Thubten Samphel, the official spokesperson of the Tibetan Government in Exile (TGIE), is a busy man — quick to say hello and goodbye, but when discussing Tibet, Samphel’s voice lingers, combing through words, carefully and cautiously, weaving together the kind of narrative usually suppressed in Tibet.
In fact, Samphel is based in Dharamsala, also known as Little Lhasa, home to both the Dalai Lama and the exiled Tibetan community.
Tibet, prior to the invasion of Chinese Communists in 1950, was a state mired in economic injustice, wealthy monastic institutions drawing sustenance from the people via tithes, propped up by an archaic feudalist system complete with inherited serfs. Due to its geographic location, Tibet has largely remained impenetrable, during even the heyday of the Mongol and Manchu empires.
Tibet remained a loosely independent state under both these empires, operating via a patron-priest relationship, with Buddhist leaders providing ‘spiritual” guidance to Mongolian nomads-cum-emperors, who required only that Tibet remain free of an army and thus, a potential threat. At the fall of the Mongols, the Manchus stepped in with much the same requirements; China unfortunately was directly occupied by the warrior nomads that lead both these empires. Modern-day China denies ever having been conquered by nomadic peoples such as the Mongols and the Manchus, claiming instead that both these distinct ethnic groups are “Chinese”.
China often propagates the poverty of Tibet, a result of the feudalist system, as one-half of the justification concerning the invasion and appropriation of Tibet under the guise of “progress”; trotting alongside the narrative of the “primitive, tent-living yak-loving Tibetans” is China’s fallacious premise that Tibet, since inception as a national construct, has always been a vassal state or subject. Conversely, it was China who was the occupied subject, not Tibet.
“I can’t proclaim to know the reasons why China occupies Tibet,” says Samphel. “But our minerals are being carted off to China. Tibetans have no control over any affairs, everything is controlled by Beijing and we are autonomous in name only.”
What sort of minerals?
“The First Secretary of the Communist Party in China said that Tibet has the largest uranium reserves in the world. They have been mining for uranium since the 1970s but we don’t know the details because it is kept from us.
“Tibet has large quantities of copper, coal, chromite, tin, gold and iron amongst many other minerals; the Chinese have resettled skilled Han migrants in these areas, Tibetans are not employed.”
Ben Carrdus is the Senior Researcher at the International Campaign for Tibet; on the subject of mineral resources, he writes, “There are huge amounts of copper, water, gold, silver, zinc, molybdenum, coal, and oil and gas in modest though significant quantities.
“The precise location and verified quantities of uranium deposits in Tibet is unknown, their size and location is not public information — one of thousands of state secrets in Tibet and China.
“At the moment,” he continues, “the line extends into Lhasa from mainland China. Plans are afoot to build an extension to Shigatse, west of Lhasa, a line which government officials are already claiming will go all the way to Nepal.”
The line Ben refers to is the Qinghai-Lhasa railroad, connecting mainland China to Tibet; it is said to be world’s most astonishing technological feat, built at an elevation of 16 000ft, or 4 900m, and 1 952km long, and completed three years ahead of schedule, the railroad is considered by China to be one of their greatest achievements.
Yet all is not dandy — one month after the launch of the railroad in June 2006, Beijing scientists discovered fractures in the foundation. Tibet is known as the critical barometer charting global warming, the region melts twice as fast as any on earth; Tibet is also characterised by shifting grounds on the plateau, destabilising the permafrost or frozen ice on which the railroad was built, beneath a layer of cooling agents to stabilise the tracks.
China’s perception of Tibet is revealed in the labelling, — Tibet is known as the Western Treasure House, with the Chinese Constitution stating that “all Tibetan resources belong to China” [Article Nine].
The report issued by the TGIE states that Tibet is the “pillar industry” of China’s economy, accelerated by the railroad.
To what extent, I asked Samphel, has the railroad facilitated the influx of skilled migrant workers? Is it the conduit through which China militarises the region, extracts resources and expands her empire?
“The railroad has definitely deployed Chinese troops. The resettlement policies, excess Chinese population, ethnic tensions have all contributed to strife and unhappiness,” he says.
“We can say the economic boom has only created a wider gap between rich and poor, especially for native Tibetans. Our whole culture has been physically assaulted, the migrant Chinese and the forced use of Chinese language has driven a wedge between us and made Tibetans very resentful.”
