Until recently, the figure of Shukden, or Dolgyal, was an obscure one in the pantheon of Tibetan Buddhism's many oracles and protectors. But after a small faction within the Geluk tradition began to promote and disseminate the practice, sowing division among Buddhists of different sects, the Dalai Lama decided to investigate the practice more deeply. The fruits of this research are presented here, as are the statements made by His Holiness about it over the past fifty years. Discover the historical context behind this contentious practice, which dates back to the Fifth Dalai Lama in the seventeenth century, and learn why the present Dalai Lama has been so vocal in countering it.

Understanding the Case against Shukden is a clarion call for unity among the Tibetan people and a vision for a more harmonious Tibetan Buddhist community.

Compiled by: The Association of Geluk Masters, The Geluk International Foundation, and The Association for the Preservation of Geluk Monasticism.

Understanding The Case Against Shukden, Gavin Kilty, Wisdom Publications, Paperback, 360 pp, $29.95

Gavin Kilty (translator) has been a full-time translator for the Institute of Tibetan Classics since 2001. Before that he lived in Dharamsala, India, for fourteen years, where he spent eight years training in the traditional Geluk monastic curriculum through the medium of class and debate at the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics. In 2017, he was selected as the winner of the first annual Shantarakshita Award for Excellence in Translation for his translation of Tsongkhapa's Lamp to Illuminate the Five Stages.

CONTENTS: Understanding the Case Against Shukden
Foreword by Lama Zopa Rinpoche		vii
Translator's Preface		xiii
Introduction		1
Homage and Commitment to Compose		11
PART 1: Seventeenth Century: Drakpa Gyaltsen and the Fifth Dalai Lama
1.	The Rise of Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen	15
2.	Two Works by Drakpa Gyaltsen	33
3.	The Great Fifth and Drakpa Gyaltsen	43
4.	The Death of Drakpa Gyaltsen	47
5.	Cremation and Other Postmortem Matters	61
6.	Rituals against Dolgyal	69
PART 2: Eighteenth Century: The Sakya Tradition
7.	Dolgyal in the Sakya Tradition	79
8.	Sakya Masters Who Relied on Dolgyal	91
9.	Origin of the Names of Dolgyal	99
10.	How the First Sakya Practioners Praised Dolgyal	103
11.	Sakya Scholars Who Have Restricted Dolgyal	111
PART 3: Twentieth Century: Phabongkha Rinpoche
12.	Restrictions on the Practice of Dolgyal from All Four Traditions	119
13.	The Early Life of Kyabje Phabongkha	127
14.	The Thirteenth Dalai Lama's Regard for Venerable Phabongkha	133
15.	Kyabje Phabongkha's Connection with Dolgyal	139
16.	Venerable Phabongkha's Pledge and Remorse	147
17.	The Passing of the Thirteenth Dalai Lama	151
18.	The Meeting between the Ninth Panchen Lama and Phabongkha	155
19.	Kyabje Phabongkha's Visits to Tsang	165
20.	Takphu Vajradhara and the Life-Entrustment Practice	173
21.	Unfortunate Events Connected with Dolgyal	189
PART 4: Today: Dolgyal in Exile
22.	An Invocation of Dolgyal Ascribed to the Fourteenth Dalai Lama	199
23.	Dolgyal and the Tenth Panchen Lama	203
24.	Advice from His Holiness the Dalai Lama 1978-98	209
25.	Advice from His Holiness the Dalai Lama 2000-2010	233
26.	Support Given by Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche and Kyabje Ling Rinpoche	261
27.	The Incarnation of Trijang Rinpoche	273
28.	The Criminal Acts of the Shukden Society	279
29.	A Discourse on Dolgyal by the Hundredth Ganden Throneholder	285
30.	Resolutions and a Referendum	291
31.	The Final Position of the Eight Geluk Monasteries	297
32.	Dedication and Colophon	303
Notes		305
Glossary		319
Bibliography		323
Index		331