Tibet, China and the Olympics -

The Last Requiem

As we approach the opening of the XXIX Olympic Games in Beijing, China, the event brings with it —more than any other in recent history—a reason for pause. As nearly 1.3 billion people represent the largest nation on earth as a place of progress and modernity, human rights abuses, environmental disregard and gross materialistic consumption have reached levels of grave concern. The Olympics are meant to exhibit the highest aspirations of human achievement in a wide variety of athletic expressions. The slogan for the Beijing event is “One World, One Dream” and these words do indeed call us, globally, to unite in the Olympic spirit. Without humanity and freedom, how can any country, in good conscience, conduct any forum for legitimate expression?

There still exist many inconsistencies in China, not least of which is Tibet. Recently when the Olympic torch was carried on its longest journey of 85,000 miles around the world, there was very little festivity and a different slogan was murmured: “Chinese receive the gold medal for torture.” To be recognized as a legitimate world power, China must begin to view itself not just as a military and economic force but also as a country that values a democratic, diverse and open society. This can be achieved by entering into a dialogue with the Dalai Lama for non-violent change and mutual benefit. Until that happens, China will not be able to claim itself as the great nation it aspires to be.

Historical Context

The Tibetan-Chinese conflict began in 1949 when the People’s Republic of China, led by Mao Zedong, was formed. Shortly thereafter in 1950, the Communist Chinese, led by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), conducted a military occupation for the “liberation” of Tibet, a country that had previously been led by their spiritual and temporal leaders—the Dalai Lamas—since the 17th century. The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, was found by a search party when he was two years old, recognizing him as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama. His parents were farmers, living just outside the current boundaries of Tibet. By age four, he was brought to a monastery for his formal education. He received his Geshe Lharampa Degree, a doctorate in Buddhist philosophy. Tenzin Gyatso was 15 years old in 1950 when the occupation took place. In March 1959, after nearly 10 years of repressive occupation, an uprising took place. Fearing for his life and still in his mid-twenties, the Dalai Lama was forced into exile to Dharamsala, India with 80,000 Tibetans. It is estimated that nearly one million Tibetans have died under Chinese rule and 100,000 Tibetans have been tortured to death. Prior to the occupation, there were 6,000 monasteries spread throughout the Tibetan region with over 500,000 monks and nuns. Now over 90 percent of all the monasteries (along with centuries of historical relevance and priceless religious artifacts) have been destroyed.

The Dalai Lama has worked tirelessly to find a peaceful, non-violent solution to the Tibetan-Chinese conflict. In 1989, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize because of his stance for peaceful resistance. The Norwegian Nobel Committee expressed that “it would be natural to compare him with Mahatma Gandhi, one of this century’s greatest protagonists of peace.” His solution for a constructive future for both the Tibetan and Chinese people is “the middle way” where Tibet, maintaining its spiritual and cultural heritage, could peacefully co-exist within China. He has specifically said that he is not seeking “separation” from China and that, in fact, it is in both the Chinese and Tibetan people’s interests to stay together. He would like to see “defense and foreign affairs be handled by a central government, but the balance of education, environment and religious/cultural affairs be handled by Tibetans.” The Dalai Lama believes that “Tibetan Buddhist culture can be a great contribution to enrich the cultural heritage of the People’s Republic of China.”

The World’s Youngest Political Prisoner

Recently, two senior monks, both 71 years old, Gyaltsen Tsepa Lobsang and Yangpa Locho, were found hanged in Tashilhunpo Monastery, the official seat of the Panchen Lama, the second most revered position in Tibetan Buddhism. In 1995, the 11th Panchen Lama, a 6-year-old boy named Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, disappeared from public view. While the Dalai Lama is revered as the emanation of Avalokisteshvara, The Buddha of Compassion, The Panchen Lama is believed to be the emanation of Amitabha, The Buddha of Infinite Light. Known as “The Great Scholar,” the Panchen Lama is one of the foremost teachers in Tibetan Buddhism. There exists a unique relationship between the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama—whoever is the elder will be the mentor to the other; one is the “spiritual father” and the other the “spiritual son.” With the diaspora of the Tibetan community in 1959, the 10th Panchen Lama, Lobsang Trinley Choekyi Gyaltsen, then 21 years old, remained in Tibet. He continuously worked to help the Tibetan people. When he reported his outspoken positions to the Chinese authorities, he was consequently imprisoned for 14 years. Gyaltsen was released in 1977 and continued to work quietly for reform. In 1989, at age 50, he died suddenly under strange circumstances. Subsequently, his successor, Gedhum Choekyi Nyima, was placed under house arrest for 12 years, prompting human rights groups to call him, “the world’s youngest political prisoner.” Today the majority of political prisoners continue to be monks and nuns. Any statements that “endanger state security” are treated as crimes without due process. The average prison sentence is nearly nine years. Tibetans in positions of leadership receive sentences of 12 to 19 years. Outside the Ministry of Justice, (the normal Chinese legal system), the prisons in Tibet are run by the Ministry of Public Security. Torture is common during interrogations and if a confession and guilty plea is not given, the prison sentence is extended. The means of torture include; kicking and beating, electric shocks to genitals and mouth, sexual abuse, heated objects to the skin, self-tightening handcuffs and confinement cells with extreme isolation.

