Introduction
Tibet was a peaceful and independent country since ancient time. It is situated on the highest plateau of the world, the Pamir and the Tibetan plateau. Therefore, it is also known as the roof of the world. Geographically, it lies north of India and Nepal, west to China and south of Mongolia. Nepal and Tibet share the Mount Everest, one side of the mountain is in Nepal and other side is in Tibet. According to the ancient Indian Rigveda and Atharvaveda, Tibet is Trivistapa, the heavenly abode, with the Mount Kailash as the center or navel of the earth.
This peaceful and holy nation was attacked and invaded by the communist China in 1950. The Dalai Lama, the spiritual and temporal head of Tibet escaped and sought asylum in India. Some 80,000 Tibetans followed him into exile thereafter. Here in this article we shall briefly examine the history of Tibet, how it lost its independence and the way ahead.
History
India and Tibet shared many historical, cultural and religious values. Tibet during the 7th to 9th century has been one of the most powerful military empires in Asia. Tibetan emperors like Srongtsan Gampo [569-650 AD], Khrisong Deutsan [742-798 AD] and Khri-ralpachen [802-841 AD] conquered the territories of the neighboring Arab, Nepal, India and China. Around that time, Buddhism from India also entered Tibet. The Tibetan emperor, Khrisrong Deutsan, invited Indian Buddhist masters: Shantarakshita and Guru Padmasambhava to Tibet, and made Buddhism a state religion.
Since the adoption and propagation of Buddhism in Tibet, the war like nature of Tibetan people got pacified, and more and more attention was paid to spiritual development and promotion of peace and harmony in the land and around the neighboring countries. Tibet's military strength dwindled and spiritual pursuit gained momentum. When the modern world was busy exploring the physical matters and industrial revolutions, Tibetans were busy exploring deeper into the mind and seeking spiritual revolution. Many Indian scholars visited Tibet to teach, and many Tibetan scholars visited India to study Buddhism. Military campaign and territorial aggressions stopped and Tibet became a peaceful and the neighboring countries began to look to Tibet for spiritual guidance and enlightenment.
Rule by the Priests (Lama)
Photo Courtesy :Tenzin Choejor / OHHDL
Buddhism and Tibetan Lamas played an important role in maintaining peace and stability in the Central Asia. The belligerent descendants of Genghis Khan of Mongolia who conquered half of the Europe and most of the Asia ultimately got pacified by the teaching of the Tibetan
Sakya Lamas, who convinced the Mongol Kings that the victory over one's ignorant mind is far better than victory over physical enemy through killings and lootings. It was the Tibetan Lamas who kept the warring factions of Mongol, Tibet, Nepal, China and Manchu in peace and friendly accord. Mongolian Yaun Empire, Chinese Ming and Manchu Qing empires all were greatly benefitted by spiritual discourses and guidance offered by the Tibetan Lamas. The most notable and respected Lama was the Dalai Lama. He was greatly revered by the Tibetans and the Kings and subjects of the neighboring countries.
The first Dalai Lama, Gedun Drupa, was born in 1391 AD. Dalai in Mongolian language means 'ocean', meaning, a Lama or a teacher whose knowledge is as vast as ocean, i.e. ocean of wisdom. In Tibetan Buddhism, the high Lamas (teacher or guru), upon their demise they reincarnate to continue the work of teaching and guiding the sentient beings. It was during the fifth reincarnation, Lobsang Gyatso [1617-1682 AD], that the Dalai Lama assumed the temporal and spiritual leadership of Tibet in 1642, since then Tibet has been ruled by the successive Dalai Lamas until the Chinese invasion of Tibet.
Communist Invasion
In 1949, the Chinese communist party of Mao Zedong came to power in China and established People's Republic of China (PRC). Mao Zedong claimed Tibet as a part of China and forcefully took over Tibet under the guise of 'peaceful liberation' and forced 17-point agreement in 1951. A peaceful Buddhist country Tibet could not defend herself from the heavily armed Chinese soldiers. India and international community's sympathy was with Tibet, but they could not defend Tibet.
