“Someone who has little knowledge,

Will find fault with those who understand.

All look with awe on expensive belongings,

But who would notice a piece of burning wood?”

An excerpt from ‘The Elegant Saying of Sakya Pandita’, Sakya Pandita Kunga Gyaltsen who was a prominent Lama in the Sakya sect of Tibetan tradition of Buddhism and was the teacher of Goden Khan (Grandson of Genghis Khan) during the 13th Century.

This proved out to be true in light of the recent viral doctored clips of His Holiness the Dalai Lama interacting with a child. This clip was created by vested interest groups, individuals and even from Beijing according to some credible sources. This whole incident opened a Pandora’s box about Tibetans and His Holiness at large with it having geopolitical significance but hitting closer to the heart this time. As Johann Wolfgang von Goethe stated “A man sees in the world, what he carries in his heart” This very heart which we all hold close and dear was deeply hurt and ravaged by the slippery slope that saw us prioritize sensationalism over good research.

It was at 10th April early Monday morning, when I received a call from a friend in Dharamshala who told me the seriousness of this edited and modified video of His Holiness, leading me to look into this. While confirming its validity through Tibetan media sources who had released this video on 28th February (with Voice of America Tibetan being the video source which was then doctored by groups who had vested interest in it) an apology letter by His Holiness through his social handles was released to quell down the unwarranted furore this was generating. However, instead more people jumped in and band wagoned on this false narrative, with Cardi B, Joe Rogan and many others joining the fray – making the heart weep. In my lifetime I have personally not seen such huge numbers of my fellow sisters and brothers weep both publicly and privately. “We are so hurt as a community because when it comes to His Holiness, it’s a matter of life and death. I wish I could just put the past few days away into oblivion, but I can’t. It will haunt me forever. All I can muster at the end is that I am Tenzin Thinley, a Tibetan raised under His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s grace, I will hold onto that with unending gratitude. I wish to make him proud.” Says Tenzin Thinley, a Tibetan refugee born and brought up in India.

Since Monday, it was not only Tibetans but millions of people who had found courage, inspiration, motivation, love, peace, belief, happiness and compassion through His Holiness were thrown in complete disarray not because the doctored video was released (the original video including interviews with the child and his parents was released on the day of the event itself, on 28th February) but because various news outlets and social influencers in our contemporary world without a second thought rushed to criticize His Holiness and his actions here. Many even took to liberty in naming him a “Pedophile” notwithstanding its ramifications. Venoms were spewed here and news outlet and individuals sensing that they could make a quick buck out from it spun various narratives on it without taking any due insights from the very people who were there and present during the event. I even witnessed how a public media personality in USA was saying that this incident had happened in Tibet, illustrating how little these very proponents questioning His Holiness knew about the current plight of Tibetans. 

Since 1949, when the People’s Republic of China (PRC) starting invading Tibet illegally – grosses of Tibetans were forced to fled their own country with 1959 being a watershed year when His Holiness along with thousands of Tibetans given asylum in India by the Government of India. Tibet continues to remain illegally occupied by the PRC even now, with Tibetans facing duress and suppression day in and day out. It is the least free region of the world according to the latest 2023 report by Freedom House.

Millions of people have been traumatized, etching an everlasting scar, possibly passing it onto generations to come. A recent video by a Tibetan student in Belgium, Tenzin Nordon who is 14-year-old has become viral. In the video she confesses that she was publicly humiliated by her own teacher in front of her class mates who not only stated that The Dalai Lama is a “Pedophile” but even went to length to show the doctored clip to her class mates drawing more jeers and racist slurs to her. This highlights the need of accepting heterogeneity in our world. “I feel like the need of the hour is for the world to not restrict inclusivity to trying cross-culture food & traveling new places. It is equally important for people to be more inclusive of cross-culture traditions and customs” says Tenzin Saldon, who is one among many Tibetans bringing the truth about this whole incident in the social media platforms.

People from around the world especially in India, where His Holiness has been residing since 1959 have come out in huge numbers, calling out for the truth. Many have utilized social media as an agency while a plethora of them have also taken to the streets and called out those who instigated and disseminated this misinformation. People from the Himalayan belt bordering Tibet occupied China from Arunachal Pradesh to Ladakh to Sikkim to Himachal Pradesh, all the way from Leh to Tawang – stretching 1000’s of KM, have come out demanding the truth to be told and be accountable for deceiving the people. A particular slogan that has been synonymous with this movement is “Shame Shame, Media Shame” particularly targeting NDTV which was synonymous with Tibetans then but not anymore now. The Tibetan diasporic community throughout the world with India having the largest demography of this Tibetan community also demonstrated and sought truth and justice by holding peaceful protest in varying means utilising every agency they could. I only wonder if this were to happen with any other Community or Religion what would the consequences be then? Peace protest? Certainly not.

Being a Tibetan I felt wronged, even questioning my existence as a Tibetan and whether being a Tibetan mattered in this world. However, the overwhelming solidarity shown by my fellow sisters and brothers of this beautiful and magical world made it clear to me that we are not alone, making me remember this quote by Marcus Aurelius “We are each of us Stronger than we think”. 

People who researched and looked into this incident have come forward apologizing, verifying and even bringing out statements, the latter which even included the Government officials of the Indian government. “The victim here is His Holiness the Dalai Lama” said the Sikyong (President) of the Tibetan Government in Exile, Penpa Tsering La at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia. Mr. O.P. Tandon, who is a founding trustee of FNVA and former Registrar of Banaras Hindu University (BHU) made it clear to me how people are “Finding sinful action out of a divine person”. 

