How Mongolia Saved Dorje Shugden
Mongols have relied on Dorje Shugden long before His Holiness Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche’s time. At times, when the practice faced foreign persecution from the Tibetan leadership, Mongolia’s lamas played an instrumental role in preserving a practice that has long been a part of the nation’s cultural and spiritual heritage.
The practice of Dorje Shugden is often associated with the Himalayan region, no doubt due to the efforts of lamas such as His Holiness Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche and His Holiness Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche in Tibet. In neighbouring Bhutan, the practice was promoted by prominent lamas such as His Holiness the 4th Zhabdrung Rinpoche Jigme Norbu. Together, these enlightened masters proliferated the practice, authoring and composing texts and prayers to invoke the blessings and protection of the Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden, as well as educate people on his enlightened nature and origins.
Recent evidence however, would suggest that the practice of Dorje Shugden first rose in prominence much earlier and much further east. Thanks to the efforts of the scholar Dr Matthew William King, there is proof confirming that long before His Holiness Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche’s time, at least a century before Dorje Shugden practice was popular in Lhasa, Dorje Shugden was already being widely invoked on the Mongolian steppes. That is, evidence shows that Dorje Shugden’s popularity in Mongolia predates Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche’s promotion of the practice.
The impact of Dr King’s work cannot be understated. Whilst some people today inaccurately claim that Dorje Shugden’s importance in the Gelug school was solely due to Pabongka Rinpoche, Dr King’s research clearly demonstrates that this is not the case. In Mongolia, the practice’s popularity was due to Mongolia’s own lamas independently promoting and encouraging it.
As for Dorje Shugden himself, he was already highly regarded by Tibetan Buddhists as an enlightened deity long before Pabongka Rinpoche. For example, we already know that Dorje Shugden was an established practice in the Sakya School for hundreds of years predating Pabongka Rinpoche’s time. Now, Dr King’s research shows that Dorje Shugden also played a central role in both monastic and political life in Mongolia, as well as in the overall spread of “mass monasticism and Geluk scholasticism into the eastern Tibetan and Mongol frontiers”. It is a development of the practice that seems to have arisen independently from the politics and prejudices of Central Tibet.
An ancient Dorje Shugden statue at the famed Choijin Lama Temple
In fact, Dr King’s paper, titled Binding Buddhas and Demons to Text: The Mongol Invention of the Dorjé Shukden and Trülku Drakpa Gyeltsen Literary Corpus (1913–1919), makes it clear that any politicisation of the practice is a modern invention. As far back as the Qing Period (1644–1911), Dorje Shugden was already being included in the pantheon of enlightened beings, with enough of an impact as to “help fashion the Qing-Gelug world”. This is in stark contrast to the false claims asserted by the Tibetan leadership and their supporters that Dorje Shugden has always been considered a worldly spirit.
The paper also covers in extensive detail the instrumental role that Mongol lamas played in preserving the practice, at a time when it was facing heavy, politically motivated persecution. It is unsurprising that Mongolia and her lamas would preserve something arising from Tibet. After all, Mongolia and Tibet have long had a relationship that is beyond the mundanities of this earthly life. Over the centuries, Tibetan lamas were invited to the Mongol court, becoming the highly revered spiritual guides of the nation’s rulers. They stayed for years, contributing to Mongolian daily and spiritual life, making an indelible impact on their history. Tibetan lamas, for example, were responsible for inventing the Mongolian written script. Hence, theirs was a mutually beneficial relationship; whilst Tibet relied on Mongol military might to help keep the peace, the Mongols tapped into Tibetan spiritual prowess, sending monks to the Tibetan monasteries to study and train.
Over time, these Mongolian lamas returned home, bringing with them the teachings, practices and traditions that had been transmitted to them during their time in Tibet. Of these lamas, the ones who became key to preserving Mongolia’s Dorje Shugden heritage can be counted amongst the highest in the country’s Buddhist hierarchy. They include names such as Zaya (or Jaya) Pandita, an accomplished translator, linguist and scholar who was a descendant of Chinggis Khan and direct disciple of Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen. They also include Lobsang Tamdin, a prolific author who composed 12 volumes of texts and became especially known for collecting countless important texts authored by Mongolian and Tibetan masters throughout his life.
