Author Topic: Lobsang Sangay- still asking help from India after 60 years of help given!  (Read 62184 times)

christine V

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 380
    • Email
In the news Lobsang Sangay asking the India Government to make Tibetan issues as core issues. My thought is, India have allowed the Tibetan Refugees stayed for 60 years. Despite any beneficial project that the Tibetan could give to India, they actually create disharmony in the refugees camp by started Dorje Shugden' ban which the CTA ban their own lineage of practice and thus bring a lot of disharmonious with the Buddhist society and also confuse the Buddhist practitioners.

Worst still, India is the biggest democratic country in the world, the moment the ban is practice in refugees' camp is a big slap to the India government. Now, after 60 years! They not only cant return to China, Lobsang Sangay have requested and urge India to have conflict with China! What the CTA thinking? The peace within China and India could be restored when Tibetans is unite with China. How Tibetan continue to survive if still in refugees' status, how Tibetan handle the Tibet issues if they return to Tibet? Looking at how corrupt they could be. In their own refugees camp, they can't even handle their own people's welfare.

____________________________


from : The Times of India
Make Tibet 'core' issue of your policy: Tibetan govt-in-exile president to India
PTI | Jan 18, 2018, 11.22 PM IST

NEW DELHI: President of the Tibetan government-in-exile Lobsang Sangay today appealed to India to make Tibet a "core" issue of its policy. Inaugurating a year-long 'Thank You India' campaign marking 60 years of Chinese "occupation" of Tibet and the Dalai Lama coming to India, the president of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) said the security of India "partly depended" on the "situation" in Tibet.

"We thank India for its support in past six decades to our cause and also appeal to it to support us politically and make Tibet its core issue," he said.

Asserting that the Tibetans are in India because of the support of Indian government and people, Sangay said, "We are a success story and it has been a great journey, thanks to India and its people."

The security and stability in China as well as India depends on the safety and stability in Tibet, he said.

Advocating good relations between India and China, Sangay, however, suggested his host country to be "cautions" of China's expansionist policy.

"Sixty years back, we lost our country to Chinese occupation. We do not want other countries to face the same consequences," he said.


Replying to a question on Doklam, the CTA president said that going to the United Nations could be one option for Bhutan who lays claim on the region where Chinese and Indian armies have faced a stand-off.

Sangay said that the 'Thank You India' campaign symbolises gratitude of the Tibetan people towards their host country and it will begin with a interfaith meeting, which will be attended by the Dalai Lama at Rajghat on March 31 followed by a public event at Thyagraj stadium on April 1.

The year-long campaign will include events in more than 20 cities, including Bengaluru and Shimla, and will have initiatives like 'Little Tibet festival', 'Green India', 'Healthy India', 'Feed the Hungry' and 'Clean India'.


Ringo Starr

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 340
    • Email

Advocating good relations between India and China, Sangay, however, suggested his host country to be "cautions" of China's expansionist policy.


He is such a hypocrite, Lobsang Sangay is bent on driving a wedge between China and India.

Here's the proof:

January 18, 2018

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tibetan-leader-cautions-india-against-chinas-doklam-plans/article22466290.ece

Tibetan leader cautions India against China’s ‘Doklam plans’

January 18, 2018

http://zeenews.india.com/india/india-should-help-resolve-tibetan-issue-tibetan-leader-lobsang-sangay-2074785.html

India should help resolve Tibetan issue: Tibetan leader Lobsang Sangay
Sangay underlined that an independent or autonomous Tibet was in the interest of both India and China as it provided a buffer between the two big nations that have mutual "mistrust and suspicion" due to their long border.

January 11, 2018

Tibetan PM-in-exile cautions India against China

http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/tibetan-pm-in-exile-cautions-india-against-china/527054.html

November 20, 2017

http://www.thetibetpost.com/en/news/international/5807-india-and-china-never-shared-a-border-president-of-tibet-in-halifax

India and China never shared a border: President of Tibet in Halifax

Lobsang Sangay wants Tibet to be restored as buffer zone between India, China
http://www.newsbharati.com/Encyc/2017/11/20/Tibet-as-buffer-zone.html


July 9, 2017

https://thewire.in/155657/lobsang-sangay-central-tibetan-administration-tibet-flag-india-china/

Amid the ongoing stand-off in Doklam, the image of the head of the Tibetan ‘government in exile’ paying respects to the Tibetan flag on Indian territory could be seen as ‘political activity’, something Delhi has discouraged in the past.





