7. God's Abode Under Siege

The situation in Rumtek was incredibly complex. The immediate consequence of the Kagyu International Assembly's resolutions for the monastery was the removal by Situs party of the old team that had run Rumtek since 1982. The new management comprised persons dismissed from the Karmapa's Seat either by Tobga Rinpoche or by the Karmapa himself. The new Secretary, Tenzin Namgyal, had been relieved from his official duties in 1988. And as for the newly appointed Assistant Secretary, Lodro Tharchin, the late Karmapa in 1971 had personally asked him to leave Rumtek. He had then taken up a job with the Dharamsala Government where he did not hide his animosity towards his former benefactors. The new, though illegal, administration began to 1 take over Rumtek's good name and its resources.

The Rumtek monks, however, were unmoved and refused to accept the Tobga's dismissal. Since the resolutions had not been approved by the Karmapa Charitable Trust, they did not hand over the keys to the monastery's office. As a result, Rumtek settled into the reality of having two administrations. The one composed of Tobga's team kept on performing the daily duties and the task of running the place. It lacked a head though, as the General Secretary had lately been turned away from the Sikkim border by the government and sent back to Bhutan. And then the new group, without any legal sanction, consisted of the appointed secretary and his two assistants who kept themselves busy holding meetings and shooting off petitions — in short, trying their best to obstruct the work of the lawful custodians.

It turned out, though, that the Karmapa's Seat was not to enjoy a long spell of peace. The monks had regained control of the monastery and had, in fact, stopped the two regents — Situ and Gyaltshab Rinpoches — from performing any rituals in the shrine room. They had also requested that Shamar Rinpoche preside over the lama dances for Losar (the Tibetan New Year). Shortly before the event, Situ Rinpoche turned up at Rumtek. This was an ominous sign. Each time Situ Rinpoche appeared in Sikkim, trouble erupted. Now, his people insisted that he was to offer a religious ceremony. The legal caretakers of the Karmapa's place, fearing another onslaught by strangers on the monastery's grounds, would have none of that. They made it quite clear they had no desire to host any of the lama's offerings. The rinpoche was left with little choice but to remain in his room during his entire stay in Rumtek.

Before the dances began, rumours spread that a gang of Tibetans from Gangtok was coming to take part in the ceremony, presumably to disrupt it. Fearing trouble, the monks decided to cancel the event altogether. It was announced that, as an expression of respect for the late Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche, the lama dances would not take place this year. Shamar Rinpoche would instead be only conducting the Mahakala rituals.

Eight cars, packed with young Tibetans carrying iron rods and cycle-chains, arrived in Rumtek. They were looking for an excuse to pick up a fight. It did not take long before they found their first victims, two of Shamar Rinpoche's attendants. Acting in a partisan manner, the police detained and sent the victims to jail in Gangtok. The aggressors were allowed to go scot-free. It was later explained that the arrests were a 'protective' measure. To keep peace, 60 Sikkim policemen were deployed in Rumtek.

The Beijing Government did not wait any longer to let the Tibetans and the rest of the world know about the big plans they had in store for their 'Living Buddhas'. Around mid-June, at a United Nations conference on human rights in Vienna, the Chinese delegate announced "that the Karmapa, the future successor of the Dalai Lama, was prepared for his tasks in Tibet."

Throughout the first half of 1993, the atmosphere in Rumtek remained tense. The State Government drew up an order prohibiting General Secretary Tobga from entering the East District of Sikkim. Supporters of Situ and Gyaltshab Rinpoches grew bolder and more aggressive by the day. Acts of violence became the norm. In May, a vehicle owned by the monastery was vandalized. In June 1993, Trinley Dorje, a student from Sonada monastery, stabbed Sonam Tsering, a junior khenpo who had reprimanded the former. A FIR was lodged with the police. Trinlay Dorje was released on bail. The surety was furnished by Kunzang Sherab, President of the Joint Action Committee.

Alarmed by such incidents, the monks approached the police for help. The authorities, however, took no action to expel the intruders, leave aside arrest the delinquents. Officers and civil servants in Gangtok showed not only utter indifference to the victims' plight, but also left little doubt where their sympathies lay.

Having failed to garner help from the state administration, the monks themselves decided to enforce strict control over the monastery and prevent interference by outsiders. At that time, monk students at the Institute and the Rumtek monastic community had split into two groups. Some of the newly enrolled students from Bhutan were staunch supporters of Situ Rinpoche and as such felt they had to voice their preference in an increasingly militant way.

The traditional yarnay (rainy season triple fortnight retreat) was drawing near. The custom dated back to the Buddha himself, who used to spend a three month period in meditation with his disciples each year during the monsoon. The annual observance had been held at Rumtek ever since the monastery was established, and the monks and students would normally perform a ceremony as a preparation for the long period of study and meditation. On 22 August 1993, the ceremony of yarnay was being held. Throughout this ceremony, four monks at a time took the oath from the abbot and the ceremony must be completed by mid-day. During yarnay only those possessing a monk's ordination are allowed to be present in the monastery, as this is a sacred event. Now, it became clear that if the two groups were to continue the yarnay, or even the preparatory puja, clashes would inevitably follow.

To defuse the charged situation, Shamar Rinpoche, as Director of Nalanda Institute, and the Khenpo Chodhrag Tenphel Rinpoche, the Chief Abbot at Rumtek, decided to give the school a holiday. Situ Rinpoche alleged that Shamar Rinpoche canceled all the traditional ceremonies without any reasons. An unscheduled vacation of one month was announced for the Pal Karmae Shri Nalanda Institute for Higher Buddhist Studies at Rumtek, forcing students to leave for their homes. However, some remained behind and got ready for a showdown with the Rumtek monastic community.

On 22 July, Shamar Rinpoche left for Europe to visit his ailing mother. A few days later, as if following a familiar sinister pattern, Situ Rinpoche arrived in Rumtek and joined Gyaltshab Rinpoche who was already there. He declared that he was taking over as Principal of the Nalanda Institute. The decision, he said, was in accordance with the arrangements made by the four rinpoches. He also claimed that it was his turn now as all four rinpoches had completed their one cycle each while Shamar Rinpoche had also served his term in the second cycle. The Chief Abbot of the Pal Karmae Shri Nalanda Institute, Thrangu Rinpoche, had sent him a letter in this regard, he claimed. He conveniently forgot that Shamar Rinpoche had already dissolved the group regency in 1983 with the consent of the late Jamgon Kongtrul and Gyaltshab Rinpoches.

After five days, on 31 July, he had a letter delivered to Shamar's residence a kma or so below the monastery. The letter said that Situ Rinpoche was assuming control of the school and requested the return of all Rumtek's files and records.

