Ogyen Trinley vs, Thaye Dorje: Tibetan Buddhist Texas Death Match
• Asian
Ogyen Trinley and Thaye Dorje are each supposed to be the 17th karmapa, a living god (and so many Buddhists like to tell you how they are beyond such ideas). This is serious business because whichever wins will control the Rumtek monastary which has a billion dollars in assets.
Two rival factions of Tibetan Buddhism are fighting for control of the 75-acre site of the Rumtek monastery, a few miles outside Gangtok, capital of the Indian state of Sikkim. The rivalry is such that there have been violent brawls between the monks, accusations of graft and corruption ...
The fight is over Rumtek's crown, the 20cm-high "black hat" said to be woven from the hair of female deities. ...
Not only is there cash in the bank and property there's the adoration of American saps:
Observers say much of Rumtek's reputation was built up in the 1960s, when hippies made pilgrimages there and built up monasteries in America.
Have to love those Tibetan buddists, so peaceful, so detached, so above it all.