Rowntree

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 441
This has been Lobsang Sangay's job to ask for help and money for himself. It is never enough because the greed and dissatisfaction are never-ending. He has proven to be a failure, a lousy President, and a stupid politician who has done nothing but to pay off his mortgage, go for fine dining with Dhardon Sharling, bribe accountant to change the $1.5 million loan from Tibet Fund to a donation, and etc. He is a cunning and dishonest person who should just step down and stop harming the Tibetas already.

Belinda Mae

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 51
Lobsang Sangay must be up to something or else he won't thank his host country India. Why is he adding in oil to a fire by asking India to beware of China? Many times India has been offering opportunities to them for eg the Indian citizenship to the Tibetans-in-exiled but what happens when the people really wants to take up the citizenship? The CTA make their life miserable. No point other people wanting to help but CTA is rejecting it.

Brian Little

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 43
    • Email
When will Lobsang Sangay CTA stop taking from people and own up their own mistakes? 60 years of non performing resulting in the suffering of its people. Already incurring wrath of deities and other sponsoring countries already talking of stopping to support the disfunctional CTA. Seems inevitable that CTA will be doomed one day, not because of Dorje Shugden but it is because of their own making.

Celia

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 193
It high time that people take to heart that Lobsang Sangay and CTA are only in it for themselves. Why else is it that after decades of financial aids and donations that CTA has achieved absolutely nothing significant? There are just no significant tangible results from them despite receiving millions of dollars.

Judging from reports, it is apparent that all such financial assistance have just been manipulated by this group of opportunists who are capitalising on the Tibetan cause and people’s sufferings. They are also blatantly going around playing the part and enjoying the spoils, while keeping the Tibetans in exiles in sordid state.

After all, Lobsang Sangay/CTA will need to have justification to continue asking and to ensure the continued flow of financial aids. If Tibetans in exile are no longer refugees, financial aids and donations would not come easily to Lobsang Sangay/CTA anymore.



Tracy

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 560
Re: Lobsang Sangay- still asking help from India after 60 years of help given!
« Reply #6 on: November 19, 2018, 01:15:15 PM »
The Tibetans in exile always expect people to help them. They are the typical takers, they are so used to take that they don't know how to work hard for the money. They use their plight to earn sympathy and donations for themselves. For the past 60 years, they have been surviving on donations.

Lobsang Sangay has no shame, they have taken so much from India and he is still asking for more. While he is asking for more things from India, he is also creating problems for India. He knows India wants to improve its relationship with China but he still allows his people to protest against China in India. This has put India in a very difficult position.

The Tibetans in India were also caught cheating the benefit given to them by the Indian government. I am sure Lobsang Sangay is aware of this, what has he done? There was no apology and no action was taken. With an attitude like this, I don't think India will offer more help to them, Lobsang Sangay can forget about it!

Alex

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 590
    • Email
Re: Lobsang Sangay- still asking help from India after 60 years of help given!
« Reply #7 on: November 19, 2018, 06:46:59 PM »
The Tibetans in exile always expect people to help them. They are the typical takers, they are so used to take that they don't know how to work hard for the money. They use their plight to earn sympathy and donations for themselves. For the past 60 years, they have been surviving on donations.

Lobsang Sangay has no shame, they have taken so much from India and he is still asking for more. While he is asking for more things from India, he is also creating problems for India. He knows India wants to improve its relationship with China but he still allows his people to protest against China in India. This has put India in a very difficult position.

The Tibetans in India were also caught cheating the benefit given to them by the Indian government. I am sure Lobsang Sangay is aware of this, what has he done? There was no apology and no action was taken. With an attitude like this, I don't think India will offer more help to them, Lobsang Sangay can forget about it!

