘A Delhi-based charitable trust has filed a human rights violation petition in Delhi High Court against the Dalai Lama and Samdong Rinpoche, the Prime Minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile.
‘ “The Dalai Lama is blackmailing Dorje Shugden worshippers into giving up their religious beliefs….” said the petition filed …’.
20 May 2008 – Brendan O’Neill ‘Is the Dalai Lama a religious dictator?’, Spiked Magazine:
‘In her book The Tibetan Independent Movement: Political, Religious and Gandhian Perspectives, Jane Ardley argued that in terms of the development of internal political life in Tibet and Dharamsala, “[It] is apparent that it is the Dalai Lama’s role as ultimate spiritual authority that is holding back the political process of democratisation. The assumption that he occupies the correct moral ground from a spiritual perspective means that any challenge to his political authority may be interpreted as anti-religious.”…
‘The state of denial in the West about some of the Dalai Lama’s alleged power-tripping, or at least the unquestioning attitude towards the Dalai Lama and everything that he does, highlights the role that he plays for many Western celebs, commentators and politicians today: he’s a cartoon “good guy”, giggling, pure and righteous, who apparently should be unconditionally applauded for standing up to the “Evil Chinese”. All of the Dalai Lama’s bad points – his origins in the stifling medievalism of 1930s Tibet; his archaic practices; his disregard for “concepts like democracy and freedom of religion”; his backing from the CIA in its Cold War with the Chinese – are simply ignored.’
22 May 2008 – Mario Cacciottolo, ‘Peace and placards greet Dalai Lama’, BBC News:
‘Directly opposite, on the other side of the road, are a group of Buddhist monks whose argument is that the Dalai Lama has called for a ban on the worship of the Buddhist Deity Dorje Shugden, and particularly a prayer to him.
‘The arguments are complicated, but basically His Holiness says that this particular Deity is un-Buddhist in its nature.
‘These followers disagree, and according to Kelsang Pema, a nun taking part in the protest, what they want is a “meaningful discussion” with the Dalai Lama. “The only purpose of Dorje Shugden is to help people develop Buddhist minds of love, peace and compassion,” she said.
‘ “We’ve sent him faxes, email and letters asking him to talk to us about it but they’re all ignored. The Dalai Lama himself practised as we do until he was 50.” ’
23 May 2008 – from The Metro (London):
‘The Dalai Lama’s tour of Britain ran into multiple protests yesterday as demonstrators voiced their opposition to his political and religious beliefs. As the Tibetan spiritual leader spoke inside the Royal Albert Hall, hundreds lined the streets outside.
‘They waved signs reading “Give us Religious Freedom” and “Hypocrisy”.’
23 May 2008 – Ann Treneman, ‘Dalai Lama drama as Westminster sees the Light’, The Times (London):
‘The Dalai Lama arrived at Westminster in a silver Merc accompanied by three other silver Mercs. His Holiness may be close to the heavenly light but he does not travel light….
‘It has to be said that Mr Lama is pure box office. He is the crowd-pleaser to end all crowd-pleasers. He began by getting out the crimson man-bag that he always carries and which I thought contained something sacred or at least the meaning of life.
‘Like a magician, Mr Lama brought out its contents: first he brandished a crimson visor (it matched his robes perfectly) and placed it at a rakish angle on his shaven head. Then he showed us his spectacles case with great delight. He brought out a tiny cellophane-wrapped item. “A sweetie!” he cried, giggling.
‘Then he began to ramble. “Sometimes on the aeroplane, breakfast is quite small. I need not only quality but quantity because the Buddhist monk – no dinner. So I always carry some bread.”
‘It seemed a shame when we had to quit playing “Show Me Your Manbag” and talk about human rights. To start Mr Lama did a lot more bowing (he can bow while he sits)…
‘Then he was off in a swirl of crimson. I tell you, if he wasn’t a revered spiritual leader, he’d be a great ham actor. He’s a Drama-Lama, that’s for sure.’
27 May 2008 – John Hess, ‘Protest over Dalai Lama’, BBC News:
‘These followers [belonging to the Western Shugden Society] came to Nottingham today to voice anger over his ban of an ancient Buddhist prayer.
‘His [the Dalai’s Lama’s] visit to Nottingham has not only been politically controversial but this demonstration highlights the controversies within the Buddhist faith itself over his style of leadership.’
29 May 2008 – Brendan O’Neill, ‘Down with the Dalai Lama’, The Guardian (London):
‘Has there ever been a political figure more ridiculous than the Dalai Lama? This is the “humble monk” who forswears worldly goods in favour of living a simple life dressed in maroon robes. Yet in 1992 he guest-edited French Vogue, the bible of the decadent high-fashion classes …
‘The Dalai Lama says he wants Tibetan autonomy and political independence. Yet he allows himself to be used as a tool by Western powers keen to humiliate China. Between the late 1950s and 1974 he is alleged to have received around $15,000 a month or $180,000 a year from the CIA.
