Dharamshala, 16th July: It is only true for Tibetans to believe that when President Xi Jinping speaks of Tibetan Buddhism “with Chinese characteristics,” he reveals China’s intentions to destroy and subsume Tibet’s unique cultural identity communism. The Chinese efforts to install their preferred Dalai Lama are just ridiculous. Tibet is, first and foremost, an occupied territory. It has been under Chinese Army occupation for a long time and is losing out on every level – culture, civilization, traditions, language, arts, and even occupations. Worse, the Chinese are dissatisfied with the situation. They’ve always intended to depose their living God, the Dalai Lama.
When Chinese President Xi Jinping insists on Tibetan Buddhism with Chinese characteristics, or when the Communist Party of China claims to be in charge of the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation by force, as they did with the Panchen Lama, it’s in the same vein as what they’ve done to the Catholic Church in China, Hong Kong, the Uighur people of Xinjiang, or the Mongolian people of the South. Their goal is clear: to eliminate whatever distinguishes each of these communities.
If the Dalai Lama has chosen a middle path solution to the problem, it is to preserve Tibet’s unique nature and people’s freedom in the face of great disparities between China and Tibet in every way. He is only interested in peaceful alternatives that do not jeopardize Tibetan self-respect and preserve their uniqueness in every way. They must find the strength to tolerate the arrogance of the Chinese illegal and immoral authority while continuing to resist the oppressors.
Tibetans must also understand that they act out of their own fears and uncertainty whenever Chinese leaders make such claims. Such claims are so ridiculous that they do not deserve to be taken seriously or responded to. One question that arises from the Chinese assertions is whether the Chinese government, which claims to be communist or Marxist, believes in the continuation of consciousness or reincarnation. If not, why bother with Tibetan religious systems?
Why doesn’t Xi just shut up and ask his country to do the same if he doesn’t believe in life after death? First, let’s take a look at the past. Tibetans had cordial relations with the Manchu emperors of central China in the 18th century. They did advise Tibetans to select the Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama through a lottery conducted through the golden vessel. Despite their recommendations, neither the 9th, 10th, 11th, 13th, or 14th Dalai Lama was chosen in this manner. Though the lottery system had been used twice before, the Tibetans only used it as part of the overall process. The Chinese may have to learn their lessons the hard way!
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