dorjeshugden.com
About Dorje Shugden => General Discussion => Topic started by: Manjushri on October 25, 2012, 08:17:19 PM
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China’s foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei has claimed that the the Dalai Lama's clique has incited some people to self-immolate, to fight and regain their freedom.
What is your take on this? Has the Dalai Lama ever tried to stop his people from self-immolating? Is there any other way for Tibet to regain their freedom, because obviously the self-immolation hasn't gotten the Tibetans the result they desire. Maybe the frequency of self-immolation cases has brought the Tibetan's plea into world limelight, but... will it work?
Ann Curry of NBC News has also recently interviewed the Dalai Lama on this matter:
http://www.dorjeshugden.com/forum/index.php?topic=2721.0 (http://www.dorjeshugden.com/forum/index.php?topic=2721.0)
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China blames Dalai Lama for self-immolations
BEIJING: Beijing blamed exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader the Dalai Lama on Wednesday for inciting a spate of self-immolations in China’s Tibetan-inhabited regions.
Nearly 60 ethnic Tibetans, many of them monks and nuns, have set themselves on fire in China since February 2009 to protest against Beijing’s rule in Tibet, with three such incidents occurring in recent days, rights groups say. “To our knowledge most of the self-immolation cases in the Tibetan-inhabited regions are related to the instigation of the Dalai clique,” China’s foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters.
“In order to realise their separatist goals, the Dalai clique has incited some people to self-immolate. This is despicable and should be condemned.” Hong did not offer any evidence that the Dalai Lama or the exiled Tibetan government based in the Indian town of Dharamshala were inciting the self-immolations.
Many Tibetans in China accuse the government of repressing their religious freedom and eroding their culture, as the country’s majority Han Chinese ethnic group increasingly moves into historically Tibetan areas. Last year, Beijing accused the Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet for India in 1959, of instigating the burnings as a form of “terrorism in disguise”.
The 1989 Nobel Peace Prize winner countered by calling China’s rule of Tibet “a kind of cultural genocide” that was driving Tibetans to acts of desperation. He has not condemned the suicides of the last few years, preferring to remain “neutral” in his words, but he recently paid tribute to the courage of the protesters.
China has long accused the Dalai Lama - Tibet’s most revered spiritual leader - of seeking an independent Tibet, accusations he has repeatedly denied. On Tuesday, a Tibetan farmer in his 50s named as Dorje Rinchen died after setting himself on fire near the Labrang monastery in northwest China’s Gansu province, the US-based International Campaign for Tibet said in a statement. The self-immolation follows two others on Monday and Saturday, the group said.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\10\25\story_25-10-2012_pg14_7 (http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\10\25\story_25-10-2012_pg14_7)
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This issue has been dragged way too long that it is needed... Life is precious and difficult to gain, as stated in Lamrim itself, and as HH Dalai Lama is Chenrezig, I seriously don't think HH Dalai Lama would want people to set himself on fire and kill themselves.
I would agree that the 1959 event "forced" the monks to flee Tibet and the journey of Buddhism has gone far and wide especially to the west. May be it is time for HH Dalai Lama to close this "Free Tibetan" chapter?
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China and the CTA / HH Dalai Lama can continue to point fingers at each other for causing the self-immolations of nearly 60 Tibetans. Who had actually suffered eventually? Those who had sacrificed their lives in these self-immolations! CTA/ HH Dalai Lama could do more to stop these self-immolations from recurring.
The Tibetans had lost their country for quite a number of years already. By now the Tibetans should face reality that it is impossible to regain their independence from China. Efforts should be made to ensure Tibetans in China enjoy all privileges as accorded to the citizens of China. As for the Tibetans in exile, they can stop fighting for independence from China. CTA should focus on improving the quality of life for the Tibetans in Exile. What CTA need to do now is to work closely with the Indian Government to ensure the Tibetans in Exile can continue to enjoy the rights and privileges as accorded to the Tibetans in Exile by the Government in India.
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Friday 9th November 2012
BEIJING -- Chinese officials on Friday renewed their accusations that exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and those around him are responsible for instigating a wave of self-immolations in China.
The protests that have seen has many as 68 ethnic Tibetans set themselves on fire in the past 20 months – 55 of whom reportedly have died – are unprecedented in modern Tibetan history, and they’ve sharply challenged the Chinese Communist Party’s usual means of pacifying trouble. Neither Beijing’s investment in infrastructure in ethnic Tibetan areas nor its deployment of police and a tough security crackdown has ended the campaign. Many in China’s Tibetan enclaves say the protests are the result of an authoritarian regime that’s targeted their culture, language and religion.
At a meeting of party leaders from western Sichuan province, where more than half the self-immolations have occurred, an official accused the Dalai Lama and the “Dalai clique” of masterminding the incidents.
“They are the plotters, instigators, organizers and directors of self-immolation incidents in the Tibetan area,” Li Changping, a member of the Communist Party’s provincial standing committee in Sichuan, said during a question-and-answer session with reporters.
Li and his fellow officials were in Beijing for the party’s 18th National Congress, an assembly that will usher in a changeover of China’s top leadership. On Wednesday, the day before the congress began, three teenage monks in Sichuan reportedly burned themselves as a trio. The youngest, 15-year-old Dorjee, died at the scene, according to London-based Free Tibet. Security forces took the two 16-year-olds to a hospital.
“These protests are aimed at sending the next generation of China’s unelected regime a clear signal that Tibetans will continue to fight for their freedom despite China’s efforts to suppress and intimidate them,” Stephanie Brigden, Free Tibet’s director, said in an emailed statement.
At least six ethnic Tibetans have set themselves on fire since Sunday, according to rights groups. On Friday, thousands of students in the province of Qinghai, where two men reportedly lit themselves on fire from Wednesday to Thursday, marched with “slogans demanding equality of nationality, freedom for Tibetans and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet,” according to a statement by the Tibetan government in exile, which is based in Dharamsala, India.
Because the Chinese government has made access to those areas difficult, and at times impossible, for foreign reporters, much of what’s known is through information released by activists with contacts in the region and the Tibetan government in exile. However, many ethnic Tibetans in Qinghai and Sichuan told a McClatchy reporter earlier this year that the self-immolations were in reaction to Chinese government policy and not due to any schemes by the Dalai Lama.
A predominantly Tibetan area in the north of Sichuan has been the epicenter of the self-immolations, which began in March 2011 with a monk at the Kirti Monastery.
In his remarks on Friday, Li, the Sichuan official, blamed the trouble at Kirti in large part on a religious figure connected to the monastery. From his description, Li was clearly speaking of Kirti Rinpoche, the exiled abbot of the monastery, who, like the Dalai Lama, fled to India in 1959.
Li didn’t explain how Kirti Rinpoche, a man who says he was born in 1942, or others would be able to coordinate a sustained campaign of self-immolations in a region with a heavy police presence and where communication services are closely monitored and routinely cut.