Im really curious why India still willing to accommodate the Tibetans and let them continue to stay in India and create problems for them. After so many years of freeloading and taking their resources, they give nothing back or any form of contribution to the Indian society and yet they still have the audacity to request for India to put them as the priority?

What is there for Tibetan to offer to India for them to make them their priority? What can the Tibetans do for India which is going great that they need to be on the priority list? That does not make sense. All the Tibetans did for 60 years is taking up space, wasting their resources and also make Indians angry. They did nothing positive.

Now that Mr Lobsang announced that Tibet cause will go on for another 50 years, is he indirectly telling India to keep tolerate them for another 50 years? Where on earth there are refugees that stay as refugees for a century? Assimilate into Indian society already. There is no hope in Tibet cause, they should just join India as a citizen already.

vajratruth

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 706
Re: Lobsang Sangay- still asking help from India after 60 years of help given!
« Reply #8 on: November 19, 2018, 07:02:50 PM »

He is such a hypocrite, Lobsang Sangay is bent on driving a wedge between China and India.



I think the Indians are not fooled. It may have been expedient for India to support, albeit subtly, the Tibetan struggle but that's not out of any genuine interest in the Tibetan cause. I doubt if there is any significant nation in the world today who will stand up to China because they truly believe that Tibetan governance is better for the Tibetan people.

The reality is, the Tibetan cause is 'all pain and no gain' to anyone who comes into contact with it. India went to war with China in the 60's over this and have strained her relationship with China for decades because of the Tibetan people. Finally, earlier this year India took stock of the situation and quickly came to the conclusion that the Tibetan cause is simply not worth the trouble. Rising Indian resentment towards the Tibetans would indicate that they have not done anything to enamour themselves with the Indians.

As the opportunity cost for supporting the Tibetan government increases, Lobsang Sangay needs to do better than words. What's in it for India or indeed anyone to continue to support the Tibetans? 

Alex

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 590
    • Email
Re: Lobsang Sangay- still asking help from India after 60 years of help given!
« Reply #9 on: November 20, 2018, 03:38:25 PM »

He is such a hypocrite, Lobsang Sangay is bent on driving a wedge between China and India.



I think the Indians are not fooled. It may have been expedient for India to support, albeit subtly, the Tibetan struggle but that's not out of any genuine interest in the Tibetan cause. I doubt if there is any significant nation in the world today who will stand up to China because they truly believe that Tibetan governance is better for the Tibetan people.

The reality is, the Tibetan cause is 'all pain and no gain' to anyone who comes into contact with it. India went to war with China in the 60's over this and have strained her relationship with China for decades because of the Tibetan people. Finally, earlier this year India took stock of the situation and quickly came to the conclusion that the Tibetan cause is simply not worth the trouble. Rising Indian resentment towards the Tibetans would indicate that they have not done anything to enamour themselves with the Indians.

As the opportunity cost for supporting the Tibetan government increases, Lobsang Sangay needs to do better than words. What's in it for India or indeed anyone to continue to support the Tibetans?

Now that Lobsang Sangay had announced the Tibetan cause will go on for another 50 years, Indians will surely be not happy about it. He had just prescribed another 50 years of pain for the Indians. I wonder how the Indians will react when they know that Tibetans will continue to stay in their land for free, paying nothing, and look down on them at the same time.

In the whole wide world, only Tibetans will have the audacity to stay in other people's country for a century but still act as nothing happened and continue to look down on Indian. It is very true that the Tibetan cause is all pain no gain for everyone. It is like a black hole that drains everybody's energy and money and there is no outcome.

Indian's resentment is getting obvious now with the number of messages on social media talking about their displease with the general Tibetan population including their leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Soon, Indian might want Tibetans to leave their country especially now that they start to show cold shoulder towards the Tibetans as they building up a relationship with China.

Rowntree

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 441
Re: Lobsang Sangay- still asking help from India after 60 years of help given!
« Reply #10 on: November 23, 2018, 05:02:19 AM »
Well, Lobsang Sangay still thinks that Tibet should be one of the core issues for India after 60 years! India owes Tibet nothing and have been very kind and giving. Yes, CTA decided to continue to take. After all, it is much easier to take, than to give!

