The Karmapa controversy and the Dalai Lama’s ‘return’

The 16th Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje

My article The Karmapa controversy and the Dalai Lama’s ‘return’ appeared in Strategic New International

Here is the link...

The Karmapa has been in the news since 1992.
He got again prominent coverage when a meeting scheduled to discuss the future of the Dalai Lama’s institution was ‘indefinitely’ postponed by the organizers, the Dharamsala-based Department of Religion and Culture.
The reason given for the ‘indefinite’ postponement of the 13th Religious Conference of the Schools of Tibetan Buddhism and Bon Tradition’ to be held from November 29 to December 1, was the sudden demise of the head of the Nyingma school, Kathok Getse Rinpoche, who was to participate in the religious conference.
Why ‘indefinitely’ asked many observers?
Sonam Norbu Dagpo, the spokesperson of the Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamsala, affirmed that the Rinpoche’s death was the only reason: “Therefore any other reason being cited by independent sources are not true and stem from mere speculation.”
This did not stop the press to ‘speculate’; many believed that the absence of the Karmapa, head of the Karma Kagyud (a sub-sect of Kagyud school of Tibetan Buddhism) was the real reason, as he was unable to get an Indian visa.

The Historical Controversy
The Karmapa is not new to controversy.
In 1992, the Rumtek monastery in Sikkim witnessed ugly scenes of violence about who was the ‘true’ reincarnation of Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, the 16th Karmapa, a charismatic Tibetan Lama who had taken refuge in Sikkim after the 1959 Tibet uprising.
Rangjung Rigpe was revered by all and considered as the head of all of Kagyuds, which is not the case of the present incarnation.
The problem started when the four Regents, appointed to find the ‘reborn’ 17th Karmapa, began fighting among themselves. It is true that ‘succession’ entailed not just spiritual, but also economic and political factors, including the fate of hundreds of wealthy Dharma centers abroad as well as China’s role in the process.
To cut a long (and murky) story short, after one of the regents died in mysterious car accident, one boy Urgyen Trinley Dorje, born in Tibet, was recognized by two of the regents, Situ and Gyaltsab Rinpoches, while the fourth regent, Shamar Rinpoche, the nephew of the previous Karmapa, opposed their choice and ultimately selected his own ‘reincarnation’, Thaye Trinley Dorje who shuttles between Delhi and his centers abroad.
Eventually, Urgyen Trinley was enthroned in Tsurphu, the main Karma-Kagyud monastery in Tibet by Ren Wuzhi, Head of the Religious Affairs Bureau of China’s State Council and the two regents supporting him.
For eight years, the boy lived in Tsurphu under Chinese surveillance; but in December 1999, in a Hollywood-type escape, he left Tibet and reached Dharamsala in early January 2000. His life became complicated when the Indian security agencies found serious discrepancies in the reports of the young Lama’s flight.
During the following years, Urgyen continued to live in Gyuto monastery, not far from Dharamsala, under the Dalai Lama’s protection.
The Karmapa’s sudden departure for the US in May 2017 (apparently for medical treatment) and his acquiring a new passport in March 2018, without prior information to Delhi, did not endear him to the Indian authorities.
Urgyen often bitterly complained against the government, saying that he could not move without Delhi’s permission, but acquiring a passport from the Commonwealth of Dominica, a tiny island in the Antilles specialized in selling passports and ‘managing’ finances, did not help his case (the cost of the passport is said to be minimum one lakh US dollars!)
A few such places exist, remember billionaire jeweler Mehul Choksi, absconding from India, who bought a new citizenship in Antigua in November 2017. The Times of India said: “Rich Chinese and Russians have been among the top buyers of foreign citizenship …Choksi’s move has created awareness about these options. Lawyers and tax advisors in India recommend rich clients to global companies that advise on where and how to settle.” The connotation did not go in favour of Urgyen Thinley.
Obviously, the Karmapa, who used to travel on an IC (Identification Certificate) issued by the Government of India, has poor advisors. After all the Dalai Lama has been travelling all over the world since 1967 (when he visited Japan and Thailand) with a similar IC and has rarely faced any serious problem.
For someone sometimes projected (by the sensation press) as a possible successor for the Dalai Lama, the passport issue has compounded the problem. Does Urgyen have the moral capacity to lead all the Tibetans?
The Dharamsala’s religious Conference could have decided on this issue.

The Tibetan system of governance
Possibly a more serious issue is the Tibetan system of governance ‘by reincarnation’; in today’s modern world, it is apparent that it is a poor system as it leaves a gap of 20 years or so, without ‘ruler’ or ‘head lama’.
Historically, the instability of the system has often been demonstrated; it was used by incompetent stewards, regents or by the Chinese Ambans (representative of the Manchu emperor) to influence Tibetan politics. Today, the Chinese replaces the Ambans, controlling Tibetan affairs more formidably.
During the 19th century, it was murmured in Lhasa that the Ambans had found the weakness in the system and four Dalai Lamas (from the 9th to the 12th) died before they reached the age of twenty.

Two Panchen Lamas
In the Dalai Lama's own Yellow School, the situation is rather confused; traditionally in Tibet, the Panchen Lama was the second most prominent religious figure. Following the passing away of the 10th Panchen Lama in January 1989, the Dalai Lama formally proclaimed a six-year-old boy, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, as his reincarnation on May 14, 1995.
Three days later, the Chinese government arrested him; he has never been seen again. Another boy, Gyalsten Norbu, sponsored by the Communist regime, presently sits on the throne in Shigatse in Tibet (in fact he is mostly in Beijing).
Two Karmapas, two Panchen Lamas! No one wants two Dalai Lamas in the future.

What are the alternatives?
Though it is impossible to know for sure if the Karmapa’s absence was one of the reasons for ‘indefinitely’ postponing the Dharamsala meet, it is a great pity that the conference has been cancelled. There is certainly an urgency to define a more ‘scientific’ procedure for the succession for the next Dalai Lama, at a time when, under the aegis of Communist Party, Beijing is working hard to put in place rules to find their own 15th Dalai Lama.
It was hoped that the November Meet would have discussed other ways of succession, including an emanation in an already-born boy or adolescent.
The Dalai Lama always urges his followers to think rationally.
Reason tells us that it makes no sense for the Dalai Lama to not reincarnate, his presence is needed too much by the people of Tibet for him to dispense himself from 'returning'. Further, his 'non-reincarnation' would be a boon for China who is bound to discover its own Dalai Lama.
An emanation would have the advantage that the chosen person could be groomed and 'initiated' over several years by the present Dalai Lama himself; something like the Senior and Junior Shankaracharyas.
Though the Dalai Lama remains a rock of serenity and stability in the chaotic world of Tibetan Buddhism, the future is rather hazy.
Whether the Dalai Lama decides to take a new body or 'emanate' during his own life time, the institution of the Dalai Lama is a matter of concern for India and the people of India are feeling concerned.
It is also vital for the future of Tibetan Buddhism which has witnessed many sectarian disputes in the past.

The shadowy Mr. Xiao

The meeting with the Karmapa did not go so well

The BBC News’ Shanghai correspondent has just reported about ‘China's super-rich communist Buddhists’, in which there is a footage of an audience given by the Dalai Lama to Xiao Wunan, a shadowy Chinese character.
I had mentioned Xiao on this blog in October 2012.
I then wrote:

According to the website of the Asia Pacific Exchange and Cooperation Foundation (APECF), a delegation from this Hong Kong based organization ‘visited India and Nepal upon invitation’.
The [organization] website gave some details: "During the visit in India, APECF delegation went to Dharamsala and visited the 17th Karmapa, both parties had a pleasant talk about the issue of bilateral religious and cultural exchange."
The APECF webmaster has forgotten to mention that Xiao Wunan, a senior CCP cadre and executive vice-president of APECF also met with the Dalai Lama and Dr Lobsang Sangay, the elected Tibetan leader.
Why to only mention Karmapa?
The Chinese leadership probably wanted to keep the encounter with the Tibetan leaders as informal and low-key as possible.
None of the Tibetan websites reported the event which is an important one.

It appears that the meeting with the Karmapa did not go well and the young lama eventually walked out. It is not know what exactly happened.
A year earlier, I had already mentioned Xiao Wunan in connection with the so-called Lumbini project:

The Economist recently reported that China plans to invest $3 billion in Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha. The Economist explained: “After Prachanda, the leader of Nepal’s Maoists, stepped down as prime minister in 2009, he several times met representatives of The Asia Pacific Exchange and Co-operation Foundation (APECF). In July Chinese media reported that the Hong-Kong-based foundation—which is widely thought to have China’s backing—had signed an agreement with UNIDO, the UN’s industrial-development organisation, to invest $3 billion in Lumbini.” The objective is to make a ‘Mecca for Buddhists’. The Economist said that the news caused an uproar in Nepal as neither the central government nor the local authorities responsible for Lumbini were consulted. Later the Nepalese government refused to entertain the deal. “If this was an exercise in Chinese ‘soft power; it was a disaster’, The Economist commented.
Despite the 'uproar', Xiao Wunan stayed a week in Nepal.
The APECF website says: "From August 14th to 22nd, the Executive Vice Chairman of APECF Mr. Xiao Wunan, the Deputy Secretary General Ms. Gong Tingyu and Ms. Ge Chen, etc and representatives from China Railway 21st Bureau and China Potevio Group visited this area mentioned above, and had extensive exchanges with all parties in the aspect of bilateral and multilateral religious and cultural exchange and the further implementation of Lumbini Recovery Plan, and obtained fruitful results."
The Lumbini project is certainly not shelved as: "During the visit in Nepal, APECF delegation visited Mr. Parmanand Jha, the Vice President of Nepal, Mr. Prachanda, the President of Lumbini Development National Directive Committee, Mr. Posta Bahadur Bogati, the Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Mr. Hridesh Tripathi, the Minister for Physical Planning, and Mr. Kamal Thapa, the Minister for Telecommunications."
And Mr Xiao wants also to help Nalanda!

