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| ON THE OTHER HAND |
| Free Tibet �.. later
By Antonio C. Abaya Written on April 7, 2008 For the Standard Today, April 08 issue While it is admitted here that the people of Tibet have a history that goes back 3,000 years and the Chinese did not officially claim sovereignty over the Tibetan Plateau until around 1900, the realities of the 21st Century make the liberation of Tibet from Chinese rule an impossible dream. Obviously there is no hope of turning Tibet into a battleground for national liberation, as Vietnam spectacularly was in the 1960s. The total Tibetan population, including women and children, adds up to less than the total Vietnamese killed, combatants and civilians, during their struggles against the French and later the Americans. There are no jungles in which guerillas can hide. There is no supply route to sympathetic sources of munitions anywhere. . The on-going agitation in the name of a Free Tibet, timed specifically to coincide with the run-up to the 29th Summer Olympic Games in Beijing , is clearly meant merely to embarrass the Chinese, by spoiling their coming-out party in August 2008. This brouhaha has all the makings of an orchestrated demolition exercise, obviously manipulated and coordinated by some high-powered public relations outfit in New York or London or Paris , and given a glossy veneer by enlisting the public support of Hollywood icons like Richard Gere and Mia Farrow. The idea is to make sure that CNN and the BBC and the rest of international media give the Free Tibet movement the attention that the publicists are being paid to promote. I say this because contiguous to Tibet to the east is the Autonomous Region of Xinjiang, home to ethnic Uyghurs, who have been agitating for independence from China for decades � exploding bombs occasionally to remind the world that they are still fighting for a homeland � but no one pays any attention to them. Why? Almost certainly because they have no publicist in New York or London or Paris coordinating their moves, and no Richard Gere or Mia Farrow to give their cause the Hollywood cachet that would compel liberals of the Western world to march out in their thousands to bash the Chinese. There are actually more Uyghurs (about 15 million out of a total Xinjiang population of 19.5 million), than Tibetans (2.62 million in Tibet , plus another 4 million outside Tibet ). And Xinjiang is actually bigger (636,000 sq. miles) than Tibet (472,000 sq. miles).But no one sheds any crocodile tears for Xinjiang and its Uyghurs. I recall from my stamp-collecting years during my teens that there used to be a country called East Turkestan which issued postage stamps in the 1920s. East Turkestan was made up of Turkic-speaking peoples, all predominantly Muslim, spread out from what is now Xinjiang all the way to the Caspian Sea, near Turkey . But in the mid-1920s, Josef Stalin, as Soviet commissar for ethnic minorities, dragooned all these Central Asian peoples into Turkmenistan , Uzbekistan , Kyrgyzstan , Kazakhstan and Tajikistan soviet socialist republics within the USSR , as buffer states to protect the southern flank of the Russian homeland.. Xinjiang itself underwent several permutations throughout its history. But Han Chinese control in the 20th century was reasserted with the entry of the recently victorious People�s Liberation Army in 1949 and its absorption as a special autonomous region in the People�s Republic in 1955. So predominantly Muslim Xinjiang has at least as much claim to independence (from China ) as predominantly Buddhist Tibet, but Xinjiang does not generate as much attention among Western liberals as Tibet does. It helps that Tibet has a Dalai Lama, living in exile in India , who is revered by Western liberals as a holy man on par with the Roman Catholic Pope; Xinjiang has no such icon. (The Dalai Lama has categorically said that he does not favor independence for Tibet , only greater autonomy.) Especially in the current environment of Islamophobia, few Western liberals will try to grab the Olympic torch as a protest against China , in the name of some scruffy Muslims. It is unfortunate that the Olympics have been prostituted to politics. In 1956, some Western European countries boycotted the Melbourne Olympics to protest the Soviet suppression of the Hungarian uprising, and some Middle Eastern nations did the same to protest the British-French-Israeli seizure of the Suez Canal In 1980, the Americans and some of their allies boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics to protest the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan . In retaliation, the Soviets and their allies boycotted the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.. The Ancient Olympics, which ran for more than a thousand years from 776 BC to 393 AD, were held every four years among freemen in the Greek city-states and the Greek colonies in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea . Ironically, the Olympics were occasion for them to call a truce from their endless wars and quarrels among each other. The exact opposite of what has been happening to the Modern Olympics in the past 50 years. A refreshing exception was in 1964. I was a member of the Philippine Yachting Team (Dragon class) in the Tokyo Olympics then. Our venue was Sagami Bay and the Enoshima Yacht Club, about an hour by train southwest of Tokyo . . As there were only about 20 countries in competition, our opening ceremonies included the raising of national flags and the playing of national anthems, which was not possible in the general opening ceremonies in Tokyo , because of so many competing countries.. This was the first time that East Germany was competing in the yachting events. So how to reconcile with West Germany ? The solution was Solomonic. East and West Germans competed as one national team The common national anthem that they chose was neither the Deutschland uber Alles of the capitalist West, nor the Internationale of the communist East, but the last movement of Beethoven�s Ninth Symphony, with the words from Schiller�s An die Freude (To Joy): Alle Menschen werden Brueder�..� (All mankind will be brothers�) ***** Reactions to [email protected]. Other articles in www.tapatt.org and in acabaya.blogspot,com. To subscribe, send a blank email with the subject heading Subscribe To unsubscribe, send a blank email with the subject heading Unsubscribe.. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to �Free Tibet �later� Tibet: Myth and Reality More Reactions to �Obama, Osama, O Mama1� Right On! Yolanda O. Stern, (by email), April 08, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr.Abaya, That Solomonic solution was truly edifying, and thereby captured the true spirit of the Olympics that �All mankind will be brothers.� And the complete opposite was the Munich Olympics in 1970, wherein Israeli athletes were killed by the extremist Black September. Of course, Golda Meir, would not tolerate that kind of affront. So the extremely super -efficient, Mossad, had to be dispatched to exact vendetta. And there was hell to pay. The rest is history. Auggie Surtida, (by email), Tigbauan, Iloilo , April 08, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww C�mon, Tony, just be sympathetic with the cause.. Tibet is Tibet .. we'd rather be be thankful with the big name sympathizers of Free Tibet .. What independence movement would you support? Could you lend your big name to the Free Bicol Movement? Rudy Galang, (by email), April 08, 2008 (I supported the Vietnamese struggle against the French and later the Americans. I named two of my three children in honor of the Vietnamese. I would �lend my big name� to a Fumigate Malacanang Movement. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony You wrote and I quote The on-going agitation in the name of a Free Tibet , timed specifically to coincide with the run-up to the 29th Summer Olympic Games in Beijing , is clearly meant merely to embarrass the Chinese, by spoiling their coming-out party in August 2008. This brouhaha has all the makings of an orchestrated demolition exercise, obviously manipulated and coordinated by some high-powered public relations outfit in New York or London or Paris , and given a glossy veneer by enlisting the public support of Hollywood icons like Richard Gere and Mia Farrow. The idea is to make sure that CNN and the BBC and the rest of international media give the Free Tibet movement the attention that the publicists are being paid to promote. The Free Tibet Movement is not just an issue about the opposition of many free and democratic countries to China's violation of human rights but also of civil and political rights of Tibetans and Chinese citizens as well.The right of every people to condemn oppression goes beyond Richard Gere,Mia Farrow, the PR firms from New York City, London or Paris, etc. CNN and BBC investigate, write their findings and then broadcast the news ; the public respond and governments take action.Free Tibet Movement is a noble cause and an honest movement. Would you rather watch the events unfolding in Tibet in silence and apathy? The Munich Olympics, the Moscow Olympics, and LA Olympics are living testimonies that governments express concern and then act in protest. What is happening now prior to the summer Olympics in Beijing is not a cheap act meant to embarrass the repressive Chinese government as you are made to believe.The demonstrators that lined the path of the Olympic torch as it was carried from city to city were not paid, were they? It is not the "hakot" system as practiced in the Philippines.We have to remember that Tibet, a high altitude plateau, remote from the world, that lies between China and India and inhabited by nomads, farmers, monks, and traders, had its own culture, religion, currency and no army was invaded by the Chinese in 1949. Since then China never gave up its hold on this small poorly managed but peaceful country! I wonder how Filipinos would react if Spratley or Batanes were invaded and occupied by the Chinese and the world respond to a Free 'Em Movement" Hm Dr. Nestor P. Baylan, (by email), New York City , April 08, 2008 (So why are there no demos in support of the Uyghurs in neighboring Xinjiang, who are suffering the same repression and cultural imperialism from the Chinese as the Tibetans? It is because the predominantly Buddhist Tibetans are seen to be as docile and submissive as yaks and are therefore easier to generate sympathy for among Western liberals, in a deliberate campaign to embarrass the Chinese. (The Uyghurs, on the other hand, are Muslims, whom Western liberals are either not sympathetic to or are downright hostile to, because of their medieval attitudes towards women and their theocratic notions of the state. No chance of using them as patsies in a deliberate campaign to embarrass the Chinese. (The average liberal demonstrator waving Tibetan flags in London or Paris or San Francisco does not know he or she is just being used for a wider agenda of demonizing the Chinese, who are savaging the economies of the US and Europe, and are seen as the next strategic enemy of the Americans. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww II really hope you people GET THE REAL TRUTH before you write nonsense People have been claiming being in Tibet but DO THEY/YOU KNOW THEIR CULTURE? Many of you have been repeating that you have been to china so you know the truth DO YOU KNOW THE CULTURE? WHY THE CULTURE IS FORMED LIKE THIS? Stop writing nonsense and, please get more knowledge, more more more more more more more more!! [email protected], April 08, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi Tony, It�s indeed appreciative of you to be writing on many features outside our dear country. Perhaps, sa dami ng problema natin dito, nakakasawa na siguro na isulat, kasi wala rin mangyayari. Anyway, thank you for giving me the copies of your articles. They are all eye-openers to me and to many of our countrymen. Avelino Lagman Jr., (by email), April 08, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww So I guess if Japan annexed Malaysia again, that would be fine by you. Because that's the clear implication of your first paragraph. Fred Baumann, (by email), Bellefonte , Pennsylvania , April 09, 2008 (Powerful countries have been annexing smaller and weaker ones since the beginning of recorded history, either by conquest or by occupation or by purchase. In case you have forgotten, the US annexed territory which became the states of Louisiana and Alabama in 1803, Texas in 1836, Oregon and New Mexico in 1846, Utah in 1847, California and Nevada in 1848, Kansas in 1854, South Dakota in 1861, Alaska in 1867, Hawaii in 1898, etc. (As victors� spoils in the Spanish-American War, the US also annexed the Philippines , Cuba , Guam and Puerto Rico in 1898. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Mr. Abaya, I enjoyed reading your article which I found very informative. I felt like being connected to the outside world especially with all the brouhaha happening about the summer Olympics. Reading this kind of article gives us a break from the much publicized "Gloria jokes" which I found entertaining and alarming yet very saturating. Of course I feel for my beloved country which has suffered quite a lot amidst all the negative impact brought in by majority of the "politicos" whose objective is mainly for self indulgence. Kaylan pa kaya? Have a nice day! Magno Pi, (by email), April 09, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, You are getting many compliments on your position from friends where I copy you. This one occurred when my New York friend copied you to his French friend. I attempted to e-mail the complimentary responses to your "Free Tibet �.later� which I had copied to friends, who in turn copied to their friends. It seems too much of a load for the computer/internet system. I will simply add to the ovation by telling you that (as usual) you make logical and ethical sense. Jack Sherman, (by email), April 10, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Thank you, Tony, for this very informative piece. I have not known of this history before. Salamat. Regards and God bless. Victor Manalac, (by email), April 10, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, I read with interest your emailed column piece on TIBET . That you chose to take the Western Press to task, rather than China , on Tibet was a revelation for me. I can hardly differ with you. I also have this often recurring experience with them--that a voice from a Third World nation is hardly given the chance to be aired, so to say. When I do comment (blog) on some international issues, say on American politics (especially against Obama & in favor of Hillary), and insert some remarks on Philippine events & figures (particularly on Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's fascist rule) apropos to the topic at issue, these western media initially use it, publish it. But hardly has the commentary appeared in their blogsites than it is immediately struck down, deleted--upon the request of certain anonymous "complainants' for allegedly being "profane," etc., etc. I was not born yesterday. Obviously the Arroyo regime has its censors manning the ramparts of the Internet fort 24/7, such that any (blogger's) comment, implied or clear-cut, that implicates them, that exposes their fascist acts against the Filipino people, is requested to be deleted. At once, the western press acquiesce. Yesterday, I blogged this piece, this commentary of mine to the WASHINGTON POST's section under the bylines of a certain Ignatius. It initially appeared, but today it has been deleted. Gloria's hitmen went to work, obviously, and succeeded in pulling it out. But we & the sufering Fiipino people need articles like this one, modesty aside, like we used to have in our "Mosquito Press" days (in addition to the Malaya efforts, during the latter years of the strongman Marcos, of Press Icon Joe Burgos, whose son, JONAS, ironically, has become a hapless victim of this fascist regime--hindi napatay nung Martial Law, tapos ngayon pa nabiktima, baka napatay na nga, under gloria's rule-- which came to power, ironically, under the banner of an alleged People Power