The self-immolations in Tibet are in reality suicides, and a running count of the number of times the Tibetan leadership has disappointed their people with their inability to initiate meaningful dialogue with China. Click to enlarge.
The opinion piece below was sent to dorjeshugden.com for publication. We accept submissions from the public, please send in your articles to [email protected].
By: Solaray Kusco
In the wake of the latest self-immolation where a young farmer set himself alight for the Tibetan cause, a few questions will invariably spring to the mind of any reasonable and objective observer. Over and over again, Tibetans young and old have taken their lives for the Tibetan cause and it is a trend that does not look to be slowing down nor stopping in the near future. So the main concern would be why people from a Buddhist community keep committing suicide despite being guided by perhaps the most famous Buddhist principle of all, to refrain from killing.
The latest victim of suicide and the Tibetan leadership’s ineffective governance. The Sikyong Lobsang Sangay holds China responsible for this young man’s death. Yet, one would logically assume that it is the Tibetan leadership who is responsible for Tibetan lives, and not the Chinese leadership. Click to enlarge.
What is happening to the community as a whole that is compelling so many Tibetans to act this way? Why are Tibetan suicides continuing to increase unchecked? To find the answers, we need to look to their leadership. For despite being a Buddhist community and a self-proclaimed democracy, the Tibetan leadership have remained comparatively silent over the self-immolations. In their silence and their refusal to condemn these deaths, the Tibetan leadership are actually complicit in the deaths of their people, by doing nothing to stop them.
Some might claim that the leadership do not know what to say, or are unaware of the need to say something. That however, could not be further from the truth. The silence from the Tibetan leadership is definitely intentional as demonstrated by His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s most recent interview with John Oliver. During the interview, His Holiness said that it is difficult for him to speak against self-immolations because to do so would cause suffering to the loved ones of those who killed themselves. It would lead them to think their deaths were in vain.
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Instead of that thought, we request His Holiness to think the other way, and think of all the lives he could have saved and could save in the future. Think of the mothers and fathers, and the hundreds of families whose pain and anguish would not have arisen if he had said something against the suicides many years ago. Think of all the people he could save from experiencing this same pain in the future because fewer people are encouraged to kill themselves.
But does Dharamsala, where the Tibetan leadership are headquartered, really care about this when self-immolations are convenient scapegoats for their failures? In the last 60 years, Dharamsala has been unable to provide a viable source of income for their people, and continues to rely on international handouts whenever disaster strikes. By any sociological and economical measure, 60 years is more than enough time to develop a community. Governments have fallen and risen, wars have been fought and brand new countries have been established in that time. Thus the Tibetan failure to develop their community into a self-sustaining one can only be attributed to its political leadership.
There is a relationship between the Tibetan leadership’s activities and the death of their people. In general, whenever a significant individual (for example His Holiness the Dalai Lama or Karmapa) hint at disapproval of the deaths, the number of self-immolations reduces. Clearly the Tibetan leadership’s words have a huge impact on the lives and deaths of their people. Click to enlarge.
And so as long as there are Tibetans who keep sacrificing themselves for Dharamsala’s lousy leadership, the leadership will always have a scapegoat for their lazy politics. What is wrong with the Tibetan leadership that after 60 years, they still cannot manage to secure meaningful dialogue with China? Surely that would be the most urgent task, something that the leadership would prioritize over self-aggrandizing speeches and attacks on their political opponents. One would certainly assume that they would prioritize this, and do whatever it takes to stop the burning of their own people.
In actuality however, self-immolations do not add pressure to China to open dialogue with the Tibetan leadership. Self-immolations actually give the Tibetan leadership an excuse to be lazy about their interactions with China. They are a convenient tool for Dharamsala to procrastinate in getting results, leading to the subconsciously-held attitude that “there is always someone else who can burn themselves, we can afford to wait”.
But the fact of the matter is, the Tibetan community cannot wait. It is a numbers game that the Tibetan people are playing, and it is the numbers game that the Tibetan people will lose. By sheer volume, the Chinese vastly outnumber the number of people who ethnically identify as Tibetan, most of whom live under Chinese control anyway. All the Chinese leadership needs to do to win is to simply wait it out. Wait it out until Tibet runs out of people willing to kill themselves.
