I

The wise invariably recommend that every so often one pauses to take stock of the past, study the present and peer into the future to chart possible and plausible courses of action. It is in this context that this article is being written with specific reference to the Karma Kagyu tradition of Himalayan Buddhism.

Firstly to deal with the term Himalayan Buddhism as an alternative to Tibetan Buddhism. Whereas it is an incontrovertible fact that Buddhism has existed for more than a millennia in its pristine form within Tibetan culture, together with its variations, events since 1959 have made it into a global phenomenon. Hence the use of the appellation is restrictive since it incorporates within it various nuances of Tibetan Nationalism, its search for identity and so on. These are of no particular interest to the international Karma Kagyu community even though many might sympathise with and hold strong feelings concerning Free Tibet and the displaced Tibetans. This is not the focus of this article. Thus, Himalayan, being a geographical and hence a neutral term, may be construed as being far more appropriate.

Secondly it is important to acknowledge and appreciate unconditionally that the west has Christianity at the very core of its being. Two millennia of history of the western world, in all its rainbow variations, have resulted in the modernism and now post modernism we know of today. What is striking about the west, particularly since the end of the Second World War, is its ability to learn from the past and commit itself to the creation of a viable and an envisioned better world in the present and future! In this it has shown to possess an amazing adaptability to ensure its continuing relevance under ever changing circumstances!

This is certainly lacking in the more ancient cultures such as in India which are for more resilient to change! Here Hinduism is considered the final word. The same is true of Islam! Thus while the west continues to evolve and grow, the Hindu psyche remains stratified in its mythological past which is of dubious verity in any case. Similarly what the world is witnessing in the name of Islam is certainly not encouraging! Moreover neither of these great religions provide a road map to its followers for growth, evolution and development as is ably provided by west! In fact, eastern cultures, no longer possessing innovativeness are compelled to look westward for growth!

As WW II concluded, the world became aware of the massive and mutual destruction countries had inflicted, each upon the other, coupled with their ability to annihilate each other at the simple press of a button. Leaders in Europe decided together with the USA that no more would they would go to war against each other. This, their commitment, has ushered in a period of stability, peace and growth unknown to Europe earlier, resulting in the creation of the welfare state, the formation of the United Nations, NATO and more recently the European Union. The formulation of Human Rights is a logical outcome of these processes. The USA was somewhat of a latecomer in this last with its Civil Rights Movement bearing fruit at the end of the 1960s.

It is more than sixty years since the war and they have honoured this commitment amongst themselves, settling disputes through negotiations. National boundaries have been delineated and remain accepted except with the odd exception. Expansionism through wars has been relegated to the past!

It is true that wars have been fought in Vietnam and the former Yugoslavia and now in Iraq and Afghanistan, as also the Indo Pak wars, but their causes were different and beyond the scope of this article. As if out of synch with the present, the Peoples' Republic of China remains intent upon claiming large swathes of land south of the MacMahon Line in India as its own! It has moreover emerged as an all weather friend for Pakistan which is certainly not in Indian interests or of the international fraternity given the manner in which this country has evolved!

The Cold War deserves special mention as it charted the course of history for forty five years. Fortunately that too is now a relic of the past. The war in the Balkans of the preceding decade too needs to be mentioned but it seems to have been the result of the collapse of former Yugoslavia which had enabled ethnic and religious tensions, suppressed until then by a totalitarian regime, to erupt.

II

The Second Vatican Council 1962-64 could only have been convened within the context of modernism incorporating such political stability, within the cradle of the western ethos. It breathed a new life into the Catholic Church starting from his predecessor and furthered under the saintly guidance of Pope John Paul II. From being an exclusivist institution propagating western culture, it has moved forward to acknowledge the validity and relevance of all peoples, their nationhood, culture and religions enunciating that the Divine has chosen to manifest variously in different human settings. Moreover there is a serious attempt to study other religious traditions deeply with the intent to deepen its own understanding and practice!

As has happened with the Mahayana, Catholics are now able to study and practise their faith in their own language and within their own cultural settings. The Church has thus become transnational and there is already talk of the next Pope possibly being from Africa! The recent Papal encyclical, titled Love in Truth, promulgated by Pope Benedict XVI on June 29, 09, although rooted in Christianity, has apparently incorporated in it the essence of the Mahayana!
The Hippie movement which originated in the late fifties in the USA and went on to shake the very fabrique of western societies, challenging their assumptions from their very roots, could only have taken place within the context of the Christian west. Traditional societies in Asia, in spite of all their vainglorious claims to greatness, could certainly not have engendered such an experiment in social engineering.

