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

of compromise with which the Kundun repeated his criticisms of the Shugden movement in 1996.
On March 21, during the initiation into a particular tantra (Hayagriva) he turned to those present with
the following words: “I have recently said several prayers for the well-being of our nation and
religion. It has become fairly clear that Dolgyal [another name for Shugden] is a spirit of the dark
forces. ... If any of you intend to continue to invoke Dolgyal [Shugden], it would be better for you to
stay away from this authorization, to stand up and leave this place. It is unfitting if you continue to sit
here. It will be of no use to you. It will in contrast have the effect of shortening the life of the Gyalwa
Rinpoche [of the Dalai Lama, that is, his own life]. Which is not good. If there are, however, some
among you who want that Gyalwa Rinpoche [he himself] should soon die, then just stay” (Kagyü Life
21-1996, p. 35).
At another location the Kundun announced his fear that Shugden was seeking to spoil all his pleasure
in life via psychic terror: “You should not think that dangers for my life come only from someone
armed with a knife, a gun or a bomb. Such an event is extremely unlikely. But dangers to my life may
arise if my advice is constantly spurned, causing me to feel discouraged and to see no further purpose
in life” (Kashag, HPI 11).
Such statements by His Holiness may imply that the Dalai Lama (and behind him the Bodhisattva
Avalokiteshvara) is very fearful of this vengeful spirit, which induced the Indian Associated Press to
make the mocking comment that, “a 350-year old ghost is haunting the Dalai Lama” (Associated
Press, August 21, 1997, 2:54 a.m.). At any rate,, the god-king’s security service which protects his
residence in Dharamsala in the meantime consists of 100 police officers.
The following statement by the Kundun has been leaked from a secret meeting of influential exiled
Tibetan politicians and high lamas which the Dalai Lama called to discuss the Shugden case in Caux
(Switzerland): “Everyone who is affiliated with the Tibetan Society of Ganden Phodrang government
(Tibetan Government) should relinquish ties with Dhogyal (Shugden). This is necessary since it poses
danger to the religious and temporal situation in Tibet. As for foreigners, it makes no difference to us
if they walk with their feet up and their head down. We have taught Dharma to them, not they to us. ...
We should do it [carry out this ban] in such a way to ensure that in future generations not even the
name of Dholgyal [Shugden] is remembered” (Burns, Newsgroup 1).
Numerous Tibetans who had in the past been initiated into the Shugden cult by the personal teacher of
the Kundun, Trijang Rinpoche, and believed that through this they enjoyed His Holiness’s favor, saw
themselves all at once betrayed after the ban and felt deeply disappointed. For the sophisticated Dalai
Lama, however, the sectarian position of the “yellow fundamentalists” and “sectarians” was no longer
bearable and quite obviously a significant obstacle on his mission to compel all sects to accept his
absolute control and thus limit the supremacy of the Gelugpas. “This Shugden spirit”, the Kundun has
said, “has for over 360 years created tensions between the Gelug tradition and the other schools. ...
Some may [because of the ban] have lost trust in me. But at the same time numerous followers of the
Kagyupa or Nyingma schools have recognized that the Dalai Lama is pursuing a truly non-sectarian
course. I believe this Shugden worship has been like an agonizing boil for 360 years. Now like a
modern surgeon I have undertaken a small operation” (Tagesanzeiger (Switzerland), March 23, 1998).
He then also branded the Shugden cult as “idolatry” and as a “relapse into shamanism” (Süddeutsche
Zeitung, 1997, No. 158, p. 10). On March 30, 1996 the ban on the worship of Shugden was