The 14th Dalai Lama & the New Kadampa Tradition (NKT)

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1. Om mane padme om

The present writer is a lucky individual. As a member of the Australian Federal parliament between 2002-2004, and an Australian Green, the writer was privileged on three occasions to meet with, or be in the presence of, His Holiness the 14th Dalia Lama, Tenzin Gyatso (b.1940). Those occasions were: (1) a packed room as part of a press conference followed later by (2) a meet & greet with politicians from around the world at the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh, on 19 November 2006 (see image opposite); and (3) in a hotel in Sydney during 2007 as MC for a meeting between His Holiness and a group of staff, students and parents from Smith's Hill High School, Wollongong.

On all three occasions the presence of the Dalai Lama was palpable, emanating a sense of peace, tranquility and wisdom beyond the ages. It is hard to describe the effect of the presence of this 'simple monk' (as His Holiness likes to refer to himself) on an individual or crowd of people. The word compassion instantaneously comes to mind. The Dalai Lama is revered by Tibetans as their spiritual leader, not because he seeks that reverence, but because he is a reincarnated Buddhist lama of the highest order. He is similarly revered by people around the world for many reasons beyond that, and importantly for his compassion not only towards fellow Tibetans, but to all humanity. His books sell millions because they contain simple messages, simple paths to nirvana, simple interpretations of Buddhist philosophy, and simple truths. However, not everybody loves the Dalai Lama, least of all the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and their acolytes throughout the world. This is well known, and follows on the brutal invasion of Tibet in 1949 led by Chairman Mao Tse Tung, and the subsequent cultural and spiritual genocide imposed upon the people of Tibet - a process which continues to the present day. But what is less well known is opposition emanating from within the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, especially by the group known as the New Kadampa Tradition (NKT), based in Great Britain.

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2. Dorje Shugden and the NKT problem

This writer was recently (October 2024) informed of a specific antipathy towards His Holiness the Dalai Lama by members of the New Kadampa Tradition (NKT), an offshoot of Tibetan Buddhism set up by Tibetan refugee and former Gelugpa monk Kelsang Gyatso (1931-2022). Upon settling in the UK during the early 1970s, he aggressively set up the NKT to the exclusion of other branches of Tibetan Buddhism. The NKT position of antipathy towards the Dalia Lama came to a head through public protests in the UK and around the world during 2014-15, including during a visit to Australia by the Dalai Lama. This followed on worldwide protests over the previous two decades, spearheaded by Kelsang Gyatso. The supposed cause of these? A disagreement over a deity. At the time the following was noted:

The Dalai Lama believes that Dorje Shugden is a dangerous demon masquerading as a benign deity; the NKT believes that the being is a bona fide buddha. The International Shugden Community (ISC) is a major mouthpiece for the New Kadampa Tradition (NKT), a sect of almost exclusively non-Tibetan converts to Tibetan Buddhism that currently spearheads the almost two decades long global pro-Shugden, anti-Dalai Lama agenda against the Dalai Lama and his supporters (Joffe 2015).

The Shugden controversy initially arose during the 1930s within the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" sect / school of Tibetan Buddhism to which the Dalai Lamas belonged. It involved an evil spirit which was also viewed as a protector spirit by some who sought to placate it. 

Dorje  Shugden

This identity conflict provided the source of the controversy. For more specific details refer to the Reference section below. Gelug is part of the recent Indian Vajrayana tradition. The historic Tibetan Buddhist traditions are Theravāda and Mahāyāna. The Dali Lama belongs to the Gelug sect and had begun speaking out against idolatry towards the Dorje Shugden in 1978. Kelsang Gyatso broke away from the Gelug in 1991, in light of the disagreement over the status of the deity, and formed the New Kadampa Movement.

This antagonism and division came as something of a shock to the present writer, as opposition to the Dalai Lama and Tibetan Buddhism beyond the CCP was not obvious on the international scene. Of course within the Tibetan Buddhist tradition there were longstanding differences, or sects, most obviously relating to that with the historic pre-Buddhist Bon tradition and, of course, antipathy from other non-Buddhist spiritual practices such as Christianity, Islam and atheists. All of these were generally considered mild in comparison with the often deadly and genocidal actions of the CCP. They were related to differences in core beliefs and practices amongst sects, or simple personal beliefs which could lead to a mixing and matching of doctrine as preferred. However, the NKT antipathy appeared to run deeper, and close to the level of that seen by the Chinese government supported opposition. It was aggressive and violent, leading to the murder of three Tibetan monks in Dharamsala. It was also obviously out of touch with the message of peace and compassion promoted internationally by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama since his escape to India in the early 1950s.