It would however, be ludicrous to suggest that every person in the west is a Christian whether by belief or in practice. Rather it is of the utmost importance to acknowledge the value of the Christian heritage in the formation of the modern era and now the post modern consciousness.
It is indisputable that had it not been for this hippie awakening, Authentic Masters born and trained in Tibet, the Far East, as also India, would never have reached these far shores and settled, acclaimed as possible messiahs of the new awakening. They have each created a new idiom for the presentation of their tradition in accord with the western consciousness! It is therefore that unquestionable gratitude is due to the Christian traditions for this!

Western Buddhists experience tremendous difficulty in acknowledging and appreciating the inherent value and depth of this, their very heritage, which has empowered them to choose Buddhism as their way of life. Thus, it is they first who need to express their unqualified gratitude to the Christian Churches, their own histories and above all their societies and parents for their having found, as it were, their way in life! So too must Asian Masters appreciate the opportunities provided them by the west and be unconditionally grateful for them!

A recurrent theme within Himalayan Buddhism relates to the previous rebirths of their high Lamas. Elaborate supplications are extant extolling the previous incarnations of various Lamas. In this context, westerners and easterners alike need to extend their imagination to include the possibility that some amongst their Gurus had also been direct disciples of Jesus, or played other important roles in various churches in previous incarnations.

This awareness would certainly help in constructing bridges across cultures and greater harmony amongst them! It is through an unfortunate quirk of history that the then Pope had been compelled to issue an encyclical removing the acceptance of birth and rebirth from the church dogma in 643 C.E.

Globalisation has brought with it the realisation that each one of us is interconnected. This is exactly what the Buddha had proposed two and a half millennia ago. Fortunately the world is now becoming aware of this fundamental truth in various ways.

III

Gratitude is also due to Mao Tse Tung, Chou En Lai and various other leaders of the Peoples' Republic of China, not least of all the Peoples' Liberation Army itself. The Tibetan diaspora is a direct result of their actions due to which Tibetan Buddhism came to India with a zeal hitherto unknown, established itself under the aegis of the Govt of India, and has now spread throughout the world.

It is thus that when Buddhists practise the Dharma, it is yet again of the utmost importance that they remember to pray for those movers and shakers of history as a result of whose actions, they find themselves currently where they are. Gratitude to them, even those whom one may perceive as evil, is crucial to Buddhist practice and it is enjoined that prayers be constantly said for their happiness and well being!

The late His Eminence Kalu Rinpoche would emphatically repeat in his teachings that any situation in the world is invariably a combination of what one might perceive as white and black, good and bad! An event undisputedly remains a matter of the individual's perception as elucidated particularly in the teachings of the Vajrayana. It is this which needs to be realistically addressed, rather than for a practitioner to fall into the abyss of being judgmental about phenomenal manifestations.

This is stated too in the Sermon on the Mount given by Jesus in the New Testament of the Bible -- Judge not that you are not judged, for whatever judgment you shall make, the same shall be met unto you!

It may thus be stated from the perspective of the Mahayana, echoed also in post modern thinking, is that there is no such absolute factor as right or wrong, good and bad, they being all the result of an individual's conditioning and thought processes as also circumstantial. Hence to judge would be to fall into an abyss of one's own creation without any factual basis!
Life thus becomes an incessant celebration of the Bodhichitta -- the continuous inter-play of apparent phenomena which ever manifest arising, abiding and cessation!

IV

The interactions between Brahminism also known as Sanatana Dharma or Hinduism and Buddhism, have been far too complex and a subject of further study and investigation in depth. In brief it has now come to be known and acknowledged by scholars, that Brahminism actually destroyed and replaced various vibrant cultures in India including Buddhist cultures, with their own peculiar world view not necessarily the truth, while assimilating many of their principles and practices. Luminaries such as Dr. K. Jamanadas have published seminal works such as Tirupati Balajee was a Buddhist Shrine, The Decline & Fall of Buddhism in India, Devadasis -- Ancient to Modern, The Maratha Revolt against Brahminism. The first of these has been posted on www.ambedkar.org/tirupati Dr. D. C. Ahir is another serious historian writing from the perspective of Buddhism.

These present a Buddhist perspective of Indian history, a voice which has only recently emerged and making itself heard, in which the constant theme is the incessant persecution of the Buddha Shasana through various means ranging from the subtle and intellectual to outright brutal violence! The Manu Smriti, upheld as the guiding principle of Hinduism, actually states that were a Hindu to come into contact with a Buddhist, he would need to take a bath to purify himself!

Thus the very basis of Hinduism and its progenitors needs to be intelligently questioned to arrive at a realistic understanding of events as they have unfolded in this sub continent. It must also be asked as to whether the followers of such traditions whose very fulcrum is exploitation, marginalisation and suppression, and whose origins are rooted in blood can even claim to be religious or spiritual and to what extent.