So some might even say that the Tibetan leadership’s intentional silence is in fact their encouragement and approval of these suicides, to distract from their political failures. This is a hypocritical view indeed considering that they always talk about being guided by Buddhist principles, but it would definitely not be remiss to say that they rejoice in this loss of lives. Memorials exist in places like Majnu-ka-tilla in Delhi and Dharamsala in North India for the Tibetans who died in vain. Who else in the world erects memorials for those who commit suicide? The cold hard truth is that they killed themselves and their deaths did not bring about any geopolitical changes. Those public memorials do nothing but glamorize these deaths and encourage more people to follow in their footsteps, but there is no glory in young men and women burning themselves because the leadership are too busy lining their pockets to provide for their people.
The Tibetan leadership think this list memorializes the deaths and pressures the Chinese leadership into initiating dialogue but what it really is is a list of how many times Dharamsala has disappointed and failed their people. Click to enlarge.
Thus, in reality what the Tibetan leadership and Tibetan non-governmental organizations should do is stop glamorizing self-immolations as a glorious sacrifice for Tibet. Stop promoting self-immolations, and stop generating infographics and graphs and charts to show how many Tibetans have killed themselves for Dharamsala’s ineffective governance and inability to lead their people effectively. All these charts and graphs do is show just how badly the Tibetan leadership has failed their people, and how many times they have failed their people. For every Tibetan who sets themselves alight, it is another black stain against Dharamsala’s reputation, conscience and karma because it is something they could have stopped.
Having a conscience however, may not be something that Dharamsala has, judging from the contradictions in their politics. They eagerly blame the Chinese leadership for these self-immolations, while simultaneously contradicting their assertion that they should be an independent nation. Since they make this assertion, would it not behoove them to act like an independent government and take responsibility for their own people’s lives and deaths? In saying that this matter is up to the Chinese leadership, and that the Chinese are responsible for Tibetan deaths, the Tibetan leadership actually devolve responsibility for their own people’s lives to an external source.
Which one is it – the Chinese are responsible for Tibetan lives, or the Tibetans are responsible for Tibetan lives? It cannot be both ways. Yet, in their rush to ascribe blame to the Chinese for these deaths, it is clear that Dharamsala will at every turn seize the opportunity to devolve themselves of all responsibility for anything. The Tibetan leadership needs to find another way to save Tibet and accomplish their goals without sacrificing any more Tibetan lives.
The sad thing about this graph is that it would be zero throughout the years if the Tibetan leadership were effective in their job, and if they spent more time serving their people instead of squabbling with political opponents. Click to enlarge.
At the end of the day, it is not the Chinese leadership who are to be blamed for the Tibetan self-immolations. It is the Tibetan leadership who stay silent and allow their people to commit suicide, when they could very well put a stop to it by telling them it is wrong and unpatriotic to reduce the Tibetan population in this way. It is the Tibetan leadership’s inability to break through to China after 60 years, that is leading to these deaths. And it is the Tibetan leadership’s unreasonable unwillingness to compromise with the Chinese leadership and to find a creative solution to the problem.
At the end of the day, the buck stops with the leadership in Dharamsala and they – and only they alone – are answerable for the hundreds of men and women who have lost their lives for Tibet.
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Michaela Smith
April 3, 2017
Self-immolation for Tibetan cause has been going on for many years. Most self immolation in recent years are associated with Tibet or Tibetan cause. We can only watch in horror as the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan leadership in exile refused to condemn or speaks against self-immolation to prevent any future incidents. Staying silence for whatever reasons can be deemed as encouraging future more Tibetans to sacrifice their own lives by burning themselves in the name of Tibetan cause.
If the purpose of the CTA to coerce the Chinese through this method, definitely it has not been successful. In fact China has become more suspicious of the Dalai Lama and the CTA. I really hope the Dalai Lama and the CTA will discourage any future self-immolation and find a healthier way to reach out to China.
Doreen Park
April 5, 2017
Tibet Burning!
To date the total number of self-immolations in Tibet have reached 146. The latest case -a farmer, Pema Gyaltsen, 26 , of Kam, occurred on 18th March 2017. What a waste of yet another young life, with 6 dependents, including aged parents!
