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The Tibetan Buddhist World

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The Tibetan Buddhist World THE TIBETAN BUDDHIST WORLD Despite 13 centuries of mission efforts, few of Central Asia's Tibetan Buddhist peoples have responded to the Gospel. This article explores the world and peoples of Buddhist Central Asia, examines Christian efforts to evangelize them and suggests strategies for the future. BY MARKU TSERING he Tibetan Buddhist peoples of The religion that links these diverse witness at all, and only small numbers Asia represent one of the final peoples began over a thousand years ago came to Christ. In pre-Communist T frontiers of modern missions. as a synthesis of Tibetan folk religion, Mongolia, the Protestant missionary Though Christian missions in the area yoga, Mahayana Buddhism, and an effort came too little and too late. began with the 7th century Nestorian ancient Indian occultic religion called Though almost 140 years of missionary Church, Central Asia's Tibetan Buddhist tantra. By about 1000 A.D., the Tibe- effort was made on the Indian and peoples have experienced little church tans had combined these beliefs into a Chinese borders of Tibet, the harvest was planting and growth. Even today, the spirit-worshipping mystery religion small in proportion to the effort homelands of these peoples remain promising rapid enlightenment to its expended, and central Tibet was never among the largest unevangelized areas in followers. Thousands of Tibetans entered effectively reached. These results contrast the world. But recent changes in the monasteries, hundreds of monk-scholars with those in China, Japan, and India, region suggest that Tibetan Buddhists produced a vast spiritual literature, and where Christian missions produced can come to Christ in significant many missionary monks reached strong, if relatively small, national numbers. Mongolia, China, Nepal, Bhutan, India, churches. Buddhist Central Asia stretches and parts of Siberia. In the ensuing What made the difference in the across a vast territory from the Caspian centuries entire peoples embraced the Tibetan Buddhist World? Why did Sea to northeastern China, and from new faith. By the year 1700, Tibetan painstaking and dedicated mission Siberia to India. Within this huge region Buddhists held political power in efforts, sanctified by prayer, sealed with live more than 60 Tibetan and non- Sikkim, Mongolia, and Bhutan, and the blood of martyrs, and continued over Tibetan people groups whose lives and exercised religious influence over peoples 13 centuries by Nestorian, Orthodox, cultures have been shaped by the Tibetan in Russia, China, and India. Catholic, and Protestant missionaries, form of Buddhism (see Table 1). Since Tibetan Buddhist peoples attracted essentially fail to produce strong national these peoples and their cultures share the attention of the Church from a very churches in so much of Buddhist Central values based on Tibetan Buddhism, they early date. Nestorian Christians sent the Asia? Are there lessons in this story that are often referred to as the Tibetan first missions to Mongolia in the seventh can help Christians introduce Christ to Buddhist World. century; Roman Catholic and Russian Buddhists more effectively today? The largest of the Tibetan Buddhist Orthodox missions went to peoples in China, Russia, Tibet, and Bhutan. World's peoples are China's 4.8 million Barriers to Missions Mongols (more than double the popula- William Carey became the first Protes- tion of neighboring Mongolia). Mongol- tant missionary to Tibetan Buddhists The early missionaries faced obstacles related groups are also found in Russia when he visited Bhutan in 1797. The that still challenge Christian workers and several parts of China. The second- venerable London Missionary Society led today. The Himalayas, the Gobi and largest (and perhaps best known) group is efforts to reach Tibetan Buddhist peoples Taklamakan Deserts, the freezing wastes the Tibetans, some 4.6 million of whom in Siberia, Mongolia, and India in the of Siberia, and other generally impassable live within the borders of China. The 1800’s, and the Moravian Church sent terrain present formidable barriers to Tibetans' leader, known in the West as an outstanding mission to Ladakh which travel. Natural resources are not abun- the Dalai Lama, serves as a popular and produced a Tibetan language New Testa- dant in such areas, so population densi- effective world spokesman for Tibetan ment in 1885. But none of these ties are very low (e.g., three people per Buddhism. Smaller Tibetan Buddhist attempts to plant the Church in Central square mile in Mongolia). groups, such as Nepal's famous Sherpas, Asia enjoyed large-scale success. For This kind of physical isolation can be found scattered across the Hima- instance, in Russia, only two groups (the encourages