About the encounter between the Dalai Lama and Xiao, posing as an emissary of Xi Jinping, I then concluded: “Anyhow, it is an extremely interesting development."
I thought that it could have been a small step forward.
At that time I was not aware of some other facets of Mr. Xiao's character.
The recent BBC reportage raises some serious issues.
Who is really Xiao?
Who are his sponsors in Beijing?
Why is Xiao suddenly back on the Buddhist stage?
How did Xiao Wunan get the footage of his audience with the Dalai Lama?
Why has he decided to make it public now?
Why has he not ‘released’ footages of his interviews with the Karmapa and Lobsang Sangye, the Tibetan Prime Minister?
It is difficult to answer these questions.
By the way, when he met the Dalai Lama, Xiao Wunan was accompanied by Simon Kei Shek Ming (alias Ji Shiming), a Hong Kong journalist who later interviewed Prof. Jin Wei of the Central Communist Party School. The latter suggested that Beijing should invite the Dalai Lama to visit Hong Kong.
If Xiao is a Chinese emissary, a messenger, there is no doubt that some of his visits abroad are related with the fact that Beijing has tried to project a 'soft' image of a Middle Kingdom, which could become the leader of the Buddhist world.
Yes, Beijing would like to be Marxist and Buddhist at the same time!
Already in July 2011, The China Daily had announced a plan to raise US $ 3 billion to turn Lumbini, Buddha's birthplace in Nepal into a Mecca for Buddhists: “a Hong Kong-based transnational foundation signed a memorandum with a United Nations agency that promotes industrialization in developing countries. The United Nations Industrial Development Organization will rely on its Beijing-based investment and technology promotion office for China to offer technical support for the project in Lumbini, Nepal.”
This then, it appears to have been shelved, at least temporarily.
But from where this money would have come from?
From the cash box of the Party?
The Chinese publication then affirmed: “As part of the project, the Asia Pacific Exchange and Cooperation Foundation has promised to bring roads, communication equipment, water and electricity to Lumbini, a poverty-stricken United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage site that attracts about half a million visitors a year.”
Isn't it amazing?
Who is this APECF?
The China Daily says that the board is composed amongst others of Steven Clark Rockefeller Jr.; Jack Rosen, chairman of the American Jewish Congress; Leon H. Charney, a real estate tycoon and former US presidential adviser; Prachanda, leader of the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist); and Paras, the former Nepali crown prince known for his excesses.
In 2011, Xiao Wunan, executive vice-chairman of the foundation had explained that the Lumbini project will help "transcend religion, ideology and race" and rejuvenate the culture and spirit of Buddhism. …Buddhist dignitaries from around the world, including those from the Mahayana, Hinayana and Tibetan schools of Buddhism, have expressed enthusiasm about the plans.”
There is little doubt that some Chinese officials, with the help of Xiao Wunan would like China to take the lead in the world Buddhist movement.
In October 2014, I wrote about the Conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhists (WFB) held in China.
Xinhua then reported: “Hundreds of the world's Buddhists gathered at an ancient temple in northwest China's Shaanxi Province to open the World Fellowship of Buddhists' 27th general conference. Congregating around a relic said to contain one of the Buddha's finger bones at the Famen Temple in Baoji City, more than 600 representatives from 30 nations and regions were in attendance.”
It was the first time that the three-day event, organized by the Bangkok-headquartered WFB, met on the Chinese soil (from October 16 to 18).
Xinhua also said: “Buddhist leaders at the opening ceremony included the 11th Panchen Lama, Bainqen Erdini Qoigyijabu [Gyaltsen Norbu], and Nichiyu Mochida, chief abbot of Japan's Sogen-ji Temple.”
Dr Kalinga Seneviratne, who attended the WFB on behalf of the German Dharmadutta Society delegation from Sri Lanka, commented on the impressive display of Chinese Buddhist culture and hospitality.

Xiao with Admiral Rogel, Chief of the Naval Staff (France)

Around the same time, Xiao Wunan was in France.
A Chinese publication reported: “A dinner to celebrate the Sino-French "SeaOrbiter" was hosted by the Institut de France - the Jacques Rougerie Foundation and co-sponsored by the Asia Pacific Exchange & Cooperation Foundation. It was held in French navy headquarter on the evening of October 16. Admiral Bernard Rogel, chief of staff of the French Navy, Mr. Jacques Rougerie, initiator of the 'SeaOrbiter' project and Chairman of the Jacques Rougerie Foundation, Mr. Xiao Wunan, Executive Chairman of APECF, Mr. Li Shaoping, Cultural Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in France, and other distinguished guests attended the dinner. In March this year, during the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to France, the Institut de France - the Jacques Rougerie Foundation and APECF signed a memorandum of understanding on the SeaOrbiter–China Project in Paris. They plan to build the world's first 'SeaOrbiter' in the South China Sea.”
I did not know that SeaOrbiter was a Sino-French project!!
In a speech in August, the eclectic Mr. Xiao had explained that China's State Council “officially listed the SeaOrbiter as one of ten major scientific and technological projects and praised this cooperation from a national strategic perspective. ...China hopes this project will turn it into a maritime power and assume more responsibility exploring our oceans.”
Xiao Wunan is indeed very versatile.
A month earlier, he visited Tel Aviv at the invitation of Israel's Labor Party. His website says: “During the visit, they exchanged ideas with Israel's Labor Party, the Prime Minister's Office, think tanks, the national bank and other institutions and achieved fruitful results.
He met Isaac Herzog, Chairman of Israel's Labor Party who gave him an autobiography of his father (the former president of Israel).
Xiao Wunan has a particularity: he likes to be photographed with important persons. One can understand, as he probably has to report to Beijing about the huge amounts of money he lavishly spends when he moves around.
Bizarre Affair!
Later, he was spotted in the United States.
As one of the characters in the BBC reportage admits, today in China, one becomes Buddhism to get richer.
It looks like the case of Mr. Xiao. It is true that to get rich in China was till recently relatively easy (with or without Buddha's help).
The question remains: who are Xiao's sponsors?
Some rumours have linked an APECF's Vice-Chairman with Zhou Yongkang, the demoted former member of the Politburo's Standing Committee. Is Mr Xiao's money coming from in oil, gas, media, hospitality and communications?
It is up to Wang Qishan and his Central Commission for Discipline Inspection to find out.
But presently, Xiao Wunan is doing well ...till his karma catches up with him!

China disturbing peaceful Tibet

Sacred Mt. Kailash

My article China disturbing peaceful Tibet appeared in NitiCentral.

Last week, a strange piece of news appeared in The Economic Times (ET), “While transgressions by Chinese soldiers in Ladakh in September and the resultant standoff were widely reported, an incursion of another kind shrouded in mystery is said to have taken place in Tibet at around the same time.”
The report speaks about a dozen monasteries, belonging to the Drukpa Kagyud lineage of Tibetan Buddhism being taken over by monks ‘with strong financial backing’; implying with the ‘backing’ from China.
It is true that for centuries there has been infighting over supremacy of the richly-endowed monasteries amongst sects and sub-sects of Tibetan Buddhism. But what is strange this time is that the 12th Gyalwang Drukpa Rinpoche, the spiritual head of the Drukpa Kagyud lineage, has linked the takeover of his monasteries in Tibet with the PLA’s transgressions in Chumar and elsewhere in Ladakh.
Why to link the two events is not clear, except perhaps to get publicity and force the Indian intelligence agencies to look into the issue?
The Gyalwang Drukpa told the ET, “We are still trying to ascertain if more monasteries have been taken over as these areas in Tibet are remote and communication is poor. …These monks are apolitical, engaged in spiritual work and it is baffling why they were targetted.”
The ET says that there were reports of “members of the Karma Kagyu lineage of Buddhism behind the takeover,” adding that there was no confirmation of this.
The Drukpa Kagyud lineage is a sub-sect of the Kagyud school of Tibetan Buddhism, one of the 4 major schools (the Dalai Lama belongs to the Geluk-pa lineage).
The Drukpas have a strong following in Ladakh and Western Tibet. According to the Rinpoche, it has some 267 monasteries in the region, some of them located in the vicinity of Mount Kailash.
What the ET does not mention is that the Drukpa Rinpoche had already written to the Karmapa Lama, the head of the Karma Kagyud, who lives near Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh, accusing his followers to be behind the takeovers.
On September 10, Gyalwang Drukpa, “Over the last few days I have been receiving disturbing information from Tibet regarding the forced conversion of Drukpa Lineage monasteries in the Mount Kailash region. …My followers in Tibet tell me that nearly all of the historic Drukpa Lineage monasteries in Mount Kailash region are being forcibly occupied by the Karma Kagyu Lineage, using money, coercion and certain Chinese support.”
The Drukpa Rinpoche pointed out,”Historically the Drukpa Lineage and the Karma Kagyu Lineage have shared a deep and close spiritual bond. The Gyalwang Drukpas and Gyalwa Karmapas were known as ‘spiritual father and son’ because whoever was elder would give spiritual guidance to the younger one.” Apparently, it is not the case anymore as the Drukpa Lama believes that some Karma Kagyu lamas, using the Karmapa’s name, are behind the conversions.
It is not known if the Karmapa answered this letter.
This brings the issue of the rule by incarnation’ in Tibet, which has often been unsatisfactory. First, one is never sure that a new reincarnated lama is the right choice. During some troubled periods of Tibetan history, the Mongols or the Manchu dynasty could use their influence for making their own selection, through the Golden Urn system or other ways.

