All religions not same to you

Actually all religions are the same to me. They may try to sell a different spin, but in the end they are still an attempt to control.

Why People revere a man who is deliberately attempting to the Destroy the Gulugs is Beyond Me?

Really, why do you think you know about Dorje Shugden?

Because, the Lamas Stood Up and Gave Us the Empowerment to Defend the Lineage Of Je T'Song Khapa by Embracing the Protective Powers of the Supreme Dharma Protector Shri Dorje Shugden.
He cannot do it Without Us, and We Cannot Defend the Lineage Without Him
Never since the time of Je T'Song Khapa, never has the lineage been as threatened as now.
Not even with the Chinese changing Tibet!
Not ever, and you wonder why I get excited?
This is not a chic flick.
It is the Battle of the Millenium.
Fence Sitters should Decide instead of cruising the safe path.
Make up your minds.
You cannot serve two Masters!
I thought you knew that.

Why is Nechung Allowed but Not Dorje Shugden?

Nechung is a worldly spirit of the Gyalpo class, most likey from Persia, who tried to block the coming of Buddhism into Tibet, and finally Guru Rinpoche has to wrathfully oath-bound him.

This video clearly demonstrates the contradictions Tibetan Govt overtly exhibits.

They worship Nechung the spirit yet Dorje Shugden's practice is suppresseed as they claim he is a spirit.

They ask you not to seek advice of spirits as it damages one's refuge vows, yet they are seeking advice.

They ask you not to pray to spirits, yet they set up Nechung's chapel right along the lingkor where hundreds of people religiously circumambulate daily.

There's one policy for them and another for Shugden practitioners.

They put up letters to ban Shugden practitioners yet they promote Nechung the spirit to the lay people.

Why is it they may worship spirits, but we may not worship Dorje Shugden which they have wrongly labeled a spirit?

How can Nechung who has limited clairvoyance advise Dalai Lama to ban Shugden?

How can Nechung with his limited powers as a spirit have the abilities to see the level of Shugden? Why does the Dalai Lama need Nechung's advice at all?

Trijang Rinpoche clearly states Shugden is Manjushri. Yet Nechung says Shugden is not. Who do we listen to? The Root Guru of all Gurus, Trijang Rinpoche or a spirit called Nechung?

The Tibetan Govt in Dharamsala gives many contradictions that do not make sense to those who are learned, can debate and refute. Hence all requests to discuss the Shugden issue with the Dalai Lama and Tibetan Govt have been refused.

Please contemplate on these contradictions.

This film presented is not meant to disparage the Dalai Lama nor Nechung. It is to bring a point across that the policies from Tibetan Govt must be fair and Dalai Lama should never ban, restrict, or speak against Dorje Shugden’s practice. Dalai Lama has the right to worship Nechung, so the followers of Trijang Rinpoche have the right to worship Shugden.

Shugden’s practice was estimated clearly to be around 4 million strong before 1959. Shugden was not a minor practice but a leading force within the Buddhism of Tibet.

More info on the spirit Nechung / Pehar : http://dorjeshugden.com/wp/?p=3934

Neither will I Compromise My Principles of the Bill of Rights
The Foundation, The Cornerstone for Preserving the Wheel Of the Dharma

Just to Spread the Dharma and Ride On the Fame of the Dalia Lama
Collect Endorsement Royaties from the Dalia Lama
Go With the Flow, Do not make Waves,
Enough of this Nonsense,Stop it or else, is what Thurman ranted!
That would be duplicitious, I said.
Dalia grumbled in the background or was it a growl?
I say, Stand Up and Be Counted
Our Numbers Make Us Strong
Our Annonimity Makes Us Weak
Are We Warriors of Shambala or weak willed cushion sitters?

I know that Unless We Stand,
Emmanate the Protector's Positive Protection!
We're not doing what is needed.
We have the Collective Merit
That is Why We Are Here!

Neither will I Compromise My Principles of the Bill of Rights
The Foundation, The Cornerstone for Preserving the Wheel Of the Dharma

Just to Spread the Dharma and Ride On the Fame of the Dalia Lama
Collect Endorsement Royaties from the Dalia Lama's facsit foundations.
"Go With the Flow.... Do not make Waves, Enough of this Nonsense!" is what Thurman ranted!
That would be duplicitious, I said.
Dalia grumbled in the background or was it a growl?
I say, Stand Up and Be Counted
Are Numbers Make Us Strong
Our Annonimity Makes Us Weak
Are We Warriors of Shambala or weak willed cushion sitters?

I know that Unless We Stand and Emmanate the Protector's Positive Protection
We're not doing what is needed.
We have the Collective Merit
That is Why We Are Here!