Quote
Tibet should be one of the core issues for India, says Lobsang Sangay, the head of Tibetan government in exile

Tibet should be one of the core issues for India as China is trying to “influence” all of its neighbours, Lobsang Sangay, the head of the Tibetan government in exile has said. China insists Tibet has been part of its territory for centuries, but many Tibetans say they were essentially independent for most of that time. The Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959 amid an abortive uprising against Chinese rule in his Himalayan homeland.

Sangay, who is currently here, has met a number of senior US administration officials, congressmen and senators and members of the think-tank community like the Hudson Institute. Explaining his quest for India making “Tibet a core issue”, Harvard educated Sangay said that after the occupation of Tibet, the People’s Liberation Army has now moved near the border of India.
“Now they are influencing all of India’s neighbours, from Pakistan, to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal. It is a reality now,” he said in an interview to PTI.

India and Tibet have had historically, cultural and civilisational ties for hundreds of years, he said, adding Tibet is the source of water for India and South Asia. “For these reasons, Tibet is very important for not just India, for whole of South Asia and ASEAN countries too. Hence, Tibet should be one of the core issues for India,” Sangay said.

“China has already said Tibet is one of the core issues. So, India should also table Tibet as one of the core issues and address this issue with Tibetan people in mind,” he said. Responding to a question, Sangay said that the people of Tibet are following the middle way approach by seeking “genuine autonomy within the framework of the Chinese constitution”. “This is the reasonable moderate line,” he said.

For that there should be a dialogue between the envoys of the Dalai Lama and the Chinese Government, he said. He sought the revival of a dialogue that happened between 2002 to 2010. “We think, that kind of dialogue will lead to the resolution of the Tibetan issue,” he said.

https://www.financialexpress.com/world-news/tibet-should-be-one-of-the-core-issues-for-india-says-lobsang-sangay-the-head-of-tibetan-government-in-exile/1384094/

Alex

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 590
    • Email
Re: Lobsang Sangay- still asking help from India after 60 years of help given!
« Reply #11 on: November 23, 2018, 03:34:14 PM »
Well, Lobsang Sangay still thinks that Tibet should be one of the core issues for India after 60 years! India owes Tibet nothing and have been very kind and giving. Yes, CTA decided to continue to take. After all, it is much easier to take, than to give!


CTA is getting ridiculous by the year. How shameless can they be to keep on requesting for help while they themselves put little to no effort in getting their own country back? I doubt that they even put in any real effort in getting Tibet back. There is no dialogue or whatsoever between CTA and China. His Holiness the Dalai Lama had to send his own people over secretly to have a secret dialogue with China. Seems like CTA is not doing anything and His Holiness the Dalai Lama is forced to do something on his own.

After 60 years of taking from India, CTA still has the audacity to ask India to make Tibet as part of India's problem. They had given so much help to Tibetans. Free land, resources, exempted from tax and even travel documents. They are enjoying benefits which are impossible for refugees in other countries. Why does India need to give them more help than what they had already given to the Tibetans?

Mr Sangay really failed as the leader of CTA. He should have led the fight for Tibet's independence instead of throwing the problem to India. India does not have the obligation to take them in in the first place. It seems like Tibetan is causing problems wherever they go. Tibet cause is already a lost cause because of their own government.

Tracy

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 560
Re: Lobsang Sangay- still asking help from India after 60 years of help given!
« Reply #12 on: November 29, 2018, 09:08:11 PM »
Well, Lobsang Sangay still thinks that Tibet should be one of the core issues for India after 60 years! India owes Tibet nothing and have been very kind and giving. Yes, CTA decided to continue to take. After all, it is much easier to take, than to give!


CTA is getting ridiculous by the year. How shameless can they be to keep on requesting for help while they themselves put little to no effort in getting their own country back? I doubt that they even put in any real effort in getting Tibet back. There is no dialogue or whatsoever between CTA and China. His Holiness the Dalai Lama had to send his own people over secretly to have a secret dialogue with China. Seems like CTA is not doing anything and His Holiness the Dalai Lama is forced to do something on his own.

