Protests and uprisings against the government of the People's Republic of China have occurred in Tibet since 1950, and include the 1959 uprising , the 2008 uprising , and the subsequent self-immolation protests.
163-626: Over the years the Tibetan government in exile, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) , has shifted the goal of its resistance stance from attempting measured cooperation with autonomy, to demanding full independence, to seeking "genuine autonomy for all Tibetans living in the three traditional provinces of Tibet within the framework of the People's Republic of China". However, not all exiled Tibetans are content with pursuing
326-516: A Tibetan National Anthem , and the CTA control over local Tibetan-language media that promotes the idea of Chinese endeavours to "eradicate the Tibetan race". From the 1990s onwards, the CTA used Hollywood films in addition to local media to emphasise the Tibetan exile struggle, secure the loyalty of Tibetans both in exile and in Tibet, promote Tibetan nationalism, and foster the CTA's legitimacy to act in
489-490: A 1983 study by Lynn Pulman on Tibetan communities-in-exile in southern India argue that the CTA adopted a stance of preserving an "idea of return" and fostering the development of an intense feeling of Tibetan cultural and political nationalism among Tibetans" in order to remain a necessary part of the communities. They state that this was accomplished through the creation of the Tibetan Uprising Day holiday,
652-462: A Lhasa accent, in a dialect the boy's mother could not understand. The next time the party returned to the house, they revealed their real purpose and asked permission to subject the boy to certain tests. One test consisted of showing him various pairs of objects, one of which had belonged to the 13th Dalai Lama and one which had not. In every case, he chose the Dalai Lama's own objects and rejected
815-619: A candidate had been found in Taktser, he had the family brought to him in Xining. He first demanded proof that the boy was the Dalai Lama, but the Lhasa government, though informed by Kewtsang that this was the one, told Kewtsang to say he had to go to Lhasa for further tests with other candidates. They knew that if he was declared to be the Dalai Lama, the Chinese government would insist on sending
978-467: A further demand was made for another 330,000 dollars ransom: 100,000 each for government officials, the commander-in-chief, and the Kumbum Monastery; 20,000 for the escort; and only 10,000 for Ma Bufang himself, he said. Two years of diplomatic wrangling followed before it was accepted by Lhasa that the ransom had to be paid to avoid the Chinese getting involved and escorting him to Lhasa with
1141-614: A golden throne and petition from representatives of the Chushi Gangdruk Tibetan resistance movement, and in return gave them a blessing touch on their foreheads, and issued them with a talisman. They would soon become a 5,000-man strong "Defenders of the Faith Volunteer Army" under the leadership of Gompo Tashi Andrugtsang that would struggle against the Chinese for years. However, in September 1957 when
1304-441: A large army escort with him, which would then stay in Lhasa and refuse to budge. Ma Bufang, together with Kumbum Monastery , then refused to allow him to depart unless he was declared to be the Dalai Lama, but withdrew this demand in return for 100,000 Chinese dollars ransom in silver to be shared among them, to let them go to Lhasa. Kewtsang managed to raise this, but the family was only allowed to move from Xining to Kumbum when
1467-424: A large army. Meanwhile, the boy was kept at Kumbum where two of his brothers were already studying as monks and recognised incarnate lamas. The payment of 300,000 silver dollars was then advanced by Muslim traders en route to Mecca in a large caravan via Lhasa. They paid Ma Bufang on behalf of the Tibetan government against promissory notes to be redeemed, with interest, in Lhasa. The 20,000-dollar fee for an escort
1630-414: A mutually beneficial and peaceful resolution rather than fighting to restore independence. He sent three fact finding missions into Tibet and wrote Deng Xiaoping a long personal letter before his representatives traveled to Beijing in 1982 to open negotiations. However, they reported that their Chinese counterparts were not interested in discussing the situation in Tibet, only the personal status and future of
1793-603: A network of schools and other cultural activities for Tibetans in India . [REDACTED] In 1963, the 14th Dalai Lama promulgated the Constitution of Tibet, and he became permanent head of state of Tibet. In 1974, the 14th Dalai Lama rejected calls for Tibetan independence, and he became permanent head of the Tibetan Administration and the executive functions for Tibetans-in-exile in 1991. In 2005,
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#17327763795511956-678: A provocation against peace, and reminded him of the Indian Government's non-interventionist stance agreed upon with its 1954 treaty with China . Long called a "splittist" and "traitor" by China, the Dalai Lama has attempted formal talks over Tibet's status in China. In 2019, after the United States passed a law requiring the US to deny visas to Chinese officials in charge of implementing policies that restrict foreign access to Tibet,
2119-517: A small house with distinctive eaves. The team, led by Kewtsang Rinpoche , went first to meet the Panchen Lama , who had been stuck in Jyekundo , in northern Kham. The Panchen Lama had been investigating births of unusual children in the area ever since the death of the 13th Dalai Lama. He gave Kewtsang the names of three boys whom he had discovered and identified as candidates. Within a year
2282-567: A special palanquin carried by two mules, two years after being discovered. As soon as they were out of Ma Bufang's area, he was officially declared to be the 14th Dalai Lama by the Kashag , and after ten weeks of travel he arrived in Lhasa on 8 October 1939. The ordination ( pabbajja ) and giving of the monastic name of Tenzin Gyatso were arranged by Reting Rinpoche and according to the Dalai Lama "I received my ordination from Kyabjé Ling Rinpoché in
2445-470: A statement applauding the Dalai Lama's commitment to non-violence and dialogue with China and his pursuit of Middle Way Approach. On 5 June 2014, Central Tibetan Administration launched an international awareness campaign on the Middle Way Approach. According to CTA, the campaign was to counter Chinese government's deliberate attempts to spread misinformation on the Middle Way Approach. During
2608-461: A sustainable solution for resolving the ongoing religious and human rights violations in Tibet. The Middle Way Approach was criticized in 2014 by American historian Elliot Sperling as a part of a "self-delusion" based on a hope that the approach was for and would gain independence. A series of pro-independence protests that took place between September 1987 and March 1989 in the Tibetan areas in
2771-787: A very small party, arriving a few days later at the Indian border. He was granted asylum by the Nehru government with the stipulation that he would not engage in politics on Indian soil. Meanwhile, Enlai dissolved the Tibetan government and appointed the Preparatory Committee for the Founding of the Tibet Autonomous Region to take its place. In 1959, Tenpa Soepa and other prisoners of war near Toema in Amdo said, "Along
2934-571: A wave of self-immolations by Tibetans in China, India and Nepal occurred after the Phuntsog self-immolation incident of March 16, 2011 in Ngawa County, Sichuan. The Dalai Lama has said he does not encourage the protests, but he has praised the courage of those who engage in self-immolation and blamed the self-immolations on "cultural genocide" by the Chinese. Premier Wen Jiabao said that such extreme actions hurt social harmony and that Tibet and
3097-775: A young monk from Kirti Monastery set himself on fire in the marketplace in Ngawa City , Ngawa County , Sichuan . Some of the protesters who set themselves on fire were teenagers. Most such incidents have taken place in Sichuan province, especially around the Kirti Monastery in Ngawa City, Ngawa County, Sichuan, others in Gansu and Qinghai provinces and Tibet Autonomous Region . Self-immolation protests by Tibetans also occurred in India and Kathmandu , Nepal . In 2011
3260-489: Is a project by Central Tibetan Administration, in which the CTA issues any supporter of Tibet who is of age 18 years or more a Blue Book. This initiative enables supporters of Tibet worldwide to make financial contributions to help the administration in supporting educational, cultural, developmental and humanitarian activities related to Tibetan children and refugees. The book is issued at various CTA offices worldwide. The Central Tibetan Administration currently operates under
3423-681: Is a strong indicator of official Chinese government involvement" since economic information is the primary goal of private Chinese hackers. In 2009 the personal office of the Dalai Lama asked researchers at the Munk Center for International Studies at the University of Toronto to check its computers for malicious software. This led to uncovering GhostNet , a large-scale cyber spying operation which infiltrated at least 1,295 computers in 103 countries, including embassies, foreign ministries, other government offices, and organisations affiliated with