See that's the point! The Tibetans are not as we who have been fortunate enough to be born where the Fight For Individual Freedom Was Victorious.
We Westeners have been willing to die for our beliefs.
The Tibetans, well it will take awhile for them to remove the shackles of a Servitude Society unable to think or fight for themselves. Even today they hide behind the skirts of their former slaver. I think it akin to the Helsinki Syndrome. At some point they lost the will and knowledge of Universal Freedom of Self Determination.
Who in their right minds would fight or defend the very institution that enslaved them as animals?

Now, what does Tibet have to with the Practice of Je T'Song Khapa?
Other than a place of origin.
I do not intend to replay the Crusades and ReConqueor Lhasa.
Time to seperate the Wheat from the Chaff.
I am not a Tibetan and neither am I a Global Policeman.
It was the Dharma that the Tibetans Brought to Us.
Now, Thank you very much, let's just get on with that
"For I do not care if they stand on their heads and walk with their hands,
It was we that brought the dharma to Them."
Remember this, for this is what the Dalia Lama said about We Westeners in 1999.
That's Us!

Check out what the Chinese Tibetans think of Mr.Gyatso!

http://chinatibet.people.com.cn/96112/99691/index.html

Now, the unmistaken incarnation of Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen has returned among us.

He has been incarnating continuously over the past few hundred years, quietly preserving and propagating the lineage of Lama Tsongkhapa and his most significant work, the Lamrim Chenmo.

Recognised by oracles and high lamas a few decades ago, the current incarnation continues to live quietly among us, awaiting the most beneficial time to emerge, to openly continue this legacy of incredible deeds.

His time is coming soon.

His return will cause an explosion at the heart of the Tibetan Buddhist world, righting a great ‘wrong’ that was done hundreds of years ago.

His return marks the culmination of an orchestrated sequence of events which began over 600 years ago during the time of Dulzin.

His return heralds a new age of Buddhist renaissance, where Dorje Shugden will rise to the fore, unveiling his true nature as the greatest Dharma Protector for our time.

The final episode in this elaborate epic reveals how the highest Lamas have each played their part to propel Lama Tsongkhapa’s lineage to its highest peak.

The undisputed incarnation of Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen, ‘silenced’ for the past 350 years, has now returned, preparing to emerge publicly into the world again.

Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen was the ‘last’ of Dorje Shugden’s lineage of High Lama incarnations, unsurpassable in his attainments and knowledge, and considered equal to the great 5th Dalai Lama.

After his murder, he arose as the Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden, who some were opposed to. His lineage of incarnations was then banned. His name was erased from all prayers and books. His properties and labrang were all confiscated. No one was allowed to even mention his name.

Yet, there is no stopping this eminent Lama from returning for a higher purpose. Every incarnation in this illustrious lineage has continued to make unsurpassable contributions to the growth of Dharma and Lama Tsongkhapa’s precious “Yellow Hat” tradition. Only an Enlightened Being would possess such all-encompassing compassion.

Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen’s current incarnation was unmistakably recognized several decades ago. His recognition is infallible. Remaining safely hidden, he has been spreading the Dharma inexorably under a different name, and awaits the right time to emerge publicly.

In time, everyone will be made aware of who he really is. His unrivalled legacy of great endeavors will once again shine into the ten directions for all to see.

But what was his story? Who was he?

How many of us can access the Benefits of Meeting the Dharma,the Teachings of Je'T Song Khapa,Shri Dorje Shugden and on and on?
I remember when all we had were the Evan Wentz Books and the Way of the White Cloud.
Stick yourself in an abandoned milk truck in the woods and Om Mani Padme Hum All Night long.
That's all we had in my neck of the woods, In the Begining of 1966.
So many People have come to realize Emptiness as the Doorway to Completeness.
So many millions more sentient beings are taking the First Steps to Liberation in a World of Innateness.
Imagine the next few decades and centuries and evolve from material values to the values of uniqueness? That Each One of Us Truly Is?
Rainbow Worlds Really Do Exist Right Here On Planet Earth.
Expect the Unexpected !
My Old friend, Professor Norbu used to tease and say as we stood in the middle of the field.
What would you do if you saw Yamataka over there waving his arms?
He said, I would run away and we did.
Why is anything else strange?
So, from my perspective this is a normal course of events that equal the Power and Dissemination of Knowledge the Masters have Showered On Us!

Friends from the Medieval Kingdom are still Awakening and not yet certain they have reached Freedom Land or languish in the Theocratic Dungeon of Dalia Lama Land.
I understand that the Tibetan Refugees are Stampeding out of India and heading for the USA.
I hope they check their Bill Of Rights and leave their Theocratric endoctrination at home. Here, We Seperate Church and State.

Thurman, I Challenge you to a Debate!

