The Future of Tibet, a re-post in honor of Tibetan Uprising Day

Last updated on: March 10, 2014 at 8:42 pm by Justin Whitaker

The Future of Tibet, a re-post in honor of Tibetan Uprising Day 2014-03-10T20:42:44-06:00 Justin Whitaker

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Tibetan Center in Kingston, New York, held a discussion last year of the six decades of human rights abuses in Tibet under Chinese occupation, the recent rise in protests (especially self-immolations), and the possibilities concerning the future of Tibet.

The Future of Tibet

Saturday, February 23, 2-4 pm

Bertelsmann Campus Center, Bard College

In 2012, there was an intensification of protests and a sharp increase in the number of self-immolations by Tibetans, a response to the continued annexation of their homeland by the People’s Republic of China. Tibet observers and analysts cite six decades of human rights violations and cultural and religious repression as some of the main causes. The panel discussed human rights, the possibility for Tibetan autonomy or independence, and how we, the world community, can help Tibet to shape its future with Robert Barnett as Moderator.

Lobsang Nyandak, Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the Americas

Tendor, Executive Director, Students for a Free Tibet

Robert Barnett, Director, Weatherhead East Asia Institute, Modern Tibet Studies Program, Columbia University

Robert Thurman,Tibetan Studies scholar and president of Tibet House US [click here for his recent youtube talk on Tibet]

Ming Xia, Professor of Political Science, City University of New York

For more on events like this, visit http://www.tibetancenter.org/

Last February, Tsampa Revolution (a group you can follow on facebook) released images from Amdo, eastern Tibet, showing Tibetans defiantly reciting poetry (you read that correctly) in their native language. Chinese authorities have tried for years to replace education in Tibetan with (Mandarin) Chinese, sparking several protests over the years. February 21st, the day of the protests, was International Mother Language Day.

Chinese oppression is not the only force working to destroy Tibetan culture. The Guardian newspaper recently (2013) ran an article about Christian missionaries there, working undercover to convert Tibetans. Tibet has a long history of contact from Western missionaries. Under Geluk and Mongolian rule, Tibetan officials have often been open and curious about foreign religions, with one famous (Jesuit) missionar, Ippolito Desideri, only being forced to leave by rival orders in his own church. At other times, Tibet has been notoriously closed-off from foreigners.

These days, missionaries enter under false-pretenses, often as tourists but also sometimes as business people, exploiting changes in China’s (and thus Tibet’s) economy:

…experts say that changing economic circumstances could make foreign Christians more influential in Tibetan society now than at any point in history.

Robbie Barnett, a leading Tibet expert at Columbia University, argues that the missionary phenomenon overturns the standard notion of western attitudes towards Tibet – that western society is intent on protecting Tibetan religion, while the Chinese government is more concerned with dismantling it. “If you look at foreigners there, there are people whose commitment is to the opposite – it’s to replace Tibetan religion with their own religion.”

More than 10 people interviewed for this article said that Chinese authorities in Tibetan areas were selectively tolerant of missionaries for reasons that range from pragmatic to borderline sinister.

It is (somewhat) understandable that Christians would like to spread their “Good News” in Tibet. What is unfortunate is the destruction of culture that is likely to accompany that spread (think of US Native Americans). Missionaries also become pawns, either willingly or not, in China’s game of control over Tibetans. As Barnett goes on to state: “China isn’t trying to destroy religion by any means, but they’re trying to destroy certain parts of Tibetan religion. They’re not the same project by any means, but they certainly have some congruency.”

Educate yourself, educate your friends and family.

http://www.tibetinfonet.net/
http://www.savetibet.org/
http://www.tibet.org/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-16689779
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/13/opinion/13sperling.html
Also, don’t forget about Joshua Eaton’s indigogo campaign for a new resource for journalists, activists, and educators documenting recent events in Tibet: Tibet on Fire. (This campaign has closed but you can still support Joshua’s efforts via his website http://www.joshuaeaton.net/)

From 2014:

* last year’s post can be found here.

Previous Post

March 10, 2014

Prof. Robert Thurman on Tibetan Buddhism & Michael Roach's "cult" - Dateline NBC

Next Post

March 13, 2014 Announcement: Master of Arts in Peace Studies Program and Journal

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Academia Activism American Buddhism Art Book review Buddhism Buddhism Today Buddhist Ethics Burma/Myanmar China Christianity Commodification Environment Gender Happiness Health Humor India Interfaith Islam Japanese Buddhism Kant Media / News Meditation mindfulness Photography Poetry Politics quicktakes Running Teaching Technology Thailand Theism/Atheism Theravada Tibet Tibetan Buddhism Travels Uncategorized Unitarian Universalism video Western Philosophy Zen

Select a Month June 2021 January 2021 November 2020 August 2020 July 2020 March 2020 January 2020 October 2019 August 2019 June 2019 May 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 November 2004 September 2004 August 2004

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz