WSS/NKT unfold their powerful PR-machine and continue their verbal attacks against the Dalai Lama both in the internet as well as at locations where HH the Dalai Lama is teaching, recently in Bethlehem. The own campaign is labelled now by WSS as “Dalai Lama Controversy”. WSS/NKT was successful to publish also an article on Buddhist Channel.
A well-researched media article is still missed. Most newspaper, like the Express-Times, just repeat what press speaker Kelsang Pema claims.
Recently the NKT secretary has set up the website The New Kadampa Truth, “fighting the smears” and attacking some critics. As a response a person, who is not a former member of NKT, has set up the website Buddhism under assault.
I doubt that the one-sided campaign will bring good results for NKT, WSS and Tibetan Buddhism or Buddhism in general. WSS/NKT say the cause for all their problems is HH the Dalai Lama, accusing him of splitting British Buddhists and splitting the Buddhist Community (Sangha), while being blind in seeing that they themselves actually bring split and schism, and create more and more problems for themselves and others. It is really hard to acknowledge that the protesters are Buddhists, because they go against the Sangha and their decisions. The majority of the (Tibetan Buddhist) Sangha in India as well as in Tibet and in the West share the views and positions of HH the Dalai Lama regarding Shugden, they fully support his views. By going against him, they are also attacking the Sangha and their rights, the Vinaya code and also violate the basic Buddhist refuge precepts by worshipping what most see as a spirit (Shugden).
The next station of the WSS protests will be New York. Kelsang Thubchen, who was requested by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso to organize the protests against the Dalai Lama with Kelsang Pema, published the Press Release Impassioned Buddhists Protest Dalai Lama on the Streets of NYC – In Response to Religious Persecution.
- A press article about the protests in Australia: ‘Liar, liar’: Buddhist game of chants greets the Dalai Lama
- A review on the protests 1996-1998: The Conflict in the West.
Tibetan Buddhism – Struggling With Diffi·Cult Issues 