After 60 years of taking from India, CTA still has the audacity to ask India to make Tibet as part of India's problem. They had given so much help to Tibetans. Free land, resources, exempted from tax and even travel documents. They are enjoying benefits which are impossible for refugees in other countries. Why does India need to give them more help than what they had already given to the Tibetans?

Mr Sangay really failed as the leader of CTA. He should have led the fight for Tibet's independence instead of throwing the problem to India. India does not have the obligation to take them in in the first place. It seems like Tibetan is causing problems wherever they go. Tibet cause is already a lost cause because of their own government.

Do you know because Tibetans have been a taker for the past 60 years, they don't even know it is not right or shameful to continue to take. Money comes too easy for them. They think everyone should support them because they are very pitiful and people should give Tibetans the money to fight for their country.

The Tibetans would not be able to appreciate or show gratitude because they always victimise themselves in order to get what they want. They don't think of the kindness that people have given to them. Otherwise, they will not keep asking for more or even cheat the sponsors money. Just Lobsang Sangay alone, he has pocketed at least a million US dollar for himself.

Lobsang Sangay doesn't really care if he has failed as a leader of the CTA. It is not his ambition to become a great leader or to make the free Tibet movement a success. All he wants is to make money for himself before the CTA is dissolved.

Alex

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 590
    • Email
Re: Lobsang Sangay- still asking help from India after 60 years of help given!
« Reply #13 on: December 01, 2018, 03:43:29 AM »
Well, Lobsang Sangay still thinks that Tibet should be one of the core issues for India after 60 years! India owes Tibet nothing and have been very kind and giving. Yes, CTA decided to continue to take. After all, it is much easier to take, than to give!


CTA is getting ridiculous by the year. How shameless can they be to keep on requesting for help while they themselves put little to no effort in getting their own country back? I doubt that they even put in any real effort in getting Tibet back. There is no dialogue or whatsoever between CTA and China. His Holiness the Dalai Lama had to send his own people over secretly to have a secret dialogue with China. Seems like CTA is not doing anything and His Holiness the Dalai Lama is forced to do something on his own.

After 60 years of taking from India, CTA still has the audacity to ask India to make Tibet as part of India's problem. They had given so much help to Tibetans. Free land, resources, exempted from tax and even travel documents. They are enjoying benefits which are impossible for refugees in other countries. Why does India need to give them more help than what they had already given to the Tibetans?

Mr Sangay really failed as the leader of CTA. He should have led the fight for Tibet's independence instead of throwing the problem to India. India does not have the obligation to take them in in the first place. It seems like Tibetan is causing problems wherever they go. Tibet cause is already a lost cause because of their own government.

Do you know because Tibetans have been a taker for the past 60 years, they don't even know it is not right or shameful to continue to take. Money comes too easy for them. They think everyone should support them because they are very pitiful and people should give Tibetans the money to fight for their country.

The Tibetans would not be able to appreciate or show gratitude because they always victimise themselves in order to get what they want. They don't think of the kindness that people have given to them. Otherwise, they will not keep asking for more or even cheat the sponsors money. Just Lobsang Sangay alone, he has pocketed at least a million US dollar for himself.

Lobsang Sangay doesn't really care if he has failed as a leader of the CTA. It is not his ambition to become a great leader or to make the free Tibet movement a success. All he wants is to make money for himself before the CTA is dissolved.

Everyone knows Tibetans are the biggest and longest freeloaders in the world. They are also by far the most shameless one as well. They took resources, money, energy and time from India for over 60 years and produce no results and showed no initiation to get back their own country. Until now, CTA still had not been able to score an official dialogue with China.

After so many years of failure, they still dare to announce to the world that Tibetan cause will be around for another 50 years. Can you believe it? Tibetans will be refugees for over 1 century. Who on earth will remain as a refugee for over 1 century? Most of the refugee that stayed this long will have already assimilated into the local culture and move on with their lives.

Tibetans fighting for their independence for 1 century is waste of time and money. They would have moved on with their lives and fight for a better future in another country. China will not let go of their grip on Tibet since they had invested so much in developing it. There is no use for Tibetans to keep fighting a cause that is already lost in the first place when CTA did not do a good job in perserving their own country.


