DOCSLIB.ORG

When the Sky Fell to Earth

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
When the Sky Fell to Earth WHEN THE SKY FELL TO EARTH WHEN THE SKY The New Crackdown on Buddhism in Tibet WHEN THE SKY FELL TO EARTH THE NEW CRACKDOWN ON BUDDHISM IN TIBET Includes Sourcebook of Current Chinese Documents on Religious Policy International Campaign for Tibet A report by the International Campaign for Tibet A report by the International Campaign for Tibet Washington, DC||||| Amsterdam Berlin Washington, DC||||| Amsterdam Berlin www.savetibet.org ISBN 1-879245-25-6 www.savetibet.org Tibetans sometimes refer to the Cultural Revolution as a time ‘when the sky fell to earth’. The legacy of the Cultural Revolu- tion still affects religious life in Tibet today. COMPANION FILM – THE INTERNATIONAL DEVOTION AND DEFIANCE CAMPAIGN FOR TIBET A companion film to this report, “Devotion and Defiance: The International Campaign for Tibet works to promote Buddhism and the Struggle for Religious Freedom in human rights and democratic freedoms in Tibet. ICT mon- Tibet,” (USA, 2004, 35 minutes). The film examines the itors conditions in Tibet, advocates for Tibetans imprisoned recent growth of, and crackdowns on, religious institutions for their political and religious beliefs, works with governments in Tibet and the complex struggle of monks and nuns who to help Tibetans, provides for humanitarian assistance to defy the Chinese government’s heavy-handed control. Tibetans in exile and promotes a peaceful resolution of Contains rare footage from inside Tibet shot in the last the occupation of Tibet through negotiations between the three years. The film was produced by the International Chinese government and the Dalai Lama. Founded in 1988, Campaign for Tibet and is available in DVD, PAL and VHS. ICT is a non-profit membership organization with offices in Washington, Amsterdam and Berlin. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report was written by ICT staff and Kate Saunders. International Campaign for Tibet The report is based on interviews, primary material and 1825 K Street NW, Suite 520 documents collected from 2001 - 2004. Thanks to Robbie Washington, DC 20006 Barnett, Jane Caple, Dorjee Damdul, Antonio Terrone, Phone: 202.785.1515 Gabriel Lafitte, Chonpel Tsering, Joe Hipgrave, TIN field Fax: 202.785.4343 staff and to many individual in Nepal and Tibet who cannot E-mail: [email protected] be named. Matthew Akester translated Documents 1, 3 and 4 from Tibetan. International Campaign for Tibet Europe Keizersgracht 302 Cover Photo: P.O. Box 3337 Jokhang Temple, Lhasa 1001 AC Amsterdam © 2001 Ron Lussier / Lenscraft.com The Netherlands Phone: +31 (0) 20 3308265 When the Sky Fell to Earth: Fax: +31 (0) 20 3308266 The New Crackdown in Buddhism in Tibet E-mail: [email protected] ©2004 by the International Campaign for Tibet ISBN: 1-879245-25-6 International Campaign for Tibet Deutschland e.V. Marienstr. 30 10117 Berlin Germany Phone: +49 (0) 30 27879086 Fax: +49 (0) 30 27879087 E-mail: [email protected] WWW.SAVETIBET.ORG INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR TIBET CONTENTS Executive Summary . 1 Sourcebook of Current Chinese Documents on Religious Policy 1. Rules for monks and nuns in monasteries Introduction . 3 by the Lhasa City Municipal Government, 1997 . 89 Chapter 1: The Politics of religion . 5 2. A Reader for Advocating Science and Technology China’s current policy of ‘religious freedom’ . 7 and Doing Away with Superstition The 1990s – Tightening control through ‘legal management’ . 8 by the Propaganda Department of the Committee of the Religious policy in Tibet – Buddhism and identify . 9 Communist Party of the Tibet Autonomous Region (2002) . .91 Chapter 2: The Main Struggle in Tibet – 3. HANDBOOK FOR EDUCATION IN ANTI-SPLITTISM: TAR Patriotic the Anti-Dalai Lama Campaign . 15 Education for Monasteries Propaganda Book no. 2 Images of the Dalai Lama . 15 by the TAR Leading Committee for Patriotic Education Campaign against Dalai Lama’s Internationalization in Monasteries (May 2002) . 103 of the Tibet Issue . .16 Dalai Lama Birthday celebrations Illegal . .18 4. HANDBOOK FOR EDUCATION IN (PARTY) POLICY ON RELIGION: TAR Patriotic Education for Monasteries Propaganda Book no. 4 Chapter 3: A Religious Education in Tibet . 21 by the TAR Leading Committee for Patriotic Education Obstacles to obtaining a religious education . 21 in Monasteries (May 2002) . 108 Freedom of movement . 22 Chapter 4: Reincarnation and an Atheist State . .29 Incarnate lamas and the Chinese state . 30 The 14th Dalai Lama and the reincarnation process . 32 Institution of the Panchen Lama . 34 The 10th Panchen Lama . 34 The 11th Panchen Lama . 36 The Chinese appointed ‘Panchen Lama’ . 