I am Thomas David Canada/Thom Canada/Thom/Geronimo/Lhakpa Gyaltshen/Protectors Champion/Western Shugden Society Co Founder/Council of Shambala Elders/Founder of the Tibetan Cultural Center/Co Founder of Dagom Geden Tensung Ling Monastery/Co Founder of Vajra Vega Wana Monastery.
I Stand In Defense of Teachings of Je T'Song Khapa and the Bill Of Rights!
So, be not confused any more
I've been calling you out for 15 years
Anytime, Anywhere!
I'll Debate your puny logic into the medieval dungeons it sprang from!
Thurman, do you have any guts!
I demand you resign your administrative position at the TCC right away.
I am unhappy with your activities on the gift I gave HHDL.
Forget your goons.
I've already met them!

11.Why are you afraid to Debate Us On a Public Forum?

Bob Thurmans is a cowardly traitor and Believe me!
Old Bob is buzzing around like a Hornet
Looking in his Mirror,
"Saying, Mirror,mirror on the Wall
Who is the fairest of them all"
He's probably invoking his Wrathful incantations at this very moment
Bob, the High Red Chair Of Columbia
He knows the story alright
Who do you think has been fanning the flames all these years?
Bob wants his high rise in Lhasa
Just like Yertle the Turtle
Poor Bob!

Dalai Lama’s Referendum Contradicts Vinaya
http://dorjeshugden.com/wp/?p=2197

The purpose of this article is to examine whether or not the actions of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, with respect to the practice of Dorje Shugden, are in accordance with the Vinaya, Buddha’s Code of Conduct. My intention here is not to engage in hurtful speech or divisive speech but rather to investigate the Dorje Shugden dispute through the lens of the Vinaya with a wish to determine which of the two opposing views on this practice is in accord with the Dharma.

In particular, the Dalai Lama has initiated referendums at each of the great Gelugpa monasteries on this issue and my efforts here are focused on checking the validity of these referendums.

During a speech made by the Dalai Lama in January 8th 2008 at Drepung Loseling Monastery (transcript from Voice of America) he said:

“In the Vinaya rules also, when there is a contentious issue, the monks take vote-sticks and decide, as mentioned in the seven methods of resolving conflict. In contemporary democratic practice, there is such a thing as ‘referendum’, ‘consulting the majority’. The matter has now reached this point of consulting what the majority wants. Therefore, when you return to your respective places after this programme at Loseling Monastery, put these questions:

1. Whether you want to worship Dholgyal. This is the first question. Those who want to worship, should sign saying they wish to worship Dholgyal; those who don’t want, should sign saying that [they] don’t want to.

2. ‘[Whether] we want to share the religious and material amenities of life with Dholgyal worshippers.’ You should sign saying so. ‘We do not want to share religious and material amenities of life with Dholgyal worshippers.’ (You should) sign saying so.’”

The particular section of the Vinaya to which the Dalai Lama is referring, known as “The Seven Methods for Resolving Conflict”, is the scriptural basis for the referendums at the great Gelugpa monasteries of Sera, Ganden, and Drepung. I decided to study these instructions to discern whether or not those procedures are being followed.

As I proceeded I was shocked to find that the protocols laid out by Buddha on how to handle such conflicts are being completely ignored by both the Dalai Lama and the abbots of those monasteries. In fact, the particular translation and commentary I referenced for this article offered many instructions that, if followed sincerely, would ease much of the suffering being endured by practitioners on both sides of this issue.

For the sake of readability and in the interest of space I will not insert all seven methods for resolving conflict here. I have based this article in its entirety upon The Buddhist Monastic Code, Volume I: The Patimokkha Training Rules Translated and Explained, by Thanissaro Bhikkhu (see here for the full article: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/bmc1/bmc1.intro.html).

Why is the Dalai Lama getting away with this big lie?
In summary, there is no valid reason whatsoever for the Dalai Lama to keep using the word ‘cult’ in relation to Dorje Shugden practice. Dorje Shugden practice was in the mainstream of the Gelugpa tradition before the Dalai Lama’s ban. It is neither heretical nor extreme, as can be seen by the way in which people rely upon this Buddha and the prayers they make to him.

How the Dalai Lama can get away with making such statements without valid reasons is astounding. No other leader’s words would be accepted just because of who he is.

(And, even if some people agree with his view, it is still entirely wrong for the Dalai Lama to impose his view on those who do not agree through political and secular means, backed up by the Tibetan Government in Exile.)

The cult of the Dalai Lama
Buddha himself advised those who wanted to follow him not just to accept his words but to check them carefully for the truth. Buddha’s words of wisdom have benefited this world a great deal and are worthy of veneration and trust. However, the Dalai Lama’s non-Buddhist words on the issue of Dorje Shugden have caused nothing but disharmony, division and suffering to the Buddhist community and are therefore not to be trusted.