Rowntree

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 441
Re: Lobsang Sangay- still asking help from India after 60 years of help given!
« Reply #14 on: December 01, 2018, 04:36:41 AM »
CTA is further segregating the already very small Tibetans population by amending laws and banning nominations. The intention is very clear so that sleazy Sangay can remain in power to enjoy his holidays abroad. Apart from asking for India to help, he never ceased to 'amaze' people of his selfish agenda even a blind can see.

On Oct. 3, Sangay signed an amendment banning nominations for parliament members from nongovernment organizations or political groups and shortening elections to 100 days. “Not that we can fully address everything, but we are making sure that there are the least damages and more unity,” Sangay said.

---------

Buddhist monks to consider whether Dalai Lama should reincarnate
November 28, 2018

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama leads a prayer at the Tsuglagkhang Temple in Dharamshala, India, on Sept. 3, 2018. Tibetans made ceremonial offerings and prayed for the longevity of their spiritual leader. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

Meagan Clark and Vishal Arora
Share This!
DHARAMSHALA, India (RNS) — Tibetan Buddhist monks from around the world are gearing up to discuss whether the aging Dalai Lama should reincarnate — and, if he does, then how to prevent Beijing from claiming that Tibet’s next spiritual leader will reincarnate in China.

The monks had been scheduled to congregate in the Himalayas of northern India this week to deliberate on the issue at the 13th Religious Conference on Tibetan Buddhism beginning Thursday (Nov. 29), but the three-day meeting was called off after a high-ranking Tibetan monk, Kathok Getse Rinpoche, died on Nov. 19. Getse Rinpoche was the leader of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism.

New dates are yet to be announced for the conference in Dharamshala, where the 83-year-old Dalai Lama and his followers have lived in exile since 1959, but the monks are prepared to deliberate on the steps, interpreted from ancient Buddhist texts, to recognize the reincarnated body if their spiritual leader decides to continue the office after his death. Tibetan Buddhists believe that karma directs a person’s reincarnation, but those who have achieved enlightenment can direct their own path, choosing the body of their rebirth.

The 14th Dalai Lama has been the face of Tibet’s nonviolent struggle against China, which in the 1950s seized the region and killed tens of thousands of Tibetans who resisted the communist rule. Since 1959, the Indian government has provided land to the Dalai Lama and Tibetan refugees.

In a major departure from 369 years of tradition, the 14th Dalai Lama relinquished all political power in 2011 to the Central Tibetan Administration, a democratic institution with a parliament and president. The move came four years after China’s atheist government decreed that all reincarnations of living Buddhas have to be approved by Beijing given that Tibet is officially part of China. They designate the Dalai Lama and his followers as “terrorists” or separatists.

China created the Tibet Autonomous Region as part of an agreement between Tibetan representatives and Beijing, but Tibetans say they still have little autonomy. More than 150 Tibetans, mostly monks and nuns, have self-immolated since 2011 in response to alleged religious restrictions and interference inside Tibet.

In 2011, the Dalai Lama also said preparations to determine how his successor would be found wouldn’t happen until he reached 90, in 2025, when he would first consult with Tibetan Buddhist authorities about whether to even continue the Dalai Lama institution. But then last year, the Dalai Lama said the process would begin as soon as 2018. He has in recent years mentioned that perhaps he would not reincarnate.


Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, center, poses for a group photo with tourists at the Tsuglagkhang Temple in Dharamshala, India, on April 16, 2018. The Tibetan leader spoke to a group of Indian and foreign tourists on secular ethics and the importance of tolerance in the 21st century. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

“There is no guarantee that some stupid Dalai Lama won’t come next, who will disgrace himself or herself,” the Dalai Lama told BBC in 2014. “That would be very sad. So, much better that a centuries-old tradition should cease at the time of a quite popular Dalai Lama.”

Speaking to media in Japan earlier this month, the Dalai Lama said that succession through nomination, instead of reincarnation, could be a way to continue his office. “I think sooner or later, we should start that kind of practice,” he was quoted as saying.