38 Agya Rinpoche . 39 Reting Rinpoche . 40 Escape of the Karmapa . .41 Pawo Rinpoche . 43 Gen Lamrim Ngawang Phuntsok . 44 Chapter 5: The Apparatus of Control . 47 Patriotic Education & the Management of Monasteries . 47 Promotion of Atheism . 53 Democratic Management Committees . 55 Financial Management of Monasteries . 58 Restrictions on Pilgrimage . 59 Chapter 6: Destruction of Monasteries & Persecution of Leaders . 63 Demolitions and Expulsions at Larung and Yachen Monastic Encampments . 64 Destruction and Displacement at Yachen . 69 Chinese Devotees at Larung and Yachen . 71 Persecution of Buddhist Leaders in Kham . 75 Sonam Phuntsok . 75 Tenzin Delek Rinpoche . 76 Crackdowns in Kardze . 77 Long Life Ceremonies for Dalai Lama Trigger Arrests . 77 Chapter 7: The Consequences of Dissent . 81 Conditions in Tibetan prisons . 82 INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR TIBET EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Religious policy in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) This report documents the following trends in Tibet: and Tibet is shaped by the ideology of the ruling Com- • From the mid-1990s onwards, China’s position towards the munist Party and its political imperative of maintaining Dalai Lama, Tibet’s leader in exile, has become more hostile. power. Although China’s Constitution states that citi- • A wide-ranging patriotic education campaign has been zens of the PRC have ‘freedom of religious belief ’, the carried out in monasteries and nunneries throughout Ti- Communist Party defines what is ‘acceptable’ religious betan areas with the aim of undermining the Dalai Lama’s behavior and religion is only tolerated as long as it does influence, indoctrinating monks and nuns in Party policy not interfere with or challenge the legitimacy and status and ideology and identifying defiant monks and nuns. of the Party. Over the past 50 years, practical measures • Democratic Management Committees established in large to handle religion in China have varied from a pragmatic monasteries are now being strengthened, and set up in all tolerance to complete repression and persecution. Current monasteries, in order to assert greater state control and policy dictates that religion should be accommodated and surveillance over the daily life of monks and nuns. utilized, but kept firmly under Party control. This has led, • Limitations imposed on the numbers of monks and nuns during the past 10 years, to the development of adminis- in each religious institution remain in place and are selec- trative and legal mechanisms that enable the authorities to tively being enforced more than they were a decade ago. clamp down on any religious activities viewed as a threat • Beijing is more aggressively asserting control over the to social stability and national unity, while claiming they search and identification of Tibetan reincarnate lamas. are operating according to a ‘rule of law’. • The demolitions of homes and expulsion of monks and nuns in the religious institutes of Larung Gar and Yachen The measures used to implement state religious policy Gar show a new determination to enforce state-specified have been particularly harsh in Tibet because of the close limitations on monastic life and control the activity of link between religion and Tibetan identity. Tibetan Bud- influential and charismatic spiritual leaders like the late dhism continues to be an integral element of Tibetan Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok, the founder of Larung Gar. identity, and is therefore perceived as a threat to the • Obtaining a complete religious education remains ex- authority of the state and unity of the PRC. The Chinese tremely difficult or impossible in Tibet. leadership views the Dalai Lama as the main obstacle to • Imprisonment for terms of 5 – 10 years or more, and bru- political stability in Tibet, a ‘wolf in lama’s clothing.’ The tal torture continues to be a likely consequence of dissent very practice of Buddhism and the display of a picture of for monks and nuns in Tibet. the Dalai Lama have become, for many Tibetans, a means of expressing their Tibetan identity, and in some cases, This report also documents factors that have contributed their opposition to the Chinese Communist Party. Hence to a situation in which many Tibetans feel they have no issues relating to religion are perceived as being highly rel- choice but to escape into exile if they are to pursue their evant to political control and the suppression of ‘separat- religious vocation. These factors include the decimation of ism’ in Tibet – both factors underpinning China’s strategic the older generation of senior teachers and scholars inside