His Holiness the 8th Khalkha Jetsundamba Khutuktu Agvaanluvsanchoyjindanzanvaanchigbalsambuu, whose younger brother was a famed oracle of Dorje Shugden. Click HERE to read more about the oracle.
Mongolian lamas did not just preserve the tradition of Dorje Shugden via scholarship and study, but also via active propitiation. A prominent example of this involves the younger brother of Mongolia’s most eminent lama, His Holiness the 8th Khalkha Jetsundamba Khutuktu. In the Tibetan Buddhist hierarchy, the Jetsundambas are the third highest lama after the Dalai Lamas and Panchen Lamas and they are considered the spiritual leader of the Gelug lineage amongst Khalkha Mongols.
It is well-known that Lubsangkhaidub, the younger brother of the 8th Jetsundamba, was an oracle of Dorje Shugden at the famed Choijin Lama Temple. Both lay and ordained Mongols would request Lubsangkhaidub to take trance of Dorje Shugden and rely on the accurate prophecies, advice and guidance that were given. That is to say, Mongolia’s highest lama, the Jetsundamba who is capable of providing spiritual leadership to millions of practitioners, allowed his brother to take trance of Dorje Shugden. He also allowed practitioners to rely on Dorje Shugden.
Would such a qualified person allow their brother to take trance of a so-called spirit? The idea is absurd; it is equally absurd that the enlightened 8th Jetsundamba would make a mistake, and endanger the spiritual welfare of millions by allowing them to rely on a so-called spirit.
Yet, this is precisely what some people have continued to inaccurately claim about Dorje Shugden, calling him a so-called spirit in spite of clear evidence disproving this, and in spite of Mongolia’s long history of reliance on this enlightened Protector.
The Main Temple complex at the Choijin Lama Temple Museum
More recently, in the 19th Century, Mongol lamas involved in the preservation of Mongolia’s Dorje Shugden heritage, connection and legacy also include the polymath Zava Damdin. In his paper, Dr King clearly establishes Zava Damdin Rinpoche’s credentials as a “scholastic leader”, outlining his extensive Dharma education, his mastery of sutra and tantra, and his deeply engaged practice. If earlier figures like Zaya Pandita and Lobsang Tamdin were responsible for the initial urgent preservation of works on Dorje Shugden and Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen, then it was the “globally engaged individual” Zava Damdin Rinpoche who was responsible for preserving the works for generations to come.
Dr King highlights Zava Damdin Rinpoche as being a part of the 13th Dalai Lama’s entourage, receiving teachings, leading liturgies and engaging in debate contests. In order to have been part of the entourage, let alone such an active member, a monk would have had to be of certain standing, attainments and scholastic prowess. The implied meaning is that if someone of Zava Damdin Rinpoche’s calibre wrote about Dorje Shugden and Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen, it is work that can be trusted. After all, why trust someone to be so close to the Dalai Lama, and yet not trust what it is they produce? It is this Zava Damdin Rinpoche who writes:
…high Khalkha lamas had taught since the early nineteenth century that Dorjé Shukden had an intimate relationship with the center of Khalkha monasticism, and that “Most especially, the definitive meaning of this Great King [Shukden] himself is that he shares a singular nature with the bodily aspect of Glorious Four-Face Mahakala”.
That is, Dorje Shugden is enlightened and the same in nature as Four-Faced Mahakala.
Today, the current reincarnation of Zava Damdin Rinpoche is a devoted disciple of His Eminence Guru Deva Rinpoche. Guru Deva Rinpoche, himself a devoted practitioner of Dorje Shugden, was a critical figure in the revival of Mongolian Buddhism in the post-Communist era. Without his immense generosity, many Dharma projects and initiatives would never have gained the support needed in order to reestablish the faith after years of persecution. Indeed, he was generous to such an extraordinary level, that many considered him to be an emanation of Gyenze, the increase form of Dorje Shugden.