From Sichuan, the self-immolations spread to ethnic Tibetan areas in Qinghai, adjoining Gansu province and Tibet itself, which Beijing rules as the Tibet Autonomous Region.
During a meeting of officials from the Tibet Autonomous Region on Friday – local delegations held gatherings throughout the day at the party congress – the region’s vice governor, Lobsang Gyaincain, also blamed the Dalai Lama’s followers for the protests, according to an account of the meeting by the Associated Press.
“The external Tibetan forces and the Dalai clique are sacrificing other people’s lives to attain their secret political motives,” he was quoted as saying.
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Not too long ago, HHDL appealed to Aung San Suu Kyi to speak out against the violence in Myanmar and the murder of Rohingya muslims. As seen below topics under General Discussion:
1. Re: His Holiness the Dalai Lama wrote to Aung San Suu Kyi on Tibetan/Muslim issue, started by Icy in August 23,2012
2. Re: The Dalai Lama says reports of human rights violations in Burma very unfortunate, started by Ensapa in September 13, 2012
Hence isn't it ironic that HHDL himself, like Aung San Suu Kyi with regards to the Rohingya issue, has not spoken out to stop Tibetans from self-immolation and has so far avoided the matter by saying it is political issue which he should not be involved in.
Well so can we blame China for thinking that HHDL is to be blamed for all the self-immolations resulting in the deaths of at least 55 Tibetans? I don't think so.
So in no disrespect to HHDL, my humble advise is to first take action to clean the mess in one's own backyard (eg. misery of DS practioners and self-immolation in Tibet) before advising neighbouring leaders to do the same in their own country.
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Hence isn't it ironic that HHDL himself, like Aung San Suu Kyi with regards to the Rohingya issue, has not spoken out to stop Tibetans from self-immolation and has so far avoided the matter by saying it is political issue which he should not be involved in.
You brought up a fairly good point here AnneQ, but I am conflicted on this one.
On the one hand, the people who have self immolated were mostly monks and even if HHDL were to recuse himself from commenting on the grounds that HH does not wish to be involved in political issues (not that it stopped HH from commenting on issues arising out of politics in Myanmar), HHDL as the spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism cannot avoid speaking up, either for or against actions done by monks in HH's own community. Neither can HHDL avoid the issue as a humanitarian because doesn't suicide create negative karma?
On the other hand, it was the very self sacrificial act of a Mahayana monk, Thic Quang Duc who burned himself alive in Saigon in 1963, that brought international pressure on the anti-Buddhist government of Ngo Ding Diem, to stop persecuting Buddhists in the country. Who can deny that the self immolations by the Tibetans were ultimate acts of selflessness, with the hope of stopping further atrocities being inflicted on Tibetans? Therefore if the motivation of the Tibetan self immolators were pure acts of compassion, is it for HHDL to stop them? To give up one's life for the benefit of many is a primary objective of every practitioner and would it be right for HHDL to intervene on the basis that such acts do not please the Chinese and may not augur well politically for HHDL? [See the Note 1 below extracted from Wikipedia about the relationship between self immolations/self sacrifice and Buddhism]
Much of what HHDL has done especially with his ban on the practice of Dorje Shugden remains a mystery but we have to take a position one way or the other - either HHDL is the emanation of Avalokisteshvara or HH is not and if HH is, then there is a higher reason for his actions and decisions. We can all continue in our Protector practice and push for the uplifting of the ban without condemning HHDL. After all, Avalokiteshvara and Manjushri have long worked hand in hand to spread the Dharma.
Note 1:
Self-immolation is tolerated by some elements of Mahayana Buddhism and Hinduism, and it has been practiced for many centuries, especially in India, for various reasons, including Sati, political protest, devotion, and renouncement. Certain warrior cultures, such as in the Charans and Rajputs, also practiced self-immolation.
Two well-known Jataka tales, Buddhist myths about previous incarnations of the Buddha, concern self-immolation.
In the "Hungry Tigress" Jataka, Prince Sattva looked down from a cliff and saw a starving tigress that was going to eat her newborn cubs, and compassionately sacrificed his body in order to feed the tigers and spare their lives. In the "Sibi Jataka", King ?ibi or Shibi was renowned for unselfishness, and the Hindu gods ?akra and Vishvakarman tested him by transforming into a hawk and a dove. The dove fell on the king's lap while trying to escape the hawk, and sought refuge. Rather than surrender the dove, ?ibi offered his own flesh equivalent in weight to the dove, and the hawk agreed. They had rigged the balance scale, and King ?ibi continued cutting off his flesh until half his body was gone, when the gods revealed themselves, restored his body, and blessed him.
The Buddhist god of healing, the "Medicine King" or "Medicine Buddha" (Bhaisajyaguru) was associated with auto-cremation. The Lotus Sutra describes the Medicine King drinking scented oils, wrapping his body in an oil-soaked cloth, and burning himself as an offering to the Buddha. His body flamed for 1,200 years, he was reincarnated, burned off his forearms for 72,000 years, which enabled many to achieve enlightenment, and his arms were miraculously restored.
Self-immolation has a long history in Chinese Buddhism. The relevant Chinese terms are: wangshen ?? "lose the body" or ?? "forget the body", yishen ?? "abandon the body", and sheshen ?? "give up the body". James A. Benn explains the semantic range of Chinese Buddhist self-immolation.
But "abandoning the body" also covers a broad range of more extreme acts (not all of which necessarily result in death): feeding one's body to insects; slicing off one's flesh; burning one's fingers or arms; burning incense on the skin; starving, slicing, or drowning oneself; leaping from cliffs or trees; feeding one's body to wild animals; self-mummification (preparing for death so that the resulting corpse is impervious to decay); and of course, auto-cremation.
The monk Fayu ?? carried out the earliest recorded Chinese self-immolation. He first informed the "illegitimate" prince Yao Xu ?? – brother of Yao Chang who founded the non-Chinese Qiang state Later Qin (384-417) – that he intended to burn himself alive. Yao tried to dissuade Fayu, but he publically swallowed incense chips, wrapped his body in oiled cloth, and chanted while setting fire to himself. The religious and lay witnesses were described as being "full of grief and admiration."
Following Fayu's example, many Buddhist monks and nuns have used self-immolation for political purposes. Based upon analysis of Chinese historical records from the 4th to the 20th centuries, Benn discovered, "Although some monks did offer their bodies in periods of relative prosperity and peace, we have seen a marked coincidence between acts of self-immolation and times of crisis, especially when secular powers were hostile towards Buddhism."For example, Daoxuan's (c. 667) Xu gaoseng zhuan ???? "Continued Biographies of Eminent Monks" records five monastics who self-immolated on the Zhongnan Mountains in response to the 574-577 persecution of Buddhism by Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou (known as the "Second Disaster of Wu").