Meanwhile, a small section of monks in the institute insisted on taking part in the pujas planned for 2 August. Fearing a confrontation, the monks decided to boycott the ceremony and informed Situ Rinpoche of the escalating tensions and of their desire to stay away from the function. The rinpoche was inflexible. The monks had to perform the rituals together with the students from the school. Nobody could be excluded. It was an order.

With no one else to turn to for advice, late at night on 1 August, the monastery's residents preferred to lock the doors to the main shrine room. Being Rumtek's legitimate caretakers, they felt responsible for the cloister. Neither would they allow outsiders to create a disturbance nor would they open the monastery under such threatening conditions.

The next morning, the party from the institute, led by Situ and Gyaltshab Rinpoches, came to attend the puja. Finding the doors to the shrine room and the hall locked, they sat down on the ground outside. Just then, a large cavalcade of cars drove into the courtyard, while a large crowd too began to assemble. The regents, gazing at the locked portals, began to recite mantras, while the devout stared curiously at the spectacle of two high rinpoches flopping down on the ground in front of the bolted doors. Later, it transpired that Situ Rinpoche had sent word to Gangtok that he would be making the special initiation open to the public. This was a ploy to gather participants and pose as though the monks were denying the venerable rinpoches access to the shrine and thus preventing them from delivering the promised empowerment. The visitors were unaware that no initiations or public meetings were scheduled to take place during the monsoon retreat. According to custom, the opening ceremony and the yarnay itself were an exclusively monastic practice.

Seeing the two regents humbly squatting on the ground, and ignorant of the reason for the locked shrine room, people became agitated. Everyone concluded that the insensitive monks were harassing their holy rinpoches. Obviously, as long as the shrine room remained solidly locked, the empowerment was out of the question. This was precisely what Situ Rinpoche wanted. Angry shouts were heard demanding the keys from the monks. The mood began turning increasingly violent. At the same time, it also became clear that not all the guests were regular visitors eager to attend a religious ceremony. In fact, a sizeable number of them were hoodlums hired by Situ Rinpoche.

Also, as if by coincidence, the Chief Minister of Sikkim dispatched a massive police force to the monastery. Senior government officials started to arrive as well. The Home Secretary, accompanied by the district police chief and some cabinet ministers, summoned the monks' representative and in loud and menacing tones demanded that the shrine room be immediately opened to the public and the ceremonies commence without further delay. The officials refused to listen to the monks' explanation or reasons. Buckling under immense pressure, Umdze Ngedon, the Senior Chant Master, came outside the main building. He disclosed that the keys were with the monks who had gathered in the dining hall. The officials ordered him to fetch the keys at once. But the problem was that he would have to make his way through the crowd to get back to the dining hall. By now, the gathering had become openly hostile and threatened to beat him. Enraged yells demanding punishment for the impertinent monks rent the air. Umdze faltered and stepped back but two policemen pretended to offer protection. Insisting that he should go, they shoved him out.

As Umdze stepped out, some men and, in particular, women began pushing and hitting him. They wrapped his yellow ceremonial robe around his neck, and dragged him like a dog across the courtyard towards the monastery. While police stood as mute spectators, the mob punched and kicked him. Four monks rushed out of the dining hall and somehow managed to rescue Umdze from the mob. Carrying the injured man back into their hall, they barricaded themselves in along with the other monks. The crowd charged at their quarters, throwing bricks and stones. Some from the crowd flashed their knives, windows were smashed, and five others from the monastery were seriously injured. The monks too returned the brickbats with energy. The two rinpoches — Situ and Gyaltshab — all the while remained passively seated supposedly in meditation.

At last, the policemen put an end to the violent scuffle. The Home Secretary and other senior officials gave the besieged monks five minutes to deliver the keys. They threatened the monastery's inhabitants with prison terms if they refused to cooperate. The monks were left with no other option. The shrine room was opened, and Situ Rinpoche was free to proceed with his initiation. Police volunteered to take the injured men to hospital for treatment. Instead they were driven straight to prison.

In the midst of the intimidation and violence, some of the monks escaped. Left with little alternative but to flee the monastery, they knew they were running for their lives. The situation was very alarming but somehow they escaped into the nearby forest.

The following day, while the remaining monks were dining in the hall, followers of Situ and Gyaltshab Rinpoches, escorted by the policemen, burst in and installed a portrait of Ugyen Trinley, the candidate of Situ Rinpoche as the XVIIth Karmapa, high on a shelf. Senior lamas such as Bokar Rinpoche and Ugyen Trulku pleaded their inability to do anything when approached by the senior monks.

The monks were ordered at gunpoint to bow before the portrait and swear an oath that the boy was the true Karmapa. They were threatened with dire consequences if they defied the order. Thereafter, the policemen collected a wide assortment of kitchen knives and wood cutting tools and laying them on a table, ordered the monks to stand next to it. An officer proceeded to take photographs of the scene. This and other contrived evidence would later be used against the legitimate caretakers of the monastery as proof of their 'aggressive' schemes.

Other residents of the monastery were also chased away from their quarters, which were either locked or taken over by outsiders. Some of them even lost all their belongings. Having no other place to go to, they took shelter at Shamar's residence, about 1 km. from the monastery.

Over 170 monks, nearly the whole of the Rumtek monastic community at that time, fled to Shamar Rinpoche's personal residence. Conditions were tough. The house obviously was too small for so many people. Therefore, the basic facilities fell far short. In such cramped situation, there was little hope of continuing with their studies and monastic duties. Their long ordeal as outcasts from their own monastery had begun.

Situ and Gyaltshab Rinpoches had again managed to stage a coup to instal the picture of the Chinese-backed candidate in the coveted seat of the Karmapa. Interestingly, during the next few days, Situ and his group launched a full-scale campaign to portray themselves as the victims of the monks' aggression and the sole defenders of the Karmapa's legacy. Shamar Rinpoche was depicted as the villain and instigator of violence. Situ Rinpoche had the full backing of the state government. A letter addressed to the senior regent, Shamar Rinpoche, ostensibly endorsed by a large number of individuals from all walks of life in Sikkim, accused him of bringing disgrace to everything from Buddhist robes to the holy Buddhist scriptures.

The Gangtok press too, went along with the assailants. 'Cops Quell Querulous Clergy' yelled a headline in a local newspaper. The Hindustan Times, a prominent paper of India published from New Delhi, carried a story the next day under the headline 'Pro-China Coup in Gangtok Monastery'. To buttress Situ's propaganda, Kunga T. Tamotsang, an MP of the Dharamsala government-in-exile, complained to the then Indian External Affairs Minister, Salman Khurshid, alleging involvement of Indian officials in the campaign against Situ Rinpoche in the Indian press.