The Chinese Panchen Lamaoffering 'blessings'
on the shores of the Mansarovar

This is true not only for the Dalai Lamas, the Panchen Lamas or the Karmapas at the top of the hierarchy, but also for ‘local’ hierarchs who presided over a county, a province, a school of Buddhism, or a monastery. Historically, the first identified ‘reincarnation’ was the 2nd Karmapa Lama, Karma Pakshi (1203–1283), who succeeded Dusum Khyenpa (1110–1193), the first Karmapa.
Pakshi became the first formally recognised ‘tulku’, signalling the beginning of the Tibetan institution of ‘incarnated’ lamas. Later, other schools of Tibetan Buddhism too began to accept that lamas, saints or great yogis could return to the human world through an ‘emanation’, that took birth after the death of his predecessor, in order to ‘continue’ his work.
Historians believe that it went wrong when tulkus started to inherit the estate and the mundane position (and the disciples) of their previous incarnation. This led to the rise of hugely wealthy ‘transmitted’ estates. This is probably the root of the current problem around Mount Kailash and it is not a good omen for the future of the Tibetan civilisation.
Politically too, the rule by reincarnation does not suit a modern nation, mainly because it can be too easily manipulated. Take the example of the 10th Panchen Lama’s reincarnation. There are two contending candidates, one chosen by the Dalai Lama and one selected by Beijing (Gyaltsen Norbu). Ditto for the Karmapa lineage: there are today two or three candidates for the post of Karmapa (The Dalai Lama has accorded recognition to Urgyen Thinley Dorjee who lives in Himachal Pradesh).
Today, the Communist Party seems determined to fully play the ‘Panchen’ card against what it calls ‘the Dalai and his clique’. In March, 2013, the Chinese Government announced that the 11th Panchen Lama had been elected member of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee, China’s top political advisory body and whenever Gyaltsen Norbu visits Tibet, he is received with full pomp by the highest cadre of the Party who line up to receive his ‘blessings’. Isn’t it comical?
It is, however, true that historically the Tibetan society has often been divided; the split between the Thirteenth Dalai Lama and the Ninth Panchen Lama at the beginning of the 20th century is a case in point. The collaterals are still visible today with two Panchen Lamas.
In his Last Testament written in 1932, the Thirteenth Dalai Lama warned the people of Tibet against these ills of the Tibetan society; he wrote: “Now, when there is peace and happiness, when you have the power, work earnestly, and wholeheartedly for the general welfare. …Work and persevere now, that there is no regret later”.
At the end of his Testament, he warned his people of the forthcoming ‘dark days’: “In my lifetime conditions will be as they are now, peaceful and quiet. But the future holds darkness and misery. I have warned you of these things because of my experience and other important reasons. More I cannot say or advise, [if you don’t follow this advise] …all souls shall be immersed in suffering and the night shall be long and dark.” Soon after his death in 1933, the power-struggle degenerated into a tragic dispute between the last two Regents of Tibet (Reting and Taktra).
The present Dalai Lama often speaks of his Three Commitments, the second being “the promotion of religious harmony and understanding among the world’s major religious traditions.”
The Tibetan leader should perhaps tell all Tibetan Lamas that there is only one Buddha and that they should work in harmony, otherwise the Chinese are bound to use the situation to their own advantage.
As for the Chinese intrusions, it will probably continue, as the Party does not believe in Karma.

Asia’s challenge

Srinagar (Garhwal) HEP

My article Asia’s challenge appeared in The Statesman today.

Here is the link...

There is no doubt that the most serious issue that Asia will have to face during the coming decades is the climatic change  and  the health  of the Tibetan glaciers and rivers which feed nearly 2 billion human beings says Claude Arpi

During a visit to Srinagar, Garhwal, in March this year, I was told that a total of 95 hydropower projects were being built or planned on different rivers converging in the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi basin of Uttarakhand.  Why so many dams, I asked? If the Centre does not go for dams and generate power, then Rs 10,000-15,000 crore would have to be annually released by Delhi as Central assistance, I was told. The Centre wants power and the State, hard cash; dams bring a win-win situation, they say. Projects currently underway were supposed to increase the hydropower capacity of the State to 12,235 MW.
Nobody really cared if environmentalists like former IIT professor, Dr GD Agrawal or before him Sunderlal Bahuguna were opposing the wild contagion of concrete infrastructures; they were just labeled as being anti-development by the authorities; ‘development’ being the new God worshiped in the Himalayas.
But the gods are neither crazy nor helpless. They showed it on June 16 and the following days, when torrential rains poured from the sky; the result: several thousands of humans left dead or missing, hundreds of roads cut, villages erased, hydropower plants destroyed, a State totally ruined.
It was predictable and had even been predicted. In 2009, after studying the hydro-electric projects (HEP) in Uttarakhand, a state audit of the Comptroller and Auditor-General admitted that, though most of the projects faced problems associated with land acquisition, forest clearances and enhancement in project capacities “...more grave is the total neglect of environmental concerns, the cumulative impact of which may prove devastating for the natural resources of the State.”
The auditors also remarked: “Negligence of environmental concerns was obvious as the muck generated from excavation and construction activities, was being openly dumped into the rivers contributing to increase in the turbidity of water.”
One visible consequence was seen in Vishnuprayag where the deluge coming down from the upper reaches of Alaknanda completely buried the 400 MWs hydropower plant.
Tragically, the same situation is bound to happen, probably on a larger scale, in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
What depressed me the most is that many swamis or ‘holy men’ were quite happy with the ‘development’ of their Himalayan environment; their ashrams were getting wealthier and they were getting more followers (they probably thought that it was a win-win situation!)
I was in this frame of mind when I came across a refreshing book written by the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, entitled The Heart Is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out. It is obvious that the Karmapa has studied our modern world ‘inside out’. The background of the book is a month-long dialogue between the Lama (called by everyone ‘His Holiness’) and a group of American university students who visited him in May 2011 at the Gyuto Ramoche Monastery in Sidhbari near Dharamsala. It is there that the 29-year old Lama has found a ‘temporary’ refuge, surrounded by the majestic Dhauladhar range as a backdrop.
Though the Karmapa often tells the students (his ‘friends’) that he does not give them a ‘religious’ teaching, the Buddhist themes of ‘temporariness’, ‘interdependence’ or ‘compassion’ pervade the book.
The 12 chapters deal with subjects like ‘Our Shared Ground’; ‘A Meaningful Life: Anything Is Possible’, ‘Healthy Relationships: Orienting Ourselves toward Others’; ‘Gender Identities: It’s All in the Mind’ or ‘Consumerism or Greed: Contentment Is the Best Wealth’. One chapter elaborates on Karmapa’s favorite topic, “Environmental Protection: Cultivating New Feelings for the Earth”.
The young Lama often describes himself as an environmental activist. Born to a nomad family in Kham province of Eastern Tibet, he says that during his youth he experienced a rustic lifestyle which is unfortunately fast disappearing.
The Karmapa asks his visitors to try to realize their intimate dependence with the whole planet. He also sees a close affinity between the concept of ecology and the Buddhist views of interdependence.
His young US friends are warned not to confuse economic success with personal happiness: “Just because we have a market economy, does not mean we need to have a market society.”
In his book, he explains: “In recent years, we have gained a great deal of information about the impact of our actions on the environment. We human beings have tremendous intelligence, but it is clear that there remains a big gap between the brain and the heart. We seem to find it easy to process new information and generate new ideas, yet much harder to produce new feelings. …What we now need to go along with all our powerful new ideas about the environment are powerful new feelings.”
According to him, it is here that our noble heart should intervene. The message of the Karmapa is simple and ‘secular’ -
Page after page, one finds a mature and deep thinker; it is rather rare these days. There is a great lightness in his thought-process, which he is able to share with his young interlocutors.
Karmapa would certain support the Bhutanese ‘Gross National Happiness’ which seems now to have been rejected by the new government in Thimphu. Let us hope that the Land of the Dragon will not take Uttarakhand’s path. It would be such a pity!

