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It's 7 decades since China annexed Tibet, and 6 decades since the 14th Dalai Lama went into exile.
I believe it's high time we knew what the #FreeTibet movement is all about today? Let's have a closer look at it.
Thread.
#SaveTibet
I believe it's high time we knew what the #FreeTibet movement is all about today? Let's have a closer look at it.
Thread.
#SaveTibet
But before we get to the movement, let's first look at China.
China is a land of five races: The Han, the Mongols, the Manchus, the Hui and the Tibetans. These 5 races are further broken down into thousands of ethnic groups and tribes.
In other words, China is a diverse nation.
China is a land of five races: The Han, the Mongols, the Manchus, the Hui and the Tibetans. These 5 races are further broken down into thousands of ethnic groups and tribes.
In other words, China is a diverse nation.
The Qing dynasty (flag on the left) was the last imperial dynasty to rule China. It was established in 1636 and ruled China proper from 1644 to 1912, after which it was succeeded by the Republic of China (flag on the right).
In 1720, the Qing dynasty successfully defeated and/
In 1720, the Qing dynasty successfully defeated and/
threw out the Dzungar Khanate and took over Tibet. The Qing dynasty was originally from Manchuria.
Tibet broke free in 1912 and became a separate country. The Republic of China was in complete turmoil from within. There were plenty of civil wars between competing factions.
Tibet broke free in 1912 and became a separate country. The Republic of China was in complete turmoil from within. There were plenty of civil wars between competing factions.
The Kuomintang (KMT) and the Communist Party of China (CPC) fought each other from 1927 to 1949 in what is known today as the Chinese civil war. Despite terrible setbacks at the beginning, the Communists were growing in influence with help from the USSR and Comintern.
On top of that, factions of the Beiyang Army (established by the Qing dynasty) also engaged in sporadic conflicts.
The Japanese invasion of China in 1937 sabotaged China's attempts at industrialization and led to a decade of turmoil. It weakened the KMT considerably.
The Japanese invasion of China in 1937 sabotaged China's attempts at industrialization and led to a decade of turmoil. It weakened the KMT considerably.
After Japan's defeat in 1945, the civil war resumed.
The CPC with logistical help from the USSR finally defeated the KMT and forced them to leave mainland China and retreat to the island of Formosa (Taiwan). The People's Republic of China was established on October 1, 1949.
The CPC with logistical help from the USSR finally defeated the KMT and forced them to leave mainland China and retreat to the island of Formosa (Taiwan). The People's Republic of China was established on October 1, 1949.
Shortly after the formation of the new Republic, CPC annexed Xinjiang from KMT.
In 1950, China annexed Tibet but allowed them to retain their govt via the Seventeen Point Agreement. The 1959 Tibetan uprising led to the dissolution of the govt and the exile of the Dalai Lama.
In 1950, China annexed Tibet but allowed them to retain their govt via the Seventeen Point Agreement. The 1959 Tibetan uprising led to the dissolution of the govt and the exile of the Dalai Lama.
That for the brief history of China till the annexation of Tibet. Now let's move on to Tibetan society.
Tibetan society follows its own four schools of Buddhism. The top three Tulkus (i.e., reincarnations of Buddhist gurus, frankly I don't know how to explain) are as follows:
Tibetan society follows its own four schools of Buddhism. The top three Tulkus (i.e., reincarnations of Buddhist gurus, frankly I don't know how to explain) are as follows:
1. The Dalai Lama.
2. The Panchen Lama.
3. The Samding Dorje Phagmo.
These are titles given to people who are believed to be (by my understanding) the Living Buddhas in Tibetan Buddhism. Willing to be corrected.
The Dalai Lama is considered an incanation of Avalokiteshvara.
2. The Panchen Lama.
3. The Samding Dorje Phagmo.
These are titles given to people who are believed to be (by my understanding) the Living Buddhas in Tibetan Buddhism. Willing to be corrected.
The Dalai Lama is considered an incanation of Avalokiteshvara.
Avalokiteshvara (called Chenrezig in Tibet) is the bodhisattva who encompasses the compassion of all 28(29?) Buddhas. Buddhists don't believe in Gautama Buddha alone, they believe in other Buddhas as well.