While self-immolation practices in China were based upon Indian Buddhist traditions, they acquired some distinctively Chinese aspects. An "unburned tongue" (cf. Anthony of Padua), which supposedly remained pink and moist owing to self-immolation while chanting the Lotus Sutra, was based on the belief in ?ar?ra "Buddhist relics; purportedly from a master's remains after cremation". "Burning off fingers" was a kind of gradual self-immolation, often in commemoration of relics or textual recitations. The Tang Dynasty monk Wuran ?? (d. c. 840) had a spiritual vision in which Manjusri told him to support the Buddhist community on Mount Wutai. After organizing meals for one million monks, Wuran burned off a finger in sacrifice, and eventually after ten million meals, had burned off all his fingers. Xichen ?? (d. c. 937; with two fingers left) became a favorite of Emperor Gaozu of Later Jin for practicing finger burning to memorialize sutra recitions.
"Buddhist mummies" refers to monks and nuns who practiced self-mummification through extreme self-mortification, for instance, Daoxiu ?? (d. 629). "Spontaneous human combustion" was a rare form of self-immolation that Buddhists associated with sam?dhi "consciously leaving one's body at the time of enlightenment". The monk Ningyi ?? (d. 1583) stacked up firewood to burn himself, but, "As soon the torch was raised, his body started to burn 'like a rotten root' and was soon completely consumed. A wise person declared, 'He has entered the fiery sam?dhi."
James A. Benn concludes that, "for many monks and laypeople in Chinese history, self-immolation was a form of Buddhist practice that modeled and expressed a particular bodily or somatic path that led towards Buddhahood."[8]
Jan Yun-Hua explains the medieval Chinese Buddhist precedents for self-immolation.
Relying exclusively on authoritative Chinese Buddhist texts and, through the use of these texts, interpreting such acts exclusively in terms of doctrines and beliefs (e.g., self-immolation, much like an extreme renunciant might abstain from food until dying, could be an example of disdain for the body in favor of the life of the mind and wisdom) rather than in terms of their socio-political and historical context, the article allows its readers to interpret these deaths as acts that refer only to a distinct set of beliefs that happen to be foreign to the non-Buddhist.
Jimmy Yu has shown that self-immolation cannot be interpreted based on Buddhist doctrine and beliefs alone but the practice must be understood in the larger context of the Chinese religious landscape. He examines many primary sources from the 16th and 17th century and demonstrates that bodily practices of self-inflicted violence, including self-immolation, was ritually performed not only by Buddhists but also by Daoists and literati officials who either exposed their naked body to the sun in a prolonged period of time as a form of self-sacrifice or burned themselves as a method of procuring rain. In other words, self-immolation was a sanctioned part of Chinese culture that was public, scripted, and intelligible both to the person doing the act and to those who viewed and interpreted it, regardless of their various religion affiliations.
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That is a very serious allegation. However, here is what the Dalai Lama has been saying all along...
Dalai Lama wants probe into self-immolations
Spiritual leader demands China investigate a spate of self-immolations in Tibet during visit to Tokyo.
(This is from http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/spotlight/china/2012/11/20121113163558830257.html (http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/spotlight/china/2012/11/20121113163558830257.html))
Tibet's spiritual leader blamed 'narrow-minded Communist officials' for seeing Buddhist culture as a threat [AFP]
Against a backdrop of rising tension between China and Japan over territorial disputes, the Dalai Lama has demanded during a trip to Tokyo that Beijing investigate a spate of Tibetan self-immolations.
Tibet's spiritual leader said the self-immolations are a symptom of the desperation and frustration felt by Tibetans living under the Chinese government's hardline policies in the region, including tight restrictions on religious life.
"I always ask the Chinese government: Please, now, thoroughly investigate. What is the cause of these sort of sad things?" he told a group of Japanese politicians on Tuesday.
The Nobel Peace Prize-winnner blamed "narrow-minded Communist officials'' for seeing Buddhist culture as a threat.
On the eve of China's once-in-a-decade leadership transition, the Dalai Lama also urged Japanese parliamentarians to visit Tibet, though such trips are severely restricted, to see what is happening there.
Earlier this month, the UN's most senior human rights official called on China to address frustrations that have led to Tibetans' desperate protests, including some 60 self-immolations since March 2011.
Eight self-immolations have been reported over the last six days in Tibet, including two on Monday.
China has long accused the Dalai Lama and his supporters of inspiring and even glorifying such acts, though the spiritual leader says he opposes all violence.
Since anti-government riots in 2008, access even to traditionally Tibetan areas in provinces neighbouring the Tibetan Autonomous Region has been tightly restricted.
The vast majority of the self-immolations have taken place in such areas, often near large monastic communities, and authorities have responded with a large police presence.
Geopolitical dispute
China maintains that Tibet is an integral part of China and that other countries hosting the Dalai Lama amount to interference in domestic Chinese affairs.
In-depth coverage of China's Communist Party congress
"The Dalai Lama is a political exile who has long engaged in anti-China separatist activities in the guise of religion," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said.
"The Japanese government has been conniving with the separatist activities of the Dalai Lama and Japanese right-wing forces, which goes against the principle and spirit of China-Japan strategic relations of mutual benefit," Hong said.
The Dalai Lama's remarks came at a time when the relationship between the world's second and third largest economies is strained.
Japan nationalised two disputed islands in the East China Sea, known as the Diaoyu in Chinese and the Senkaku in Japanese, by purchasing them from their private owners in September.
Shinzo Abe, the leader of the conservative opposition Liberal Democratic Party, welcomed the Dalai Lama to the event.
Abe, who served as Japan's prime minister in 2006-07, could take the helm again after an election expected to be called as early as next month.
Leadership change
China also faces a pending leadership change for the first time in a decade, with leader in-waiting Xi Jinping expected to succeed President Hu Jintao as Communist Party head at a congress in Beijing this month, and then become president in March.
The Dalai Lama on Tuesday also called upon China to follow the example of its late former leader Deng Xiaoping, who is credited with reforms that brought the market economy to the country.
"I always express the leaders should follow Deng Xiaoping's sort of advice: seeking truth from fact. That's very, very important," he said.
The Dalai Lama fled to India following an abortive 1959 uprising against Chinese rule over Tibet.
He denies seeking the region's independence, saying that he wishes Tibetans to enjoy real autonomy and the protection of their traditional Buddhist culture.
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Thanks you vajratruth for your post explaining the relationship between self-immolation/self sacrafice and Buddhism. I now do understand a little more why Tibetan monks and nuns out of desperation do what then think would put pressure on China to return Tibet to an autonomous region.
Who can deny that the self immolations by the Tibetans were ultimate acts of selflessness, with the hope of stopping further atrocities being inflicted on Tibetans? Therefore if the motivation of the Tibetan self immolators were pure acts of compassion, is it for HHDL to stop them? To give up one's life for the benefit of many is a primary objective of every practitioner and would it be right for HHDL to intervene on the basis that such acts do not please the Chinese and may not augur well politically for HHDL?