The Karmapa likes to say: “If I have the opportunity, I would most like to restore the natural environment in the Himalayas and Tibet, and to especially protect the forests, the water and wildlife of this region.” His language always remains simple. He encourages his interlocutors by telling them that we, humans are far more powerful than we usually believe: “We individuals can become part of the solution, when we recognize this power and start to use it, together.”
For him, the starting point is ‘inter-dependence with others and the planet’; he believes that if each human being can increase his or her own love and compassion towards others, the planet will face much less conflicts.
In conclusion, he outlines what he calls ‘a kind of humanist spirituality’.
Interestingly, he was the first leader to issue a statement after Bodh Gaya’s recent tragic events. Though he was deeply saddened by the senseless violence perpetrated at the Mahabodhi temple, he appealed for compassion and understanding: “I am convinced that, as Buddhists, in responding to this situation, the best homage we can pay to Lord Buddha is to uphold his teachings on love and ahimsa (non-violence).”
There is no doubt that the most serious issue that Asia will  have  to  face  during  the  coming  decades  is  the  climatic change and the health of the Tibetan glaciers and rivers  which  feed  nearly  2  billion  human  beings.  Asia definitely needs more young, dedicated, intelligent, modern and  open-minded  leaders  like  Karmapa,  if it  wants  to avoid a doomed future.

inside each of us there is a noble heart. He tells the youth: “This heart is the source of our finest aspirations for ourselves and for the world. It fills us with the courage to act on our aspirations. Our nobility may be obscured at times, covered over with small thoughts or blocked by confused and confusing emotions. But a noble heart lies intact within each of us nonetheless, ready to open and be offered to the world.  …When we clear away all that blocks it, this heart can change the world.”

Life Extraordinaire

My review of the latest book of the 17th Karmapa appeared in The Pioneer under the title Life Extraordinaire


The book shows that the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, has something to say, something important for the future of humanity, writes Claude Arpi

Do you still remember the Karmapa’s Great Escape?
On January 5, 2000, in the midst of the winter, a 15-year old monk arrived in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh after a Bollywood-type escape across the highest Himalayan passes; the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, holder of a 900-year lineage drove straight to the Palace of the Dalai Lama who immediately received the red-face boy, offering him protection.
On his way to India, Ogyen Trinley may have dreamt that, once he would reach his destination, his life would be simple; he would meet his religious teachers and soon after return to his predecessor's seat, in Rumtek, Sikkim. It was not to be. The problem was not that simple, as his arrival in the Indian hill station got immediately entangled with the Sino-Indian relations.
When he had left his monastery of Tsurphu in Central Tibet a week earlier, he probably did not foresee these all difficulties.
Perhaps because the story was so unbelievable, the Indian government had some hesitation to grant him refugee status. Some even believed that he had been 'planted' by the Chinese to create confusion in Sikkim, the traditional seat of the Karmapa lineage.
Having closely followed the story for the start, when I opened the Karmapa’s new book (The Heart Is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out), the past obviously came to my mind; but as I begun to go through the first pages of this delightful book, I realized that the young monk has walked a long journey since 2000.
Pages after pages, one faces a mature and deep thinking, which it is rather rare these days. The difficulties and hurdles that the young lama had to go through in his personal life seem to have left no scar on his psyche; on the contrary, he has been able to ‘digest’ the toughest experiences and analyze them ‘inside out’; bringing a lightness in his thought-process which he is able to share this with his interlocutors.
The background of the book is a month-long dialogue between the Lama (called by everyone around him, His Holiness) and a group of American university students who visited him in May 2011 at the Gyuto Ramoche Monastery in Sidhbari near Dharamsala. It is there that the 29-year old Lama found a ‘temporary’ refuge, surrounded by relatively tight security, with the majestic Dhauladhar range as a background.
Though the Karmapa often tells the students (his ‘friends’) that he does not give them a ‘religious’ teaching, the Buddhist themes of ‘temporariness’ and ‘interdependence’ pervades through the book.
The message of the Karmapa is simple and ‘secular’: inside each of us there is a noble heart. He tells the students: “This heart is the source of our finest aspirations for ourselves and for the world. It fills us with the courage to act on our aspirations. Our nobility may be obscured at times, covered over with small thoughts or blocked by confused and confusing emotions. But a noble heart lies intact within each of us nonetheless, ready to open and be offered to the world.  …When we clear away all that blocks it, this heart can change the world.”
The 12 chapters deal with subject like ‘Our Shared Ground’; ‘A Meaningful Life: Anything Is Possible’, ‘Healthy Relationships: Orienting Ourselves toward Others’; ‘Gender Identities: It’s All in the Mind’ or ‘Consumerism and Greed: Contentment Is the Best Wealth’.
The Karmapa has deeply studied our modern world ‘inside out’.
His favorite topic is probably “Environmental Protection: Cultivating New Feelings for the Earth”.
He warns his friends not to confuse economic success with personal happiness: “Just because we have a market economy does not mean we need to have a market society.”
I think that the Karmapa would have voted for the Bhutanese ‘Gross National Happiness’ which seems to now been rejected by the new government in Thimbu. Such a pity!
We have seen recently the outcome of 'development' in Uttarakhand. But are the politicians read to listen the Karmapa’s message? He says: "I want it to have a long term visible impact and for it to be practical. If I have the opportunity, I would most like to restore the natural environment in the Himalayas and Tibet, and to especially protect the forests, the water and wildlife of this region.”
His language always remains simple. The first day, he told the US students: “My formal study has been in Buddhist philosophy and religion, so l may use some Buddhist terms on occasion. …Please do not take my words to be an authoritative representation of what the Buddhist texts say.”
His always encourages his interlocutors by telling them that we are all far more powerful than we usually believe: "We individuals can become part of the solution when we recognize this power and start to use it, together.”
Being the 17th of a long chain of reincarnations and the spiritual head of one of the major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, he admits that, as such, he has certain responsibilities, ‘because I received the name and position of Karmapa’, but he is quick to add “we all have responsibilities based on what we receive from the world.” But he never tries to promote his particular school; he sees the needs of a global society for the 21st century.
The starting point is the interdependence with others and the planet and he believes that if our own love and compassion increase, there will be certainly less conflict around.
In conclusion, he says that he tried to outline what he called ‘a kind of humanist spirituality’. Though he sometimes uses Buddhist concept (like temporariness or compassion), he believes that to look at the world and to live life that do not require any particular religious affiliation; his words and actions are only “a logical consequence of the interdependence that binds us to others and to the planet.”
I wish that one aspect of the Karmapa that I had the opportunity to experience myself, when I interviewed him a couple of years ago, had come more prominently: it is his great sense of humour.
Probably due to the format of the transcribed talks, his charming smile can be seen only to the cover of the book.
Through my interview, I had discovered a remarkable calm young man, deeply interested in Indian culture, in art and of course the environment of the Himalayas; he was able to see the deeper meaning of the controversies that have surrounded him since he fled from Tibet.
When I mentioned to him, that during a public function in Dharamsala, he had made everyone laugh and asked him what place he gave to humour in life, he answered: “There was nothing much left for me to say. I had to make some jokes (laughing).”
He later rectified: “No, no, no. But humour is important in life. To be too serious in life is not good; it can make life seem miserable.”
The book shows that the Karmapa has something to say; something deep and important for the future of humanity.
It should be compulsory reading for politicians and babus, though common men may benefit more immediately as for him, there is no fixed starting point to begin to accomplish what one aspires to achieve: “Changing the world for the good can start from right where you are, right now. …When you are dreaming of what is possible for your life, you should know that anything is possible. …Your life is subject to infinite revision.”

