News today that three Tibetan herders may have set themselves alight highlights the increasing frequency with which Tibetans (usually monks or nuns) have been turning to self-immolation, bringing to 19 the total that have done so in the past year.
Why are Tibetans setting themselves on fire with such frequency? The Chinese government has denied any responsibility, instead blaming the Dalai Lama for encouraging such radical actions. However, this claim doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. The Chinese government has told the West that the Dalai Lama is irrelevant to Tibetans, while telling Chinese and Tibetans within China that he has been marginalized to the point of becoming a “political orphan.” It’s therefore illogical to accuse him of being the mastermind behind radical actions taken by Tibetans.
The reality is that the Dalai Lama single-handedly introduced democracy to the Tibetan government in exile immediately after he fled to India in 1959. He established an elected parliament, while the process of democratization was accelerated by his receipt of the Nobel Prize in Peace in 1989, which also bolstered secularization in the government. Last year, the Dalai Lama announced plans for his full political retirement, and with Harvard-educated lawyer Lobsang Sangay directly elected to lead a Cabinet comprising laypersons from young, well-educated, diverse and cosmopolitan backgrounds.
Such success, has, unfortunately, only deepened Beijing’s anxiety over – and hostility toward – the Dalai Lama and Tibetans. For the past five years, the military, paramilitary police, and law enforcement forces have conducted searches, arrests, blockades and attacks against monasteries and their residents. The Communist Party has, meanwhile, escalated its efforts to “modernize” Tibet, including trying to brainwash Tibetans with themes of atheism, materialism and patriotism. One example of this has been the intensification of the enforcement of its 15-year-old ban on hanging portraits of the Dalai Lama in monasteries. During this year’s two New Year’s periods (Chinese and Tibetan), the Chinese government reportedly sent a million Chinese flags and portraits of four Communist Chinese leaders (Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao) to monasteries. The government has also vowed to make every monastery subscribe to The People’s Daily and The Tibetan Daily, two important Communist Party newspapers.
In addition, the Chinese government has further broadened its infiltration into religious affairs and tightened control over monasteries in an effort to impose its propaganda agenda, while uncooperative monks and nuns have been expelled. It has been reported that in Lhasa, the capital of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, there are more Han Chinese than Tibetans, more soldiers than monks, and more surveillance cameras than windows.
President Hu Jintao (a former Party secretary in Tibet) and Zhou Yongkang (a former Party secretary in Sichuan, where most of the self-immolations have occurred, and the current czar for internal security), should be seen as directly responsible for the current repressive policy toward Tibet.
For believers, Buddhism is seen as a way of ending suffering and death. But as Tibetan Buddhism has lost its autonomy, the unique culture and identity of Tibetans has also risked becoming extinct. Now, instead of choosing between good or bad, monks and nuns feel they have no choice but to resort to self-immolation to communicate their grievances and protests.
According to various Buddhist teachings in the school of the Greater Vehicle (Mahayana), suicide can be commended under special conditions, for example if it is conducted “out of profound inner conviction” that no good can any longer be served by the retention of the physical body, or if it is in higher service to society. Indeed, it is explicitly in The Lotus Sutra (Fahua Jing) that “setting fire to the body” or “burning the fingers or toes” might be deemed a great offering to Buddha if the Three Jewels that guide Tibetan Buddhists (Buddha, Dharma and Sangha) have to be defended and honored.
It has been reported that the self-immolating monks and nuns shouted out their wishes for the return of Dalai Lama and the freedom of Tibet. If such self-immolations are to end, the global community must mobilize, and citizens must pressure their governments to work to encourage the halting of the persecution of Tibetan Buddhism and the genocide of Tibetan culture that is being perpetrated by the Chinese state. The Chinese government has shown no sign of changing course in part because global society hasn’t demonstrated its moral outrage.
Tibetan refugee and activist Lobsang Sangay once said that: “Tibetans have no oil; even our oxygen is thinner than in other places. Lamas are what we have. So the West does not care much about us.”
With more Tibetan deaths seemingly inevitable, the international community should show that the lives of Tibetans are at least as important as fluctuating oil prices. Now is time for it to show that it is willing to act to save an endangered people.
Ming Xia is a professor of Political Science at the Graduate Center and the College of Staten Island, the City University of New York.