To legitimize their occupation of Rumtek, the regents enlisted the help of various organisations from Gangtok. According to a document signed jointly by eight groups, "a large number of devotees" had been prevented on 2 August by a small 'gang' of monks from performing religious rites at Rumtek. It condemned what it defined as a "sabotage of religious functions" by a "handful of monks". It claimed that the law enforcement agencies too had discovered a stash of lethal weapons which the handful of monks had stored with the intention of causing harm to the devotees.

The outraged activists were, of course, strongly condemning such actions as "being mischievous, unwarranted, and with ulterior motive". They also disclosed that the above acts were inspired by "foreign elements" with "vested interests" and called upon the State Government to confiscate all property of the foreigners involved. This was seen as pointing to Tobga Rinpoche who held a Bhutanese passport. The protestors, however, were blissfully unaware that Situ, Gyaltshab, Shamar Rinpoches and other high lamas too were carrying diplomatic passports issued by the same country. In fact, it is a facility, extended by the Buddhist country to Buddhist monks and lamas as a matter of reverence. The activists later formed the Joint Action Committee to further the interests of Situ Rinpoche.

Soon after its formation, the Joint Action Committee staged a noisy protest in front of Sikkim High Court against a petition filed by Karma Gonpo and Dugo Bhutia, two former legislators of the Sikkim Assembly, in July 1993. They had prayed for forensic examination of the prediction letter. The petitioners could not appear in court and requested for adjournment of the case. Their advocate Moulick also refused to represent his clients. The crowd attacked the house of Sherab Gyaltshen, one of the trustees of the Karmapa Charitable Trust, broke the windows and abused the family. The windowpanes of Hotel Dewachen in Gangtok, owned by a cousin of Shamar Rinpoche, were smashed.

On the way to Rumtek, the aroused protestors called at the home of one of the signatories to the petition. More slogan shouting and stone pelting followed. An advocate went to the extent of saying, "All the judges put together cannot give a decision on the Karmapa. Although the judges are wise, they are not enlightened; Only an enlightened Buddha like the Dalai Lama will be obeyed by people." Following these developments, the petitioners withdrew the writ petition on 19 August 1994. A division bench of Sikkim High Court comprising Chief Justice S. N. Bhargava and Justice R. Dayal dismissed the petition as withdrawn but added that the court had not gone into the merit of the case at all.

Then Ngedon Tenzing Umdze filed a case in the Supreme Court of India. The case ended at the preliminary hearing stage in the court on 11 March, 1996. The order said, "Counsel for the petitioner applies for leave to withdraw the writ petition and states that the petitioner shall adopt an appropriate remedy other than a writ petition before the High Court. The writ petition is dismissed as withdrawn." The initiative for withdrawal came from the court.

Cases for the possession of the land owned by the XVIth Karmapa and withdrawal of prohibitory orders too were contested in the courts. Situ Rinpoche also filed a case for dislodging Shamar Rinpoche from the Karmapa International Buddhist Institute (KIBI) in Delhi but he lost.

Earlier, Karma Gonpo and Dugo Bhutia, the two former legislators, along with two other residents of Rumtek, had sent a memorandum on 21 December, 1992 to Situ and Gyaltshab Rinpoches, with a copy to the Dalai Lama, to reconsider the matter.

On 24 March, 1997, Lama Shree Narayan Singh, a resident of Munger in Bihar, and a disciple of the XVIth Karmapa, filed a writ petition in Patna High Court. It was dismissed after a week. The High Court observed that if the petitioner felt concerned about the matter, he ought to move the appropriate authority of the Union Government. Shree Narayan Singh has also filed a civil suit in the Court of Munsif II, Munger, Bihar. In this suit he alleged a threat to his life emanating from the Dalai Lama and his followers and sought protection of the court against such an encroachment of his fundamental rights. This matter is pending in the exalted tradition of Indian courts.

He also filed a criminal complaint on 18 September, 1998 in the Court of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Delhi against the Dalai Lama, his noble brother, Tai Situ, Gyaltshab, Nar Bahadur Bhandari, former Chief Minister of Sikkim and others alleging treachery, sedition, the misuse of religion for political ends and so on. Whilst Justice Prem Kumar, known for his integrity was promptly transferred, this case was dismissed as his lawyer Dr. Surat Singh did not appear on behalf of the complainant Jan 13, 1999. Clearly he had been paid to have the matter dismissed. Lama Shree Narayan Singh then moved the Bar Council of Delhi for disciplinary action against this lawyer, which continues pending.

Shamar Rinpoche cut short his programme in Europe and flew to India on 5 August, 1993. He found the situation hapless as the state government was completely hostile to him. He then sent an open letter to Situ Rinpoche. The copies of the letter were also sent to Gyaltshab Rinpoche and some of his supporters. In the letter, dated 12 September, the senior regent listed the many actions Situ Rinpoche, as a trustee of the Karmapa Charitable Trust, had undertaken without the approval of the board of trustees and often against the interests of the trust itself. In particular, Situ Rinpoche had promoted and helped set up an illegal trust with the aim of gaining control of the Karmapa's assets. Shamar Rinpoche denounced Situ Rinpoche for having taken over the Rumtek monastery by force and expelling the resident monks, and causing their imprisonment. Situ Rinpoche said that Shamar Rinpoche had caused great concern for the Government of India, their host. Shamar Rinpoche believed that his peer's actions had laid the Karma Kagyu order vulnerable to international intrigue. The senior regent declared that, as a consequence, he had requested that the members of the Karmapa Charitable Trust join him "to reverse by legal means all the latest changes that the Situ had made to the status and peace of the Rumtek monastery." He declared he would never accept the use of force against monks in order to assume control of a monastery in the name of religion.

Shamar officially charged Situ Rinpoche with unlawful acts at Rumtek and with involving the Kagyu order in the power politics of the region. He also pledged to initiate court proceedings to regain the Karmapa's Seat.

As for Situ, his secret involvement with China was no secret in India anymore. The regent's dalliance with Beijing and his aggressive campaign to bring Ugyen Trinley to Sikkim were viewed with a great deal of concern at the highest government level in Delhi. Probably at Situ's urging, the successive Chief Ministers of Sikkim took up the matter of the Tsurphu boy with the central ministers, but their repeated requests to allow the child to enter Sikkim, even for a brief visit, were firmly turned down by New Delhi.