The latest report from the TGIE states: “According to the 2006 International Labour Organisation [ILO] report, China’s economy grew by a stunning 50% between 2000 and 2004, yet there was only a 5% rise in the number of jobs available.”
The report goes on to say, “Compared to its rate of GDP growth, the number of jobs being created in China has slowed down tremendously. In Tibet also there has been dramatic economic growth without the corresponding creation of new jobs.”
Yet it is in Tibet that Chinese migrants will find jobs paying the equivalent of Beijing salaries — at the expense of Tibetans.
Mary Beth Markey, the vice-president for advocacy at the International Campaign for Tibet, tells me: “The railway is proving to be an unfolding disaster for the Tibetan people, it is the centrepiece of China’s policies to try to reinvent Tibet in a ‘modern socialist’ image, without serious consultation with the Tibetan people about what they want or what is best for them.”
China’s policies towards Tibet can be summed up in the campaign entitled Western Strategy Development, or Xibu da kaifa; the literal definition of the term kaifa is “to exploit”.
“Nomadic families are being taken off the land and ‘settled’ by the hundreds of thousands, which is not only wiping out a way of life integral to much of Tibetan identity, in terms of sustainable development on the plateau, it also flies in the face of current understandings about land management,” says Mary.
On the subject of Tibet’s nomad pastoralists and farmers, who comprise 80% of Tibet’s population, she states, “Tibetan farmers, already the poorest people in the PRC according to official figures, are now having to deal with a huge influx of wealthier, healthier and better educated people arriving in their thousands each day on the railway.”
But China’s “slash-and-strip” policy has not only affected Tibetans; extraction of uranium, (China has eleven nuclear bases with 93 missiles, according to some sources, denied by the PRC), coal, gold, chromite as well as logging have resulted in the contamination of water sources that are fundamental to 85% of Asia’s downstream population and 30% to 45% of the world.
“Tibet is referred to in some circles as the ‘world’s water tower’ — the Tibetan plateau is home to vast reserves of glaciated water, the sources of 10 of the largest rivers in Asia, including the Yellow, Yangtze, Mekong, Brahmaputra, Salween, Hindus and Sutlej among others. By some estimates, the Tibetan plateau is the source of fresh water for fully a quarter of the world’s population,” says Ben.
China aims to harness the Tibetan watershed via hydropower, diverting the water to China’s main industrial regions.
The TGIE report states: “The purpose is not to provide electricity to rural Tibet, but to supply the smelters, heavy industries and distant cities of the [Chinese] plains below.
“This would seriously decrease the water supplies of India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and Burma, as well as the Yangtze River basin as far as Shanghai, especially in drought years. Meanwhile, rural Tibetans continue to suffer high rates of hepatitis, water-borne infections and back pain because they are forced to fetch water from far down the valley due to inadequate village water supplies.”
What has been the response of the Dalai Lama and the TGIE with regards to these policies, I asked Samphel.
“China has not responded in ways that fulfil needs, they have not critically evaluated their policies, some of which are very bad.
“We are not asking for or demanding independence,” he says, “but we are asking for six million Tibetans to be led under one administration, of our choosing. Let us formulate Tibetan policies, education, pastoral regulations, healthcare, economic development and resources, and we say to China, when it comes to foreign policy, you handle it.”
What geostrategic position does Tibet — the roof of the world — hold? “Tibet was once an integral part of the ‘Great Game’ of the mid-tolate-19th century, where the British and Russian empires vied for influence and control throughout Central Asia,” Ben writes in an email.
“At that time, Tibet was seen as a crucial buffer against Russian designs on India, and today it is still regarded as a buffer, although now between India and China. China’s militarisation of the Tibetan plateau — aided in no small measure by the new railway — has enabled the Chinese military to project its reach well beyond former constraints, mostly towards India.”
How has the Dalai Lama responded to the situation?
“Without doubt,” says Ben, “the Dalai Lama has been an exemplary ambassador for the Tibetan people and their struggle for freedom. His insistence that the struggle should remain non-violent has given the movement an enormous amount of credibility, and made it the model for numerous other struggles around the world, including Burma, Aceh, etc.”
But there are those who claim that genuine autonomy is a pipe-ream and that independence is the only way towards freedom.
Samphel says: “We want to be integrated with China. It is the only way forward. The Dalai Lama has urged us to ignore history and become a part of China. But the solution cannot be given from Beijing without consulting the TGIE; there is much sensitivity involved, including our value system. They need to find out the concerns of the Tibetans and other minorities.
