c. 1998 Religion News Service

NEWYORK _ Thanks to his Nobel Peace Prize, prominent supporters and some Hollywood movies, the Dalai Lama _ Tibet’s exiled spiritual and political leader _ has become an increasingly familiar face in the United States.

He’s become so familiar, in fact, that his image currently appears with the likes of Albert Einstein and Bob Dylan in an Apple Computers ad campaign.

But the scene outside Tibet House here Monday (May 5) was anything but familiar to Americans who generally know the Dalai Lama only as a smiling spiritual leader arguing against continued Chinese rule over Tibet.

Some 50 demonstrators _ most of them Buddhist monks and nuns dressed in traditional maroon and yellow robes _ waved banners and signs accusing the Dalai Lama of lying and curbing religious freedom among Tibetan Buddhists.

The demonstrators, most of them Westerners, chanted in English for peace and happiness, but they were clearly angry. When the Dalai Lama’s vehicle sped away from the building, where he had been attending a dedication ceremony for a new Tibetan cultural center, the crowd applauded.

The protesters’ dispute with the Dalai Lama stems from his 1996 decision ordering followers to discontinue a meditation practice centered on a protector diety known as Dorje Shugden, who is generally depicted as a fierce, sword-brandishing warrior.

Supporters of the practice say Dorje Shugden is a”dharmapala,”a benevolent diety who helps them develop love and compassion.

The Dalai Lama, who until the mid-1970s engaged in the practice himself, says Dorje Shugden encourages sectarianism and is an inappropriate form of spirit worship. He no longer allows those who engage in Shugden practice to receive his teachings or participate in certain Tibetan Buddhist ceremonies.

Shugden practitioners say they will demonstrate against the Dalai Lama throughout his current 15-day American tour, which includes stops in Boston, Atlanta, and Madison, Wis., and ends May 13.

Historically, Dorje Shugden has been a guardian diety of the Gelugpa, one of four sects of Tibetan Buddhists and the one to which the Dalai Lama belongs. A protector of spiritual purity, Dorje Shugden is said to guard the sect against mixing its practices or beliefs with those of other sects or traditions.

Tricycle magazine, a Buddhist publication, reported recently that the Dalai Lama began in 1976 to publicly discourage Shugden practice _ reportedly on the advice of the Tibetan state oracle _ as dangerous to Buddhism, Buddhist practitioners and Tibet.

But while the Dalai Lama and many of his Western followers have sought to downplay the role of god-like spirit figures and the presence of sectarian rivalries in Buddhism, such conflicts are part of traditional practice for some Tibetan and Western Buddhists.

Kelsang Dekyong, a British-born nun who took a Buddhist name along with her vows and has engaged in Shugden practice for 10 years, said the controversy has completely altered her view of the Dalai Lama.”Years ago, I went to his teachings,”she said.”But now I believe he’s lost his way. I don’t see him as a holy person anymore, rather as a political leader.” Deirdre Loftus, a Jamaican-born Buddhist living in Boston, said she has engaged in Shugden practice for eight years.”Initially, when the Dalai Lama said this practice was harmful, I questioned myself,”she said.”But it simply is not. I don’t understand why he is against it. In the end, the questioning has only made my practice stronger.” Dorje Shugden supporters allege coercion and abuse by the Tibetan government-in-exile against those who continue the practice.

However, most Shugden practitioners are not nearly as vocal in their criticism as were Monday’s protesters. Tricycle said Dorje Shugden worship remains widespread among many Tibetans who would never publicly contradict the Dalai Lama, who occupies an exalted position as a symbol of the campaign for Tibetan autonomy from Chinese rule.

In an official statement, the Office of Tibet _ the Tibetan exile government’s international agency _ acknowledged that Shugden worship has been prohibited in government agencies and government-supported monasteries. It also condemned violence resulting from the dispute and said a special commission had been created to look into the allegations of abuse.

Early last year, a prominent monk who opposed Shugden practice and two of his students were murdered in Dharamsala, the Tibetan exile capital in India.

Early press reports linked Shugden practitioners to the killings, but Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, a Tibetan monk now living in England and a leading proponent of Shugden worship, has denounced the killings in strong terms.

Indian police and Interpol are still searching for the killers, who they believe may have fled into Chinese-occupied Tibet.

END NEUBERG