However, I personally feel that sacrificing your life over a lost cause brings more detrimental results than good. No one can deny that despite all the lives lost due to self-immolation, China still remains impassive and indifferent. Instead of just demanding China to investigate causes of self-immolations, as revealed by Big Uncle, HHDl should at least speak out to stop Tibetan monks and nuns from killing themselves over nothing. It is just such a waste of a good life which could have been used to spread Dharma and the practice of DS.
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I am not surprised for China to blame the Dalai Lama for the self immolations at all, because HHDL has been silent on it, and also CTA has been silent on it except asking the world why are there no reactions from the world with regards to the self immolations and also holding prayer sessions for the victims. I dont think HHDL would ask people to burn themselves for the sake of a free Tibet, but I am pretty sure that the CTA would. the Kalon Tripa himself has mentioned that the self immolations increased ever since he took office...and many tibetans in Dharamsala are also suspecting that the self immolations are the work of the CTA.
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China arrests relatives, friends of Tibetan self-immolators
Phayul[Friday, December 14, 2012 23:21]
By Phuntsok Yangchen
DHARAMSHALA, December 14: In continuing crackdown on the spate of self-immolation protests inside Tibet, Chinese authorities have arrested seven Tibetans from the Dokarmo region of eastern Tibet in separate incidents.
Those arrested include relatives and friends of Tibetan self-immolators. The region has witnessed four self-immolation protests, including the latest by a teenaged schoolgirl, Bhenchen Kyi, who set herself on fire calling for the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people.
Speaking to Phayul, Shawo Dorjee, a Tibetan living in Switzerland said local Chinese officials arrested five Tibetans on December 12, days after Bhenchen Kyi’s fiery death on December 9.
Those arrested have been identified as Tsundue, 49, a monk at the Dorjee Dzong Monastery; Chagthar, 47, a tantric practitioner; Shawo, head of a local religious center; Choedron, a nun who is in charge of discipline at a local nunnery; and nun Rigshe, who is the sister of self-immolator Sangay Dolma.
Family members have not been told the reason for the arrests even as the well-being and whereabouts of the five Tibetans remain unknown.
According to the same source, two Tibetans were arrested earlier in separate incidents from the same region on charges of having acquaintances with Tibetan self-immolators.
“Gobhey, 22 went missing after the self-immolation of Sangdag Tsering,” Dorjee said citing sources in the region. “It was later found that he was arrested by Chinese security personnel for having ‘acquaintance’ with the Tibetan self-immolator.”
Sangdag Tsering, 24, father of a three-year-old son, passed away in his self-immolation protest on November 17 in front of a local Chinese government office in Dokarmo town, the same place where Chinese authorities had summoned a large meeting of local Tibetans earlier in the day and spelled out clear orders, barring them from visiting families of self-immolators to pay their respect and condolences.
Another Tibetan, Kelsang Dorjee, 26, was arrested following the self-immolation of Tamding Dorjee, 29, on November 23 near the entrance of the local Chinese administrative office of Dokarmo.
According to Chinese authorities, Kelsang was with Tamding Dorjee a day before his fiery protest.
The arrests come after local Chinese officials in the region issued a five-point notice giving stern orders to officials to punish self-immolators and their families; including those who offered condolences and prayers to the bereaved family members and relatives. The notice further announced the cancellation of government aid to families of self-immolators as well as development projects in villages where similar protests have taken place.
China recently announced that it will press murder charges against anyone caught aiding or inciting self-immolations.
A total of 95 Tibetans inside Tibet have self-immolated since 2009 protesting China’s rule and demanding freedom and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama from exile.
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And who says that self immolations isnt hurting anyone? It is hurting more and more people by the days. China gets more and more annoyed by such acts and it is pretty clear that CTA is the one inciting them, and now even the families and the friends of the self immolators will be taken away and jailed just for associating with the self immolator! That is sad indeed. Self immolations destabilize the community...if that is what they want to achieve...nothing else can be said.
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I think rather than pointing fingers, we should look at the 60 over innocent and slefless Tibetans who have sacrificed their precious human life for the independence of Tibet again. Despite this selfless act, I believe it is not working still as much attentions has been made known to the world because of self immolations have fast becoming more and more rampant but the desired effect is still far away from being achieved. China should not blame Dalai Lama, but in fact should reflect on what was done to Tibet when they suppressed Tibet in? 1959 which in a way contributed to Tibetan Buddhsim being spreaded to world wide knowledge. There has got to have a better way to settle this issue rather than self immolation, and certainly I don't know why Dalai Lama should be at the receiving end.
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The CTA is very very silly... if they were smart they would make friends with China not irritate the Dragon further... Okay if they are not so smart, perhaps listen to the "wiser" ones?
For example His Eminence Gangchen Rinpoche?
Although the Tibetan Government criticizes him for going to Beijing to 'pay respects' to the Chinese endorsed Panchen Lama. When asked why Gangchen Rinpoche does that, he says, "don't antagonize China further. We are a small group of people against the might of all China. We cannot win, so it is better to make friends with them. The important issue is to have some autonomy in Tibet to save the culture, and the spiritual practices while there is time otherwise it will be lost Rinpoche mentions."
Perhaps they are really not interested in autonomy or the lives dying in the name of HHDL. How can they sleep at night?
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The CTA is very very silly... if they were smart they would make friends with China not irritate the Dragon further... Okay if they are not so smart, perhaps listen to the "wiser" ones?
For example His Eminence Gangchen Rinpoche?
Although the Tibetan Government criticizes him for going to Beijing to 'pay respects' to the Chinese endorsed Panchen Lama. When asked why Gangchen Rinpoche does that, he says, "don't antagonize China further. We are a small group of people against the might of all China. We cannot win, so it is better to make friends with them. The important issue is to have some autonomy in Tibet to save the culture, and the spiritual practices while there is time otherwise it will be lost Rinpoche mentions."
Perhaps they are really not interested in autonomy or the lives dying in the name of HHDL. How can they sleep at night?
It is just based on simple and pure logic that they will not be able to go against China in any way. They do not have a chance which is the reason why they depended on self immolation. And perhaps, it is due to the frustration from these failures that they choose to focus their efforts on the ban, which is 'easier' in terms of scale and size in many ways, but will only bring them down to ruin in the long term as they will never learn to achieve anything worthwhile due to the ban.
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China plan information blackout in eastern Tibet, Burn satellite dishes:
DHARAMSHALA, January 10: Chinese authorities in the eastern Tibetan region of Malho are leading a massive drive to confiscate satellite dishes used by Tibetans after banning orders on “illegal satellite equipment” were issued last month.
The satellite equipments used by Tibetans to receive foreign radio and TV programmes are the only source of information inside Tibet besides the state sponsored propaganda news.