His Eminence Guru Deva Rinpoche, who was so renowned and respected for his critical support of Buddhism’s revival in Mongolia, that he was widely known as “Sogpu Rinpoche” (Mongolian Rinpoche).
Hence, Dr King’s paper doubtlessly shows that Mongolian lamas and masters were critical in protecting and preserving not only the practice of Dorje Shugden, but of Buddhism’s revival as a whole in modern-day Mongolia. It would be a shame if the Tibetan leadership’s divisive politics were allowed to filter into Mongolia, to destroy a significant part of Mongol historical, cultural and religious heritage, which Dorje Shugden has been a part of for hundreds of years. Lamas such as Zaya Pandita and Lobsang Tamdin were masters of sutra, tantric adepts, and the peers and equals of Tibetan lamas of their time. These luminary upholders of the Dharma were perfect objects of refuge, and every bit as praiseworthy and accomplished as their Tibetan counterparts. To dismiss their contributions on the basis of an invented modern-day political divide started by a foreign, non-Mongol entity, is to dismiss the contributions of Mongolia’s own lamas to their own society. It rudely disparages these lamas, insulting their ability to have made independent decisions for the long-term welfare of Mongolian spiritual life.
These days, where the practice of Dorje Shugden continues to suffer under the weight of Tibetan divisiveness, there are still Mongolian lamas who persist in acting as guardians of the practice. They bravely disregard the foreign, politically motivated edicts of the Tibetan leadership to protect a part of Mongolia’s heritage – the ancient practice of Dorje Shugden – in order to uphold true Dharma values of religious freedom, compassion and benefiting others.
The current incarnation of Zava Damdin Rinpoche is a devoted disciple of his guru, the great His Eminence Guru Deva Rinpoche who played an instrumental role in Buddhism’s revival in post-Communist Mongolia. Zava Damdin Rinpoche is also at the forefront of preserving Mongolia’s cultural and spiritual heritage, which includes the practice of Dorje Shugden.
In this way, these lamas are doing what they and their predecessors have always done, which is to protect a lineage they received from Tibet so many centuries ago from the ravages of contemporary politics and schism. Their fearless contributions to the precious and unequalled doctrine of the Buddha cannot be understated, as shown clearly in Dr King’s paper which has been reproduced here along with a list of notable key points that can be concluded from his research. Modern-day Mongolians should be proud of their history and Dorje Shugden heritage, and proud of the role that their lamas have played in protecting and preserving an authentic practice from foreign persecution. It is thanks to their courage that the practice of Dorje Shugden has persisted, still potent with blessings and continuing to benefit others so many centuries after its first introduction to the world.
MAIN POINTS:
- The Tibetan government has engaged in schismatic politics for centuries and the practice of Dorje Shugden is not the first one to suffer political persecution in Tibet. Dr King points out that the Jonang and Kagyu Schools were also victims of the Ganden Phodrang’s (Tibetan government) politicisation of religion. Dr King’s paper highlights the Ganden Phodrang’s treatment of these other traditions, such as censoring their works and otherwise attempting to erase the schools altogether.
- Given the historical fact that they attempted to erase and censor other schools, there is an established pattern of religious suppression on the part of the Ganden Phodrang, specifically for political dominance. The Ganden Phodrang suppressed Dorje Shugden practice because it represented a loss of control on their part, since it reflected an “…expansion of the Geluk…beyond the political dominions of the Dalai Lamas…”.
- Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen is described as a worthy challenger of the 5th Dalai Lama’s fragile political legitimacy. This supports the statement that any subsequent persecution of his memory therefore stemmed from the 5th Dalai Lama’s assistants seeking to reinforce their leader’s standing. In fact, Dr King very clearly outlines Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen’s popularity, describing the way his throne sat side by side with His Holiness the 5th Dalai Lama’s. It all but confirms what has always been known – that the 5th Dalai Lama’s assistants murdered Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen and destroyed his memory out of jealousy, and this sowed the seeds for the continued persecution of Shugden practitioners today.
The Dorje Shugden bebum (collected works) is a complete collection of texts about Dorje Shugden and would not exist today without the courageous efforts of Mongolia’s lamas.
