The ongoing controversy about the Karmapa being played out in all sections of the Indian media seems to me symptomatic of a relentless, and at times mindless, pursuit of ‘scoops’.
Have any of those making dark insinuations about the Karmapa’s Chinese links considered the following:
1. Lay Tibetans traditionally offer money to their lamas when they visit them. This was a way of the laity participating in the upkeep of monasteries and nunneries, and monks and nuns who were not actively engaged in the job of earning a living. The Karmapa appears to have a following in, among other places, Taiwan and mainland China. Tibetans from inside Tibet too try and visit Dharamsala to meet His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Karmapa. The currency they have is the Yuan.
2. Why is there no mention of the fact that the present Karmapa has a rival because of the complex nature of recognising reincarnates in Tibetan Buddhism?
3. The present Karmapa has widely been seen as a ‘successor’ to the Dalai Lama’s role as an important leader of the international Tibetan movement for autonomy. His Holiness the Dalai Lama has been grooming and guiding him for such a possible role in the future. The government of the People’s Republic of China would like for him to emerge as a tainted figure, something they have tried to do quite unsuccessfully with His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Obviously, the issue is a complicated one, and I have no intention of supporting any illegality. But I do feel the media in India should try and analyse all available facts, and the complexities involved, before casting aspersions that can be potentially damaging not just to an individual but an entire community and its struggle.
I like this post, it points out interesting things to contemplate before jumping to conclusions