concerns and development aims in Tibetan areas of the Tibet and the generation gap between older and younger PRC. generations due to death, exile or the absence of opportu- nity; the material devastation of the network of monaster- A new low point was reached in the last few years with ies, Buddhist libraries, texts and artifacts, and pilgrimage the imprisonment of several senior religious figures known sites; the systems in place to control and manage religious for their loyalty to the Dalai Lama and their religious and institutions; the political campaigns, obligatory politi- social activism - one of whom, Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, is cal study sessions and forced denunciations of the Dalai serving a commuted death sentence. The Chinese authori- Lama; and restrictions on pilgrimage imposed in various ties’ control over religious expression has been extended areas by PRC authorities. to control over monastic influence in general and local community leadership by respected religious teachers.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • His Holiness the Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, to Visit University of Redlands in Rare U.S
    His Holiness the Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, to visit University of Redlands in rare U.S. tour March 18, 2015 The University of Redlands will welcome His Holiness the Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, to campus March 24, 2015, as the only Southern California stop on his third trip to the United States. Reigniting a years-long connection with the University and special bond with students, the Karmapa will interact with Redlands students, faculty, and alumni and accept an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree, presented by University President Ralph Kuncl. He will then offer a public lecture, "Living Interdependence," at 7 p.m. in Memorial Chapel. The Karmapa heads the 900-year-old Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism and guides millions of Buddhists around the world. At the age of 14, he made a dramatic escape from Tibet to India to be near His Holiness the Dalai Lama and his own lineage teachers. Currently 29 years old, the Karmapa is a leader of the new century. He created an eco- monastic movement with over 55 monasteries across the Himalayan region acting as centers of environmental activism. Leading on women's issues, he recently announced plans to establish full ordination for women, a step that will change the future of Tibetan Buddhism. His latest book, The Heart is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out, co-edited by University of Redlands Professor of Religious Studies and Virginia C. Hunsaker Distinguished Teaching Chair, Karen Derris, the Karmapa speaks to the younger generation on the major challenges facing society today, including gender issues, food justice, rampant consumerism and the environmental crisis.
    [Show full text]
  • VT Module6 Lineage Text Major Schools of Tibetan Buddhism
    THE MAJOR SCHOOLS OF TIBETAN BUDDHISM By Pema Khandro A BIRD’S EYE VIEW 1. NYINGMA LINEAGE a. Pema Khandro’s lineage. Literally means: ancient school or old school. Nyingmapas rely on the old tantras or the original interpretation of Tantra as it was given from Padmasambhava. b. Founded in 8th century by Padmasambhava, an Indian Yogi who synthesized the teachings of the Indian MahaSiddhas, the Buddhist Tantras, and Dzogchen. He gave this teaching (known as Vajrayana) in Tibet. c. Systemizes Buddhist philosophy and practice into 9 Yanas. The Inner Tantras (what Pema Khandro Rinpoche teaches primarily) are the last three. d. It is not a centralized hierarchy like the Sarma (new translation schools), which have a figure head similar to the Pope. Instead, the Nyingma tradition is de-centralized, with every Lama is the head of their own sangha. There are many different lineages within the Nyingma. e. A major characteristic of the Nyingma tradition is the emphasis in the Tibetan Yogi tradition – the Ngakpa tradition. However, once the Sarma translations set the tone for monasticism in Tibet, the Nyingmas also developed a monastic and institutionalized segment of the tradition. But many Nyingmas are Ngakpas or non-monastic practitioners. f. A major characteristic of the Nyingma tradition is that it is characterized by treasure revelations (gterma). These are visionary revelations of updated communications of the Vajrayana teachings. Ultimately treasure revelations are the same dharma principles but spoken in new ways, at new times and new places to new people. Because of these each treasure tradition is unique, this is the major reason behind the diversity within the Nyingma.
