By VISHAL ARORA
c. 2011 Religion News Service
NEW DELHI (RNS) In an unprecedented probe of exiled Tibetan Buddhist monks, Indian officials want to know why top Buddhist leaders had $1.5 million in cash stashed away at their headquarters in Dharmsala.
Police seized $1.5 million of cash in Indian and foreign currencies, including Chinese yuan, in a recent raid on the monastery of the Karmapa Lama, the No. 3 leader within Tibetan Buddhism.
Addressing his supporters on Thursday (Feb. 3) for the first time since the raid, the Karmapa Lama called allegations that he is a Chinese spy the result of “misunderstandings and mistakes.”
“India, in contrast to communist China, is a free country, a democratic country that is based on the rule of law,” he told his followers. “Therefore I trust that things will improve and the truth will become clear in time. So please be at ease. There is no need to worry.”