Controversy
Rumtek was at the centre of the Karmapa controversy with a lengthy battle being played out in the Indian courts. Two rival organisations, both supporting different candidates for the 17th Karmapa claimed stewardship of the monastery and its contents. The two organisations are the Karmapa Charitable Trust (supporting Trinley Thaye Dorje) and the Tsurphu Labrang (supporting Ogyen Trinley Dorje).
Neither candidate resides at Rumtek since monks supporting Trinley Thaye Dorje were thrown out of Rumtek by Ogyen Trinley Dorje's followers. Since 1992, the monastery has been the site of pitched battles between monks supporting one candidate or the other. The Shamarpa, who supports Trinley Thaye Dorje, even claims that a sniper tried to assassinate him there. Armed Indian soldiers still patrol the monastery to prevent further sectarian violence.
Read more about this topic: Rumtek Monastery
Famous quotes containing the word controversy:
“And therefore, as when there is a controversy in an account, the parties must by their own accord, set up for right Reason, the Reason of some Arbitrator, or Judge, to whose sentence, they will both stand, or their controversy must either come to blows, or be undecided, for want of a right Reason constituted by Nature; so is it also in all debates of what kind soever.”
—Thomas Hobbes (1579–1688)
“Ours was a highly activist administration, with a lot of controversy involved ... but I’m not sure that it would be inconsistent with my own political nature to do it differently if I had it to do all over again.”
—Jimmy Carter (James Earl Carter, Jr.)