    [Show full text]
  • Ethnic Minorities in Custody
    Ethnic Minorities In Custody Following is a list of prisoners from China's ethnic minority groups who are believed to be currently in custody for alleged political crimes. For space reasons, this list for the most part includes only those already convicted and sentenced to terms of imprisonment. It also does not include death sentences, which are normally carried out soon after sentencing unless an appeal is pending. The large majority of the offenses involve allegations of separatism or other state security crimes. Because of limited access to information, this list must be con- sidered incomplete and only an indication of the scale of the situation. In addition, there is conflicting information from different sources in some cases, including alternate spellings of names, and the information presented below represents a best guess on which informa- tion is more accurate. Sources: HRIC, Amnesty International, Congressional-Executive Commission on China, International Campaign for Tibet, Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, Tibet Information Network, Southern Mongolia Information Center, Uyghur Human Rights Project, World Uyghur Congress, East Turkistan Information Center, Radio Free Asia, Human Rights Watch. INNER MONGOLIA AUTONOMOUS REGION DATE OF NAME DETENTION BACKGROUND SENTENCE OFFENSE PRISON Hada 10-Dec-95 An owner of Mongolian Academic 6-Dec-96, 15 years inciting separatism and No. 4 Prison of Inner Bookstore, as well as the founder espionage Mongolia, Chi Feng and editor-in-chief of The Voice of Southern Mongolia, Hada was arrested for publishing an under- ground journal and for founding and leading the Southern Mongolian Democracy Alliance (SMDA). Naguunbilig 7-Jun-05 Naguunbilig, a popular Mongolian Reportedly tried on practicing an evil cult, Inner Mongolia, No.
    [Show full text]
  • Wisdom Buddha Dorje Shugden Blog Al Jazeera Top Story
    Wisdom Buddha Dorje Shugden Blog: Al Jazeera Top Story -- Revisits Court Case against the Dalai Lama 1/15/09 12:32 PM Wisdom Buddha Dorje Shugden Blog The official blog of the Wisdom Buddha Dorje Shugden Website, providing the latest news, videos, and updates on the Dorje Shugden controversy. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2009 Subscribe Al Jazeera Top Story -- Revisits Court Case against Posts the Dalai Lama Comments Al Jazeera’s People and Power has named ‘The Dalai Lama: The Devil Within’ one of their top two stories of 2008. As a result, Al Jazeera is now Protector of Je featuring it again. Tsongkhapa's Tradition The reporter has added at the end of the updated report: "The case against the Dalai Lama is still with the courts. We hope to bring you an update later in the year." As the lawyer for the persecuted Shugden practitioners, Shree Sanjay Jain, explains: "It is certainly a case of religious discrimination in the sense that if within your sect of religion you say that this particular Deity ought not to be worshipped, and those persons who are willing to worship him you are trying to excommunicate them from the main stream of Buddhism, then it is a discrimination of worst kind." Al Jazeera adds: "No matter what the outcome of the court case, in a country Click on picture for Wisdom Buddha Dorje Shugden where millions of idols are worshipped, attempting to ban the Website Deity is an uphill battle. One in which many Buddhist monks have lost their faith in the spirit of the Dalai Lama." Search For a full transcript, see Al Jazeera News Documentary, October 2008.
    [Show full text]
  • An Annotated List of Birds Wintering in the Lhasa River Watershed and Yamzho Yumco, Tibet Autonomous Region, China
    FORKTAIL 23 (2007): 1–11 An annotated list of birds wintering in the Lhasa river watershed and Yamzho Yumco, Tibet Autonomous Region, China AARON LANG, MARY ANNE BISHOP and ALEC LE SUEUR The occurrence and distribution of birds in the Lhasa river watershed of Tibet Autonomous Region, People’s Republic of China, is not well documented. Here we report on recent observations of birds made during the winter season (November–March). Combining these observations with earlier records shows that at least 115 species occur in the Lhasa river watershed and adjacent Yamzho Yumco lake during the winter. Of these, at least 88 species appear to occur regularly and 29 species are represented by only a few observations. We recorded 18 species not previously noted during winter. Three species noted from Lhasa in the 1940s, Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata, Solitary Snipe Gallinago solitaria and Red-rumped Swallow Hirundo daurica, were not observed during our study. Black-necked Crane Grus nigricollis (Vulnerable) and Bar-headed Goose Anser indicus are among the more visible species in the agricultural habitats which dominate the valley floors. There is still a great deal to be learned about the winter birds of the region, as evidenced by the number of apparently new records from the last 15 years. INTRODUCTION limited from the late 1940s to the early 1980s. By the late 1980s the first joint ventures with foreign companies were The Lhasa river watershed in Tibet Autonomous Region, initiated and some of the first foreign non-governmental People’s Republic of China, is an important wintering organisations were allowed into Tibet, enabling our own area for a number of migratory and resident bird species.