Regional authorities on December 24, 2012 had issued an eight-point public notice banning the sell, purchase, and use of all “illegal satellite equipment” as part of the government’s wider clampdown on communications to stifle information on the self-immolations against Chinese rule.
According to the notice, families failing to surrender the satellite dishes could be fined up to 5000 yuan (US$800) and those obstructing the official work of confiscating the equipment could be either fined or tried according to relevant laws.
Last month, Reuters reported that Chinese authorities confiscated televisions from 300 monasteries and dismantled satellite equipment that broadcast "anti-China" programmes.
"At this critical moment for maintaining social stability in Huangnan (Ch) prefecture ... (we must) strengthen measures and fully fight the special battle against self-immolations," the report cited a government run paper as saying.
The US based radio service, Radio Free Asia on Wednesday released pictures of what it described as Chinese authorities destroying and burning hundreds of seized satellite equipments as part of its “cleansing” exercise.
Chinese authorities confiscate satellite dishes. (Photo courtesy/RFA listener)
RFA said the campaign was centred around Rebkong (in Chinese, Tongren) region, which has been at the heart of the recent spike in self-immolation protests demanding an end to Chinese rule and calling for freedom and the return of exile Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
“Those found with the satellite equipment, which Tibetans have also used to listen to Radio Free Asia and Voice of America programmes, are given stiff fines,” RFA Tibetan service quoted an unnamed source from the region as saying.
"If anyone reports others holding back satellite and radio equipment to listen to foreign programmes, they will be awarded 10,000 yuan.”
Reporting on the clampdown last month, the Huffington Post had said that regional authorities further plan to “register every business that sells satellite signal receiving devices, and replace 3,000 television sets in monastery dormitories.”
The RFA report also noted that Tibetans were being encouraged to buy smaller satellite dishes and new receivers, which can be used to receive only state controlled programmes.
In November, Chinese authorities in Malho had announced cash rewards for those “exposing crimes” related to the self-immolation protests and issued an ultimatum warning those who have “committed fault” to turn themselves in.
Despite repeated international calls for restraint and reconsideration of its policies, China has hardened its stance on the self-immolation protests and announced stricter measures including pressing of murder charges against anyone caught aiding or inciting self-immolations.
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Regarding the article above on clamping down on satellite or broadcasting equipment - this is the same rule of law for any country in the world. In the UK, you MUST have a license to broadcast and conform to the rules and regulations of OFCOM. If not, there would be chaos in any country which had an unregulated communications industry.
I read the article below today, which is quite objective. What i like about it is that it states: "China knows the significance of respecting and protecting the right to religious freedom." This is why there is NO ban on Dorje Shugden practice in Tibet/China. If you see the crowds who come to Lama Jampa Ngodup's teachings (http://www.dorjeshugden.com/forum/index.php?topic=2985.0 (http://www.dorjeshugden.com/forum/index.php?topic=2985.0)), you can see that large groups of people - both lay and sangha members - are free to attend Dharma teachings.
The Dalai Lama should call for a stop to self-immolations in Tibet. As the article below says, many Tibetans "worship the Dalai Lama" and they would listen to him. There is no reason for there to be a waste of our precious human lives.
Self-immolations in Tibetan region expose Dalai Lama’s political aims
Global Times | 2013-1-21 23:08:01
By Mi Guanghong
Since last year, there has been a constant stream of cases of young Tibetans in the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, dying after setting themselves on fire.
Regarding these self-immolation incidents, some media have revealed details of these cases and shown to the public the plot being hatched by the Dalai Lama group, which deliberately creates an atmosphere of terror to attract the attention of the international community and chases its political purposes by using the lives of young people.
In an interview in July 2012 with the Hindu, a popular Indian newspaper, the Dalai Lama called self-immolation "a very, very delicate political issue."
Some Tibetans in China accuse the government of eroding their culture and repressing their religion. However, in Tibetan region, one can see many cultural facilities and activities. Local authorities have provided insurance for monks and invested in public religious infrastructure projects.
As China becomes an increasingly diverse country, officials have acknowledged that only a diverse cultural environment can lead to the prosperity of Chinese culture as a whole.
China knows the significance of respecting and protecting the right to religious freedom. Only when abrupt incidents take place and the situation threatens social stability will the government take action.
The Dalai Lama group makes false charges against the Chinese government and incites young people to sacrifice their lives for the sake of their so-called religious freedom.
Due to their historical roots and religious doctrines, many ordinary monks, especially young people, worship the Dalai Lama.
Some can easily be instigated and very seldom listen to other voices. They are innocent and in the prime of their lives, which makes their sacrifice so distressing.
Self-immolation goes against humanity and religious principles. "Compassion" and "ahimsa (no killing)" are the core values of Buddhism.
In its thousands of years of tradition, Buddhism has required its believers to keep compassion in mind, cherish their lives, and treat life with the greatest kindness. The act of inciting suicide and providing conditions for suicidal behavior is a grave sin.
If, as the Dalai Lama claims, Tibetans are living in misery, could those self-immolation cases give people there a better life?
Some followers of the Dalai Lama believe that self-immolation is the highest nonviolent form of expressing resentment against government rule.
However, it is worth noting that self-immolation not only does serious harm to those who commit it, but also brings fear to others and causes social panic.
The Internet era has made the methods of religious missionary work more diverse. The Dalai Lama group has made use of the far-reaching nature of the Internet.
Each time a self-immolation case occurs, Dalai followers upload frightening pictures to spread the pernicious influence of the act and manipulate facts so as to achieve their own political aims.
Such behavior hardly represents the mainstream view of Tibetans, though.
It is highly expected that pious practitioners of Buddhism will promote the right view of life to its believers, help them make a distinction between right and wrong, and ensure their lives are not ruined by distorted Buddhist precepts and doctrines.
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Sorry - i forgot the link to the above article in case anyone wants to see the source: http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/757259.shtml (http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/757259.shtml)
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Hi Kate, interesting you should revive this thread, since China since to be a hot topic in the forum at the moment.
It's really not surprising that the Chinese would think that the Dalai Lama and his government are behind the self-immolations. The Dalai Lama and the CTA have remained surprisingly quiet on the issue - their lack of comment and not issuing any directive or instruction to the Tibetan people to stop it is suspicious in itself. Why are they so vocal about something suppressing a single Dharma protector practice (which has not harmed anyone) but remained so quiet about something as destructive as self-immolations (which has involved over 80 deaths to date)? Is there something to hide within their silence? Or is it really because they're behind the immolations? You couldn't blame anyone for thinking so.
Not sure if you might have seen this but there's an article about self-immolations on the website too:
Self-immolations and the true fight for freedom: http://www.dorjeshugden.com/all-articles/the-controversy/self-immolations-and-the-fight-for-true-freedom/ (http://www.dorjeshugden.com/all-articles/the-controversy/self-immolations-and-the-fight-for-true-freedom/)
This below, in particular, are very valid points about the fight for freedom. Is this fight actually counter-productive?