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harry
just shows how brainwashed those tibetan lunatic monks are. there are only 2 “religions” that incites these kind of suicidal behavior, 1 is muslim extremist the other is lunatic tibetan buddhism.
if the slave master dalai lama and its aristocratic followers in indian can establish an “working democracy” then why in the 9 years which Chinese government gave dalai lama between 1950 and 1959 this CIA agent failed to even abolish slavery and serfdom?? tibet will become more irrelevant as China regain’s her rightful place. and Chinese government should accelerate the migration of Han Chinese into tibet to consolidate the rightful sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Tendar Tsering
To harry and applesauce;
Plz don’t point the finger at Dalai Lama or Tibetans, first point the finger at yourself (Chinese government), how can you inhumanly occupy our country, and torture us? How the Dalai Lama can introduce a genuine democracy when he was under the gun, and when he was under the worst directorial-ship (China) for the so called 9 yrs (1950-1959)? Even your government forced our government representatives to sign the so called 17th point agreement under gun!! So, how can the Dalai Lama can succeed in introducing a democracy??
harry
during 1950 to 1959 China was NOT asking dalai lama to construct an working democracy all the Chinese government asked dalai lama to do was to
1 abolish slavery and serfdom.
2 start an land reforms that would gave usage and ownership rights of lands to peasants.
3, abolish the cruel and feudal caste system
and if dalai lama would introduce these reforms the PLA wouldve stayed in the border regions, but this CIA monk took the advice of Americans so he rebelled instead of introducing reforms. and when he lost the rebellion this wolf in a sheep skin when to india to brag about his contributions to tibetan democracy. when the facts are he didnt even abolish slavery during the 9 years China gave him.
Tendar Tsering
The whole world knows the Dalai Lama-it is not the so called CIA or a single nation, but the whole world knows him and appreciates him except few countries who are afraid of your PRC. You must be knowing that the Dalai Lama is a monk, doesn’t have to look for anyone, and if even has retired from Tibetan politics. If you know nothing except what your government preach, then do visit Dalai Lama and learn about the realities. For instance, honestly, I was also born in Chinese occupied Tibet, and educated in Chinese occupied Tibet to some extend but after coming to India, i learnt about the both sides-now I know the fact.
harry
dalai lama during the cold war had an 300,000 dollar “personal expense” funded by CIA this is a simple fact. and now the wolf in sheep skin is receiving from NED which is an american state backed organization that spreads colour revolution all around the world it was established in 1980s when CIA had negative publicity so the organization called NED was formed as a subordinates to CIA coercion activities all around the world.
Siddharth
Can you please provide the link to prove your allegations that he got funds from CIA?
Sara Helena Stephanell
In a democratic society like this, you can openly discuss your views – isnt that precious?? inside Tibet this is completely impossible. No freedom of speech, no freedom of religion. Everyone is watched constantly. The Internet inside Tibet cant search words like “democracy” “Human Rights” etc I hope all will take 2 minutes silence for the many dead in Tibet killed by the chinese oppressors or martyrs who have self immolated. May Tibet be free, May Tibetans have their country back and may peace come to all oppressed!!! Sara Helena Stephanell, Denmark
Oro Invictus
The tragedy that has befallen Tibet represents one of the gravest humanitarian disasters in modern times; whereas most governments that commit this sort of cultural degradation and repression are subject to isolation and condemnation by the international community, the PRC faces little in the way of this. Indeed, aside from half-hearted attempts by governments to introduce human rights issues into dealing with Beijing, the PRC government has constantly, tacitly and directly, threatened to obstruct such dealings; no, instead most governments are content to let money buy their accession, money garnered by the PRC often through such violations of human rights. While, given China’s sheer size, it would be unwise and difficult to enforce the sort of sanctions brought against other such repressive autocracies as in Iran and Syria, some type of punitive measure must be taken by the international community against the PRC; while no nation is without blood on their hands, no government without sin, the scale and degree by which the PRC has brutally persecuted the Tibetan people (as well as virtually any other non-Han ethnic group and political dissident) is almost unparalleled in modern history. Even the cultural subsumation of the American Indians by North Americans cannot compare to the pervasiveness of the PRC’s methods, even though it has been over a hundred years since the end of that brutal epoch.
