TO His Eminence Shamar Rinpoche
Rumtek, Sikkim
1 August 1993
Rinpoche
We the undersigned have been the devoted sponsors of His Holiness the Karmapa. As you know, we have been also the devoted sponsors of yourself and the other three regents, as well as of other
Rinpoches and the monk body. You will recall that each of us, here undersigned, have contributed our share, physically as well. as financially, each according to our abilities since 1959 when His Holiness
the XVIth Gyalwa Karmapa escaped, from Tibet. At that time we were only very joyous when His Holiness chose to take asylum in Sikkim. During these difficult years of the early 60's it was we, the Sikkimese
sponsors, who helped to establish the Rumtek Dharma Chakra Centre. Those who could made offerings in cash, others in kind, such as rice and vegetables, while some of us actually carried stones, soil, cement
and rods. All of this you are aware of.
Yesterday, on 2nd of August, we came to Rumtek Dharma Chakra Centre to offer our prayers on the holy occasion of Yarne (summer retreat session) and to
take blessing from the two regents, their eminences Tai Situ Rinpoche and Goshir Gyaltsap Rinpoche. Upon arrival we found the Monastery dukhang (main shrine) locked and the two regents with the monks from
the shedra (Nalanda Institute) seated on the cold floor outside the monastery and conducting the Yarney ceremonies there. The monks from the monastery had barricaded themselves inside the kitchen dining
hall. When we, the sponsors, requested them to open the doors, they hurled bricks and logs at us. some of them were even carrying knives and meat choppers. Let it be clearly noted that we had nothing in our
hands except white scarves, Let it also be clearly noted that the Sikkim Home Secretary, the Ecclesiastical Secretary and police officers were all witnesses to it. When these monks hurled stoned,
bricks, etc, at us there were children and babies amongst us. One further point to be noted clearly is that amongst the monks who barricaded themselves inside were thirty to forty monks below the age of ten
years who were forced to indulge in these unlawful activities. No doubt if we had also retaliated these monks would have been injured and sacrificed to cater to the wishes of the troublemaking monks.
It is
clear to us that this whole trouble took place because of the decision you made which was biased. The monks from the monastery took such action because you have planted the seeds of discord and then
vanished, You didn't try to bring harmony between the shed[r]a monks and the monastery monks. You threatened to fail the monks of the shed[r]a and then summarily dismissed them on the pretext of holiday
while you know full well that in the constitution of the Nalanda Institute, on Page 5, it is clearly written, according to the wishes or the XVIth Karmapa that the monks of the shedra and the monks of the
monastery will attend the Yarney summer retreat session together.
If you have advised not to hold the summer retreat for both the monks of the shedra and monastery it would have been a more impartial
act. By victimizing the monks of Nalanda Institute, you have shown yourself to be unworthy and biased. Furthermore, the m[o]nks of the monastery closed down the monastery in order to prevent the shed[r]a
monks from attending the summer retreat. Subsequently, the Nalanda monks began their retreat, which has never to date been canceled or unattended. Even the two regents along with the monks of the shed[r]a
sat on the cold floor to begin the proceedings of the summer retreat while the monks of the monastery did not take part. This is like cutting one's nose to spite the face. We hold you responsible for this
break in this annual summer retreat ceremony. Thus you have actually disobeyed the instructions of your Root His Holiness the XVIth Karmapa You have also failed to obey your Root Guru by not handing over the
keys and the tiles of the Nalanda institute to his eminence Tai Situ Rinpoche when your term of Chief Principal expired. According to the instructions of His Holiness, the four regents were to take turns for
three years each as the Chief Principal.
We have also witnessed the monastery monks all the time loitering between your residence and the monastery, while no prayers were conducted in the main Dukhang. You
have instigated and abetted them in acts of violence, bringing much more disgrace since they wear the robes of the Buddha.
During the Tibetan New Year too, there was disharmony. You have in all these years
rarely attended the Mahakala Puja, which is an important event in the Rumtek calendar. Under your instructions even the most important ritual dance of Mahakala was canceled, [th]us breaking all norms and
traditions of the monastery,
We are aware of all the lies that have been fed to the innocent Westerners by you and your people, You actually brought the army, fully armed, into the monastery last year and
then tried to blame others for it, We Sikkimese are gentle people by nature. Until now we have maintained patience because we have been ashamed to proclaim to the world that one of our high lamas has gone
berserk seeking power. As we have seen the monastery literally crumbling before us our patience has become exhausted. We remind you that you are in Sikkim only as our guest tolerated by us only because we
respect robes, even when they are worn by an ambitious person.
We are for Karmapa and only for Karmapa, As far as we are concerned, Karmapa is already in his principal seat in Tibet and when the time comes
we, the Sikkimese people will bring him to his seat in Rumtek, All your efforts to cause disharmony in Sikkim are useless. The Rumtek Dharma Chakra Centre does not belong to you and we do not acknowledge
your pretence to authority here. That you have managed to make us, the gentle people of Sikkim write such a letter to you is and indication of the shame we feel in witnessing your activity that has brought
ridicule to the Karma Kamtsang tradition in particular and to Buddhist Dharma in general.
Yours undersigned,
(217 signatures of members of the Sikkim Buddhist community were appended)