Therefore, on the one hand, the CTA and Tibetans are championing a return and reunification with their homeland Tibet. But on the other, their very own tiny community of 100,000 in India are desperately and horribly split among themselves. What does this say of harmony and unification when the governing body of the CTA cannot even hold their own people together? And why would any one else support their cause when they see how unkindly and illogically they are managing their small exiled community? Why support the Tibetans’ return to Tibet when they’re actively creating separation among themselves now? How can anyone take the CTA’s fight for independence seriously when it has become increasingly apparent that they just can’t govern their people fairly or logically?
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The CTA is very very silly... if they were smart they would make friends with China not irritate the Dragon further... Okay if they are not so smart, perhaps listen to the "wiser" ones?
For example His Eminence Gangchen Rinpoche?
Although the Tibetan Government criticizes him for going to Beijing to 'pay respects' to the Chinese endorsed Panchen Lama. When asked why Gangchen Rinpoche does that, he says, "don't antagonize China further. We are a small group of people against the might of all China. We cannot win, so it is better to make friends with them. The important issue is to have some autonomy in Tibet to save the culture, and the spiritual practices while there is time otherwise it will be lost Rinpoche mentions."
Perhaps they are really not interested in autonomy or the lives dying in the name of HHDL. How can they sleep at night?
It is just based on simple and pure logic that they will not be able to go against China in any way. They do not have a chance which is the reason why they depended on self immolation. And perhaps, it is due to the frustration from these failures that they choose to focus their efforts on the ban, which is 'easier' in terms of scale and size in many ways, but will only bring them down to ruin in the long term as they will never learn to achieve anything worthwhile due to the ban.
I totally agree with Ensapa and Gangchen Rinpoche. How can the CTA win. Better to have peace and some autonomy. History tells us that in such situation it is better to have peace first and foremost and seek autonomy or even independence later. Many countries which thrived economically, did not fight their colonist and after independence they progress much faster. Those who fought their colonist just wasted much more time and precious human lives.
Thanks you vajratruth for your post explaining the relationship between self-immolation/self sacrafice and Buddhism. I now do understand a little more why Tibetan monks and nuns out of desperation do what then think would put pressure on China to return Tibet to an autonomous region.
Who can deny that the self immolations by the Tibetans were ultimate acts of selflessness, with the hope of stopping further atrocities being inflicted on Tibetans? Therefore if the motivation of the Tibetan self immolators were pure acts of compassion, is it for HHDL to stop them? To give up one's life for the benefit of many is a primary objective of every practitioner and would it be right for HHDL to intervene on the basis that such acts do not please the Chinese and may not augur well politically for HHDL?
However, I personally feel that sacrificing your life over a lost cause brings more detrimental results than good. No one can deny that despite all the lives lost due to self-immolation, China still remains impassive and indifferent. Instead of just demanding China to investigate causes of self-immolations, as revealed by Big Uncle, HHDl should at least speak out to stop Tibetan monks and nuns from killing themselves over nothing. It is just such a waste of a good life which could have been used to spread Dharma and the practice of DS.
While motivations of these self immolators are important, ie driven by compassion; we cannot be sure that there are no copy cats immolators ie driven by delusions. One must be conscious that the results of any act especially one as extreme as immolations is very broad. It can have both positive and negative results and I suspect more of the negative ones. Over and beyond that, to sacrifice one's precious human life is not something that should be taken lightly.
Overall, I do not think self immolation will result positively towards Tiber's well being beyond making China look bad. So, what is the result of that? More suffering for everyone!!?
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I wouldnt say that China blames. China knows and they have caught the instigators and they were interviewed and they admit to instigating the self immolations. Watch the video here:
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ID1hI528-hA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
National broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) has released a documentary on self-immolation in the country's Tibetan-inhabited areas.
The documentary debuted at 9:27 p.m. on Sunday on CCTV-4, an international channel mainly targeting overseas viewers in Chinese language.
It also aired on CCTV's English channel, Spanish channel, French channel, Arabic channel and Russian channel on Monday.
The documentary, titled "Facts About Self-Immolation in Tibetan Areas of Ngapa (Aba)," discloses the truth about self-immolations that have occurred in Aba, a Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture in southwest China's Sichuan Province.
The documentary contains interviews with the masterminds and victims of the self-immolations. It states that the monks in Aba were acting on orders sent from overseas to convince people to self-immolate, as well as sending information about the self-immolations abroad, as they have claimed that the acts were a form of "protest" against Chinese rule in Tibetan areas.
The documentary also states that the Dalai clique masterminded the self-immolations in order to split China.
Dear CTA,
your turn to explain as the instigators have already admitted they were sent by you guys.
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I think based purely through inference, the fact that HHDL and the CTA does nothing to prevent self-immolations especially when they are in the best position to do so, provocates this assumption. I do not believe for one moment HHDL is happy that self-immolations are happening and what China sees as a non action is revealing in itself.
However, the actions (or non actions in this case) of HHDL cannot be comprehended by use. I am sure the emanation of Chenrezig has a bigger picture in mind and more profound way of looking at things that may be beyond us.
In his clairvoyance, perhaps HHDL sees some "benefit" coming out of the self-immolations in the long run.... perhaps he sees a completely different aspect. Then again, we need to take into consideration the karma of the self-immolators themselves and what brought them to the decision however drastic. Surely the monks that set themselves on fire would know better than to do so?
There are often grey areas that we do not perceive and hence to point fingers at someone especially HHDL is not without repercussion, hence think before the index finger finds its target.
The CTA however... well that is a different story... Isnt Dr Lobsang Sangay in power to do so especially when he has taken over all secular responsibility? Should we not point at this person instead?
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This has always been my point - why doesn't the CTA do anything??
it seems like the CTA is actually just a puppet for HH the Dalai Lama because it is completely subservient to the Dalai Lama's mandate. If the CTA would like to differentiate itself from the Dalai Lama as it should, since the Dalai Lama is supposedly stepped down from his political role, then the CTA can forge its own way: call for the stop to self-immolations (since HH Dalai Lama isn't saying anything) and lift the ban on Dorje Shugden so Tibetans everywhere can have religious freedom! Otherwise the CTA will just look like a toothless tiger. Why? Look at their results.
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We can all agree on one page here: the self immolations should be stopped by the CTA. Instead of instigating more and more self immolations to 'pressure' China (which will never happen because China is just too big and too powerful to fall for that) but it would show the world how cold and cruel the CTA is to exploit innocent and restless Tibetans who desire a name for themselves. Honestly, the sikyong should once and for all issue a statement that they will stop doing pujas for self immolation victims from xx day onwards and they would like to focus on the betterment of the Dharamsala citizens as a secular government, and henceforth lift the Dorje Shugden ban. But I dont see that happening, so CTA will only go down...
