UK News
Protestors turn up at Dalai Lama's London visit (Extra)
May 22, 2008, 15:46 GMT
London - Protestors turned out in London Thursday to mark their opposition to the Dalai Lama during his current visit to Britain.
As the Tibetan spiritual leader delivered a lecture in in London's Royal Albert Hall, opponents lined the streets outside.
Police said by far the largest group of protestors, monks and nuns among them, belonged to the Western Shugden Society which believes that their religious rights are being repressed by the Dalai Lama.
The group follows the teachings of the ancient Buddhist deity Dorje Shugden and claims that the Dalai Lama and his supporters are restricting their right to practise.
The group was swelled by an influx of international Shugden Buddhists from as far afield as Australia and the US, reports said.
A smaller, pro-Dalai Lama lobby and pro-Beijing groups were also spotted among the protestors.
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Older Talkback
page: 1
That dalai salami is a joke
Thats why he continues to end up with his face full of egg yolk
Many people say he smell funny
Just like the doo doo from the behind of a bunny
He wants to go back to the times of slavery
But we like to remember those Tibetans who are willing to show bravery
Get educated and learn how to read
To resist the monks of Tibetan Buddhism and their greed
China..thats where Tibet belongs
Dalai salami and handful of supporters you ding dongs!
CHINA is thee best
Head and shoulders above the rest
Socialism is thee IN-thing
Thats why CHINA has so much bling bling
Even after a natural disaster CHINA can mobilize all their resources
America after Katrina couldn't even muster a few horses
Capitalism nurtures greed
The CHINESE system reacts with incredible speed
Ching chong ching chong u used to joke
Thats why in America you are all broke
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Ive just outdone myself
*pat*pat*pat*
I just pat myself 3x on my shoulder
Make me Beijing supporter two.
page: 1
Dalai Lama SupporterMay 23rd, 2008 - 10:39:12
The Western Shugden Society (WSS) are made up almost entirely of members of the NKT - a Western Buddhist organisation who, in there own words, are do not represent Tibet or Tibetan Buddhism and are free to practice the worship of Shugden. Most of those protesting are from the UK and other European NKT centres.
The problem with the picture portrayed by the NKT is that it doesn't take into account the fact that the overwhelming majority of monks of Sera and Ganden do not want to share their monasteries with people that worship this spirit. The recent conflict began when monks refused to debate with dogyal worshippers during the annual winter debate. One monk who was present at the debates explains what happened,
'I was fortunate to attend His Holiness the Dalai Lama's teachings in Drepung this January. During the month before, the monks from the three great monasteries assembled at Drepung for the annual winter debate. When it came to Sera Je to debate against Sera Me, the Je monks refused to put any questions to the few Me monks who still practice DS, thereby leaving them sitting in silence, in front of the entire assembly of monks from the three great monasteries! Really this is a very huge and brave thing to do. Picture a short row of seated Sera Me monks with a small cluster of Sera Je monks standing before them asking questions and surrounding them are hundreds and hundreds of monks from Ganden, Drepung and Sera, as well as their abbots. And remember these aren't just thousands of monks, but this is the sangha community! The Sera Je monks questioned the Me monks one by one, and when it came to the two monks who practice DS, they were ignored and as everyone knows who practices DS, the reason was clear. And remember that this was acted out before, and witnessed, by the sangha community! So a very powerful statement was made that these two monks were not being accepted as part of the sangha community by other members of the community.'
When such a thing happens, the Sangha community have to address it. The way this is done is set out in the vinaya. Monks have to decide which side they are on and publicly declare that before their peers, just as the Buddha set out. In this way, divisions in the Sangha are resolved.
The number of monks that have been expelled is open to question, but thousands seems an exaggeration. The monk that I quoted above puts the number at about three hundred.
The right of monastery authorities to decide a code of conduct for those that reside in their institutions is obvious, surely. It is also perfectly acceptible for these monks to set up their own institutions, as has already happened in some cases.
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