The Western Shugden Society (or WSS) is a campaigning group established in 2008 to protest against the 14th Dalai Lama's ban of the practice of Dorje Shugden within the Tibetan exile community.
When talking to the Western media, the Dalai Lama stated that "he had not advocated a ban, but he had stopped the worship of the spirit because it was not Buddhist in nature." When talking to Tibetans, he said: "These monks must be expelled from all monasteries. If they are not happy, you can tell them that the Dalai Lama himself asked that this be done, and it is very urgent."
Dorje Shugden is a Dharma Protector of the Sakya and Gelug traditions, who has been worshipped for over three hundred years. The WSS state that they are an organized community of Dorje Shugden practitioners from around the world, with no leader and no registered office. Critics have suggested that the WSS is not a legitimate organization, but rather an effort by the Chinese government to discredit the Dalai Lama.
Read more about Western Shugden Society: Background, Aims, Activities, Western Shugden Society and The New Kadampa Tradition, Perception of The Protests By Others Within The Buddhist Community, Response To The Protests By Third Parties, Other Groups Protesting The Ban On Dorje Shugden, See Also
Famous quotes containing the words western and/or society:
“O western orb sailing the heaven,
Now I know what you must have meant as a month since I walked,
As I walked in silence the transparent shadowy night,”
—Walt Whitman (1819–1892)
“A society that presumes a norm of violence and celebrates aggression, whether in the subway, on the football field, or in the conduct of its business, cannot help making celebrities of the people who would destroy it.”
—Lewis H. Lapham (b. 1935)