“There needs to be a fundamental refocusing of China’s policies in Tibet — a ‘Tibetanisation’ of policies — to direct the benefits of China’s policies towards Tibetans.”
Otherwise?
“Tibetans simply cannot compete,” says Mary.
Read part one of this article
Wow, Khadija. This is one of the most informative articles about the Tibetan occupation I’ve read in ages… the history is fascinating (always a contentious point, however). And the ecological and resource-stripping aspects of China’s activities in Tibet is an aspect of the problem that I’d not appreciated before (most of what I’d read to date had focussed on the forced cultural/religious re-education). Nice work for interviewing the people from the TGIE. I’m highly impressed, as usual…
You might be interested in this Paddy
Politics and Environment: An Interview With the Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama: In general, I feel that laws should serve as guidelines for the proper use of human initiative, creativity and ability.
Fabien: Do you think that democracy is helping laws to evolve in this way?
Dalai Lama: Yes, in democratic countries, legal systems should work that way and generally do. Bur these laws nevertheless partially contradict the Buddhist principle of interdependence, since they do not include “democratic rights” for the environment and the animal realm. Most legal systems refer only to human rights and do not consider the rights of animals or other beings that share the planet with us. Laws that protect human rights and values and indicate proper ways co use human ability are not in contradiction with karma or causality – not in the Western sense where the same causes have the same effect, but in the Buddhist sense where each effect proceeds from a cause that also needs to be considered.
In reality the problem is that for most “powerful” people there is a difference between the principle of the law and its application almost all legal systems condemn killing. This notion occurs in most countries of the world. Yet in practice, powerful people treat killing as they treat lying. For politicians, small lies are prohibited, but large lies are accepted. For a Buddhist, this is a very obvious Contradiction. The same applies to killing. When a man who is desperate kills another person, this small act is defined as murder. It is wrong. But the man who kills or gives orders to kill thousands of people is a hero! That is very unfortunate.
Most religious systems condemn murder, rape, and theft. In my opinion, religious principles are based on natural human attitudes and feelings. Their essential function is to inspire human beings to develop basic human qualities. Thus it seems logical that most laws would be consistent with the principles of positive karma. But in order for both religious and secular laws to conform to the principles of interdependence, we need to widen their perspective to include protection of the environment and the animal realm. This is how we can apply the Buddhist view of interdependence to a broader vision of law and order.
Dalai Lama: [...] In any case, all the natural resource specialists with whom I have spoken warn me that this gap between the “haves” and “have-nots” should be reduced. At present there are around 5.5 billion human beings on earth. If the living standard of the southerners were raised to ‘the level the northerners are presently enjoying, what would happen to the world’s natural resources? This situation would not be sustainable. China, for example, has a population of 1.2 billion. If each family were to have two cars, the environmental damage would be unimaginable. Nine hundred million people live in India.
The Western concept of increasing the GNP each year must change, and fast. The principle itself contradicts all natural and logical laws.
Fabien: Do you think Westerners should also have fewer cars?
Dalai Lama: Certainly. They need to develop a sense of contentment and more consideration towards others. Things should be done in a more just, equal manner. In the meantime, the birth control question must also be addressed. The southern countries must curb their population growth.
Fabien: Efficient birth control mainly depends on standard of living. The more access to education women have, the fewer children they ‘produce, statistically speaking. So, education seems to be the best way to curb the population explosion.
Dalai Lama: That’s very good. But what education? To tell you the truth, I think the first thing the southerners must do is recognize the negative consequences of the present Western concepts of life and economy. We have to correct or remould this erroneous belief in, the value of an ever-increasing GNP.
Likewise, although some factories and industries are now adopting, new ways to protect the environment, the northerners are inflicting a lot of damage on the world’s environment. This prompts me to say that from a global point of view the money produced by the northern world is still insufficient.
[. . .] In the early part of this century, everyone foolishly thought that natUre’s resources were limitless and at the disposal of humanity. Today ecological ideology even influences political parties. All these changes stem from the experience we have acquired as human beings. In the same way; the concept of human rights, whether individual or general, such as die right to self-determination for a given group, has evolved. These ideas are now universally recognized. Such progress gives me hope for the future.
Fabien: Do you think that one individual can change the world?
Dalai Lama: Yes.
Fabien: In that case, the best thing to do is to start trying to improve oneself.