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#17327763795513586-454: Is an accepted version of this page Samding Dorje Phagmo The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso , full spiritual name: Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso , also known as Tenzin Gyatso ; né Lhamo Thondup ; is the incumbent Dalai Lama , the highest spiritual leader and head of Tibetan Buddhism . Before 1959, he served as both the resident spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet, and subsequently established and led
3749-510: Is being sought by Tibetans. The Memorandum states that "in order for the Tibetan nationality to develop and flourish with its distinct identity, culture and spiritual tradition through the exercise of self-government on the above mentioned 11 basic Tibetan needs , the entire community, comprising all the areas currently designated by the PRC as Tibetan autonomous areas, should be under a single administrative entity. It further mentions that "bringing all
3912-407: Is composed of a judiciary branch , a legislative branch , and an executive branch , and offers support and services to the Tibetan exile community. The 14th Dalai Lama formally rescinded the 1951 17 Point Agreement with China in early March 1959, as he was escaping Tibet for India. On 29 April 1959, the 14th Dalai Lama in exile re-established the Kashag , which was abolished a month earlier by
4075-414: Is inseparable from extreme abuse. Evidence to support this linkage has not been found by scholars other than those close to Chinese governmental circles. Goldstein, for example, notes that although the system was based on serfdom, it was not necessarily feudal, and he refutes any automatic link with extreme abuse." The 19-year-old Dalai Lama toured China for almost a year from 1954 to 1955, meeting many of
4238-566: Is known to Tibetans as Gyalwa Rinpoche , The Precious Jewel-like Buddha-Master , Kundun , The Presence , and Yizhin Norbu , The Wish-Fulfilling Gem . His devotees, as well as much of the Western world, often call him His Holiness the Dalai Lama , the style employed on his website. He is also the leader and a monk of the Gelug school, the newest school of Tibetan Buddhism, formally headed by
4401-415: Is made of seven departments and several special offices. Until 2003, it operated 24 businesses, including publishing, hotels, and handicrafts distribution companies. On 29 April 1959, the Dalai Lama re-established the Kashag . In 1963, he promulgated Constitution of Tibet, and he became permanent head of state of Tibet. In 1974, he rejected calls for Tibetan independence, and he became permanent head of
4564-531: The Green Book , which serves as a receipt book for the person's "voluntary contributions" to the CTA and the evidence of their claims for "Tibetan citizenship". For this purpose, CTA defines a Tibetan as "any person born in Tibet, or any person with one parent who was born in Tibet." As Tibetan refugees often lack documents attesting to their place of birth, the eligibility is usually established by an interview. The Blue Book or Tibetan Solidarity Partnership
4727-492: The 1959 Tibetan uprising , the Dalai Lama escaped to India, where he continues to live. On 29 April 1959, the Dalai Lama established the independent Tibetan government in exile in the north Indian hill station of Mussoorie , which then moved in May 1960 to Dharamshala , where he resides. He retired as political head in 2011 to make way for a democratic government, the Central Tibetan Administration . The Dalai Lama advocates for
4890-702: The Central Intelligence Agency . In 2002, the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 was passed in the U.S. In 2016, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) awarded a grant of US$ 23 million to CTA. In 2017, U.S. president Donald Trump proposed to stop aid to the CTA in 2018. Trump's proposal was criticised heavily by members of the Democratic Party like Nancy Pelosi , and co-chair of
5053-742: The Chinese language ," a form of Central Plains Mandarin , and his family speak neither Amdo Tibetan nor Lhasa Tibetan . After the demise of the 13th Dalai Lama, in 1935, the Ordinance of Lama Temple Management was published by the Central Government. In 1936, the Method of Reincarnation of Lamas was published by the Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission of the Central Government. Article 3 states that death of lamas, including
Protests and uprisings in Tibet since 1950 - Misplaced Pages Continue
5216-593: The Ganden Phodrang government and Gelug supremacy in Tibet, with the help of the Güshi Khan of the Khoshut Khanate , that the post took on the dual role of political and religious leadership (however, the 9th–12th Dalai Lamas died before adulthood). After Lobsang Gyatso's mortal passing in 1682, which was kept a secret for 15 years, there was a period of anarchy and invasions that eventually led to
5379-515: The Ganden Tripa . The 14th Dalai Lama was born to a farming family in Taktser (Hongya Village), in the traditional Tibetan region of Amdo , at the time a Chinese frontier district. He was selected as the tulku of the 13th Dalai Lama in 1937, and formally recognized as the 14th Dalai Lama in 1939. As with the recognition process for his predecessor, a Golden Urn selection process
5542-626: The General Assembly in 1959, 1961, and 1965, all before the People's Republic was allowed representation at the United Nations . The resolutions called on China to respect the human rights of Tibetans . In 1963, he promulgated a democratic constitution which is based upon the Universal Declaration of Human Rights , creating an elected parliament and an administration to champion his cause. In 1970, he opened
5705-620: The Government of Tibet in Exile in Dharamshala , India, which is often referred to as " Little Lhasa ". After the founding of the government in exile he re-established the approximately 80,000 Tibetan refugees who followed him into exile in agricultural settlements. He created a Tibetan educational system in order to teach the Tibetan children the language , history , religion , and culture . The Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts
5868-641: The Government of the People's Republic of China on 28 March 1959. He later became permanent head of the Tibetan Administration and the executive functions for Tibetans-in-exile. On 11 February 1991, Tibet became a founding member of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) at a ceremony held at the Peace Palace in The Hague , Netherlands . After the 14th Dalai Lama decided no longer to assume administrative authority,
6031-536: The Library of Tibetan Works and Archives in Dharamshala which houses over 80,000 manuscripts and important knowledge resources related to Tibetan history, politics and culture. It is considered one of the most important institutions for Tibetology in the world. In 2016, there were demands from Indian citizens and politicians of different political parties to confer the Dalai Lama the prestigious Bharat Ratna ,
6194-508: The People's Republic of China : Sichuan , Tibet Autonomous Region and Qinghai , and the Tibetan prefectures in Yunnan and Gansu . The largest demonstrations began on March 5, 1989 in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa , when a group of monks, nuns, and laypeople took to the streets as the 30th anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan uprising approached. Police and security officers attempted to put down
6357-540: The Qianlong Emperor described in The Discourse of Lama to eliminate greedy families with multiple reincarnated rinpoches, lamas. Based on custom and regulation, the regent was actively involved in the search for the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. Following reported signs and visions, three search teams were sent out to the north-east, the east, and the south-east to locate the new incarnation when
6520-751: The Tibetan government in exile represented by the Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamsala , India. The adherents of Tibetan Buddhism consider the Dalai Lama a living Bodhisattva , specifically an emanation of Avalokiteśvara (in Sanskrit) or Chenrezig (in Tibetan), the Bodhisattva of Compassion, a belief central to the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and the institution of the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama, whose name means Ocean of Wisdom ,
6683-719: The environment , economics, women's rights , nonviolence , interfaith dialogue , physics , astronomy , Buddhism and science , cognitive neuroscience , reproductive health and sexuality . The Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. Time magazine named the Dalai Lama Gandhi 's spiritual heir to nonviolence. The 12th General Assembly of the Asian Buddhist Conference for Peace in New Delhi unanimously recognized
Protests and uprisings in Tibet since 1950 - Misplaced Pages Continue