The full article can be accessed at https://www.tibetrightscollective.in/op-eds-commentaries/an-anguish-an-everlasting-trauma-the-dalai-lama-is-a-leader-of-the-world 

The post An Anguish, an Everlasting Trauma: The Dalai Lama is a leader of the world. appeared first on fnvaworld.org.

Author: Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari

Lodi Gyari, as he was popularly known among his friends, belonged to an aristocratic feudal family from the Khan region of China. He was singularly responsible for bringing the Tibet issue in to international discourse and in cultivating an image of the Dalai Lama as an international statesman and spiritual leader. He served as the representative of the Tibetan government-in-exile in Washington for over two decades. During this time, he developed an enviable and influential network in the corridors of power in the US, of which any ambassador of an accredited nation would have been proud. He served as a Special Envoy of His Holiness in the nine rounds of talks that were held with Chinese authorities between 2002 and 2012, aimed at reaching an understanding that would enable a reconciliation of Tibetan autonomy with Chinese sovereignty. Also discussed was the possibility of the Dalai Lama returning to China for Pilgrimage if not permanent residence. Lodi Gyari died in 2018 but the voluminous memoir that he penned during his final years has now been published posthumously under the title The Dalai Lama’s Special Envoy: Memoirs of a Lifetime in Pursuit of a Reunited Tibet.

The “reunited” Tibet refers to the objective of merging the three distinct sub-regions of the Tibetan plateau – U-tsang, Kham and Amdo – where the six million ethnic Tibetans live into one province. The current Tibet Autonomous Region of China refers only to U-tsang, with a population of just over two million, which was invaded and occupied by Chinese forces in 1950. The other two regions were already incorporated into China in earlier historical phases and are now parts of the Chinese provinces of Ningxia, Sichuan and Yunnan. While declaring that he does not seek Independence for Tibet, the Dalai Lama demands that all the areas where ethnic Tibetans live should become part of an enlarged province, whose inhabitants should enjoy all the religious, cultural and other rights granted to minorities in the Chinese Constitution. This has been vehemently rejected by the Chinese who see this as a devious prelude to the eventual separation of nearly a quarter of the territory of China.

The book traces the trajectory of the dialogue conducted between the United Front Work Department of the Chinese Communist Party and representatives of the Dalai Lama. It was in 1979 that the then top leader of China, Deng Xiaoping conveyed to Gyalo Thondup, the elder brother of His Holiness, that China was ready to discuss all issues relating to Tibet as long as the demand for its independence was explicitly forsworn. Gyalo Thondup has an interesting history. He was educated in China under the guardianship of the KMT leader Chiang Kai-shek and is a fluent Mandarin speaker. Though he played a role in the American CIA’s support for the insurgency in Tibet after His Holiness sought refuge in India in 1959, he later cultivated contacts with the Chinese communist party functionaries who he must have known while still in China. These contacts were approved and encouraged by His Holiness.

A series of interactions followed, beginning with a series of four Fact-Finding Missions sent to China by the Dalai Lama’s establishment in Dharamshala between August 1979 and June 1985. There were two rounds of Exploratory Talks in 1982 and 1984, which set the stage for nine rounds of talks led by Lodi Gyari on the Tibetan side. Since the Chinese did not recognize the Tibetan government-in-exile, Lodi Gyari and his delegation serves as personal representatives of His Holiness. In June 1988, in an address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, the Dalai Lama formally abandoned the demand for independence for Tibet but put forward the proposal for the creation of a larger administrative entity incorporating the three sub-regions mentioned above.

The talks were suspended in 2012 when the Dalai Lama gave up his temporal leadership, which devolved on an elected Assembly and a prime minister. The status of the negotiators as personal representatives of His Holiness could no longer be sustained and the new dispensation in Dharamshala did not seem inclined to continue with the earlier practice. Lodi Gyari resigned his position though he wanted the dialogue to continue and remained optimistic about achieving progress.

Lodi Gyari would have known that despite the political changes in Dharamshala, His Holiness remained active in seeking reconciliation with the Chinese, hoping that he could even visit China on pilgrimage and talk directly with Chinese leaders. His hopes were aroused with Xi Jinping becoming China’s top leader in 2012. He received a number of messages through intermediaries, claiming to be speaking on Xi Jinping’s behalf and expressing the latter’s interest in pursuing a reconciliation. These have proved to be chimerical and China’s Tibet policy has become even more hardline and repressive that before. The book ignores these later developments.

Lodi Gyari is cautious in his comment about India’s role which appears to have been marginal. India was kept fully informed about the progress in the talks with China but did not make any serious effort to put the issue of Tibet on the India-China bilateral agenda. This is odd considering that it is the Tibet issue that precipitated the worsening of India-China relations and led to the 1962 border war. Lodi Gyari’s memoirs contain valuable insights into Chinese thinking and negotiating tactics of which careful note should be taken.

The book is also now Available in Paperback format in India.

The link to the Book Review as published by Business Standard – 
https://www.business-standard.com/article/beyond-business/the-dalai-lama-s-pursuit-of-united-tibet-123022701393_1.html

The post The Dalai Lama’s pursuit of united Tibet: Book Review appeared first on fnvaworld.org.