Impressum
The http://thedorjeshugdengroup.wordpress.com blog is operated by Tenzin Peljor.
About the Blog
This blog aims to correct and balance the misinformation campaign of the Western Shugden Society (WSS), a front group of the New Kadampa Tradition (NKT). The New Kadampa Tradition (NKT-IKBU) is described by researchers as a “controversial Tibetan Buddhist New Religious Movement (NRM)”[1] or a ‘breakaway order of the Gelukpa’.[2]
Because the activities of the Western Shugden Society have slowed down recent posts are focusing more on the NKT and the blog was renamed from ‘Western Shugden Society – unlocked’ to ‘New Kadampa Tradition / Kadampa Buddhism & Western Shugden Society’ on June 22, 2011.
Update March/April 2012
In March 2012 I decided to open the blog also for other contentious matters related to Tibetan Buddhism. That’s why the name of the blog has changed now to “New Kadampa Tradition, Dorje Shugden, Western Shugden Society & More—Shedding Light on Controversies Within Tibetan Buddhism”. On April 23, 2012 I renamed it to “Tibetan Buddhism :: Struggling With Difficult Issues—Controversies: Shugden, New Kadampa Tradition, Sogyal & more”.
Further Information
To receive neutral information about NKT or any Buddhist organisation or teacher one can contact INFORM, founded in 1988 by Professor Eileen Barker with the help of British Home Office funding and the support of the mainstream Churches. It is based at the London School of Economics.
A forum “for the people who have left to come and openly discuss how they got the courage to leave the New Kadampa Tradition, but more importantly how they got the courage to continue practicing Dharma without fear and without guilt” is the New Kadampa Survivors’ Forum.
About me
My name is Tenzin Peljor (Michael Jäckel).
I am a fully ordained Buddhist monk and a former teacher of the New Kadampa Tradition (NKT) in Germany.
For more than six years (1995-2002) I was a follower of different Dorje Shugden Lamas, including Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, Lama Dechen Losang Chöma, Dagom Rinpoche, Kundeling Rinpoche (Lobsang Yeshe) and Lama Gangchen Rinpoche. One time I met also Gonsar Rinpoche and Trijang Chogtrul Rinpoche.
I was an active member of the past Media Campaign of NKT (1996-1998) against the Dalai Lama. For more about my personal background one can read my personal site.
Notes
[1] Clarke, Peter Bernard. New Religions in Global Perspective, page 92, ISBN 0-415-25748-4, Routledge 2006
[2] Mills, Martin. Identity, Ritual and State in Tibetan Buddhism – The Foundations of Authority in Gelukpa Monasticism, page 366, ISBN: 978-0-7007-1470-4, Routledge 2003
Ven. Peljor,
I apologize if this comment comes through twice, my computer froze up.
I hope you don’t mind that I linked to this blog from the community comments section of The Capitol Times newspaper in Madison, WI:
http://www.madison.com/tct/news/stories/297004
Thank you for having the courage to set up this website and for informing newbies like myself about Dharma and some of the politics of Buddhism. :)
Sincerely,
Gisela in Wisconsin (USA)
Gisela Meyers
September 26, 2008 at 2:01 am
Congratulations Ven Tenzin – you are courageous and making a positive difference,
Thankyou!
emily
emily
October 3, 2008 at 5:39 am
Dear Tenzin la,
I think it is must to counter the unfounded and baseless allegations of the Shugden supporters against HH the Dalai Lama. I am a monk of Sera, and have tried to give the following account of the visit of HH the Dalai Lama to Sera, as opposed to the lies of Shugden supporters in their website wisdombuddhadorjeshugden.blogspot.com.