Current Developments

It is estimated that there are approximately 6 million Tibetans spread throughout the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) and beyond. Significant tensions have risen largely due to a huge influx of Han Chinese, the dominant ethnic group in China. In Lhasa itself, this rapidly changing demographic of indigenous Tibetans to Han Chinese now stands at around 50/50. In 2006, the world’s highest railway (called the Lhasa-Gormo Railway) was completed, connecting Tibet to the rest of the Chinese railway grid. It brought 2.45 million tourists and commercial migrants to Tibet that year, 93 percent of whom were Chinese, and by 2020 it is expected to increase to 10 million. The railway has largely been seen as a political means to import more ethnic Chinese to the region and to consolidate China’s position militarily and economically. The head of propaganda for Tibet, Lie Que, stated in the June 2, 2008 edition of The Tibet Daily, “we must clean out the monasteries and strengthen the administrative committees. After that we will completely control them.”

At this juncture today, the Tibetan people have been completely marginalized as the country is controlled by the party and the army. Tibet is the poorest part of China, with the annual per capita income not even at $100 per year. Health conditions are abysmal with many areas having no water, electricity or schools. Malnutrition, diarrhea, and pneumonia are common. The average life expectancy is 65, according to Chinese statistics which are considered suspect. Literacy or semi-literacy stands at 44 percent. Natural resources are being exploited as Tibet is seen as a panacea of economic opportunity with its vast deposits of copper, iron, lead, zinc, uranium and other minerals for the resource-starved eastern parts of China. Hydroelectric dam projects are in the works with 10 of the world’s great rivers originating in Tibet. This has serious ramifications for nearly half the world’s population which lives in South and Southeast Asia. Lastly, there is significant nuclear activity on the Tibetan plateau with one nuclear waste dump and several dozen nuclear warheads located in the Qinghai Province.

On March 14, 2008, the demonstrations in Lhasa, which additionally spread to the outer provinces, were the latest expressions of the repressed rage of a population of people who have been brutally dominated militarily, economically and culturally for nearly 50 years. Over three days, it is estimated that over 200 Tibetans and 200 Chinese police were killed and nearly 1,000 Chinese businesses were destroyed. It has also recently been reported that 1,000 monks from the three main monasteries in Lhasa have been imprisoned in jails and detention centers in eastern Tibet.

Lhadon Tethong, Executive Director of Students for a Free Tibet said, “the Chinese government has locked up over 1,000 Buddhist monks in Tibet, to crush any sign of dissent during the Olympics.” Not since the massacre of hundreds of students in 1989 at Tiananmen Square and the last major uprising in Tibet earlier that same year have tensions reached such a heightened level. Most recently in Nepal, over 8,000 arrests were made by Nepalese authorities as a result of the rebellion in Tibet. This is undoubtedly sponsored by the Nepalese Maoists who have been brought into the mainstream of the Nepalese political process after seven years of armed revolution. Jim Aplington, the owner of the Lotus Galleries in Katmandu and San Diego, recently returned from Nepal. He said that after the uprising in Tibet, he went to Bhodonath with a picture of the Dalai Lama and he was assaulted by three Nepalese thugs who were paid several hundred rupees a day to disrupt rallies by Tibetans. He then went to the United Nations building in Katmandu and joined the Tibetans who were protesting, only to see well over 1,000 people beaten.

Tibet, the Olympics and the Future

Much of what is said here focuses on the microcosm of Tibet and its 6 million inhabitants. Needless to say, there is a population of well over 1 billion Chinese throughout the country who are also suffering from starvation, cultural genocide, slave labor and no environmental regulations. With business interests leading the way, the U.S. has, for several decades, looked the other way in our headlong rush to material gain by indirectly exploiting Chinese labor and lax environmental standards. The Olympics being held in China hopefully makes us pause and consider how we might work together with this resource-rich country and play a part in promoting healthy internal development which will lead us to a better global future.

Perhaps the most important aspect of the Tibetan-Chinese conflict is the fact that we know much more about the priceless spiritual heritage and lineage that Tibetan Buddhism brings to our modern world. The Tibetan Buddhists believe that the ultimate goal of human life is to become a bodhisattva, or one who is motivated by compassion to return again and again to this earth for the enlightenment of all beings. Over a period of a thousand years, from the early 7th century until the 17th century, Tibetans went through a transformation from an animistic Bon religion to a spiritual and peaceful Buddhist culture. They have shown amazing resilience to adapt and assimilate elements of their past to create a more progressive future. In essence, the Tibetans have been disarmed for the last 300 years. In our current, ever-increasingly complex and conflicted world, the Tibetan culture offers inestimable value. In contrast to our extremely “outer” focused world of material development, the spiritually rich “inner” worlds explored by Tibetan Buddhism just may hold the key to rediscovering planetary balance and spiritual sanity. Tibetan Buddhism and its spiritual heritage is a priceless treasure for mankind. The Dalai Lama is firmly committed to a non-violent solution for Tibet and China. At 72 years old, I pray he will someday be able to return to his homeland to see peace between Tibet and China realized, not only for the sake of the people impacted most profoundly by this conflict, but also for the wellbeing of all nations. Maybe this is the real Olympic spirit we should be paying attention to in 2008.

Tim O’Rielly is a San Diego-based photojournalist who travels extensively and writes about different world cultures. Contact him at timinsandiego@yahoo.com