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South China Morning Post
Friday February 22nd, 2013
Tibetan teenagers in double self-immolation
Two Tibetan teenagers died after setting fire to themselves in protest at Beijing's rule, reports said, in a rare double self- immolation.
They were named as Sonam Dargye, 18, and a 17- year-old identified by US-based Radio Free Asia (RFA) only as Rinchen.
They died on Tuesday in Aba prefecture, a Tibetan area in the north of Sichuan (0111) province, RFA said.
The self- immolations followed the reported death on Sunday of 49- year-old Namlha Tsering in the middle of a busy street in Xiahe county in neighbouring Gansu Wait) province, RFA said.
More than 100 people have set themselves on fire in protest at Beijing rule since 2009, according to reports.
AFP
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South China Morning Post
Friday February 22nd, 2013
Tibetan teenagers in double self-immolation
Two Tibetan teenagers died after setting fire to themselves in protest at Beijing's rule, reports said, in a rare double self- immolation.
They were named as Sonam Dargye, 18, and a 17- year-old identified by US-based Radio Free Asia (RFA) only as Rinchen.
They died on Tuesday in Aba prefecture, a Tibetan area in the north of Sichuan (0111) province, RFA said.
The self- immolations followed the reported death on Sunday of 49- year-old Namlha Tsering in the middle of a busy street in Xiahe county in neighbouring Gansu Wait) province, RFA said.
More than 100 people have set themselves on fire in protest at Beijing rule since 2009, according to reports.
AFP
What really hurts my heart is that the people who commit self immolations are usually teenagers. Very rarely you get to see someone who is above the age of 35 that self immolated. It's usually the youngsters whose minds are very impressionable and restless to do something or to seek recognition. I can guess that most of the people who committed self immolations did it with the intention of wanting the Dalai Lama and the CTA to recognize them and not really for Tibet's freedom as there are just so many other things and ways that they can do to benefit the Tibetans, but why self immolation? And why arent the Kashag self immolating if they care so much about Tibet and also that they see self immolation as a really noble act? these are the few questions that came to mind of many people with regards to the self immolations.
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China Daily, 6 March 2013
TIBETAN 'EXILE-GOVT' CALLED TWO-FACED
By CHINA DAILY
A senior official of the Tibet autonomous region said the "Tibetan government-in-exile" in Dharamsala, India, is two-faced because it claims to discourage self-immolation but actually
fans extremism in China.
"What is the use of them calling on Tibetans to stop self-immolations but instigating people to do so at the same time?" Padma Choling, chairman of the standing committee of the Tibet autonomous regional peoples congress, or the regional legislature, told China Daily exclusively on Tuesday.
Padma Choling said the "government-in-exile" is not doing what it said, but is using self-immolators as tools to split China.
"I learned that it is mobilizing and orchestrating mass group self-immolations. What does that mean?"
"The international community has started to become concerned about the problem of self-immolations," he said.
A series of self-immolations began in 2011 in regions inhabited by the Tibetan ethnic group in Sichuan, Qinghai and Gansu provinces. Police and courts found cases showing the "government-in-exile" and the "Tibetan Youth Congress" are behind the instigation of extremism.
However, the "government-in-exile" is attempting to deny its role and blames China for the tragedies.
Though the "government-in-exile" continues to "repeatedly appeal to the Tibetans in Tibet to refrain from such drastic acts, sadly, the self-immolations continue," the "government-in-exile" said in a statement on Feb 14.
More recently, on Feb 26, a chief leader of the "government", said in the Canadian Parliament that his stand on self-immolation is the same as that of the 14th Dalai Lama, who has always "discouraged drastic actions by Tibetans".
Contradictorily, the chief leader of the "government-in-exile" also said Tibetans are bound by duty to honor the sacrifices.
"And as a Tibetan, we support the aspiration of the Tibetan people inside Tibet, including the self-immolators," the chief leader said in Canada on Feb 26.
"Once a protest takes place, it becomes our sacred duty to support it," he recalled saying when he became head of the "government-in-exile" in Dharamsala on Aug 8, 2011.
"I take the same stand on self-immolations," he was quoted as saying by the Huffington Post. Padma Choling said he learned the international community has raised concerns over the self-immolations.
US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland on Feb 15 called on "those who are immolating, or those who might be considering this, to think hard about whether it's the best way to express yourself".
US State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said on Friday: "We urge Tibetans to end self-immolations."
A report in The New York Times said: "A quiet debate has been under way among Tibetans who are anguished over the deaths of the young men and who question how the acts reconcile with Buddhist teachings."
Padma Choling said the government of the autonomous region will work harder to improve peoples lives and educate them to cherish life.
He added there are no local residents, monks or nuns in the autonomous region who have self-immolated so far, and the local administration is "not facing any pressure".
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I think on this page, many people by now would have realize that CTA has been instigating the self immolations. Its not that hard to figure out what they have been doing and that China has found out about their plots. But what is good is that Padma Choling is speaking up on behalf of Tibet. If Tibet's administration speaks up, CTA will lose their credibility over time so it is quite encouraging to see Tibet's administration talk about the self immolations or anything about Tibet in general and be more open.
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In my opinion, I don't think that we should put the blame on His Holiness the Dalai Lama. His Holiness has never asked for this to happen, why would He?? He might have never spoken up on this matter but this doesn't mean that He is asking this self- immolation thingy to happen. I definitely do not support this kind of actions, a real Buddhist practitioner will not simply hurt someone else's life, not even our own life. Killing ourselves is not going to solve anything, when we are dead, there's nothing else we can do to contribute towards lifting the ban.
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In my opinion, I don't think that we should put the blame on His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
That's why you call the evil criminal “His Holiness” in the first place, isn't it?
His Holiness has never asked for this to happen,
Blatant falsity. The evil dalie not only adamantly refuses to condemn the self-immolations, and to call for their end, but also brazenly promotes and encourages them. He praises the “courage” of the foolish self-immolators, and says that the gruesome self-murderings are a “non-violent” means of expression.
Here are the words of the criminal suicide inducer, verbatim:
“I am quite certain that those who sacrificed their lives with sincere motivation, for Buddha dharma and for the wellbeing of the people, from the Buddhist or religious view points, is positive.”
“It is difficult to judge whether these kind of methods are right or wrong. They are expressing in a non-violent way regarding the Chinese policies [in Tibet].”
http://tibet.net/2012/10/23/nbc-interviews-his-holiness-the-dalai-lama-on-self-immolation-tragedy-in-tibet/ (http://tibet.net/2012/10/23/nbc-interviews-his-holiness-the-dalai-lama-on-self-immolation-tragedy-in-tibet/)
Besides the evil dalie, while hypocritically claiming that “he does not encourage the protests”, “has praised the courage of those who engage in self-immolation.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-immolation (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-immolation)
why would He??