Perhaps it is more appropriate to talk about the cult of the Dalai Lama, who is not the head of any spiritual tradition but who expects people to follow his spiritual diktats blindly, without checking the truth of what he is saying.

It is characteristic of a cult to unquestioningly follow a charismatic leader and to have no freedom as to what to practice. The Dalai Lama’s ban gives people no freedom to follow the completely orthodox Buddhist practice of the Gelugpa tradition, symbolized by its Protector Dorje Shugden. He alone dictates what is Buddhist and what is not; and others — assuming that he is a genuine religious authority rather than a self-appointed one — blindly believe what he says despite hundreds of years of evidence to the contrary.

(Source: http://wisdombuddhadorjeshugden.blogspot.com/2008/09/cult-of-dorje-shugden.html)

The practice of Dorje Shugden and the pure Gelugpa tradition is not a false religion.
■This authentic spiritual practice was transmitted and practiced by great Gelug Spiritual Guides such as Tagpo Kelsang Khedrub Rinpoche, Phabongkha Rinpoche, Trijang Rinpoche, Song Rinpoche, Geshe Rabten, Geshe Ngawang Dargye, Domo Geshe Rinpoche, Lama Yeshe and Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, to name but a few — not to mention many Sakya Masters such as Morchen Dorjechang Kunga Lhundrup. The integrity of these Masters is beyond reproach — one has only to check their life stories to see their qualifications and their teachings to see that they taught the genuine Dharma of Buddha Shakyamuni. These great Masters are therefore completely trustworthy.
■Dorje Shugden is an incarnation of the Wisdom Buddha Manjushri because he comes from a long line of enlightened Masters starting with Manjushri himself. The proofs by Trijang Dorjechang are irrefutable and are given here.
■The spiritual benefits of relying upon Dorje Shugden are well known by those who sincerely pray to him with compassion. In his praise to Dorje Shugden, the 14th Dalai Lama says:
Especially pacify all harm to us, the yogis and entourages,
That arises because of previous karma and immediate conditions,
And spontaneously accomplish, just as we wish,
All good things, both spiritual and temporal!

These are precisely the results of practising this Dharma: all obstacles are pacified and all good conditions for quick spiritual progress are gathered through this Dharma Protector’s blessings.

What is a cult?
Let’s examine objectively the claim that Dorje Shugden practice is a cult.

Firstly, a definition from the Chambers Dictionary:

Cult: (a) an unorthodox or false religion; (b) the people adhering to such a system.

For the practice of Dorje Shugden to be a cult, it would have to be unorthodox and/or a false religion.

The practice of Dorje Shugden and the pure Gelugpa tradition is not unorthodox.
■It is estimated that before the Dalai Lama began forcing Tibetans to give up the practice of this Deity 30 years ago, two thirds of Tibetan Buddhists were sincere Gelugpas who practiced Je Tsongkhapa’s tradition without mixing it with other traditions and relied upon Dorje Shugden as the main Dharma Protector of this tradition. Shugden practice was never regarded as heretical before the Dalai Lama began criticising it. It was a mainstream practice.
■The Dalai Lama himself practised it until he was in his forties and his eminent Teacher Trijang Rinpoche — the greatest Gelug Master of the twentieth century, who was the Throne Holder of Je Tsongkhapa’s tradition — also practised it and promoted it widely until his death. Most Gelug Lamas relied upon Dorje Shugden.
■Before the Dalai Lama’s ban, Shugden practice was relied upon as the main Dharma Protector of the Gelug tradition. If the practice of Dorje Shugden is cult-like, it follows that the Gelug tradition he has protected for the last 400 years must be a cult.

The Cult of Dorje Shugden or the Cult of the Dalai Lama?
The Dalai Lama’s big lie
“In an interview with NEWSWEEK earlier this month, the Dalai Lama expressed his worries about the Dorje Shugden. “That cult is actually destroying the freedom of religious thought,” he said.”
– Newsweek April 1997

“The problem with Dolgyal practice is that it presents the spirit Dolgyal (Shugden) as a Dharma protector and what’s more tends to promote the spirit as more important than the Buddha himself. If this trend goes unchecked, and innocent people become seduced by cult-like practices of this kind.”
– The Dalai Lama’s Advice Concerning Dolgyal (Shugden), June 2008

This shows that in thirteen years, nothing has changed. The Dalai Lama is consistently using this derogatory term in relation to Dorje Shugden practice and practitioners, throwing mud that he hopes will stick so that Buddhists who have faith in him will also share this view. He uses the term ‘cult’ to dismiss the practice and humiliate those who practise it, but — as with most of the Dalai Lama’s pronouncements – few of his fervent followers have checked to see if there is truth in what he is saying.

