Kritik am Buch „The Shadow Of The Dalai Lama ... - Neues von Shi De

as the indigenous Bön faith impartially”, an official statement from Dharamsala says, „The
inclinations of the Gelug monasteries to continue to link themselves with the government, even
administratively, causes damage and obstacles rather than benefit and support for His Holiness and
the exile government” (Tibetan Review, July 1994, p. 12).
The god-king’s claim to spiritually and politically represent all sects has, just as in the past with the
“Great Fifth”, in recent times led to a spirited protest movement amidst the ranks of his own order
(Gelugpa), whose power is reduced by this. From this wing, the Kundun is accused of creating a
“religious hotchpotch” or his personal ambitions are even openly designated. “According to my
understanding”, writes Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, a bitter opponent of the god-king from his own ranks
(he is an ordained Gelugpa monk), “ the Dalai Lama's main wish is to integrate the four Tibetan
traditions into one. The leaders of the other traditions will gradually disappear, leaving him alone as
head of Tibetan Buddhism. In this way he will be able to control all aspects of Tibetan Buddhism. In
the beginning this plan was rejected by the leaders of Sakya, Kagyu and Nyingma Traditions, while
the Gelugpa remained neutral. Later, the Dalai Lama changed his approach. He is now trying to
destroy the practice of Dorje Shugden and change the Gelug tradition, while at the same time
developing a close relationship with the other traditions, especially the Nyingmapa. Gradually he
hopes to fulfill his wishes in this way” (Gyatso, Newsgroup 7).
According to Kelsang Gyatso, the Kundun is supposed to have held a number of meetings with the
head abbots of the four main schools in the early 1960s at which he proposed uniting the sects under
his leadership. This proposal was rejected. The Sakyapa, Kagyupa, and Nyingmapa then joined
together in 13 exile-Tibetan establishments so as to protect themselves from the imposition of the
Dalai Lama’s will. The leader of all 13, Gongtang Tsultrim, was murdered under mysterious
circumstances. To date the murder case has still not been solved (Sky Warrior, Newsgroup 18).
It has in the meantime become established practice that for all incarnations of great lamas, regardless
of sect, the Kundun’s confirmation is sought as the final word. This was not the case in the past. Free
from any competition, His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama outshines all other hierarchs from the
Land of Snows. Even his often abrasive political/religious rivalry with the pro-China Panchen Lama
no longer exists, since the latter died in 1989.
The Rime movement, which began in the 19th century and has as its goal a united church in which all
schools are absorbed (retaining certain individual features), is also a boon to the absolutism of the godking.
Even the Bon priests in exile have in the meantime recognized the Kundun as their de facto
authority. Like his predecessor from the 17th century (the “Great Fifth”), he maintains good contacts
with them and prays in their monasteries.
“The Dalai Lama”, one of his Buddhist opponents polemicizes, “tries to teach everything: Kagyu,
Nyingma, Sakya, Gelugpa, Bonpo, and recently he even gave teachings on Christianity! Later may be
he will teach on Sufism, Hinduism, Shamanism and so on. What is his motivation here? It is clear to
me that his motivation is to gather as many disciples as possible from all these different traditions. In
this way he will become their root guru and thereby gain more power and control” (Sky Warrior,
Newsgroup 18). Hence, his followers celebrate him not just as the “supreme spiritual and worldly
leader of six million Tibetans”, but likewise as the “Head of Buddhists World Wide” (Ron,
Newsgroup 14). In a resolution of the Tibetan Cholsum Convention, of which representatives from all
(!) organizations of Tibetans in exile are members and which was held from August 27 to 31, 1998, it