The path of history, contrary to what is said, does not bend toward justice; there is no metaphysical force which drives us towards tolerance, happiness, and equality. While it is true, in the long run, such groups like the CPC falter and crumble under storms of their own making, it is not until much has been lost. Even if you do not find such fault with the CPC overall, there can be little doubt as to what is being done in Tibet is a complete and utter travesty. The only ones who portray the recent events in Tibet as unprovoked, violent riots instigated by separatists are the PRC, and their own actions render their accounts without merit; ignoring the long history of the PRC’s manipulation of information (even admitting themselves that their journalists are to serve as mouth-pieces of the state) or the fact that virtually all other accounts with do not follow the party line (be it by sources inside or outside the country) portray the events in Tibet similarly contrariwise to PRC accounts (that this current round of martial law and violent repression by authorities was in response to mostly [if not completely] peaceful protests by Tibetans), this question remains: Why block foreign reporters from entering the area? Why completely cut off internet and phone access in the affected areas? While it might be argued the latter is to contain dissenting sentiments from spreading and organizing (which is, by itself, a violation of both the terms of the PRC’s agreement with Tibet it struck when it allowed itself to be annexed and the PRC’s own constitution), if these are really violent protests and terrorists, wouldn’t the party benefit from letting others see and hear about it first-hand?
If the PRC was being truthful, just letting some foreign reporters into the area to corroborate their story would help justify their actions and galvanize support from both domestic and international audiences. It would hardly represent a security threat and even if certain reporters has ulterior motives, the sheer number of reporters without such goals would drown these out. No, the only rational reason why the PRC would not allow any outside parties in is if they were egregiously and shamelessly been falsely reporting on events there.
We must ignore the nationalistic tendencies which obscure our view of events, instead focusing purely on the humanitarian aspects of these things. To consider the pain and hopelessness that would drive anyone to self-immolation is nigh impossible, no matter what creed or culture you belong to; these are not actions of aggression or hatred, but beacons borne by suffering. Beacons which are lit to draw attention to the tragedy at hand when all else has failed, beacons brought about by people who believed the only way to bring any hope to others was to end themselves. If no action is taken soon, I fear that such actions, such desperate attempts at seeking help will continue until, one by one, all the lights go out, and Tibet and its people become as ash in the winds of history.
applesauce
“The reality is that the Dalai Lama single-handedly introduced democracy to the Tibetan government in exile immediately after he fled to India in 1959. ”
funny how he didn’t introduce this democracy while he was in power from roughly 50-59′. and only did so after he failed in an armed uprising(using CIA money and guns).
“With more Tibetan deaths seemingly inevitable, the international community should show that the lives of Tibetans are at least as important as fluctuating oil prices. Now is time for it to show that it is willing to act to save an endangered people. ”
as sad as the self immolation cases are, the international community isnt gonna do jack squat. people in Africa die every day due to completely avoidable causes, yet nothings has been done so long as the region those people are in has no resources and this is also the case with tibet. the only value tibet has to the international community is to give adversaries of china a further presentation point in their descriptions of the “evil red commies”(who are stealing your jobs). other than weak talk, who dares to liberate tibet? why should the chinese government listen?
a_canadian_observer
@applesauce: Wrong! The West has done a lot to help Africa. It’s china, the world’s #2 economy that hasn’t done anything to help. Look for self-reflection before uttering nonsense.
SCdad07
Dalai Lama should issue a decree that death by suicide is considered a grave or serious sin.
“Death is a part of all our lives. Whether we like it or not, it is bound to happen. Instead of avoiding thinking about it, it is better to understand its meaning. We all have the same body, the same human flesh, and therefore we will all die. There is a big difference, of course, between natural death and accidental death, but basically death will come sooner or later. If from the beginning your attitude is ‘Yes, death is part of our lives,’ then it may be easier to face.”
Tendar Tsering
Hey SCdad07, if you think the Dalai Lama should issue decree to stop the ongoing self-immolation in Tibet, if you think ‘all human beings are same’, then why the governments of the world, the people of the world not addressing the real plight of the people of Tibet inside Tibet? Why do our families and relatives in Tibet do have to stay under constant fear and Chinese torture? Why?
Bierstadt
Sad situation, and nothing will change anytime soon. China is getting more hardline as time goes on, not less.