China will likely try to name its own Dalai Lama regardless, as Beijing asserts that the seat of Tibetan Buddhism should be inside Tibet. In the 1990s, the Dalai Lama recognized a 6-year-old boy as the Panchen Lama, the second-most-revered position in Tibetan Buddhism. Shortly thereafter, the boy and his family disappeared in Chinese custody and their whereabouts remain unknown. Then China declared a new Panchen Lama.

The continuation of the centuries-old tradition of reincarnation is crucial because the Dalai Lama is the only unifying figure for the Tibetans and their struggle for autonomy within the Chinese rule. Tibetans would prefer to end the office of the Dalai Lama rather than have a China-appointed spiritual leader.

“It’s difficult for us to imagine Tibet without him,” said Namdol Lhagyari, the youngest member of Tibet’s exile parliament. “But, you know, we also have to be realistic. We have to make sure all our energy goes toward the Central Tibetan Administration because this is the only institution that we have which is able to challenge the Chinese government.”

Many Tibetans insist the Dalai Lama will always remain.

“We have this belief that he will come back, you know,” said Lobsang Sangay, president of the CTA. “So we will never be without him, you see?”

From a mountainside temple in Dharamshala, through international forums (and even Twitter with nearly 19 million followers), the Dalai Lama teaches popular Buddhist values such as compassion, religious tolerance, finding joy and service to others.

Those values are the basis for the CTA, an administration without police or prisons to enforce its laws and with low salaries and few material benefits to discourage corruption. Sangay, an American citizen, was working in the U.S. as a lawyer before his election to the presidency, where he now receives just $350 a month, he said.

The CTA has been busy lately amending laws, apparently to prepare for an interim period, if not a post-Dalai Lama era, until he is identified. The exile government’s democracy stands apart from most: It’s a partyless democracy, designed to prevent fracturing the community. On Oct. 3, Sangay signed an amendment banning nominations for parliament members from nongovernment organizations or political groups and shortening elections to 100 days.


Lobsang Sangay, president of the Central Tibetan Administration, stands next to a portrait of the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama during an event to mark the 58th anniversary of the formation of the first Tibetan parliament-in-exile in Dharamshala, India, on Sept. 2, 2018. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

“Not that we can fully address everything, but we are making sure that there are the least damages and more unity,” Sangay said.
The CTA and the Dalai Lama’s official policy for Tibet since 2008 is the Middle Way Approach, seeking religious freedom and political autonomy within China rather than separate nationhood, although a minority of Tibetans in exile still openly advocate for independence.

So far, the movement for a free Tibet has remained nonviolent, although 152 Tibetans inside the region (and some outside) have self-immolated to draw attention to alleged ongoing brutal repression by Chinese authorities.

“When you burn yourself, this is a really violent death,” Sangay said. “You are capable of violence, you know. But you are not harming even a single Chinese person or property. You are in a town or village where there is the Chinese military officer who beat you up, who destroyed your forest, and he or she is right there in front of you, but you’re saying, ‘I’m protesting against your policy but not against you as a person.’”

This aspect of nonviolence has perhaps counterintuitively fueled the Tibetan freedom movement. The Dalai Lama teaches that everybody — even an evil person — has a Buddha nature, so no one should harm another person. Those seeking justice should harm the act and not the actor, he has said.

“No one else in the Tibetan community would be able to replace His Holiness,” Lhagyari said. “But we have to understand, in every freedom movement, you know, India never had another Gandhi, South Africa never had another Nelson Mandela, but the movement had new leaders. It’s important that we look out for another strong personality that could come out from the democratic movement.”

Tenzin Tibet Lekshay, deputy director at the think tank Tibet Policy Institute, also suggested that Tibetans should prepare for a possible post-Dalai Lama era, or the interim period, with wisdom and a sense of responsibility. Tibetans should keep in mind the history of the transitory periods that occurred over the past few hundred years, he said.

“In the absence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, one of the viable alternatives to maintain stability within the Tibetan community is to develop a collective leadership,” he said.

https://religionnews.com/2018/11/28/buddhist-monks-to-consider-whether-dalai-lama-should-reincarnate/