FPMT Sera je Lharampa Geshe Thubten Soepa Commentary on the Disputable Shugden

Issue
At first I saw on Facebook that the Shugden group (which, as a group, includes such
organizations as the International Shugden Community and the NKT) was saying the words,
false Dalai Lama stop lying.
So then I wrote that there was no logical or religious proof to support this statement and that they
were just giving an opinion with no realistic basis. I also wrote that while members of these
organizations were wearing monastic robes, I dont think these people are real Buddhist monks
and nuns, and I dont think anyone has faith in these groups status as Buddhists or monastics.
Then someone replied and criticized me. He asked me if I believe that Lama Yeshe, Geshe
Rabten, Lama Zopa in his youth, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama in his youth, and Trijang Rinpoche
were all Buddhists and perfect monks. He also asked if all of them did Shugden worship practice
long ago and are perfect Buddhists monks, then why are monastics in the Shugden groups, such
as the International Shugden Community and NKT, not perfect Buddhists nuns and monks as
well?
So I will try to answer. My reply is that there is a big difference between the lamas and geshes
who were Shugden practitioners long ago and todays Shugden groups, such as the International
Shugden Community and NKT. I will explain my reasoning for saying this.
From the 14th to the 17th centuries, Gelukpa lamas and geshes did not do Shugden worship at
all. In the 18th century, a few Gelukpa practitioners did the practice, but they did not believe it to
be one of the important practices for Gelukpas. They also did not believe Shugden to be High
Manjugosha. Later, in the 19th and 20th centuries, many Gelukpa lamas and geshes did Shugden
worship practice and wrote new ritual texts. So the Shugden issue basically started three
hundred years ago. The history of this practice has been fraught with contention and dispute,
with many Gelukpa high lamas of the past saying Shugdens activity is not good, and is in fact
harmful, and some Gelukpa lamas saying Shugden is useful and helpful for them.
But these days the Shugden groups actions and motivations are very different. For example, the
past Shugden practitioner Trijang Rinpoche said: His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama is
like the First, Fifth, and Thirteenth Dalai Lamas combined." He said this many times, and his

disciples believe it to be true still today. However, these days Shugden groups, such as the
International Shugden Community and NKT, dont respect Lama Trijang Rinpoche's advice.
Instead they say, "false Dalai Lama stop lying." That is a big contradiction. You can check: the
two groups behave completely differently in terms of their intentions, goals, motivations,
responsibilities, and activities.
Today the International Shugden Community is using the Shugden name, and they oppose and
protest against the Dalai Lama, but it is not helpful or beneficial, either for Shugden or for
Gelukpas. I dont think Shugden himself is that much against the Dalai Lama. It is likely that he
respects the Dalai Lama, because the Great Fifth Dalai Lama was his guru.
However, the Shugden group, including the International Shugden Community and NKT, are
very much against the Fourteenth Dalai Lama. This is because they need money, and when they
work at protesting against the Dalai Lama, the Chinese Communist government is very pleased.
And so those Shugden groups get a lot of money from the Chinese.
The Chinese Communist government is trying to oppose the Dalai Lama in many different ways,
as well as making problems for the Tibetan government and the Tibetan people. The Chinese
government sent many Chinese students to the USA to spread their message there. However, it
turned out that these students did not to want to oppose the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people
when they got to the United States.
So then China found that their biggest ally could be the Shugden group. The Chinese
government said to them: We have the same enemy, an evil enemy. We need you, we will help
you with money if you oppose the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan government, and the Tibetan people.
Then the Shugden group happily made a commitment to try to kill the Dalai Lama, Samdong
Rinpoche, and five other people, and also to make problems for the Tibetan people. As a result
of this commitment, the Shugden group has already killed three lamas in Dharamsala. The
Shugden group also promised to say that the Panchen Lama chosen by the Chinese is the real
Panchen Lama.
Who is organizing this effort to kill the Dalai Lama and the others? In a public talk (which you
can watch, with subtitles, on Youtube, entitled Boston Tibetan Truthful Public Talk Episode
17), Lama Tseta Rinpoche said that it is an organization composed of Kelsang Gyatso, Na
Lama, Gangchen Lama, and some others in the Shugden group who have made this promise to
the Chinese government which is paying them a lot of money.
Lama Tseta Rinpoche was a leader in the Shugden group for twenty years. Now he says that he
does not want to try to kill the Dalai Lama, and that he loves the Tibetan people. He has become
opposed to the Shugden group. He knows the details about the business transactionshe
himself has taken money from the Chinese communist government many times, and has
photographic evidence.
This is why I questioned whether the current Shugden/Dolgyal groups, such as the NKT and the
International Shugden Community are in reality Buddhists or non-Buddhists. There is reason to

be very suspicious, because the activities they carry out while they are wearing monastic robes,
realistically, cause great damage and disgrace to the Gelukpa school.
But the practitioners of long ago, such as Lama Yeshe, Geshe Rabten, and, in their earlier years,
His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, and Trijang Rinpoche, had correct
motivations and good goals. From time to time they even practiced the great Hayagriva ritual at
Sera Je, which is from the Nyingmapa lineage. They never took a commitment to kill others, so
there is a big difference.
Love,
Geshe Soepa