Dalai Lama Persecution
Ostracism
Since 1995, the Dalai Lama has unceasingly inflicted heavy and unjust punishment on the practitioners of Dorje Shugden—all of whom are completely innocent practitioners.
He has separated innocent people from their families, friends and community. As a result of these actions, thousands of Shugden practitioners have been forced to become refugees for the second time in their life as they try to escape such inhumane actions that exist in this modern world by seeking exile in other countries.
As recently as 8th February 2008, the Dalai Lama expelled 900 monks from their monasteries.
Mockery
On January 9th 2008 he was invited to inaugurate a Prayer Hall for a large monastic community in South India. At this spiritual event he publicly announced a ‘Referendum on the practice of Dholgyal (Shugden)’ and proposed a collection of votes on this issue with a deadline on February 8, 2008.
Since when did the action of prayer become an object for political vote? And since when did voting become a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ game with colored sticks with no middle/neutral option for abstaining?
Well, this is precisely the nature of the referendum held by the Dalai Lama and the direct cause for these 900 innocent monks being expelled from their monasteries. It makes a mockery of democracy.
Abject suffering
Most of these 900 expelled monks are very poor and have no place to go; they are crying and are full of fear.
The Dalai Lama is clearly breaking the laws of India by inflicting such blatant religious persecution. What a way to repay the kindness of a country that gave him sanctuary!
Making this difficult situation worse for the expelled monks is the message now being issued by the Dalai Lama´s representatives to the Tibetan community saying, ‘any person who helps the Shugden people will receive similar punishment’.
Furthermore, those who maintain their faith in Dorje Shugden are publicly denounced as being ‘unclean’, ‘traitors to the Tibetan cause’, and ‘enemies of the Dalai Lama’ and are treated as outcasts from society.
Religious apartheid
Along with his mock referendum the Dalai Lama instigated public swearing ceremonies in the monastic universities in South India aimed at making social life impossible for those who do not follow his orders.
Such swearing ceremonies are now conducted outside of monasteries in Tibetan communities throughout the world, including Europe. Here is an example of the pledge they are forced to make:
‘I, whose name is …., vow that from now on, forever, at any time, that I will never venerate and worship Dolgyal. And regarding the type of people who venerate and worship Dolgyal, I vow never to share or experience any religious or material goods with them.’
Those who refuse to take part in this travesty do not receive an identity card, and without this card it is now impossible to attend common Prayer Halls, buy goods in shops, or obtain a visa for traveling .
The ‘unclean’ ones have effectively been singled out and are now ostracized in everyday life.
Religious apartheid is becoming a reality among the Tibetans in exile.
Such events are unprecedented in Tibetan Buddhist history and are completely unacceptable in most countries of this modern world. This forced segregation has no part in the Buddhist way of life or in a democratic society.
We in the West have seen such attempts to demonize and marginalize religious groups in the past and have rightly condemned them and resoundingly rejected them.