the breakup of languages into layas and southwest China. Buryats and Kalmyks) had any Christian localized, non-mutually intelligible INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FRONTIER MISSIONS, VOL 10:3 JULY 1993 146 The Tibetan Buddhist World dialects. It also encourages governments control of spiritual forces. Many mission- means taking the time (often years) to to put national borders in the area, which aries would say that spiritual opposition learn difficult languages; to use literature, represent fault lines of military and polit- blighted church growth and caused evan- videos, or radio broadcasts especially ical tension. As a result, much of the gelistic efforts to fail. prepared for Buddhists; and to learn Tibetan Buddhist World is sparsely Such is the environment that faced methods of evangelism that are appro- populated, politically tense, and linguisti- generations of missionaries to the priate to the local cultures. It also means cally diverse. Tibetan Buddhist World. But it would taking Tibetan Buddhism seriously. Such places are not known for the be a mistake to place all the responsi- Missions conducted in ignorance of free exchange of ideas! These conditions bility for failed church growth on key Buddhist beliefs about suffering, sin, are compounded by differences of race, external factors alone. The early Nesto- and redemption can run afoul of unin- language, and culture. Except in rian Church’s mission to the Mongols tended meanings. Following Paul's Athe- Mongolia and Bhutan, Tibetan failed not for any external reason, but in nian example, Christians must know Buddhists live as minority peoples part because the church itself lost its enough about Tibetan Buddhism to submerged in a dominant culture. For sense of missionary vision. The Russian present Christ in a way that their listeners example, the total Tibetan Buddhist Orthodox Church’s attempt to reach the can understand and appreciate. The population of China (10.6 million) is Tibetan Buddhist Kalmyk people failed historical facts show that when this is dwarfed by the ethnic Chinese popula- when it became entangled in imperial done, and is backed by consistent Chris- tion of over 1 billion. Tibetan Buddhists politics. An administrative dispute (what tian living, the church can grow in the in Nepal, India, and Russia face less people today would call a “turf battle”) Tibetan Buddhist World. One is the daunting, but similar cultural and polit- within the Catholic Church forced the success stories in 1885, when the Mora- ical pressures from majority peoples. withdrawal of one of the ablest mission- vian Church set up a mission in Leh, Under these circumstances, many aries ever sent to Tibet.2 Unfortunately, Ladakh, an area of north India also Tibetan Buddhist peoples see Buddhism these problems are not confined to known as “Little Tibet”. mission history. Modern Christians can as a rallying point for cultural survival. The early missionaries faced extreme make mistakes as well. Some, constrained An individual who seriously considers hardships and discouraging circum- by visa restrictions in countries which do religious change becomes open to charges stances with bravery and persistence. In not welcome missionaries, may adopt of treason and social betrayal. This kind common with other missions of the day, “short term” methods tailored to the of group solidarity at the expense of they began a school, did medical work, brief periods of time they can remain outside ideas is characteristic of Tibetan and built a printing press. But beyond locally as tourists. They may place a Buddhism. As a monistic faith, it denies these activities, the Moravians distin- heavy emphasis on literature distribution the outside world any objective existence, guished themselves by their under- in areas where literacy rates are low or robbing new ideas of any claim to ulti- standing of the people they had come to the attitude of local people to large scale mate truth even before they can be serve. Several Moravian missionaries were literature distribution is unknown. Some considered. The Tibetan Buddhist focus serious scholars whose in-depth under- work without consulting local churches on self-development turns all religious standing of Ladakhi and Tibetan culture or Christian agencies already working in attention inward, so that one anthropolo- produced works of lasting academic the area. These groups may then suffer gist aptly called it “a religion of antisocial value, including the first translation of 1 when the authorities intervene. Using individualism.” This tendency is rein- the Bible into Tibetan. forced by the fact that in Tibetan trade or dominant-culture languages Buddhism, all spiritual progress depends instead of local ones, working with inad- They put their cultural expertise to upon pleasing one's lama
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