    [Show full text]
  • Buddhism / Dalai Lama 99
    Buddhism / Dalai Lama 99 Activating Bodhichitta and A Meditation on Compassion His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama Translated by Gonsar Rinpoche The awakening mind is the unsurpassable way to collect merit. To purify obstacles bodhicitta is supreme. For protection from interferences bodhicitta is supreme. It is the unique, all-encompassing method. Every kind of ordinary and supra-mundane power can be accomplished through bodhicitta. Thus, it is absolutely precious. Although compassion is cultivated in one’s own mind, the embodiment of it is the deity known as Avalokiteshvara (Tib. Chan-re- PY: 1979,2006 zig). The various aspects that are visualized in meditation practices and 5.5 X 8.5 represented in images and paintings are merely the interpretative forms of 80 pages Avalokitephvara, whereas the actual definitive form is compassion itself. ` 140 paperback ISBN: 81-86470-52-2 Awakening the Mind, Lightening the Heart His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama Edited by Donald S.Lopez,Jr. Awakening the Mind, Lightening the Heart is His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s gentle and profoundly eloquent instruction for developing the basis of the spiritual path: a compassionate motive. With extraordinary grace and insight, His Holiness shows how the Tibetan Buddist teachings on compassion can be practiced in our daily lives through simple meditations that directly relate to past and present PY: 2008 relationships. 5.5 X 8.5 This illuminating and highly accessible guide offers techniques for 178 pages deepening and heightening compassion in our lives and the world around ` 215 paperback us. ISBN: 81-86470-68-9 Commentary on the Thirty Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama Translated by Acharya Nyima Tsering Ngulchu Gyalse Thogmed Zangpo’s The Thirty Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva is one of Tibetan Buddhism’s most popular texts, incorporated in the Mind Training text and also able to be explained according to the Lam Rim tradition.
    [Show full text]
  • Bilingual Education Policy in Tibet
    BILINGUAL EDUCATION POLICY IN TIBET The Systematic Replacement of Tibetan Language with Mandarin Chinese Tibetan Centre for Human Rights & Democracy TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ........................................................................1 Tibetan Language ...............................................................3 Background on Tibet .........................................................4 Impact of The Dominance of Mandarin Chinese ...........5 Tibetan Autonomy .............................................................7 LINGUISTIC RIGHTS ..............................................................14 History of the PRC’s Minority Language Policies in the PRC ........................................................................14 Analysis of PRC Laws on Minority Language Rights ..22 Language Rights as Human Rights .................................27 EDUCATION RIGHTS & POLICY ...........................................35 Background on PRC Education Policies and Perceptions of Tibetan Culture ...........................................................35 History of Bilingual Education Policy in Tibet ...........38 Bilingual Education Policy ............................................58 Failings of the Bilingual Education Policy in Tibet ...63 Pros and Cons of Bilingual Education Policy .............70 ANALYSIS OF HUMAN RIGHTS TO LANGUAGE AND EDUCATION POLICY ....................................................................................73 Failure to Uphold Laws ...................................................73
    [Show full text]
  • Escape to Lhasa Strategic Partner
    4 Nights Incentive Programme Escape to Lhasa Strategic Partner Country Name Lhasa, the heart and soul of Tibet, is a city of wonders. The visits to different sites in Lhasa would be an overwhelming experience. Potala Palace has been the focus of the travelers for centuries. It is the cardinal landmark and a structure of massive proportion. Similarly, Norbulingka is the summer palace of His Holiness Dalai Lama. Drepung Monastery is one of the world’s largest and most intact monasteries, Jokhang temple the heart of Tibet and Barkhor Market is the place to get the necessary resources for locals as well as souvenirs for tourists. At the end of this trip we visit the Samye Monastery, a place without which no journey to Tibet is complete. StrategicCountryPartner Name Day 1 Arrive in Lhasa Country Name Day 1 o Morning After a warm welcome at Gonggar Airport (3570m) in Lhasa, transfer to the hotel. Distance (Airport to Lhasa): 62kms/ 32 miles Drive Time: 1 hour approx. Altitude: 3,490 m/ 11,450 ft. o Leisure for acclimatization Lhasa is a city of wonders that contains many culturally significant Tibetan Buddhist religious sites and lies in a valley next to the Lhasa River. StrategicCountryPartner Name Day 2 In Lhasa Country Name Day 2 o Morning: Set out to visit Sera and Drepung Monasteries Founded in 1419, Sera Monastery is one of the “great three” Gelukpa university monasteries in Tibet. 5km north of Lhasa, the Sera Monastery’s setting is one of the prettiest in Lhasa. The Drepung Monastery houses many cultural relics, making it more beautiful and giving it more historical significance.