For example, the word karuna or compassion features no where in their elucidations and elaborations in Sanatana Dharma, whereas many other conflicting emotions do! And how can it, when violence has been endemic in its history! There are plenty of expositions on what is termed jnana! Its proponents seem blissfully unaware that wisdom must coexist with compassion and nurtured simultaneously for a successful pilgrimage!

Moreover their gods and goddesses, many of whom have been taken from the Mahayana, are of dubious origin! It may be stated without reservation that they are the result of the fertile imagination of erudite Brahmins! The tragedy is that Hindus have been misled to believe religious fiction composed by these religious leaders involving these purported divinities as God's own truth! In actuality they bear striking resemblance to The Lord of the Rings quadrology or the Harry Potter series! It would not then be incorrect to aver that this is the greatest fraud ever perpetrated on humanity!

Buddhists would term them as heretics or holders of heterodox views. HH the XVIth Gyalwang Karmapa had averred that such are able merely to approach the truth, rather than access it unquestionably, as is possible through the Buddha Dharma! It follows naturally that liberation cannot be possible through the Sanatana Dharma or Hinduism, particularly since it is singularly devoid of compassion! Hindu society is singularly lacking in a well articulated ethos! In daily life one cannot but notice the selfishness and fait accompli attitude prevalent in North Indian society.

Thus compassion towards Hindus is of the utmost necessity! For they are being constantly deceived by their society and upholders of their various traditions as they have been for millennia. The lay Hindu has really no access to the historical facts which have shaped Hindu traditions, nor the time and inclination to delve into its various complex philosophical systems. They remain content to be distracted by the web of traditions, rituals and rites, mostly meaningless, maintained as the immutable truth, fed by the conflicting emotions of the clergy! Any attempt at questioning is suppressed! What is expected of the ordinary Hindu is blind acceptance -- the Guru knows best!

It is apparent that where tradition is concerned, there is little room for change. Hindus are emotionally sensitive to the cremation of their dead in open log fires. To suggest otherwise is anathema! Similarly rivers, streams, lakes and ponds -- they continue to be polluted by the faithful throwing waste articles of worship and immense idols liberally painted with poisonous chemicals, into them at the conclusion of their ceremonies! And all in the name of religion!

Then of course, is the infamous caste system, the renowned divine bovine illogical in its very concept, as also is the stress on male offsprings resulting in female foeticide, infanticide and the outright neglect of girls in rural India! The Khap tradition in Haryana requires the killing of young couples who dare to love! Add to it various customs incorporated in different locales which have been created by Brahminism, whose progenitor was none other than the universally revered Adi Shankara of the eight century! One ends up with a mosaic which cannot be challenged but necessarily followed!

One of the Shankaracharyas has said in a recently recorded interview that a person who does not wish to adhere to the caste system, would do best to go and live in the USA!

V

His Holiness the XVIth. Gyalwang Karmapa had emerged as a powerful and charismatic personality whose sole intention, by his own admission, was the preservation of the Karma Kagyu tradition in the international context. He was totally apolitical and would repeatedly admonish his closest of students to abjure politics. He carried tremendous weight within the Tibetan society of his time, particularly the Khampas or East Tibetans who looked up to him as their natural leader! This had placed them in direct opposition to the Taala'i Lama and his govt which treated them in a step motherly manner. Under him factionalism within the Karma Kagyu had remained dormant. It was to flare up into monstrous proportions after his demise!
His Holiness the Taala'i Lama had appointed him the 'Head of the Kagyu traditions' as in his own words during an interactive session with westerners in Buddha Gaya Jan end 1985, 'simply to look after the welfare of the entire Kagyu community.' He had elucidated further that then, the Drikung Chetsang Rinpoche had been left behind in Tibet and the 11th. Gyalwang Drukchen had died recently, leaving the XVIth. Gyalwang Karmapa as the senior most High Lama within this group of traditions. This was an act of expediency with no historical precedence. He had further said that since, the Drikung Chetsang Rinpoche had taken over charge of his tradition with the Drukchen doing the same for his followers.

This was to become a serious bone of contention upon the passing away of HH the XVIth manifest Oct 1981.

VI

The incidents preceding the recognition and enthronement of Rangjung Rigpa'i Dorje or Swayambhu Vidya Vajra, as the XVIth are not generally known. The XIIIth Taala'i Lama had installed the son of a noble family as the XVIth for reasons best known to him. The young lad had died falling off a roof in Tsurphu monastery. The Xth Gyalwang Drukchen had then wielded considerable influence within the Govt of Tibet and it was through his dedicated efforts that the authentic XVIth had been instated even though belatedly. The Karma Kagyu tradition will thus remain ever indebted to the Drukpa Kargyu for this!

