Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, May 11: One of the largest Buddhist monastic institutions in exile, Drepung Gomang Monastery, in an unprecedented move, has unanimously passed a resolution expelling Gelug Member of Parliament Geshe Lharampa Atuk Tseten from the monastery’s administrative and welfare association, citing repeated breaches of monastic discipline, disregard for pledges, and conduct deemed detrimental to the reputation of the monastic community and the broader Tibetan religious establishment. The monastery also directed that any monk from the particular monastery seeking to enter politics must resign from the monastery or face similar disciplinary action.
The resolution was adopted and signed by 28 senior religious heads during a high-level meeting convened on Sunday at the monastery’s main assembly hall. The gathering was attended by the Abbot, senior monastic officials, members of the incoming administration, Administrative office of Drepung Gomang monastery and delegates from all sixteen khangtsens (regional houses) of the monastery.
According to the monastery’s official statement, the first resolution directly addressed MP Atuk Tseten’s conduct in relation to commitments he had previously made before Drepung’s leadership. The monastery alleged that despite taking a formal oath earlier this year, he subsequently violated those pledges through his public remarks and actions.
The controversy traces back to an pronouncement delivered by the state oracle Nechung on December 27, which accused Gelug MPs Geshe Lharampa Atuk Tseten and Geshe Lharampa Gowo Lobsang Phende of making divisive remarks, engaging in sectarian conduct, and speaking disrespectfully about senior religious figures associated with His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Following the state oracle’s pronouncement, Drepung Lachi — the monastery’s highest administrative body — summoned the two parliamentarians on January 19 and urged them to acknowledge their alleged mistakes, repent, and pledge not to repeat such conduct in the future. On January 20, the two MPs reportedly submitted written declarations pledging never to make defamatory remarks against His Holiness the Dalai Lama, even at the cost of their lives.
However, Drepung Gomang Monastery stated that during the final session of the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile held in March, MP Atuk Tseten publicly revived the issue and questioned the authenticity of the Nechung oracle pronouncement, describing it as false and unacceptable. The monastery further accused him of making baseless allegations against senior aides of His Holiness the Dalai Lama as well as against the Nechung oracle medium.
The statement asserted that such actions amounted to an attempt to sow division between the Ganden Phodrang institution and the Tibetan public, while simultaneously undermining the authority and disciplinary foundations of the major monastic institutions. It further claimed that his conduct had harmed the dignity and reputation of the monastery and demonstrated a conscious disregard for both Buddhist disciplinary principles and the monastery’s internal regulations, leading to his expulsion.
In a second major resolution, the monastery announced that monks under the jurisdiction of Drepung Gomang Monastery would henceforth be prohibited from contesting political elections. Citing earlier guidance from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the monastery noted that while monks retain the personal freedom to vote or support candidates, they are advised to refrain from direct involvement in partisan politics and electoral office.
The resolution further stated that any monk wishing to enter electoral politics in the future must first formally resign from the monastery’s disciplinary and administrative structure. Failure to do so, it warned, would be treated as voluntary withdrawal from the monastery.
A third resolution reaffirmed the monastery’s loyalty to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Ganden Phodrang institution, stating that any individual found engaging in defamatory speech or baseless accusations against them would similarly face expulsion from the monastery.
Alongside the resolutions, the monastery also released a detailed 15-page explanatory document outlining the background and justification for its decisions.
Attempts by Phayul to contact the administrative office of Drepung Gomang Monastery and MP Atuk Tseten for comment through telephone went unanswered at the time of publishing this news report.
When politicians play games with people, this is what happens! There is no evidence whatsoever that Geshe Atruk Tseten and Geshe Gowo Lobsang Phende “blasphemed the Dalai Lama or made communal remarks” as the spokesperson of the Nechung oracle Dorje made! It was a deliberate attempt to malign the two Geluk chitues who are representing thousands of Geluk monks and nuns across India, Nepal and Bhutan. The reason why this incident arose is simply becuase the Dharamsala authorities beginning from Samdhong Rinpoche attempted to stifle the voice of the Tibetan independence advocates! They were maligned and discredited by successive leaders. Needlessly to say, all this is done to curry favour from the Chinese communist regime to whom Tibetan independence, Hong Kong or Taiwan independence is like a red rag to the bull! Atruk himself is said to be a Middle way supporter but Geshe Gowo Phende is a staunch Tibetan independence seeker! However, it must have been difficult for Nechung Dorje to single out Gowo Phende so Atruk became a collateral damage in this bizarre drama of political intrigue and subterfuge. Gowo had said early on that he supported the Dalai Lama’s 1988 Strasbourg Proposal but not the ones advocated by SR and his followers. The accusation of “blaspheming the Dalai Lama” was obviously linked to this statement since there is no other statement whatsoever that has anything to do with such serious accusations. It is important to note that Gowo clearly stated that he accepts the Dalai Lama’s version. So, how can you accuse him of blasphemy? Even so under pressure from the high ups, they were forced to apologise for something they never did just to give a semblance of righting the alleged wrongs for the gallery! Incensed by the unjust accusations and suffering humiliation as a result, Atruk could not bear to hide his displeasure and talked about it in the parliament begrudgingly March this year! This has caused the Gomang Dratsang to expel him accusing him of back-peddling his “solemn pledge”, bordering upon “insincerity”! This will not go down well and will create more chaos. According to the rules of the monastic discipline (Vinaya sutra), a monk automatically loses his right to remain in the monastery if he infringes on the four cardinal offences: murder, sexual intercourse, stealing/theft and telling a lie claiming to have clairvoyance etc. Every monk or nun knows this and Buddha has laid down strict rules for every offence but non is deemed serious enough to warrant expulsion other than the afore mentioned injunctions. The Gomang Dratsang mentions that he was expelled because of ཁྱིམ་པ་སུན་འབྱིན་གྱི་ལས་ (causing the scorn of lay people). Anybody who knows the rules of the vinaya sutra, would be highly amused by such statements! There is no provision to expel monks/ nuns from their monastery under such flimsy injunctions! This is plainly a politically motivated action to suck up to the authorities and sanctify it by maligning the character of Geshe Atruk without solid evidence!