His Holiness The Dalai Lama
Firstly, as a human being
His Holiness is concerned with encouraging people to be happy—helping them understand that if their minds are upset mere physical comfort will not bring them peace, but if their minds are at peace even physical pain will not disturb their calm. He advocates the cultivation of warm-heartedness and human values such as compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, contentment and self-discipline.
Secondly, as a Buddhist monk
His Holiness is committed to encouraging harmony among the world’s religious traditions. Despite philosophical differences between them, all major world religions have the same potential to create good human beings. It is therefore important for all religious traditions to respect one another and recognize the value of their respective traditions.
Thirdly
His Holiness is a Tibetan and as the ‘Dalai Lama’ is the focus of the Tibetan people’s hope and trust. Therefore, he is committed to preserving Tibetan language and culture, the heritage Tibetans received from the masters of India’s Nalanda University, while also speaking up for the protection of Tibet’s natural environment.
Advice from His Holiness the Dalai Lama
The three principal reasons, based on which, His Holiness the fourteen Dalai Lama, has expressed that the practice of Dhogyal is inadvisable are:
- The danger of Tibetan Buddhism degenerating into a form of spirit worship: This type of practices contribute to the degeneration of the vast and profound Buddhist teachings in which our refuge lies in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. While the profound teachings of the Buddha are based on the two truths and the four noble truths, fostering Dhogyal, to the extent that those who engage in this practice do, degenerates the Buddhist practice by turning it into a spirit cult.
- Obstacles to the emergence of genuine non-sectarianism: His Holiness is committed to encouraging non-sectarianism in all schools of Tibetan Buddhism. His Holiness follows practices of the Nyingma, Sakya and Kagyu traditions in addition to the Gelug tradition and he encourages others to do the same. However the practice of Dolgyal is extremely sectarian.
- Especially inappropriate in relation to the well-being of Tibetan society: the spirit of Dolgyal has a long history of hostility against the Dalai Lamas and the Tibetan government that goes back to the time of the Fifth Dalai Lama, at this time there was great controversy between the Gelug and Sakya traditions. In fact the great Fith Dalai Lama, the Thirteenth Dalai Lama and other respected Tibetan spiritual masters have also spoken out strongly against this practice.
Ref: Hiss Holiness official website
https://www.dalailama.com/messages/dolgyal-shugden
For more information https://www.dalailama.com/