Pay more attention to Buddhists, Rinpoche tells India

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Leh, Ladakh (India) -- Buddhist spiritual leader Kyabje Thuksey Rinpoche has said the government should give more attention to Buddhism as its followers are along the international borders and are crucial for national security.

<< Kyabje Thuksey Rinpoche was receiving the trophy of Green Hero from the Honourable 12th President of India, Pratibha Patil in Hong Kong, 2010 (File pic)

“I feel the (Indian) government pays less attention to Buddhism as compared to others. We always pray for the country and its borders are protected by the followers of Drukpa Order of Buddhism, who are settled along the international boundaries,” the Rinpoche said during an interaction with a group of visiting reporters.

Rinpoche is ranked second in the Drukpa lineage hierarchy of Tibetan Buddhism, which is the most predominant Order of Buddhism in India and has a large number of followers in Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, and along the Tibetan border. He is also the chairperson of Druk Padma Karpo Educational Society which runs the famous Druk Padma Karpo School of the Hindi film ‘3 Idiots’ fame.

“During the recent Chinese incursion, we prayed for the country,” the Rinpoche said.

Born in Chushul in Ladakh, the Rinpoche was recognised as the reincarnation of 1st Thuksey Rinpoche (Drukchen Dungse Rinpoche) by the 14th Dalai Lama and the 12th Gyalwang Drukpa in July 1987. In June 1988, he was taken, first to Chemday monastery and then to Druk Sanga Choeling monastery for enthronement. Until 18 years of age, he studied at his own monastery in Darjeeling. For higher studies, he went to Bhutan where he spent nine years. He graduated from Tango Buddhist University in March 2013.

The Drukpa Order flourished in Ladakh because it received royal patronage and 70 per cent of the Buddhist followers owe allegiance to this lineage. Founded in the 17th Century, the Hemis Monastery is the oldest monastery of the Drukpa Order in Ladakh. According to the Rinpoche, the Hemis Gompa (monastery) has some of the most famous holy relics which are thousands of years old.

“We have a hand written manuscript of Jesus Christ in our secret library but we have not yet got the opportunity to make it public to the world,” he said.The Hemis Monastery organises the famous yearly Hemis Festival, which is a reflection of the rich traditional and cultural heritage of the Drukpa Buddhism. For the past four years, it has been organising the Annual Drukpa Council which is a congregation of leaders of Drukpa Order from across the world. The Council deliberates on the challenges of the present day.

Serious challenge

“Modernisation is a serious challenge for us as people are showing lesser interest in religion, but there still are people wanting to become monks and nuns,” he said. Environmental degradation is another issue that will be discussed at the Council to be held in August.

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Thou shalt not launch IPOs, China tells temples

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SHANGHAI, China -- Buddhist and Taoist temples have no right to go public and list shares on stock exchanges, a Chinese official was quoted in state media as saying of an issue that seems to have touched a nerve with the officially atheist government.

The listing of companies linked to world famous Chinese heritage sites is not new in the country’s three-decade-old capital markets, but attempts to list at least one religious site have apparently crossed a line.

Schemes to promote tourism via temples, or even for temples to band together and go public to raise funds, were wrong, Xinhua news agency quoted Liu Wei, an official with the State Administration of Religious Affairs, today as saying.

Such plans “violate the legitimate rights of religious circles, damage the image of religion and hurt the feelings of the majority of religious people”, he said in remarks at a conference on the management of religious sites.

Reports about the Shaolin Temple, famous for its kung-fu monks, planning a listing sparked a public outcry three years ago when they surfaced. Many Chinese are concerned that the Shaolin Temple, which has become a high-profile commercial entity in recent years, is becoming overly money-minded.

Shanghai-listed Huangshan Tourism Development Co, for example, sells admission to Huangshan, or the Yellow Mountain, a UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage site in the southern Chinese province of Anhui.

And the sale of admission tickets to the famed Emei Mountain in southwest China is also an important source of income for Shenzhen-listed Emei Shan Tourism Co.

China’s Communist-run government is officially atheist but the state recognises Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism and Protestantism, and tolerates religious activity within boundaries.

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Preserve Tibetan culture, Karmapa tells Tibetans

"Your main duty is to guard and preserve Tibetan culture and religion," the Karmapa said while addressing over 8,000 Tibetans, who are in this Buddhist holy site, about 110 km from Patna, to participate in the Kalachakra initiation for world peace.

"It's also the duty of us Tibetans in India and other free countries to let the world know what is going on within Tibet," the Karmapa added.

Recounting the relationship that Tibet shared with India, the 26-year-old Buddhist monk said: "We received the Buddha 'dharma' directly from India. Now, many of us have settled here in exile. Therefore, I do not need to tell you how close and profound this relationship between Tibet and India is."

"The hardships you were willing to undertake to come here to this holy place shows very clearly the deep sense of devotion and affection that we Tibetans feel for India," said the Karmapa, who usually resides in a monastery near Dharamsala town in Himachal Pradesh.

The Karmapa, who fled Tibet and sought refuge in India in January 2000, is the spiritual head of the Karma Kagyu school, one of the four sects of Tibetan Buddhism. He is considered the third most important Tibetan religious head after the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama. (IANS)

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