(TibetanReview.net, May07, 2014) – Ahead of a visit to Frankfurt later this month by Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, the DBO (German Buddhist Monastic Association) has on May 6 criticized UK-based New Kadampa Tradition (NKT) group for their planned protest against him. The DBO has accused the group of hiding its identity from its protests against the Dalai Lama which it said are aggressive and misleading, and carried out with unethical behaviour and by presenting a false image to the public.
The association said that by using un-Buddhist means, a Buddhist group was trying to cause further damage in the West to the Dalai Lama and Tibetan Buddhism at a time when its teachings were under great pressure in Tibet.
The association noted that since 1978, the Dalai Lama had pointed out that the invocation of Shugden had degenerated to a cult practice with strongly sectarian characteristics; that the practice had veered farther and farther away from the Buddhist teachings, and that the spirit had been controversial since his origination in the 17th century.
The organization said that while organizing its worldwide protests, the NKT keeps setting up new front organizations, with the current International Shugden Community (ISC) being the third. It noted, “the Shugden websites, which it operate, do not cite any official contact information or legal registration, are run anonymously (domains by proxy), and do not name anyone legally responsible for the accusations.”
The association has refuted all the allegations and claims made by the group as false, including the claim of there being four million Shugden devotees; about Tibetan Shugden devotees being excluded from medical assistance, education and the issuance of passports because of the Dalai Lama’s politics; about the Dalai Lama having banned Shugden and suppressed its worshippers; about the Dalai Lama being solely responsible for the Shugden issue, and about the invocation of Shugden being just a simple prayer for the development of compassion and wisdom.