action). Jennifer Potenciano, (by email), April 12, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tibet: Myth and Reality The CIA is everywhere - Tibet , Afghanistan , Iraq , S America , etc, etc. Half the time, they create the problems for others... by Foster Stockwell Western concepts of Tibet embrace more myth than reality. The idea that Tibet is an oppressed nation composed of peaceful Buddhists who never did anyone any harm distorts history. In fact the belief that the Dalai Lama is the leader of world Buddhism rather than being just the leader of one sect among more than 1,700 "Living Buddhas" of this unique Tibetan form of the faith displays a parochial view of world religions. The myth, of course, is an outgrowth of Tibet 's former inaccessibility, which has fostered illusions about this mysterious land in the midst of the Himalayan Mountains -- illusions that have been skillfully promoted for political purposes by the Dalai Lama's advocates. The myth will inevitably die, as all myths do, but until this happens, it would be wise to learn a few useful facts about this area of China . First, Tibet has been a part of China ever since it was merged into that country in 1239, when the Mongols began creating the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). This was before Marco Polo reached China from Europe and more than two centuries before Columbus sailed to the New World . True, China 's hold on this area sometimes appeared somewhat loose, but neither the Chinese nor many Tibetans have ever denied that Tibet has been a part of China from the Yuan Dynasty to this very day. The early Tibetans evolved into a number of competing nomadic tribes and developed a religion known as Bon that was led by shamans who conducted rituals that involved the sacrifice of many animals and some humans. These tribes fought battles with each other for better grazing lands, battles in which they killed or made slaves of those they conquered. They roamed far beyond the borders of Tibet into areas of China 's Sichuan and Yunnan provinces, Xinjiang , Gansu , and Qinghai . Eventually one of these tribes, the Tubo, became the most powerful and took control of all Tibet . (The name Tibet comes from Tubo.) During China 's Tang Dynasty (618-907), Emperor Taizong improved relations with the Tubo king, Songtsen Gampo, by giving him one of his daughters, Princess Wenzheng, in marriage. The Tubos, in response to this cementing of relations, developed close fraternal ties with the Tang court, and the two ruling powers regularly exchanged gifts. The princess arrived in Tibet with an entourage of hundreds of servants, skilled craftspeople, and scribes. She was a Buddhist, as were all of the Tang emperors, and so Buddhism entered Tibet mainly through her influence, only to be suppressed later by resentful Bon shamans. Some years later another Tang princess was married to another Tubo king, again to cement relations between the two rulers. The fact that the Tibetans and the Chinese had united royal families and engaged actively in trade (Tibetan horses for tea of the Central Plain) didn't mean an absence of conflict between them. Battles occasionally occurred between Tang and Tubo troops, mostly over territorial issues. At one point in the 750s, the Tubos, taking advantage of a rebellion against the Tangs by other armed groups in China , raced on horseback across China to enter the Tang capital of Chang'an. But, they couldn't hold the city. In 838, the Tubo king was assassinated by two pro-Bon ministers, and the Bon religion was re-established as the only acceptable religion in Tibet . Buddhists were widely persecuted and forced into hiding. Trade between Tibet and the interior areas continued during the Five Dynasties (907-960) and the Song Dynasty (960-1279) that followed the collapse of the Tang, although relations between the two ruling powers were limited. During this time Buddhism revived in Tibet as a result of the Buddhists' willingness to accommodate some Bon practices. The form of Buddhism that resulted from this merging of the two religions was quite different from that of China and other countries in Southeast Asia, as well as from the form that had been practiced previously in Tibet . Tibetan Buddhism, often called Lamaism, appealed to the Mongols, who conquered most of Russia , parts of Europe, and all of China under the leadership of Genghis Khan. The Mongols, like the Tibetans, were tribal herders who had a religion of animism similar to Bon. When Kublai Khan, the first Yuan emperor, appointed administrators to Tibet , he elevated the head of the Tibetan Buddhist Sakya sect to the post of leader of all Buddhists in China , thus giving this monk greater power than any Buddhist had ever held before - and probably since. Needless to say, the appointment irritated the leaders of the other Buddhist sects in Tibet and the much larger group of non-Tibetan Buddhists in China . But, they couldn't do anything to counter the wishes of the emperor. The Yuan Dynasty divided Tibet into a series of administrative areas and put these areas under the charge of an imperial preceptor. Furthermore, the Yuan court encouraged the growth of feudal estates in Tibet as a way to maintain control there. When the Yuan Dynasty collapsed, it was replaced by the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), which wasn't composed of persons of Mongolian heritage. Tibet then became splintered