Dalai Lama: It seems quite simple. First, it is important to realize we are part of nature. Ultimately, nature will always be more powerful than human beings, even with all their nuclear weapons, scientific equipment, and knowledge. If the sun disappears or the earth’s temperature changes by a few degrees, then we are really in trouble. At, a deeper level, we should recognize that although we are part of nature, we can control and change things, to some extent, due to our intelligence. Among the thousands of species of mammals on earth, we humans have the greatest capacity to alter nature. As such, we have a twofold responsibility. Morally, as beings of higher intelligence, we must care for this world. The other inhabitants of the planet – �insects and so on – do not have the means to save or protect this world. Our other responsibility is to undo the serious environmental degradation that is the result of incorrect human behaviour. We have recklessly polluted the world with chemicals and nuclear waste, selfishly consuming many of its resources. Humanity must take the initiative to repair and protect the world.
Of course, when we say, “humanity” or “society”, it’s obvious the initiative must come from individuals. It is wrong to expect our governments, or even God, to give us any guidance on these matters.
[...] Actually, I’m quite optimistic. Take the example of environmental problems. The scientists and associations that defend the environment have repeatedly informed us about the ecological problems now facing the earth, like global warming and widespread pollution of our water and air. Now, awareness is growing worldwide. New techniques are evolving so that we can avoid pollution without changing the process of industry or the economy. During a recent visit to Stockholm, my friends told me that ten years before the fish had practically disappeared from the nearby river. Now they are regenerating, simply because the industrial plants along that river have made some efforts to protect the environment. In other words, they managed to improve the situation without destroying the industry. I was recently in the Rohr region of Germany, a centre of industry. One large company showed me a film on the different means they were raking to reduce pollution and recycle waste material. Without changing their entire structure, they were causing much less damage to the environment.
Concern for ecology grows with the proper and widespread dissemination of information. People have gradually become convinced what the situation is serious and what we must take care for our planet. I’ve noticed that now, in some hotels, we are asked to not waste electricity or water. This is a good start. Likewise the media must speak of the importance of altruism in every human activity. It must be discussed again and again, in newspapers, in the movies, on the radio, on TV. I think there is plenty of momentum to do this. Medical and scientific fields should support the theory of altruism. Ecologists will support it, as the peace movement, providing the educational systems are also improved so that children become less violent. Then, even the police force will change. and everyone will gradually begin to think and act with more kindness, altruism, and compassion.
This is an interesting article by Micheal Parenti, he appears to be driven by a certain motive, nonetheless, even the Dalai lama has acknowledged the massive economic injustice prior to the Chinese invasion. However, it should be noted that the Chinese in fact did not aim to level the injustice, the 17 Point Agreement preserved for the wealthy nobles and the monastic institutions, their right to continue as was before concerning inherited taxes, serfs etc etc
http://www.michaelparenti.org/Tibet.html
Its interesting, but at the same time, most Tibetans were nomads so the level of control was far less than would be in any other context.
Very interesting – part 1 and part 2.
Some believe that water will be the undoing of the economies of China and India. Judging from your article water is a serious problem and potentially a major source of conflict.
Interesting to note that China is no different when it comes to colonisation. That is, Strip the assets and suppress the natives. Yet some african governments expect China to be different to the West.
Thanks for this article, and highlighting what is happening Tibet. It is one of the best pieces on Tibet & China occupation I read in a long time
I think it is important to note that the monasteries were not ‘wealthy’ in the sense that westerners might imagine. The monks did walk about like Rajas dripping diamonds, rubies, and gold. Their elaborate ritual clothing was valued not for its monetary worth but for the meaning in the application of the most beautiful materials to symbolically communicate elements of the dharma. In this respect, Tibet’s unique forms of Buddhism incorporated many elements of the ancient Bon religion that preceded it. As KS pointed out in Part One of her summary of Tibet-Chinese relations, the ‘conversion’ of a traditionally ‘clan’-based society with a violent history into a highly civililzed culture where violence was eschewed by the vast majority of the population was an amazing feat. It did not happen in an instant. It was the result of the gradual assimilation of the Bon tradition of ritual, trance mediums, and shamanic priests into a society of highly disciplined (and frequently intellectually briliant ) lamas who evolved the most sophisticated non-theistic spiritual paradigm the world has ever seen.