China is the only country that has not recognised India's sovereignty over Sikkim, and the mere thought of having a Communist-appointed Karmapa, a Chinese citizen, residing in Rumtek or shuttling between Tsurphu and Gangtok, made the Indian government shudder. Given such licence, the Chinese candidate would be drawing dangerously close to claiming the Karmapa's property in Sikkim as Chinese. Situ's amateurish overtures with Beijing and his dabbling in the delicate Sikkimese politics had raised eyebrows more than once in New Delhi, which was getting rather tired of their restless guest, Situ Rinpoche, enjoying the status of a Tibetan refugee and holding only residential certificates besdies the Bhutanese Diplomatic Passport..

The Communists lost interest in Situ Rinpoche. On his part, Situ Rinpoche was soon to discover that the once-friendly doors in the Chinese capital were closed upon him. Blind to political realities, the regent, however, would not give up.

Rumtek had changed beyond recognition under Situ and Gyaltshab Rinpoches. Hiding in Shamar's house, the resident monks-turned-refugees were banned from entering the monastery's premises. A number of suspicious characters dressed in monks' robes were brought to the cloister to take their place. The Ritual, Chant and Discipline Masters were all dismissed. New appointees were brought in. People in the village were forced to sign pledges of loyalty, petitions and denunciations. Those who tried to resist were blacklisted and harassed by the conniving police. Police saw it as their holy duty to re-educate the less enthusiastic supporters of the Chinese candidate. Those families who stayed loyal to Shamar Rinpoche were persecuted.

Towards the end of August 1993, a German film crew turned up in the village for some major shooting. The filmmakers announced that they were seeking official permission to film inside a sealed room that supposedly contained certain sacred and precious relics. This was the room where the lineage's relics, together with the 'Black Crown' and the disputed letter, had been kept. Ever since the drama in June 1992, the room had been locked and sealed, and a posse of the Sikkimese police stayed posted round-the-clock.

The in-charge of the filming project was warmly greeted by Situ and Gyaltshab Rinpoches who filed a petition with the Chief Minister requesting him to open the sealed room. The two rinpoches were determined to gain access to the area. Had it been just for Bhandari to decide, he would have happily given the regents the required permission. But New Delhi was not so generous. The whole controversy had achieved international dimensions, and the Government of India could not afford to have the lineage's most important items disappearing into China to be later used as a claim on Rumtek. The petition was rejected and Bhandari was firmly instructed to keep the place shielded.

On 4 May 1994, a group of people was engaged in damaging . the garden of the late Karmapa. Benza Guru, the Bhutanese caretaker of the Karmapa's residence and a close attendant for more than a quarter of a century, challenged the miscreants. The group left the place shouting that the reprimand would be retaliated.

Early next morning the mangled body of Benza Guru was found on one of the pathways leading to the Karmapa's residence. He had died under mysterious circumstances. Gyaltsab Rinpoche said that he had fallen from the roof while the body was found about 30 metres from the building.

Ten days later the grand-nephew of Benza Guru, Sherab Mangyal, was beaten up by miscreants at the main gate of the monastery. After a few days, Apa Tswang, an elderly attendant of the former General Secretary, was severely beaten up and left unconscious.

It cannot be over emphasised that had serious consideration been given to the Indian Karmapa incarnate mentioned earlier, none of this cacophony would ever have happenned. But as the scriptures and Lamas continue to exhort, we have this peculiar habit of making life difficult for ourselves and then suffering the weight of its consequences. The Chinese Karmapa was clearly a concoction by Tibetan nationalists to ensure that this precious Seat did not fall under the control of a 'barbarian' non-Tibetan! The story of Shamar Rinpoche's Karmapa was yet in the womb of time!

A year-and-a-half later, after the crisis had begun full blast, in the latter half of 1993, Shamar Rinpoche seemed to be getting ready to execute a historic move. So far, he had just been responding to the escalating events, the initiative being fully in Situ's hands. He had helplessly watched the coups against his position unfolded with unexpected success. He had seen his influence and reputation gradually evaporating among the exiled Tibetans. His status as second-in-command within the hierarchy of the Karma Kagyu order depended, to a large extent, on his Tibetan brethren lending their support. But the words of endorsement pouring in from his kinsmen were scarce. He was drawing fire virtually from all quarters in Asia for his official rejection of the candidate in Tsurphu. The time had come to retaliate and to give credence to his claims and carry out the Karmapa's authentic instructions that Shamar Rinpoche insisted were in the custody of a trustworthy person.

The most potent weapon against the presumed forgery, the analysis of the disputed testament, was obviously not going to be used. Rumtek was in Situ's clutches and the letter was out of Shamar's reach, in danger of being destroyed altogether. It was crucial that Shamar Rinpoche present his own choice for the XVIIth Karmapa. This was, of course, a terribly risky enterprise. Any mistake would have repercussions too widespread to control.

China would certainly not remain idle, or passively watch while a rival to her Karmapa was installed in India.

Everyone assumed that Shamar's candidate was somewhere in occupied Tibet — an anonymous child happily living a normal life, unknown, at the moment, to Tibetans and Chinese alike. The senior regent had been reiterating that he knew a man who had been guarding such explosive details.

In January 1994, the candidate of Shamar Rinpoche reached Delhi. He had been smuggled out of occupied Tibet together with his entire family, that of Lama Mipham Rinpoche of none other a place than Derge, Situ's erstwhile domain. Years later in 1996, at an International Karma Kagyu conference in New Delhi, Shamar Rinpoche would disclose the events that led to the finding and recognition of the XVIIth Karmapa. He recounted the turbulent years that followed the XVIth Karmapa's death in 1981 and also clarified that the instructions about reincarnation were not analogous with, say, a will that parents leave to regulate the distribution of their property among their heirs. Instructions left by high spiritual Masters such as the Karmapa are very different. Buddhas and bodhisattvas do not think in terms of just one person and one short life; they have the constant good of each and every sentient being in mind. They take the past, the present and the future into consideration. The circumstances of their reincarnations are related to specific purposes. What is more, the process of identifying a reincarnation is a spiritual practice. This process is not comparable with the way in which, for instance, a king leaves instructions for his country's crown prince. Thus, the process of identifying the reincarnation of the late Karmapa is fraught with difficulties.

Mistrust and animosity ultimately got the better of the rinpoches responsible for the future of the Kagyu order. During that unstable period, the process of identifying the next Karmapa, a solely spiritual task, became hostage to mundane gains. A number of lamas went after money and power. Forced to operate in a worldly-minded environment, and probably convinced that his rival, Situ Rinpoche, was pursuing an agenda over the head of the Karmapa's interests, Shamar Rinpoche chose to go it alone.