Why does the CTA continue to put the blame of these deaths on the Chinese Government?Why have these deaths – 146 now- not been called to a halt earlier, so as to prevent it from escalating to such a huge number ? Tibetans worship the Dalai Lama. If the Dalai Lama had issued an order to stop self-immolations, they would have listened. Why keep quiet, when their deaths will not gain Tibet its independence? Furthermore, all of these suicide cases have only one cause -the cause of Tibet’s freedom or independence, which is now only a pipe-dream . The Dalai Lama and CTA have shifted to the ” middle way” policy of requesting for Tibet’s autonomy, not independence. There hasn’t been much negotiations going on, even with a policy-change to a request for autonomy.
From all this , it is very clear, that the immolators have been mere scapegoats to the government’s lack of action . Their silence in response to the immolations, appear to be taken by the immolators as tacit agreement and encouragement , hence the continuing of the immolations. Behind each immolation lies the story of much suffering as outcome -as families left behind are left to suffer, with possible repercussions of beatings and imprisonment by the Chinese authorities. Each case of self-immolation is a case of suicide. In Buddhism, suicide, the taking of one’s life, is a grave misdeed with definite karmic consequences. Hence , each death is so very tragic and needless. Whither now, CTA?
Ringo Starr
April 5, 2017
Here is another disgusting cemetry full of dead Tibetans who killed themselves, and as this article well explains, is a mere signpost of the CTA’s failures.
It is so sad, so sad.
https://www.savetibet.org/resources/fact-sheets/self-immolations-by-tibetans/
Belinda Mae
April 6, 2017
I find that the Tibetan leadership and the CTA are fooling themselves. Instead of bringing their people together, they can totally ignore their people who sets themselves on fire just to fight for FREEDOM. Why must the Tibetan leadership and CTA blame CHINA & blame DORJE SHUGDEN for anything that is not going on right for them? They should contemplate and see that the fault is with them. Are they really so cold blooded? They really should do something before more and more people take their own life.
SabrinaS
April 8, 2017
‘During the interview, His Holiness said that it is difficult for him to speak against self-immolations because to do so would cause suffering to the loved ones of those who killed themselves. It would lead them to think their deaths were in vain.’
What should follow is “It is wrong to kill oneself as our human lives are precious and should be valued to benefit others. However, I will not let their deaths be in vain and will work towards the dialogue with China with successful return of all Tibetans in Exile to their homeland”. Now that will be something that stop the self-immolation and not allow the death of those who did to be in vain, don’t you think?
In the article by CTA, Sikyong Lobsang Sangay was quoted as saying “I am saddened by the self-immolation. Another young Tibetan has sacrificed his life for the just cause of Tibet. It is a reminder that repression is continuing in Tibet under the Chinese rule and it is time the Chinese Government must heed to the calls of Tibetans in Tibet who long for freedom in Tibet and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama back to Tibet. China must address the genuine aspirations of people in Tibet”.
What a load of ‘c**p’ as the saying goes (pardon my language). Just cause? CTA had made a mockery of this just cause of Tibet and no Leader of States put any value in it anymore except to dredge it up when it suits them to take the jab at China. Repression is as CTA sees it because the truth is many Tibetans in Tibet/China had better living conditions whilst their culture, historical & holy buildings are preserved and infrastructure are being upgraded, causing billions to the Chinese government. Instead it is CTA who practices repression by banning a perfectly authentic 400 year old protector practice of Dorje Shugden, incite hatred causing abuses, threats and sufferings to the practitioners. They are denied of access to medical treatments, schooling, funds that had been sponsored for their welfare, identification or travel documents, voting rights and even to purchase their daily groceries or needs. Pure monks who held loyal to this practice given by their Guru, were kicked out of their monasteries and properties stolen or destroyed. If this is not repression of their people then what is?
And genuine aspirations of people in Tibet? CTA is also making a mockery of that too. If CTA had genuinely cared, then they won’t have created so much animosity towards China through their vulgar accusations, giving World Leaders ammunition to put China down. Now that China has progressed in policies and outreach, many of these World Leaders are seeking agreements with China. How could CTA or anyone for the matter expect China to take this slanderous propaganda and still approve their return? CTA forgets that Tibet is in China, a fact accepted and endorsed by World Leaders. Instead of looking West, CTA should look towards China and work with her to reach a favourable agreement for the return. Makes one think that CTA is purposeful in their aggravation of China. What is CTA’s motive? Certainly not very honourable is it? Definitely not towards their people and the Dalai Lama’s wishes to return home.