Admittedly, the tradition of ‘Nobles’ persisted in the secular side of governance but even it was subject to the Buddhist principles that the monasteries fostered in the male population. If nothing else, the Tibetan monastic system produced a population of males whose sensibilites excluded the sexual domination of women, the treatment of children as ‘spiritual beings’ whose chastisement did not include ‘corporal punishment’, an economy based on ‘enough’ rather than conquest in the service of excess, a respect for all living things that fostered a deep reverence for the earth and its inhabitants and a level of tolerance for dissent which has only been equalled in the West by the Quaker practice of ‘friendly persuasion’. That is a fair list of accomplishments for a ‘primitive people’ in the mere space of 1500 years.
It is also true that serfs were just as likely as any group to produce a ‘tulku’. The present Dalai Lama certainly did not come from a wealthy or noble family. For all its ‘inequality’ the lamasery system re-paid the people of Tibet with a highly evolved philosophy of life which was available to all according the person’s means to comprehend it: at the level of ritual for those were moved to greater reverence for life through sacred rites; monastic training for those male children who could benefit from the discipline of the intellect; and a general atmosphere of respect for all life that the presence of the monasteries inspired in even the un-lettered population. It should be noted that Tibetan monks could marry and have families if they wished to do so which was/is a brilliant way to ensure that the deepest spiritual values of a society are passed on to future generations.
Nunneries were also a feature of Tibetan life. Since most women chose to marry and bear children early in life, the nunneries were never as large or as numerous as the monasteries. To Western eyes, that smacks of ‘male chauvinism’ and there were inequalities in the access to the artefacts of Tibetan Buddhism such as the sutras and books of commentary that were kept in the monasteries. One of the many accomplishments of the current Dalai Lama is the widening of opportunities for Tibetan women to be educated and to choose monastic life if they wish. The emergence of Tibetan female scholars and theorists is one of the unforeseen effects of the Tibetan exile.
The loss of what Tibet has to teach the world may well be the greatest tragedy humanity has ever witnessed because Tibetan culture reached levels of civilized everyday values and behaviours unequalled in the world except perhaps in pre-colonial Bali which also struggles under the un-official. aggressive, economic occupation of Indonesians.
Societies that cultivate only civilized values based on loving kindness rather than fear of punishment are the rarest of the rare. We ignore their plight at our peril.
Thank you KS for your very careful and through summary of the Tibet/China conflict.
P.S. Readers if this blog: There are several films that convey many aspects of the Tibetan belief system: ‘Kundun’, ‘Seven Years in Tibet’ and ‘Little Buddha’ as well one about monks getting a tv to watch a soccer match the title of which escapes me at the moment. There is also a series of detective novels set in Tibet: The Skull Mantra, WaterTouching Stone, Bone Mountain and Beautiful Ghosts. The detective is Chinese who was banished to a Tibetan gulag where he encounters lamas who, despite years of torture and starvation remain serene and compassionate but also canny and wise in the ways of survival with integrity. There is fifth novel in the series due out in June. The author is Eliot Pattison.
When you see the Buddha on the road
—————————————————Khadije, Poignant, coherent and cogent story.
How can global people’s organisation assist the Tibetan people in their struggle?
A good lesson I learnt from Bhuddism, “the process is more important than the end result”.
Part 111?
Unfortunately, Siobhan’s comments, while reflecting a deep understanding of socio-centric tendencies, ignores the fact that everything being praised about the Tibetan culture is contrary to the Buddha-dharma.
It might be time that people try to apply the Duck Test in reverse: “If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a duck.”
While Siobhan attempts to make a good argument, the problem is that the history of abuse and misconduct within the Tibetan tradition, as well as the spirit of denial that they have adopted in regard to it, invokes the spirit of the Pakasaniya Kamma, the official proclamation by members of the Sangha when the words and physical actions of another monk are no longer related to the Buddha, the Dharma, or the Sangha — in this case, the majority of the tradition in question.
In this case, the proclamation is not required, because their behavior is confirmation of it.
