Smear: NKT asks its students to reject the Dalai Lama (and other traditions)

Truth: This is not true. No NKT Teacher has ever asked their students to reject the Dalai Lama or to reject other traditions. We do not reject the Dalai Lama; he has rejected us! He heavily criticized us in a Newsweek article ten years ago and has also said “no Shugden practitioner can be my friend”. He does not allow Dorje Shugden practitioners to attend his teachings.

Geshe Kelsang often says that everyone has choice as to what they believe and practice. However, once we have chosen our tradition and our Spiritual Guide, he advises us to rely upon these, while continuing always to respect and appreciate other Buddhist and non-Buddhist traditions.

In Great Treasury of Merit, a commentary to the practice of relying upon Guru Tsongkhapa, Geshe Kelsang explains that relying on one root Spiritual Guide, practising only his teachings and relying upon his Dharma Protector is the best way to achieve realizations. He says that there is nothing partisan about this advice and that it is given only for our benefit – if we mix traditions, many obstacles arise and it takes a long time to attain spiritual realizations.

In the same book, Geshe Kelsang also advises that if we want to rely upon other teachers, we should rely on those with the same lineage and view as our root Spiritual Guide. This enables us constantly to receive the blessings of our tradition and make quick spiritual progress.