11 Questions for the Dalai Lama & Robert Thurman

1.Why do you deny that you are enforcing the ban on Dorje Shugden when there are videos of your speeches enforcing this ban?
2.If you are truly an advocate for human rights, why do you issue identity cards which make it extremely difficult for Shugden practitioners to get food, water, shelter, medical attention and travel visas?
3.Why do your followers view you as the Buddha of Compassion when you engage in such harmful actions toward your own people?
4.If you are truly an advocate for nonviolence, why don’t you ask your followers not to engage in violent actions toward Shugden practitioners?
5.Why do you teach your disciples that the heart practice of a Buddhist is reliance on the Spiritual Guide while you are having the thrones and images of your own Spiritual Guide removed from monasteries?
6.Why do you lie about Dorje Shugden, saying that he is a evil spirit harming the cause for Tibetan Independence when you have said that you are no longer working toward Tibetan Independence?
7.Why have you expelled over 900 monks from their monasteries for practicing what their lineage gurus have been teaching them in their monasteries for the last 350 years?
8.Why do you claim that you are following the example of the 5th Dalai Lama, when it was the 5th Dalai Lama who made the first statue of Dorje Shugden that can still be seen?
9.Why don’t you stop lying?
10.Why don’t you give religious freedom to Shugden practitioners?
11.Why are you afraid to Debate Us On a Public Forum?
(Source: http://wisdombuddhadorjeshugden.blogspot.com/2008/08/10-questions-for-dalai-lama.html)

EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
Dharamsala, 28 Aug 1998

Even though the ONGOING controversial convention of Cholsum Organisation revived the bitterness within the struggling Tibetan community on the Shugden issue, the flared up emotions at McLeod Ganj seem to have calmed down for now. This follows the return of 120 Shugden delegates to their society headquarters in Delhi after failing to seek entry into the convention.

Security is still on the high side in McLeod Ganj to avert any untoward incident in the aftermath of the prevention of the deity’s supporters from entering into the township, which also houses some individual worshippers of Dorje Shugden. According to source, the “two-day long crisis during which the Shugden Society delegates had to be kept under judicial custody in Dehra keeping in view the law and order situation,” could have been avoided had the Cholsum Organisation and the Tibetan government-in-exile got in touch with the local police with all the details of convention well in time.

“We were told just four to five days before the start of the convention, which was supposed to be the hot bed of controversy with religious sentiment of warring Tibetan sections involved in it. We would have even sorted out the issue of security by having discussions with both sides, prior to the event”, said a district police official.

“The local police found it difficult to control the mob of Tibetans in McLeod Ganj on Wednesday night, when they protested against the local administration for having allowed the Shugden members to begin their journey from Delhi to Dharamsala,” he added.

McLeod Ganj, site of the Cholsum Organisation convention

“Police circles here feel that when the Tibetan government-in-exile knew that the event could lead to a disturbance within the Tibetan community as most of the people in McLeod Ganj recognise Shugdens as enemies of Dalai Lama”, it could have even not held the convention to avoid confrontation. The Tibetan government-in-exile has so far adopted a tight-lipped approach on the controversy, maintaining that “the Cholsum convention was purely a private event by a non-government organisation. Fearing a confrontation with Shugdens, the security department had already alerted the district authorities in advance.”

On the other hand, the district police found that there was a dire need of keeping a regular update on the Tibetan government affair, involving its political and religious events requiring security. “A last minute alert is not enough”, said a police officer on terms of anonymity.
www.dorjeshugden.com
www.westernshugdensociety.com

Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! asked the Dalai Lama about the U.S. wars in Afghanistan in New York last month. Amy Goodman is an outspoken critic of the Iraq and Afghan wars and one of the most influential and respected figures involved in independent journalism in the U.S. She probably thought the Dalai Lama was a supporter of nonviolence who would speak against these wars.

Below is a video where Amy Goodman speaks about her view of the Iraq and Afghan wars. In this video she says “I think people are sick and tired of being fed either fluff stories or simply lies.” On Sunday, she was fed fluff stories and lies by the Dalai Lama.

Amy Goodman asked if there was a way other than war and the Dalai Lama said “I don’t know. I don’t know” after telling an odd story about how the U.S. should have threatened Saddam Hussein with war. This is the Dalai Lama’s answer to the question. It is sad that some people consider the Dalai Lama a wise and compassionate man. Here is a link to the video of Amy Goodman’s questions and the Dalai Lama’s response.
Amy Goodman Questions Dalai Lama About Iraq and Afghanistan Wars, and About Tibet

The Dalai Lama had his birthday July 6. He has spent most of his life working to get his country’s sovereignty back. The Free Tibet website states, “Across the world people will be freely and publicly celebrating the Dalai Lama’s 75th birthday, but in Tibet people are unable to do so without risking terrible punishment. They cannot even pray openly for his long life or burn incense to mark his birthday, as is traditional.” The irony is that the Dalai Lama currently enacts the same draconian punishment against Dorje Shugden worshipers. The Western Shugden Society’s website says, “In March 1996, in an aggressive and threatening manner, the Dalai Lama stated that there would be a forceful implementation of the ban against those who persisted in the practice of Dorje Shugden….This persecution has been enforced since 1996 and still continues.”