Reason
What is sure, is in the grand scheme of things the Tibetan issue will remain a huge sore that the CCP will have to throw more and more resources at to suppress.
In any future hostilities, on any of China’s borders, you can be sure that Tibet and Xinjiang will open up as second and third fronts, severely hobbling the PAP’s ability to assist the PLA
free china
this author is a light weight.
the self-immolations are human tragic, caused by the terminal darkness of Tibetan Buddhism. Tibetan Buddism looks for the next life, not this life. its monks can go to a long mediatation for years. if they believe they can see their god Dalai Lama by burning themselves, they will do it.
Chinese gov shouldn’t be a blow-heart, trying to wrest Tibetans away from the darkness this religion represents. Just let them be, let them drink the urines of Dalai Lama (this is a true story), hack their dead into pieces and feed them to birds (some say it is green). feel happy for their lives.
Tibetan buddism has made a strong tribes of Tibetan people into mind numbing, supersititous, slaves for “living buddas”, if this is their choice, why bother? religious freedom also means the tolerance of cults, so tolerate it.
Tendar Tsering
Even if it is true-thats a matter of belief, and the power of the Dalai Lama, it is up to the PRC to make the use of Dalai Lama or not!
Post Dalai Lama, the story will be different, and China must not tell that they have not warned…
nirvana
@free china,
You do not understand Buddhism at all.
For the Buddhists, suicide is not an escape, nor a path to paradise. On the contrary, for the Buddhists, terminating one’s life, or even an animal’s life, is depriving yourself (it) of the chance of going up a higher level, in the next life. Yes, the Buddhists believe that by nurturing the good conscience that is inherent in us in the current life, reincarnation after reincarnation, we elevate ourselves. We start from a worm or insect type of animals, moving to a higher level animal (dog, cat, horse,…), then to a basic human being, then to a good human being, then to a wise person etc… Eventually we reach perfection, then we stop being reincarnated: and that is NIRVANA.
So, the monks who self-immolated did not do so for a next better life. They did so in the full belief that it is NOT rewarding to themselves: accepting probably to be reincarnated into a lower echelon. They sacrificed their “chance”, so that their culture and their community could have its chance.
Tendar Tsering
DALAI LAMA IS NOT OSAMA, TIBET IS NOT ISRAEL
We have the best leader in the world, the icon of peace the Dalai Lama but some times, I wonder do we really have the best leader?
24 Tibetans have lighted themselves to the fire in protest against the Chinese rule over Tibet, and the number could be 200 in next few more months-the self-immolation has reached at a no-return point.
However, the world is still keeping its eyes and ears closed to the ongoing critical conditions in Tibet. The Dalai Lama being god in the form of human being has become more or less a leader to the world, and if there is anyone in this world who might can solve the disputes of the world through dialogue, negotiation and peace, he is the only person. If there is anyone in this world who truly cares for welfare of the whole world, he is the person.
Yet, this loving person-the ambassador of dialogue and non-violence is being labelled as splitist and at several occassions, he has been denied the visa to visit several parts of the world including South Africa-the land of Nelson Mendela, the then icon of peace.
The people of the world deep down in their hearts, they do respect and appreciate this man the Dalai Lama, and consider as the world’s best spiritual leader and peace icon but when it comes to the politics-one’s own interest, the governments of the world refuse to meet this person, and refuse to address the problems of this man’s people.
If the world really wants peace, and friendship on this planet, then it must stop its double game, double face-feeling something but doing something else.
But I am afraid that this world will never stop its double game-the dirty politics until it burns its own nose.
No matter, how many more Tibetans burn themselves on the fire, the world will not give a damn ####. For the leaders of the world, the politicians-the governments, self-immolation is nothing but a tool to be used for their own business benefits with the Beijing government.
Yet, the hearts of the world, the people of the world, I am sure care for a better world-for equality and justice.
So, it is the gloden chance for us, Tibetans to lobby the common masses of the world. I know at this period, every Tibetan is desperate and dying to do something for a free Tibet. Even death under the Chinese open fire and each self-immolation in Tibet saddens the hearts of Tibetans in exile as much as the Tibetans inside Tibet do.
As the blood of inside Tibetans falling from the Himalayas, hot blood of the exile Tibetans blowing up every day.
