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The '''Western Shugden Society''' (or WSS) is a campaigning group established in 2008 to [[Demonstration (people)|protest]] against the [[Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama|14th Dalai Lama]]'s ban<ref>Dalai Lama, direct quote in Chhaya, Mayank (2007). ''Dalai Lama: Man, Monk, Mystic''. New York: Doubleday. p. 189.</ref><ref>Waterhouse, Helen (2001). ''Representing western Buddhism: a United Kingdom focus''. quoted in Beckerlegge, G. (2001). ''From sacred text to internet. Religion today'', v. 1. Aldershot, Hants, England: Ashgate. p. 137.</ref><ref>Partridge, C. H. (2004). ''New religions: A guide : New Religious Movements, Sects, and Alternative spiritualities''. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 206.</ref><ref>Curren, Erik D. 2006. ''Buddha's Not Smiling: Uncovering Corruption at the Heart of Tibetan Buddhism Today''. Staunton, VA: Alaya Press. p. 17</ref> of the practice of [[Dorje Shugden]] within the Tibetan exile community.<ref>Wilson, Richard, & Mitchell, Jon (2003). ''Human Rights in Global Perspective: Anthropological Studies of Rights, Claims and Entitlements''. London: Routledge. p. 10.</ref>
The '''Western Shugden Society''' (or WSS) is a group of [[Western world|westerners]] who advocate [[Dorje Shugden]].


The German Buddhist Monastic Association (DBO) states that the Western Shugden Society as well as the newly founded International Shugden Community (ICS) are both [[front organisations]] of the [[New Kadampa Tradition]] – an "organisation (that) is marked by rigid, sectarian structures, with [[Geshe Kelsang Gyatso | Kelsang Gyatso]] as its intangible and sole ruler." In a brief supplement to the statement the DBO responds to assertions of the Western Shugden Society / International Shugden Community (ICS). <ref>"Supplement to the statement of the German Buddhist monastic community (DBO) on the protests against His Holiness the Dalai Lama by the International Shugden Community (ISC), May 1st, 2014, http://buddhistische-ordensgemeinschaft.de/dbo_statement-shugden-protests-Dalai-Lama.htm#ESN</ref>
The German Buddhist Monastic Association (DBO) states that the Western Shugden Society as well as the newly founded International Shugden Community (ICS) are both [[front organisations]] of the [[New Kadampa Tradition]] – an "organisation (that) is marked by rigid, sectarian structures, with [[Geshe Kelsang Gyatso | Kelsang Gyatso]] as its intangible and sole ruler." In a brief supplement to the statement the DBO responds to assertions of the Western Shugden Society / International Shugden Community (ICS). <ref>"Supplement to the statement of the German Buddhist monastic community (DBO) on the protests against His Holiness the Dalai Lama by the International Shugden Community (ISC), May 1st, 2014, http://buddhistische-ordensgemeinschaft.de/dbo_statement-shugden-protests-Dalai-Lama.htm#ESN</ref>

Revision as of 09:24, 18 May 2014

Western Shugden Society
AbbreviationWSS
Formation2008
Typecommunity or confederation
PurposeFreedom of religion
Websitewww.westernshugdensociety.org

The Western Shugden Society (or WSS) is a campaigning group established in 2008 to protest against the 14th Dalai Lama's ban[1][2][3][4] of the practice of Dorje Shugden within the Tibetan exile community.[5]

The German Buddhist Monastic Association (DBO) states that the Western Shugden Society as well as the newly founded International Shugden Community (ICS) are both front organisations of the New Kadampa Tradition – an "organisation (that) is marked by rigid, sectarian structures, with Kelsang Gyatso as its intangible and sole ruler." In a brief supplement to the statement the DBO responds to assertions of the Western Shugden Society / International Shugden Community (ICS). [6]