“I know that America is no pearl of democracy, or bastion of freedom, but we are not a theocracy (in fact, we made our first constitutional amendment a refutation of theocratic government). What Mr. Gyatzo wants is a theocratic rule of Tibet. He is not for a “free” Tibet. He is in fact for implementing a religious dictatorship. It’s sick. It’s un-American. It should not be something supported by our government, the CIA, or our treasured D-List actors like Steven Seagal (who Mr. Gyatzo has claimed is a reincarnated lama).”

Below are some excerpts from the post The NED, Tibet, north Korea and Zimbabwe written by Stephen Gowans which help explain that the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is really just the CIA in disguise.

As the NED’s president Carl Gershman explained,

“It would be terrible for democratic groups around the world to be seen as subsidized by the C.I.A. We saw that in the 60′s, and that’s why it has been discontinued. We have not had the capability of doing this, and that’s why the endowment was created.”

Thus, the NED was founded, as New York Times reporter John Broder explained in 1997, “to do in the open what the Central Intelligence Agency has done surreptitiously for decades.”

As part of the NED-program of regime change, governments the US foreign policy establishment targets for overthrow are demonized as anti-democratic while the recipients of NED largesse are angelized as pro-democratic. What links targeted governments is not their electoral democratic practices – which can range from absent to present — but their economic policies, which tend to be restrictive of foreign investment, imports, and property rights. What links the recipients of NED grants is not their attitude to electoral democracy, but their embrace of US policy.

The NED’s angelization of the Dalai Lama is a case in point. The Dalai Lama is hardly a democrat, yet he has received Washington’s lucre for decades, including from the CIA and later the NED. Tibet’s “spiritual leader”, as he has been anointed in the West, presided over a backward theocratic feudal society, before fleeing to India after a botched uprising against the Chinese government, which had supported the dismantling of Tibetan feudalism.

The NED, Tibet, north Korea and Zimbabwe

"Domo Geshe has clairvoyance for sure as many have reputed. He has already mastered shamatha."

Tk

Why was Bob Thurman denied the Empowerment of Dorje Shugden by the Original Founder of the Tibet House,H.H. Kyabje Domo Geshe Rinpoche? Why does Bob now Persecute the Dorje Shugden Devoted with H.H.D.L. ?

Reject it or accept it
It matters little
Opinions as we know
We All have at least one
The Protector Will Show
Any and All
What it means to be Divine
The Divine Lord
Lord Dorje Shugden'
King Protector of the Dharma
Our Friend
Our Protector
The One Who Calls You All
Make Peace and Make It Right
We have an Entire World
A World that needs the Dharma
Not a bunch of Children Arguing!

Says Thurman: "In fact, the Dalai Lama makes a big point of insisting that religions must come to consider each other as each a complete path to each one's chosen goal of what it means to be a good human being."

Both Professor Thurman and the Dalai Lama surely know that "religions" are divided in branches or sects, and that inside these, there is precisely this assumption that everyone of them is a complete path to each one's chosen spiritual goal.
In view of this it´s difficult to understand why the Dalai Lama has insisted since the 1970s that all four Tibetan sects of Tibetan Buddhism should mix their practices and beliefs. Those who were in those years his people, the great Gelugpa Lamas, opposed this view, called rimè. To crush them the Dalai Lama chose to destroy the main Protector of their teaching system, the supramondane Dharmapala Dorje Shugden.
The persecution that the Dalai Lama has promoted since then is still producing great suffering in the Tibetan communities around the world.
The faithful Gelugpa practitioners are being harassed even outside those ethnic communities, in many Western Dharma Centers. The Dalai Lama gave his followers and fans a weapon to attack the Gelugpas, he denounced that these were worshipping an evil spirit.

So much for tolerance among religions, for respect of the integrity of every religion, so much for compassion.

So much for intellectual honesty.

George Soros is a major financial contributor to the Dalai Lama. Below is an excerpt from George Soros, Imperial Wizard by Heather Coffin

Soros is a leading figure on the Council of Foreign Relations, the World Economic Forum, and Human Rights Watch (HRW). In 1994, after a meeting with his philosophical guru, Sir Karl Popper, Soros ordered his companies to start investing in Central and Eastern European communications. The Federal Radio Television Administration of the Czech Republic accepted his offer to take over and fund the archives of Radio Free Europe. Soros moved the archives to Prague and spent over $15 million on their maintenance. A Soros foundation now runs CIA-created Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty jointly with the U.S. and RFE/RL, which has expanded into the Caucasus and Asia. Soros is the founder and funder of the Open Society Institute. He created and maintains the International Crisis Group (ICG) which, among other things, has been active in the Balkans since the destruction of Yugoslavia. Soros works openly with the United States Institute of Peace-an overt arm of the CIA.