‘In truth he is a product of the crushing feudalism of archaic, pre-modern Tibet, where an elite of Buddhist monks treated the masses as serfs and ruthlessly punished them if they stepped out of line.
‘The Dalai Lama demands religious freedom. Yet he persecutes a Buddhist sect that worships a deity called Dorje Shugden.’
30 May 2008 – Matt Wilkinson, ‘Update: Hundreds Protest at Dalai Lama Visit’, The Oxford Times (Online), Oxford, England:
‘The Dalai Lama is speaking at the Sheldonian Theatre and about 1000 members of the Western Shugden Society turned up outside. The protesters chanted “Dalai Lama Stop Lying” and other slogans as he arrived for the talk at 9.30am. The chanting reached fever pitch as the Dalai Lama arrived in a chauffeur-driven vehicle and was escorted into a building. The society claims the Tibetan leader has banned a traditional Bhuddist[sic] prayer, while his followers are abusing the human rights of Shugden Bhuddists[sic].’
5 June 2008 – Michael Backman, ‘Selling Tibet to the World, The Age (Melbourne):
‘Why is the Dalai Lama so hell-bent on moving against Shugden supporters? A reason might be that he genuinely believes Shugden worship is wrong. Another seems to derive from his desire to unite the four traditions of Tibetan Buddhism - the Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu and Gelugpa. This has always been one of the Dalai Lama’s problems. He is not the head of Buddhism; he is not even the head of Tibetan Buddhism. Traditionally, the Dalai Lamas are from the Gelugpa sect. But since leaving Tibet, the current Dalai Lama has sought to speak for all Tibetans and particularly all overseas Tibetans.
‘To enhance his authority, he has sought to merge the four traditions into one and place himself at its head. But Dorje Shugden presents a roadblock.’
11 June 2008 – SBS Worldnews Australia:
‘The Dalai Lama arrived in Australia today to a warm welcome from supporters but was branded a “liar” and a “hypocrite” by some 50 protesting Buddhist monks and nuns.
‘ “He is a hypocrite, and it’s very sad to say that about a religious leader”, said WSS spokesperson Kelsang Pema … “He is not practising what he preaches. He’s here teaching about love and compassion but he endorses human atrocities, basically.”
‘She said the Dalai Lama’s “inflammatory” campaign against a Buddhist Deity called Dorje Shugden had resulted in thousands of monks being expelled from monasteries, supporters denied food, medicine and travel visas, families being ostracised and Shugden temples being destroyed.’
12 June 2008 – John Stapleton, ‘Adoration and Protests greet Dalai Lama’, The Australian:
‘While adoring crowds met the Dalai Lama in Sydney yesterday for the start of his six-day visit, there was also the predicted rabble of protesters on hand accusing him of being a liar and hypocrite.
‘But instead of the dissenters being Chinese nationals, the group deriding him were fellow Buddhists with barely an Asian face among them.
‘About 100 Buddhists clad in the same scarlet robes as the Dalai Lama stood outside the Sydney Showground at Homebush chanting “Dalai Lama liar” and waving placards calling for religious freedom while the Tibetan spiritual leader inside preached love and compassion.
‘ “He is a hypocrite, and it’s very sad to say that about a religious leader,” Western Shugden Society spokeswoman Kelsang Pema said. “He is not practising what he preaches. He’s here teaching about love and compassion but he endorses human atrocities, basically.” Ms Pema said the Dalai Lama’s “inflammatory” campaign against a Buddhist deity called Dorje Shugden had resulted in thousands of monks being expelled from monasteries, supporters denied food, medicine and travel visas, families being ostracised and Shugden temples being destroyed. “It’s mainstream Tibetan Buddhism, but he is making us look like an offshoot because he has had a change of heart,” she said. “He has banned a prayer which he himself engaged in for half of his life.” ’
15 June 2008 – ‘The Tibetan Opposition’, The Sunday Programme, Nine Network (Australian TV):
‘Kelsang Lhachog: “One of the things about the Dalai Lama is that he has this extraordinary reputation that sort of puts a spell over the people of this world so that they don’t question his actions and find it difficult to believe that he could make any mistakes or be faulty in any way. He speaks beautiful words but no one checks whether or not his actions actually match up to the words that he speaks. If you look into what is actually happening in his community that he is the leader of, you will see very clearly that he acts like a dictator. …
‘ “I think that he’s a political leader who is masquerading as a spiritual leader, and that is something that we all understand in the west is not an appropriate thing to mix. We all know: don’t mix religion with politics because then it all gets very messy, and he’s confused those two roles and is using his political power to enforce his own religious views on others.” ’
13 July 2008 – Tony Nauroth, ‘Hundreds Protest Dalai Lama’, The Express Times, USA:
Bethlehem [Pennsylvania, USA]: ‘Those looking for enlightenment Saturday from the Dalai Lama at Lehigh University’s Stabler Arena first had to manoeuvre past 400 monks and nuns protesting a 40-year-old arcane decree by the Tibetan-leader-in-exile that they said violates their religious freedom.’
