|
"Yabyum" No. 2 - Edi
Goetschel - November 1999
"Berner Zeitung" - Hans
Peter Roth - April 1999
"Die Woche" - Mark Spörrle
and Torsten Engelhardt - 19 March 1999
"Yabyum" No. 2 - Edi Goetschel -
November 1999
Reasonable
Doubt
In
the west, Tibetan Buddhism is considered a paragon of peaceableness, Tantra
as the essence of "holy sex". The book, "The Shadow of the
Dalai Lama" by Victor and Victoria Trimondi, presents a completely
different picture. They explain the most important elements of their
critique to YABYUM: the militant power politics of the Dalai Lama, sexual
magic, and misogyny.
YABYUM:
Your critical discussion of the Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhism, and the
associated politics fills a bulky tome of over 800 pages. What motivated
you to examine the problematic in this breadth and depth.
Victor
and Victoria Trimondi: Five years ago, when we began the research for our
cultural historical book we had a thoroughly positive attitude toward
Tibetan Buddhism. Like very many people, we believed that the Dalai Lama
expressed with courage and conviction a majority of the social cum
political and individual values which were also close to our hearts:
peaceableness, compassion for all suffering creatures, the overcoming of
class and racial barriers, ecological awareness, individual freedom, the
transcending of the concept of ‘enemy’, a sense of community, social
engagement, inter-religious dialog, a meeting of cultures and much more.
But we were
especially attracted to Tantrism, the actual heart of Tibetan Buddhism.
Here it appeared was a religion, which at last took the equality of the
sexes seriously, and rather than banishing erotic love from the sacred
realm placed it at its very center.
But it was not
just the history of ideas which united us with the Fourteenth Dalai Lama.
As a publisher I have published books of his, and have organized several
symposia and major events for him. In 1982 I brought him from Paris to the
Frankfurt Book Fair in a small propeller-driven aircraft. The plane was
caught in a storm and began to toss wildly. All the passengers grew pale,
including the Dalai Lama. Such moments in life generate bonds, and a
relaxed friendship developed.
We were
particularly taken with His Holiness’s religious tolerance. The Fourteenth
Dalai Lama never urged people to abandon their inherited religion and join
Buddhism. In contrast he strongly warned against a change of religion and
repeatedly stressed that it was a person’s clear duty to go over any belief
which he or she wanted to take on with a fine-tooth comb, to approach it
with total skepticism and a completely critical spirit and only then make a
decision.
YABYUM:
And that’s what you did?
Victor
and Victoria Trimondi: This is exactly what we have done! With the
intention of discovering in Tibetan Buddhism a spiritual teaching able to
offer answers and solutions to the problems of the world, we studied the
foundations of Buddhism, the Tantric texts, the history of Tantrism, and
the biographies of earlier Tantrics, but above all we got down to the
problem of the history of Tibet, the Dalai Lamas and the politics of the
Tibetans in exile.
The results
were more than sobering, and led to a total revision of our previous
attitude. Instead of a peaceful and tolerant culture we discovered a
warlike and aggressive one; instead of a positive attitude towards women and
sexual equality we came to know a system which took the oppression and
exploitation of women to new refined heights. The repression of dissidents,
despotism, intolerance, a boundless obsession with power, the use of
demonization and fear as political instruments, contempt for everything
human – we were forced to recognize everything we had never expected in the
texts, rituals and history of this religion.
At times the
recognition of the shady side of Tibetan Buddhism was accompanied by a
sense of personal crisis for us – since it meant taking leave of a highly
valued person, a spiritual role-model and a personal friend.
YABYUM:
How did you proceed in your investigations?
Victor
and Victoria Trimondi: By now there is a substantial amount of source
material available on Tibetan Buddhism in many European languages. A
majority of the higher and highest tantras have been translated worldwide
by the most highly qualified Tibetologists, and in many cases confirmed by
English-speaking lamas. Methodologically, we did not limit ourselves to a
classic textual criticism. That was never our intention, as we wanted to
write a work of cultural criticism and depth psychology, not a
Tibetological treatment. Because – as is not at all well known – Tibetan
Buddhism is a mythological system it is not sufficient to simply describe
the system.