Because he is a criminal; someone personally waging war against his own people; someone guilty of crimes against humanity such as perverse witch-hunts; and someone who incites both social rifts among Tibetans, and bloody, genocidal racist riots against innocent Chinese people, such as those seen in March 2008. Why should such an evil criminal not incite self-immolations?
He might have never spoken up on this matter
Apart from your cultish reverence for the evildoer and his evil deeds, you are just misinformed.
As above shown, the evil criminal clearly spoke up on this matter, and explicitly praised the foolish self-immolators as “courageous”, and the gruesome self-immolations both as “non-violent expression” and “positive from the Buddhist or religious view points”.
but this doesn't mean that He is asking this self- immolation thingy to happen.
What else do you want? That he personally sets the foolish self-immolators on fire with a match?
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Tibet had its own admin system prior to China’s occupation: Sikyong
Wednesday, 13 January 2016 13:03 Yeshe Choesang, Tibet Post International E-mail Print
Sikyong-2016-Tokyo-Japan
Sikyong speaking to students and faculty of Chiba University in Japan, January 11, 2016. Photo: CTA/DIIR
Tokyo — Speaking to a crowd of students and faculty of the prestigious Chiba Institute of Technology (CIT) University in Tokyo, the political leader of Tibetan people Monday said that "Tibet had its own administration system including its own postal system, currency and judiciary prior to China's occupation of Tibet."
The talk was held the prestigious Chiba Institute of Technology (CIT) University on Monday, 11 January, as part of Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay's effort to raise international awareness on the grim political situation prevailing inside Tibet, during his ongoing visit to Japan.
Dr Sangay spoke about the occupation of Tibet and Tibetan political movement led by the Central Tibetan Administration to restore freedom for the Tibetan people, according to a report by the India based Tibetan administration media.
Sikyong also briefly explained the Chinese government's narrative on the Tibet issue including their claims of sovereignty over Tibet, the peaceful liberation of Tibet from serfdom and 'the golden era' in Tibet proclaimed by China.
Refuting these claims, Sikyong clarified that Tibet was an independent country with a written history of over 2000 years as evidenced by the peace treaty signed between China and Tibet in 821. "The stone pillars on which the treaty was engraved is still standing," Sikyong said,adding that even some Chinese historians have voiced their opinion about this inaccuracy.
He explained that Tibet had its own administration system including its own postal system, currency and judiciary prior to China's occupation of Tibet.
Elaborating on the 'peaceful liberation of Tibet' claimed by China, Sikyong remarked that that the occupation of Tibet was never a peaceful liberation,rather it was a military invasion. "Tibetans were promised development and progress.
Yet, the Communist Chinese army came and killed thousands of Tibetans. In view of all this injustice meted out to the Tibetans, a 70,000-character petition was submitted by the 10th Panchen Lama, in protest in 1963 to Mao Zedong," Sikyong recalled.
Dr Sangay also expressed deep concern over the geopolitical tension arising due to melting of glaciers on the Tibetan plateau which could lead to wars over over water in the future.
Sikyong also paid tribute to the 142 Tibetans who have set themselves on fire for the cause of Tibet and explained that the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet and freedom for Tibetans have been the major calls of the self-immolators.
"The Central Tibetan Administration has repeatedly urged Tibetans not to resort to drastic actions such as self-immolations. However, self-immolation protests against the Chinese government have continuously escalated since 2009. This clearly shows the critical situation of the Tibetan people inside Tibet and their reverence for His Holiness the Dalai Lama," said Sikyong.
The political leader also highlighted the irony in the Chinese government's attempts to hijack the right to recognise the reincarnation of the current His Holiness the Dalai Lama. On the one hand, they call His Holiness as a 'devil' or a 'wolf in sheep's clothing' while on the other hand, Chinese government is shamelessly claiming it as their right to find the reincarnation of His Holiness," Sikyong mused.
The talk was followed by a question and answer session. According to the report, the Chiba Institute of Technology (CIT) is a reputed University in Japan, which has offered scholarship for five Tibetan students from India. Formal announcement of the scholarship will be made in due course of time.
I have not heard the CTA formally asking Tibetans to stop immolations as far I know. As obviously this is one of the best weapons that CTA can use to pressure CHINA and hope the rest of the world would sympthatise them even further. Clever huh. The Japanese have their own agenda, naturally, faced with an almost zero growth economy and an ascendant China, any kind of pot shots they can take on China is most welcome in Japan.
The article above is typical of the double speak that CTA employs also with regards to the Dorje Shudgen issue, on one hand telling the Tibetans, you must enforce this discrimination on Dorje Shugden people, and to more exposed and well educated first world audience, the ban is not a ban it is merely advice.
try googling news about Lobbing Sangay at Chiba, you will find that this news is mainly covered in pro CTA new site and not the Japanese ones.
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In Pictures: The five Tibetan art exhibits China censored at a Bangladesh art show
8 February 2016 21:47 Tom Grundy4 min read
Dhaka Art Summit – one of the biggest art shows in Bangladesh – covered up an exhibit by Tibetan artists on Monday after the Chinese embassy said it was “offended” by the exhibition. “Last Words” is a photographic piece featuring letters from five Tibetans who self-immolated in protest of China’s rule.
Bangladeshi activist Wasfia Nazreen wrote on Facebook that the Chinese Ambassador in ??Bangladesh? had personally demanded the art pieces were removed, threatening “dire consequences”.
“This placed the organizers in a difficult position and, in consultation with the artists, they decided to cover the work for the rest of the summit… Not surprised at the arrogance and bullying tactics of the Chinese government in shutting down any voice that disagrees with its official version of what is happening in ?Tibet,” she wrote.?
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/02/08/in-pictures-the-five-tibetan-art-exhibits-china-censored-at-a-bangladesh-art-show/ (https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/02/08/in-pictures-the-five-tibetan-art-exhibits-china-censored-at-a-bangladesh-art-show/)
The art pieces are called 'Last Words' I really do not see the art value in such pieces of art. When will the CTA and Dalai lama once and for all ask their people to stop immolating, as there is no benefit at all.
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Self immolation is like killing except that this is the killing of one self as in suicide. Taking a life is taking a life even if it one's own. The CTA or the Dalai Lama should tell the Tibetans to stop that. By not saying anything to that effect implies that they condone these acts of violence. Very sad to see Buddhist keeping quiet and encouraging killing like this.
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The Dalai Lama should say something to stop this self-immolation. Killing is a heinous crime and against the Refuge vows. By keeping silent and doing nothing to stop it mean complicity.
Please, your Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama be the true embodiment of compassion and stop this.
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I am not surprised the Chinese government is blaming HHDL for the self-immolations. There never seems to have a single mention by HHDL to the Tibetans to stop future incidents of self immolation. Instead, Tibetans are encouraged to continue with their fight for the Tibetan cause. How else would any loyal Tibetans to pursue their fight for freedom if their own government are not leading them well. I am sorry to note that I figured the CTA is using these self immolation incidents to their benefit to portray to the world that they are the victims of China.