6846-440: The system of feudal peasantry to persist. Scholar Robert Barnett wrote of the serfdom controversy: "So even if it were agreed that serfdom and feudalism existed in Tibet, this would be little different other than in technicalities from conditions in any other 'premodern' peasant society, including most of China at that time. The power of the Chinese argument therefore lies in its implication that serfdom, and with it feudalism,
7009-694: The "Charter of the Tibetans In-Exile", adopted in 1991, amended in 2011. Executive authority is vested in the Sikyong , an office formerly held by Lobsang Sangay , who was elected in 2011. The Sikyong is supported by a cabinet of Kalons responsible for specific portfolios. Legislative authority is vested in the Parliament of the Central Tibetan Administration . The Central Tibetan Administration's Department of Finance
7172-560: The "Dalai clique" for the uprising, the march and the Olympic protests and called TYC a terrorist organization prepared to initiate guerrilla warfare once across the border. The PRC published articles denouncing the various historical plots and activities of the Tibetan exiles as well as US funding to Tibetan activists through the National Endowment for Democracy . The Dalai Lama denied that his government had anything to do with
7335-537: The 14th Dalai Lama emphasized that Tibet is a part of China, and Tibetan culture and Buddhism are part of Chinese culture. In March 2011, at 71 years of age, he decided not to assume any political and administrative authority, the Charter of Tibetans in Exile was updated immediately in May 2011, and all articles related to regents were also repealed. In 2017, the 14th Dalai Lama restated that Tibet does not seek independence from China but seeks development. The funding of
7498-623: The 14th Dalai Lama. Nevertheless, during the 1980s, the Dalai Lama would send 6 delegations to China. In 1987, before the U.S. Congressional Human Rights Caucus the Dalai Lama unveiled the Five Point Peace Plan as a "first step towards a lasting solution". The next year, the Dalai Lama addressed the European Parliament and offered what was later called the Strasbourg Proposal 1988, which elaborated on
7661-508: The CIA help was useful...it really provoked the Chinese [and] led to reprisals. I feel very sorry for this. According to author and scholar Carole McGranahan of the University of Colorado, today the history of the Tibetan resistance is purposefully down-played, uncelebrated, and even ignored by the Tibetan government in exile as it does not fit well into the global image it wishes to project and
7824-500: The CIA on the insurgency's progress and needs. According to the Dalai Lama, his visit to India in November 1956, during which he met with Tibetan "freedom fighters" which included two of his elder brothers, "spoiled good relations with China." The exiles encouraged him to stay and join their fight for independence but Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru warned him that India could not offer support. Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai , who
7987-623: The CIA provided the government-in-exile money to open offices in Geneva and New York, to arrange for resettlement of Tibetan orphans in Switzerland, and to educate a few dozen Tibetans at Cornell University. By the time Nixon came to the White House, the CIA had already informed Thundrop that they were terminating support. (296) Years later, he would have this to say about the affair: America didn't want to help Tibet. It just wanted to make trouble for China. It had no far-sighted policy for Tibet[...]The Americans promised to help make Tibet an independent country. All those promises were broken...I can't say
8150-441: The CIA to form and train a Tibetan insurgency. Again the US tried to convince the Dalai Lama to do the same with an offer of "full aid and assistance", but he refused. The Dalai Lama saw the need to modernize Tibet and was open to Marxism. It was only when I went to China in 1954–55 that I actually studied Marxist ideology and learned the history of the Chinese revolution. Once I understood Marxism, my attitude changed completely. I
8313-473: The CTA's elected political leadership had been carrying out the administrative responsibilities. The Dalai Lama jokingly added that therefore, he had been in semi-retirement for a decade. The Chinese government called the retirement a "political show" and said that the CTA is illegal and any moves will not be recognized. Kate Saunders of the International Campaign for Tibet speculated that governments who have found it politically troublesome for them to deal with
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#17327763795518476-543: The Central Tibetan Administration comes mostly from private donations collected with the help of organisations like the Tibet Fund , revenue from the Green Book (the "Tibetan in exile passport") and aid from governments like India and the US. The annual revenue of the Central Tibetan Administration is officially 22 million (measured in US dollars), with the biggest shares going to political activity ($ 7 million), and administration ($ 4.5 million). However, according to Michael Backman , these sums are "remarkably low" for what
8639-447: The Central Tibetan Administration in March 2011 just before elections were to take place to choose the next prime minister, which would become the highest ranking political office of the CTA. He had talked about doing so at least since 2008. In a press conference in December 2010, the Dalai Lama stated that the "400 year-old tradition" of the Dalai Lama serving as spiritual and political leader had already been terminated in 2001, after which
8802-439: The Central Tibetan Administration's envoys and the Chinese government were, Tundrop felt, "like one hand clapping" and so the CTA suspended them in 1994. They resumed at the pace of one per year between 2002 and 2008. In 2008, at the 8th round of talks, CTA envoys presented a document called Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for the Tibetan People and a Note in response to Chinese government's statement asking what degree of autonomy
8965-531: The Charter of Tibetans in Exile was updated in May 2011 to repeal all articles relating to his political duties. The Tibetan diaspora and refugees support the Central Tibetan Administration by voting for members of its parliament, the Sikyong , and by making annual financial contributions through the use of the Green Book . The Central Tibetan Administration also receives international support from other organizations and individuals. The Central Tibetan Administration authors reports, press releases, and administers
9128-413: The Chinese capital to meet Chairman Mao Zedong with the 10th Panchen Lama and attend the first session of the National People's Congress as a delegate, primarily discussing China's constitution . On 27 September 1954, the Dalai Lama was selected as a Vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, a post he officially held until 1964. Mao Zedong who, "according to
9291-474: The Chinese caught on and within a month all but a few of the team members and thousands of Khampa families were massacred. The CIA guerrilla training failed to take into account that the Khampa warriors travelled with family and livestock in tow. The fourth group had about the same luck. They arrived, received arms drops, were joined by two more teams, but in February 1960 the Chinese killed them along with another 4,000 rebel fighters and their parties. One last group
9454-426: The Chinese continued especially during the unrest between September 1987 until March 1989 in the Tibetan areas of the PRC. But it wasn't until 2008 that a large-scale and coordinated uprising erupted coinciding with international protests accompanying the Olympics torch relay that would end in Beijing where the 2008 Summer Olympics were held. During the annual observance of both the 1959 Tibetan Uprising Day and
9617-414: The Chinese government. Self-immolations, on the other hand, result in dramatic images of the protester while burning or afterwards which can be easily transmitted over the internet to news media and supporters. Internet access has reached even remote areas in the parts of China where Tibetans live. In Tibet, the majority of Muslims are Hui people. Tension between Tibetans and Muslims stems from events during
9780-426: The Chinese had violated it and because, he claimed, it had been signed under duress. He also made clear that he was in favor of economic, social and political reforms, but that the Chinese had not acted in good faith. He closed his first press conference in India in April 1959 by subtly establishing the government-in-exile by declaring, "wherever I am accompanied by my Government, the Tibetan people will recognize such as
9943-513: The Chinese: the security and territorial integrity of the motherland; and for neighbours and other third parties: peaceful borders and international relations. The seeds of the Middle Way Approach were sown in the early 1970s in a series of internal government and external consultations. The Dalai Lama was encouraged in 1979 when Deng Xiaoping told his brother Gyalo Thondup that "except independence, all other issues can be resolved through negotiations". The Dalai Lama agreed to pursue negotiations for