In terms of
method we have been influenced by one of the basic principles of modern
ethnology. Ethnologists of the most varied persuasions are in consensus
that to understand a myth, to grasp its "logic", one has to come
under the influence of the myth, without allowing oneself to become
entranced. Only then can the meaning of a myth be translated into academic
language.
YABYUM:
In your book you bring up various topics for discussion – the militant
Shambhala myth for example, with its final goal of a Buddhocratization of
the world, or the oppression and abuse of women in Tibetan Buddhism. What
significance does the topic of tantra have?
Victor
and Victoria Trimondi: Tantrism concerns a very delicate topic, namely
the role of the sexes in the sacred realm. In all patriarchal religions the
woman has been banished from the mysteries centuries ago. The central
social role, as "priest" or "politician", was on
principle played by a man. The historical Buddha and his original teaching
also show strong androcentric tendencies. At first glance traditional
Tantrism in India and Tibet appears to be different. Yet when we critically
examine the practices recommended there and their symbolic designations, we
soon discover that in most cases we are here dealing with one of the most
refined methods for exploiting the polarity of the sexes, specifically the
woman and the feminine energy, or gynergy.
Yet the
traditional tantras are in no sense exhausted -in terms of their intentions
– as sensual-spiritual techniques for cultivating erotic love between the
sexes and to create an equal unity of both partners, as western
neo-Tantrism so often and so gladly sees them. Rather, the practices include
the sexual magic activation of symbolic fields with a transpersonal i.e., a
theogonic and cosmogonic content. Tantra and power – personal, spiritual,
and political – are thus considered synonyms in every relevant text we know
of. In our book we have described in detail how the connection is made
between tantric sexual magic and politics, between a myth (Shambhala) and a
Buddhocratic apocalyptic vision in the Kalachakra Tantra, the "King of
the Tantras". Whether one takes the effectiveness of such a practice
seriously or not – it ought in any case be rejected since it displays
warlike, cruel, misogynist and despotic traits.
YABYUM:
Critics of your book assert that tantric texts and images have symbolic
meanings and should never be misunderstood to be practical instructions. As
an aside, that would mean that the concepts and exercises of the New Age
tantra were absolute nonsense. What is the basis for your position on this
point?
Victor
and Victoria Trimondi: The Buddhist discussion about the "purely symbolic"
or "real" meaning of the tantra texts is as old as the latter. It
is also completely understandable, since in the exercises of Vajrayana
almost all the ethical directives of the Vinaya Pitaka, the rules of the
order prescribed by Buddha, are broken. Among the breaches of the rules
required is not just sexual intercourse, which is basically forbidden for a
Buddhist monk. The tantras also call for other, very aggressive acts which
can even include a murder.
The discussion
about "symbolic" vs. "real" is also a part of the
Tibetan tradition and, all things considered, it can be said that almost
all important lamas assume a real performance of the sexual practices,
irrespective of whether they themselves have employed such practices or
not. Tsongkapa, the founder of the order of the Yellow Hats, for example,
has a very virtuous image and it is said he never practiced with a real
sexual partner, a mudra. Whether this is true or not aside,
Tsongkapa is in any case the author of important tantric (sexual magic)
commentaries and his statements on the symbol-debate are unequivocal:
"A female partner counts as the basis for the completion of the
liberation".
If you engage
yourself intensively with the material, you very rapidly find out that in
the highest tantras real women are preferred or even prescribed. This
arises from the sense and inner logic of the tantra texts, as described in
detail in our book
YABYUM:
Then how can it be explained that there is such a heated debate about this?
