(TibetanReview.net, Jan21’26) – The two Gelug members of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile (TPiE) have on Jan 20 offered their solemn penitence in keeping with a directive issued by the Lachi of the Drepung monastic university in the Doeguling Tibetan settlement in Mundgod, Karnataka state of India, on Jan 9.
The governing body of the monastic university had issued its directive following a rebuke of the two Gelug representatives by the Nechung Choegyal Chenpo, the principal state oracle of Tibet, for serious vocal misconduct which allegedly included insulting His Holiness the Dalai Lama and engaging in religious and provincial bigotry, abandoning the general interest of the Sowland of Tibet.
However, while offering their penitence, which took place in the Lhamo Shrine, the two Gelug representatives, Geshe Lharampa Atrug Tseten and Geshe Lharampa Gowo Lobsang Phende, have pointedly denied having ever defamed His Holiness the Dalai Lama, adding they would also never do so in future even at the cost of their lives, calling him our “precious root guru”.
Each of them have then said, “Other than that, and in accordance with the divine pronouncement of Nechung Choegyal Chenpo on Dec 27, I have realized my faults as faults, sincerely regret my past conduct, and vow to not repeat such infraction in future.”
Following the denial, acknowledgement, and offering of penitence made by the two Gelug TPiE members – who were not specifically named in the state oracle’s pronouncement – social media platforms showed a large number of monks greeting them with offering of ceremonial scarfs as they emerged from the general prayer assembly hall. They invited all manners of comments, not all of them outrightly positive.
According to the Lachi directive, the duo were to have offered a ceremonial scarf each at His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s throne in front of the general assembly of monks before their Lhamo shrine tryst.
The TPiE consists of 45 members elected 10 each to represent the three traditional province of Tibet, two each the four major Tibetan Buddhist schools and the Bon Tibetan religion, two from Europe and Africa, two from North and South America’s, and one from Australasia, irrespective of the numerical strength of of the voters in each constituency. Monks and nuns are privileged to vote twice: for their religious representatives as well as for their provincial and other representatives as the case may be.
The preliminary polls for the next, 18th TPiE and the Sikyong (executive head) of the Central Tibetan Administration, takes place on Feb 1 and the final polls on Apr 26.