The Dalai Lama has banned volunteers from attending his upcoming teaching in Basel, Switzerland next month if they worship a deity which has been part of his tradition for more than 350 years.

The ban was put in place by the Dalai Lama because he believes it is spirit worship and could harm the cause of Tibet and his life.



The teaching, which takes place on the 7th and 8th Feb on ethics and compassion excludes any Buddhist who continues to believe in this deity. Volunteers are made to a sign a form which states “I herewith confirm and swear to have no relationship to Dhogyal or Dorje Shugden.” [1]





In 1996 His Holiness banned the worship of the religious figure Dorje Shugden, which has sparked many concerns with human rights groups around the world, and has been met actively with peaceful protests at many of his recent teachings across America and Europe.



Kelsang Rabten of the International Shugden Community (ISC) said ‘In Basel, the Dalai Lama will talk on “Secular Ethics for Today’s World” at an event where Shugden Buddhists are explicitly banned from volunteering. Far from applying secular principles of human rights, the event is clearly discriminating on grounds of religion’



The Dalai Lama, as the head of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) at the time, for all Tibetan refugees in India, has also forced all doctors and members of staff in the Department of Health to resign if they do not adhere to the ban.



In a letter issued in April 1996 it states ‘Whereas if there is anyone who worships Dorje Shugden, they should repent the past and stop worshiping. They must submit a declaration that they will not worship in the future.’ and anyone who to continues to worship Shugden should ‘submit their resignation.'[2]



According to Thupten Wangchen, a member of the Central Tibetan Administration, 30% of all Tibetans used to worship the Buddhist deity Dorje Shugden, including the Dalai Lama himself. This practice was part of the Gelug tradition for more than 350 years until 1996.



In this year the Dalai Lama presented very forceful advice to his followers (the majority of all Tibetans) not to propitiate this Buddhist practice. The reason for this is, he states,”Propitiating Dolgyal [Shugden] does great harm to the cause of Tibet. It also imperils the life of the Dalai Lama. Therefore, it is totally inappropriate for the great monasteries…which are national institutions ever to propitiate Dolgyal.”[3]

Following this, many have been ostracized from their communities and expelled from their monasteries solely based on their choice of faith.



On his official website the Dalai Lama states ‘Providing for equality under law, the declaration [of human rights] states everyone is entitled to equal rights and freedoms without discrimination of any kind.'[4] However, under the heading ‘Resolution Passed by the Tibetan Youth Congress‘ he articulates, in the ‘interest of the cause of Tibet’, one should ‘stop worshiping Dholgyal [Shugden]’ and any ‘negligence [to this advice] is beyond tolerance any more.'[5]



The International Shugden Community (ISC), representatives of Shugden followers across the world, express ‘Where is the tolerance and love in these comments? The gauge of a healthy democracy is how well it takes care of its minorities. The only option presented to Shugdens is to abandon their faith, or be discarded from their communities’ [6]



Many of the Dalai Lama’s followers take it upon themselves to enforce his ban, which has presented many problems within the Tibetan exile community. There is much evidence of this (found here), even though the existence of discrimination is denied by both His Holiness and the CTA. In this video, the Dalai Lama can be seen praising monasteries and his followers for ostracizing Shugden Buddhists.



Rabten comments ‘In both arenas of secular ethics and religious values, the Dalai Lama comprehensively fails to live up to the basic ideals of equality and tolerance. The International Shugden Community calls on the Dalai Lama to practice what he preaches and end his discrimination of Shugden Buddhists.’



Article 3 of the United Nations declaration on the elimination of all forms of religious intolerance states:

“Discrimination between human beings on grounds of religion or belief constitutes an affront to human dignity and a disavowal of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, and shall be condemned as a violation of the human rights and fundamental freedoms proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”

Protests calling for religious freedom continue against the Dalai Lama.

Footnotes

[1] http://s9.postimg.org/hqubr11yn/photo_3.jpg

[2] http://www.dorjeshugden.com/press/proof-of-discrimination/

[3] http://www.dalailama.com/messages/dolgyal-shugden/kashags-statement

[4] http://www.dalailama.com/messages/world-peace/human-rights-democracy-and-freedom

[5] http://www.dalailama.com/messages/dolgyal-shugden/tyc-resolution

[6] http://internationalshugdencommunity.com/6-awkward-truths/