Victor
and Victoria Trimondi: Above all there are two misunderstandings which
have contributed to the purely symbolic interpretation of the tantras: The
exiled Tibetan lamas, led by the Dalai Lama, have demonstratively presented
themselves as celibate monks here in the West. Insofar as this refers to
the renunciation of marriage, it applies only to the Gelug-pa order, the
Yellow Hats, but not for the three other schools, Kagyü-pa, Sakya-pa, and
Nyingma-pa. But in tantric rituals the Gelug-pas also practice with real
mudras. Miranda Shaw cites modern Yellow Hat masters like Lama Yeshe, Geshe
Kelsang Gyatso, and Geshe Dhargyey, who are said to have performed their
rituals with real women. June Campbell has reported on her tantric
relationship to the very famous Kagyü master Kalu Rinpoche. Both women are
Tibetologists and know the system from the inside as former practicing
Buddhists.
The book by the German
lama Anagarika Govinda, "Grundlagen tibetischer Mystik" [Basics
of Tibetan Mysticism], was most decisive for the misunderstanding that the
tantric texts could only have a symbolic meaning. This was a best-seller
which brought many western people into close contact with Tibetan Buddhism
for the first time. Govinda is an almost fanatical advocate of the
"pure symbol thesis" – dakinis as pure soul – and he tries with
great zeal to free Tibetan Buddhism from any "sexual dirt".
YABYUM:
What consequences does your research have for New Age Tantra?
Victor
and Victoria Trimondi: In our book we expressed completely openly that we
have in principle a very positive attitude to the sacralization of
sexuality, as is encouraged in Tantrism in general. On the condition,
however, that both partners before, during, and following the tantric
performance recognize one another as equal poles. This, when we examine the
symbolic world of the various traditional tantra texts, both Buddhist and
Hindu, cannot be guaranteed in any case we know of. Broadly, the schools
can be divided into those with what we call an androcentric direction or
those with a gynocentric one. The Tibetan schools are all androcentric,
even when one practices according to the "Candamaharosana
Tantra", a text that is cited again and again for its positive
attitude to women.
The so-called
"New Age Tantra" attempts to verbally cultivate and maintain the
equality of the partners. But they must be careful not to become the
victims of a misunderstood symbolic world and praxis and thus unconsciously
employ traditional mechanisms of oppression. For example, the ritual
objects, hand gestures (mudras), or mantras employed are often the
methods of a cunning system of energy exploitation, and their naive and
unreflecting adoption by "western" Tantra schools can repeat and
cement the traditional negative development. In addition, New Age Tantra
concentrates too much on the bodily/sexual area – lust and sensuality – and
neglects the intellectual/metaphysical aspect. Yet this has always been a
part of the tantric way. However, it concerns a macro/microcosmic dimension
which can only be understood with knowledge of a "mystic
science".
We also find it
regrettable and limiting that the mental level gets less attention than it
is due in both New Age and traditional Tantra. In our view, a
"mystical union" of the two partners is important and desirable
on a psychological level as well. The unio mystica of the souls is
an event through which both partners can experience their power and beauty.
A meeting of souls should be cultivated, taught, and learnt in the same way
as the physical and metaphysical meeting of man and woman.
It further
concerns the ethical and humane role an enlightened pair ought to play in
society. In precisely the same manner as traditional Tantrism can contain a
meta-social dimension, the problematic side of which we have revealed in
our book, so too "modern Tantrism" ought to assume social-ethical
and humanist responsibility, rather than simply allowing individual peak
experiences. Spirituality obliges - it is a gift which should serve the
harmony of balance in society. Perhaps it is time for "neo-Tantrism"
to abandon its egocentric one-sidedness and serve in the interests of a
cultural renewal.
New Age Tantra
may be, to formulate cautiously, the prototype for a new religious culture
which places the polarity of the sexes in the center. But in our view it
still requires very many additional components in order for a real
"cultural schema" to develop out of this "milieu".
YABYUM:
What consequences are there for Buddhism as a philosophy or religion, which
to many people in the West appears to be currently the only, at any rate
the most attractive, spiritual teaching and lifestyle?
Victor
and Victoria Trimondi: It would take pages to answer this question, since
it requires a very complex reply, especially since it is not a matter of
questioning the entire system, like Colin Goldner certainly does in his
book Dalai Lama: Fall of a God-King.