Yet, the normal monotonous candle light vigil rituals becoming boring but at the same time becomng painful as the candle light vigils bring no results and make the Tibetans feel that they are not doing enough.
Tibetans-young and old are longing for a ‘revolution’ that could blow up everything to fulfill the demands of those who died in protests against the Chinese government or be dispowered, and wait for a century to get back the roof of the world ‘Tibet’ in an another way, another method.
Something has to be done to bring back the ‘no-return’ point Tibetan self-immolation in Tibet. Yet we simply can’t discourage the Tibetans inside Tibet not to burn themselves. Nor we do have the quality and courage to encourage.
Tibetans in exile, especially the social net work visiters are talking about Yak Revolution, Tsampa Revolution and some are talking about Dalai Lama Revolution. Because they are desperate to do something, because their hearts are paining when the news of deaths in Tibet reach exile.
Tibetans inside Tibet, and outside Tibet, physically far from each other and divided by the Himalayan mountains but the hearts of Tibetans inside Tibet and outside Tibet beat for each other.
Because of the Dalai Lama’s bliss, this era of Tibetans might be peaceful and non-violent but if the world treate this Dalai Lama no better than Osama Bin Laden, then this could discourage the upcoming Tibetans-the new generation ones, and after Dalai Lama, Tibetans could become violent and might take up the violence as the fundamental tool to fight for freedom.
Tibet might become like Israel (conflict zone) and the worst case, there might be many more Tibetan Osamas in the post Dalai Lama era if China don’t make use of the Dalai Lama now.
At that time, there will be no peace in Tibet nor in China nor in the neighboring countries and it will affect the peace of the whole world too. So at that time, don’t regret, and don’t blame the Tibetans because the China’s treatement and the world’s silence making the Tibetans to be like that only.
No one one was born to be violent but society makes them!
As of now, Tibetans are too peaceful, too humble, and in a way, Tibetans and Tibetan government in exile never try to challenge or attack China (even not with peaceful measures), always try to prevent. For instance, Tibetans in exile do teach and learn how to protect their computers from the virus that the Beijing government agencies do send and never try to attack back.
Days back, just after the announcement of the Tibetan Parliament in exile to revisit the international communities including the Embassies in the Indian capital New Delhi, the Chinese Embassy to the Indian Capital issued a letter to the US Embassy in Delhi urging the United States government to stay away from the members of the Tibetan Parliament, citing the issue of Tibet as an internal affair of mainland China.
Members of the Tibetan Parliament, apparently at gay feeling that their newly introduced Tibet movement is succeeding, they kept silent as if what the Chinese Embassy said is true instead of condmning the issue of letter.
Last year again, 32 Tibetan Parliamentarians sat on fast in New Delhi, and came back to Dharamshala at the seat of Tibetan government in exile, hailing that the fast went well though no leading news media highlighted.
However, I wonder such movements will make an impact or not even if the world media picked up the issue.
Nevertheless, Tibetans are dying to do something immediately, hence this is the perfect timing for the Tibetan government in exile, and Tibetan activism groups like Tibetan Youth Congress and Students for Free Tibet to guide the Tibetan common masses for a peaceful but powerful revolution that could shack the whole China.
Sadly not seen the powerful orators, and activits belonging to the above mentioned organizations in last few days amidst the wave of self-immolation and Chinese open fire in Tibet. Hopefully they are not on holiday away from offices.
This is the hour-the perfect time for the Tibetan leaders to guide the common masses for a powerful ‘revolution’.
24 Tibetans have burned and still counting, but why not a ‘Bhoe La Dro’ march, why not a ‘Delhi Chalo’ march? Why? Why?
Why only the candle light vigils that too often organized regionalizm wise-some thing happens in Ngaba Kriti, exile Kriti people organize and something happens in Drango, people from Drango organize.
Let the activism groups like Tibetan Youth Congress and Students for Free Tibet organize the movements, and let common masses be the participants under their guidance.
We must remember that when our brothers and sisters in Tibet burn themselves, they burn for free Tibet, for the whole Tibet, and don’t care where they are from.
We are Tibatans, and let us be just Tibetans-no amdo, no khampa, no U-tsang-just Tibetans for Tibet.
