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TIBET 1985: the LAST FACT-FINDING DELEGATION “This Book Will Be of Interest to Readers in General and for Researchers of Sino–Tibetan History

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TIBET 1985: the LAST FACT-FINDING DELEGATION “This Book Will Be of Interest to Readers in General and for Researchers of Sino–Tibetan History TIBET 1985: THE LAST FACT-FINDING DELEGATION FACT-FINDING THE LAST 1985: TIBET “This book will be of interest to readers in general and for researchers of Sino–Tibetan history. It deals with the periods of friendship and of conflicts between Tibet and China.” His Holiness the Dalai Lama “The desire to demand a United Autonomous Region of Tibetan Nationalities is fair, reasonable and legal.” Kunzig Panchen Rinpoché “This book is an invaluable service to Tibetan polity, for which I rejoice and express my admiration.” Professor Venerable Samdhong Rinpoché “Atisha takes us on a fascinating journey through parts of China and Tibet in 1985. It’s rare to get hold of a first-hand report on how the Chinese authorities dealt with Tibet in those days. Atisha is scrupulously honest in what he records and is by no means anti-Chinese. He concludes with ‘… interested people and the coming generations can have access to these recollections of … our struggle for freedom and improved Sino–Tibetan relations’. I learned a lot by reading this book and highly recommend it.” George Farley, Founder and Past-Chairman of Australia Tibet Council and Dalai Lama in Australia Ltd TIBET 1985: THE LAST FACT-FINDING DELEGATION TENZIN ATISHA PHUNTSOK A Personal Account BY TENZIN PHUNTSOK ATISHA Foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lama Please visit Australia Tibet Council at www.atc.org.au/tibet1985 to download a full version of this book. ISBN 978-0-9876403-5-2 9 780987 640352 > TIBET 1985: THE LAST FACT-FINDING DELEGATION Dedicated to the safety and well-being of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama. TIBET 1985: THE LAST FACT-FINDING DELEGATION Born 25 April 1989 and recognised by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama as the true incarnation of the 10th Panchen Lama on 14 May 1995. A Personal Account Three days later, the six year old and his family were removed by BY TENZIN PHUNTSOK ATISHA Chinese officials from their home in Tibet. Nothing has been heard of them since. Foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lama Dedicated to the safety and well-being of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama. TIBET 1985: THE LAST FACT-FINDING DELEGATION Born 25 April 1989 and recognised by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama as the true incarnation of the 10th Panchen Lama on 14 May 1995. A Personal Account Three days later, the six year old and his family were removed by BY TENZIN PHUNTSOK ATISHA Chinese officials from their home in Tibet. Nothing has been heard of them since. Foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lama © Tenzin Atisha 2020 Published by Inklink All rights for individual works reserved by the authors. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Paperback edition ISBN: 978-0-9876403-5-2 Ebook edition ISBN ISBN: 978-0-9876403-6-9 Tibetan edition ISBN: 978-93-87023-55-0 Production by Inklink - 0407 825 316 Please visit Australia Tibet Council at www.atc.org.au/tibet1985 to download a full version of this book. iv Front cover image: Larung Gar, Tibetan Buddhist city in Sichuan, China. Image taken by Valerian Guillot on 6 October 2015. Back cover image: L–R: author, Kalden, Kundeling Woeser Gyaltsen, Kunzig Panchen Rinpoché, Alak Jigmé and Dra’u Pon Rinchen Tsering in front of Panchen Rinpoché’s residence in Beijing, 26 June 1985 v The author honoured for services to Tibet with presentation of Songtsen Gampo statue and a certificate, Dharamsala, India, 2 May 2018 Below and right: Castan Centre, Monash University, Melbourne, 8 June 2007; His Holiness the Dalai Lama with the author, His Representative in Australia vi vii TIBET 1985: THE LAST FACT-FINDING DELEGATION viii Map of Tibet TIBET 1985: THE LAST FACT-FINDING DELEGATION ix Map depicting major areas visited TABLE OF CONTENTS Dedication ii Foreword v Map of Tibet and Map Depicting Major Areas Visited viii Introduction by His Eminence Professor Samdhong Rinpoché xv Preface xxiii Prelude xxv The Fourth Fact-Finding Delegation 1 An Audience with His Holiness 6 Discussion about the Delegates’ Programme 10 The Kashag’s Guidelines 11 xi Travel Documents 13 In Delhi 16 Delhi–Hong Kong 17 Beijing 20 Discussions on Places to Visit 23 Meeting with the Nationalities Affairs Commission Officials 25 Pilgrimage to Yonghe Temple 28 Private Meeting of Ngabo and Kundeling 31 TIBET 1985: THE LAST FACT-FINDING DELEGATION Beijing People’s Publishing House 36 Meeting with Deputy Minister of the United Front Work Department 37 The Great Wall of China 43 Meeting and Discussion with Bapa Phuntsok Wangyal 44 Official Meeting with Ngabo Ngawang Jigmé 47 Audience with Panchen Rinpoché 51 Visit to the Indian Embassy 60 Meeting with Tashi Wangchuk 61 Postponement of the Visit to Tibet 63 Mount Wutai Shan (Mount Wutai) 65 xii His Holiness’ Birthday Celebration in Beijing 68 Kundeling’s