18 July 2008 – David Van Biema, ‘The Dalai Lama’s Buddhist Foes’, Time Magazine, USA:
‘On Thursday afternoon, following a teaching by the Dalai Lama at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall, a group of 500 or more audience members screamed at and spat at a mixed group of about 100 people, both Tibetan and Western, who had been peacefully protesting the high lama. Police felt it prudent to move in fast, with horses, and herded the smaller group into buses for their own protection. The pro- Dalai Lama crowd had also flung money at their foes, an insult indicating that they had been bought (presumably by the high lama’s enemies in Beijing). Said one of the anti–Dalai Lama protesters, Kelsang Pema, who is British, has a Tibetan name and is the spokeswoman for the Western Shugden Society, “If this is what the Dalai Lama’s people do to us in America, can you imagine what they would have done somewhere else?” ’
8 August 2008 – ‘The Dalai Lama’s Demons’, France 24 (French TV documentary):
‘Dalai Lama: “These monks must be expelled from all monasteries. If they are not happy, you can tell them that the Dalai Lama himself asked that this be done, and it is very urgent.”
‘The speech was a historic moment in the history of Tibetan Buddhism, and the beginning of a schism which could exclude the four million Tibetans followers of Shugden. A few weeks after the Dalai Lama’s speech, Shugden monks could no longer enter monasteries. They regroup themselves outside village walls and meditate on why the Dalai Lama has excluded them.
‘ “Can the Dalai Lama really ban an entire religion?” asks one. “We are in the right, he’s the one who is being incoherent. On one hand, he’s always preaching freedom of religion and compassion, but on the other he’s forbidding us to worship the god we choose”, says another.
‘Photos of Shugden leaders are posted on city walls, branding them as traitors. Signs at the entrance of stores and hospitals forbid Shugden followers from entry. It’s apartheid, in a Buddhist land.’
28 August 2008 – Meindert Gorter, ‘Why did the Dalai Lama ban Dorje Shugden?’, The New Statesman:
‘Gradually the pressure on Dorje Shugden practitioners got worse. Fanatical Dalai Lama followers began to demolish statues of the deity, the existing social solidarity amongst Tibetans was gone. Even in Tibet itself, where restoration of temples is in full swing and people enjoy new religious freedom, this ban created suspicion. Dorje Shugden worshippers were accused of being part of the ‘Dorje Shugden sect’ and became outcasts. The Dorje Shugden Society was founded, an ad-hoc group of people working together to oppose the ban – not to save the enlightened deity from harm but to help thousands of people from becoming outcasts.
‘But numerous appeals and worldwide protests have not helped. The Dalai Lama has not responded and refuses all contact. If you think the Dalai Lama is only in the business of provoking positive sentiments, as most Westeners believe, you have to firmly close your eyes to imagine this less romantic reality.
‘During speeches in India in January 2008, he has enforced the ban more strictly than ever before.’
30 September 2008 – ‘The Dalai Lama: The Devil Within’, Al Jazeera (TV documentary):
‘With the help of rebel monk Kundeling Rinpoche, [the Dorje Shugden Society] are taking the most famous ex-Shugden practitioner, the Dalai Lama himself, to court.
‘Kundeling Rinpoche: “So there is no democracy. The man, Dalai Lama, talks about democracy, talks about compassion, talks about dialogue, talks about understanding, talks about a solution, but for us there is no solution. There is no dialogue. There is no understanding. There is no compassion. Because in his perception we are not human beings. We are just evil. We are evil and we are agents of the Chinese. That is what it is. It is as simple as that.”
‘With just a few days to go before the Dalai high court hearing, Kundeling and Thubten meet with their lawyer.
‘Shree Sanjay Jain (Human rights lawyer): “It is certainly a case of religious discrimination in the sense that if within your sect of religion you say that this particular Deity ought not to be worshipped, and those persons who are willing to worship him you are trying to excommunicate them from the mainstream of Buddhism, then it is a discrimination of worst kind.” ’
9 October 2008 – ‘Sur les traces du Dalaï Lama’ (‘Following the Dalai Lama’s Tracks’), Envoye special, France 2 (French TV documentary):
‘Dalai Lama: “I don’t want any more disorder in the monasteries. And to those who are not happy, tell them that the Dalai Lama approves of the expulsions prescribed by the abbots in the temples.”