In 1986, Shamar Rinpoche had received an unexpected visitor in New Delhi — Chobgye Tri Rinpoche, a highly qualified Sakya lama who had been held in greatest esteem by the XVIth Karmapa. He had an urgent message to convey to the senior Kagyu regent.

Chobgyae Tri Rinpoche, one of the highest in the Sakya tradition, stated enigmatically:

Shortly before the late Karmapa passed away, I had had a dream that the Karmapa went around a stupa wearing his usual dharma robes. He appeared to be sad. In my dream, I too felt sad and shed tears. Soon after my dream, the Karmapa died. Then, just a few days before coming here, I had yet another dream. This time, the Karmapa was clad in a yellow robe, while again he walked around a stupa. The colour of his vestment was radiant. He also wore the Gampopa hat, and his mood was cheerful. At noon the same day, a relative who had arrived from Lhasa visited me. He brought a photograph of a young child who was well known in the area my relative came from. People there knew that the child had on several occasions said that he was the Karmapa.

When he heard this, Chobgye Tri Rinpoche said, he felt he had to communicate the news to Shamar Rinpoche. And so, cutting short a visit to a monastery in Mussourie (Uttaranchal), he presented himself without delay in Delhi. "You must not make: a decision on the basis of what I have told you," Chobgyae Tri Rinpoche concluded gravely. "Your judgment must be based the instructions left behind by the late Karmapa as well as the visions and experiences of qualified spiritual masters in the order. Since you are the Shamar reincarnation, I wanted to convey to you what I have just told you. Historically, in the (Karma) Kagyu order of Tibetan Buddhism, Shamar and Karmapa lamas are regarded as inseparable."

The child in the photograph looked very young. Shamar Rinpoche guessed he was barely three years old then. The senior regent decided to keep the information to himself. He too concluded that the matter was well worth further investigation. An opportunity came soon in his hands in early 1987 when the Lobpoen Tshechu Rinpoche, representing the Nepal Buddhist Association, was sent to Lhasa. Shamar Rinpoche asked him to discreetly approach the child and ensure that nobody discovered the real purpose of his mission. The child's family was living at that time in the bharkhor of the Jokhang temple in Lhasa. He was one of the sons of Mipham Rinpoche, a well-known Nyingma Master.

Lobpoen Tshechoo Rinpoche returned to Nepal with plenty of information. He learned the parents' names, their history, and the birth dates and places of birth of their two sons. Lobpoen Tshechoo Rinpoche also discovered that the father of the child was in possession of a good number of religious objects and letters that belonged to the previous Mipham. One such letter caught the Lobpoen Tshechoo's attention. The document stated that in his next incarnation, the Mipham would beget a son by the name of Rigpa'i Yeshey Dorje. The late Karmapa's own name was Ranjung Rigpa'i Dorje. The clue was very encouraging.

Seeking further details, Shamar Rinpoche sent yet another emissary to Tibet. This second person came back with more exciting news. One account, in particular, must have put the Karma Kagyu regent on the alert.

One day, the young child went to the Jokhang temple of Lhasa accompanied by his father's friend. While the two walked around the building, they noticed a large crowd that had gathered at the entrance. Following the group inside, they saw a heavy-set lama applying gold paint to the face of a Buddha statue. When the child spotted the lama, he ran up to him and asked, "Do you recognise me?" The lama nodded in the negative. Later, the father's friend recounted the incident to the parents. Curious, they decided to talk to the lama. After making inquiries, they found out that it was Gyaltshab Rinpoche. However, as they were getting ready to meet the prominent rinpoche, their son stopped them. "I do not want to see him because he does not recognise me," the child exclaimed and refused to see the lama.

In his letter to Shamar Rinpoche, the Secretary to the Dalai Lama pointed out:

During earlier audiences you had informed His Holiness the Dalai Lama repeatedly that the late Karmapa Rinpoche had told about his reincarnation to an old and pure monk and that when the time became ripe the identity would be revealed. His Holiness had said that if this was true then it could be one of the body, speech or mind manifestations of the Karmapa Rinpoche. However, during your last audience, you informed His Holiness that Chobgyae Tri Rinpoche had recognised your candidate as the reincarnation of the Karmapa. This implies that the old and pure monk you have been referring to is Chobgyae Tri Rinpoche. On 18 January 1997, in a letter addressed to Your Eminence and which was sent through the Bureau of H.H. the Dalai Lama, New Delhi, we mentioned about the enquiry made about this issue from Chobgyae Tri Rinpoche last year through our office in Kathmandu. We had enclosed in the letter to you the copy of Chobgyae Tri Rinpoche's response which clearly stated that he had not bestowed such a recognition. Therefore, because of the lack of convincing and satisfactory evidences, recognition of the different manifestations of the previous lama's body, speech or mind is not possible.

Shamar Rinpoche denies disclosing the name to the Dalai Lama though the Dalai Lama had told him that he was entitled to this information. In an interview to Eva Blach Jespersen from Sweden, who was working on this controversy for her doctoral dissertation, Chobgyae Tri Rinpoche would not say anything about whom he considered to be the right Karmapa. He was of the; opinion that this was something the Karma Kagyupas had to decide. Shamar Rinpoche holds Chobgyae Tri Rinpoche in high esteem as the previous Chobgyae Tri Rinpoche was a direct disciple of the XVth Karmapa. The late XVIth Karmapa always respected him as a great bodhisattva. He is the guru of Sakya Trichen Rinpoche, the Dalai Lama and many other lamas.

Around then time, a well-respected person, a devotee of the XVIth Karmapa, approached the senior regent with a| momentous disclosure. The highly regarded individual claimed to be in possession of the Karmapa's instructions that indicated the Karmapa's succeeding reincarnation. He claimed to have obtained the information directly from the Karmapa but, bound by his Guru's command, was unable to reveal until now.

The more signals Shamar Rinpoche received about the Karmapa's next rebirth, the less he seemed inclined to share these reports with the other three rinpoches. Secretly pursuing his investigation, Shamar Rinpoche decided to send a third courier to Lhasa. The child's father, a reknown lama, was in a special position. He would frequently be asked to assist people in spiritual and worldly matters. The family kept their home open; anybody could drop in to request for a blessing or advice from the lama. Shamar's directives to his envoy were to contact the family on the pretext of seeking business guidance. The emissary was then to return daily with the hidden purpose of observing the child. The clandestine plan though did not quite work as expected. No sooner had Shamar's man entered the house than he thought it prudent to withdraw in haste. A child of fair complexion met him inside and calmly declared, "You've come to look for me." That was enough. The man stayed for a few more days in Lhasa and quickly returned to Nepal. But the story he brought was further proof of the child's exceptional qualities. The research was gathering pace.

