Dorje Shugden

Freedom of worship

 

"Could you please stop this meaningless talk and give everyone religious freedom to worship whoever they choose."

From Geshe Kelsang's letter to the editor in Newsweek, 1997

 

A response to the posting by Tseten Samdup: 'Shugden versus pluralism and national unity controversy and clarification', which came from the Department of Information and International Relations, Central Tibetan Administration, Gangchen Kyishong, Dharamsala 176 215, INDIA, 1997

 

You say in your letter: 'Trijang Rinpoche told the Dalai Lama that Palden Lhamo would never deceive anybody, therefore it would be better to cease propitiation of Shugden'. Of course HH Trijang Rinpoche gave permission to the Dalai Lama to stop engaging in his personal Dorje Shugden practice. HH Trijang Rinpoche never tried to control his disciples, but always gave them freedom of choice.

 

I clearly understood that HH Trijang Rinpoche never gave permission to ban the worship of Dorje Shugden within Tibetan society. A few months before his death I met HH Trijang Rinpoche in South India. He told me everything about the situation between Dorje Shugden and the Dalai Lama. He was very disappointed with the Dalai Lama, that he was not allowing other people to practice Dorje Shugden.

 

In conclusion, until now there have been no problems between the majority of Buddhists of the four schools such as Gelugpa, Nyingmapa and so on. We live naturally in harmony, respecting each other's tradition and we would like this state of affairs to continue.

 

Therefore I would like to request to the Dalai Lama, the Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamsala and the Tibetan people: could you please stop this meaningless talk and give everyone religious freedom to worship whoever they choose.

 

Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
13th November 1997

 

 See also the Western Shugden Society's Open letter to the Tibetan Government-in-exile, Dharamsala, India and their earlier letter to the Dalai Lama