‘Reporter: For the first time, I discover an authoritarian face – himself the wise Tibetan is calling for the exclusion of the faithful. Why, and who is this Deity? To understand this, I am going to meet Dorje Shugden followers….
‘Monk: “This Deity has never divided Tibetans. This is untrue. It is the Dalai Lama who has divided us, by banning Shugden practice. Before, everything was going well. The community was living in peace.”
‘Reporter: “Today, Shugden followers are expelled from their monasteries, and their photos are posted in the streets. A witch hunt has started in Southern India.” ’
7 March 2009 – David Eimer, ‘Dalai Lama too soft on China say Tibetan Exiles’, The Daily Telegraph (London):
‘50 years on from his exile to India, the Dalai Lama is facing a growing tide of discontent over claims that his non- confrontational style of leadership is simply too soft.
‘Militant Tibetan groups are increasingly challenging the spiritual leader’s authority ahead of Tuesday’s anniversary of the failed uprising against Chinese rule that led to him fleeing to Dharamsala in northern India.
‘Mindful of the fact that half a century has passed and Tibet’s independence has still not been achieved, they refer to his “failed” policies and talk of replacing the figurehead of the Free Tibet campaign with a more aggressive leader.
‘ “The Dalai Lama has been trying to resolve the situation through dialogue but, personally, I think the dialogue is getting us nowhere. The situation in Tibet is getting worse,” said Dhondup Dorjee, the vice-president of the Tibetan Youth Congress …
‘Differences between the exiles forced the Dalai Lama last November to call a special meeting of the most prominent groups in Dharamsala, where he and the Tibetan government- in-exile have their HQ. “When the Dalai Lama called that meeting he was saying ‘My approach has failed, tell me what to do next’,” said Miss Tethong, who attended the gathering. “But the meeting was dominated by the Tibetan government- in-exile and they’re not going to tell him ‘Oh you’ve failed’, so it ended up being an endorsement of His Holiness.” ’
26 March 2009 – South African Finance Minister Trevor Manuel on the Dalai Lama, IOL (South Africa):
‘ “To say anything against the Dalai Lama is, in some quarters, equivalent to trying to shoot Bambi,” he said.
‘ “Let’s put our cards on the table. Who is the Dalai Lama? I’ve heard him described as a god. I’ve heard him described as Buddha.
‘ “Is he just the spiritual leader of the Buddhists in Tibet, or is he the one who on March 28 1959 established a government- in-exile in the same way as Taiwan was established to counter the reality of a single China?”
‘Manuel said Tibet’s history had to be looked at, because the Lamas had been “feudal overlords” in that country.’
‘ “The reason why the Dalai Lama wants to be here … is to make a big global political statement about the secession of Tibet from China and he wants to make it on the free soil of South Africa.”
‘ “I’m sure he’s welcome to come at any other time, but we shouldn’t allow him to raise global issues that will impact on the standing of South Africa.” ’
June 2009 – ‘Where is Tibet’s Freedom’: a report by France 24 shows the Dalai Lama meeting Sambhavi, a young Indian girl regarded an incarnation of a Hindu goddess, sharing a stage with her and calling her a ‘saint’. She predicts that Tibet will be free in January 2012 and all Tibetans will return to Tibet by 2016 and live happily there. The same report shows the Nechung oracle making the prediction that the Dalai Lama will return to Tibet soon. Geshe Dorje, who ‘interprets’ the oracle’s statements says, ‘The Dalai Lama going, then teaching, then people open minds, just like sunshine.’ Tibetan officials are later filmed evading questions about whether or not they believe such predictions.
30 July 2009 – Timan Muller and Janis Vougiokas, ‘The Two Faces of the Dalai Lama: The gentle Tibetan and his undemocratic re- gime’, Stern Magazine (Germany):
‘The Dalai Lama smiles away all doubts. Almost everywhere he receives the same god-like veneration. In the West he appears as the idol of the new age but in the Himalayas he governs like a medieval potentate. A gentle do-gooder who can show surprisingly intolerant and dictator-like behaviour …
‘He will have to face confrontation as there is growing criticism in his own exile community. “His Holiness is living in a bubble without contact with the outside world,” says Lhasang Tsering, a long term activist, now running a bookstore in Little Lhasa. “Religion and politics should finally be separated.” ’
Articles continue to appear in newspapers and magazines, both in print and online, regarding the Dalai Lama and his continuing ban against Shugden practice and persecution of Shugden practitioners.