Now Shamar Rinpoche chose to do a meditation retreat. This was a method traditionally used by lamas to verify their choice of reincarnation. In the absence of authentic instructions, the only reliable signs could be obtained through meditation. On the morning of the seventh day of the retreat, Shamar Rinpoche had a singular dream. The XVIth Karmapa was performing a ritual on behalf of a deceased person. Upon completing his prayers, the Karmapa declared, "I have liberated the person I set out to liberate. Now I can come to wherever you want me to come." The next day, yet another dream followed. In his dream Shamar Rinpoche saw a golden Buddha statue of enormous proportions. As he started to throw rice grains towards the Buddha, the rice turned into rain that fell on the statue. Light started radiating in all directions from a very large butter lamp that was filled to the brim with nectar. In the centre of the butter lamp, where the flame should have been, there was a luminous ball from which light radiated. Of course, this was just a dream but it was an indication of the authenticity about the young child in Lhasa as a reincarnation.

At this stage, the Karma Kagyu senior regent made arrangements to travel to Tibet in order to examine the child secretly. His design was to appear in the Tibetan capital disguised as a businessman, enter the family's house with an excuse to consult the father, and then check the young boy. He secured a tourist visa from Hong Kong,, using his contacts among the native Chinese. The plot, such as it was, seemed easy enough, and so Shamar Rinpoche embarked on his covert mission, probably confident that soon he would set his eyes on the young Karmapa.

As it happened, the exquisite plan backfired badly. Since he had never been to Lhasa before, Shamar Rinpoche had imagined that the bharkhor where the family lived was a large area where one could move undetected. In fact, the bharkhor turned out to be a crowded, tiny locality — a few narrow streets that led to the Jokhang temple — a lot like the enclosure of a small monastery. Much to his disappointment, the regent realised that he could not mingle incognito with the people. On top of this, the streets were filled with Tibetan merchants from Nepal — some of them his neighbours in Kathmandu — who might find it peculiar if not totally bizarre to see the Karma Kagyu senior regent running around Lhasa in a business suit. Chances were that if he ventured anywhere near the family's home, he would be exposed at once.

The Chinese authorities were no fools either and had probably sniffed out the fact that Shamar Rinpoche had entered Tibet and was at the moment playing tourist in the Tibetan capital. Confined to the security of his hotel room, Shamar Rinpoche understood that he was under surveillance. An attempt to enter the family's house under such inhospitable conditions might have had grave consequences. He had no choice but to abort the mission. To confuse the Chinese police, the regent opted for an excursion to Namtso, a tourist area in northern Tibet. When he returned to Lhasa, he quickly took the next flight back to Kathmandu.

Back in Kathmandu, Shamar Rinpoche resorted to another method to confirm his presumption. In Tibet, a person looking for signs about a reincarnation would traditionally write down the various possibilities on paper, then roll the pieces of paper into balls of dough, and throw them into a vessel. He would therefore journey to a holy site and pray that the paper with the correct indication would fall out when the vessel was turned over. Determined to verify what, by that time, must have been a near certainty that he was on the right track, Shamar Rinpoche sent his senior adviser, Lama Tsultrim Dawa, to the sacred places in and around Kathmandu with directions to perform the customary ritual. The learned emissary went to Pharping, outside Kathmandu, which was highly popular with pilgrims. There is a spontaneously arisen image of Tara at Pharping.

Two scraps of paper were put in a basket: one read that Mipham Rinpoche's son was the reincarnation of the XVIth Karmapa; the other stated that he wasn't. Lama Tsultrim Dawa repeated the ritual four times, besides Pharping, at a place near Kathmandu where there is a sacred Mahakala image, another spot in Kathmandu where there is a painting of Mahakala by the Xth Karmapa, Choe Ying Dorje, and in the last at a Kathmandu sacred place called the World's Noble White Buddha. Each time the paper asserting that the boy in question was the XVIIth Karmapa fell out.

In the senior regent's eyes, the evidence was overwhelming. Having amassed the proof, Shamar Rinpoche contacted the person who had confessed to be in possession of the late Karmapa's directions. The man stressed that he could not, at this point, reveal his information. The time to do so had not come yet.

Shamar Rinpoche kept his mouth shut despite obtaining a set of assurances in respect to the identity of the reincarnation. He wished to bring the boy out of Tibet in the first instance. Even when in a meeting of the four regents in March 1992, Situ Rinpoche had come out with the prediction letter and Shamar Rinpoche had refused to accept the authenticity of the letter, the latter had not mentioned his own breakthrough either.

After Situ and Gyaltshab Rinpoches swiftly executed their scheme and, with the Dalai Lama's formal approval and Chinese support, brought forward and recognised their choice for the Karmapa, Shamar Rinpoche was left helpless. He once again sought the advice of the person guarding the XVIth Karmapa's mandate. Shamar Rinpoche wanted to know if the letter was genuine and how to proceed in the light of the latest incidents. Without wavering, the man declared that the Situ's 'prediction letter' was a forged one, but as nothing else could be done at that moment, he recommended that the senior regent let the others finish what they had so deviously started. Thus, for the next year-and-a-half, the Kagyu regent waited patiently for his hour, sometimes confused, sometimes discouraged but always staying in touch with this mysterious person.

Towards the end of 1993, Shamar Rinpoche, in confidence of the mysterious person holding the prediction letter, planned to smuggle the boy from Lhasa. But the man would not reveal the Karmapa's instructions. He insisted on doing things exactly as he had been told, and the time was not ripe yet to disclose the message he had been entrusted to protect.

Meanwhile, in Tibet, the clock was ticking. The child and his relatives had lately become the objects of official harassment. The hardships imposed bore no relation to the still hidden fact that Shamar Rinpoche had his gaze fixed on the family's junior offspring. But the senior regent knew very well that it was only a matter of months, perhaps even weeks, before the Chinese connected the boy's growing fame within his community with the Karma Kagyu regent's clandestine research in Lhasa. So, in January 1994, the young boy and his parents applied for a permission to visit Kathmandu and upon receiving their passports, immediately set out on the overland journey to Nepal. It was a legal coup. The Communists did not realise until it was too late that they had allowed the candidate for the coveted seat of the Karmapa out of occupied Tibet. The Mipham family slipped legally through the tight net that enclosed Tibet and arrived undetected first in Nepal and from there to Delhi and later Dehra Dun.