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#173277637955110106-448: The Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama, should be reported to the commission, soul boys should be located and checked by the commission, and a lot-drawing ceremony with the Golden Urn system should be held. Article 6 states that local governments should invite officials from the Central Government to take care of the sitting-in-the-bed ceremony. Article 7 states that soul boys should not be sought from current lama families. This article echoes what
10269-424: The Dalai Lama and arrests citizens for owning photos of him in Tibet. Tibet Autonomous Region government job candidates must strongly denounce the Dalai Lama, as announced on the Tibet Autonomous Region government's online education platform, "Support the (Communist) Party's leadership, resolutely implement the [Chinese Communist] Party's line, line of approach, policies, and the guiding ideology of Tibet work in
10432-441: The Dalai Lama and his administration as "Tibet's true representatives". In October 1998 the Dalai Lama's administration issued a statement acknowledging the Dalai Lama Group received US$ 1.7 million a year during the 1960s from the U.S. government through the Central Intelligence Agency , used to train volunteers, run guerrilla operations against the Chinese, and used to open offices and for international lobbying. A guerrilla force
10595-431: The Dalai Lama as a political-religious leader may now be able to forge a formal relationship with him as a purely religious leader. Dr. Lobsang Sangay , a Fulbright scholar and graduate of Harvard Law School who was born in a refugee camp in India in 1968 and who has never visited Tibet, was named Prime Minister of the CTA on April 27, 2011. He announced that he would spend his first five-year tenure in Dharamsala, India,
10758-439: The Dalai Lama as that he "must [come back] as a Chinese citizen ... that is, patriotism". The Dalai Lama celebrated his 70th birthday on 6 July 2005. About 10,000 Tibetan refugees, monks and foreign tourists gathered outside his home. Patriarch Alexius II of the Russian Orthodox Church alleged positive relations with Buddhists. However, later that year, the Russian state prevented the Dalai Lama from fulfilling an invitation to
10921-417: The Dalai Lama beyond belief. 'My final interview with this remarkable man was toward the end of my visit to China. I was at a meeting of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly when I received a message asking me to go to see him at this house. By then, I had been able to complete a tour of the Chinese provinces, and I was able to tell him truthfully that I had been greatly impressed and interested by all
11084-540: The Dalai Lama continues resisting Chinese domination over Tibetan culture and religion by describing China's policies as "some kind of policy, some kind of cultural genocide is taking place". China is also attempting to ensure that after leaving this lifetime, the Dalai Lama's Avalokiteshvara reincarnates meet China's approval: China has declared that the next Dalai Lama must be born in China, thereby excluding anyone born outside their political control. The Dalai Lama has refused to be reborn in China and has suggested that perhaps
11247-428: The Dalai Lama gave a speech outlining his ideas for the future status of Tibet. The plan called for Tibet to become a democratic "zone of peace" without nuclear weapons , and with support for human rights . The plan would come to be known as the "Strasbourg proposal," because the Dalai Lama expanded on the plan at Strasbourg on 15 June 1988. There, he proposed the creation of a self-governing Tibet "in association with
11410-638: The Dalai Lama in India, Brussels, London and New York, and believed to be focusing on the governments of South and Southeast Asia. A second cyberspy network, Shadow Network , was discovered by the same researchers in 2010. Stolen documents included a year's worth of the Dalai Lama's personal email, and classified government material relating to India, West Africa, the Russian Federation, the Middle East, and NATO. "Sophisticated" hackers were linked to universities in China, Beijing again denied involvement. Chinese hackers posing as The New York Times , Amnesty International and other organisation's reporters targeted
11573-488: The Dalai Lama recognized Gedhun Choekyi Nyima in 1995, who was then forcibly disappeared from public three days later, along with his family, when he was 6 years old. The Chinese government says that he is under state protection, but has refused all requests from human rights organizations, including the UN Human Rights Council, to supply any proof of this. The Chinese government subsequently named their own Panchen Lama Gyaincain Norbu , installed at Tashilhunpo Monastery , who
11736-540: The Dalai Lama's contributions to global peace, his lifelong efforts in uniting Buddhist communities worldwide, and bestowed upon him the title of “Universal Supreme Leader of the Buddhist World.” They also designated 6 July, his birthday, as the Universal Day of Compassion . Lhamo Thondup was born on 6 July 1935 to a farming and horse trading family in the small hamlet of Taktser, or Chija Tagtser, at
11899-554: The Dalai Lama's eldest brother, who served as Chairman of the Cabinet and as Kalon of Security, and Jetsun Pema , the Dalai Lama's younger sister, who served variously as Kalon of Health and of Education. Lobsang Nyandak Zayul who served as a representative of the 14th Dalai Lama in the Americas and a multiple cabinet member. He currently serves as president of The Tibet Fund . The Central Tibetan Administration, together with
12062-543: The Dalai Lamas headed the Tibetan government or Ganden Phodrang . Until 1912 however, when the 13th Dalai Lama declared the complete independence of Tibet , their rule was generally subject to patronage and protection of firstly Mongol kings (1642–1720) and then the Manchu -led Qing dynasty (1720–1912). During the Dalai Lama's recognition process, the cultural Anthropologist Melvyn Goldstein writes that "everything
12225-532: The Emperor converted to Buddhism and established it as the religion of Tibet. An influx of Chinese culture, the Indian alphabet, and Buddhist monks followed, combining with the native customs and animistic religion Bön to give birth to what has become today's ethnic Tibetan people and Tibetan Buddhism , also known as Lamaism. After the break-up of the Tibetan Empire in the mid-9th century, central rule
12388-632: The Government of Tibet." The UN General Assembly responded by passing three resolutions in the first half of the decade calling for "respect for the fundamental human rights of the Tibetan people and for their distinctive cultural and religious life" and recognising the right of the Tibetan people to self-determination . The US responded differently. As he was announcing his whereabouts, the Khampa rebels were met by massive Chinese forces and were nearly obliterated. While they spent several months regrouping,
12551-588: The Indian government, has constructed more than 45 "settlements" in India for Tibetan refugees as of 2020. The establishment of the Tibetan Re-settlement and Rehabilitation (TRR) settlements began in 1966, with the TRR settlements in South India , Darjeeling , and Sikkim becoming officially "protected areas" and requiring special entry permits for entry. A 1978 study by Melvyn Goldstein and
12714-479: The Jokhang in Lhasa." There was very limited Chinese involvement at this time. The family of the 14th Dalai Lama was elevated to the highest stratum of the Tibetan aristocracy and acquired land and serf holdings, as with the families of previous Dalai Lamas. In 1959, at the age of 23, he took his final examination at Lhasa's Jokhang Temple during the annual Monlam Prayer Festival . He passed with honours and
12877-492: The Method of Using Golden Urn for the 14th Dalai Lama was drafted by Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission . On 12 December 1938, regent Reting Rinpoche informed Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission that three candidates were found and ceremony of Golden Urn would be held. Released from Kumbum, on 21 July 1939 the party travelled across Tibet on a journey to Lhasa in the large Muslim caravan with Lhamo Dhondup, now four years old, riding with his brother Lobsang in
13040-458: The Middle Way Approach and a vision of reconciliation, resembling what some historians say was a suzerainty relationship between China and Tibet. The proposal basically calls for the establishment of a democratic Tibet with complete sovereignty over its domestic affairs and non-political foreign affairs, with China retaining its responsibility for Tibet's foreign policy and maintaining its military presence temporarily. The periodic meetings between
13203-600: The Middle Way Approach enjoys widespread support from the international community. In 2008, a group of 29 Chinese dissidents urged Beijing to open direct dialogue with Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. In June 2012, the European parliament in Strasbourg passed a resolution commending the new CTA leadership for its commitment to resolve the issue of Tibet through Middle Way Approach. US President Barack Obama after meeting with Dalai lama on 21 February 2014, issued