Regards,
Tsering
Scandalous feeding on rumors and gossips by pro-Shugden
The pro-Shugden website lately ran a number of “stories” in an attempted discrediting of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The one that particularly all the pro-Shugden websites are trying to “promote”, rather unsuccessfully, is the falsehood that His Holiness the Dalai Lama is not the real incarnation of His predecessor. Rather the Shugden supporter websites (WSS and Wisdom Buddha blog) goes as far as to such a rumor-mongering of implicating His Holiness the Dalai Lama to a Muslim pedigree.
Nothing is far from the truth. The Shugden supporters have mostly based their so-called reports on rumours, purposely created by them for their own consumption. The alleged theory that His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama is not the true reincarnation of the Dalai Lamas is based on an anonymously published booklet called the “Expressing the Ocean of Truth” (tib lit: gtam drang bden rgya mtso) that was circulated in around year 2000-01. Other than this, there is nothing substantial that Shugden supporters could prove of their assertion.
This booklet, as could be seen, deals in its entirety on the person of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama with unsubstantial and baseless claims and allegations. The purpose as said above, is solely to malign the reputation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and nothing else.
Although there are differing opinions as to the source of this booklet, many believe it as handiwork of Shugden supporters themselves with assistance of other adversaries deeply antagonistic towards the Dalai Lama. Particularly among them are Gangchen Lama and Nga-Lama Lobsang Yeshi alias self-proclaimed Kundeling Rinpoche who conspired with their Communist masters to belittle His Holiness the Dalai Lama in the eyes of international community. The current flooding of Internet with all sorts of such unfounded and baseless rumours is seen by large number of people as working towards this direction only.
Moreover, by calling Taktser, the hamlet in Amdo Kubum where His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama was born, as a Chinese Muslim village is implying that the area belonged to China, thus flagrantly contradicting the historical facts and holding out the historically Tibetan area to PRC.
The second unjustifiable allegation that the pro-Shugden has made in their writings is about the visit of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The writers in the same website, says that the monks in Sera and Ganden are not happy with the visit of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. It further claims that the monks are wary of His Holiness again speaking on the “Shugden issue” and inspiring “provocation.”
This assertion of the Shugden supporters are absolutely untrue. The visit, first of all, is heartily welcomed by all Tibetans from all walks of lives, including the monks of Sera monastery barring few handfuls of Shugden supporters. We as a monk community, feel it very fortunate to once again be in the presence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and to blessed by his kindness and benevolence. And by saying so, I also meant many of those who follow Shugden propitiation, if their claims of respecting His Holiness are not mere empty words.
Secondly, the purpose of the visit is to initiate many hundreds of monks into “Bikkhu”, who otherwise may have to go to Dharamsala to receive it. It is His Holiness’ compassion that foresaw the difficulties of many monks to travel to Dharamsala, including the financial difficulties that He has decided instead to come to Sera to perform the ordination, relieving the many hundreds of monks of their difficulties.
Thirdly, whereas the retaliating against the actions of Shugden supporters is concerned, it would have been done a long time back if it were not His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s advice to His followers to observe restraint. The way some of the Shugden supporters engaged themselves, for their own vested interest, in cheap politics founded on a particular faith is rather disquieting and condemnable.
The Tibetan people as whole are deeply hurt by the actions of few of the Shugden activists for such a plot to incite communal disharmony and discrediting of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. At the same time we do not blame all the followers of Shugden for such actions, for their sheer lack of insight into the true nature of the course that their self-proclaimed well-wishers and leaders are leading them to.
Therefore, this is also a time for those Shugden followers, who regard the Tibetan national interest as supreme, to rethink over the actions of some of their so-called well-wishers that is apparently in line with the avowed strategies of PRC to foment division and instill crack in the Tibetan people’s unity.
The Tibetan people as a whole, in spite of the attempt to dent, stands firm in their conviction to follow the advice of His Holiness the Dalai Lama at both spiritual and secular level.
The recent Special General Meeting in mid November that saw the representation of all walks of lives of the Tibetan people, reaffirmed the supreme leadership of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and therefore, harping otherwise by few handful of Shugden supporters would do nothing good except distancing themselves from the mainstream Tibetan society.
