Dharamsala, January 30
The office of the 17th Karmapa, Ugyen Trinley Dorjee, today tried to clear the air regarding the Tibetan leader’s Chinese connection and foreign currency recovered from his monastery.
The Karmapa’s lawyer, Naresh Mathur, said every penny collected by the police from the Kagyu monastery is accounted for.
“The foreign disciples of Karmapa make offering in their respective currencies when they visit him here. In 2003, we had provided information to the Enforcement Directorate of the Income Tax Department regarding the offerings made by visitors in foreign currency,” he claimed.
“We have applied to the Indian government for getting the offerings received in foreign currency legalised. The application is pending,” he said.
Mathur also said Karmapa did not have any direct connection with cash offerings made to him. “The staff posted at Karmapa monastery used to deposit money at Lovrang bank, a Tibetan establishment,” said Mathur.
A spokesman of the Karmapa, Topden Tsering, said the theories regarding Chinese links of their leader were baseless. He added there were five reasons behind the Karmapa leaving China.
The first reason was that despite the fact that China has recognised him, there was pressure on the Karmapa to recognise the Panchen Lama installed by the Chinese government. Secondly, the Karmapa was heading the Kagyu school of Tibetan Budhism, but all the teachers of this lineage lived in India. Thirdly, he wanted to see the Dalai Lama. The Karmapa also wanted to visit the Rumtek monastery in Sikkim, the seat of Karmapas.
