Those who advise not to practice Dolgyal are so humble to you, to the world and to the Gelugpa teachings. This advice was given not only by His Holiness the Dalai Lama but many great lamas in Tibet, even before Tibet was overtaken by Mainland China. The Fifth Dalai Lama is one. After that so many great lamas who held purely the Lama Tsongkhapa teachings advised monks and monasteries not to practice Dolgyal. They included:
- The 54th Ganden Tripa, Trichen Ngawang Chogden
- The great lama, Purchog Ngawang Jampa, an incarnation of Maitreya Buddha
- Gyalwa Kunkyen Jampel Gyatso, the Eighth Dalai Lama
- Yongdzin Yeshe Gyaltsen
- Tugen Chokyi Nyima
- Changya Rolpai Dorje
- Yangchen Trupai Dorje
- Ngulchu Dharmabhadra
- Dodrub Jigme Tenpai Nyima
- Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo
- The 7th Panchen Lama, Tenpai Nyima.
And there were many more. If you so desire, you can check the collections of their teachings.
One day a spirit came to the great Sakya lama Dakchen Sonam Rinchen and said, “I am the damtsig of Gelugpa,” which means [having] degenerated samaya and harming Gelugpa practitioners and the great lamas. That story is also mentioned by the Mongolian lama, Taiyen, and also by Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche in the commentary to the praise of Dolgyal. So Dakchen Sonam Rinpoche wrote a prayer called Viciously Destroying the Mischievous Guide, Dolgyal.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama was the king of Dharma and of the population of Tibet in the past; now he has given the population the power. His Holiness checked for a long time, for many years, and proved there were so many mistakes, so many questions, related to Dolgyal. Then His Holiness gave up the practice. After that, many high lamas and geshes gave up the practice of Dolgyal. That is without talking about the many learned lamas, such as Kyabje Ling Rinpoche and Geshe Sopa Rinpoche, who did not do the practice from the beginning. They knew the practice was questionable and didn’t practice it.
That Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche, Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche and Kyabje Zong Rinpoche practiced and spread Dogyal is to lead us to liberation and enlightenment. They have to show ordinary aspect to us, and “ordinary aspect” means showing mistakes while not having mistakes. This applies not only to Dolgyal but to so many other things in the life. They show not having understanding. They are buddhas, they have omniscience, but they show that they don’t understand and then you have to explain to the guru. Their practicing and spreading Dolgyal is showing ordinary aspect, showing mistakes, while there’s no mistake. In the Tibetan language, this is tsul tenpa (Wyl: tshul bstan pa). As Buddha said, he shows death, rebirth, old age and sickness while he doesn’t have them. Even arhats do not have them in reality.