Those with intention of self-immolation should really know CTA’s true colours and not waste their precious human lives but instead should remain strong to work from within to achieve their autonomy.
Camillia
April 10, 2017
The Latin adage: qui tacet consentire videtur, “he who is silent is taken to agree”, “silence implies/means consent,” in this case, applies to the Dharamsala leadership in regards to Tibetan people taking their life. One of the basic of Buddha’s teachings “No Killing” seems to be completely lost in the Dharamsala’s quest for power and cover for their failures. Dalai Lama’s silence is akin to consent, giving his endorsement to the people killing themselves for the Tibetan Cause that had seen zero progress only because Dharamsala FAIL to secure any dialog with Beijing on the issue.
And, by any chance, should the Dharamsala feel that the self immolation is a strategy to put the blame on Beijing and show the world how cruel Beijing is, it is NOT WORKING. It only shows how UNBUDDHIST Dharamsala is, total lack of consciences despite under the ruling of the Buddhist King himself. It also shows the backwater mentality of this same leadership in thinking that the world at large will think that it is China who would be responsibled for the lives of those who burning themselves in the name of Dalai Lama.
Dharamsala should stop using own people who are loyal as pawn to play dirty polittics and create a show so shallow. Life of people are precious. Stop playing with it.
bambi
April 15, 2017
I cannot for one second think of how can the blame be put on China.
Why cant HHDL and CTA do something about it?
I find it very disgusting to see CTA name the people who committed suicide and put them in a list. Excuse me, you do not have the rights to put those names. You did nothing! You in fact, caused it and making the situation worse!
Dear Dalai Lama, you must please STRONGLY advise the TIbetans to STOP killing themselves for a cause that is in vain. You must prevent your people from doing something that will not save Tibet. Sorry to say this, there are billions of people in China, I dont think Tibetans immolating themselves, will bring much difference to the Chinese govt. You and CTA should find other ways. Not sacrifice your own people for a cause that YOU should be the ones fighting for!
Wisdommind
April 18, 2017
With heavy heart to those self scrifice has suicide for Tibet good cause it does not bring any purpose anymore if Tibetan leadership don’t make any dialogue with China government. All the change at the pass to let Tibatan people in exile live better in foreign country for pass 60 years has waste.
Tibetan leadership must stop their Tibetan people stop suicide immediately. Use the correct channel contact China. Not always put the blame to China and encourage their own Tibetan people keep scrifice for nothing. If Tibetan leadership has done so much to save Tibet, how come their own people in exile are keep suffering, no human right what they can do at foreign country and religion practice freedom. Is time to stop tell all the lie to the world. Make right thing to bring Tibetan have better life.
Geraldine Sarie
April 18, 2017
I think the number on self-immolation will be increased as long as CTA still continue showing their self ignorance towards their people. This is a real proved Tibetan people have completely lost hope in their lives for the love of their country. Can’t H.H Dalai Lama see it? Or put a ban on it to dodge this accident.
CTA is completely c**p. They attack, abused, humiliated, assaulted innocence who unintentionally speak out, monks and lay people that practices Dorje Shugden. Other than that, CTA accused China of causing their management failure. What sort of leaderships is this? There’s no spirituality and there is no awareness of their causes of failure. Who will ever stand by on such leadership?
Anonymous
April 18, 2017
Taking life is never in any equation of Buddhism. Looking at the people that torch themselves for whatever reason is definitely a no! no!.
Reading from CTA website, Sikyong Dr. Lobsang Sangya only express his sadness and use his people death to threatened China for their independent. He didn’t even ask his people to stop this action. How can CTA keeping quiet for their own people burning themselves instead of protecting them?
His Holiness the Dalai Lama preaching for peace and dialogue to resolve conflict but why in this situation says nothing to stop this? How sad can it be to see more people kill themselves or stop as many as it can and unite the Tibetan and make them stronger?
Tibetan need to realised now how CTA works here and non of their action is protecting their people. They can allow suffering within their own people, promote violent within their own people, discriminate their own people. How can one rely on such governance? It have been close to 60 years what actually CTA has achieved in helping their people with the fund they received from other countries? We have seen how CTA use the fund to separate their own people just because they practice Dorje Shugden by promoting reading and visual material. How can this help Tibetan as a whole? How can this preserve Tibetan culture? How can this help the young Tibetan leaders? How can this promote human values, religious harmony? How can this unite and make Tibetan stronger?