The Heart Is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out
by The Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje
Hardcover: 216 pages
Publisher: Shambhala (February 19, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1611800013
ISBN-13: 978-1611800012

An intelligent leader: the Karmapa

During a visit to Srinagar, Garhwal, in March this year, I was told that a total of 95 hydropower projects were being built or planned on different rivers converging in the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi basin of Uttarakhand.
Why so many dams, I asked?
If the Centre does not go for dams and generate power, then Rs. 10,000-15,000 crore would have to be annually released by Delhi as Central assistance, I was told.
The Center wants power and the State, hard cash; dams bring a win-win situation, they say. Projects currently underway were supposed to increase the hydropower capacity of the State to 12,235 MW.
Nobody really cared if environmentalists like former IIT professor, Dr. G.D. Agrawal or before him Sunderlal Bahuguna were opposing the wild contagion of concrete infrastructures; they were just labeled as being anti-development by the authorities; ‘development’ being the new God worshiped in the Himalayas.
But the gods are neither crazy nor helpless. They showed it on June 16 and the following days, when torrential rains poured from the sky; the result: several thousands of humans left dead or missing, hundreds of roads cut, villages erased, hydropower plants destroyed, a State totally ruined.
It was predictable and had even been predicted.
In 2009, after studying the hydro-electric projects (HEP) in Uttarakhand, a State Audit of the Controller General of Accounts (CAG) admitted that, though most of the projects faced problems associated with land acquisition, forest clearances and enhancement in project capacities: “...more grave is the total neglect of environmental concerns, the cumulative impact of which may prove devastating for the natural resources of the State.”
The Auditors also remarked: “Negligence of environmental concerns was obvious as the muck generated from excavation and construction activities, was being openly dumped into the rivers contributing to increase in the turbidity of water.”
One visible consequence was seen in Vishnuprayag where the deluge coming down from the upper reaches of Alaknanda completely buried the 400 MWs hydropower plant.
Tragically, the same situation is bound to happen, probably on a larger scale, in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
What depressed me the most is that many swamis or ‘holy men’ were quite happy with the ‘development’ of their Himalayan environment; their ashrams were getting wealthier and they were getting more followers (they probably thought that it was a win-win situation!)
I was in this frame of mind when I came across a refreshing book written the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, entitled The Heart Is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out.
It is obvious that the Karmapa has studied our modern world ‘inside out’.
The background of the book is a month-long dialogue between the Lama (called by everyone ‘His Holiness’) and a group of American university students who visited him in May 2011 at the Gyuto Ramoche Monastery in Sidhbari near Dharamsala. It is there that the 29-year old Lama has found a ‘temporary’ refuge, surrounded by the majestic Dhauladhar range as a backdrop.
Though the Karmapa often tells the students (his ‘friends’) that he does not give them a ‘religious’ teaching, the Buddhist themes of ‘temporariness’, ‘interdependence’ or ‘compassion’ pervade the book.
The 12 chapters deal with subjects like ‘Our Shared Ground’; ‘A Meaningful Life: Anything Is Possible’, ‘Healthy Relationships: Orienting Ourselves toward Others’; ‘Gender Identities: It’s All in the Mind’ or ‘Consumerism or Greed: Contentment Is the Best Wealth’.
One chapter elaborates on Karmapa’s favorite topic, “Environmental Protection: Cultivating New Feelings for the Earth”.
The young Lama often describes himself as an environmental activist. Born to a nomad family in Kham province of Eastern Tibet, he says that during his youth he experienced a rustic lifestyle which is unfortunately fast disappearing.
The Karmapa asks his visitors to try to realize their intimate dependence with the whole planet. He also sees a close affinity between the concept of ecology and the Buddhist views of interdependence.
His young US friends are warned not to confuse economic success with personal happiness: “Just because we have a market economy, does not mean we need to have a market society.”
In his book, he explains: “In recent years, we have gained a great deal of information about the impact of our actions on the environment. We human beings have tremendous intelligence, but it is clear that there remains a big gap between the brain and the heart. We seem to find it easy to process new information and generate new ideas, yet much harder to produce new feelings. …What we now need to go along with all our powerful new ideas about the environment are powerful new feelings.”
According to him, it is here that our noble heart should intervene.
The message of the Karmapa is simple and ‘secular’: inside each of us there is a noble heart. He tells the youth: “This heart is the source of our finest aspirations for ourselves and for the world. It fills us with the courage to act on our aspirations. Our nobility may be obscured at times, covered over with small thoughts or blocked by confused and confusing emotions. But a noble heart lies intact within each of us nonetheless, ready to open and be offered to the world.  …When we clear away all that blocks it, this heart can change the world.”
Page after page, one finds a mature and deep thinker; it is rather rare these days. There is a great lightness in his thought-process, which he is able to share with his young interlocutors.
Karmapa would certain support the Bhutanese ‘Gross National Happiness’ which seems to now have been rejected by the new government in Thimbu. Let us hope that the Land of the Dragon will not take the Uttarakhand’s path. It would be such a pity!
The Karmapa likes to say: "If I have the opportunity, I would most like to restore the natural environment in the Himalayas and Tibet, and to especially protect the forests, the water and wildlife of this region.”
His language always remains simple. He encourages his interlocutors by telling them that we, humans are far more powerful than we usually believe: "We individuals can become part of the solution, when we recognize this power and start to use it, together.”
For him, the starting point is ‘interdependence with others and the planet’; he believes that if each human being can increase his or her own love and compassion towards others, the planet will face much less conflicts.
In conclusion, he outlines what he called ‘a kind of humanist spirituality’.
Interestingly, he was the first leader to issue a statement after Bodh Gaya’s recent tragic events. Though he was deeply saddened by the senseless violence perpetrated at the Mahabodhi temple, he appealed for compassion and understanding: “I am convinced that, as Buddhists, in responding to this situation, the best homage we can pay to Lord Buddha is to uphold his teachings on love and ahimsa (nonviolence).”
There is no doubt that the most serious issue that Asia will have to face during the coming decades is the climatic change and the health of the Tibetan glaciers and rivers which feed nearly 2 billion human beings.
Asia definitely needs more young, dedicated, intelligent, modern and open-minded leaders like Karmapa, if it wants to avoid a doomed future.

The rule by incarnation outdated?

The Economist recently published an interview of the Dalai Lama.
The newspaper asserted: "The Dalai Lama scoffs at attempts by the Chinese government in recent years to claim a role in the approval of reincarnations (an obvious attempt, say exiles, to lay the groundwork for rejecting the legitimacy of any Dalai Lama chosen outside China and for installing one whom the Chinese authorities believe they can control)."
The Dalai Lama told the London magazine: “I jokingly said, firstly Chinese communists must accept theory of reincarnation, then second the Communist Party should recognise Chairman Mao Zedong’s reincarnation, then Deng Xiaoping’s reincarnation, then logically show an interest in Dalai Lama’s reincarnation” and he added “As far as social-economic theory is concerned, I am still a Marxist, not capitalist. That’s not secret.”
This raises an interesting issue which seems to underlie the current debate about the future of Tibet. With or without the Dalai Lama as a temporal leader: the ‘rule by incarnations’ arrangement, specific to Tibet, is not a sustainable system of governance.
Historically, it is said that the first identified ‘reincarnation’ was the 2nd Karmapa Lama, Karma Pakshi (1203–1283), who succeeded Dusum Khyenpa (1110–1193), the first Karmapa.
As a child Karma Pakshi, is said to have been a prodigy who at the age of ten, could already grasp the Buddhist Dharma and meditation. His teacher, Pomdrakpa, realized, through certain visions, that the child was the reincarnation of Dusum Khyenpa. Thus, Karma Pakshi became the first formally recognized ‘tulku’ in Tibetan history, starting the Tibetan institution of the tulku or ‘incarnated lama’ (in fact, ‘emanation’ of a lama). After Karma Pakshi, other schools of Tibetan Buddhism accepted the possibility that Lamas, Saints or great Yogis could return to the human world through an emanation, born after the death of his predecessor, in order to ‘continue’ his work. This is a corollary of the Bodhisattva vows.
The Dalai Lama likes to quote this beautiful prayer from Shantideva:

As long as space endures,
as long as sentient beings remain,
until then, may I too remain
and dispel the miseries of the world.

