Dearest all who can still stomach details of the Karmapa-affair after Tomek Lehnert's book: Rogue in Robes. (Blue Dolphin Publishing, Nevada City, Ca. ISBN 1-57733-026-9)

You know how it is: New and unexpected revelations first fill one with amazement, especially when they contradict established certainties. Then one strains one's mind to find out why, from which source and with what motivation the claims were made.

If the information is found to be irrelevant, one then relaxes. One concludes that those interested must know as much about the matter as oneself, and only after a while the suspicion creeps in that new people may actually have less protection against large lies than against small ones. That it may be necessary to prove facts to others, which are totally evident to one's own understanding.

These steps passed by on my inner screen during the last week spent in Europe, Thailand and Australia and made me enter this lively Internet forum in order to provide insights, which seem to be lacking in the current debate. They are nothing but common sense and will hopefully present Tibetan Buddhism in the idealistic light, which it surely also deserves. Based on observations made by dozens of friends, my wife and myself while living for years near their refugee-camps and monasteries since the late sixties, they surely have relevance here.

What disturbs us are some points which will hopefully invite reactions also from other "insiders". The main and most striking one is the sudden claim of gigantic wealth within the Karma Kagyu lineage. Sums like 1,2 billion dollars as the worth of the Rumtek monastery are circulated in the press and make a noble transmission of beyond-worldly wisdom look like a Swiss bank.

In no way can this be true. Though I am not aware of the financial connections of Tai Situpa Rinpoche, from whose camp the astronomic evaluations seem to emanate: the official Kagyu school, which visitors encounter, consists to a high degree of TB-infected and miserably fed monks in leaky housings who are transported in shaky ancient Indian jeeps. It is their frequent complaint (shared also by monks of the other two "old" schools) that the world's support for all Tibetans remains with the State Gelugpa government in Dharamsala. Though the buildings of Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim look impressive when recently painted, they need constant repairs, which often do not happen. If the Karma Kagyu is the richest Tibetan School, the others most truly be starving. To our best understanding money is lacking for important causes in both East and West and the relics which the 16th Karmapa had the foresight to bring to India during the flight in 1959 alter nothing in this calculation. Such objects, carrying important transmissions for a lineage, are in their essence priceless and could never be sold. Therefore any value may of course be attributed to them, but assessing the price of 28 million dollars to the ruby on the top of the ceremonial black crown worn by the last 12 Karmapas is surely not realistic.

Another unattractive point is the attempt to politicize kind actions by spontaneous people like the great 16th Karmapa. He was far beyond that. Of course all Tibetan refugees stood together in the early sixties. They were willing to forget old grievances to put a maximum of support behind Dalai Lama, and this tendency remained until it was abused by the Dharamsala bureaucracy. That Karmapa asked Dalai Lama's acceptance for Kunzig Shamarpa was a nicety. It was something he could do, but being now outside the political control of the Tibetan government, it was not something he had to do. Also it was risky: in an attempt to control the other lineages, up until today the government in exile often backs wrong candidates for their highest posts.

Though attack is often the best defense, and the biographies of the Tai Situ Rinpoches necessitate a lot of the latter, it is still most distasteful to suddenly use any argument, which can be turned against Kunzig Shamarpa, also when it is completely speculative and involves siding with those who historically suppressed the Kagyu School. During 200 years the Karmapas protected the Shamarpas, and behind the broad backs of their bosses, the Situ and Gyaltsab Rinpoches then (also) spoke vehemently for Kagyu independence. As is clearly documented in Rogues in Robes little aggressiveness has in fact been shown by those behind Karmapa Thaye Dorje. Except from insisting upon a forensic examination of the disputed prediction-letter, presented as evidence for Ugyen Thinle, and sharing our joy at the fine development and success of the 17th Karmapa Thaye Dorje, (who was recognized by K. Shamar Rinpoche according to tradition) there has been a general focus upon contemporizing and continuing the peerless Kagyu meditations.

Hope this was useful, as I shall not have the time to write soon again. Manuscripts are waiting, plus pounds of Dharma mail. There is a fine interest in our teaching "Down Under", many free thinkers, and it is a joy.

Hopefully see you soon,

Yours Lama Ole