Whether we call it ‘Tsampa revolution’ or ‘Yak revolution’ or ‘Dalai Lama revolution’, let each of us make sure that we can lobby 1000 Indians or American in respective places, and do the revolution at one time constantly contineously till our demands got fulfilled.
Let us start lobbying in our day to day life-using social net works (Facebook and Twitter) and using our mouth in person, and 6 million of us make sure that each of us bring 1000 Tibetan supporters and do the ‘revolution’ in all the cities cross the continents constantly and continously till our demands got fulfilled like the people in Arab world did, like the Indian-Anna Hazare protest did.
If Arab Revolution can succeed, if the Anna Hazare protest can succeed, why not our revolution?
Harry Tenzing
Another biased writing,obviously from someone paid and instructed to write as told.
Media misinformation is happening all the time and is use all too often to demonise your opponents.
When are we going to have an unbiased truth be told by the Diplomat?
I am sure this will be censured.
Tendar Tsering
You might feel this is a paid article because in China, all the articles are either penned under force or paid by PRC. However, The Diplomat is an independent news forum with its principles of fair, and remaining truly to the ethics of journalism, and a voice for the people and by the people.
a_canadian_observer
I have to take my hat off to this writer, Ming Xia. He’s one chinese that I can respect because he is telling the truth about china’s involvement in Tibet. He’s one of a few that I’ve come across so far. I hope there appear more righteous people from china.
Tenpa
It is good to read a well observed article by Chinese Prof. on Tibetan issue. Thanks goes for Ming Xia. Hope the author will translate this article in Mandarin and published online for Chinese readers, particularly in China.
To those, who think that, old Tibet was bad. What ever it was, I am sure Tibetan can change and develop themselves. It is obsulutely wrong to Chinese Army and Govt. come to Tibet and you are in bad and poor situation. Think for a moment, what you will do, if your neighbor came to your home and started to rule and dictate that, you are in bad and poor situation. It is what happening in Tibet!
Thinley
After all if Communist China is really true what they are saying then why THEY CAN’T LET GO FOREIGN REPORTERS TO THE SITE TO FIND FACT. Ya i know FACT is only thing that Communist China is always AFRAID, and FAKE is what they are apparent in the world. Many people expect mercy policy from this Communist Party but they already lost their sense of mercy, right after the TIANANMEN SQUARE MASSACRE their own people.
Now see where is UNO, a pejorative and paradox, this UNO functioning is same as pre-second world war League of Nation only model. Those human rights loving countries now it is time to show put words in action. who can say putting people on fire and shooting gun on peaceful demonstration is not human rights deterioration.
Siddharth
Nice point.
Major Lowen Gil Marquez, Phil Army
Freedom for Tibetan people and their sovereignty must be at their hand for the future of next generation…
zhen
You all can talk till cows come home. But as long as other chinese citizens are not convinced, your criticisms can be interpreted as part of the conspiracy to break up china. The idea of breaking up and subjugating china to foreign power will convulse all chinese. The CCP is expected to act decisively to suppress the protests. Otherwise, its legitimacy will be in question. Your wish for more brutality is granted.
a_canadian_observer
@zhen: So, the chinese populace has no capacity to decide between right and wrong, that it has to rely on CCP propaganda to act? Feeling no remorse for the brutality done to the Tibetans by their government is normal? Is this the result of their 5000 years of history/civilization?
agam
These young Tibtans killing themselves aim their act at FREE TIBET.
The exile government has officially abandoned its quest for FREE TIBET many years ago. The exile government has even dissolved itself and no longer calls itself a government.
In Buddhist view destroying life is always most negative. Destroying one’s own life is no exception. Buddhism knows no notion whatsoever of gaining a fortunate consequence of killing oneself under any circumstance.
From any point of view, these young Tibetans are wasting their most precious asset – their human existance – for a goal their own leaders have abandoned long ago.
And there is one person who could stop that immediately: His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Simply state truth, YOUR HOLINESS! – this is not an act of a Buddhist and goes against all Buddhist view – and there will be no more burning Tibetans if you just say one word!
Your Holiness, why do you let Samdon Lama praise these desparate acts? Why do you let him make your people belive they will go to pure lands as a result of such an act? Do you wish to see more of your young people going up in flames for an aim you have given up yourself officially in the last century already?
TIBETANS, please wake up! Stop wasting your most precious lives!!