At one point in the history of Tibet, the notion of nirmanakaya, or emanation body which manifests in time and space became linked to a concept of regular manifestation (Tibetan: Yangsi).
Another Tibetan innovation was introduced later: the tulku could inherit the estate (Tibetan: labrang) and the mundane position (and the disciples) of his previous incarnation. This system allowed for the rise of hugely wealthy estates (labrang) belonging to the lineages of most reincarnated religious leaders.
The next step was that the tulku system became linked to the system of governance in Tibet. It was mainly institutionalised by the Fifth Dalai Lama (1617-1682). The Sakya sect who ruled over Tibet earlier did not use the system of ‘tulku’ for temporal transmission.
Unfortunately the system of rule by incarnation has often not satisfactorily worked in Tibet and this for several reasons.
The first is that one is never sure that the choice of a new reincarnated Lama is the right one. During some troubled periods of Tibetan history, the Mongols or the Manchu dynasty could influence the choice, through the Golden Urn system or in many other ways. How to ensure that the correct boy was selected?
This is valid for the Dalai Lamas and the Panchen Lamas at the top of the hierarchy, but also for ‘local’ hierarchs who ruled over a county, a province, a school of Buddhism or even over a particular lineage.
Another reason made this system unworkable: the gap of 20 odd years, between the death of a Lama and the time when his reincarnation was able to ‘rule’. Of course, there are exceptions like the present Dalai Lama who was able to deal with the Chinese Communist leadership at the age of 19 (during his trip to Beijing in 1954), but these are rare and often the Lamas have to depend on estate managers (changzoes) or regents who have more knowledge in mundane matters than in good governance.
This resulted in very difficult transitions, to say the least.
The truth of the matter is that the rule by reincarnation is not suited to a modern nation, mainly because it can too easily be manipulated.
Take the example of the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Lama, there are two contending candidates, one chosen by the Dalai Lama (Gedun Choeki Nyima, presently under house arrest in China) and one selected by Beijing (Gyaltsen Norbu, member of the Chinese Peoples’ Political Consultative Conference). Ditto for the Karmapa lineage, there are today three Karmapa candidates.
On March 10, 2011, the Dalai Lama took a revolutionary decision, which was “to benefit Tibetans in the long run”, he retired as Tibet’s temporal leader, delinking his political and spiritual roles. He stated:
As early as the 1960s, I have repeatedly stressed that Tibetans need a leader, elected freely by the Tibetan people, to whom I can devolve power. Now, we have clearly reached the time to put this into effect. During the forthcoming eleventh session of the fourteenth Tibetan Parliament in Exile, which begins on 14th March, I will formally propose that the necessary amendments be made to the Charter for Tibetans in Exile, reflecting my decision to devolve my formal authority to the elected leader.
Since I made my intention clear I have received repeated and earnest requests both from within Tibet and outside, to continue to provide political leadership. My desire to devolve authority has nothing to do with a wish to shirk responsibility. It is to benefit Tibetans in the long run.
Ironically, it is the atheist regime in Beijing which seems today more attached to this flawed system of governance. As mentioned in the paper, the Chinese State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA) issued a State Order No.5 for the “Management Measures For the Reincarnation of Living Buddhas in Tibetan Buddhism” in 2007.
They started promoting ‘Living Buddhas’, the name the Communist Party gives to ‘tulkus’.
For example, Gyaltsen Norbu, the Chinese government’s handpicked 11th Panchen Lama is paraded once in a year in Lhasa and Tashilhunpo monastery, the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama. He is, of course, brought under tight security as he has never been accepted by the Tibetan masses. He has also been nominated a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
The 16-year old, 7th Reting Rinpoche, Sonam Phuntsok recognized by the Communist Party has become the youngest member of Tibet’s Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Though the 5th Reting was Regent in the 1930s and early 40s, he was very controversial and nearly provoked a civil war in Lhasa.
Beijing has recently been trying its best to increase its control over reincarnations of Tibetan lamas (and ultimately the Dalai Lama's), thus legitimizing the Communist rule over the Himalayan region.
China has revived the title of Huthuktu, an ancient Mongol title given by the Manchus or the Mongols to Lama-rulers (in some case to reincarnations of Regents). Reting is also termed Huthuktu by Beijing.
An old Lama from Chamdo in Eastern Tibet, Phagpala Geleg Namgyal is presented by Beijing as the 11th Pagbalha Hutuktu. Phagpala is Vice-chairman of 11th CPPCC National Committee, honorary president of Buddhist Association of China, and chairman of CPPCC Tibet Autonomous Regional Committee. The CPPCC’s vice-chairmanship gives him a Central Minister rank.
It appears that the Party has decided to play the ‘religion’ card to solve the Tibet issue. Beijing has appointed the largest ever number of clerics in Tibet’s CCPCC, the region's political advisory body. This year, some 115 seats have been reserved for monks, 18.7 percent of the total 615 seats, a raise of 121% from the previous Conference.
It is all the more ironic after the Dalai Lama has announced his wish to delink his political and spiritual duties and hand over his responsibilities to an elected leader (Sikyong Lobsang Sangye).
Interestingly, in the 2009 documentary film entitled ‘Tulku’, Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, the director of the amazing film The Cup, argued against the institutionalized system of Tulku.
He said: “That culture is dying; it’s not going to work anymore. And even if it… And if it doesn’t work, I think it’s almost for the better because this tulku, … If the Tibetans are not careful, this Tulku system is going to ruin Buddhism. At the end of the day Buddhism is more important [than] Tulku system, who cares about Tulku... [and] what happens to them.”
It is perhaps what the Dalai Lama realized in March 2011 (or probably long before), it was time for Tibet to have a secular head of the government.
With the old rule by reincarnation, too many manipulations were (and are) possible.
It does not mean that ‘democracy’ is a perfect system of governance.

A Step Forward or Backward?

Xiao Wunan and the Karmapa

According to the website of the Asia Pacific Exchange and Cooperation Foundation (APECF), a  delegation from this Hong Kong based organistaion "visited India and Nepal upon invitation".
The site said: "During the visit in India, APECF delegation went to Dharamsala and visited the 17th Karmapa, both parties had a pleasant talk about the issue of bilateral religious and cultural exchange."
The APECF webmaster has forgotten to mention that Xiao Wunan, a senior CCP cadre and executive vice-president of APECF also met with the Dalai Lama and Dr Lobsang Sangay, the elected Tibetan leader.
Why to only mention Karmapa?
The Chinese leadership probably wanted to keep the encounter with the Tibetan leaders as informal ans low-key as possible. 
None of the Tibetan websites reported the event which is an important one.
A year ago, I had mentioned on this blog:

The Economist recently reported that China plans to invest $3 billion in Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha. The Economist explained: “After Prachanda, the leader of Nepal’s Maoists, stepped down as prime minister in 2009, he several times met representatives of The Asia Pacific Exchange and Co-operation Foundation (APECF). In July Chinese media reported that the Hong-Kong-based foundation—which is widely thought to have China’s backing—had signed an agreement with UNIDO, the UN’s industrial-development organisation, to invest $3 billion in Lumbini.” The objective is to make a ‘Mecca for Buddhists’.The Economist said that the news caused an uproar in Nepal as neither the central government nor the local authorities responsible for Lumbini were consulted. Later the Nepalese government refused to entertain the deal. “If this was an exercise in Chinese ‘soft power; it was a disaster’, The Economist commented.

Xiao Wunan and Nepal Vice-President

Despite the 'uproar', Xiao Wunan stayed a week in Nepal. 
The APECF website says: "From August 14th to 22nd, the Executive Vice Chairman of APECF Mr. Xiao Wunan, the Deputy Secretary General Ms. Gong Tingyu and Ms. Ge Chen, etc and representatives from China Railway 21st Bureau and China Potevio Group visited this area mentioned above, and had extensive exchanges with all parties in the aspect of bilateral and multilateral religious and cultural exchange and the further implementation of Lumbini Recovery Plan, and obtained fruitful results."
The Lumbini project is certainly not shelved as: "During the visit in Nepal, APECF delegation visited Mr. Parmanand Jha, the Vice President of Nepal, Mr. Prachanda, the President of Lumbini Development National Directive Committee, Mr. Posta Bahadur Bogati, the Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Mr. Hridesh Tripathi, the Minister for Physical Planning, and Mr. Kamal Thapa, the Minister for Telecommunications."
And Mr Xiao wants also to help Nalanda!
Regarding, the re-designation of the Kalon Tripa (Dr Lobsang Sangay) as 'Sikyong’ (political leader), it is doubtful if the new designation is more swallowable to the Chinese, as it has a strong connotation with the Regency. The last regent of Tibet, Taktra Rinpoche was called 'Sikyong'. It would mean that the Chinese are ready to accept a 'political leader' to run the Tibet Affairs after the departure of the Dalai Lama. Probably not.
Anyhow, it is an extremely interesting development. In my book The Negotiations that never were, I have always advocated a direct approach between the Dalai Lama and the Chinese leadership. 
It can only help clarify the suspicions.
It is hopefully a small step forward.
 