It would be appropriate for the Karma Kagyu to acknowledge this officially and pave the way for greater bon homie between these two and also other Kagyu traditions extant! It is sad indeed to see that one Karma Kagyu Lama has overreached himself to take over a considerable piece of land in Ladakh which is traditionally Drukpa Kargyu and establish a Karma Kagyu monastery there. Such excesses can hardly be in the interest of the Buddha Shasana. It is also known that the Karma Kagyu had not been magnanimous in the distribution of food received as aid from abroad, with the Drukpa Kargyu in the Darjeeling region in the early seventies.

It must thus be clarified that the term Kagyu is a term which encompasses the entire range of Kagyu traditions, each with its own Head of the Lineage. It would be totally baseless to use this term to refer specifically to the Karma Kagyu. Strictly it was the Marpa Kagyu which had first come to exist. His mantle would have fallen on with the Great Translator's son Dharma Do day who had unfortunately fallen off his horse and died. A grief stricken Marpa subsequently had permitted the loss of the transmission of many teachings. The remainder have passed on to the present through Ngogpa Choku Dorje and Milarepa. Ngogpa Choku Dorje's teachings still survive, assimilated into the various Kagyu traditions. but are certainly not focussed upon.

It was Gampopa, the principal disciple of Milarepa from whom the Dhagpo Kagyu starts, subdivided into its Four Major and Eight Minor Schools. He created a confluence of the teachings of the Kadampa tradition and the Marpa Kagyu. Of these, the Karma Kagyu tradition ranks amongst the Major Four, as the 1st Karmapa was a direct disciple of Gampopa. Others evolved from the teachings of Phag mo Dhrupa, a Dharma Companion of the 1st Karmapa, hence they are referred to as the Eight Minor Schools. These terms are in many ways a misnomer and confusing as each school is as valid as the other, with only the source Lama being different! It is therefore important to qualify the term Kagyu whenever it is used in order to avoid unnecessary confusion and ill will!

Amongst the others the Taglung and Tsalpa Kagyu transmissions are still extant even though most are not aware of their Masters. Fortunately the Jonang tradition coming from Buton through Taranatha, has reestablished itself in India. All the Kagyu traditions subscribe to the 'zhaen tong' view preserved through the Jonangpas! Only the Gelugpas seem to be in conflict with their 'rang tong' perspective peculiar to them alone! Also some Nyingmapa saint-scholars have been known to subscribe to this view.

VII

Before dealing the Karmapa Controversy, it is necessary to delve further into its background. This writer's website www.lamashree.org deals extensively with this issue.

Damchoe Yongdue, the former brother in law of the XVIth, and General Secretary of Dharma Chakra Centre, had taken the unprecedented step of appointing the Four Principal Disciples -- Their Eminences Shamarpa, Tai Situpa, Jamgon & Tsurphu Gyaltsab Rinpoches, as the Regents of His Holiness. They were to take charge of Dharma Chakra Centre together with Sri Karmae Nalanda Mahavihara and the Retreat Centre, in rotation every three years and jointly run the Karmapa Charitable Trust in order to continue to fulfill the vision of the late His Holiness. HE Sangjay Nyenpa Rinpoche, as one of the Lineage Lamas of the Karma Kagyu, was excluded from this honour for reasons better known to the forces then present.

Their first attempt, after the consecration of His Holiness' Stupa Nov 1982 in Rumtek, was to jointly claim succession to the title of the Leader of the Kagyu traditions. This was vehemently opposed by both the Drikung and Drukpas who had averred, that this purported leadership should rotate amongst them all with the senior most holding this post. The Four Regents had refused to concur, resulting to an ugly face off which persisted for a few years and then became relegated to oblivion.

During the lifetime of His Holiness and with his explicit sanction, Ven. Ayang Rinpoche of the Drikung Kagyu, would tour Europe with Lama Ole and Hanna, through Karma Kagyu Centres giving courses in Phowa. The demise of the XVIth. brought an abrupt end to this collaboration under the direction of the Four Regents, HE Shamar Rinpoche in particular. This could have been done in a manner creating greater bon homie!

The Drukpa Kargyu too suffered from a lack of consensus centring around the reincarantion of HE Khamtrul Rinpoche. Fortunately this was resolved through the commitment, wisdom and compassion of the Drukpa Kargyu leadership. Unfortunately, events have shown that these are sadly lacking within the Karma Kagyu with Palpung Monastery of the Tai Situ having emerged certainly the more intransigent!
 
Feathers had been ruffled when the XVIth had been invited to Palpung even as WW II had engulfed Europe. There the previous Tai Situ Pema Wangchog Gyalpo had sat on a throne of the same level with the young XVIth. resulting in tremendous consternation in Tsurphu, the traditional Seat of the Gyalwang Karmapas. A photo of this event is preserved!