Private Meeting with Phuntsok Wangyal 71 Alak Jigmé and Kalden’s Private Audience with Panchen Rinpoché 76 Alak Jigmé’s Private Meeting with Phuntsok Wangyal 78 Discussion with Chinese Officials 79 Beijing to Xining via Xian 85 Arguments over Precious Pills 91 Discussions on the Visit’s Duration 93 TIBET 1985: THE LAST FACT-FINDING DELEGATION Introduction to Amdo (Ch. Qinghai) Province 96 Further Discussion on Photographs and Precious Pills 98 Tso Ngön Nationalities’ School and People’s Publishing House 100 Visit to Gönlung Monastery or Youning Si 103 Kumbum Monastery (Ta’er) 105 More Debates on His Holiness’ Photo and Precious Pills 107 Translator Dechen Wangdu 115 Rebkong 118 Rongpo Gönchen Chökhor Ling Monastery 123 Nomadic Community in Rebkong 130 xiii Kyegudo 137 Tsekhor Thang and Chabcha (Hainan) in Tsolho Region 146 Chabcha (Hainan) 154 Tso Ngön (Qinghai Lake) 160 A Meeting in Xining 162 Xining to Lanzhou 164 Northwest Nationalities University 165 Pari or Tianzhu Tibetan Autonomous County 167 TIBET 1985: THE LAST FACT-FINDING DELEGATION Labrang Tashi Khyil (Xiahe) 171 Tsö 183 Pilgrimage to Gyalmo Gön and Demo Thang 186 Luchu and Machu 187 Taktsang Lhamo (Langmusi) 191 A Round Table Conference on Gansu Visit 194 Lanzhou to Beijing 198 Round Table Conference in Beijing 200 Indian Embassy 204 Meeting with Minister of the United Front Work Department 206 xiv Beijing, Hong Kong, Delhi, Dharamsala 217 Epilogue 220 Glossary of Tibetan Names and Terms 223 About the Author 239 Acknowledgments 242 End Notes 245 Index 255 INTRODUCTION By His Eminence Professor Samdhong Rinpoché Tibet, styled Pur rgyal, is a country with a marvelous history, distinct from its neighbouring countries, in both habitats and habitants, for many tens of thousands of years, since living beings came to exist on the roof of the world. Yet, due to the rather late flourishing of a written script and a system of communication still in use today, it has not featured in very ancient histories. After development of a script and a literary knowledge, the Tibetans translated innumerable texts, principally of Buddhist teachings and those of other fields of knowledge, from India and neighbouring countries and have maintained their studies, reflections, teachings and writings to a point where no other nation of people stands equal to them in undertaking such far-reaching works in a very short time. It can be decisively said that in terms of population and duration, there has not been any other country with the volume and the quality of translation works and writings surpassing that of Tibet. However, an aspect of deficiency in that vast literary output is its lack of historical narratives. Because spiritual events (religious history) were considered xv greatly important, little effort was put into writing about politics, society, economy, education, the life of ordinary people or life stories of individuals and so on. The few that were written were a blend of historical facts, spiritual expressions of experiences, legends and records and are thus difficult to set apart as a genre. There were many biographical works of sublime teachers, yet most of them had deeds visible to the common sight of all interspersed with aspects of the inconceivable secrets, so it was difficult for historical facts to manifest in them. In general, when Buddha’s teachings are categorised into the twelve branches of teachings, history (“as it occurred”) is listed on its own. Because historiography as a knowledge did not flourish in Tibet, it appears that erudite Tibetans in general, and particularly Drolwai Gönpo (sgrol TIBET 1985: THE LAST FACT-FINDING DELEGATION ba’i mgon po, Tārānātha) and Rinchen Drub (rin chen grub), who wrote extensive historical chronicles, did not take that much interest in historiography. By not perceiving their manifest “historical” (“as occurred”) importance while events were taking place, when effort is put into recording them in writing after much time has elapsed and the generation of those events is no longer alive, or when the events themselves are no longer within living memory, it is difficult to find complete details of the events when researched. The principal evidences of history are chronicles (documentations), oral narratives, reliance on past artefacts and so on. Evidences other than documentation offer mere approximations as bases for assumptions, so it would be difficult that they would provide credible ascertainment. It is natural for historians to have dissimilar interpretations. When walking on a snowy mountain or on dusty ground, clear footprints are formed, yet after a while when they are erased by a fresh snowfall or a windstorm, searching for those xvi footprints and describing them could only result in an approximate assumption. The possibility of creating an unerring and factual description would be remote, indeed akin to the coincidental meeting of “a bird encountering a stone.”1 Recently, Gendun Chöphel, a writer of broad intellect as regards historiography, said: When the wheel of time of the three times rotates, The reflections of the past that have occurred and disappeared Written by the mind on the void space Is [this] very marvelous illusory chronicle.
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