13366-458: The Middle Way Approach. Only about 80,000 Tibetans, half of the registered exile population, were eligible to vote because those living in Nepal were prevented by their host country from participating. The 6 million Tibetans inside Tibet and China did not participate. It is unknown if an exile government not led by the Dalai Lama, who was legitimated by religious tradition, will be viable. Meanwhile,
13529-485: The Montana US Forest Service smoke jumpers (who became known as the "Missoula Mafia"). But according to Thundrop, the Dalai Lama did not know about CIA involvement until he reached India. In autumn, the CIA parachuted four groups of Camp Hale trainees inside Tibet. The first was met by Chinese and the men fled for their lives. Two groups arrived safely and even facilitated successful arms drops, but
13692-581: The Muslim warlord Ma Bufang 's rule in Qinghai such as Ngolok rebellions (1917–49) and the Sino-Tibetan War . In the past riots have broken out between Muslims and Tibetans. The repression of Tibetan separatism by the Chinese government is supported by Hui Muslims. In addition, Chinese-speaking Hui have problems with Tibetan Hui (the Tibetan speaking Kache minority of Muslims). The front gate of
13855-467: The Mustang fighters dwindled and already sparse and insufficient arms drops ceased in 1965, leaving an aging and barely armed guerrilla force in dire straits. The 25 small teams of Colorado-trained Tibetans who were sent into Tibet from 1964 to 1967 on fact-finding missions had no better luck. Only two were able to operate in-country for more than two months, finding no support from compatriots. Meanwhile,
14018-618: The Olympic Torch Relay began its 137,000 km route. Tibetan exiles and supporters in Paris, London, San Francisco, New Delhi, Islamabad, and Jakarta, Seoul, etc. used the event to stage protests. In some places they were met by local Chinese and other counter-protesters. The fiasco caused the International Olympic Committee to ban international Torch Relay in the future. The Chinese government blamed
14181-662: The Olympic protests and said that he did not advocate a boycott of the games. He called on demonstrators to refrain from any violence, and gave interviews clarifying that his goals were not currently to seek independence from China. The Dalai Lama threatened to resign over TPUM disobedience to the official policy of non-violence and genuine Tibetan autonomy. In the end, international pressure finally led PRC representatives to renew unofficial talks with their Dharamsala counterparts. As of July 2020, 156 monks, nuns, and ordinary people self-immolated in Tibet since 27 February 2009 when Tapey ,
14344-503: The Panchen Lama had died. Two of his three candidates were crossed off the list but the third, a "fearless" child, the most promising, was from Taktser village, which, as in the vision, was on a hill, at the end of a trail leading to Taktser from the great Kumbum Monastery with its gilded, turquoise roof. There they found a house, as interpreted from the vision—the house where Lhamo Dhondup lived. The 14th Dalai Lama claims that at
14507-544: The Peaceful Liberation of Tibet , which established a PRC sovereignty over Tibet: assuming responsibility for Tibet's external affairs while leaving the domestic governance to the Lhasa government and assuring religious freedoms. The treaty was signed by the Lhasa delegation and the 10th Panchen Lama , who had already switched his loyalty to the PRC after flirting with the Kuomintang and conspiring against
14670-505: The People's Liberation Army of the People's Republic of China (PRC) entered Tibet and the US government made contact with the Dalai Lama's brother Gyalo Thondup , who was living in India, to offer US help, which was rejected. In May 1951, a delegation representing the 14th Dalai Lama , 15 years old at the time, and led by Ngapoi Ngawang Jigmei , traveled to Beijing to be presented with the Seventeen Point Agreement for
14833-557: The People's Republic of China." This would have been pursued by negotiations with the PRC government, but the plan was rejected by the Tibetan Government-in-Exile in 1991. The Dalai Lama has indicated that he wishes to return to Tibet only if the People's Republic of China agrees not to make any precondition for his return. In the 1970s, the Paramount leader Deng Xiaoping set China's sole return requirement to
14996-415: The Tibetan Administration and the executive functions for Tibetans-in-exile in 1991. On 10 March 2011, at 71 years of age, he decided not to assume any political and administrative authority, the Charter of Tibetans in Exile was updated immediately in May 2011, and all articles related to regents were also repealed, and position Sikyong was created. Notable past members of the Cabinet include Gyalo Thondup ,
15159-460: The Tibetan areas of Sichuan are integral parts of Chinese territory. According to The Economist , the self-immolations have caused the government's attitude to harden. Self-immolations by Tibetans protesting Chinese domination of Tibet have had a greater impact than earlier protests; despite considerable loss of life during the Tibetan protests in 2008 on the part of both the Tibetan and Han population in Tibet, casualties were simply not reported by
15322-411: The Tibetan army in warlord -controlled Kham . On 17 November 1950, at the age of 15, the 14th Dalai Lama assumed full temporal (political) power as ruler of Tibet. The Dalai Lama's formal rule as head of the government in Tibet was brief although he was enthroned as spiritual leader on 22 February 1940. When Chinese cadres entered Tibet in 1950, with a crisis looming, the Dalai Lama was asked to assume
15485-420: The Tibetan exile community in India, who number around 100,000. It runs schools, health services, cultural activities and economic development projects for the Tibetan community. As of 2003, more than 1,000 refugees still arrive each year from China, usually via Nepal . Tibetans living outside Tibet can apply at a Central Tibetan Administration office in their country of residence for a personal document called
15648-599: The Tibetan leader's journey home from his year in China, Khampa and Amdowa clan leaders informed his chief of staff of their plans to rebel against the Chinese in retribution for land confiscation and attacks on monasteries. But all was relatively quiet in Lhasa and in April 1956 he received a Chinese delegation to inaugurate the Preparatory Committee for the Autonomous Region of Tibet: a 51-man committee composed mostly of Tibetans. Meanwhile, open rebellion began with
15811-461: The Tibetan leader, treated him as a 'father would treat a son,'" "also showed Tibet’s political leader and its foremost spiritual master its ambivalence to Tibetan Buddhism. The Dalai Lama recounts this episode in his autobiography, My Land and My People , 'A few days later I had a message from Mao Tse-tung to say that he was coming to see me in an hour’s time. When he arrived he said he had merely come to call. Then something made him say that Buddhism
15974-417: The Tibetan representatives to communicate with the Tibetan government in Lhasa. The Tibetan delegation was not authorised by Lhasa to sign, but ultimately submitted to pressure from the Chinese to sign anyway, using seals specifically made for the purpose. The Seventeen Point Agreement recognised Chinese sovereignty over Tibet, but China allowed the Dalai Lama to continue to rule Tibet internally, and it allowed
16137-612: The Tibetans currently living in designated Tibetan autonomous areas within a single autonomous administrative unit is entirely in accordance with the constitutional (Chinese) principle contained in Article 4, also reflected in the Law on Regional National Autonomy LRNA (Article 2), that "regional autonomy is practiced in areas where people of minority nationalities live in concentrated communities." According to Central Tibetan Administration,
16300-543: The Tibetans did during the selection process was designed to prevent China from playing any role". Afterwards in 1939, at the age of four, the Dalai Lama was taken in a procession of lamas to Lhasa. Former British officials stationed in India and Tibet recalled that envoys from Britain and China were present at the Dalai Lama's enthronement in February 1940. According to Basil Gould , the Chinese representative Wu Chunghsin
16463-505: The US Ambassador to China "encouraged the Chinese government to engage in substantive dialogue with the Dalai Lama or his representatives, without preconditions, to seek a settlement that resolves differences". The Chinese Foreign Ministry has warned the US and other countries to "shun" the Dalai Lama during visits and often uses trade negotiations and human rights talks as an incentive to do so. China sporadically bans images of
16626-589: The US failed to form a coalition of nations willing to recognize the Tibetan government-in-exile or even to find countries who would host the Dalai Lama on a tour to explain his cause. Already in July 1958, air drops of arms to the Chushi Gangdruk Tibetan resistance movement had begun, the CIA had relocated Tibetan guerrilla trainees to Camp Hale in Colorado, USA (where a Tibetan community still resides today) and parachute dispatch officers had been recruited from among
