The previous Karmapa Lama died in 1981, and the controversy over his successor that has raged ever since also epitomizes a struggle for control of the $1.5 billion in assets held by the Kagyu order, the richest in Tibetan Buddhism. With control of the Rumtek monastery embroiled in rival lawsuits, the New Delhi-based Karmapa has, not surprisingly, greeted the recent cash seizure as “exposing” his Chinese-appointed rival.
前一任噶玛巴于1981年圆寂，对于其继任者的争议自那以后就一直持续，同时也反映出各方对噶举派——藏传佛教中最富有的教派——15亿美元资产的争夺。随着对德隆寺的控制卷入了敌对的法律诉讼中，驻扎于新德里的噶玛巴无疑会认为最近缴获的现金彻底“揭露”了他那由中国选定的对手。