DHARAMSHALA, May 9: Tibetan government in exile (officiallly known as the Central Tibetan Administration) condemned the protests against Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama by western followers of Dorje Shugden (dolgyal) terming their allegations “baseless”.
International Shugden Committee has planned a three day protests during the Tibetan leader Dalai Lama’s visit to Norway. Members of the group protested outside the Nobel Institute where the Tibetan leader met with members of the Nobel Committee.
In a statement issued yesterday, the Tibetan Prime Minister Lobsang Sangay said, “The fact that Dolgyal groups welcome the Norwegian government’s decision not to meet with His Holiness the Dalai Lama due to pressure from the Chinese government clearly confirms this group is doing the political bidding at the behest of the Chinese government. His Holiness the Dalai Lama is a beacon of hope for millions of Tibetans and peace-loving individuals across the world.
“As the Shugden-related groups sustain their campaign to mislead the public with false allegations against both His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Central Tibetan Administration, we trust the public will see through these unfounded allegations.”
During the last parliament session, Tibetan Parliament in exile unanimously passed a five point resolution regarding the worship of Dorje Shugden.
Condemning their allegations, Tibetan government in exile said denied the claims of discrimination against Dolgyal propitiators saying it has never denied religious freedom nor obstructed their rights to live in India or travel abroad.
The Tibetan government has also expressed its willingness to investigate any instances of discrimination if concrete evidence is provided.
The 1989 Nobel laureate is currently in Norway to participate in an event marking 25 years of Nobel Peace Prize.
The Tibetan leader yesterday denied that he has placed any ban of worshipping of Shugden diety. “A spiritual bond is formed between a teacher and disciple and I have asked that if people want to worship this spirit they don’t take teachings from me. This is what they are calling a ban. They chant “Stop lying,’ but I think you should ask who is lying here. I try to be non-sectarian. This practice has long been associated with sectarianism. I feel sorry for these demonstrators because of their ignorance about this issue,” he told reporters yesterday in Norway.
The Tibetan leader says he was himself a follower of Dorje Shugden but that he later quit in 1975 for reasons he describes as “strong sectarian overtones” and “a history of contributing to a climate of sectarian disharmony” among the four traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. The Tibetan leader denounces the worship of Dorje Shugden as “spirit worship” and fears that the propitiation of it might degenerate the “rich tradition of Tibetan Buddhism” into “mere propitiation of spirits.”