The Panchen Lama (Pandita + Chenpo = Great Scholar) is second in line.
The Panchen Lama (Pandita + Chenpo = Great Scholar) is second in line.
The identity of the present Panchen Lama, i.e., 11th Panchen Lama, is disputed. China appointed one Choekyi Gyalpo as the Panchen Lama. This person has been rejected by the Dalai Lama who appointed Gedhun Choekyi Nyima instead. Nyima was taken into custody by Chinese authorities/
Back in 1995 when he was 6 years old and has never been seen or heard from since.
The Samding Dorje Phagmo is the highest female incarnation and considered the physical manifestation of Vajravarahi. The first Samding Dorje Phagmo manifested at the Samding monastery in 1717/
The Samding Dorje Phagmo is the highest female incarnation and considered the physical manifestation of Vajravarahi. The first Samding Dorje Phagmo manifested at the Samding monastery in 1717/
in order to tame the Yamdrok lake which happened to be a dangerous flashpoint for massive floods in Tibet. It's believed that her great siddhi powers terrified the Dzungar Mongol invaders who left the goods and valuables they plundered from Tibet as offerings to her monastery.
The 12th and current Samding Dorje Phagmo, Dechen Choekyi Droenma, born 1938(1942?), was originally appointed by the Dalai Lama but she's seen as a Chinese collaborator. She condemned the 2008 Tibetan uprising and the Dalai Lama.
The 14th and current Dalai Lama is Tenzin Gyatso.
The 14th and current Dalai Lama is Tenzin Gyatso.
He fled to India after the 1959 Tibetan uprising and the subsequent dissolution of the Tibetan govt by Beijing. His base since has been at Dharamsala in the Kangra district in the state of Himachal Pradesh.
Buddhism has 3 major branches:
1. Vajrayana.
2. Mahayana.
3. Theravada.
Buddhism has 3 major branches:
1. Vajrayana.
2. Mahayana.
3. Theravada.
Vajrayana (Tantric sect named after Vajra, a mythical weapon also used in rituals, yana is vehicle) Buddhism is followed in Tibet, Mongolia, Bhutan, Nepal, Northeast India and Ladakh.
Mahayana (i.e., great vehicle) Buddhism is followed in China, Vietnam, Korea and Japan.
Mahayana (i.e., great vehicle) Buddhism is followed in China, Vietnam, Korea and Japan.
Theravada (school of the elders) Buddhism, also known as Southern Buddhism, is followed in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia.
Tibetan Buddhism is a branch of Vajrayana Buddhism.
What about Tibetan society?
To put it shortly, Tibetan society was very feudal.
Tibetan Buddhism is a branch of Vajrayana Buddhism.
What about Tibetan society?
To put it shortly, Tibetan society was very feudal.
Across the centuries, various Dalai Lamas used their standing in society to exploit all Tibetans. They demanded total loyalty to themselves and took as revenue up to 80% of all produce in Tibet. Tibetans were slaves.
Sexual abuse was rampant especially in Buddhist monasteries.
Sexual abuse was rampant especially in Buddhist monasteries.
Tibetans were dirt poor and left reeling. Tibet didn't even have a standing army when China sent its army to capture Tibet in 1950, the Tibetan army surrendered without much resistance. There was plenty of internal resistance to the Tibetan govt back then. Tibetans were fed up.
The slave-owners, political class and heads of temples who barely accounted for 5% of Tibet's population had control over 98% of all the land and livestock.
Highly recommended read: A. Tom Grunfeld's book "The Making of Modern Tibet". Released in 1996. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1145872.The_Making_Of_Modern_Tibet
Highly recommended read: A. Tom Grunfeld's book "The Making of Modern Tibet". Released in 1996. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1145872.The_Making_Of_Modern_Tibet
In other words, Tibet wasn't the paradise it's made out to be. It was a feudal society wherein heads of various temples, headed by the Dalai Lama (literally the biggest slave-owner), exploited Tibetans in the name of religion.
There was widespread torture in brutal ways that/
There was widespread torture in brutal ways that/
would put the Nazis and the Japanese empire to shame. Disobedient slaves had their eyes gouged out, tongues cut out, arms broken and hamstrings severed.
Many slaves weren't paid for their labor. They had to arrange transport, rear livestock, cleanup the temples/monasteries, etc.