- Dr King credits the survival of Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen’s works and legacy to “Mongolia’s earliest and most pre-eminent Gelug scholastic…Dzaya Pandita” who took it to Mongolia, beyond the influence of the Tibetan leadership. Those works found in Zaya Pandita’s library led to the first ever attempt to compile a collection of texts based on Dorje Shugden. This attempt took place between 1913 and 1919, and led to the compilation of the Dorje Shugden bebum (collected works). There was an urgent need for this bebum due to a discovery of texts authored by Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen, many of which were already lost over time. Hence, without this attempt, many priceless historical texts would have been lost forever.
- Dr King highlights the importance of Zava Damdin Rinpoche and Guru Deva Rinpoche in spreading Dorje Shugden in Mongolia, as well as Zava Damdin Rinpoche’s key role in the reconstitution of Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen’s collected works. The compilation of the Dorje Shugden bebum is highly significant for our lineage because it constitutes some of the best preserved texts on Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen, revealing his incredible knowledge and attainments, as well as the Tibetan government’s treatment of this lama and his legacy after his murder.
- That Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen and Dorje Shugden spread to Mongolia, fulfilling His Holiness the 4th Panchen Lama’s prophecy of the practice’s rise. This in fact supports René de Nebesky-Wojkowitz’s revelation of Dorje Shugden taking over from Nechung/Pehar as the protector of Tibet. In his book Oracles and Demons of Tibet, de Nebesky-Wojkowitz cited ‘ancient texts’ as his sources; Dr King’s thesis here is supportive of that assertion.
René de Nebesky-Wojkowitz’s seminal book, which refers to Dorje Shugden taking over from Nechung as the Protector of Tibet. Click HERE to read the book.
- Dr King makes it clear that today’s divided Tibetan Buddhist community is a modern development, stating that “today [they are] cleaved in two”. It implies that at some point, the community was whole until something occurred to create that division i.e. the Tibetan leadership’s continued persecution of the Dorje Shugden practice. Dr King’s assertion is supported by his footnotes, which ascribe at least part of the divisions to the 1997 speech from His Holiness the Dalai Lama. It is also supported by Dr King’s assertion that as far back as the Qing Period, which definitely predates any modern politicisation of the issue, Dorje Shugden was already considered an enlightened being.
- It is clear that the practice of Dorje Shugden played a key role in the proliferation of the Gelug school beyond Lhasa. Given that it played a significant role, this contradicts the view taken by the current Tibetan leadership that Shugden practice is detrimental to Buddhism. That is to say, how can something be responsible for spreading something, whilst being simultaneously responsible as the so-called cause of its decline?
- Contrary to the Tibetan leadership’s false claims that Dorje Shugden is a sectarian practice only for Gelugs, evidence is repeatedly provided in Dr King’s paper for Dorje Shugden’s role in protecting all of the Buddha’s teachings. For example, in his opening remarks to The Collected Writings of Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen, Zava Damdin Rinpoche beseeches Dorje Shugden to “act on behalf of the Buddha’s teachings and sentient beings”, as opposed to “on behalf of the Gelug teachings”.
- It was not until 1913 to 1919 that saw the first efforts to “comprehensively systematize and publish all literary traces of Shukden and Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen”. What is interesting is that it coincides with the end of the Qing Dynasty (1911-1912 era), when Dorje Shugden practice had been considered a part of the ranks of enlightened deities. It also coincides with the period of the 13th Dalai Lama who put restrictions on the practice. It is worth considering whether these efforts to “systematise and publish” took place in response to the restrictions, because it finally became necessary to make a concerted effort to protect the practice, due to the seeds of persecution already starting to be sowed. Hence the paper places the preservation of Dorje Shugden practice firmly in Mongol hands, and the persecution of it in the Tibetan camp.
A sign discriminating against Dorje Shugden practitioners in the Tibetan settlements. It is sad that the Tibetan leadership are attempting to impose their politics in Mongolia, to destabilise the independent country’s own long history of practising Dorje Shugden.