The incumbent Dalai Lama, H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama, was only 14 when he assumed the leadership of Tibet in 1950. He along with his cabinet tried his best to accommodate the Chinese demand and maintain truce, but the Chinese atrocities became too much and the people revolted on 10 March 1959, which was brutally crushed and many people died during the revolt. His Holiness the Dalai Lama along with the members of the cabinet fled Tibet and took asylum in India. Some 80,000 Tibetans followed him into exile and settled in Nepal, India and Bhutan.
With the occupation of Tibet by China, more than 1.2 million Tibetans died and around 6000 thousand monasteries were destroyed. China perpetrated cultural genocide in Tibet to achieve complete sinicization of Tibet. Tibetans are denied freedom of language, culture and religion; repression is still going on. Even today, no diplomats, UN rapporteurs, and journalists are allowed to visit Tibet, and no Tibetans are allowed to travel outside. The Chinese state propaganda keeps on saying that they have developed Tibet and Tibetans are happy in Tibet, but the truth is exactly the opposite.
Tibetan Refugees
Government and people of India welcomed His Holiness the Dalai Lama as a state guest, and helped in the rehabilitation of Tibetan refugees. Pandit Nehru, the then Prime Minister of India helped in establishing Central School for Tibetans to educate the young refugees in India. Tibetan government-in-exile, which is now known by Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), was established in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, to look after the welfare of the Tibetans and to work for the restoration of freedom and justice in Tibet.
With the help of government of India and International donors, there are some 40 Tibetan settlements in 10 Indian states: Himachal Pradesh, Uttarkhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Meghalaya and Karnataka state. There are, as of now, approximately 90,000 Tibetans in these settlements. Tibetans have worked hard and today they have become a highly self-reliant community. It is often said that Tibetans in exile are the most successful refugee community in the world.
Around 50,000 have migrated to foreign countries, mainly to the US, Canada, Switzerland, Australia and Europe. There are some 64 registered Tibetan associations abroad. In Nepal there are some 10,000 Tibetans. So, the total Tibetan population in exile is around 1.50 lac only, while Tibetans inside Tibet is around 7 million. It may be noted here that the Tibetans in Nepal are facing great restriction due to increased interference by China in Nepalese internal affairs.
Tibetan Struggle
Under the leadership of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tibetans' non-violent struggle for freedom and justice has gained good support from India and international community. His Holiness the Dalai Lama was awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his work and contribution toward the promotion of world peace and non-violence. Sensing the need of people's participation in the governance, His Holiness the Dalai Lama introduced democracy through series of reforms in the exile administration, and in 2011, he fully devolved his political authority to the popularly elected leadership from the masses. Today, Tibetan community in exile enjoys freedom and vibrant democracy, which is denied to their brethren in Tibet by China.
There are more than 450 Tibet Support Groups and its chapters in India supporting Tibetan cause, prominent among them are: Indo-Tibetan Friendship Society, Bharat Tibet Sahyog Manch, Himalaya Parivar, Himalaya Culture & Buddhist Association, National Campaign for Free Tibet Support etc. There are 210 International Tibet Support Groups and its chapters spread across the world and several World Parliamentarian forums to support the just cause of Tibet.
In the Tibetan refugee settlements in India, Nepal and Bhutan, there are Settlement officers who look after the welfare of the people; there are schools, monasteries, health centers etc. What has been lost and destroyed by China in Tibet are properly preserved and maintained in exile. The settlement officers keep the Home Department of Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) in Dharamsala well informed of the needs and grievances of the settlements. This is how Tibetan community in exile has earned the reputation of being strong, efficient and resilient.
Spiritual and Cultural Renaissance
With the coming of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and other High Tibetan masters, India has experienced great spiritual and cultural renaissance through revival of Buddhist science, philosophy and religion. Buddhism took its birth in India and spread across Asia, but it suffered set back and negligence for a long time due to various internal and external factors. Today, it is vibrant across the Himalayas and India has realized this soft power of Buddha's message. Buddhism has now reached western countries not only as a religion but also as science and philosophy.
Most of the Tibetan monasteries in India and Nepal have numerous students from the Himalayan regions and from other parts of India. There are students from South-east Asian countries and from the West to study Buddhism in these Tibetan monastic universities. India has once again assumed the source of authentic Buddhist teachings. More than 200 Tibetan Buddhist texts have been translated back into Sanskrit language at Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies in Varanasi. His Holiness the Dalai Lama rightly said what the Tibetans have learned from the Indian masters long before, now they are handing it back to India. "India is our Guru, we Tibetans are Chelas. But we have been reliable Chelas. We have kept the ancient Nalanda teaching intact." He says.
