The Dalai Lama And The King Demon

A triple homicide committed a few hundred yards away from the residence in exile of the Dalai Lama opens the doors to an unknown universe for Superintendent Rajeev Kumar Singh of the Indian police. He goes over every step of the crime and identifies its perpetrators as members of an exclusive cult dedicated to a demonic spirit with fearsome earthly powers. The chief suspects include the leading figures of a society devoted to the cult of Gyalpo Shugden, whose headquarters are to be found in the heart of Delhi’s Tibetan exile neighborhood. Raimondo Bultrini, an investigative journalist, decides to open a new trail by reconstructing the mystical aspect of the events. The Dalai Lama himself, determined to combat the sectarian outlook fostered in the name of the "king demon" by a group within the clergy of the Gelukpa school of Tibetan Buddhism, reveals to Bultrini hitherto secret religious and historical details regarding the impact of the cult. Recent events and developments seem to bear out his perspective, since many Gyalpo Shugden followers have found common ground with the Chinese authorities. The links between these renegade lamas and the Communist regime are becoming stronger, creating an alliance aimed at removing all traces of the Dalai Lama’s lineage from Tibet’s future. This is the first major exposé of this intriguing struggle at the heart of the mysticism and politics surrounding the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan quest for freedom.

The first authoritative biography of the Dalai Lama--a story by turns inspiring and shocking--from an acclaimed Tibetan scholar with exceptional access to his subject. The Dalai Lama's message of peace and compassion resonates with people of all faiths and none. Yet, for all his worldwide fame, he remains personally elusive. At last Alexander Norman--acclaimed Oxford-trained scholar of the history of Tibet--delivers the definitive, unique, unforgettable biography. The Dalai Lama recounts an astonishing odyssey from isolated Tibetan village to worldwide standing as spiritual and political leader of one of the world's most profound and complex cultural traditions. Norman reveals that, while the Dalai Lama has never been comfortable with his political position, he has been a canny player--at one time CIA-backed--who has maneuvered amidst pervasive violence, including placing himself at the center of a dangerous Buddhist schism. Yet even more surprising than the political, Norman convinces, is the Dalai Lama's astonishing spiritual practice, rooted in magic, vision, and prophecy--details of which are illuminated in this book for the first time. A revelatory life story of one of today's most radical, charismatic, and beloved world leaders.

Many visitors attending public talks and teachings of the Dalai Lama have been shocked to encounter nearby crowds of angry protesters, people dressed in Tibetan Buddhist monastic robes, proclaiming the Dalai Lama to be a "liar," "hypocrite," "dictator," etc., and accusing him of robbing them of their religious freedom. Dolgyal Shugden: A History reveals with clear evidence, how these protests have been organized by a Tibetan monk, Kelsang Gyatso, and have been coordinated and populated by his followers, members of his "New Kadampa Tradition." It also provides in depth research to show how, though the demonstrations purport to object to the Dalai Lama's repudiation of their worship of the Dolgyal Shugden, considered by most Tibetans to be a mundane, somewhat demonic spirit, their main aim is simply to attack the Dalai Lama by damaging his reputation, in parallel with the present Chinese government's worldwide attempts to do the same. This book seeks to clarify the ignorance and misconceptions surrounding the Dolgyal Shugden spirit cult and its relationship with the Dalai Lamas of Tibet, and goes on to further analyze the record and development of the schismatic New Kadampa Tradition, unveiling the cultic structures and dogmas, the financial mechanisms, the international affiliations, and the driving motivations of its leadership that keep it running and expanding its missionary activities.