I don’t see any productive action that CTA had done that worth for the world to say that they have done a good job for their cause and their really work their ass off for peace, unity and harmony. How many more Tibetan need to sacrifice for CTA selfish act?
samayakeeper
April 18, 2017
No one, no government, no religious or spiritual head should condone the act of self immolation. Any responsible government or religious/spiritual leader would speak up against it. This subject should be talked of in the monasteries, in schools, in the media for Tibetans to be educated: that taking one’s own life is not heroic nor considered martyrdom. The Dalai Lama should go around giving advice on this matter. But no, instead he goes around telling people that the practice of Dorje Shugden by the great Tibetan matters of the past is wrong. Dorje Shugden practice has not caused anyone to die, no one took their own life from the practice. Yet the Dalai Lama is condemning Dorje Shugden. So illogical and no compassion being shown to those who lost their life believing that self immolation is heroic and probably being called martyrs. It makes no sense that the Dalai Lama speaks of loving compassion yet remain silent on self immolation, an act that goes against the teaching of Buddhism.
vajra-NMD
April 18, 2017
I think those Tibetians are stupid and retro to want the religious dictatorship they suffered under when the Dali Lama was in charge. The reason they are persecuted is that they are counter-revolutionary to the legal established government of China – possible the richest and most diverse nation in the 21st century. Let them practice their religion and language in private behind closed doors – what they are protesting for is to break apart from China – just like Taiwanese they are “splittists.”
Ask yourself how the US would react to states in the South trying to break away for the union again. But of course, the US is different, huh? I am so sick of the US having one set of rules for itself and another for our friends, and then quite another for it’s perceieved enemies. Since China is a “enemy,” we support counter-revolutionarys splitting it up and going back to a primative and back to the religious dictatorship it had. How about all the Chinese that have moved there since? What hypocrites the US is composed of.
Richard LakTam
April 18, 2017
It’s ashamed to see that the Tibetan Leadership actually let their people die like that. I don’t think China would care about the self-immolation. To them, is like, you claim you are the government of Tibetan, you gotta take care of your own people! Actually, to be honest, from the political point of view, it really doesn’t bother any country. Yet, CTA treat them like heroes? I really don’t see any good about CTA until here. Those self-immolation, they treat them like hero. Those practice their own believe, here we’re talking about Dorje Shugden, don’t even harm anyone, don’t even harm themselves, they ban. Keep talking about Tibet independent, but 60 years, nothing happen. Like crazy people talking in their dream. So now, Dalai Lama said he wants to go back to China and he did not talk about Tibet Independent, what is CTA going to say? I say, all these Dalai Lama supporter, CTA supporter, self-immolation supporter, might as well save their energy, and persuade Dalai Lama or CTA go back to China even better.
Brian Little
April 18, 2017
I hope CTA will say something about this, Tibetans setting themselves on fire can be seen as selfless and all that but as a so called governing body championing the cause of freeing Tibet, you don’t encourage it’s own people to light themselves up to fight for its cause..? It doesn’t make sense. This is also certainly not the correct way to voice our grievances. Think about the family members and how the rest of the world looking at this issue. People will ask questions as to why it’s Government does not say anything or at least do something to stop it’s people from doing so. Probably people are frustrated that their wish to reclaim Tibet cause is not improving at all and have been in vain for the past 58 years away from Tibet. For all, how all this are being related to Dorje Shugden practice?
Antony Raugh
April 18, 2017
Sorry to say this, the Tibetan leadership could have done a lot more in order to have a dialog with China, 60 years, not 60 days, it is long enough for them to do something constructive for their country and their citizen, but not, they actually sacrifice their own people to get what they want, so since they can’t fulfill their wish, they will get more and more people to sacrifice for them, they are extremely selfish to be sitting on this position.
By doing this, you think China feels anything? There are billions of people in China, there are many countries who gives pressure to China before, but does it affect China? It doesn’t and despite with all these, China still continue to grow stronger and stronger.
CTA really very narrow minded and short sighted, working harmoniously with China will bring no harm but long term benefit to their country instead of going against them. They should really put some care and think thoroughly for what’s best to Tibet and the Tibetans and not for themselves.