A concerned dragon: China’s fresh overture to Tibetans
DNA
Jayadeva Ranade
October 26, 2012
As China prepares to usher in a new leadership at the 18th Party Congress scheduled to open in Beijing on November 8, there is mounting concern in senior echelons of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) at the rising resentment in the ethnic Tibetan minority.
Particularly worrying would have been the self-immolation on October 15, by the grandfather of the 10-year old Beijing-recognised VIIth Gungthang Rinpoche, which highlights the strained relationship between Tibetans and Communist authorities. A new feature is that recently thousands of Tibetans, disregarding heavy armed police presence, assemble at sites of the self-immolations to pray for the deceased and mark the spot.
In a recent apparent bid to ease these tensions, Chinese authorities quietly sent an emissary and contacted Tibetan leaders in Dharamsala. Thinly cloaked as a venture of ‘Asia Pacific Exchange and Cooperation Foundation’ (APECF), a Chinese government-sponsored NGO manned by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) cadres, the initiative seeks to revive plans to consolidate and expand China’s presence in Nepal and ingress India and its border regions, ostensibly by encouraging Buddhist tourism in Lumbini in Nepal. At least one executive director of APECF has links to China’s military establishment.
Xiao Wunan, a senior CCP cadre and executive vice-president of APECF visited India and was received in Dharamsala on August 16 by the Dalai Lama, Lobsang Sangay, then ‘Kalon Tripa’ (prime minister) of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) and Ugyen Thinley Dorjee, who is formally approved by the Dalai Lama and Beijing as the XVIIth Gyalwa Karmapa, or head of the Karma Kargyu sect. Xiao Wunan was accompanied byGong Tingyu, a Deputy Secretary General of APECF and Simon Kei Shek Ming, reportedly a journalist of the Hong Kong magazine Yazhou Zhoukan.
During his meeting with the Dalai Lama, Xiao Wunan probably carried a personal message from a senior Chinese leader, possibly Xi Jinping. He could have informed the Dalai Lama that he was welcome to spend his last days in Beijing provided he gave up ‘anti-China’ activities and expressed support for the Communist regime.
Xiao Wunan’s meeting with Lobsang Sangay, elected head of the CTA, is significant. It suggests Beijing may be willing to talk to its representatives. Lobsang Sangay is also ‘known’ to the UFWD for facilitating contacts between Chinese academics and the Dalai Lama. Coincidentally, within a month of the meeting the designation of the Head of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) was changed from ‘Kalon Tripa’ (or prime minister) to the less controversial — from Beijing’s perspective —’Sikyong’ (or political leader).
Xiao Wunan’s meeting with Ugyen Thinley Dorjee reportedly ended abruptly when the monk took offence at the tenor of his questions. Xiao Wunan’s photograph with Ugyen Thinley Dorjee is, however, posted on APECF’s website.
Xiao Wunan also visited Nalanda when he met officials of the proposed university and assured financial assistance. In Delhi he met officials in the Ministries of Culture and Tourism. Returning to Kathmandu, Xiao Wunan disingenuously announced that APECF now has the support of the Government of India and would be organising three and four-day package tours for Buddhist pilgrims travelling from Lumbini to India.
Interestingly, Xiao Wunan separated from an official Chinese delegation visiting Kathmandu to visit India. The Chinese delegation included Zou Lanming, vice general manager of the Lanzhou-based China Railway 21st Bureau. Xiao Wunan’s presence could suggest China plans to extend the railway from Xigaze to possibly Lumbini, on the border with India. A month later Xiao Wunan announced that APECF had signed an MoU with UK’s Vertical Theme Park (VTP) Group for a Lumbini Cloud Tower project, with the Nepal Government’s approval.
Nepal’s My Republica on October 11, reported the Nepal Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation’s denial that it was aware of any deal to develop Lumbini as an ‘international peace city’. Prachanda, leader of the Unified Communist Party-Marxist Leninist (UCP-ML), however, continues to be a vice president of APECF.
Meanwhile the CCP’s policy governing Tibetans, of combining economic incentives with intense political persuasion, remains unchanged. In an unusually candid interview to the Party mouthpiece People’s Daily on September 21, 2012, Chen Quanguo, party secretary of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), enumerated the economic benefits extended to the people of Tibet. Disclosing measures to ensure ‘social stability’, he listed that 21,804 cadres had been sent to work in 5,451 administrative villages, that the Party had compiled complete sets of files and that 698 police stations had been established. All monasteries and temples now have photographs of the ‘four leaders’ (Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao), the national flag and a copy each of the People’s Daily and Tibet Daily. A project has also been started to ‘cultivate’ 100 senior monks and ‘guide’ Tibetan Buddhism to ‘adapt itself to socialist society’.

Finally equal?

Declaration of Independence (1913)

As Tibetans in exile celebrate the 100 years of the proclamation of their Independence (issued by the 13th Dalai Lama in 1913), a great news was announced.
As Phayul.com put it: "After years of debate and careful deliberation, Tibetan Buddhist nuns are finally set to receive Geshema degrees (equivalent of a PHD in Buddhist Philosophy)."
Can you imagine that a 'revolutionary' religion like Buddhism would not accept the equivalent of a doctorate degree for a woman/nun?
Can you imagine a Western or Indian University refusing a PhD to a woman because she is a woman?
It sounds like Middle-Age.
Though we are living in the 21st century, many Lamas (or so-called Lamas) still believe that women are 'inferior' (or 'different').
The 'historical' decision was arrived at a high-level meeting arranged by the Department of Religion and Culture of the Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamsala.
The Secretary of Department affirmed that the push came from the Dalai Lama: "His Holiness the Dalai Lama has over the years strongly advocated for Geshema degrees and guided the concerned people in arriving at this decision.”
The Karmapa (who, by the way, has been cleared of all charges in the pending cases for unaccounted money) has also been pushing hard.
Phayul conitunes: "Nuns have been graduating from the rigorous 19-year program of philosophical studies as required for the normal Geshe curriculum study of the Five Great Canonical Texts. Now with the decision, nuns, at par with monks, have the opportunity to appear for the very stringent doctorate examinations."

The two issues (the Independence of Tibet and the place of nuns in the old Tibetan society),seem unconnected, but they perhaps are not. 
The Fate of Tibet would perhaps been different if women had been given their due place and if the large monasteries had not been so conservative.
Old Tibet was in many ways a very backward society, but it was certainly no reason to enslave it in a more backward system (Marxism with Chinese characteristics).



Proclamation of Independence issued by the 13th Dalai Lama in 1913 (Eighth Day of the First Month of the Water-Ox Year)
Translation 
I, the Dalai Lama, most omniscient possessor of the Buddhist faith, whose title was conferred by the Lord Buddha's command from the glorious land of India, speak to you as follows:
I am speaking to all classes of Tibetan people. Lord Buddha, from the glorious country of India, prophesied that the reincarnations of Avalokitesvara, through successive rulers from the early religious kings to the present day, would look after the welfare of Tibet.
During the time of Genghis Khan and Altan Khan of the Mongols, the Ming dynasty of the Chinese, and the Ch'ing Dynasty of the Manchus, Tibet and China cooperated on the basis of benefactor and priest relationship. A few years ago, the Chinese authorities in Szechuan and Yunnan endeavored to colonize our territory. They brought large numbers of troops into central Tibet on the pretext of policing the trade marts. I, therefore, left Lhasa with my ministers for the Indo-Tibetan border, hoping to clarify to the Manchu emperor by wire that the existing relationship between Tibet and China had been that of patron and priest and had not been based on the subordination of one to the other. There was no other choice for me but to cross the border, because Chinese troops were following with the intention of taking me alive or dead.
On my arrival in India, I dispatched several telegrams to the Emperor; but his reply to my demands was delayed by corrupt officials at Peking. Meanwhile, the Manchu empire collapsed. The Tibetans were encouraged to expel the Chinese from central Tibet. I, too, returned safely to my rightful and sacred country, and I am now in the course of driving out the remnants of Chinese troops from DoKham in Eastern Tibet. Now, the Chinese intention of colonizing Tibet under the patron-priest relationship has faded like a rainbow in the sky. Having once again achieved for ourselves a period of happiness and peace, I have now allotted to all of you the following duties to be carried out without negligence:

1. Peace and happiness in this world can only be maintained by preserving the faith of Buddhism. It is, therefore, essential to preserve all Buddhist institutions in Tibet, such as the Jokhang temple and Ramoche in Lhasa, Samye, and Traduk in southern Tibet, and the three great monasteries, etc.

2. The various Buddhist sects in Tibet should be kept in a distinct and pure form. Buddhism should be taught, learned, and meditated upon properly. Except for special persons, the administrators of monasteries are forbidden to trade, loan money, deal in any kind of livestock, and/or subjugate another's subjects.

3. The Tibetan government's civil and military officials, when collecting taxes or dealing with their subject citizens, should carry out their duties with fair and honest judgment so as to benefit the government without hurting the interests of the subject citizens. Some of the central government officials posted at Ngari Korsum in western Tibet, and Do Kham in eastern Tibet, are coercing their subject citizens to purchase commercial goods at high prices and have imposed transportation rights exceeding the limit permitted by the government. Houses, properties and lands belonging to subject citizens have been confiscated on the pretext of minor breaches of the law. Furthermore, the amputation of citizens' limbs has been carried out as a form of punishment. Henceforth, such severe punishments are forbidden.

4. Tibet is a country with rich natural resources; but it is not scientifically advanced like other lands. We are a small, religious, and independent nation. To keep up with the rest of the world, we must defend our country. In view of past invasions by foreigners, our people may have to face certain difficulties, which they must disregard. To safeguard and maintain the independence of our country, one and all should voluntarily work hard. Our subject citizens residing near the borders should be alert and keep the government informed by special messenger of any suspicious developments. Our subjects must not create major clashes between two nations because of minor incidents.

5. Tibet, although thinly populated, is an extensive country. Some local officials and landholders are jealously obstructing other people from developing vacant lands, even though they are not doing so themselves. People with such intentions are enemies of the State and our progress. From now on, no one is allowed to obstruct anyone else from cultivating whatever vacant lands are available. Land taxes will not be collected until three years have passed; after that the land cultivator will have to pay taxes to the government and to the landlord every year, proportionate to the rent. The land will belong to the cultivator.

Your duties to the government and to the people will have been achieved when you have executed all that I have said here. This letter must be posted and proclaimed in every district of Tibet, and a copy kept in the records of the offices in every district.
From the Potala Palace.
(Seal of the Dalai Lama)
Source: W.D. Shakabpa, 'Tibet: A Political History'

A Karmic Dispute?

The government of Himachal Pradesh has finally decided to drop the name of the Karmapa from the charge sheet filed in the foreign currency case.
This move is welcome.
However, the dispute with the other 'candidate' is not over. It may take some more time.
As the Karmapa explained to me last year, it is not that simple. There is probably a 'karmic' factor.

My question: In your monastery of Rumtek in Sikkim I was told me that the dispute with Shamar Rinpoche (and Thagye Dorjee, the other 'candidate') is a 'karmic' issue; a time factor is involved and therefore it may take some time to be solved. Would you like to comment?