The controversy surrounding the XVIIth Gyalwang Karmapa, would rank amongst the most ill conceived scheme of its progenitors who have been attempting to play God! They have in effect broken their all their vows! Is it any wonder then that the Govt of the PRC resolutely refuses to have anything to do with the Taala'i Lama and his representatives who is in effect, a power centre. By his very being he directly challenges Chinese rule from exile. It is natural that the PRC will refer to him as a 'separatist' in spite of his professed best intentions to the contrary. It is reported that it also keeps a close watch on the goings on in the monasteries being reconstructed with its permission in the Tibetan Autonomous Region.

The entire controversy is a direct result of the Tibetan intent to claim the person of the Gyalwang Karmapa, as also almost all other incarnations, as being from one amongst them and as a tool to perpetrate their nationalism and thus religious hegemony throughout the world. Unfortunately their way of thinking lags way behind modern realities! Westerners are unable to understand these subtleties of their Lamas who have mastered the art of nuances.
 
They forget conveniently that the XVIth was, and now the XVIIth Trinlay Thaye Dorje, although born Tibetan, is actually a world citizen, beyond such parochial and partisan concerns!

Urgen Trinlay Dorje, on the other hand, is confined to India and decidedly a Tibetan Nationalist!
Whatever else may be the merits or demerits of the arguments presented by each of the two camps, what this controversy has certainly engendered is an inordinate amount of mistrust, ill will and hatred within the Karma Kagyu in particular, and Tibetan peoples and Himalayan Buddhists the world over. The followers of the Taala'i Lama and Tai Situpa, together with Tsurphu Gyaltsabpa, have emerged the more aggressive as was evidenced by the manner in which they wrested control of the Dharma Chakra Centre, the Seat of the Karmapas in Rumtek, Sikkim in 1992-93 evicting the legitimate monks of the late XVIth. It is being said that with the General Secretary of the Gyaltsabpa having died a few years ago, this Rinpoche is currently left rudderless!

The attack on the Karmapa International Buddhist Institute March 1996 by a group of their supporters has been videotaped as incontrovertible evidence! Led by their enlightened leadership, a level of violence and hatred has been introduced within the Karma Kagyu. This has never happened before! All connected with Himalayan Buddhism and the Tibetan cause are directly affected by this fracas in one way or another!

The unfortunate part of this affair is that it is common sense which is the greatest victim! Buddhists throughout the world express unqualified allegiance to their Masters and refuse to acknowledge the validity of any other point of view! It is almost as if they have ransomed their souls and intelligence to the Taala'i Lama and their Gurus!
 
It is a moot point indeed as to whether this is desirable, particularly when the Buddha has repeated exhorted his followers to ever be critical and analysing! The intelligent reader needs to question for one's ownself as to whether spirituality and politics can coexist in one person!

VIII

This imbroglio has highlighted yet again the issue of nationalism, pernicious at its best and jettisoned in its aggressive form post WW II. The 1930s and 40s had seen emergence of German Nationalism with disastrous consequences for the entire world. Here we see the hydra head of Tibetan Nationalism threatening the very fabrique of the Buddha Shasana! The Gelugpas are intent on promoting the image of the Taala'i Lama as being the purported Head of all of Buddhism when in fact he can lay claim merely to the religious leadership of the Gelugpa tradition of Tibetan Buddhism!

It is unclear as to why the Taala'i Lama agreed to make himself integral to and a progenitor of this imbroglio. He has also in his inestimable wisdom, made a mess of the recognition of the Panchen incarnation in 1994! But then he is infallible! And the entire world is required to acquiesce in his decisions! Such is the grip of obscurantism and obfuscation rampant within Tibetan Buddhism!

Actually he is in fact the 'face of Tibet' in the world currently. It would be reasonable to attribute it to the advice he receives constantly from his elder brother Gyalo Thondup and whose suggestions he invariably implements irrespective of the merit they may contain! He remains extremely susceptible to pressures from his patrons in the west. Recently the Govt of India too has been particularly vocal concerning him.

What emerges from the above is that the Taala'i Lama is an internationally protected person with the license, like James Bond, to do what he wills. None is authorised to question him! It is certainly the non application of mind by him which has climaxed in the existence of two Karmapas. This writer is certainly not willing to credit him with much more for the simple reason that he is merely 'an honoured guest' in India, as the Prime Minister of India never tires of asserting, with a locus standi which transcends all laws and other democratic norms! This is in keeping with his status in pre Chinese Tibet!
 
History moreover, does present an extreme bias and hostility of successive Taala'i Lamas from the Fifth 1642 CE onwards, as also that of successive Regents, towards the Karma Kagyu. This is sectarianism at its perigee amongst Tibetans. This unhealthy rivalry the Gelugpa tradition of the Taala'i Lama towards the XVIth Gyalwang Karmapa certainly forms the very fulcrum of his involvement! Those who maintain that the Tibetans are 'a simple and godly folk who merely want their country back', are clearly divorced from the truth!