A major new work in modern Tibetan history, this book follows the evolution of Tibetan Buddhism's trülku (reincarnation) tradition from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries, along with the Emperor of China's efforts to control its development. By illuminating the political aspects of the trülku institution, Schwieger shapes a broader history of the relationship between the Dalai Lama and the Emperor of China, as well as a richer understanding of the Qing Dynasty as an Inner Asian empire, the modern fate of the Mongols, and current Sino-Tibetan relations. Unlike other pre-twentieth-century Tibetan histories, this volume rejects hagiographic texts in favor of diplomatic, legal, and social sources held in the private, monastic, and bureaucratic archives of old Tibet. This approach draws a unique portrait of Tibet's rule by reincarnation while shading in peripheral tensions in the Himalayas, eastern Tibet, and China. Its perspective fully captures the extent to which the emperors of China controlled the institution of the Dalai Lamas, making a groundbreaking contribution to the past and present history of East Asia.

"The Taming of the Demons" examines mythic and ritual themes of violence, demon taming, and blood sacrifice in Tibetan Buddhism. Taking as its starting point Tibet's so-called age of fragmentation (842 to 986 C.E.), the book draws on previously unstudied manuscripts discovered in the "library cave" near Dunhuang, on the old Silk Road. These ancient documents, it argues, demonstrate how this purportedly inactive period in Tibetan history was in fact crucial to the Tibetan assimilation of Buddhism, and particularly to the spread of violent themes from tantric Buddhism into Tibet at the local and the popular levels. Having shed light on this "dark age" of Tibetan history, the second half of the book turns to how, from the late tenth century onward, the period came to play a vital symbolic role in Tibet, as a violent historical "other" against which the Tibetan Buddhist tradition defined itself.

Religions are at their core about creating certainty. But what happens when groups lose control of their destiny? Whether it leads to violence, or to nonviolent innovations, as found in minority religions following the death of their founders or leaders, uncertainty and insecurity can lead to great change in the mission and even teachings of religious groups. This book brings together an international range of contributors to explore the uncertainty faced by new and minority religious movements as well as non-religious fringe groups. The groups considered in the book span a range of religious traditions (Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam), old and new spiritual formations such as esotericism, New Age and organized new religious movements, as well as non-religious movements including the straight edge movement and the British Union of Fascists. The chapters deal with a variety of contexts, from the UK and US, to Japan and Egypt, with others discussing global movements. While all the authors deal with twentieth- and twenty-first-century movements and issues, several focus explicitly on historical cases or change over time. This wide-ranging, yet cohesive volume will be of great interest to scholars of minority religious movements and non-religious fringe groups working across religious studies, sociology and social psychology.

Why the "life story" of the Dalai Lama? It is a story of one man taking on an empire, calling for truth, peace, and justice for his Tibetan people. Here, in full color for the first time, people can come to know the whole drama of his lifelong struggle. Since the age of 15, the Dalai Lama has defended his people against one of the last great empires, the People’s Republic of China. Under its "dictatorship of the proletariat," China began to invade Tibet in 1950, decimating and then continually oppressing its people. Since colonialism cannot be practiced in our era of self-determined nations, China always maintains that the Tibetans are a type of Chinese, using propaganda and military power to crush Tibet’s unique culture and identity. Yet the Dalai Lama resists by using only the weapon of truth—along with resolute nonviolence—even worrying some of his own people by seeking dialogue and reconciliation based on his more realistic vision. The great 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet has become the first global Dalai Lama, a prominent transnational leader of all who want to make the dramatic changes actually necessary for life on earth to thrive for centuries to come. Considered the incarnation of the Buddhist savior Chenrezig or Avalokiteshvara—archangel of universal compassion—he is believed to appear in many forms, at many different times, whenever and wherever beings suffer. Representing the plight of his beloved Tibetan people to the world, he has also engaged with all people who suffer oppression and injustice, as recognized in 1989 by his being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Most importantly, the Dalai Lama walks his talk throughout these pages, as he has throughout his life, and he radiates a powerful hope that we can and will prevail. Man of Peace presents the inside story of his amazing life and vision, in the high tension of the military occupation of Tibet and the ongoing genocide of its people—a moving work of political and historical nonfiction brought to life in the graphic novel form—here for all to see.