Many slaves weren't paid for their labor. They had to arrange transport, rear livestock, cleanup the temples/monasteries, etc.
Without pay.
Worse, they were heavily taxed.
Getting married? Pay tax.
Child birth? Pay tax.
Death in the family? Tax.
Going to prison? Getting released? Taxes for both.
Keeping domestic animals? Tax.
Attending religious festivals? Tax.
Going to another village? Passage tax.
Worse, they were heavily taxed.
Getting married? Pay tax.
Child birth? Pay tax.
Death in the family? Tax.
Going to prison? Getting released? Taxes for both.
Keeping domestic animals? Tax.
Attending religious festivals? Tax.
Going to another village? Passage tax.
You might have gotten the idea now. Tibet was such a nightmare for Tibetans.
Sure, it was a paradise, i.e., if you consider enslaving and exploiting 98% of the population as a price to pay for that paradise.
Children were taken to monasteries to become monks for life.
Sure, it was a paradise, i.e., if you consider enslaving and exploiting 98% of the population as a price to pay for that paradise.
Children were taken to monasteries to become monks for life.
Children of peasants were particularly sexually exploited, some of them many times.
The plight of girls and young women was particularly galling. They were exploited at will.
If your parents were poor slaves, your life starts and ends as a slave. There's no reprieve for you.
The plight of girls and young women was particularly galling. They were exploited at will.
If your parents were poor slaves, your life starts and ends as a slave. There's no reprieve for you.
Torture and mutilation were widespread as well. Slaves who dissented paid a heavy price.
There are several accounts of former slaves who were tortured so badly that they couldn't help themselves at all. For them, the Chinese annexation of Tibet in 1950 was a godsend indeed.
There are several accounts of former slaves who were tortured so badly that they couldn't help themselves at all. For them, the Chinese annexation of Tibet in 1950 was a godsend indeed.
The monks who proclaimed detachment from the world lived comfortably and didn't even care about beggars on the road.
Monasteries lent money to slaves who couldn't pay taxes at 20-50% interest. If the slaves couldn't pay back their debts, the debts get passed down to the next/
Monasteries lent money to slaves who couldn't pay taxes at 20-50% interest. If the slaves couldn't pay back their debts, the debts get passed down to the next/
generation and the monasteries will demand their slavery for the rest of their lives.
Read more about all the horrors in Tibet in this article by Michael Parenti.
http://www.swans.com/library/art9/mparen01.html
The power of propaganda blinds us to the heartbreaking realities behind the veil.
Read more about all the horrors in Tibet in this article by Michael Parenti.
http://www.swans.com/library/art9/mparen01.html
The power of propaganda blinds us to the heartbreaking realities behind the veil.
The Guardian also has an article regarding the same:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/feb/10/tibet-china-feudalism
The descendants of Tibetans who were held as slaves revere Chairman Mao to this day. This is why Tibetan freedom from China is a wild goose chase. Tibetans today don't want their old feudalism back.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/feb/10/tibet-china-feudalism
The descendants of Tibetans who were held as slaves revere Chairman Mao to this day. This is why Tibetan freedom from China is a wild goose chase. Tibetans today don't want their old feudalism back.
So what are all these "Free Tibet" and "Save Tibet" movements about?
Money!
At one point of time, the Tibetan elite exploited ordinary Tibetans and lived like Bourbons. Now that China took over, they need a new source of money.
How else do they make quick money if not NGOs?
Money!
At one point of time, the Tibetan elite exploited ordinary Tibetans and lived like Bourbons. Now that China took over, they need a new source of money.
How else do they make quick money if not NGOs?
Tourists who've been to the Dalai Lama's present base, i.e., Dharamsala, would've been taken in by the anti-China propaganda and donated a lot of money.
Tibetan NGOs claim to run programs to help poor people get education, feed poor people, etc., but ultimately the money goes/
Tibetan NGOs claim to run programs to help poor people get education, feed poor people, etc., but ultimately the money goes/
into the pockets of those who run such NGOs. They're money-minting rackets more than anything else.
You would've seen them in the Netherlands, Germany, Australia, the UK, heck even in Norway.
All of them aim to bring more attention to their cause in order to make money.