16789-530: The age of three by the 13th Dalai Lama as the reincarnation of the high Lama , the 6th Taktser Rinpoche . His fifth brother, Tendzin Choegyal , had been recognised as the 16th Ngari Rinpoche. His sister, Jetsun Pema , spent most of her adult life on the Tibetan Children's Villages project. The Dalai Lama has said that his first language was "a broken Xining language which was (a dialect of )
16952-535: The bipartisan Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission , Jim McGovern . In February 2020, at the annual National Prayer Breakfast , Pelosi prayed as Trump attended; "Let us pray for the Panchen Lama and all the Tibetan Buddhists in prison in China or missing for following their faith". The Central Tibetan Administration is headquartered in McLeod Ganj , Dharamshala , India. It represents the people of
17115-464: The bodhisattva of compassion will simply choose not to return to earth after this lifetime. Since tradition dictates that only the Dalai Lamas can recognize the incarnations of the Panchen Lamas, who in turn can recognize the incarnations of Avalokiteshvara, the recognition of both the Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama incarnates are China's political objective. In the 11th Panchen Lama controversy ,
17278-585: The border with Tibet. Chiang also threatened the Tibetans with aerial bombardment if they worked with the Japanese. Ma Bufang attacked the Tibetan Buddhist Tsang monastery in 1941. He also constantly attacked the Labrang monastery . In October 1950 the army of the People's Republic of China marched to the edge of the Dalai Lama's territory and sent a delegation after defeating a legion of
17441-422: The boy who was to become the 14th Dalai Lama was about two years old. Sir Basil Gould , British delegate to Lhasa in 1936, related his account of the north-eastern team to Sir Charles Alfred Bell , former British resident in Lhasa and friend of the 13th Dalai Lama. Among other omens, the head of the embalmed body of the 13th Dalai Lama , at first facing south-east, had turned to face the north-east, indicating, it
17604-541: The campaign, CTA created a series of documents , website , documentary film and social media handles. More recently in 2018, a delegation of the European Parliament expressed support for the Middle Way Approach. In 2019, a Senator of the Canadian Parliament and the U.S. Department of State 's Report on International Religious Freedom issued calls of support for the Middle Way Approach as
17767-505: The central Tibetan government, which still refused to recognize him as the true Panchen Llama. Later there would be much controversy over the validity of the agreement stemming from claims it was signed under threat of arms and disagreements about whether the delegates had the authority to sign. But at the time, in Lhasa, the Kutra aristocrats mingled with Chinese officials and prospered from this association. Mixed parties were thrown throughout
17930-421: The current CTA policy of the Middle Way Approach and many expressed their frustration in 2008, against the Dalai Lama's wishes, by agitating for independence. With the 14th Dalai Lama announcing his retirement from political life just before the April 2011 elections for Sikyong (Prime Minister) who will henceforth be Tibet's political leader, the nature of resistance may be moving into yet another phase, although
18093-427: The current official position of seeking a peaceful coexistence with China. According to the office of the Dalai Lama the essence of the Middle Way Approach seeks coexistence based on equality and mutual co-operation. It is a: non-partisan and moderate position that safeguards the vital interests of all concerned parties- for Tibetans: the protection and preservation of their culture, religion and national identity; for
18256-576: The decades following the unsuccessful uprising. Simultaneously, in India a coalition of Tibetan exile organizations- Tibetan Youth Congress (YTC), Tibetan Women's Association , Tibetan political prisoners' movement, Students for a Free Tibet and National Democratic Party of Tibet - calling itself the Tibetan People's Uprising Movement (TPUM) struck out on a "Return March to Tibet" on March 10. Carrying Tibetan flags and calling for independence, they planned to reach Tibet on foot just in time for
18419-407: The development projects I had seen. Then he started to give me a long lecture about the true form of democracy, and advised me how to become a leader of the people and how to take heed of their suggestions. And then he edged closer to me on his chair and whispered: 'I understand you very well. But of course, religion is poison. It has two great defects: It undermines the race, and secondly it retards
18582-514: The edge of the traditional Tibetan region of Amdo in Qinghai Province . He was one of seven siblings to survive childhood and one of the three supposed reincarnated Rinpoches in the same family. His eldest sister Tsering Dolma , was 16 years his senior and was midwife to his mother at his birth. She would accompany him into exile and found Tibetan Children's Villages . His eldest brother, Thupten Jigme Norbu , had been recognised at
18745-594: The entire Tibet Autonomous Region and Qinghai province , as well as two Tibetan Autonomous Prefectures and one Tibetan Autonomous County in Sichuan Province, one Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and one Tibetan Autonomous County in Gansu Province and one Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan Province – all of which is termed "Historic Tibet" by the CTA. The CTA attends to the welfare of
18908-632: The escape of the 14th Dalai Lama to India, monks from two different monasteries began marches into Lhasa on 10 March. Peaceful street protests and demonstrations grew, and were met by excessive force from Chinese police and military units on 14 March. Crowd control, shootings, beatings and arrests escalated the tensions, eventually setting off clashes between thousands of Tibetans in the Ramoche section of Lhasa and Chinese security forces. The clashes spread to include arson. Reports indicate more than 1200 Chinese shops, offices, and residences were burned, and fire
19071-586: The establishment of Qing protectorate over Tibet in 1720 that would reach its peak in the 1790s in response to attacks by Nepal, be renewed in 1903 when the British invaded , and would last until 1912. Tibet became independent with the demise of the Manchu Qing dynasty and would remain so until 1950. In his essay Hidden Tibet: History of Independence and Occupation published by the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives at Dharamsala, S.L. Kuzmin , quoting
19234-410: The first two CIA trainees dropped into Tibet to deliver a message from the CIA offering support to the Tibetan leader, it was refused. The second drop of four men was disastrous: only one managed to escape alive. Meanwhile, by 1958 Gompo's army was doing quite well taking control of large portions of central Tibet . "By sunset on March 9 [1959] thousands of men, women, children started to gather outside
19397-647: The first year was a challenge for survival given that the US could not get food supplies to them due to a suspension of overflights stemming from the U-2 incident . By spring 1961, Mustang guerrilla units had begun raids along a 250-mile stretch inside Tibet. In addition, some 12,000 Tibetans eventually joined the Special Frontier Force that manned the Sino-Indian border. But as the years passed without any bases established inside Tibet, US enthusiasm over
19560-805: The forces arrived. The Tibetan chairman of the TAR government Jampa Phuntsok , who was in Beijing at the time, told the foreign press that security personnel in Lhasa had shown great restraint and did not use lethal force. However, it was the chairman of the Chinese Communist Party who was dispatched to Tibet to deal with the situation and the Tibetan officials remained in other provinces. Eventually 90 locations erupted in protests. Their common slogans and Tibetan flags indicated desires for independence or autonomy. China’s stranglehold on Tibet and its brutal suppression of separatist activity has continued in
19723-636: The highest civilian honour of India, which has only been awarded to a non-Indian citizen twice in its history. In 2021, it was revealed that the Dalai Lama's inner circle were listed in the Pegasus project data as having been targeted with spyware on their phones. Analysis strongly indicates potential targets were selected by the Indian government. At the Congressional Human Rights Caucus in 1987 in Washington, D.C. ,
19886-524: The interests of both parties through dialogue and communication and for Tibet to remain a part of China. The Dalai Lama travels worldwide to give Tibetan Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism teachings, and his Kalachakra teachings and initiations are international events. He also attends conferences on a wide range of subjects, including the relationship between religion and science, meets with other world leaders, religious leaders, philosophers, and scientists, online and in-person. His work includes focus on