because the Ming court adopted a policy of granting hereditary titles to many nobles and a policy of divide and rule. Although the Ming court conferred the honorific title of Desi (ruling lama) to the head of one of Tibet 's most powerful families, the Rinpung family, they also bestowed enough official titles to his subordinates to encourage separatist trends within the local Tibetan society. One of these titles was given to the head of the newly founded Gelugpa sect, better known as the Yellow sect. He later took on the title "Dalai Lama." Tibet During the Qing Dynasty The next and last dynasty, the Qing, came to power in 1644 and lasted until 1911. At the time of its founding, the most prominent Tibetan religious and secular leaders were the fifth Dalai Lama, the fourth Panchen Lama, and Gushri Khan. They formed a delegation that arrived at the Chinese capital, Beijing , in 1652. Before they returned to Tibet the following year, the emperor officially conferred upon Lozang Gyatso (the then Dalai Lama), the honorific title "The Dalai Lama, Buddha of Great Compassion in the West, Leader of the Buddhist Faith Beneath the Sky, Holder of the Vajra." (Dalai is Mongolian for "ocean"; lama is a Tibetan word that means "guru.") The fifth Dalai Lama pledged his allegiance to the Qing government and in return, received enough gold and silver to build 13 new monasteries of the Yellow sect in Tibet . All successive reincarnations of the Dalai Lama have been confirmed by the central government in China , and this has become a historical convention practiced to this very day. A later Qing emperor suspected the intentions of the seventh Dalai Lama, so he increased the power of the Panchen Lama (also of the Yellow sect). In 1713 the Qing court granted the title "Panchen Erdeni" to the fifth Panchen Lama, thus elevating him to a status similar to that given to the Dalai Lama (Panchen means "great scholar" in Sanskrit, and Erdeni means "treasure" in Manchu.) The largest part of the Tibetan population (more than 90 percent) at that time was composed of serfs, who were treated harshly by the landlords and ruling monks. All monasteries had large tracts of land as well as a great number of serfs under their control. The ruling monks' exploitation of these serfs was just as severe as that of the aristocratic landlords. Serfs had no personal freedom from birth to death. They and their children were given freely as gifts or donations, sold or bartered for goods. They were, in fact, viewed by landlords as "livestock that can speak." As late as 1943, a high-ranking aristocrat named Tsemon Norbu Wangyal sold 100 serfs to a monk in the Drigung area for only four silver dollars per serf. If serfs lost their ability to work, the lord confiscated all their property, including livestock and farm tools. If they ran away and subsequently were captured, half their personal belongings were given to the captors while the other half went to the lords for whom they worked. The runaways then were flogged or even condemned to death. The lords used such inhuman tortures as gouging out eyes, cutting off feet or hands, pushing the condemned person over a cliff, drowning and beheading. Numerous rebellions occurred over the years against this harsh treatment, and in 1347 alone (the seventh year of Yuan Emperor Shundi's reign), more than 200 serf rebellions occurred in Tibet . Foreign Aggression Foreign nations made numerous attempts to invade Tibet and take it away from China . These were repulsed by Chinese troops and Tibetan fighters. The first such invasion took place in 1337 when Mohammed Tugluk of Delhi (in what is now India ) sent 100,000 troops into the Himalayan area. During the second half of the 18th century, troops from the Kingdom of Nepal invaded Tibet twice in an attempt to expand Nepal 's territory. During the 19th century, Britain competed with Russia in pouring large sums of money and many spies into a struggle to see which of the two might eventually occupy and control Tibet . When the British finally invaded Tibet , first in 1888 and again in 1903, the Russians were so involved in conflicts at home that they couldn't stop the British troops from pushing all the way to Lhasa . And the Qing government, having recently lost the Opium War to the British, did nothing either. The Tibetans, using spears, arrows, catapults and homemade guns, fought valiantly but to no avail against the invading British army and its big cannons and machine guns. The British withdrew after imposing "peace" terms and before the harsh winter began because they feared the Tibetan resistance would prevent supplies from getting through to the occupying troops, thereby causing them to starve to death. The British signed a Convention with China in 1906, the second article of which stipulated that the British would no longer interfere with the administration of Tibet and that China had sovereignty over Tibet . But, they conveniently forgot the terms of this agreement when, the very next year, they signed a Convention with Russia that specified British "special interests" in Tibet . It would probably fill a book to detail the many ways the British from that point on tried to take over Tibet and make it a part of their colony of India . Yet, something needs to be said about the conference held at Simla , India , in 1914. Conference participants included representatives of the new Nationalist government of China that had overthrown