He thrusts himself upon world statesmen and they respond. He has been close to Henry Kissinger, Vaclav Havel and Poland’s General Wojciech Jaruzelski. He supports the Dalai Lama, whose institute is housed in the Presidio in San Francisco, also home to the foundation run by Soros’ friend, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

When anti-globalization forces were freezing in the streets outside New York’s Waldorf-Astoria hotel in February 2002, George Soros was inside addressing the World Economic Forum. As the police forced protesters into metal cages on Park Avenue, Soros was extolling the virtues of the “Open Society” and joined Zbigniew Brzezinski, Samuel Huntington, Francis Fukuyama and others.

The Supreme Protector of Dharma
Our Supreme Defender of the Dharma
Our Champion Lord Dorje Shugden Arisen
We Rise With Him
Hold Onto Your Hats!

May Kyabje Drakpa Gyeltsen live long!

Tell HHDL to Practice What He Preaches and Leave the Dorje Shugden People Alone!
That is the message from the Westeners who Hold the Bill Of Right Over His Messages!
Stop Now!
Heal the Global Sangha
Leave Politics Out Of His Sermons
Freedom of Religion
Even in his Refugee Camps

Dalia Lama influence on scholars is tied to their royalties.
Royalty Lamas[thurman]/Royalty Scholars/all receive a foreword if they are nice by HHDL
Otherwise, You are Out!
Practicioners Paying Admisions For "Lord Buddhas Teachings" is Immoral!

It was not until 1959 and the Sixties in Saudi Arabia and Tibet that Slavery was Outlawed.
Why does Bob Thurman support such people that owned and managed slaves and serfs?
Is he a Patriot or a Traitor?
Some would say this whole section is about supporting the CIA
The Farce of Fools Fouls the Familar Family Of Humankind.
Darling Dictator Dealing Out Mutilations to Protect Theocratic Potentates!
Hey Bob?

THE RETURN OF THE KING: KYABJE DRAKPA GYELTSEN RINPOCHE

“ONLY AN ENLIGHTENED BEING CAN RETURN LIFE AFTER LIFE TO PROTECT AND SPREAD THE DHARMA FOR THE SAKE OF ALL SENTIENT BEINGS”

The undisputed incarnation of Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen, ‘silenced’ for the past 350 years, has now returned, preparing to emerge publicly into the world again.

Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen was the ‘last’ of Dorje Shugden’s lineage of High Lama incarnations, unsurpassable in his attainments and knowledge, and considered equal to the great 5th Dalai Lama.

After his murder, he arose as the Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden, who some were opposed to. His lineage of incarnations was then banned. His name was erased from all prayers and books. His properties and labrang were all confiscated. No one was allowed to even mention his name.

Yet, there is no stopping this eminent Lama from returning for a higher purpose. Every incarnation in this illustrious lineage has continued to make unsurpassable contributions to the growth of Dharma and Lama Tsongkhapa’s precious “Yellow Hat” tradition. Only an Enlightened Being would possess such all-encompassing compassion.

Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen’s current incarnation was unmistakably recognized several decades ago. His recognition is infallible. Remaining safely hidden, he has been spreading the Dharma inexorably under a different name, and awaits the right time to emerge publicly.

In time, everyone will be made aware of who he really is. His unrivalled legacy of great endeavors will once again shine into the ten directions for all to see

“Who will come to take rebirth as my son?”

With joy, the great Mahasiddha replies….

“These days times are so degenerate no-one else is coming, but now Grandpa Shugden himself will definitely come as your son!”

Is Bob Thurman a Traitor or Patriot?
I think he is a traitor to the American Bill Of Rights.
I think he is in it for the money.
I wonder why Bob admires a man who ran a Serf Institution for over 350 years and he promotes himself as a Champion of Democracy.
Methinks it matter little to nothing what this hypocrite says.
His days are numbered and so are yours to continue deceiving the naive and hustling money for the Teachings of Lord Buddha makes Bob a Judas and his master HHDL a Grifter.

I have recently (inadvertedly) initiated a heated 'debate' on Facebook on the subject addressed by this article. People like to post trite, cosy-sounding 'sound-bites' attributed by HH the Dalai Lama on Facebook. I felt that these 'my religion is kindness' quotes are misleading: as a (Tibetan) Buddhist practitioner I practise very hard with the specific methods I have been given -if ONLY all I had to do was to be kind! I said 'Compassion alone does not result in enlightenment 'and people got very upset!
But -what I want to say to Robert Thurman is: if HH Dalai Lama (who I have always loved & venerated)had been totally clear in his communication...we would not need to be discussing this at all!