Tsering
December 12, 2008 at 8:57 am
Thank you Tsering-la!
I appreciate that you took time to explain the point of view from Tibetan monks in India.
I also agree with you that it is a must to counter the unfounded and baseless allegations of (some of) the Shugden supporters against HH the Dalai Lama – who are very active to spin the facts. So thank you very much.
Feel free to offer more information. The other monk who offered information in the past to counter the wrong claims has to study and no time. So if you feel something should be corrected or you wish to write a post / comment / article on points you think they should be addressed, please feel free to do it.
With respect to Gangchen Lama and Lobsang Yeshi usually both do not cooperate with NKT very much. Gangchen Lama not at all and Lobsang Yeshi (Kundeling) only as far as it is bearable or seems to be beneficial for NKT.
NKT is doing their own thing solely related to the leading of Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. Most of them have no idea at all about Tibetans, Tibetan Society, monastery life, Vinaya and living in exile and about Tibetan custom and attitudes. Due to this cultural ignorance and the misleading guidance of their leadership they are just misled by being filled with a set of misinformation, similar as the PRC is spreading, and express their confusion via their websites and blogs.
Gangchen Lama and Lobsang Yeshi may be very active in India or China, but in the West all the websites and spin have their origin within the NKT based on Geshe Kelsang Gyatso’s guidance.* That’s why I engage to counter at least a bit their spin, this I see as my responsibility as a Westerner who was misled by NKT in the past as well.
Best Wishes, t
* there are only some very rare exceptions of misinformation in the West not based on NKT’s or their WSS activities.
Tenzin Peljor
December 12, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Thanks Tenzin la,
I would appreciate if it is possible for you and others to counter the pro-Shugden accusations specifically on the “visit” of HH the Dalai Lama to Sera in Feb 09. You might have seen that they also tried to show that Trijang Rinpoche’s thrones have been removed from Ganden at the orders of HH. But this is absolutely incorrect and the thrones are still there. I happened to be there recently. It is the pro-Shugden Dokhang House, now break-away from Shartse, that have taken away all the religious artefacts that late Trijang Rinpoche had donated to shartse monastery, all at their will. Hope you also know of this…
Just for your information..
Tashi Delek!!
Tsering
Tsering
December 13, 2008 at 5:49 am
Thank you Tsering la! I’ve sent you an email and post your two comments as a separate post on the blog. Tashi Delek! Tenzin
Tenzin Peljor
December 15, 2008 at 11:11 pm
Tenzin,i feel for you..!Like you i am an ex NKT student.But where we differ……….and i beg to disagree with you on this point.! is GKG is not doing anything wrong…!he is implementing his teachers wishes..!H.H. trijang rinpoches wishes for the west….!!!Seems to me like there is stuff going on in this world…..that 2 be honest u would be well advised 2 stay out of….. the actions of holy beings!! unless you are a holy being…i do not know..!!!!!!!!H.H. zong rinpoche was one of my gurus……and H.H. the Dalai lama.If i could give you one bit of advice it would be this,,,,,,,,concentrate on your own practice,forget trying to influence the bigger picture..!
jaco
December 29, 2008 at 5:18 pm
I just recently e mailed you…..because i am concerned about you…!it was deleted.