the Qing Dynasty just two years before, plus Tibetans, and British-Indians. The British had blackmailed the Chinese into attending by threatening to withdraw their recognition of the new nationalist government and by saying they would work out an agreement with the Tibetans alone if the Chinese didn't participate. The Simla Conference failed because the Chinese and the 13th Dalai Lama both opposed the British plan to divide Tibet into two parts (Inner and Outer Tibet). The conference, however, did produce one document that since has caused dissension -- a map drawn by the British representative Arthur H. McMahon that never was shown to the Chinese, although it was revealed secretly to the Tibetan delegates. McMahon's map showed a new boundary line that included three districts of Tibet -- Monyul, Loyul, and Lower Zayul -- within the territory of British- India. This so-called "McMahon Line" first became public 23 years later when it appeared in a printed set of British documents related to the conference and other diplomatic matters. The McMahon Line became the basis for India 's failed attempt to take over this part of Tibet in 1962. The British, who made a great show of their desire to have "independence for Tibet " at the Simla Conference, in drawing this map were adding 90,000 square kilometers (an area three times the size of Belgium ) from Tibet 's natural territory to their own Indian colony. During and after World War II and shortly before Britain 's departure from India , the American Office of Strategic Services (O.S.S., the forerunner of the C.I.A.), operating under Cold War guidelines, joined the British Foreign Office as the instigator of the Tibetan "freedom movement." Much of what the O.S.S. did in Tibet remains hidden in secret files at C.I.A headquarters near Washington, D.C., but one of their plots has been widely reported. It involved a smear campaign launched against the regent who had been appointed to act for the young 14th Dalai Lama after the 13th Dalai died in 1933. The regent was hostile to U.S.-British intrigues in Tibet , so the O.S.S. spread rumors about his alleged incompetence and criminal activities. Eventually these charges led to the regent's arrest and murder in a Tibetan prison. The 14th Dalai Lama's father subsequently was poisoned because he was a friend and supporter of the regent. Tibetan Buddhism Before considering Tibet today, some words should be said about Tibetan Buddhism as a religion. The accommodations it made with Bon resulted in its becoming very different from other forms of Buddhism, particularly from the more common and much larger Chan Buddhism of China (called Zen in Japan ). Images found in Tibetan Buddhist temples are much fiercer than those found in other Buddhist temples, and some Tibetan ceremonies that once used human skulls, human skin, and fresh human intestines clearly reflect the animistic elements of Bon. Also, Tibetan Buddhists rely a great deal on prayer wheels, which most other Buddhists scorn. These are mechanical devices with prayers written on them that are constantly turned by water or wind so the forces of nature do the work of sending prayers to heaven. The reincarnation of Living Buddhas, which is unique to this form of Buddhism, began as early as 1294 with the Karma Kagyu sect, a sub-sect of the Kagyu sect (known as the black hats). It then spread to all of Tibetan Buddhism's other sects and monasteries, but it didn't reach the Gelugpa sect (the one that includes the Dalai and Panchen Lama lines) until after 1419. From the beginning, the system of selecting Living Buddhas was open to abuse because it was easy for clever members of the monk selection committee to manipulate the objects presented to potential child candidates in order to make sure a particular child was chosen. In the case of the fourth Dalai Lama, the child selected was the great-grandson of the Mongolian chief Altan Khan. He was chosen at a time when the Gelugpa sect badly needed the protection of the Altan Khan's followers because the Gelugpa were being persecuted by the older Tibetan sects, who were jealous of the Yellow sect's rapid growth. Tibet Since 1949 In 1949, the Chinese Communists won the revolution and overthrew the Nationalist government. But they didn't send their army into Tibet until October 1951, after they and Tibetan representatives of the 14th Dalai Lama and 10th Panchen Lama had signed an agreement to liberate Tibet peacefully. The Dalai Lama expressed his support for this 17-point agreement in a telegraphed message to Chairman Mao on October 24, 1951. Three years later the Dalai and Panchen Lamas went together to Beijing to attend the first National People's Congress at which the Dalai Lama was elected vice-chairman of the Standing Committee and the Panchen Lama was elected a member of that committee. After the People's Liberation Army (PLA) entered Tibet , they took steps to protect the rights of the serfs but didn't, at first, try to reorganize Tibetan society along socialist or democratic lines. Yet, the landlords and ruling monks knew that in time, their land would be redistributed, just as the landlords' property in the rest of China had been confiscated and divided among the peasants. The Tibetan landlords did all they could to frighten the serfs away from associating with the PLA. But, as the serfs increasingly ignored their landlords' wishes and called on the Communists to eliminate the