On 27 January 1994, Shamar Rinpoche proclaimed in New Delhi that the Karmapa's reincarnation had been discovered. His terse statement said, "Shamar Rinpoche, announces that the authentic reincarnation of the XVIth Karmapa Ranjung Rigpa'i Dorje has been found. The XVIIth Karmapa is currently India. Details regarding the traditional procedures for his installation will be made known in the near future." The family name of the XVIIth Karmapa was Khyentse Thaye Dorji. Shamar Rinpoche had done the first half of the work, which he had to do traditionally. The other half was the installation of the XVIIth Karmapa.

In a formal letter addressed to the Dalai Lama, representatives, from various Karma Kagyu monasteries in India and Nepal stated that they disagreed with Shamar's decision, which they described as illegal. They emphasised that there could only be one Karmapa and reminded the Dalai Lama of his approval of Ugyen Trinley as the Karmapa.

At the end of February 1994, Shamar Rinpoche announced that Trinley Thaye Dorje, the new Karmapa, would be ordained on 17 March at the Karmapa International Buddhist Institute (KIBI), New Delhi.

On the evening of 16 March, the day before the planned ceremony, Shamar Rinpoche was aware that the following day Situ's men would try, at all costs, to stage a demonstration in front of KIBI. Under such circumstances, his original idea to bring Trinley Thaye Dorji to KIBI in the early hours of 17 March was laced with risks. The only reasonable solution, then, was to fetch the child under the cover of the night before the protestors began to gather at the entrance to KIBI. It was proposed that the next morning an empty car should be sent anyway, as if dispatched to bring the young Karmapa to KIBI. With little time to waste, Shamar Rinpoche put the plan into action, and within a few hours the young Karmapa was safely delivered to KIBI. Not even the KIBI residents suspected that their Principal Gurur was enjoying the comfort of the institute that bore his name.

The next day, in the early hours, a large crowd gathered at the gates of KIBI. The hundreds of visitors who came to attend the historic function were frisked by the institute volunteers before being allowed in. Some monks, obviously owing allegiance to Situ Rinpoche, took a defiant position on the pot-holed street that ran parallel to the institute. They came armed with numerous banners that not only denounced Shamar and Tobga Rinpoches but also promised to confront the duo's 'puppet Karmapa'. Surprisingly, a few slogans raised were pointers to the development that the rally enjoyed the Dalai Lama's support. So much for the Nobel Peace Prize which has been awarded to him!

While the group outside continued to swell, a black Mercedes inched out of KIBI's driveway and sped off to an unknown destination. The vehicle caught the protesters' attention. They shifted their focus from the building to the street and from the street to the vanishing car. The leaders of the mob concluded that the limousine would soon return with the 'fake' Karmapa. The trick proved as deft as it was timely. While the Situ's men flexed their muscles and blocked the street in an effort to prevent Trinley Thaye Dorje's ingress to KIBI, Shamar Rinpoche signaled that the ordainment ceremony could commence.

Preceded by Shamar Rinpoche and sheltered by the traditional umbrella, Trinley Thaye Dorje, the XVIIth Karmapa, entered KIBI's main shrine and slowly walked towards the Buddha statue that dominated the lofty room. The sound of horns and the jingle of cymbals filled the air. The hall was packed to bursting point. The Karmapa's monks, together with several hundred European and a few Chinese visitors from South East Asia, were seated on the floor facing the altar. Notably no Indian disciples were present. It is as if Indians are of little consequence in their own country when it comes to Tibetans! As the boy moved through the hall, everyone rose to catch a glimpse of the new Kagyu leader.

With elan, the young Karmapa prostrated himself in front of the Buddha statue and climbed, for the first time in public, on his throne. Nendo Tulku, the vajra master of ceremonies at Rumtek, offered him a symbolic replica of the Black Crown and put a brocade robe around his shoulders. The blare of horns and the beat of drums heightened; the Karmapa, fully concentrated, placed the Black Crown on his head. The official puja began.

Some hours later, as the ordination ceremony was drawing to an end, the tinkling of bells was suddenly drowned by the sound of windowpanes breaking. Wild screams reached those; in the hall. The guests exchanged curious and increasingly bewildered looks. The protestors, having closed the street and waited in vain to intercept the "false" Karmapa, had finally noticed that Karmapa's welcome ceremony had got underway hours ago and was now all but over. Furious at failing to stop the event, a group of monks rushed towards the entrance of KIBI. The security men unlocked the gate and took to their heels. Armed with stones and clubs, the assailants stormed forward.

As the first windows in the shrine room shattered, some guests taking part in the rites dashed out of the building. A hail of bricks and bottles descended on them. About 20 monks, well past the gate, were charging ahead, trying to gatecrash into the hall. They were deterred by a barrage of brickbats coming from KIBI side and had to pull back to the street, beyond the KIBI's premises. The disciples of the Karmapa from the west attempted in vain to lock the gate.

The hall resembled a bastion under siege, most windows gone, frenzied yells resounding in the courtyard. It was a free for all. The sound of brickbatting and pitched battles mingled with the menacing slogans of the assailants outside and the chanting of mantras inside the shrine hall. The Karmapa appeared completely relaxed; accompanied by Shamar Rinpoche, he stayed behind a curtain next to the altar. After the mob had been driven away, the Karmapa was quickly escorted to his quarters on KIBI's third floor from where he could safely watch the developing situation.

The pitched battle lasted a few hours of which some 15 mins is available on video. Nine persons were arrested. Several, including a Pole, were injured. One of the injured sustained head injuries. Flying pieces of glass inflicted cuts on many.

The spectacle of men in robes, anchored in two opposing camps, fighting each other right in front of a Buddhist institute, gave little credit to Buddhism and the Tibetan cause. Neither did it do any good to the Dalai Lama's reputation. It took the police some time to curb the unruly crowd. The main building had escaped serious damage but almost all the windows of KIBI had been smashed, the walkway leading to the hall destroyed, the rails and posts making up the fence ripped apart, and the sentinel box housing the guards ravaged. The courtyard, strewn with stones, broken glass and other objects that had been used as missiles during the attack, resembled a deserted battlefield.

The Dalai Lama, the Tibetan leader-in-exile, was addressing a human rights congress at exactly the same time as the attackers were charging KIBI. Some foreign delegates sent a memorandum the same day to the Dalai Lama questioning on what basis he planned to discuss the Chinese human rights policy in Tibet when his own people in India had no respect for the freedom of religion in the world at large.

Two persons from the Chinese embassy were spotted outside KIBI. One of them was equipped with a still camera and another with a video, clicking away the demonstration. This irked South Block where the Ministry of External Affairs conducts its business.