The first
condition for any improvement is always a critical and open consciousness.
In this connection we would like to cite the following saying of the
historical Buddha: "Your doubts are grounded, Son of Kesa. Hear my
instruction: do not believe traditions [!] because they are old and have
passed through many generations before us; believe nothing on the basis of
rumor or because people talk much of it; do not believe just because you
are shown the written witness of some wise old person; never believe
anything because speculations indicate it, or because old habits lead you
to hold it to be true; believe nothing simply on the authority of your
teacher and minister. That which in your own experience and examination
seems reasonable and serves your health and well-being as it does that of
all other beings, take that to be true, and live accordingly."
(Anguttara Nikara I, 174)
This criticism
– legitimated and required by Buddha – is primarily a matter of discussing
the myths and traditional dogmas as well as the question of whether these
are still compatible with the humanistic political demands of our time. In
this connection a critical discussion of the history of Buddhism, its
historical relation to the state, to war, to the question of the sexes,
etc., is also important. At the start of the new millenium, no religion may
avoid such an investigation. A critical examination of the present is
equally necessary, that is, to be specific, discussion with the living
Tibetan teachers. Only after such a critique has been honestly conducted
should one decide to adopt Tibetan Buddhism as a religion or to let it be.
YABYUM:
What consequences need to be drawn with regard to political engagement for
a free Tibet?
Victor
and Victoria Trimondi: Political engagement for a "free" Tibet
is demanded by neither the Tibetan government in exile nor the Dalai Lama;
instead, according to the Strasbourg Declaration of 1989, it is exclusively
a matter of Tibetan "autonomy" under Chinese administration,
along the lines of the Hong Kong model. Whether such a model is taken
seriously by the Tibetans in exile we cannot say, in all events the
sympathizer scene still runs around with the cry of "Free Tibet"
and does not bother itself much with the decisive difference in
international law between "autonomy" and "sovereignty".
We do not want
to interfere with the Tibetans’ political concept. However, we are
fundamentally opposed to an overemphasis on the nation state, as is
currently once again in fashion everywhere. The Tibetans must decide
honestly for themselves whether they are so oppressed by the Chinese that a
detachment from China is the only way to achieve freedom. In any case
people there ought to come together to emancipate themselves from the
structures of political Lamaism and seek out autonomous ways in the
interest of their people. Women and men from the west should assist them in
this.
Interviewer: Edi Goetschel
Hans Peter Roth - April 1999
"Berner Zeitung"
1. -
BZ: Why does so-called objectivity and unbiased judgment vanish from many
scientific institutes and editorial offices when anybody voices criticism
of the Dalai Lama or Tibetan culture, as you do? Why is it that the Dalai
Lama has up till now been somehow inviolable and barely criticized - not
just among the Tibetans themselves but also in western cultural circles?
TRIMONDI:
Because
many of the "experts" (Tibetologists, religious studies scholars,
journalists) already believe in Buddhism and practice meditation or are
active in the many Tibet support groups. They cannot and therefore will not
make objective judgements at all. - Because by now the Dalai Lama and his
country represent a widespread object of longing and a myth in the west,
both of which have a taboo character. The loss of this myth frightens many
people. - Because there is essentially no appreciation of the close
interweaving of politics and religion which from its own doctrine defines
Lamaism. - Because one will simply not admit the monstrous nature of this
system and does not want to lose any illusions, principally because here in
the West the Christian churches are rejected by many "seekers"
and Tibetan Buddhism with the Dalai Lama at the helm appears to be a worthy
alternative. - Because international Lamaism itself engages in extremely
clever cover-up politics and does not present itself as it really is to the
west. - Because the Dalai Lama is an important political chess piece in the
negotiations between the West and China and thus enjoys the "freedom
to do as he chooses".
2. -
BZ: Will the pendulum now swing in the other direction?
TRIMONDI:
At
any rate an identification with the "God-King" from Tibet will
not be so unquestioningly accepted as it was before our book was published.