!! you are meddling in things that are way beyond your spiritual growth.!!!Do you not think that it has all been worked out before………like before china invaded tibet……….!think about it…….please….!
jaco
December 29, 2008 at 6:37 pm
hi jaco,
thank you for your compassionate comments. i agree that it is far more better not to get involved. however, also due to the silence and lack of courage of other Buddhists i got involved in this issue and i think every one who can be protected, the work is worthwhile for.
you say:
“is GKG is not doing anything wrong…!”
i disagree with you here. someone who holds wrong views, denies well known facts and blames HHDL as the sole source of the problems in this issue, and based on this wrong judgement and misinformation leads his students to slanderous actions against HHDL and other Buddhists is performing negative actions. there is nothing correct in this. much more as many of his followers become very hostile, pride and aggressive. this is no path to liberation. i have more evidence for my disagreement but i don’t wish to extend this here.
you say:
“he is implementing his teachers wishes..!H.H. trijang rinpoches wishes for the west….!!!”
i think this is a wrong information spread by GKG/NKT, to justify the own actions. there is no evidence that this claim is true besides the existence of this claim made by NKT. Trijang Rinpoche is dead and can’t confirm it. NKT is not known to be honest and accurate.
there is no Buddhist master I met or asked who regards the actions of GKG as being correct. Also Lama Gangchen and Gonsar Rinpoche keep a long distance to GKG.
you say:
“Do you not think that it has all been worked out before………like before china invaded tibet……….!think about it…….please….!”
No, it hasn’t all been worked out before, otherwise there would be no need to involve us westerners in this issue. Although it is a Tibetan issue, and no westerner should get involved, as some Tibetan lamas have involved us westerners and some are very active to misinform westerners, i think some westerners should at least correct what’s going wrong in that context. The Tibetans will work it out for themselves. I prefer to leave it to Tibetans.
thank you for your urgent reminder, i agree this all is a hot topic, and better not to work too much on it. on the other hand if nobody cares it is not good either.
warmest regards, t
Tenzin Peljor
December 29, 2008 at 8:12 pm
jaco,
I do feel for you too, the typical NKT/WSS tatic to show ‘compassion’ and ‘loving kindness’ toward those who disagree with them.
KG is not doing anything wrong?? he just followed his teacher’s wishes to spread the ‘pure dharma’ to the west’??? are you kidding us???
you mean the way as the spiritual guide, the have done so much damage to his student, the way he slander others spiritual guide through all the baseless allegation, which purely one sided from WSS/NKT is KG teacher’s wishes???
Of course, due to the ‘publicity’ which WSS/NKT these day has received, to those who concern (esp from WSS/NKT) will sure ‘advise’ others who know the others dark side of the organization to ‘stay of out it’.
If you really ‘feel’ for your mother sentient beings, use you own logic, awareness and analyzation to judge yourself how much damage have WSS/NKT have done to those people who sincerely seek growth on their spiritual path, and yet ruin themselves completely due to the maniplation of your ‘pure lineage’.
Are all the above the wishes from KG’s teachers…??
Tenzin is right, this is one of the fabrication from KG to his students to judify his malice yet the most uncompassionate action.
lhundrup
December 30, 2008 at 2:59 am
Jaco,
just a bit more to add, Jaco. Since you ‘feel’ for your mother sentient beings. I have more ‘feeling’ to share with.
Just imagine, how do you ‘feel’ for your most loved ones, most closer to you yet ruined in their spiritual path, those who lost their refuge, due to the damaged done by your ‘holy being’???
It is easy to say that those who being harm are ‘apologist’, that these are their ‘karma’ to ‘experienced’ the harm. Again, while in buddhism context, in certain degree i have to agree that what we ‘experienced’ are our ‘karma’, but this is not wise for a ‘holy being to give such excuse after he have done so much damage to his students. Especially he knew for long that the wrong doing of his disciple, instead of the taking a right attitude to solve the problem, look at the root problem of what happen in his organization, he simple told his students to shut up or get out. And even NKT have threaten to take libel action to those who dare to speak up and shared their personal experienced. Those personal experience are not fabrication, and it testify with a lot members, if NKT REALLY didnt have done such thing, why to they afraid of people to speak up??? They must be up to something, IMHO.
