Hyperborean
Cultural Conservative
According to practicioners, the deity (which somewhat resembles a "saint" in Christianity), Dorje Shugden is an emanation of Manjushri. Immediately before this, he was believed to have lived as the Gelugpa Lama "Dragpa Gyaltsen" in Drepung. Previously, he was considered to be a dharma-protector, associated with Gelugpa and Sakya schools of Tantric Buddhism.
The current Dalai Lama, though a former Shugden practicioner himself has banned the veneration of Shugden saying that practicioners are only worshiping the man Dragpa Gyatlsen himself. The Leading Shugden master, Kelsang Gyatso, however, has re-enforced the view that Dorje Shugden is an emanation of Manjushri, and not a worldy being. He says that the form of Dorje Shugden reveals the complete stages of the path of Sutra and Tantra, and such qualities are not possessed by the forms of worldly beings.
Over the last 300 years, Dorje Shugden practice has been a central Protector practice of almost every Gelugpa Monastery in Tibet and in exile. Kelsang Gyatso, remarked in the book "Heart Jewel":
Controversy?
It has been a source of controversy in the Exile Tibetan Community in Dharamsala in particular that the Dalai Lama has banned veneration of Shugden, saying that it promotes sectarianism, and that it harms the status of Tibet as a whole. In addition, the religious reasoning is the controversy between the status of Shugden as merely a deceased spirit, or a genuine Dharma protector. This means, that the Shugden controversy lies upon these three questions:
First, what is the nature of Dorje Shugden? Is Dorje Shugden an enlightened "saintly" being or merely a worldy being?
Second, what features of Dorje Shugden make it sectarian, and further, how does one define sectarianism?
Lastly, What are the motivations for the ban on the practice?
With reference to defining sectarianism, there is some evidence to suggest the uniqueness the Shugden practice. One might compare this to the differences between various sects and denominations of the Christian religion. Certainly the "Ave Maria" prayer is unique to Catholicism, as is veneration of the Virgin Mary. Likewise, there are certain Protestant practices which are unique to Protestantism. Those practices in themselves do not make either denomination "sectarian".
According to the TGIE, the ban is required to prevent Buddhism from becoming "idol worship" and because Dorje Shugden is ‘hostile to the government of the Dalai Lamas’. Dorje Shugden practitioners say the ban is motivated by a political desire to consolidate power and to provide a scapegoat for the problems faced by the Tibetan government in exile and to distract attention away from painful concessions being made in the negotiations with the Chinese.
Al Jazeera (video) reported that:
The ban [on Dorje Shugden] has created tension and dissent amongst the one million Tibetans living in India and in May 400 monks were thrown out of monasteries because of their religious beliefs. In the Tibetan refugee camps, Shugden worshippers have been turned away from jobs, shops and schools. Posters with the message "no Shugden followers allowed" cover hospital and shop fronts...Shugden followers in India have decided to take matters into their own hands, taking the Dalai Lama to court for religious discrimination.
Amnesty International, however, has claimed that "None of the material AI has received contains evidence of abuses which fall within Al's mandate for action".
The current Dalai Lama, though a former Shugden practicioner himself has banned the veneration of Shugden saying that practicioners are only worshiping the man Dragpa Gyatlsen himself. The Leading Shugden master, Kelsang Gyatso, however, has re-enforced the view that Dorje Shugden is an emanation of Manjushri, and not a worldy being. He says that the form of Dorje Shugden reveals the complete stages of the path of Sutra and Tantra, and such qualities are not possessed by the forms of worldly beings.
Over the last 300 years, Dorje Shugden practice has been a central Protector practice of almost every Gelugpa Monastery in Tibet and in exile. Kelsang Gyatso, remarked in the book "Heart Jewel":
Controversy?
It has been a source of controversy in the Exile Tibetan Community in Dharamsala in particular that the Dalai Lama has banned veneration of Shugden, saying that it promotes sectarianism, and that it harms the status of Tibet as a whole. In addition, the religious reasoning is the controversy between the status of Shugden as merely a deceased spirit, or a genuine Dharma protector. This means, that the Shugden controversy lies upon these three questions:
First, what is the nature of Dorje Shugden? Is Dorje Shugden an enlightened "saintly" being or merely a worldy being?
Second, what features of Dorje Shugden make it sectarian, and further, how does one define sectarianism?
Lastly, What are the motivations for the ban on the practice?
With reference to defining sectarianism, there is some evidence to suggest the uniqueness the Shugden practice. One might compare this to the differences between various sects and denominations of the Christian religion. Certainly the "Ave Maria" prayer is unique to Catholicism, as is veneration of the Virgin Mary. Likewise, there are certain Protestant practices which are unique to Protestantism. Those practices in themselves do not make either denomination "sectarian".
According to the TGIE, the ban is required to prevent Buddhism from becoming "idol worship" and because Dorje Shugden is ‘hostile to the government of the Dalai Lamas’. Dorje Shugden practitioners say the ban is motivated by a political desire to consolidate power and to provide a scapegoat for the problems faced by the Tibetan government in exile and to distract attention away from painful concessions being made in the negotiations with the Chinese.
Al Jazeera (video) reported that:
The ban [on Dorje Shugden] has created tension and dissent amongst the one million Tibetans living in India and in May 400 monks were thrown out of monasteries because of their religious beliefs. In the Tibetan refugee camps, Shugden worshippers have been turned away from jobs, shops and schools. Posters with the message "no Shugden followers allowed" cover hospital and shop fronts...Shugden followers in India have decided to take matters into their own hands, taking the Dalai Lama to court for religious discrimination.
Amnesty International, however, has claimed that "None of the material AI has received contains evidence of abuses which fall within Al's mandate for action".
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