Already, the majority of our opponents have announced that a critical
stance toward their own system has been badly neglected. We can thus safely
assume that partial critiques of various aspects of Lamaism and Tibetan
history will become increasingly common. Whether a fundamental discussion
rooted in the philosophy of religion and cultural criticism such as we have
broached develops will become clear in the coming months. There are a
number of indications for it. But finally it depends upon whether the
so-called "liberal" public takes up the topic.
3. -
BZ: What is it that makes Eastern religions, including Buddhism, so
fascinating for western cultures?
TRIMONDI:
The
most fascinating aspect besides the exoticism is probably the promise of
individual enlightenment. It is true that Buddhism Tibetan-style states
that the Ego (and thus the personality) must be abandoned along the path to
enlightenment. Nonetheless a westerner believes on principle that he (as individual and human being) is the one to
achieve enlightenment. What is rarely perceived is the fact that the
"initiated" pupil through the ritual praxis becomes a partial
aspect of a spiritual-political culture, which represents the power
interests of a monastic caste and the "deities" functioning
behind them. Rather than reaching enlightenment the pupil ends up as an
instrument of a codified religious system. In most cases he doesn’t even
know its real history or its true intentions.
4. -
BZ: Can a westerner understand the stance, attitudes, practices, and
rituals of a Dalai Lama or a Tibetan Buddhist at all if he has no esoteric
world view?
TRIMONDI:
Only
with great difficulty! You do not need to have a solid esoteric world view
to be able to understand the Dalai Lama, but at times you have to engage
with the logic and paradigmatic assumptions of the esoteric in order to
understand what the Tibetan "God-King" intends with his system. A
secular attitude, which from the outset rejects as figments of the
imagination the connection and mutual influence of ritual and politics, of
sexual magic rites and power, of micro- and macrocosm, the existence of
supernatural beings in human form, the doctrine of incarnation and much
more, cannot comprehend how this "occult" system functions. You
would dismiss it all as ineffectual or perhaps at best as pretty trappings
to edify the soul. The Dalai Lama and his clergy are very well aware of
this and count on it. Only on very rare occasions does the Fourteenth Dalai
Lama speak in public in esoteric terms, instead he expertly addresses the
so-called "liberal" consciousness, that is as a
"democrat", a "modern scientist", a
"rationalist", a "bearer of culture", a "human
rights activist", an "ecologist", a "winner of the
Nobel peace prize", etc. Through this he also wins the hearts of all
"agnostics" and can pretend to be fundamentally different to the
other religions.
5. -
BZ: Can this be a source of danger for the profane, materialistically
oriented West?
TRIMONDI:
Yes!
The profane West underestimates the power of myths and religions and
refuses to initiate a wide-ranging discussion on the topic. It blindly
leaves the religions to their sphere, on the condition that they abide by
the laws of the state. Myths have great power, however! This was especially
apparent in the case of National Socialism. Increasingly, historians stress
the mythic/religious element in Stalinism and Maoism as well. The West
ought to have woken up after the events of the "Iranian
revolution" at the latest. But a discussion of the dogmatic, visionary
and religious-historical foundations of the Ayatollah movement nonetheless
remained a marginal phenomenon. (An exception in this country is Peter
Scholl Latour.) Neither the "Taliban in Afghanistan", nor the
"slaughter in Algeria", nor the "Hamas" religious
programs have led to a broad discussion about the myths and images with
which these movements orient themselves. The war currently raging in Kosovo
is completely unthinkable without the "myth of the blackbird
field". Even the numerous fundamentalist currents in the West or the
brutal violence in American schools are determined by mythologies. It is
(more than ever) mythic images which influence human consciousness. Thus
the aggressive "Shambhala myth" of Tibetan Buddhism can become
just as dangerous as the corresponding concepts of an Islamic jihad
(holy war).
But revealing
and evaluating the myths behind the religious political movements and
currents of the "postmodern" is just one side. This must be
supplemented by the "work on myth", the transformation or
alternatively creation of new myths which are compatible with the humanum
(humanism, a global peace ethic, equality of the sexes, human rights,
etc.).