The Karmapa: You can try to reason it through in such way, but this issue is difficult to reason through. In fact, it is inconceivable for this to have happened. For those who know the history of the Shamar Rinpoche reincarnation lineage and the long history of the Karmapa reincarnation lineage, it seems simply impossible that a situation like this could occur. It is utterly unprecedented in the Karma Kagyu lineage. There was nothing indicating that something like this could happen. As far as the sanctity and integrity of the Karmapa lineage is concerned, it is impossible. Yet it has happened.
From this point of view, one could say that it is a karmic situation. In all fairness, it can't be blamed on one side or one situation exclusively. This could be opened for discussion, but I do not think all the fault lies entirely on one side. By this, I mean that if all people involved had proceeded with integrity, in accordance with the truth of karma, if they had remained harmonious in their vision, this would not have happened. But it has not been so, and thus this has happened.
As far as solving the issue, it cannot be solved as a technical problem by employing some [outer] techniques. The solution must come from "taming of the mind" or proper training of the mind. If one has the ability, one should recall the integrity of our predecessors, the highest standard of their spiritual ethics, and the spiritual vision that they have set for us. To recall this and bring it back into ourselves [His Holiness shows the gesture to bring down the wisdom of the lineage] is the solution. We have to reinstate this integrity [of the lineage] in our minds.


17th Karmapa cleared from currency case
Phayul
April 24, 2012
DHARAMSHALA, April 24: The Himachal Pradesh Government in a ruling today has decided to drop the name of the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje from a charge sheet filed in connection with the recovery of currency case last year.
“The state government has decided to drop the name of Tibetan spiritual leader the Karmapa from the charge sheet filed in illegal foreign currency case on the recommendation of the Home and Law Ministry,” said an official of the Home Department.
The official further said the Himachal Pradesh government had directed Una's District Magistrate K.R. Bharti to plead the case in this regard through the Public Prosecutor for deleting the name of Gyalwang Karmapa from the charge sheet.
"We have decided to drop all criminal charges against the Karmapa," state Home Office official S.P. Singh was quoted by AFP as saying.
"The police and the government lawyers thoroughly investigated all the charges and found no real evidence to pursue a case against him," Singh added.
Speaking to reporters after the announcement, a senior official at the Karmapa’s office in Dharamshala said the Himachal government ruling was a vindication of their faith in the Indian legal system.
"From the very beginning, we expressed faith in the Indian legal system. We were confident that the truth would prevail," the official said.
The Karmapa Office of Administration has maintained that the 17th Karmapa “has no involvement, direct or indirect, in the financial administration of the office or trust.”
They have further clarified that the money seized by the Indian authorities from the monastery represented unsolicited donations offered by the followers of Gyalwang Karmapa from around the world to enable the substantial social and spiritual programmes of the Karma Kagyu order.
The 17th Karmapa who turned 26 last year has been living in Dharamshala, northern India since he made a daring escape from Tibet in 2000 after Chinese authorities increasingly restricted his ability to travel and teach his disciples, and to receive transmissions from his lineage teachers.

Reviving faith in tradition

My article Reviving faith in tradition appeared today in The Pioneer. Click on the title to read.

A Charming Lama

The Karmapa with Tibetan Prime Minister Samdhong Rinpoche

The 17th Karmapa has finally been permitted to visit the United States to attend Kalachakra Puja in Washington. The Dalai Lama, along with his monks of Namgyal Monastery, will conduct rituals which will last 11 days.
A few months ago, the Karmapa Lama made headlines when the Himachal Pradesh police seized foreign and Indian currency worth 4 or 5 crores, stuffed in four large metal boxes, from a room of the Gyuto Ramoche Monastery, the seat of Ugyen Trinley Dorje, the Karmapa. The monastery is located some 15 km away from Dharamsala where the Dalai Lama lives.
Because the currency notes seized from the monastery were from nearly 20 countries, including China. The media speculated further, "Is the Karmapa a Chinese agent in India?"
The Karmapa's office immediately issued a statement refuting allegations about the China link. Later, the Enforcement Directorate accepted that the cash found in the monastery came from offerings received mostly during the celebrations to mark the 900th year of the birth of Dusum Khyenpa, the First Karmapa. Ugyen Trinley, the successor of Dusum Khyenpa had presided over the two-day celebration held in Bodh Gaya, attended by thousands of followers from India, Tibet, China and other countries.
The Office of the Karmapa explained that it had started the process of acquiring a piece of land to build a new monastery: "For this, the Himachal Pradesh government was also approached to get clearances."
Everyone still had in mind how the 15-year old Karmapa, in a Bollywood-type escape, reached Dharamsala in January 2000 after crossing the highest Himalayan passes in the midst of winter. The Indian government was initially reluctant to grant him refugee status. Some of his entourage seem to have made contradictory statements.
Some Indian officials believed that he had been 'planted' by the Chinese government to create confusion over the Sikkim issue (Beijing 'recognized' Sikkim as a part of India two years later only).
Things had become complicated when a dispute erupted with another 'Karmapa' claiming the throne of Rumtek monastery in Sikkim. The previous Karmapa, 16th of the lineage, was one of the most revered Lamas of his generation. A powerful yogi, he impressed all those who approached him with his profound wisdom and an aura of strength and peace.
In 2011, further complicating factor was the fact that the media (Indian and foreign) often tried to project the young Lama as the Dalai Lama's political successor. The media forgets that the present Dalai Lama has ceaselessly worked from the early 1960s to introduce democracy in the exiled Tibetan community; to have a 'political successor' would negate all these years of hard work. Fortunately this problem has now been solved with the election of a new Prime Minister by universal suffrage.
Since a long time I was keen to ‘see’ and meet the young Lama. I recently had the occasion to visit the Gyuto Ramoche Monastery in Sidhbari where the Lama has been offered a temporary accommodation.
The 26-year old monk lives here, surrounded by relatively tight security, with the majestic Dhauladhar range as a background.
Till now the Karmapa had refused to speak and comment on the accusations leveled against him.
I discovered a remarkable calm young man, deeply interested in Indian culture, in art and the environment of the Himalayas, who is able to see the deeper meaning of the controversies that have surrounded him.
He put his relations with India in its perspective: “My relationship to India is not something limited to the life of a single individual. The beginning of my Karmapa lineage started 900 years ago, and its traditions are firmly rooted in India. The entire history of our lineage goes back to India with the great Indian Mahasiddha Tilopa and Mahapandita Naropa, whom we revere as the forefathers in our Dharma lineage.”
The gurus of his gurus have been Indian some 900 years ago; knowing the reverence the Tibetan Lamas have for their teachers, is fundamental point to understand his ‘present life’.
He also emphasised his deep gratitude to India: “when Tibet went through a critical period, Tibetans turned to India. India has been a great host”.
But there is more; he feels that India has provided a sanctuary for the preservation of Tibet’s Buddhist religious and cultural heritage which has been destroyed after the Chinese invasion. This is an important point: “When the times were so difficult, when we were in such an utterly helpless situation, to whom did we turn? To India!”, he says.
A most interesting project the Karmapa is involved is the revival of the Sanskrit tradition in the Tibetan monastic tradition, Often at the beginning of religious functions, when the Sangha, the community of monks and nuns gather together, prayers are chanted in their original Sanskrit.
He further explains: “We also have some wonderful sacred songs, known as Dohas or songs of realization with very profound words. These wonderful Dohas that were once sung in India are now lost.”
He has decided to collect these ‘realisation’ songs and revive them by having them sung again in their ancient form: “We have treasured these sacred dohas for many centuries in Tibet” He wants now to ‘return them to India.
When I ask about the recent allegations, he says that he has directly or through some of his Indian supporters communicated “with prominent Indian leaders”. The press reported that a delegation met Dr Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi.
His main point which he repeated several times was: “if people in the government or people in positions of responsibility have any doubts or suspicions about me, I hope that they might ask me. Please ask me! I am ready and willing to do whatever is needed to clarify any doubts anyone may have.”
The only time he lost his cool was when i asked him why the Chinese always the Dalai Lama and not him. His answer was sharp: “Just because the Chinese government does not single someone out for public criticism, can this justify accusing this person of being a Chinese spy?, adding: “Obviously, the Dalai Lama is specifically targeted for criticism by the Chinese government because he has this prominent leadership role and he leads the cause so very well”.
Interestingly, when I mentioned all the difficulties he has been facing since he escaped to India 11 years ago, he said he believes that these sort of obstacles cannot be solved ‘technically’: “Ultimately, only spiritual transformation will work”.
His main interest, apart from his spiritual studies, is the environment. He tries hard to teach his monks the basics of environment protection, sometimes using a Power Point presentation. He become very serious when he explains: “The issue of environment is beyond religion, beyond politics. It is a critical, fundamental issue for our very existence; the existence of all the species of this one Earth.”
I must say that I was impressed by this young man, who has gone through difficult times (some of his own making). But having met him after a gap a 5 years, I see much greater depth and maturity in him. Somehow, it is good that he does not have the burden to be the ‘successor’ of the Dalai Lama anymore, this will give him the possibility to bloom on his own accord and show his strong attachment to India and its tradition.