Salaam abduraghiem
Your thoughts on history, water, culture, resources, the currency and global involvement are far more profound and coherent than my own.Perhaps you should write part three;)))))))))))))))))))))))))
Hi Miriam I really like your work too.Full of life;)
Hi Owen, I agree with you. There seems to be very little in technique or ideology that differentiates
China from the US, except China moves from the premise of an ancient empire whereas the US swaggers like the nouveau riche..I believe that the US empire needs to be replaced, but is China the solution? Thus far they have only accelerated destructive ‘industrialisation’ policies, appropriating resources, undermining and superimposing the dominant ‘identity’ – just as US uses patriotism as militarising vehicle, so China uses the immensity of past civilisations to justify present actions. Water is the most fragile and depleted resource on earth; the dams are a big worry as is contamination of Tibet as a watershed for & to Asia and the world. Without China, US currency will collapse, the Chinese hold bulk of bonds etc the Gulf countries have been buying out huge shares in US multinationals, business, real estate. Russia is now more a swing state than a super-power and Western Europe does not recognise countries like Russia and Turkey as apart of the ‘proper’ Euro fabric, US presence in Eastern Euro states is meaningless without Chinese funds mobilising them. So Chinese presence is essentially huger than we thought, maybe.
Hi Siobhan, thanks for your interesting and very informative comment. I was unable to find much hard data relating to the state of Tibet prior to the Chinese occupation, and even less on the state of women and nunneries, thanks for the comment;)The Dalai Lama had stated that the significant portion of the people were chabang or very weak prior to the occupation, which exacerbated the situation terribly. I’m not sure that the Dalai Lama feels the word serf is appropriate, maybe he believes that the western interpretation of the situation range false.. I find the marriage aspects re: Tibetan monks a very beautiful way to disseminate and strengthen the society.
This is Blogger’s Window.There is a real research behind all the information that we have right now. I have validated the information and i must agree it is very scarry that there are bully-boys around that ‘rules’ by an iron grip and are holding the small neighbours by their scruff.
Billy,
You are correct, there is much research going on, not just here, but on other blogs and websites, though the greater majority of them are still “validating” their research by looking at it through rose tinted glasses.
At the end of the day, when all is said and done in the China/Tibet issue, no one’s hands are clean on either side, hence it will not end good for either side, including other governments with hidden agendas and the pro-democracy movement itself.
There is this tendency, as Khadija is well aware, that many writers and supporters have been attempting to make excuses for the violent demonstrations that occurred in Lhasa or attempting to ignore the issue completely.
An example of the later can be found in John Ackerly’s statement, the president of the International Campaign for Tibet, where he not only downplays the violent demonstations that occured in Lhasa by stating that “Tibet’s movement for justice and freedom cannot be reduced to the burning of Chinese shops,” but he made no mention of the fact that some of the shop owners had actually lost their lives in those fires, as if their deaths at the hands Tibetan demonstrators was inconsequential, lacking any importance or concern.
Then we have the pro-Tibetan camp and the monks themselves, who have countinue to claim that the Chinese army was dressed up like monks and instigated the violent riots.
Has there ever been any real proof of this? No.
So what do our friendly supporters of Tibetan Buddhism do? They fabricate it and then start passing it around, which only encouraged other confrontations around the world.
You might wish to read my article about this:
http://www.mahabodhi.net/gordon_thomas.htm
The problem in “validating” anything is that it requires an unbiased and academic approach, which few writers possess. In attempting to prove that China has somehow provoked the suffering within Tibet, most writers ignore the actual Tibetan histopry and the role they have played within regional politics itself.
There is truth in the saying, “If you live by the sword, you shall die by it.”
Who provoked Tibetan army when it made repeated invasions into Bhutan in the 17th century? Who provoked the violent history of Tibet prior to this? And let’s not forget about the brutal murder of three members of the Dalai Lama’s inner circle in February 1997.
Lobsang Gyatso and two young monks were brutally slain in the middle of the night, just a few hundred yards from the Dalai Lama’s residence in Dharmsala.
In this case the scapegoat of choice wasn’t China, but the Shugden sect of Tibetan Buddhism.
Maybe a better question would be how these violent murders occurred so close to the Dalai Lama’s residence and yet no one heard a thing.
Can no one recognize spiritual materialism when they see it? Well, of course, one needs to open their eyes first and not ignore it.
Like I stated on another blog related to to the China/Tibet issue, writers and pundits need to start applying critical thought and unbiased examination because not all of us play “follow the leader” like leeping lemurs off of a cliff’s edge.
Ven.J.M.,
I was away for a few days and only now read your comments. “Damning with faint praise” would be a fair assessment, I believe.