6. -
BZ: Do the Tibetans aspire to a spiritual occupation of the West?
TRIMONDI:
Not
the Tibetan people as such, but the ritual character of Lamaist Buddhism
has as its goal the conquest of the planet and the establishment of a
worldwide Buddhocracy. The programs for this are recorded in what is known
as the Kalachakra Tantra and the Shambhala myth. Many of our
critics are most irritated by this fact, which we treat in detail in our
book, and thus dismiss it as an assertion which we have simply made up. Yet
the religious-political role of a "Chakravartin", i.e., a
spiritual/worldly Dominus Mundi ("world ruler"), has stood
for centuries at the center of most Asian religions and is still sought
after there. In the history of many countries on this continent a
"Chakravartin" (world ruler) was the constantly awaited savior
figure. Numerous "sacred" rulers from India, Tibet, China or
Southeast Asia claimed either to already fulfill or to aspire to a
corresponding function.
This vision of
global power is no longer normally connected with the Fourteenth Dalai Lama
as an individual. Nonetheless the Tibetan hierarch performs rituals (the Kalachakra
Tantra) and disseminates prophetic myths (the Shambhala myth),
the contents and goal of which are the establishment of a worldwide
Buddhocracy, even if they outwardly appeal to western democratic principles
and the ethical maxims of Mahayana Buddhism.
This is not a
matter of a "conspiracy", but rather the execution of a
religious-political program. A "conspiracy" would imply that a
group of people had joined together in a secret society in order to seize
control of the state. This is out of the question in the case of Tibetan
Buddhism. Among Buddhists of the Tibetan school, the establishment of the
Dharma (the Buddhist teaching) world wide is a completely open
topic, and not a secret one, it is an element of dogma and is supported
by many orthodox statements. The same is true for the establishment of a
global Buddhocracy. For example, in 1997 at an international conference on
Tibet in Bonn, the famous Tibetologist Robert Thurman, father of the
actress Uma Thurman, announced the imminent fall of the decadent and
materialist West and its replacement by a worldwide Buddhocratic dominion
in Tibetan style. The Hollywood actor Richard Gere spoke (in 1998) of a
chain reaction which should lead to an explosive spread of Tibetan Buddhism
in the coming years in the West.
But it is not
just the West which is to be occupied by Lamaism, but also the East; the Shambhala
myth should also spread to the Asian countries, especially China. Thus,
in recent times the Dalai Lama constantly suggests an agreement with the
Chinese in which economy and religion are traded. They (the Chinese) and
their "successful" business could in future provide for the
"material" well-being of the Chinese people, whilst he (the Dalai
Lama) and his "successful" religion attend to their
"spiritual" well-being - i.e., in other words the Tibetan
"God-King" intends a Lamaization of China.
7. -
BZ: Can the Tibetan movements in the West be compared to sects or religious
groups with monopolizing tendencies?
TRIMONDI:
This
question can only be answered once the difference between sects and
official religions has been clearly defined. However, this is not that
easy! "Monopolizing tendencies" may be found in both, just as
there are attempts among both to encourage human freedom. We nonetheless
consider Lamaism an extremely dangerous system of
"monopolization", above all because it does not play with all its
cards on the table, leaves the world in the dark as to its true intentions
(the claim to global power by a monastic elite), and because it is active
on the main political stage.
"Die
Woche" [The Week] - Mark Spörrle and Torsten Engelhardt - 19 March
1999
The
power of images
Victor
and Victoria Trimondi believe in the influence of Tibetan myths on reality
DIE WOCHE:
The methods with which you settle accounts with Tibetan Buddhism and the
Dalai Lama in your book seem questionable to us. First you depict drastic
religious images, myths and rituals. Then you suggest that these imaginary
worlds are literally put into action; that Buddhist lamas would practice
sexual magic rituals as written down centuries ago. But this is like
claiming that the ritual of the Last Supper is a act of real cannibalism.