20049-403: The main mosque in Lhasa was burned down by Tibetan rioters attempting to storm the building while Chinese Hui Muslim shops and restaurants were destroyed in the 2008 Tibetan unrest . Sectarian violence between Tibetan Buddhists and Muslims does not get widespread attention in the media. The 14th Dalai Lama , Tenzin Gyatso, officially announced retirement from his role as the political leader of
20212-566: The massacre of a Communist garrison in Kham which left an estimated 800 Chinese dead, sparking air strikes that killed more Tibetans. In addition, the CIA met with the Dalai Lama's two brothers Thubten Jigme Norbu and Gyalo Thondup in India and offered to train a pilot group of six Khampas in guerrilla warfare and radio communications in Saipan. They were smuggled out of Tibet and would later be parachuted back in to train others and to report back to
20375-464: The memoirs of Soviet diplomat A. M. Ledovsky, claims that on January 22, 1950, during his negotiations with Joseph Stalin in Moscow, Mao Zedong asked him to provide an aviation regiment because he was preparing to advance towards Tibet. Stalin approved these preparations and provided military support with Soviet pilots and airfield personnel dressed in Chinese clothes, because this aid was illegal. In 1950,
20538-426: The name of the entire Tibetan nation. The Central Tibetan Authority is not recognised as a sovereign government by any country, but it receives financial aid from governments and international organisations for its welfare work among the Tibetan exile community in India. In 1991, United States President George H. W. Bush signed a Congressional Act that explicitly called Tibet "an occupied country", and identified
20701-491: The new era; align ideologically, politically, and in action with the Party Central Committee; oppose any splittist tendencies; expose and criticize the Dalai Lama; safeguard the unity of the motherland and ethnic unity and take a firm stand on political issues, taking a clear and distinct stand". The Dalai Lama is a target of Chinese state sponsored hacking. Security experts claim "targeting Tibetan activists
20864-502: The opening of the Olympic Games. Both India and Nepal reminded the Dalai Lama that the Tibetans' welcome in the area was predicated on the agreement of no anti-China political maneuvers from their territories. The Dharamsala government met with the marchers. When it was clear that the marchers would continue their trek, they were arrested by state authorities in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand on March 28. On March 24, 2008
21027-401: The organisation claims to do, and it probably receives millions more in donations. The CTA does not acknowledge such donations or their sources. According to a Chinese source, between 1964 and 1968, the U.S. provided 1.735 million dollars to the Dalai Lama's group each year. In October 1998, The Dalai Lama's administration stated that it had received US$ 1.7 million a year during the 1960s from
21190-615: The others. From 1936 the Hui ' Ma Clique ' Muslim warlord Ma Bufang ruled Qinghai as its governor under the nominal authority of the Republic of China central government. According to an interview with the 14th Dalai Lama, in the 1930s, Ma Bufang had seized this north-east corner of Amdo in the name of Chiang Kai-shek 's weak government and incorporated it into the Chinese province of Qinghai . Before going to Taktser, Kewtsang had gone to Ma Bufang to pay his respects. When Ma Bufang heard
21353-515: The private office of the Dalai Lama, Tibetan Parliament members, and Tibetan nongovernmental organisations, among others, in 2019. At the outset of the 1959 Tibetan uprising , fearing for his life, the Dalai Lama and his retinue fled Tibet with the help of the CIA 's Special Activities Division , crossing into India on 30 March 1959, reaching Tezpur in Assam on 18 April. Some time later he set up
21516-569: The progress of the country. Tibet and Mongolia have both been poisoned by it.'" In his autobiography, Freedom In Exile , the Dalai Lama recalls: "How could he have thought I was not religious to the core of my being?'" In 1956, on a trip to India to celebrate the Buddha's Birthday , the Dalai Lama asked the Prime Minister of India , Jawaharlal Nehru , if he would allow him political asylum should he choose to stay. Nehru discouraged this as
21679-480: The protests stifled.(106–108) In early 1952, Thondup returned to Lhasa with an economic reform plan that would include lowering taxes and land reform . With the Dalai Lama in agreement, Thondup went about implementing the reforms only to meet with strong resistance from the wealthy old guard who labeled him a radical communist. The label sparked the interests of the Chinese who invited him to Beijing to study, but instead he fled back to India, where he began working with
21842-402: The protests, but as tensions escalated an even greater crowd of protesters amassed. After three days of violence, martial law was declared on March 8, 1989, and foreign journalists and tourists were expelled from Tibet on March 10. Reports of deaths and military force being used against protesters were prominent. Numbers of the dead are unknown. Sporadic and isolated outbursts by Tibetans against
22005-407: The revolutionary leaders and the top echelon of the Chinese communist leadership who created modern China. He learned Chinese and socialist ideals, as explained by his Chinese hosts, on a tour of China showcasing the benefits of socialism and the effective governance provided to turn the large, impoverished nation into a modern and egalitarian society, which impressed him. In September 1954, he went to
22168-431: The road we could see why our guards were so jumpy. We saw many burnt-out guardposts and even some tanks that were destroyed by Tibetan guerillas . This was Amdo, where the guerrilla war had gone on for years." Once in exile, the Dalai Lama's discourse changed from cooperative autonomy to independence. He cited the 17-Point Agreement as proof of Tibet's claim to sovereignty, while at the same time he declared it void because
22331-436: The role of head of state at the age of 15, which he did on 17 November 1950. Customarily the Dalai Lama would typically assume control at about the age of 20. He sent a delegation to Beijing, which ratified the Seventeen Point Agreement without his authorisation in 1951. The Dalai Lama believes the draft agreement was written by China. Tibetan representatives were not allowed to suggest any alterations and China did not allow
22494-549: The seat of the CTA. There he will not only assume the administrative responsibilities held by the previous PM, but will succeed the Dalai Lama as the political leader of the Tibetan cause, thus ignoring the PRC insistence that the Dalai Lama be succeeded by means of reincarnation, not another method of selection. Sangay, who once was a militant of the Tibetan Youth Congress , a group that unequivocally supports Tibetan independence, says he has matured and now supports
22657-489: The suppression of the protests, which spread through the Tibetan plateau. Other reports on the clashes estimate among Han settlers, 22 were dead and 325 injured. Damage was estimated at $ 40 million USD. In the Gansu Province, another demonstration by 400 monks was met with Chinese security forces, igniting a clash by more than 5000 Tibetans who again burned down the establishments of local Han and Hui settlers before
22820-502: The three leading candidates currently favor the Middle Way Approach. Isolated geography has naturally defined Tibet as a unique entity, however, its governance and political status have been in flux for centuries. The minor kingdoms and tribal states of the region were first united under Songtsen Gampo to form the Tibetan Empire in the seventh century CE . Under the influence of his Chinese bride and first Nepali wife Bhrikuti,
22983-514: The time, the village of Taktser stood right on the "real border" between the region of Amdo and China. According to the search lore, when the team visited, posing as pilgrims, its leader, a Sera Lama, pretended to be the servant and sat separately in the kitchen. He held an old mala that had belonged to the 13th Dalai Lama, and the boy Lhamo Dhondup, aged two, approached and asked for it. The monk said "if you know who I am, you can have it." The child said "Sera Lama, Sera Lama" and spoke with him in
23146-636: The traditionally Buddhist republic of Kalmykia . The President of the Republic of China (Taiwan), Chen Shui-bian , attended an evening celebrating the Dalai Lama's birthday at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei. In October 2008 in Japan, the Dalai Lama addressed the 2008 Tibetan violence that had erupted and that the Chinese government accused him of fomenting. He responded that he had "lost faith" in efforts to negotiate with
23309-640: The walls of the Summer Palace." On March 10, 1959, the crowd surrounded the summer palace in response to fear that the Communist Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) were planning to arrest the Dalai Lama at "a theatrical performance at the Chinese military camp at Silling-Bhuk." The people were determined not to allow the Dalai Lama to leave Norbulingka palace. Some members of the crowd directed aggression at Tibetan officials that were thought to be Chinese collaborators. Tenpa Soepa, who