His perception is that a weakened Karma Kagyu would facilitate the spread of the Gelugpa tradition abroad. Fortunately this is not substantiated by facts! In effect, although he may be projected as being otherwise, he is a highly political figure who certainly does not harbour a soft corner for India, Indians and Indian Buddhists.

On the contrary he hobnobs with rabidly right wing organisations such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, most certainly following the diktats of the CIA! It has taken him fifty years to the date to finally acknowledge last summer his gratitude for all India has done for him and his compatriots! Fifty long years!

It was also at his bidding, a foreigner, that thirteen Indian monks peacefully agitating in Bodh Gaya Jan 2002, were forcibly evicted from their rooms in the middle of the night and thrown into jail! This was not because they were doing anything wrong in speaking their minds!

These incidents speak volumes for the person of the Taala'i Lama as the reader will certainly agree.

A lot has been written concerning this Nobel Laureate as also the Karmapa Imbroglio by this writer. Some of these articles are posted on his website www.lamashree.org

IX

Actually this entire saga is one of Tai Situpa's unbridled ambition in which he desires to chart his own course for the future, and emerge as the undisputed leader of the Karma Kagyu. It is now apparent that the truth is incontrovertibly on the side of his senior, HE Kunzig Shamarpa.
 
Rivalry of some sort has existed for many centuries between Palpung, the Seat of the Tai Situpa, and Tsurphu, that of the Gyalwang Karmapas. Even the relationship between the Tsurphu Gyaltsab and Tsurphu monastery has been historically unhealthy primarily due to those who have managed their estates. The ambitions of their Estate Managers, or General Secretaries, is legendary and crucial to this display!

The Shamar incarnations were banned way back in 1792 CE by the Tibetan Govt on trumped up charges and his monasteries confiscated and converted to the Gelugpa sect. However there exist no records of instances of strained relationships between them and the Gyalwang Karmapas who are identified as Karmapa Zha Mar Nag Nyi -- the Karmapa with the two crowns, Red and Black!

The principal factor however is none other than the playing out of Tibetan Nationalism -- a danger of which people, in their ardour to practise and study the Dharma tend to overlook. Like Hitler's obsession with Aryans, the Tibetans are obsessed with their own selves. They consider themselves to be a pure race, second to none, even though they constitute a heterogeneous ethnic pot pourie. It is therefore essential for the Tibetan Nationalist, that the XVIIth Gyalwang Karmapa must necessarily be Tibetan, irrespective of whether the late XVIth might have willed it otherwise.

X

Mid summer 1981, when His Holiness had been terminally sick, a non-Tibetan disciple had been given a vision indicating that he could possibly be the father of the XVIIth. This was unacceptable to the Karma Kagyu leadership. It was hence that his French girl friend had been whisked away from Rumtek shortly after the cremation Dec 23, 1981! Later the prospective motherhood had fallen on a daughter of the famous Chatral Rinpoche of the Nyingmapa tradition. But he would have none of this as well!

Clearly the Tibetan hierarchy continues to live in a tribal mind space of its own, in direct contrast with emerging realities. The Taala'i Lama is their Tribal Chief! In spite of this countless amongst their own people are opting for Indian citizenship and integrating with Indian society. Many are marrying locals. The sexual promiscuity of virile young males in Dharmasala, HP, is legendary! Many are fathering children from caucasian ladies with the intent of being able to live abroad in the 'promised lands' or simply while having fun.

During the summer of 1982 very strong indications from various independent sources had emerged that HH had taken up residence in the womb of an Indian lady of Tibetan origin. The Regents, in their inscrutable wisdom and compassion, refused to explore this possibility. It is to the credit of HE Jamgon Rinpoche that he did on one occasion evince interest in this; unfortunately he reached the town of the nativity a few days too early. It is of the greatest misfortune that he did not care to follow up on this possibility later, one that would change the course of history.

A photograph of the six month old infant was shown to Their Eminences Kalu Rinpoche who was imparting the Rinchen Terdzo cycle of teachings in Sonada, Darjeeling, summer 1983, Tai Situpa, Jamgon and Gyaltsabpa amongst others. This had elicited no response whatsoever. It emerges that it was subsequently that the Tibetan Clique for the Recognition of a Tibetan Karmapa, was created!

Earlier, HE Shamar Rinpoche had visited Kolkata Feb 23, 1983, staying at Tivoli Court. He too did not consider it appropriate to visit this infant, even though there were sufficient reasons to believe that this was the authentic incarnation of his Guru. He had deputed HE Bairi Khyentse Rinpoche to do the honours. It was not that HE had been strangers to that family which had actually been repeatedly visited by His Holiness together with HE Shamarpa, Tai Situpa, Cho kyi Nyima Rinpoches amongst others.

It is evident that they were all simply blinded by the obscurantism and tribalism to even countenance the possibility of a non Tibetan or specifically Indian Karmapa. This happened in spite of the boundless wisdom and compassion of the XVIth, considered as the Buddha himself, who had indicated his enlightened wishes earlier.