Dialogues with China
Mao Zedong died in 1976, and his successor Deng Xiaoping suggested that Tibet issue can be resolved if the Tibetans stop seeking separation from China. Tibetan language and culture are under great threat due to increased state-sponsored migration of Han Chinese into Tibetan areas. Huge ecological damages are being done through excessive mining and damming of the rivers. China is getting more powerful militarily. Under these circumstances, there is a danger that within ten years or so, Tibetans will become minority in their own country and Tibetan language, religion and culture eradicated.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Central Tibetan Administration came up with Middle Way Approach (MWA) to resolve the Tibet issue. Gist of the MWA is that the Tibetans will not seek separation from China, but China should give genuine autonomy to Tibet as prescribed in the Chinese constitution. From 2002 to 2010, nine rounds of Sino-Tibetan dialogues were done, and Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for the Tibetan People was submitted to PRC in 2008. But China did not accept the Tibetans' proposal of MWA. This is, in fact, against Chinese constitution, which has promised regional autonomy to national minorities living in concentrated communities.
India and Tibet
India and Tibet has a strong cultural and spiritual bond since ancient time. Tibetans looked at India as a holy land and a visit to Bodhgaya is considered a lifetime spiritual achievement. The Mount Kailash and Lake Mansorover are greatly venerated by the Tibetans. It is equally revered by the Indian community as the abode of Lord Shiva and his consort Paravati. For the Indians, a pilgrimage to the Mount Kailash and the Lake is a lifetime spiritual achievement. Tibet is Trivistapa for the Indians, and India is Aryabhumi for the Tibetans. Tibetans and Indians traveled freely across the borders without any hindrances.
Now, with the Chinese invasion of Tibet, the long and peaceful border between Tibet and India has become the most militarized and expensive border. China attacked India in 1962, and it continues to make border intrusion in Ladakh, Arunachal and Sikkim. India has lost a friendly buffer state and the abode of Lord Shiva; its borders are under perpetual threat from Chinese aggression. Atal Behari Vajpayee, the former Prime Minister of India, has said, "....from the point of view of national interests, the fact that Tibet is being annihilated cannot be for the good of India in the long run."
Tibet is a source of major rivers in south-east Asia. Indus, Sutlej, Ganges, Bhramaputra, Salween, Mekong, Yangtse, Huangho etc. they all have its source in Tibet. Any ecological damage to these sources will have a great repercussion to the riparian states down the streams. China already has tried to dam the Bhramaputra River causing strategic as well as livelihood threat to the people living along the river. Therefore, restoration of Tibet to the Tibetans is in the interest of India and South-east Asian countries.
The way ahead
Although China keeps on saying Tibet is an internal affair of China, it is clear that Tibet has become an international issue. It is an issue of illegal occupation of a peaceful country; it is an issue of human rights and religious freedom; it is an issue of democracy and rule of law. International community looks to Tibetan struggle as a source of inspiration to fight tyranny and dictatorship around the world. China belongs to Chinese people and not to the communist party. Chinese people themselves are not happy under the repressive communist regime. Recent tragedy of Coronavirus epidemic is the result of the communist regime's effort to silence the victims and doctors from revealing the truth.
As stated by an outspoken Chinese Professor Xu Zhangrun of Tsinghua University, China has reached a 'dead end', democracy is the only way out. And it is of no surprise to know that Prof Xu was arrested immediately and is in detention as of now.
Indian leader Jayaprakash Narayan has rightly said, "Tibet will not die because there is no death of human spirit. Communism will not succeed because man will not be slaves forever...."
The world has rejected communism and repressions; Berlin wall fell in November 1989, Soviet Union broke down in December 1991, communism too will die in China. With a birth of democratic China, Asia and the world will see a rise of peaceful China contributing to the world peace and harmony. This will once again lead Tibet to resume its old role of sharing the Buddha's message of peace and non-violence, and maintain stability and harmony in the regions.
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