oppressive system of serfdom, some leaders of the "three great monasteries" (Ganden, Sera, and Drepung) issued a statement, in the latter half of 1956, demanding the feudal system be maintained. At this point, the PLA decided the time had come to confiscate the landlords' property and redistribute it among the serfs. The landlords and top-level monks retaliated by announcing, in March 1959, the founding of a "Tibet Independent State," and about 7,000 of them assembled in Lhasa to stage a revolt. Included were more than 170 "Khampa guerrillas" who had been trained overseas by the O.S.S. and air-dropped into Tibet , according to a former C.I.A. agent. The O.S.S. also gave them machine guns, mortars, rifles and ammunition. The PLA put down the revolt in Lhasa within two days, capturing some 4,000 rebels. The rebellion had the support of the Dalai Lama, but not of the Panchen Lama. After it failed, the Dalai Lama, along with a group of rebel leaders, fled to India . The most disruptive event of recent years was the "cultural revolution," which lasted from 1966 to 1976. It turned most of Tibet 's farm and herding areas into giant communes and closed or destroyed many monasteries and temples, just as it did elsewhere in China . At its end, the communes were disbanded and the temples and monasteries were repaired and reopened at government expense. The idea that most Tibetans are unhappy about what has happened in Tibet and want independence from China is a product manufactured in the West and promoted by the dispossessed landlords who fled to India . Indeed, to believe it is true stretches logic to its breaking point. Who really can believe that a million former serfs - more than 90% of the population - are unhappy about having the shackles of serfdom removed? They now care for their own herds and farmland, marry whomever they wish without first getting their landlord's permission, aren't punished for disrespecting these same landlords, own their own homes, attend school, and have relatively modern hospitals, paved roads, airports and modern industries. An objective measure of this progress is found in the population statistics. The Tibetan population has doubled since 1950, and the average Tibetan's life span has risen from 36 years at that time to 65 years at present. Of course some Tibetans are unhappy with their lot, but a little investigation soon shows that they are, for the most part, people from families who lost their landlord privileges. There is plenty of evidence that the former serfs tell a quite different story. You will find some Tibetans who hate the Hans (the majority nationality of China ) and some Hans who hate the Tibetans, a matter of ordinary ethnic prejudice - something any American should be able to understand. But, this doesn't represent a desire for an independent Tibet any more than black- white hostilities in Washington , D.C. , Detroit , or Boston represent a desire on the part of most African-Americans to form a separate nation. Tibetan Culture Today The final part of the Tibetan myth has to do with Tibetan culture, which the Dalai Lama's supporters say has been crushed by "the Chinese takeover of Tibet ." Culture is an area that requires great care because it is fraught with biases and self-fulfilling judgments. The growth of television in America , for example, is cited as killing American culture by some and as enhancing it by others. Regarding the field of literature, prior to 1950 Tibetans could point with pride to only a few fine epics that had been passed down through the centuries. Now that serfs can become authors, many new writers are producing works of great quality; persons such as the poet Yedam Tsering and the fiction writers Jampel Gyatso, Tashi Dawa, and Dondru Wangbum. As for art, Tibet for centuries had produced nothing but repetitious religious designs for temples. Now there are many fine artists, such as Bama Tashi, who has been hailed in both France and Canada as a great modern artist who combines Tibetan religious themes with modern pastoral images. Tibet now has more than 30 professional song and dance ensembles, Tibetan opera groups, and other theatrical troupes where none existed before 1950. Tibetan culture is not dead; it is flourishing as never before. ***** wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww NOTE: Because of limited space, this post may be truncated in acabaya.blogspot.com. It appears or will appear complete in www.tapatt.org. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww More Reactions to �Obama, Osama, O Mama!� Response to Juan Deiparine of Toril, Davao City Hi Tony, In response to your April 6 issue entitled �Reactions to �Obama, Osama, Omana�;� I find the e-mail of Juan Deiparine of Davao somewhat unbefitting a Filipino. Racial and religious bigotry belong to a bygone era. Why use the term �dumb and ugly� Americans. As an American, I may be ugly but not dumb. If Mr. Deiparine is saying he�s for Barack Obama; Good!. Obama�s background is better in the current political arena and at this time in world history than that of Hilary Clinton. The term �Jewish Lobby,� an out-of-date Nazi expression, and fiction, in any event has nothing to do with the American election. Jake Stager, (by email), Quezon City , April 06, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Barack and Michelle OBAMA both graduated from HARVARD LAW. E. J. Saguil, (by email), April 06, 2008 (According to Wikipedia, Michelle was educated at Princeton University AND Harvard Law School . How else could her senior thesis have been archived in (and lately withdrawn from) the Princeton Library? According to the same source, Barack Obama was educated at both Columbia University AND Harvard Law School . ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, Reading some reactions of your Fil-Am readers to your articles (on Obama & his wife, Hillary & McCain) made me think of an observation I have heard so many times about many Filipinos living in the US . I have been told by friends and family- Americans, Filipinos and Fil-Ams themselves - that many (not all I am sure) Fil-Ams try so hard to imbibe the American way of life that they dislike any reference or connection to their brown origins. Those who appear to go against the idea of a Black American President seems to stem from the fact that it reminds them of their non-white origins and not exactly because of the candidate himself. I am not an American voter or even a Fil-Am, but I would think that Obama, not only because of his character but precisely because of his mixed race, would make a better President not only for Filipino immigrants, but also to a very diverse American nation. Alan D. R.de Luzuriaga, (by email), April 06, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Response to Oscar Apostol of Roseville , California Speaking for our people, we Filipinos do not suffer from blatant discriminatory racism because we play our cards right. Wrote Oscar Apostol, Roseville , CA , on All Fools Day, (April 1st). Obviously, he no longer lives in the Philippines . A few years ago, the speaker at the Rotary Club at which I used to be a member was the then Australian Trade Commissioner, Geoff Gray. During question time, one member, a Filipino, said that he had heard that there was a great deal of racial discrimination against Asians in Australia . Gray visibly bristled and answered that once one had one�s resident visa issued in Australia , one never had to visit the Department of Immigration again, whereas a foreigner in the Philippines had to not only report annually but pay huge fees. Once you had passed immigration into Australia , you could, if you wished, immediately open and operate a retail business, whereas this was forbidden to foreigners in the Philippines . In Australia , hotels charge the same rate for their rooms no matter what your nationality, whereas in the Philippines there was one rate for Filipinos and a higher rate for others. In Australia , you paid the same amount for a game of golf as Australians, whereas the rate for a round of golf in the Philippines depended on whether you were a national or a foreigner. In Australia , you could purchase a house and lot, something a foreigner could not do here. In Australia , if you wanted to publish a magazine, even though an immigrant, you were permitted to do so. He finished with a question to the questioner, �And you want to call us racists?� Obviously, the cards are dealt off the bottom. Alan C. Atkins, (by email), Paranaque City , April 07, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Response to Juan Deiparine of Toril, Davao City I am reacting to your comments re: Tony Abaya's article Rx Obama, Osama, O Mama about Americans being ugly and dumb and that the Jewish lobby will stop anybody from becoming a US president, whom it does not trust. If Americans were dumb, they could not have brought you the electric fans and the ACs to cool you off during those hot and humid nights, the blue jeans to wear and protect your rear and your groin from the elements, the razors to shave your facial hair, the cars to drive you to work, the airplanes to transport you to some scenic spots in the Philippines, and the computers (laptop or desktop) to respond to my comments. The ugliness of Americans is the interventionist and imperialistic perception that you see and hear or read about the country in war and in peace (invading Iraq , dropping the A bomb in Hiroshima , controlling the economy and commerce of its business partners, etc). In sum, the United States is not a perfect country, neither is it an evil empire. Like any sovereign nation it must become overly zealous to protect its interest. On your sweeping indictment that the Jewish community will exert its influence from preventing a candidate from occupying 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue because he or she could not be trusted is far-fetched. Please tell me who are those presidential candidates in the past that were stopped from the gates of victory by the Jewish lobby from ever becoming the President of the United States because they were not worthy of their trust. Give me some names, convince me, and I will embrace your views that the Jewish conspiracy is real and not just a figment of a very rich imagination or just an unintended consequence of severe paranoia.. O Mama Pag Tama si Juan, OO Sama Ako Dr. Nestor P. Baylan, (by email), New York City , April 07, 2008 QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ NOTE: Transmissions to yahoo.com and mydestiny.net addresses are sometimes delayed or blocked by the servers for one reason or another. If you are experiencing these delays or blocking, we suggest you move to a hotmail or a gmail.com To subscribe, send a blank email with the subject heading Subscribe. To unsubscribe, send a blank email with the subject heading Unsubscribe. |