Karma Kagyu Buddhist Network
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Date:   April 19th, 1996
Author: Alexander Preuss
Source: KKBN

DESTRUCTION OF KARMA BERCHEN LING, GREECE

Dear friends,

Burned center The retreat-center Karma Berchen Ling in Greece/ Peleponnes has been destroyed with two attacks. The center is located 1200 m high, far out in the mountains near Korinth, it stands under the spiritual guidance of the 17. Karmapa Thaye Dorje and is directed by Lama Ole Nydahl.

In February 96, while nobody was staying up there in the mountains, the houses (Lama-, tool- and kitchenhouse) were burned down. So we lost all the tools, materials, like kitchen stuff for big courses, and the only shelter we had. About two weeks later they destroyed the rest: with a tractor or a bulldozer the gate was cracked and then the showers, toilets and the watertanks were pushed down the hill. The big wooden construction for the meditation-tent was also pulled down. Even an old, huge pine-tree was cut down. So all our sources have been destroyed and continuing work there is at the moment impossible.

Facing the fact that there were no witnesses and the police is obviously not interested in that case, it`s not easy to figure out a responsible person. But it seems very much like the orthodox church is playing a role in it.

Already last summer a local priest of Korinth was spreading a folder in which he gave his "knowledge" about foreign religions to the people. Showing a picture of beggars in Bombay we have been titled as Hare Krishnas who want to destroy the greek culture and country.

Furthermore there was a TV-show on a private channel of the orthodox church, where a man, who has been at Karma Berchen Ling and later in Nepal, who took initiations and teachings with greek students of Tenga Rinpoche together, told in public: he knows by his own experience, that buddhists are satanists, worship demons and drink blood from human skulls. These are only two examples of all the lies and wrong informations about Buddhism in Greece.

Lama Ole Nydahl tried several times to give more information about Buddhism to the public, but in most cases the interviews were blocked by the editors and had not been published.

It`s unbelievable these things are happening in a country of the european community today!

Also itīs not reasonable that a modern society dealing with heavy problems like inflation, big unemployment and always at the edge of a war with Turkey, is pointing out small peaceful acting buddhist groups as their enemies. The reactionary orthodox fundamentalists in the church are so strong in state and society that people who are outing themselves as buddhists must fear to loose for example their jobs and face other hardships. We hope that they will change the situation soon, so that Dharma can develop freely in this country in the future.

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