When looking at the Chinese take over of Tibet, one must assess certain aspects of why it happened. Political, economic, and social reasons are attributes to the invasion and oppression of Tibetan life. However, a more specific oppression is overlooked, and that is the oppression of Tibetan religions. Due to the huge social injustices of Chinese communism, Tibetan religion has not been able to flourish. The main reasons for the oppression of Tibetan Buddhism by communist China is Tibet’s lack of the Dalai Lama’s presence, who is the central religious authority, and the lack of violence within Tibetan Buddhism, which leave the Tibetan’s helpless and defenseless.
The Dalai Lama is the face of Tibetan religions (Buddhism), and without his presence, communist China refuse to recognize him as any sort of leader. As stated in the New York Times, “The Chinese consider the Dalai Lama a subversive advocate of Tibetan independence, although he has said he only wants greater autonomy for Tibet.” With all this happening, the Dalai Lama also makes matters worse by relinquishing his political power in Tibet. An article in the New York Times states, “In March 2011, the Dalai Lama announced what he called his retirement, as he prepared to relinquish political power.” Although he might still be considered a major leaders by Tibetans, the Chinese see no need to see him as a leader, which makes them even more powerful than Tibet. The Dalai Lama has made many attempts to advocate autonomy, but this only angers radical Tibetans more because they demand independence. The Dalai Lama’s lack of strong leadership qualities and his overall failure to be in Tibet has led communist China to take over the poor, defenseless nation.
Even though Buddhism is what every Tibetan devotes themselves to, it has made them a weak nation, left them without a military, and allowed Chinese communism to take over. “Tibetan Buddhism is a religion in exile, forced from its homeland when Tibet was conquered by the Chinese” (BBC). The religion is in exile because it has allowed itself to be because of the lack of a strong defense system. Buddhism is a peaceful religion, involving yogic techniques, meditation, and a number of other rituals, but the followers of this tranquil religion need to become more assertive and demand their independence to end communist China’s reign of terror over them. Buddhism emphasizes being a benevolent, nonviolent person, much like the Dalai Lama or Buddha. The ruthless communist China view this benevolence as weakness and make their attack on Tibet. With ease, China takes over Tibet because Tibet lacks a strong military to protect them from invaders. Tibetan Buddhism ruined Tibet’s military and completely allowed for China to take over.
A religion in exile, Buddhism was completely oppressed by communist China. Various factors facilitated the exploit, take over, and oppression of Tibet by China. These factors are the Dalai Lama and the religion itself. If Tibet didn’t focus on religion and had a strong political leader, they would have a chance against the oppressive communist China.
- "Tibetan Buddhism." BBC News. BBC, 14 Jan. 2004. Web. 02 May 2012. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/subdivisions/tibetan_1.shtml>.
- Dalai Lama: The Soul of Tibet. A&E Networks, 1997. DVD
- Nhá̂t, Hạnh. Living Buddha, Living Christ. New York: Riverhead, 1995. Print
- "Tibet." News. 28 Mar. 2012. Web. 02 May 2012. <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/china/tibet/index.html>.
Cristian, you provide a valid argument for the effects of the Dalai Lama and Tibetan Buddhism on Tibet during this crisis. I agree that the absence of the Dalai Lama granted China an easier takeover of Tibet. The Dalai Lama was the political leader of Tibet and his leave left the Tibetan people weak and easy to conquer. This, plus their lack of military due to their religious beliefs, left them essentially at the mercy of the Chinese. While these points explain why Tibet was easily oppressed, they do not fully explain why China destroyed the Tibetan religion. Your argument provides analysis as to the invasion of Tibet rather than the oppression of Tibetan religion. Being that religion and politics are united in Tibet, your argument does provide some information regarding the oppression; however, to fully answer the question, you must analyze the oppression rather than the invasion.
ReplyDeleteCristian, your assessment of the Dalai Lama’s effect on Tibet’s struggle to gain religious freedom from Chinese communism is very clear. Your points that defend this argument, such as the fact that the Chinese have stated that the Dalai Lama is fighting for independence while he is truly looking for autonomy for his people, are succinct and astute. To make this argument better-rounded, you should look at the background of Chinese communism to analyze why this specific brand of communism has come into so much conflict with the Tibetan religious life. Analyzing the Chinese view of Tibetan Buddhism as a threat to the stability of the government would give your ideas a bit more backing. Also, you can look into the way in which religion and state are combined in Tibetan life and how the Chinese view this. With these extra points to put into your argument, your views will be much clearer.
ReplyDelete-Jake