The Karmapa Controversy, is therefore, a creation of the Four Regents themselves. Instead of investigating the Indian Karmapa, they embarked on a self destructive programme of deception telling all that there existed a Prediction Letter written by the XVIth and so on, as is well known to all! Such an authentic letter has yet to be produced by the two seniors! It was thus that His Eminence Jamgon Rinpoche was snatched away from the world April 24, 1992 in an accident which never need have happened!

It was this Tibetan Nationalism embodied in the person of the Taala'i Lama, and expressed by the irrepressible Karma Kagyu leadership, coupled with machinations of the Govt of the PRC, which has resulted in all this unhappiness during these preceding 25 years. And a resolution hardly seems in sight!

XI

Thus it was that Tai Situpa was literally handed over an empty playing field, into which he jumped with his team of Chinese advisors in 1984 under the tutelage of the Taala'i Lama. There are ample reasons to maintain that the purported Prediction Letter of the XVIth presented to the world by him, is a fabrication. He has since remained the artful dodger blocking any attempts for a forensic analysis of this purported letter for its alleged authenticity!

Tibetan polity has certainly not been known for its transparency and honesty of which this is a prime example! Its end is power and dominion, not truth and justice!

It needs to be emphasised here that Tibetans have never really felt comfortable with Indians in India except in isolated cases. For the Taala'i Lama and his illegal govt in exile, he has been tutored by the west to use India as a stepping stone or better a foot mat for the fulfillment of their aims and objectives, cloaked under the guise of Tibetan Freedom.
 
He has conspired against India on various occasions in accordance with the directions he has received from his western mentors as also the crafty Chinese who have never kept any promise they might have made to him. On each and every occasion this has been accomplished with a deftness that enables him to remain unscathed and beyond reproach.

If and when Tibet will be free is not known. Its protagonists aver that none could have foretold the collapse of the Soviet Union or the fall of the Berlin Wall! This writer wishes them the very best.

It is however questionable as to the type of freedom Tibet will obtain and the quality of governance and administration it will get. There seems little evidence to suggest that a body of professional or skilled Tibetans is being created who could perhaps run the country on their own. Political aspirations and emotional outbursts of nationalism are certainly not the only prerequisites for good governance, neither can the modus operandi of the Dewar Zhung or Tibetan Govt since 1642 CE provide a road map for the future. In all likelihood a Free Tibet would emerge a feudal entity, merely as a pawn in the hands of the west, an eventuality the PRC is well aware of!

The Free Tibet movement has a strong economic aspect to it in that those who profess connection with it, are extremely well funded by naive and well meaning westerners. Their liberalism inspires them to part with their had earned money for a people who are decidedly tribal, conservative and highly manipulative. None knows what happens to all these donations! In other words, it could well be called a scam what with 'poor Tibetan refugees' masquerading around wearing ounces of gold on their person and exuding other manifestations of prosperity! Any attempt to question is labeled as disbelief and treachery to the Taala'i Lama!
 
It is reported that a few years ago, a fortress replete with modern security gadgets has been erected on an 18 acre plot at Panchakula near Chandigarh in northern India for him. Millions of dollars have been spent to create this facility. There is no news of who will ever occupy it!

XII

Given the above, it is encouraging to note that HH the XVIIth Gyalwang Karmapa, Trinlay Thaye Dorje, has openly abjured politics and Tibetan Nationalism and overcome to a certain degree, his ambivalence towards India and Indians. It is to his credit that he does not use Indians or other nationalities as doormats for the achieving Tibetan Freedom or any other aim other than the preservation and furtherance of the Dharma. He presides over approximately 650 Dharma Centres, monasteries and retreat centres in various parts of the world in an exemplary manner.
Thus committed to the spread of happiness and welfare throughout the bounds of samsara, he is acknowledged and respected throughout the world. He continues to spend summers in Europe and visit the Far East. Last Feb, 09 he had been officially invited by the Govt of Hong Kong. Similarly he had visited Russia on an official invitation June, 09. There are reasons to believe that the Govt of India is kindly disposed to him.

The task of catering to the Dharma requirements in these centres is stupendous and it stands to reason that a handful of Tibetans are being stretched to their very limits serving the Buddha Shasana tirelessly. It is also encouraging to note that dedicated westerners are being groomed to take on the responsibility of the Buddha Shasana abroad. The present is both inspiring and encouraging!

XIII

Urgen Trinlay Dorjee, the person recognised as the other Karmapa, remains however, confined to India. It was through the intervention of HE Shamar Rinpoche that he was granted a visa to visit the USA for two weeks summer 2008. Otherwise, with reference to the news reported in Dainik Jagaran, Dec 24, 08, it is evident that the Govt of India is having a rethink concerning his authenticity, having withdrawn a security cover mandatory granted to him together with other privileges. The matter however, remains unclear.

