Are there any political motives for confronting the Dalai Lama?－藏傳佛教非佛教

(By You Shuqing of the True Heart News Interviewing team in Taipei) With regard to the publication by the True Enlightenment Education Foundation on the issue of the Dalai Lama, the political motive is being questioned. Xiong Jun, Executive Secretary of the True Enlightenment Education Foundation stresses solemnly: The rules and regulations of the foundation do not allow its members to stand for any political campaign held by any candidate of political parties, nor does the foundation allow any political activities engagement among our members. Therefore, our learners have never openly stood for political campaigns of any candidates, nor were they engaged in any of the political activities among members. This principle has never changed over the past twenty years and will never change in the future.

Furthermore, the foundation has never involved in any disputes over Taiwan independence or the reunification with China, let alone the accusations of our involvements in any disputes over independence of Tibet or Xinjiang! Hence, instead of solving their own problematic doctrines, the lamas from Tibet attempt to use political means to accuse us of having links with the Chinese communist regime. Apparently, they are treating Taiwan in the same manner as that of the previous traditional theocratic Tibet. The lamas continue to treat Taiwanese as their captives and shift the focus by using the same obscurant policy to avoid their responsibility to the society - that Tibetan Buddhism has inflicted severe harm on Taiwanese for a long time, including sexual aggressions and financial frauds by the lamas. Furthermore, they have also evaded the fundamental question of correcting the adulterous nature of their problematic doctrines.

Xiong Jun illustrates that according to the news headline of Apple Daily newspaper in Taiwan, dated March 12, 2008, the famous Penor Rinpoche in Taiwan was caught in bed for committing adultery. San Francisco Bay Area also reported: Sogyal Rinpoche, author of the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying which is available in many different language versions, was accused of many accounts of sexual assaults on younger women. “Sogyal claimed (she) would be strengthened and healed by having sex with him and that to be hit by a lama was a blessing.” The lawsuit stated. The suit -- which accused Rinpoche of fraud, assault and battery, infliction of emotional distress and breach of fiduciary duty -- also charged that the Tibetan lama had "seduced many other female students for his own sexual gratification.”

Xiong Jun, Executive Secretary of the True Enlightenment Education Foundation raises another example of sexual abuses committed by late Kalu Rinpoche the first of Kagyu Sect, whose name was aligned with the Dalai Lama of Tibet. He was accused of sexual abuses by a Scottish philosopher, June Campbell. According to the English newspaper “The Independent” reported on Feb. 10, 1999: For years June Campbell was the sexual consort of a senior Tibetan lama. She was threatened with death if she broke her vows of secrecy. In her book of “Traveller in Space,” she revealed that she had for years been the sexual consort of one of the most holy monks in Tibetan Buddhism – the tulku (re-incarnated lama), Kalu Rinpoche. She said during a public lecture at a college, “In the world of Tibetan Buddhism, Kalu Rinpoche was a saintly figure. It was like claiming that Mother Teresa was involved in making porn movies.” Campbell’s pungent accusation against Kalu Rinpoche has moved us and we extend our empathy towards her.

Xiong Jun bitterly indicates that all the above-mentioned three examples took place with those “great lamas” who shared high international repute. Who would dare to say that they are “fake lamas”? However, what is the difference between the evil conducts committed by the “great lamas” and those of the alleged “fake lamas” who were subsequently attested to be the genuine lamas? Even if Dawa Tsering continues to pretend to ignore the crimes committed by the so-called “fake lamas,” or even if the sexual assaults cases were really committed by the fake lamas, it cannot be denied that these sexual assaults did happen due to the basic doctrines of the Couple-Practice Tantra of Tibetan Buddhism. The vile doctrines of Tibetan Buddhism still need to bear the responsibility.

Xiong Jun further indicates, the discourse on whether the “lamas were genuine or not” is utterly meaningless; the most important thing is that they are all lamas devoted to the copulation tantra, just as “a leopard can’t change its spots,” there is hardly any difference among them. As for the four assemblies of orthodox Buddhism in Taiwan, who have always practiced Buddhism in purity, and refuse to be contaminated by the evil copulation tantric practice, why should they take the blame for the deeds of the counterfeit Buddhists – the Couple-Practice Tantra? Why should these legitimate Buddhist practitioners be suspected by the general public of whether they engage in the practice of copulation tantra or not?

Xiong Jun, Exectuive Secretary of The True Enlightenment Education Foundation indicates, the stance we take is absolutely clear and has never changed, our appeal is “The Couple-Practice Tantra is not Buddhism, Lamaism is not Buddhism,” this is definitely not a politically slogan nor a political campaign. However, the Dalai Lama, from the very beginning, has always used the power of a religious organization as an excuse in Taiwan to achieve his political goal for Tibet independence. The society has already given fair comments on it. In this case, we are merely trying to educate the general public to eliminate religious superstition and to put an end to the Elmer Gantry of pseudo Buddhism, the sexual crimes, and the money collecting in Taiwan in the name of Buddhist practice. Moreover, in order to allow the Taiwanese society to get away from the fear of religious sexual abuses, confusion and be free from the intrusions caused by the Tibetan Tantric practice, the only way is to stop further widespread of the evil conducts of Tibetan Tantric Buddhism from ruining the traditional culture, manners and families in Taiwan. This is the single way to gradually restore the good social morals and simplistic traditions of Taiwan society and live peacefully on this island. (Reported by You Shuqing) 20110707

Editor's Note:

This article is an English version of the Chinese edition published on February 22, 2011