Politically, though he ‘claimed’ that he have no interest to involve in politic, but look what happened?? Of course, WSS/NKT are so ‘compassionate’ to have all the ‘well meant’ protest’ to ‘speak up’ for those ‘spirit worshiper’…??? They are SO ‘compassionate’ till the extent that to ‘fabricate’ and ‘self generate’ those article which can prove NOTHING but simple with all sort of nonsense (article like ‘Lama Policies’ and ‘False 14th Dalai Lama), with no proper references and reliable resources???
Again, may I ask, WHO DO WSS/NKT TRYING TO FOOL???
Yes, everyone should concentrate in our own practice, INCLUDE THOSE WHO IS WSS/NKT, instead of going around to have their ‘well meant protest’ and ‘self generate truth’ in their own blogs and links, would you think that they shall exclude to ‘concentrate in their own practice’ and at least take care of their own students in their organization???
lhundrup
December 31, 2008 at 11:07 am
Sorry typo error again :)
i mean INCLUDE THOSE WHO ARE IN WSS/NKT…
And would you think that they should also need to concentrate in their own practice…
lhundrup
December 31, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Wow!!!! i was not trying to point score lhundrup.I left the nkt after they took every other lamas books off the shelves.Do i agree with the demonstrations against H,H,dalai lama …no i do not.I have honestly not lost faith in either geshe kelsang or the dalai lama…because i refuse to concentrate on the bigger picture which i am not qualified to understand…and it was a hard decision to come to i will tell you.!!The present dalai lama as far as i am concerned …has had the hardest job of them all..and will be remembered as the greatest…(possibly the last ,we shall see!)..!Zong rinpoche commented that buddhism in tibet is finished/over …!. We all know the chinese have seen to that,as painful as it is to contemplate …!Where are all the buddhist monks and nuns who were slaughtered by the chinese????????????Where is it fertile for tibetan buddhism now……the west…….of course there are geshes…etc in the nkt just as in the fpmt!For your information i believe also that there will be a coming together of the fpmt.nkt……etc in the future .Sorry if i offended you.!peace.!
jaco
January 4, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Re my last post….!Forgot 2 mention something in my last post…..(where it is i do not know?)of course H.H and geshe kelsang ….know all this.!If they do not …..!!!!!what is the point of having faith in either of them…!
jaco
January 4, 2009 at 4:08 pm
dear jaco, nice to see that you were probably honest in your approach. I think lhundrup – liked others and also me – have a lot of experience with fake commentaries and manipulation by NKT members, so please try to understand lhundrup’s scepticism and judgement based on such experiences.
with respect to your point, i also try to get the complete picture and i agree that the present Dalai Lama is probably the greatest of all – also one of my Kaguye teachers expressed it that way – however, with respect to Geshe Kelsang and NKT, I think it is not appropriate to fool oneself about reality as it is.
i keep my points as stated before until they are disapproved. i have reasons for stating this and until now they were only be proved to be valid. i heard that zong rinpoche has certain views, and his incarnation also with respect to Geshe Kelsang, however, I don’t share those i heard, and the reasons which were given by his incarnation i proofed and it turned out that they are not valid. i really checked this.
the main things i learnt from nkt, and those lamas still propagating shugden, is that it does not help to follow views which do not accord with reality. this includes to project faults where there are no faults or to neglect faults where there are faults or to follow a narrow-minded guru-reliance approach.
the Buddha always had a realistic approach, and my new teachers – including HH the Dalai Lama – have such a realistic approach as well.
Tenzin Peljor
January 4, 2009 at 7:21 pm
The smear thing on the nkt website……sucks!!!!!!!!!In my opinion they should know better!!! it accomplishes nothing!!!! except 2 piss people like me off..!!!!! who aint in anyones pocket,i came across your name on there..!I do not get it and i do not agree with it..!!! like the demonstrations against his h.h.the dalai lama !!!!!!! but…yea…….(hehe)there is always a but…….!let people practice what they want…..for it is not you who will sow what they reap..!!!!!be it spiritually advantageous or not….!!!!!!!!!
jaco
January 5, 2009 at 6:21 pm
I once heard neil elliott.. (thubten gyatso)quote geshe kelsang.Geshe kelsang apparently said something on these lines…”I did not introduce dorje shugden practice..it was here when i came!”I came meaning manjushri institute….!This was well before all the current controversy…early eighties…..Did geshe kelsang …just continue with the protector which lama yeshe had introduced or not.????????
jaco
January 13, 2009 at 1:42 pm
If you read Kay’s research while FPMT reduced Shugden practice and shifted to Palden Lhamo, GKG pushed Shugden practice even more than previously.
