Allegations against Karmapa malicious : devotees

Gangtok, Feb 6 :PTI: Condemning as ''malicious andunsubstantial'' the allegations against the 17th Karmapa UgyenThinley Dorjee, his devotees today said the Buddhist monk wasnot personally involved in the management of the funds seizedfrom Sidhbari Monastery in Himachal Pradesh.

Union Minister Veer Bhadra Singh had expressed support inthis matter for the monk, who fled Tibet and took shelter inthis country a decade ago, speakers at a gathering of Buddhistmonks and devotees said here.

The allegations that the Karmapa was a spy "could verywell be the work of an enemy" and media allegations of themonk visiting Hong Kong to meet Chinese representatives were"unfounded and untrue".

"There are currencies of around 25 other countrieshauled during the raid, so does that make the Karmapa a spy ofall the countries?" they asked and questioned the opening ofthe Nathula border for trade by the Centre if there was such aserious threat of espionage from China.

The allegations are a matter of grave concern forBuddhists across the world and the cash recovered fromSidhbari Monastery, where he has been living in transit forthe past 10 years, are accumulated donations, they said.

The money recovered from Sidhbari Monastery are those ofSaraswati Charitable Trust and Karmae Garchen Trust formed byKarmapa Office of Administration which could not be depositedin a bank under Foreign Contributions Regulation Act (FCRA)pending permission by the government.

The Saraswati Charitable Trust was created first and thenthe Karmae Garchen Trust but the FCRA permission soughtrepeatedly to deposit the foreign currencies received asdonations was yet to be received, they said.

"With no legitimate means of depositing or exchangingthis foreign currency, the money was left to pile up overtime, awaiting the day when it could be legitimatelydeposited," they said adding investigation into the issueshould continue with all respect that a ''Dharmaguru'' deserves.

The speakers said allegations of acquisition of land byTibetan settlers at Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh were baselessas there are no monasteries of the Kagyu sect, to which theKarmapa belongs, there.

Karmapa Reception Committee general secretary KarmaTshering said 150 supporters are on their way to Majnu ka Tilain Delhi to stage a dharna there in support of the Kramapa.

Volumes of Erik D Curren''s book ''Buddha�s Not Smiling''were burnt at the meeting for exposing the alleged corruptionin Tibetan Buddhism.

The nine-point resolution adopted at the meeting urgedthe Centre to conduct a fair, thorough and transparent probeinto the matter at the earliest.