At the core all religions have one thing in common. A belief in a whole slew of unnatural phenomenon. Each slew may differ from religion to religion, in some cases even overlap. Discussing these religions and trying to make sense of them is just as fruitful and as stupid as to comparing and contrasting Shakespeare's "Merchant of Venice" against Alexander Dumas's "Count of Monte Cristo".

When discussing the religions, I cannot get past these superstitious beliefs in the organizing documents (scriptures). Be it be the virgin birth and resurrection of Christians, Parting of the Waters and the Joshua being swallowed by a fish of Judaism, The flying horse or talking bones of Islam, or the many a superstitious beliefs of Hinduism, Jainism, & Buddhism from monster heads swallowing the moon & the Sun to the sweat (or the semen) of an ape swallowed by fish giving rise to a fully grown man. Any memes (all religions are indeed memes) that are based on all these silly theses deserve no respect and have really nothing to teach the 21st century humanity. I sincerely wish and hope that they are all relegated to the dust heap as the humanity as done with Alchemistry, Thorism, Zeusism and thousands of such other memes.

"There are “trinities,” of sorts, in various faiths."

Not to mention the Triple Goddess - Maiden, Mother, and Crone - that populate many World religions. In Hinduism, you have many triple aspects of female deities. In the Greek myths, you have the Fates. In Christianity, you have the Three Marys, or the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene, and Sofia (Holy Wisdom).

Stephen Prothero says that he believes in the Christian Trinity, but that other religions do not. There are “trinities,” of sorts, in various faiths. The e-book at www.suprarational.org summarizes five of them.

Mahayana and Vajrayana vehicles of Buddhism speak of Trikaya, or three bodies: Nirmanakaya is the Buddha in human form, Sambhogakaya is celestial Buddha and Dharmakaya is the formless essence, or Buddha-nature. The Theravada primarily addresses the historic Buddha. The “Three Jewels” are the Buddha, the dharma (his teachings) and the sangha (the community of monks and nuns).

Christianity has its Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit referring to God, Jesus Christ and their spiritual bond of unity (some say the Godhead). Interpretation of the essential nature of each, and their relationship, differed among the churches. In Christian mysticism, the three ways of the spiritual life are the purgative in being purified from sin, the illuminative in true understanding of created things, and the unitive in which the soul unites with God by love.

Hinduism’s trimurti are the threefold activities of Brahman: in Brahma as creator, in Vishnu as sustainer and in Shiva as destroyer. Saccidananda are the triune attributes or essence of Brahman: sat, being, cit, consciousness and ananda, bliss. The three major schools of yoga are bhakti, devotion, and jnana, knowledge and karma, the way of selfless action. Raja yoga can apply to, and integrate, all three in mental and spiritual concentration.

In Islam, nafs is the ego-soul, qalb is heart and ruh is spirit. Heart is the inner self [soul], hardened when it is turned toward ego and softened when it is polished by dhikr, remembrance of the spirit of Allah. This is a three-part foundation for Sufi psychology. Initiation guides them from shari`a, religious law, along tariqa, the spiritual path, to haqiqa, interior reality. It is a gradual unveiling of the Real.

In the Kabbalah of Judaism, sefirot – sparks from the divine – have three fulcrums to balance the horizontal levels of the Tree of Life: Da`at (a pseudo-sefirot) is knowledge combining understanding and wisdom; Tiferet is beauty, the midpoint of judgment and loving kindness; Yesod is the foundation for empathy and endurance. They also vertically connect, through the supreme crown, the infinite and transcendent Ein Sof with its kingdom in the immanent Shekhinah.

Amen to you, Robert Thurman, for adding depth, shading and highlights to the otherwise monochrome picture sketched by this question.

Steven Prothero's book is a lively extension of conclusions drawn earlier by other students of world religions -- John B. Cobb, Jr.; David Ray Griffin; Jack Hutchins; Steven Katz; Ken Wilber. And even a casual reading of "The Good Heart" by the Dalai Lama (in dialogue with Christian monks) underlines what you say about the Dalai Lama, for in it he underlines that Christianity and Buddhism are not the same, though they have many overlapping areas.

This position is at odds with the position that deep down all religions are one and the same. I personally side with Prothero, and at the same time I acknowledge that both positions are arguable. I suspect that future research into the neurological correlates of spiritual experiences, such as Andrew Newberg is doing ("How God Changes Your Brain" and earlier books by him) will help us sort this all out.

Thanks for a thoughtful response that took time to step back from the fray.