TRIMONDI: It is a
generally recognized fact that rituals take place in Tibetan/Tantric
Buddhism. The entire culture is based upon this. Likewise, in the
traditional conceptual system of this culture there is no distinction made
between reality and symbol. Thus the rituals are understood and performed
as both symbolic and real acts. As in all sacred cultures, in Tantrism the
old texts are still the basis for the rituals today.
DIE
WOCHE: Phrases like "We assume ..." constantly recur in your
book; where is the evidence?
TRIMONDI: If you mean whether
religious images, myths and rituals have an influence on reality, this idea
is a commonplace in the field of religious studies and the European history
of philosophy. Given the impression left by Germany’s national socialist
past it seems to us downright naive to deny the power of images and
symbols. Every religious or political movement needs them to anchor itself
in the consciousness of the masses.
DIE
WOCHE: And you believe this is still true at the start of the 21st
century?
TRIMONDI: Of course. In
the last 20 years as a counter-movement to the "rational world
view" we have experienced an explosive renaissance of every possible
esoteric and religious cult with which people identify uncritically. Very
few people worry about the obsession with power or the potential for
violence in religious images, political myths and the associated rituals.
It was thus a complete surprise when the Ayatollah Khomeni proclaimed a
theocracy in Iran 20 years ago.
DIE
WOCHE: You believe Tibetan Buddhism capable of the same explosive social
and political force as Islam. You even believe a Buddhist holy war is
possible. Isn’t this wildly exaggerated?
TRIMONDI: A Buddhist war
is laid out as a firmly established element in the so-called Shambhala myth
of the Kalachakra ritual. This myth predicts a final battle between
Buddhist and Islamic armies in the year 2327 and is anchored in the minds
of practicing Buddhists via a ritual performance.
DIE
WOCHE: And you want to make religious myths responsible for this? It is
much more a case of politicians increasingly instrumentalizing religions in
the interests of power.
TRIMONDI: Naturally
there are politicians who use religious images to achieve power-political
advantage. But there are also religious fanatics who make use of politics
to embody their religious images.
DIE
WOCHE: Then you believe Tibetan Buddhism is capable of religious terrorism?
TRIMONDI: The history of
Tibetan culture shows that the country was not just controlled by
meditating "Buddhas", but likewise by an aggressive belief in
demons. Religious terrorism has accompanied the history of Lamaism from its
founding stages. Even among the Tibetans in exile there are expressions of
violence which border on religious terrorism.
DIE
WOCHE: And therefore you now accuse the Dalai Lama of being a token
democrat, that his parliament of exiles is a farce?
TRIMONDI: Since a
worldwide Buddhocracy with a world ruler at its peak is sought in the Dalai
Lama’s ritual nature, this vision does not square with the Dalai Lama’s
democratic professions. The Dalai Lama is simultaneously the supreme
spiritual leader and lifetime head of state. In the most important
political questions he does not seek the advice of this ministers, but
instead consults a state oracle, who is a Mongolian war god.
DIE
WOCHE: That’s these old myths again.
TRIMONDI: If you are
talking about the establishment of a worldwide Buddhocracy, then we would
like to point out that the American Tibetologist and mouthpiece for the
Dalai Lama, Robert Thurman, at a conference on Tibet in Bonn in 1997
publicly announced that the decadent and materialist West would
disintegrate in the very near future and be replaced by a Buddhist state
and moral codex.
DIE
WOCHE: That is in stark opposition to what the Dalai-Lama always says.
TRIMONDI: Yes.
DIE
WOCHE: You detect a worldwide revival of religious desires. And you
attribute a special significance to Buddhism in this light.
TRIMONDI: Because of the
way in which Tibetan Buddhism and the Dalai Lama present themselves in the
West, they provide for many people an ideal image which they can no longer
find anywhere else. Since there has been no enlightening debate up till
now, the "shady sides" of this religion, its leader the
Fourteenth Dalai Lama, and Tibetan history remain unknown among the general
public and completely unresolved.
|