To further set the record straight, the Dalai Lama has publicly and repeatedly acknowledged the ‘excesses and abuses’ that Tibetan society experienced over its long lamaist history. Not all Tibetans are good Buddhists; not all Lamas are bodhissatvas. Democratic systems were not a part of Tibetan history but the Dalai Lama recognized that the right to self-governance is integral to humanity, a central Buddhist principle and a political philosophy whose time has come. He believes devoutly that all sentient beings must evolve by recognizing the integrity of all other beings, that the process of becoming ‘enlightened’ is utterly individual yet takes place in the interdependent practice of compassion and loving kindness for all life forms. How much more democratic can anyone be?
Pre-Buddhist social structure was as much the product of the warrior/shamanist Bon religion as the flowering of non-violent culture is the product of the mass adoption of Buddhism gifted–or ‘inflicted’ in your view–during the reign of Songzen Gampo and Princess Wencheng. The ‘caste’ system of that era survived in some forms even under Buddhist influence partly because of a faulty understanding of ‘karma’, the practice of non-interference in the ‘working out of karma’ (as in the profession of those whose hereditary role was to dismember corpses for ‘sky burial’), and the ancient clan structure which is inherent in all nomadic peoples. Does that make it right? Not for 21st century eyes. But that does not excuse–let alone justify!–China’s genocidal reign of terror that has been ignored by the world since 1958.
Correction to my previous blog: The monks did NOT go about dripping diamonds, rubies and gold… Their ceremonial attire and the use of gold in the temples were not ‘commodiites’ to be traded although they might be seen as ‘spiritual materialism’ by those inclined to non-spiritual materialism. Art in the service of spirit is something I cannot bring myself to condemn in a world where brutal ugliness has replaced it.
Nor can I do anything but revere a man who lives a life of such blamelessness as the Dalai Lama. He would make no such claim for himself, of course, but such faults as he has do not seem to me to justify the genocidal mania of China.
Khadja, Thank you for both of your well-researched and informative articles. In a world that is being systematically ‘dumbed-down’, there is no such thing as ‘too much education’
Namaste.
ICT press release, April 25, 2008
In an unprecedented public move, Chinese state media issued a statement today saying that Chinese officials will have “contact and consultation” with the Dalai Lama’s representative “in the coming days”, and claimed that “the door to dialogue has remained open”.
The statement was published as the lead item on Xinhua’s Chinese language home page, signaling that it was intended for a domestic as well as an international audience. It also reiterated a trilogy of demands that Beijing has adopted in reaction to the current crisis in Tibet and the international response to the Olympic torch relay — that the Dalai Lama must cease activities “aimed at splitting China”, “plotting violence”, and “disrupting and sabotaging the Beijing Olympics Games”.
The offer of contact is not consistent with the Chinese government’s hard-line position and rhetoric against the Dalai Lama over the past few weeks and coincides with high-level political engagement by several governments with China on the Tibet issue, includeing the visit of European Union Commissioner Jose Manuel Barroso, who held talks with Premier Wen Jiabao today and planned to raise EU concern over Tibet.
“It’s too early to tell if the meeting will produce results or is just for PR purposes in advance of the Olympics,” said Mary Beth Markey, Vice President for International Advocacy at the International Campaign for Tibet. “The immediate significance of this development is that it shows government advocacy has an impact. Governments who have called for a positive Chinese response on Tibet must continue to bear some responsibility for the outcome.”
The Tibetan Prime Minister, the Kalon Tripa, noted the move from Beijing in a statement from Dharamsala today, saying: “We feel it will require normalcy in the situation in the Tibetan areas for the formal resumption of the talks and we are committed to take all steps, including informal meetings, to continue in bringing about this. It is our position that for any meeting to be productive it is important for the Chinese leadership to understand the reality and acknowledge the positive role of His Holiness the Dalai Lama rather than indulging in vilification campaign that is even contained in the same Xinhua report.” (Full statement at: http://www.tibet.net)
The lead Tibetan negotiator during six rounds of dialogue with China, Special Envoy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari, told a U.S. Senate hearing in Washington on April 23 that in spite of efforts to engage the Chinese “nothing concrete, just rhetoric”, was coming through existing channels.
The current crisis which started in Lhasa on March 10 and the subsequent crackdown throughout Tibet is accompanied by a ‘patriotic education’ campaign requiring Tibetans to denounce the Dalai Lama, which is provoking further unrest and despair. Lodi Gyari also stated at the Senate hearing: “We cannot pretend that if our next round of discussions were held now, it would be business as usual given the scale of the crackdown and the fact that protests are continuing almost daily. The present emergency situation must be resolved before we can really talk about the future. However, if both sides are determined to find a solution through genuine engagement – and it is my duty today to assure you that His Holiness remains fully committed to that effort – then, we will find away. Therefore, we ask of those advising both sides to continue with the dialogue process that they press the Chinese side to provide assurances of their commitment to real and concrete progress.”
