03. Oct 2007
CTA issues statement on Shugden followers from Tibet
The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) in Dharamsala issued a press statement outlining its position on followers of the Dorje Shugden sect arriving from Tibet. The statement comes after Dharamsala police last month ordered a group of newly-arrived Tibetan youths, followers of Dorje Shugden, to leave Dharamsala within a specified time. CTA state that the sect is backed by the PRC regime and is opposed to the Dalai Lama. It has also reported that that the expelled boys had attended a two-month religious training course at a Shugden cult centre in Nepal before entering India. According to the CTA: “In order to undermine the peace and harmony within the Tibetan people, China provides political and financial support to Shugden worshippers in Tibet, India and Nepal in particular, and in general, across the globe”. The Dalai Lama has advised the Tibetan people against the practice of propitiating a spirit, known as Dorjee Shugden or Dholgyal. He said that these practices foster religious intolerance and lead to the degeneration of Buddhism into a cult of spirit worship.