Comments on: An Unhappy New Year in Tibet

By: Stephen

Stephen — Wed, 05 May 2010 00:46:09 +0000

Robert, I'm the last one to defend the medieval practices of old Tibet — check out my memoir. The Chinese definitely have a point when it comes to modernizing Tibet. Still, I lived with Tibetans for eight years and have no reason to doubt that the Chinese claim on Tibet is spurious, or that their incursion into Tibet was uninvited. They've brought Tibet materially into the twenty-first century — it was long overdue — but at quite a cost to individual freedom. Then there's their policy towards the Dalai Lama, which is just plain dumb. They have unrivalled control of Tibet — he's accepted that in the plainest possible terms. Why not just put out their hand to him, earn some brownie points and move forward? It's weird to see a country that's grown so strong still acting so insecure; their right/ability to control this distinct minority is pretty dubious, while their strategic interests are pretty clear. Finally, while we all suffer from 'exploitation,' there's a big difference between being exploited as a gullible consumer with legal rights and being coerced by an army of occupation. It's true that most Tibetans were once deprived; why now deprive them of what little religious freedom they had in the name of their material well-being? Can't they have good medical care and access to their traditional teachings? There's tons of superstition in the old ways, but some of history's finest philosophy as well — stuff the Chinese PR guys could use. If the Chinese really trusted the education system they'd brought to Tibet, they'd let the Tibetans sort out their own past as they catch up with the rest of the world materially, and the rest of the world catches up with them philosophically. Thanks for your comment. Dialogue is what blogging's all about.

By: Robert G. Longpré

Robert G. Longpré — Tue, 04 May 2010 22:44:36 +0000

I have recently taught a group of twenty Tibetan students aged 23-27. I asked them if they wanted to return to a Tibet before China and the answer they gave me was “NO!” They all came from poor villages and had stories for me of poor medical and educational services. They were free to live their religion in the past but only in context of perpetual deprivation. They think they still can practice their unique culture and continue to speak their own language. I don’t know about all the China bashing by those who only have their information from biased media. Who has the real story? I doubt that the only way to find out would be to work and live in Tibet to find out.

All of us, in all cultures are suffering from exploitation. The culture of economics and profit doesn’t leave room for spirituality, even in the good ol’ US of A. Yet ethnocentrism demands that we see the “other” as evil and the enemy. Of course getting to know the enemy well usually takes care of that fear of “other.”

Thanks for this opportunity to speak out here. I know that I speak against the grain, but that is just who I am and the way I am. I don’t follow any particular party line or nationalistic fervour.

By: Amitabha Ch

Amitabha Ch — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:00:08 +0000

China has shown its true color in recent days. Its not a so-called “communist” country, but an ever increasing imperial capitalist state. And yet, they tend to control every thought and action of their subjects, taking away all independence whatsoever. The land-hungry Chinese are now advancing towards India, having crossed the buffering neutral country of Tibet half a century ago. Tibet was financially backward, technologically too, but it was much happier and richer in culture under the Dalai Lama. Now the few remaining original Tibetans are a tortured minority, bullied at every step by the so-called “Progressive” Govt of China. What is this mythical progress anyway? Is it losing your self-respect, your freedom, your religion and simplicity, only to be ridden with cheap plastic items and being surrounded by a heavily eqipped army? If the Dalai Lama is not a peaceful, wise and kind person engaged in the propagation of spirituality and non-violence all over the world, I don’t know who is! If something is beastly here, its the hunger for power and aggression on the part of China.