Lt. Col. (retd.) T. N. Atuk, whose brother is in the Indian Foreign Service, had come with two busloads of musclemen. He told newsmen that his plans were frustrated as the ceremony was advanced from 20 to 17 March in 1994. The brother of Situ Rinpoche, Gyaltshan, too was spotted among the violent protestors.

In August 1994, the Government of India banned the entry of Situ Rinpoche from India. He was declared persona non grata. As expected, his case was taken up by Tashi Wangdi, kalon in-charge of health in the bureau of the Dalai Lama. He wrote a letter to Arvind Verma, then Special Secretary in the Ministry of Home, Government of India, in this regard. T he Joint Action Committee, too, sent a memorandum to the then Union Home Minister S. B. Chavan urging revocation of the order. S. M. Limboo, a minister in Sikkim, also wrote to the home minister in this regard. Virbhadra Singh, the then Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, pitched in with a request to Indrajit Gupta, the Union Home Minister, on 17 December, 1996. At the prompting of Pinto Narboo, a former Jammu & Kashmir state minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir, wrote to Indrajit Gupta. Phunchog Rai, Himachal Pradesh Minister of State for Tribal Development, also wrote to Indrajit Gupta.

A memorandum was sent to the Prime Minister by Karma Topden, an M.P. from Sikkim, Lama Lobzang, member of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, P. K. Thungan, former union minister, and Lochen Rinpoche, Head Lama of Lahul and Spiti. They also wrote a letter to then Union Home Secretary K. Padmanabhaiah. Karma Topden and Lama Lobzang wrote a joint letter to Indrajit Gupta. A joint letter was sent to I. K. Gujral, Prime Minister of India, by P. Namgyal, member of the Lok Sabha, Sushil Barongpa, member of the Rajya Sabha, and Karma Topden, member of the Rajya Sabha. The most steadfast supporter of Situ Rinpoche, Ram Jethmalani, wrote to Rajesh Pilot and Indrajit Gupta, the successive Union Home Ministers and even went to describe the conduct of the Deve Gowda government for not lifting the ban on the entry of Situ Rinpoche as 'irrational¹ and 'anti-national¹.

In September 1994, Ugyen Trinley was summoned to Beijing. According to reports in the Chinese mass media, during a meeting with a Politburo official, "the living Buddha Karmapa declared that he would study well and always follow the Communist Party of China." People's Daily, the Communist Party's mouthpiece, quoted the ten-year-old as saying: "Long live the People's Republic of China".

In the meantime, in an well-orchestrated campaign, the Dalai Lama and supporters of the Situ Rinpoche repeatedly urged the Government of India to allow the Karmapa in Chinese captivity to visit Rumtek. In July 1992, the Dalai Lama wrote to the then Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao to facilitate his entry into India. His request was followed by a letter from the Secretary, Department of Religion and Culture of the Dalai Lama Government to the Foreign Secretary of the Government of India. Copies of the letter were also sent to Situ Rinpoche and the Union Home Secretary in January 1993. Again, a similar letter was sent to K. Srinivasan, the new Foreign Secretary, in December 1993. A series of letters was sent by the successive Sikkim Chief Ministers Bhandari and Chamling, urging the government to allow the boy to visit India.

The third prong of campaign by the supporters of Situ Rinpoche and the Dalai Lama's government was against Shamar Rinpoche. A memorandum in the name of the followers of the Karma Kagyu order at Rumtek was sent to the Union Home Minister describing the activities of Shamar Rinpoche as sacrilegious. The Joint Action Committee also repeated the allegation in a memorandum to Deve Gowda on January 31, 1997. Earlier, in November 1994, the Dharamsala government wrote to C. Phuntysog, Joint Secretary, Union Home Ministry, and K. A. Vardhan, Chief Secretary, Sikkim, about the plan to take the candidate of Shamar Rinpoche to Rumtek at the time of the state assembly elections. Apprehending serious law and order problem, the Government of India was requested to alert the state government in this regard and not to allow such a visit.

On 8 August, 1995, Tobga Yulgyal and the Karma Kagyu monks marched peacefully towards Rumtek to regain their place of worship. Situ Rinpoche alleged that Tobga Yulgyal brought a convoy of about eight trucks, crammed with about 200 men to take over the Rumtek monastery by force. The intruders preceded their attack by cutting off all the telephone lines in the monastery. They were met with force and denied entry to their cloister.

Situ Rinpoche has a different tale to tell. According to him, when the men brought by Tobga entered about 500 yards into the compound of the monastery, the residents realised what was going on. The Rumtek residents lined both sides of the road and stood in front of the attackers, singing prayers. Then the Sikkim police intervened and did not allow them to proceed to the monastery. In order to protest against the continuing occupation of Rumtek, the monks started an indefinite hunger strike at the gates to the temple. Two months later, with no prospects of winning the place back, the strike was called off.

On the night of 11 September, three monks suddenly appeared at a secluded place while Tsewang Chorden, representative of the laity in Rumtek, in his sixties, was returning home. He had served the XVIth Karmapa and his family. Three monks shouted, "It is him, it is him" and attacked him. He fainted. When he regained consciousness, he found himself lying in the ditch next to the road with multiple injuries. He was taken to the hospital where he remained for a fortnight. The old man recognised one of the assailants known as Patru.

Rumtek today remains in the hands of outsiders while the monks, living the lives of refugees, are still prevented from returning to their homes.

In December 1996, Trinlay Thaye Dorje presided over the monlam chenmo, great aspiration prayers, in Bodh Gaya, the place of the Buddha's enlightenment. For the first time in history, a Karmapa had his hair cut in Bodh Gaya — a ceremony that formally initiated his activity in the world. Over 6000 monks and nuns as well as a large number of lamas from the Himalayan region attended the event.

In September 1997, Tobga Rinpoche died of liver cancer. Later, at his cremation in Thimphu (Bhutan), Trinlay Thaye Dorje was officially welcomed by the Bhutanese royal family as the XVIIth Karmapa.

A 79-member delegation comprising activists of the Joint Action Committee led by Situ and Gyaltshab Rinpoches met the Dalai Lama and the kashag (cabinet) of the Tibetan government-in-exile at Dharamsala on 29 and 30 January in 1997. The delegation expressed its reservation to an audience promised to Shamar Rinpoche by the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama conceded the request and did not grant an audience to Shamar Rinpoche. A letter in this regard was sent to Shamar Rinpoche by the office of the Dalai Lama on 3 February. However, Shamar Rinpoche says he still holds the Dalai Lama in high esteem but in the same breath adds that the process of the reincarnation of the Karmapa does not need the seal of approval buk-tham rinpoche of the Dalai Lama.