- Reference is made to the “extraordinary risks” taken by Dorje Shugden practitioners to uphold their lineage. It is implicit acknowledgement that there are repercussions with continuing the practice, hence why precautions must be taken. Hence, it must be asked why there is “extraordinary risk” for someone in independent, sovereign Mongolia, to engage in a centuries-old Mongolian practice.
- Acknowledgement is repeatedly given to the existence of a conflict arising from the politicisation of Dorje Shugden’s practice. Whilst Dr King acknowledges that there are opposing views as to when the conflict actually originated (i.e. Donald Lopez versus George Dreyfus versus Lindsay McCune versus Martin Mills), the overriding point is that there is a conflict and regardless of when it originated, all scholars agree that the Tibetan leadership and the institution of the Dalai Lamas (whether it is the 5th, 13th or 14th) can be found at the centre of it. That ongoing religious persecution, which has lasted for centuries, should be of greater concern than its point of origin.
- The spread of the Dorje Shugden practice has been instrumental in the survival of the Gelug lineage. Post-Cultural Revolution, Buddhism was driven beyond Tibet’s borders into the rest of the world, where it has survived to this day. Dr King writes that “whatever else they may have been or become, Shukden traditions helped make the Géluk from and for its vast late-imperial frontiers. Is it any wonder that they continue to do so today, as either the “Taliban” or “Jews” of the battered, globalized Tibetan and Mongolian Buddhist world?” It is a testament to the enduring strength of Shugden practitioners to remain committed to promoting and spreading Buddhism, in spite of the ongoing persecution they have been subjected to for centuries. It also matches His Holiness Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche‘s prophecy which states that in the future, Dorje Shugden and the high lamas will appear to be in conflict but that we should not lose faith in either.
Binding Buddhas and Demons to Text:
The Mongol Invention of the Dorjé Shukden and
Trülku Drakpa Gyeltsen Literary Corpus (1913-1919)
by Dr Matthew William King
Click here to download the PDF file.
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Click HERE to download the graphic novel
Дорж Шүгдэн сахиус бол оюун билгийн бурхан Манзуширийн хувилгаан мөн.
Сажа болон Гэлүгбагийн урсгалын мэргэд лам нар 300 жилийн туршид шүтсээр ирсэн шашныг хамгаалагч сахиус юм.
Энэхүү сахиусыг шүтэгч хэн бүхэнд аврал, үйлсээр цахилгаан мэт хурдан түргэн тусалдаг хүчит номын их сахиус билээ.
Эдгээр товч тайлбарт номын их сахиус Дорж Шүгдэнгийн гайхамшигт хүч чадлын талаар цухас дурьдлаа. Найз нөхөддөө цаашид түгээнэ үү!
Цэм Рэнбүүчи
Click here to download the .ZIP file.
For more interesting information:
- Товч намтар (Tsem Rinpoche’s short biography in Mongolian)
- Auspicious Mongolian Omen
- His Holiness the 8th Jebtsundamba Khutughtu (Bogd Khan)
- Mongols believed 5th Dalai Lama was someone else
- The Bogd Khan of Outer Mongolia
- 10,000 Mongolians receive Dorje Shugden!
- 10000 Монгол хүн Дорж Шүгдэн сахиусны амин авшиг авлаа
- Zaya Pandita Luvsanperenlei (1642 – 1708)
- Lubsan Samdan Tsydenov: The Dharma King of Buryatia
- Geshe Lobsang Tayang’s Sungbum (Collected Works)
- Geshe Ngawang Wangyal: America’s First Pioneering Buddhist Lama
- Powerful Qualities of Dorje Shugden in Memes (Mongolian) | Номын их сахиус Дорж Шүгдэнгийн гайхамшигт хүч чадлын товч тайлбар
- Dr R. Nyamaa: The Grande Dame of Mongolian Medical Health
- Zanabazar: The First High Saint of Mongolia
- Choijin Lama: The State Oracle of Mongolia
- Mongolian State Oracle Paints Dorje Shugden
- Last Queen of Mongolia
- How the Old Mongolian Monk Stunned Me
- The Holy Saint of Mongolia: Zanabazar
- Empress Xiaozhuang Wen: Kangxi’s Mongolian Grandmother
- Danzan Ravjaa: The Controversial Mongolian Monk
- Mongolian Astrology and Divination
- Buddhism in the Mongol Empire
- Dorje Shugden Graphic Novels (Free Download)
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Great research by Dr Matthew William King on Dorje Shugden . It paints a thousand words of truth where more and more people understand better of Dorje Shugden. The practice of Dorje Shugden is often associated with Lamas in the Himalayan region in Tibet.
