(TibetanReview.net, Oct26’26) – Top leaders of the Geluk order of Tibetan Buddhism, including the Gaden Throne-holder, have adopted a resolution this month which requires its monastic members to fully disaffiliate from their monasteries if they wish to contest for political offices in the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA). The resolution is titled as being meant to safeguard the integrity of the religious and political order of Tibet and that of its monastic communities.
The resolution adopted at the annual meeting of the Geluk International Foundation (GIF), held over Oct 20-21, and announced on Oct 26, bars monks in any monastery affiliated with the foundation from henceforth standing for election as Sikyong (the executive head of the CTA) and/or as a member of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile.
Any monk who privately decides to stand for any of these elections is required to seek final discharge from his monastery before proceeding to do so.
And in case any monk stands for any of these elections without complying with this requirement, he shall be deemed to automatically stand removed from his monastery.
The resolution, which was adopted unanimously, says the move has been made for the sake of the well-being of the Tibetan community and the Tibetan religious and political order in light of the current situation and for the sake of the integrity of the Tibetan monastic community in particular.
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Along with the above document, the meeting has adopted another resolution, which is on safeguarding the personal reputation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. It notes that while the gratitude the Buddhist religion in general, the religious and political order of Tibet in particular, and specifically the Geluk school owe to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and his Gaden Phodrang Office is unparalleled, there have been stray cases these days of people who have acted with gross ingratitude towards him and of those making baseless open criticisms of his office despite the existence of a multitude of official channels for pointing out or reporting wrongdoings. The resolution, also adopted unanimously, makes it clear that anyone proved by clear evidence to have engaged in any such wrongdoing will be dismissed from his monastery.
The backgrounds to these resolutions are explained in an 11-page document. (See https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1582954447210029&set=pcb.1582955107209963)
The resolution is signed by the 104th Gaden Tri-Rinpoche Lobsang Dorjee as President, GIF’s two vice-presidents who are the Shartse and Jangtse Choejes, the Secretary who is the Gaden Shartse Abbot, the Treasurer who is the Drepung Gomang Abbot, the Executive Director who is the former Gyumed Khensur Ven Lobsang Wangdu, and the other 10 abbots from the major Geluk monastic seats as the other board members.
GIF is a registered nonprofit established in India to preserve and promote the Geluk (Gelug) tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. It website says the foundation was founded based on the aspirations and vision of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Gaden Tri-Rinpoche, and various important senior Geluk masters and leaders. Its primary aim is to insure coordination, cooperation, management, and organized continuity of the precious Geluk tradition as expounded by the great master Tsongkhapa
It provides an umbrella for all Geluk monasteries and Dharma centres to work collectively for the preservation and promotion of the Geluk tradition, enabling the great masters, leaders, teachers, intellectuals, and centres to further promote the teachings of the Geluk tradition, especially in the face of changing times, values, and environments, its website says.