After this news had been flashed in the Sikkim Herald of Jan 9, 09, the Kagyu Monlam convened under his aegis last Jan was abruptly terminated without having run its full ten day course. Urgen Trinlay Dorjee had simply left Bodh Gaya hurriedly. In any case, this annual event has turned out to be more a show rather than it having any content as numbers are added to by the attendance of monks from various Gelugpa monasteries, its actual Karma Kagyu component being negligible! Its organisers however remain intent to create impressions otherwise!

As to whether he is the actual Karmapa or not, cogent arguments have been advanced by this writer elsewhere and it would be redundant to repeat them. The bottom line is that any serious meditator will know for oneself as to who is the genuine Karmapa, without having anyone tell him or her! His future is assured throughout the life of the Taala'i Lama and even beyond, as Original Suit 2199 of 2003 filed by this writer in the Delhi High Court has been recently dismissed on the specious grounds of non-maintanability. The Govt of India continues to protect the Taala'i Lama unconditionally. The plaint of this case has been posted on www.lamashree.org
Looking at Urgen Trinlay Dorje, one cannot but assess him as currently being in his early thirties. The issue of his age had first been highlighted by an Indian journalist based in Chandigarh who had accessed medical reports of UTD of tests and analyses conducted at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Science and Research there. These reports indicated that UTD was far beyond the young teenager he supposedly was!

It is really amazing that even though this is apparent to one and all those who believe and implicitly trust in the Taala'i Lama continue to defy their own common sense and accept his statement that Urgen Trinlay Dorje is currently 24! Moreover his facial features definitely do not tally with those of the youngster who had been enthroned at Tsurphu summer 1992. In fact Andrew Whitehead reporting for the BBC World Service Jan 5-6, 2000, had clearly stated that the Taala'i Lama had himself been surprised at the level of maturity of Urgen Trinlay Dorje when the latter had first arrived in Dharamsala, HP. His purported escape from the PRC was certainly no less intriguing than a Hollywood thriller.

The inquisitive reader is referred to two documentaries -- Karmapa - Two Ways of Divinity and The Flight of a Karmapa. The former, by a Norwegian Arto Hanolen, cleverly juxtaposes the two Karmapa incarnations in an engrossing documentary. He leaves it to the audience to decide as to who might be the genuine Karmapa.

In the latter, three international journalists have traced the so-called flight of Urgen Trinlay Dorjee, from Mustang, Nepal to Dharamsala, HP. What stands out as incontrovertible is that the UTD of Karmapa - Two Ways of Divinity is not the same person who is now upheld to be this Karmapa!

Various questions remain unanswered! Is he the same person who was enthroned in Tsurphu? What is his actual physical age? Did the Govt of the PRC send him across to India on a mission he was unable to fulfill? Is he a Chinese mole? If he is not the original UTD, then who is he and what happened to the original boy? How is it that in spite of all of the above he is being groomed to take over the Tibetan cause subsequent to the Taala'i Lama? Only time will unravel these mysteries concerning this Gelugpa Karmapa!

Surely the teachings of the Buddha never required its adherents to shelve their intelligence in order to promote the vision of a few misguided leaders.

XIV

Given the above, the future promises to be difficult for the Karma Kagyu tradition. On the one hand the tradition is beset with the garbage of an unwholesome past. The processes of modernisation with the induction of the electronic media and the internet, are inexorably transforming Tibetan society. Dharma is moreover losing its appeal to ethnic Tibetans, having made inroads into monasteries. Currently many amongst the religious are from assorted Himalayan ethnic groups. What is encouraging is the deep interest which has developed in the Orient, South-east Asia and western societies for the common sense and pragmatism inherent to the Dharma. It is hoped that these elements will also seep in to encompass Buddhists from the Indian plains!

It is also known that many Lamas have chosen to be reborn in western cultures even though the Tibetan leadership has been loath to acknowledge them. A classic example is that of Lama Yeshe of the Gelugpa tradition, the teacher of Zopa Rinpoche. His reincarnation has been recognised, after much lobbying, by the Taala'i Lama in the form of a boy growing up in Spain. He had been sent for training to Sera Monastery but returned home soon enough due to cultural mismatch!

It emerges thus that the Karma Kagyu needs to develop a highly proactive vision on trulkus in the west and arrange for their Buddhist upbringing and training in harmony with their parent cultures!

It is these non-Tibetan indigo children who present us with the hope for the future that the Buddha's Dispensation will spread and remain in both the eastern and western hemispheres for ages, though divested of many of its Tibetan over lays and be totally divorced from Tibetan Nationalism!

Iti Shubham!                                                                Munger, Bihar, Children's Day, 2009.