According to Tibetologist Thierry Dodin, "The demonstrators are almost exclusively western monks and nuns, ordained in the New Kadampa Tradition (NKT) according to the group’s own ritual." and "The NKT can be described typologically as a cult on the basis of its organisational form, its excessive group pressure and blind obedience to its founder. The organisation’s extreme fanaticism and aggressive missionary drive are typical cult features too." Dodin states that it is the New Kadampa Tradition "that since the 1990’s has held spectacular demonstrations whenever the Dalai Lama went to the West."[7]

Scholars reject NKT/WSS claims. Robert Thurman for example states "The cult and agency attack campaign is futile since its main claims are so easy to refute."[8]

Scholars reject NKT/WSS claims that the 14th Dalai Lama has suppressed religious freedom, indicating that the situation is actually the opposite. Thurman says:

They then went on the attack, claiming they had been "banned" and "excommunicated," etc., when in fact the Dalai Lama was exercising his religious freedom by not accepting students who reject his advice, and actually go so far as to condemn him![9]

Thurman explains that members of the cult want:

to force their supposed mentor to adopt their perspective that the demonic spirit is an enlightened being, almost more important than the Buddha himself, and perhaps also rejoin their worship of it, or at least give them all his initiatory teachings in spite of their defiance of his best advice.[10]

Regarding NKT/WSS claims that there is prohibition of Shugden, and therefore a repression of religious freedom, Thierry Dodin states:

No, such a prohibition does not exist. Religious freedom is not at issue here. No one, and most definitely not the Dalai Lama, is repressing religious freedom.[11]

Nathan W. Hill, Lecturer in Tibetan and Linguistics at London University SOAS’ (School of Oriental and African Studies), states that the Dalai Lama does not control the Indian government, or any other government:

This accusation makes no sense … the Dalai Lama is not head of any state; he has no military or police at his command; he has no political jurisdiction over which he can exercise suppression. Some members of the Gelug sect left the authority of the Dalai Lama in order to follow what they see as a purer form of religion. These people may not be very popular in other parts of the Gelug sect, but their human rights have not been violated nor their freedoms suppressed; even if some people did want to suppress or silence the pro-Shugen side, they simply have no means of doing so.”[12]

Similarly, Tibet scholar Robert Barnett of Columbia University states that "ID cards are not given out by the Tibetan government in exile, but by the Indian authorities".[13]

Barnett says the WSS is "severely lacking in credibility":

I also made it clear that the Western Shugden group's allegations are problematic: they are akin to attacking the Pope because some lay Catholics somewhere abuse non-believers or heretics. The Western Shugden Group is severely lacking in credibility, since its form of spirit-worship is heterodox, provocative and highly sectarian in Buddhist terms and so more than likely to be banned from mainstream monasteries – while its claimed concerns about cases of discrimination in India should be addressed by working within the Tibetan community instead of opportunistically attacking the Dalai Lama in order to provoke misinformed publicity for their sect.”[13]

John Makransky about the cross-cultural confusion in the Dorje Shugden issue:

A stunning recent example of this: some Tibetan monks who now introduce Westerners to practices centred on a native Tibetan deity, without informing them that one of its primary functions has been to assert hegemony over rival sects! The current Dalai Lama, seeking to combat the ancient, virulent sectarianisms operative in such quarters, has strongly discouraged the worship of the “protector” deity known as Dorje Shugden, because one of its functions has been to force conformity to the dGe lugs pa sect (with which the Dalai Lama himself is most closely associated) and to assert power over competing sects. Western followers of a few dGe lugs pa monks who worship that deity, lacking any critical awareness of its sectarian functions in Tibet, have recently followed the Dalai Lama to his speaking engagements to protest his strong stance (for non-sectarianism) in the name of their “religious freedom” to promulgate, now in the West, an embodiment of Tibetan sectarianism. If it were not so harmful to persons and traditions, this would surely be one of the funniest examples of the cross-cultural confusion that lack of critical reflection continues to create.[14]