I think Shugden worship was (maybe even unconsciously) abused to spilt the community more. By putting more emphasize on Shudgen while those devoted to FPMT objectives shifted to Palden Lhama deepened the rift. So it was from that perspective a political tool. (However, this is just my interpretation.)
Tenzin Peljor
January 13, 2009 at 7:48 pm
Wanted to share this with you……….! http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20126911.300-our-world-may-be-a-giant-hologram.html
jaco
January 18, 2009 at 6:20 pm
How are you my friend…!the last post the hologram one said to me tantra.!mere appearance..!do you agree…?science is coming ever more closer …..ever more closer to the prasangika view of emptiness ultimate reality! shakyamuni”s ultimate intention….!peace.!
jaco
January 27, 2009 at 5:25 pm
Hi jaco,
I didn’t follow your link but sent it to a friend who is an artist and Buddhist. He and his wife are professionals with respect to holograms, he replied (translated from German):
“Since now even Science comes more close to enlightenment and create a holographic model (everything is a projection) also confusion and wrong views must increase. Indeed no easy task for you. The dangerous tool of mara is to give us for everything an explanation.”
It looks like he wasn’t much astonished or convinced by it…
Though I can’t say anything because I didn’t read it until now.
Tenzin Peljor
January 27, 2009 at 8:36 pm
Tenzin……i do not know what 2 really say to your response to my post…!I sent it to you in good faith!!It was just an observation that science is coming closer to …..the lack of inherent existence in things.!Why confusion and wrong views re your friends…..i do not know..!!Maybe they are experts in holograms……!but 2 put your faith in them .well that is your choice…!peace….!
jaco
February 2, 2009 at 6:45 pm
Dear Tenzin Peljor,
I “stumbled” onto this site this morning and though I’ve only had a brief period of time to peruse it, I will definitely be back. I wanted to say, first and foremost, how impressed I am with what you are doing! Very courageous! Extremely important work!
My late teacher, Gen Lamrimpa, wrote several texts on why one should not propitiate this spirit, one of which I’ve had translated. I know quite a lot about this controversy and have put myself out there to some extent (not quite like you) engaging with others on it (various Buddhist websites, HuffingtonPost, etc.) and I know what it’s like to be attacked by some of these people.
At any rate, just wanted to thank you for doing this and will be returning to peruse further.
Bill
November 4, 2010 at 3:47 pm
Hi Bill!
Thank you very much, it is always nice to see that some appreciate the effort and that some find it helpful too.
In case you would like to offer something written by your teacher, Gen Lamrimpa, with respect to this or similar issues, I would be happy to post it on the blog or my website*—e.g. your translation of one of his texts regarding Shugden.
Many are not aware that there are quite a lot of high lamas who opposed this being. So I think it would be good to know what Gen Lamrimpa said about it.
But this is just a suggestion/idea…
Don’t hesitate to comment where you find it needed or useful here on the blog. Reasonable input, corrections, and proper information are always highly appreciated.
Very best,
tenzin
* http://info-buddhism.com/
tenpel
November 4, 2010 at 4:08 pm
Great to make the connection! I will write more later as I am late for work. I think the idea of giving you a copy of Gen-la’s text is a good one. Will discuss this with you further.
Until then, the very best wishes,
Bill
Bill
November 4, 2010 at 4:32 pm