23472-597: The welfare of Tibetans and since the early 1970s has called for the Middle Way Approach with China to peacefully resolve the issue of Tibet. This policy, adopted democratically by the Central Tibetan Administration and the Tibetan people through long discussions, seeks to find a middle ground, "a practical approach and mutually beneficial to both Tibetans and Chinese, in which Tibetans can preserve their culture and religion and uphold their identity," and China's assertion of sovereignty over Tibet, aiming to address
23635-413: The world outside Lhasa . The two remained friends until Harrer's death in 2006. Historically the Dalai Lamas or their regents held political and religious leadership over Tibet from Lhasa with varying degrees of influence depending on the regions of Tibet and periods of history. This began with the 5th Dalai Lama 's rule in 1642 and lasted until the 1950s (except for 1705–1750), during which period
23798-488: The year and even by the Dalai Lama himself. The burden on farmers and peasants of supplying the troops with food led to shortages and rising prices, coupled with influenza and smallpox outbreaks, weighted heavy on the majority of Tibetans, who were only marginally surviving before. Protests called "people's assemblies" began in Lhasa, where organizers sent letters of grievances to the government and posted anti-Chinese slogans in public places. The leaders were promptly arrested and
23961-584: Was also in Delhi, assured him of Mao's decision to postpone for six years further reforms in Tibet. Both Nehru and Enlai counseled the Lama to return to Lhasa. Although the Chinese let up on reforms, they continued military operations in the areas in rebellion, causing thousands of refugees to gather around Lhasa. In July 1957, the Dalai Lama hosted a large ceremony in the Potala Palace, during which he accepted
24124-616: Was awarded the Lharampa degree , the highest-level geshe degree, roughly equivalent to a doctorate in Buddhist philosophy . According to the Dalai Lama, he had a succession of tutors in Tibet including Reting Rinpoche , Tathag Rinpoche, Ling Rinpoche and lastly Trijang Rinpoche , who became junior tutor when he was 19 At the age of 11 he met the Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer , who became his videographer and tutor about
24287-470: Was dropped in 1961, but all but one were killed only three months after landing. The survivor was captured and as he says, tortured, until he told the entire story of Colorado. He was released from prison in 1979. At the proposal of Thundop and Gompo Tashi in early 1960, a Tibetan guerrilla base was established in Mustang, Nepal , where some 2,000 mostly ethnic Khampa amassed in such a disorderly fashion that
24450-598: Was dropped, since the Muslim merchants invited them to join their caravan for protection; Ma Bufang sent 20 of his soldiers with them and was paid from both sides since the Chinese government granted him another 50,000 dollars for the expenses of the journey. Furthermore, the Indian government helped the Tibetans raise the ransom funds by affording them import concessions. On 22 September 1938, representatives of Tibet Office in Beijing informed Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission that 3 candidates were found and ceremony of Golden Urn would be held in Tibet. In October 1938,
24613-510: Was during this period that the Gelug order was founded in 1409 and the institution of the Dalai Lama was established in 1569 with the priest-patron relationship between the Altan Khan and the 3rd Dalai Lama (the first two were bestowed the title retroactively). The Dalai Lamas are said to be the reincarnates of the Bodhisattva of Compassion, Avalokiteśvara. It was when the 5th Dalai Lama Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso succeeded in establishing
24776-543: Was established in 1959 and the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies became the primary university for Tibetans in India in 1967. He supported the refounding of 200 monasteries and nunneries in an attempt to preserve Tibetan Buddhist teachings and the Tibetan way of life. The Dalai Lama appealed to the United Nations on the rights of Tibetans. This appeal resulted in three resolutions adopted by
24939-410: Was interpreted, the direction in which his successor would be found. The Regent , Reting Rinpoche , shortly afterwards had a vision at the sacred lake of Lhamo La-tso which he interpreted as Amdo being the region to search. This vision was also interpreted to refer to a large monastery with a gilded roof and turquoise tiles, and a twisting path from there to a hill to the east, opposite which stood
25102-411: Was largely nonexistent over the region for 400 years. But Buddhism survived and when the Mongols conquered the region, Buddhism was adopted as the official religion of their empire. In 1271, Kublai Khan established the Yuan Dynasty and Tibet remained a semi-autonomous entity within it. From the second half of the 14th century until the early 17th, Tibet was ruled by competing Buddhist schools. However, it
25265-399: Was quite a good religion, and Lord Buddha, although he was a prince, had given a good deal of thought to the question of improving the conditions of the people. He also observed that the Goddess Tara was a kind-hearted woman. After a very few minutes, he left. I was quite bewildered by these remarks and did not know what to make of them.' The comments Mao made during their last meeting shocked
25428-467: Was recently appointed to the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference . Central Tibetan Administration The Central Tibetan Administration ( Tibetan : བོད་མིའི་སྒྲིག་འཛུགས་ , Wylie : Bod mi'i sgrig 'dzugs , THL : Bömi Drikdzuk , Tibetan pronunciation: [ˈpʰỳmìː ˈʈìʔt͡sùʔ] , lit. ' Tibetan People's Exile Organization ' ) is the Tibetan government in exile , based in Dharamshala , India . It
25591-526: Was reportedly trained at Camp Hale in Colorado. During his administration, United States President Barack Obama supported Middle Way Policy of the Central Tibetan Administration and met with the Dalai Lama four times, including at the 2015 annual National Prayer Breakfast. In 2021, the Biden Administration pledged its support for the CTA, to which a representative expressed gratitude. [REDACTED] Media related to Central Tibetan Administration at Wikimedia Commons 14th Dalai Lama This
25754-609: Was reportedly unhappy about the position he had during the ceremony. Afterward an article appeared in the Chinese press falsely claiming that Wu personally announced the installation of the Dalai Lama, who supposedly prostrated himself to Wu in gratitude. After his enthronement, the Dalai Lama's childhood was then spent between the Potala Palace and Norbulingka , his summer residence, both of which are now UNESCO World Heritage Sites . Chiang Kai Shek ordered Ma Bufang to put his Muslim soldiers on alert for an invasion of Tibet in 1942. Ma Bufang complied, and moved several thousand troops to
25917-403: Was rumored that he had a very close relationship with the Chinese." PLA General Tan Kuan-sen considered the Dalai Lama to be in danger and offered him refuge if he could make it to the Chinese camp. He declined the offer. A week into the fighting, the general ordered two mortar rounds shot toward the palace. At that point, the Dalai Lama decided the time had come to slip out over the mountains, with
26080-400: Was set to nearly 100 cars, including police vehicles. Monks were arrested at monasteries, and the number of Tibetans killed varies between 140 and 219 deaths. Other Tibetans were arrested, and Amnesty International reports 1000 Tibetans remained "unaccounted for" by June. The paramilitary People's Armed Police were sent in and 50–100 Tibetans were killed. The international community condemned
26243-511: Was so attracted to Marxism, I even expressed my wish to become a Communist Party member. Tibet at the time was very, very backward [...] Marxism talked about self-reliance, without depending on a creator or a God. That was very attractive. [...] I still think that if a genuine communist movement had come to Tibet, there would have been much benefit to the people. Instead the Chinese communists brought Tibet so-called liberation.[...] They started destroying monasteries and killing and arresting lamas. On
26406-428: Was staying at a house on the night of March 10 near Norbulingka said, "When I arrived at the gate I found Kalon Sampho lying on the ground unconscious." Sampho, "...had arrived at Norbulinka [ sic ] in a car with his Chinese bodyguard. They got out of their car and when the crowd saw the Chinese guard they began throwing stones." "Phakpalha Khenchung ...had been killed by the protestors. He was a government official, and it
26569-501: Was waived and approved by the Central Government of the Republic of China . His enthronement ceremony was held in Lhasa on 22 February 1940. At the time of his selection, a form of Tibetan government called Ganden Phodrang administered the traditional Tibetan regions of Ü-Tsang , Kham and Amdo. As Chinese forces re-entered and annexed Tibet , Ganden Phodrang invested the Dalai Lama with temporal duties on 17 November 1950 (at 15 years of age) until his exile in 1959. During
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