The German Buddhist Monastic Association (DBO) formally dissociates itself from the protests against the Dalai Lama, and points out that the protesters are not Buddhist monks and nuns according to the Buddha’s teachings (Vinaya), that "their behaviour in public represents neither the Buddha nor his teachings (Dharma) nor the Buddhist community (Sangha)" and that

Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and centers as well as the practitioners themselves are free to decide whether or not they will follow the Dalai Lama’s advice. And a majority among them have spoken out against a controversial practice such as that of the organized followers of Shugden that causes disharmony and depreciates other religious communities.[15]

See also

References

  1. ^ Dalai Lama, direct quote in Chhaya, Mayank (2007). Dalai Lama: Man, Monk, Mystic. New York: Doubleday. p. 189.
  2. ^ Waterhouse, Helen (2001). Representing western Buddhism: a United Kingdom focus. quoted in Beckerlegge, G. (2001). From sacred text to internet. Religion today, v. 1. Aldershot, Hants, England: Ashgate. p. 137.
  3. ^ Partridge, C. H. (2004). New religions: A guide : New Religious Movements, Sects, and Alternative spiritualities. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 206.
  4. ^ Curren, Erik D. 2006. Buddha's Not Smiling: Uncovering Corruption at the Heart of Tibetan Buddhism Today. Staunton, VA: Alaya Press. p. 17
  5. ^ Wilson, Richard, & Mitchell, Jon (2003). Human Rights in Global Perspective: Anthropological Studies of Rights, Claims and Entitlements. London: Routledge. p. 10.
  6. ^ "Supplement to the statement of the German Buddhist monastic community (DBO) on the protests against His Holiness the Dalai Lama by the International Shugden Community (ISC), May 1st, 2014, http://buddhistische-ordensgemeinschaft.de/dbo_statement-shugden-protests-Dalai-Lama.htm#ESN
  7. ^ The Dorje Shugden Conflict: An Interview with Tibetologist Thierry Dodin, May 8, 2014, retrieved May 12, 2014
  8. ^ The Dalai Lama And The Cult Of Dolgyal Shugden retrieved Mar. 5, 2014.
  9. ^ The Dalai Lama And The Cult Of Dolgyal Shugden, Huffington Post, retrieved 03/11/2014.
  10. ^ Thurman, Robert. Foreward. In Bultrini, Raimondo. The Dalai Lama and the King Demon. Tibet House 2013. Thurman states "However, the members of the cult are not content with this situation of having to choose between adopting His Holiness the Dalai Lama as their spiritual mentor or ignoring his judgment and persisting in the Gyalpo Shugden worship. They want to force their supposed mentor to adopt their perspective that the demonic spirit is an enlightened being, almost more important than the Buddha himself, and perhaps also rejoin their worship of it, or at least give them all his initiatory teachings in spite of their defiance of his best advice. So, they feel compelled to attack His Holiness, in order to force him to join their fundamentalist version of a Gelukpa outlook."
  11. ^ The Dorje Shugden Conflict: An Interview with Tibetologist Thierry Dodin, May 8, 2014, retrieved May 12, 2014
  12. ^ Distance from Dalai Lama protests among differing opinions, May 8th, 2014, http://theforeigner.no/pages/news/distance-from-dalai-lama-protests-among-differing-opinions/
  13. ^ a b Tibet scholar denies making Time magazine Shugden comment, 2008-07-23, retrieved 2009-10-31.
  14. ^ Makransky, John (2000). Buddhist Theology: Critical Reflections by Contemporary Buddhist Scholars, John J. Makransky, Roger Reid Jackson, p. 20, in Introduction to Contemporary Academic Buddhist Theology; Its emergence and rationale)
  15. ^ "Statement of the Deutsche Buddhistische Ordensgemeinschaft (DBO, German Buddhist Monastic Association) on the Protests against the Dalai Lama by the International Shugden Community (ISC), May 1st, 2014, http://buddhistische-ordensgemeinschaft.de/dbo_statement-shugden-protests-Dalai-Lama.htm
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