As a spiritual practitioner, Quaker, Iyengar Yoga practitioner and Vajarayana [Tibetan]Buddhist I have been delightd and informed by this blog and the associated comments.
Do the teachings and practices available through Tibetan Buddhism help me in my search for development as a humanbeing? From my little personal experience I can answer w3ith an unequivocal yes.
The Chinese invasion of Tibet has had the unintended, by the Chineses I would guess, consequence of making the spiritual cornucopia that was gestating within the closed confines of the womb of Tibet available to the rest of humankind. It has brought immeasurable blessings to us but that does not excuse what the Chinese are doing in Tibet and to Tibetans.
Such great investigative journalism is not worth a Blog.It needs to be tapped for front pages of National Newspapers and post-boxes of Presidents!It is very high for your average Bloger to learn anything from and too strategic for the backroom chats.
Tibet and their battle for freedom are issues the mighty powers wish were not on the media and public domain as it questions why Iraq alone and not Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Sudan etc are not facing any wrath of the World when they are so much in our face.Public condemnation is not that loud if it is there at all!It reminds me of South Africa- The Battle against Apartheid.The Americans played a backround role though it is not recognised in public.They helped us maybe we were too loud!! We shouted and kicked and screamed!!! It was a painfull and biting winter cold.Tibet is also one that will need China to show their human-face.To concider their plight and respond.China is a giant and cannot play a small ‘game’ of fighting against their own.We will like to see that.
Khadi, thanks for reminding us in such fresh and original facts.You are making the world a better place.We need your articles to inform our Universiities and also the public.They are not just informative but educational.They need to be in the ‘face’ and not hidden.
Your history of Tibet is extremely offensive and racist, showing a lack of respect for Tibettan tradition, no matter how “wrong” by Western Standards.
You go on about priestly dictatorships, and then dont apparently notice you then go on, and on, and on about the Dalai llama, a God King, traditionally.
Missing out the mass destruction of thousands of monasteries (As Tibettan art history and culture), mass genocide and starvation in the 1950-60s, and that the Tibettan Govt in Exile (not the Dalai llama) want complete independence, (apparantly beause being accurate and researhing your topic has apparently never occured to you.) you fail to mention the regular rebellions, torture and imprisonment of monks and nuns, official take over by the Chinese of Tibettan religion by official sanctioning of worship, (to the extent of declaring the recent incarnation of one the llamas by communist party committee.) or that the Tibettan Autonomous region is only half of what is traditional regarded as Tibettan territory.
We could also mention the CIA funding a liberation army in the 1970s and an official Chinese version of Tibettan folklore propogated on State Media with “ethnic” singers praising the Chinese govt.
But then again, accuracy never was your strong point was it?
Try stop being trendy and actually go and find out what Western hippies have been doing since the 60s, then you might realise how ridiculous this story looks to them.
Or find out how many westerners know all about Tibet from years of the efforts of the exiles demonstrating their culture to us.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ee58iv63M2A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VRneGYpaXc
Hi
The terrain of Tibet discussed in part one, TGIE do not want independence, just autonomy, Thubten, the official government representative said so in the interview. Did mention displacement, environmental degradation etc CIA funding very small, primarily to seek out intelligence info on the PRC – they never funded a liberation army, just 30 men trained in US, who were to seek out info ‘in the event of’ etc etc
Please read more carefully…;)
Additionally, the Dalai Lama has stated this to the media several times over.
Budd you are missing the point.Your sense of reading was never your strong point in grasping what you have read.You are complaining about what or against what you read as her exposition of atrocities against Tibetans.I am not against your corrections about History but do it understanding that we rely on researches.The fact is that the World is dead silent whilst it was able to respond on Iraq. Lees mooi baba!!!
I am sorry. I have not read this all but it appears from numerous other sources that the Tibetan Government in Exile and such as the persistent attack on the Olympic Flame is funded by the CIA (amongst others, of which many are proxies). Tibet, besides the mineral wealth, is a strategic asset from a military/economic perspective. America is a country structuring its future on the military/industrial complex.