You would've seen them in the Netherlands, Germany, Australia, the UK, heck even in Norway.
All of them aim to bring more attention to their cause in order to make money.
Here are some hard facts. The govt of India:
1. Gave Tibetans asylum.
2. Gave them free land.
3. Allowed them to set up their "govt in exile" within India's borders.
Tibetans became really rich growing and exporting Himachal apples in the free land they got from the Indian govt.
1. Gave Tibetans asylum.
2. Gave them free land.
3. Allowed them to set up their "govt in exile" within India's borders.
Tibetans became really rich growing and exporting Himachal apples in the free land they got from the Indian govt.
Supreme irony: Tibetan exiles live in luxury. They travel in cars which most Indians can't dream of buying even in their middle ages. They also roam around in shoes that are made in China and primarily use Apple products, all of which are manufactured in - you guessed it - China.
They eat in all kinds of restaurants most native Indians can only dream of. They also engage in rampant sexual escapades with foreign tourists.
Are we supposed to believe that this is an enlightened population unfairly suppressed by the evil Godless Chinese Communists?
Are we supposed to believe that this is an enlightened population unfairly suppressed by the evil Godless Chinese Communists?
To be sure, there are some genuine Tibetans who want freedom from China and also want to rid Tibet of its feudalism. But here's the problem: They're few and far in between. Most "Free Tibet" movements are money-minting scams. The lifestyle of Tibetans in India is far from those/
of struggling refugees.
Let's take the Uighurs of Xinjiang. The Uighur diaspora in Turkey, Australia, the USA, etc., are mostly middle class or poor people struggling to eke out a living. Their cause is genuine and their lifestyles reflect their needs and demands.
Let's take the Uighurs of Xinjiang. The Uighur diaspora in Turkey, Australia, the USA, etc., are mostly middle class or poor people struggling to eke out a living. Their cause is genuine and their lifestyles reflect their needs and demands.
Can we say the Tibetans who run NGOs, use products made in China and engage in sexual escapades are in the same league as the Uighurs?
Why exactly are they raising money? Do they plan to raise a well-trained army like, say Hezbollah or the LTTE, in order to combat China's PLA?
Why exactly are they raising money? Do they plan to raise a well-trained army like, say Hezbollah or the LTTE, in order to combat China's PLA?
ROFL.... Not in a million years!
Does any country seriously consider supporting Free Tibet? No.
Also note that China is a nuclear-armed state that's part of the UNSC and the world's second largest economy after the United States. What chance does anybody stand against China?
Does any country seriously consider supporting Free Tibet? No.
Also note that China is a nuclear-armed state that's part of the UNSC and the world's second largest economy after the United States. What chance does anybody stand against China?
Much less a ragtag bunch of Tibetan militias, if at all such an army is raised?
We all know the obvious answer, and so do Tibetans. This is why they run NGOs for charity, like helping the poor get food and education. In the end, all the money goes into their pockets.
We all know the obvious answer, and so do Tibetans. This is why they run NGOs for charity, like helping the poor get food and education. In the end, all the money goes into their pockets.
Read more about it here:
https://web.archive.org/web/20150403020208/http://www.fullstopindia.com/skip-save-tibet/
Conclusion: Save Tibet/Free Tibet movements are mostly scams. Avoid them.
This is the end of my take on Tibet. Thank you all for reading. Have a nice day.
https://web.archive.org/web/20150403020208/http://www.fullstopindia.com/skip-save-tibet/
Conclusion: Save Tibet/Free Tibet movements are mostly scams. Avoid them.
This is the end of my take on Tibet. Thank you all for reading. Have a nice day.
Addendum: The CPC/CCP are no angels. Indeed, they're brutal and repressive. However Tibet enjoys considerable autonomy even today. They can follow Buddhism and also carry their traditional knives which Han Chinese can't do.
China is a diverse nation. Chinese society is diverse.
China is a diverse nation. Chinese society is diverse.
Also wanted to add: Anybody remember the song "Sadda Haq" from Ranbir Kapoor-starrer Rockstar (2011)? It also talks about Free Tibet.
Ironically enough, Free Tibet turned out to be one of the biggest money-making rackets post-WWII!
Ironically enough, Free Tibet turned out to be one of the biggest money-making rackets post-WWII!