    [Show full text]
  • THE SECURITISATION of TIBETAN BUDDHISM in COMMUNIST CHINA Abstract
    ПОЛИТИКОЛОГИЈА РЕЛИГИЈЕ бр. 2/2012 год VI • POLITICS AND RELIGION • POLITOLOGIE DES RELIGIONS • Nº 2/2012 Vol. VI ___________________________________________________________________________ Tsering Topgyal 1 Прегледни рад Royal Holloway University of London UDK: 243.4:323(510)”1949/...” United Kingdom THE SECURITISATION OF TIBETAN BUDDHISM IN COMMUNIST CHINA Abstract This article examines the troubled relationship between Tibetan Buddhism and the Chinese state since 1949. In the history of this relationship, a cyclical pattern of Chinese attempts, both violently assimilative and subtly corrosive, to control Tibetan Buddhism and a multifaceted Tibetan resistance to defend their religious heritage, will be revealed. This article will develop a security-based logic for that cyclical dynamic. For these purposes, a two-level analytical framework will be applied. First, the framework of the insecurity dilemma will be used to draw the broad outlines of the historical cycles of repression and resistance. However, the insecurity dilemma does not look inside the concept of security and it is not helpful to establish how Tibetan Buddhism became a security issue in the first place and continues to retain that status. The theory of securitisation is best suited to perform this analytical task. As such, the cycles of Chinese repression and Tibetan resistance fundamentally originate from the incessant securitisation of Tibetan Buddhism by the Chinese state and its apparatchiks. The paper also considers the why, how, and who of this securitisation, setting the stage for a future research project taking up the analytical effort to study the why, how and who of a potential desecuritisation of all things Tibetan, including Tibetan Buddhism, and its benefits for resolving the protracted Sino- Tibetan conflict.
    [Show full text]
  • 11 Jahre Sind Vergangen, Seit Der 11. Panchen Lama Gendun Choekyi
    Human Rights Update Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) Top Floor, Narthang Building, Gangchen Kyishong, Dharamsala 176215, H.P., India phone/fax +91/1892/23363/25874, e-mail: [email protected], www.tchrd.org April 2006 Inhalt: 11 Jahre sind vergangen, seit der 11. Panchen Lama Gendun Choekyi Nyima verschwand “Western Development Programme” führt zu massiven Umsiedlungen Biographie des ehemaligen politischen Gefangenen Lhakpa Tsering Sinisierung, zu teure Schulen und Mißstände treiben tibetische Kinder über den Himalaya ins Exil Behörden weisen Fernsehsprecher an, pelzbesetzte Kleidung zu tragen 11 Jahre sind vergangen, seit der 11. Panchen Lama Gendun Choekyi Nyima verschwand Am 25. April 2006 sind jährt es sich zum elften Mal, daß der 11. Panchen Lama, Gendun Choekyi Nyima verschwunden ist. Er wurde seit dem 17. Mai 1995 nicht mehr gesehen, nachdem der Dalai Lama ihn als die Wiedergeburt des 10. Panchen Lama, Erdeni Choekyi Gyaltsen, anerkannt hatte. Es gibt seit dieser Zeit auch keinerlei Informationen über seinen Verbleib. Es wird allgemein angenommen, daß er sich zusammen mit seinen Eltern an einem unbekannten Ort in chinesischem Gewahrsam befindet. Am 13. April 2006 wurde Asma Jahangir, der UN Sonderberichterstatterin für Religionsfreiheit, von der chinesischen Regierung mitgeteilt, daß Gendun Choekyi Nyima zur höheren Schule gehe, daß er “ein normales, glückliches Leben führt und eine gute kulturelle Bildung erhält”. Was unter der Aussage “gute kulturelle Bildung” zu verstehen ist, wurde von chinesischer Seite jedoch nicht definiert. Bis zum heutigen Tag durften weder Privatpersonen noch Regierungsvertreter Gendun Choekyi Nyima besuchen, und die Besorgnis um sein Wohlergehen hält unvermindert an. Darüber hinaus erklärte die chinesische Regierung Asma Jahangir, Gendun Choekyi Nyima sei nicht der Panchen Lama, sondern ein gewöhnlicher tibetischer Junge.
    [Show full text]
  • The Tibetan Nonviolent Struggle: a Strategic and Historical Analysis
    ICNC MONOGRAPH SERIES The Tibetan Nonviolent Struggle: A Strategic and Historical Analysis Tenzin Dorjee ICNC MONOGRAPH SERIES Cover photos: (l) John Ackerly, 1987, (r) Invisible Tibet Blog SERIES EDITOR: Maciej Bartkowski John Ackerly’s photo of the first major demonstration in Lhasa in 1987 CONTACT: [email protected] became an emblem for the Tibet movement. The monk Jampa Tenzin, who is being lifted by fellow protesters, had just rushed into a burning VOLUME EDITORS: Hardy Merriman, Amber French, police station to rescue Tibetan detainees. With his arms charred by the Cassandra Balfour flames, he falls in and out of consciousness even as he leads the crowd CONTACT: [email protected] in chanting pro-independence slogans. The photographer John Ackerly Other volumes in this series: became a Tibet advocate and eventually President of the International Campaign for Tibet (1999 to 2009). To read more about John Ackerly’s The Power of Staying Put: Nonviolent Resistance experience in Tibet, see his book co-authored by Blake Kerr, Sky Burial: against Armed Groups in Colombia, Juan Masullo An Eyewitness Account of China’s Brutal Crackdown in Tibet. (2015) Invisible Tibet Blog’s photo was taken during the 2008 Tibetan uprising, The Maldives Democracy Experience (2008-13): when Tibetans across the three historical provinces of Tibet rose up From Authoritarianism to Democracy and Back, to protest Chinese rule. The protests began on March 10, 2008, a few Velezinee Aishath (2015) months ahead of the Beijing Olympic Games, and quickly became the largest, most sustained nonviolent movement Tibet has witnessed. Published by the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict The designations used and material presented in this publication do P.O.
    [Show full text]
  • The Tulku System in Tibetan Buddhism: Its Reliability, Orthodoxy and Social Impacts
    The Tulku System in Tibetan Buddhism: Its Reliability, Orthodoxy and Social Impacts By Ramin Etesami A thesis submitted to the graduate school in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts at the International Buddhist College, Thailand March, 20 Abstract The Tulku institution is a unique characteristic of Tibetan Buddhism with a central role in this tradition, to the extent that it is present in almost every aspect of Tibet’s culture and tradition. However, despite this central role and the scope and diversity of the socio-religious aspects of the institution, only a few studies have so far been conducted to shed light on it. On the other hand, an aura of sacredness; distorted pictures projected by the media and film industries;political propaganda and misinformation; and tendencies to follow a pattern of cult behavior; have made the Tulku institution a highly controversial topic for research; and consequently, an objective study of the institution based on a critical approach is difficult. The current research is an attempt to comprehensively examine different dimensions of the Tulku tradition with an emphasis on the issue of its orthodoxy with respect to the core doctrines of Buddhism and the social implications of the practice. In this research, extreme caution has been practiced to firstly, avoid any kind of bias rooted in faith and belief; and secondly, to follow a scientific methodology in reviewing evidence and scriptures related to the research topic. Through a comprehensive study of historical accounts, core Buddhist texts and hagiographic literature, this study has found that while the basic Buddhist doctrines allow the possibility for a Buddhist teacher or an advanced practitioner to “return back to accomplish his tasks, the lack of any historical precedence which can be viewed as a typical example of the practice in early Buddhism makes the issue of its orthodoxy equivocal and relative.
    [Show full text]