31/10/2015
Clarification of Thupten Choeling Sangha, regarding His Holiness Trulshik Rinpoche
The following is a clarification from the sangha community of Thupten Do‐Ngak Choeling, Solukhumbu, Regarding the Yangsi (tulku) of our Root Guru, His Holiness, the late master Trulshik Rinpoche:
This letter is addressed to the public: all discerning persons, ordained and lay people alike:
This letter is to bring to light a situation regarding the Yangsi of His Holiness the late and venerable Trulshik Rinpoche.
Point One: During the fourth week following His Holiness’s parinirvana, a party of three representatives from the monastery went to seek audience with the All‐Knowing One, His Holiness the Dalai Lama to request advice. These three people were, Solpon‐la, Tulku Pema Wangyal Rinpoche, and one monk from the monastery. His Holiness said to them,
“Since I am also one of His disciples, I have a responsibility here. Out of all the equal candidates for recognition, there will come one yangsi who is unusual and who stands out from the rest.”
His Holiness the Dalai Lama also said that it would be best if the search for His Holiness’s Tulku was undertaken via a special committee, set up by the monastery and attended by all the monks and nuns from the monastery.
Later, Solpon‐la and his sibling did not do as His Holiness the Dalai Lama had instructed. Instead, they proceeded in utter secrecy, completely hiding what they were doing from everyone, including the high Lamas connected to His Holiness Trulshik Rinpoche as foremost disciples, and the sponsors, people, and other disciples at the monastery. Not only did Solpon‐la not mention a word to anyone; he did not even give any slight indication that he was all this time making arrangements of his own. On top of this complete withholding of communication, every so often people would ask him about any updates regarding the search for His Holiness’s Yangsi, and he kept evading the question and postponing the issue. Ultimately he had already garnered a letter of recognition supposedly from the Minling Dungsay Rinpoche, which listed the names of Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche, Dilgo Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche, and [Bhutanese] Dudjom Yangsi Rinpoche and used these as confirmations (of support). He submitted the letter to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and thus managed to deceive the Omniscient One himself into having no choice but to endorse the recognition.
Point Two: Afterwards, Solpon‐la made a public announcement to all the students, citing the supposed letter from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, which he claimed was His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s writing, and informing everyone that the Yangsi of His Holiness Trulshik Rinpoche had been found and recognized. All of the students were in total shock, completely amazed, befuddled, and confused. Not a single student expressed any joy or excitement at the announcement. Everyone just sat there, somber‐faced. The following day, Solpon‐la said that eight monks and eight nuns from the monastery must go to Dharmasala to be present for the formal hair‐cutting ceremony, where His Holiness was to cut the first tuft of the tulku’s hair. Not a single person wanted to go, so immediately, Solpon‐la left for Kathmandu. The sangha convened a meeting and everyone decided to confidentially write their names and put their thumbprint on a page stating whether each has faith and trust in the Yangsi arranged by Solpon‐la or not. When the names were collected, everyone unanimously felt no faith or trust in this Yangsi selection. The decision was made that further clarification must happen and that His Holiness the Dalai Lama must be informed of the situation, so the sangha called Solpon‐la, who told them to wait a few days. But after this, the sangha tried to reach Solpon‐la multiple times, and he refused to answer any of the calls. Finally, Minling Khenpo persisted in trying to reach him, and Solpon‐la picked up the phone. He said to wait before going to Dharamsala, and that he would quickly come to Thupten Choeling. When he showed up, the whole monastery met and addressed our concerns and doubts. But when we expressed the wish to inquire to His Holiness the Dalai Lama about the validity of the Yangsi recognition, Solpon‐la said,
‘From our side, the unmistaken Yangsi has already been found and identified. But if you have doubts, we can go together to see His Holiness.’ After this, the sangha convened a meeting, and everyone agreed to send five monks and five nuns from the monastery as representatives to go to Dharamsala and present their petition to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. They traveled along with the signed and thumb‐printed letter as well as offerings and even though they came all that way to request advice, they were not granted a private audience with His Holiness, which was a very sad and unfortunate turn of events.
Point 3: In dependence on the situations outlined above, the entire monastery of Dzarong Thubten Do‐Ngag Choeling felt a complete and total lack of faith or belief in the tulku of Solpon‐la’s choosing. From our hearts, we could not believe this to be the one.
Point 4: The reason why all of the students from Solukhumbu were temporarily camped in Kathmandu is because of the following reasons: After the representatives returned from Dharamsala, everyone saw the video recording of His Holiness the Dalai Lama performing the hair cutting ceremony on the tulku Solpon‐la had chosen. In the video, His Holiness the Dalai Lama seems displeased, and his whole general expression is awkward. Glaringly odd was the fact that His Holiness didn’t really talk or say anything about the enlightened activities or the biography of the late Trulshik Rinpoche. All of these indications made everyone further unsettled. Everyone was panged with this suffering. On top of the horrific fact that the entire Sangha and student body of the monastery felt no faith or trust in the selected tulku, we heard that Solpon‐la was planning to bring this tulku to Thubten Do‐Ngag Choeling. When we heard this, everyone was very scared, that, in the future, there would be the danger of breaking our samaya as a sangha because of this very serious and devastating event. It was in order to avoid further conflict that everyone had no choice but to leave Solukhumbu monastery. When this decision was made, Solpon‐la briefly showed up at Thubten Choeling, and implored us not to leave, saying,
“Don’t listen to what some people are saying, it’s best if you stay here at the monastery.”
But nobody listened to Solpon‐la, and everyone left. When everyone from the monastery was migrating outward in Kathmandu, the other monasteries, the Sherpa sponsors, the local people, and representatives from the T**a region and so forth, all earnestly begged the Sangha to return to Solukhumbu and wanted to know the reason why they had all vacated the monastery. The sangha replied that we will only return if Solpon‐la agrees to give us Thupten Do‐Ngag Choeling monastery and the surrounding area cleanly and without strings attached. So everyone emphatically spoke to Solpon‐la, who agreed to give the entire Thubten Do‐Ngag Choeling back to the Sangha. Right away, in order to ensure the preservation of His Holiness, the late venerable Trulshik Rinpoche’s vinaya lineage of sutra and teachings of mantra, as well as the entire congregation of the sangha of disciples, again, everyone returned back to the monastery, and at this moment, are currently engaged in the Yar‐ne, the summer retreat.
This letter has been written by the entire monastic community
at Dzarong Thubten Do‐Ngag Choeling, Solukhumbu