No doubt due the efforts of Lamas in Tibet and Lamas in Bhutan the practice was promoted. Together, these enlightened masters proliferated the practice, authoring and composing texts and prayers to invoke the blessings and protection of the Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden. In Mongolia, the practice’s popularity was due to Mongolia’s own lamas independently promoting and encouraging it. Mongolian lamas preserve the tradition of Dorje Shugden through active propitiation since then. The powerful Mongolian nation has indeed a long history and connection with Dorje Shugden the Powerful Protector. As expressed in the life of Venerable Choijin Lama, a State Oracle of Mongolia who took trance of Dorje Shugden among other Dharma Protectors. Interesting read of how Mongolia saved Dorje Shugden .
Thank you Rinpoche .
Thank you Dr Matthew William King great work done on the research on Dorje Shugden . His research shows that Dorje Shugden had played a central role in both monastic and political life in Mongolia. Zaya Pandita, an accomplished translator, linguist and scholar, Lobsang Tamdin, a prolific author and Mongolian lamas had preserved the tradition of Dorje Shugden through ways as such scholarship and study, and also via active propitiation. Mongolia’s own lamas did independently promoting and encouraging the practice centuries ago. Yet there is still some who claimed Dorje Shugden is a evil spirit. Even though there is clear evidence ,Mongolia’s long history of reliance on this enlightened Protector. Zaya Pandita and Lobsang Tamdin were masters of sutra, tantric adepts, and the peers and equals of Tibetan lamas of their time, they cannot be wrong about Dorje Shugden. Interesting read article on The Mongol Invention of the Dorjé Shukden and Trülku Drakpa Gyeltsen Literary Corpus (1913-1919) by Dr Matthew William King.
Thank you with folded hands Zava Damdin Rinpoche for preserving the works for generations to come.
Thank you Rinpoche for this sharing for more and more people to understand better.
Another good read about Dorje Shugden practice! It’s nice to see that Mongolia preserved the practice. A big Thanks to Dr. Matthew William King for his in-depth research that proved the practice was even around before H.H Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche promoted the practice widely. Dorje Shugden definitely not an evil spirit as claimed by the Tibetan leadership.
Thank you Blog team!
Another interesting research on Dorje Shugden practice founded in Mongolia that i enjoyed reading. Through his research he has confirmed that even long before H H Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche’s time, at least a century before, Dorje Shugden practice was already popularized in Lhasa. The practice of Dorje Shugden by the great lamas and many others had widely invoked the dharma Protector in Mongolia. Reading through this interesting article we could understand better how Mongolian lamas have been all along protecting and preserving not only the practice of Dorje Shugden, but also of Buddhism’s revival as a whole in modern-day Mongolia. Thanks to Dr. Matthew William King who did a detail well research article regarding Dorje Shugden in Mongolia. Thank you Rinpoche and blog team for this great write up!🙏😘
Thanks to Dr. Matthew William King who did a detail well research article regarding Dorje Shugden in Mongolia. Through his research he has confirmed that even long before H H Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche’s time, at least a century before, Dorje Shugden practice was already popularized in Lhasa. The practice of Dorje Shugden by the great lamas and many others had widely invoked the dharma Protector in Mongolia. Dr King’s research clearly demonstrates that Mongolia’s lamas had been promoting and encouraging the practice. Dorje Shugden was an established practice in the Sakya School for hundreds of years before Pabongka Rinpoche’s time. Hence Dorje Shugden definitely not a evil or spirits as claimed by the Tibetan leadership. Reading through this interesting article we could understand better how Mongolian lamas have been all along protecting and preserving not only the practice of Dorje Shugden, but also of Buddhism’s revival as a whole in modern-day Mongolia.
THANK YOU for this interesting sharing.