The notion of the NKT as a cult also came into prominence as a result of these public protests. A cult is usually associated with a specific leader seeking idolatry. In hindsight, the NKT has been revealed as such through the revelations of typical cultist traits such as indoctrination, adherence to the teachings of a single master (Kelsang Gyatso) who claims Buddha status, relief of personal wealth, and isolation from outside influences, such as family and other Buddhist doctrines. The New Kadampa Survivor Testimonies Facebook page, for example, reinforces the accusations of cultish behaviours within the movement. It provides, for example, ....Testimonies from ex members of the New Kadampa Tradition (NKT) currently dedicated to the defamation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama over the Shugden issue. There were 547 followers of the social media site as of 19 October 2024. This aspect of the NKT as a cult is presented in the following YouTube video interview from 2020.

The Cult Vault - New Kadampa Tradition, Cult Vault, 7 November 2020, YouTube, duration: 67.07 minutes.

The above interview provides an alternate perspective to the role of the NKT in the Dorje Shugden controversy and to their specific operations in the United States. The present writer's own experiences with the NKT in Australia have been limited to irregularly attending over a twenty year period meditation sessions. On the whole it had been positive, providing access to the Tibetan Buddhist tradition where the specific teachings of the Dalia Lama and the Gulag sect were not readily available in such a face-to-face manner. This veil was lifted when knowledge of the public protests against the Dalai Lama were made known during 2024. They were personally concerning and objectionable in the extreme. 

On the surface it seemed that conflict over the identity of a deity such as Dorje Shugden should be left to internal and cooperative debate, rather than public protest. But the present writer was not fully aware of other tensions - personal, spiritual, political, economic, etc. - which may have led Kelsang Gyatso down such a path. With the Dalai Lama the official head of the Gelug sect, it may have simply come down to personal antipathy on Kelsang's part. The fact that the vast majority of those protesting against the Dalai Lama are not Tibetans, but Westerners, is also telling. However, when one considers the numerous historical conflicts, programs and wars fought over differences in religious and spiritual beliefs, it is not so surprising, if ultimately deplorable.

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3. Tibetfest, Wollongong 2006

In 2000 the writer was introduced to Tibetan Buddhism by the late Ariane Lewis, an author, university student, media commentator, Youth ambassador and promoter of Tibetan Buddhism spiritual practice. She had previously organised visits to the Illawarra by Tibetan monks and in 2006 a major Tibetfest. Arising out of that, Smith's Hill High School developed a 10 minute long musical drama on the history of Tibet for eisteddfod competition. They went on to win the New South Wales and Australian rounds, and, in 2007, met His Holiness in Sydney at a private meeting.

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3. References

Deity or Demon?: The controversy over Tibet’s Dorje Shugden, Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, 1998.

Doward, Jamie, 'Extremist' sect threatens protests against Dali Lama during UK visit, The Guardian, 13 June 2015.

Hay, Mark, The followers of a wrathful Buddhist spirit versus the Dalai Lama, vice.com, 7 April 2015.

Hertog, Judith, The One Pure Dharma - The New Kadampa Tradition is controversial - and growing. Why?, Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, New York, Winter 2018.

Joffe, Ben, Angry White Buddhists Protest the Dalai Lama, Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, New York, 6 February 2015.

Lim. Benjamin Kang, China co-opts a Buddhist sect in global effort to smear Dalai Lama, Reuters, 21 December 2015.

McQuire, Carol, Has the New Kadampa Tradition apologized or changed? A request to Lucy James from Carol McQuire, Tibetan Buddhism - Struggling with Diffi-Cult issues [blog], 4 February 2019.

New Kadampa Survivor Testimonies, Facebook, accessed 19 October 2024.

Recovery from The New Kadampa Tradition - A Resource Centre [website], accessed 19 October 2024.

Tenpal, Australian Sangha Association statement regarding protests at the teachings of HH the Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhism - Struggling with Diffi-Cult issues [blog], 21 July 2008.

-----, The story of a New Kadampa Tradition monk, or how I got sucked into a cult, Tibetan Buddhism - Struggling with Diffi-Cult issues [blog], 16 December 2014.

-----, The Clear Light of Kelsang Gyatso, Tibetan Buddhism - Struggling with Diffi-Cult issues [blog], 3 October 2022.

Tenzin Peljor (Michael Jackel), Tibetan Buddhism - Struggling with Diffi-Cult issues [blog], accessed 19 October 2024.

The Cult Vault - New Kadampa Tradition, Cult Vault, 7 November 2020, YouTube, duration: 67.07 minutes.

von Bruck, Michael, Canonicity and Divine Interference: The Tulkus and the Shugden Controversy, Tibetan Buddhism in the West - Problems of Adoption & Cross-Cultural Confusion [website], n.d.

Wallace, Ivy, A New Kadampa survivor testimony: finally, after years of fanaticism, I began opening my eyes, New Kadampa Tradition Survivors, Medium, 1 December 2014.

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Tibet: Archive | Australian Greens Tibet Policy | Edinburgh 2005 | Free Tibet! Wollongong | New Kadampa Tradition | NXIVM cult | Tibet on Film | Tibetfest 2006 | Tibetfest06 - Karma Phuntsok | Tibet Support Groups in Australia | Tokyo 2008 | Wollongong Dharma Collective |

Last updated: 31 October 2024

Michael Organ, Australia