The 17th Karmapa Lama (Photo: www.kagyuoffice.org)
The raids on and reported seizure of large sums of cash from the the Gyuto Tantric University and Monastery of the Karmapa Lama is a huge embarrassment for the Tibetan cause. Indian police have raided the monastery in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh with the Indian media reporting the seizure of a total of seventy million in Indian rupees and other currencies (about $1.5 million).
The raids followed the arrest of two men from the nearby Una district with ten million rupees in cash. The money was allegedly meant for an illegal land deal in which Rubgi Choesang, one of the Karmapa’s aides has been implicated. Choesang, an accountant at the monastery was arrested on Thursday, and is police custody, according to media reports.
What has particularly troubled the Indian police is the discovery of 1.1 million Chinese Yuan in “neatly packed bundles.” Jaideep Sarin, a correspondent of the IANS, quoted an unnamed police officer as saying, “Such neatly packed bundles of Chinese Yuan currency could not be given by devotees visiting him who make only small offerings to him. This money could have come from somewhere else. Moreover, how many Chinese visit him anyway?”
The implications of that comment are still in the realm of the innuendo that the Karmapa Lama has some unexplained Chinese connections. Shaken up by the raids and the questioning of the Karmapa by police and other unnamed Indian agencies his office issued a formal statement by Karma Chungyalpa, Deputy General Secretary and Spokesperson. It said: “Our lineage and His Holiness the Karmapa enjoy the love, trust and faith of millions across the world. We have a rich history of public service made possible through financial dealings that are entirely transparent. We will certainly answer all questions that the press and the public have, but for now we respectfully request you to allow us to concentrate on complying fully with the investigation that is underway.”
Ever since the Karmapa’s mysterious escape from Tibet in 1999, when he was just 14 years old, some in the Indian establishment have looked at him with suspicion. I have heard some of them going so far as to wonder whether he is a Chinese agent. However, the fact that the young Karmapa has enjoyed the Dalai Lama’s endorsement has so far helped keep those fringe conspiracy theories from becoming mainstream suspicion.
It is not my case that the raids and the reported seizure of the cash necessarily strengthen such suspicions but they certainly cause a huge embarrassment. It also provides the much needed oxygen for the conspiracy theories, not that they need any.
For all you know, this may turn out to be a case of illegal land acquisition, which has long been a widespread Indian malaise.