Vajra10
April 18, 2017
Indeed, Tibet is on fire but it seems like no one cares because no one takes appropriate actions to stop and prevent the same event happpen again.
To commit suicide for yhe sake of protesting is not a smart move, the opponents will earn the victory without doing anything because they are killing themselves which is solving the opponents’ problem.
People should stay strong and fight smart to get back their flag.
Pema
April 18, 2017
It is very difficult to see that these young people are not told to stop killing themselves. As time goes on, we know that it did not help the cause and from a Buddhist point of view, it is very bad. So, there should be actions taken by those in charge to stop them.
I really hope that the Tibetan / Chinese conflict will be solved very soon. If one does want to take action, it should be without killing oneself. And the government should protect their people and this does not happen. May the Tibetan situation improve and no more suicides committed.
Sherabz
April 20, 2017
Feeling sad and frightened to see these 154 people were willing to kill themselves and most of them were Buddhists. In Buddhism, killing is one of the nonvirtuous actions. We are constantly dying and being reborn. We do not know how many lifetimes we have to wait and reborn in perfect human body to learn and practice dharma to benefit others and toward ultimate path of enlightenment. I strongly believe that HH Dalai Lama know this very well for the importance of perfect human life.
Nevertheless, I personally think that the Tibetan leadership should treat this incident seriously, take immediate actions on this matter and most importantly is to improve the Tibetan community welfare especially in religious freedom, economic progress and educational.
Bear in mind, when a government does not want peace and harmony, people who live under that government will not be satisfied. Both parties will be in suffering.
Tianni
April 23, 2017
Self-immolation for Tibetan Cause has started since 1988 till now. If already 19 years, surprisingly is Tibetan Leaders did not say anything to stop it but add on the death person name on the list memorializes the deaths and pressures the Chinese leadership into initiating dialogue. However this was not successful after so many years but it make China think that it was all planned by Dalai Lama and CTA. Anyone has common sense should know that if this is going to work, it should work during the first few years after the first self-immolation because it involved human life. However is already nearly 20 years, what has the Tibetan Leaders gained for letting their own people kill themselves? There are many ways can contribute to free Tibet, we do not have to take self-immolation way. I hope that Dalai Lama & CTA to stop this in future and focus on to find others way to save Tibet.
Karma
May 1, 2017
The Tibetan leadership not saying anything has shown that they do not value these peoples’ lives, the reason is quite obvious isn’t it? They can treat those who actually set themselves on fire for the freedom of Tibet this way, can you image the things the Tibetan leadership are capable of doing to people who oppose them? The Lukar Jam incident is a very good example, Sikyong took things out of context and blew things out of proportion just so that he can get Lukar Jam into trouble. Hey Mr Sikyong, don’t forget the fact that Lukar Jam was the one who was imprisoned by the Chinese for fighting for Tibet’s freedom. What have you personally done for Tibet?
Elibuchen
May 6, 2017
In the history if Buddhism, it has never condoned suicide.
Having gotten a precious human rebirth, it is not so advantageous to throw it away, not only that the immolation does not do anything for the Tibetan people in Tibet at all.
China is not too overly concerned with ethnic Tibetans immolating, so why send all these Tibetans to their deaths, by keeping quiet? China can just wait, and neither are the immolations particularly impactful, the immolation against the Vietnam War, was one of those images that created the causes to end the Vietnam war. None of the Tibetan immolations has softened China’s resolve.
Michaela Smith
May 8, 2017
This is really sad, but the fact that the CTA and rangzen people keep promoting self-immolation victims as heroes is harmful to Tibetans. Now an innocent young Tibetan set himself on fire for a lost cause.
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Tibetan Teenager Stages Self-Immolation Protest in Gansu
A 16-year-old student in a Tibetan region of Gansu staged a self-immolation protest on May 2 against Chinese rule, RFA’s Tibetan service has learned.
A source inside Tibet said Chagdor Kyab from Bora Township, in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Amdo, set himself on fire near Bora monastery, a branch of Labrang Tashikyil monastery.
The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Chagdor Kyab, a student from a farming family, shouted “Tibet wants freedom” and “Let His Holiness the Dalai Lama come back to Tibet” while he burned.
While his body was on fire the teenager tried to run towards the Chinese government offices of Bora Township but he fell down before reaching the offices. Chinese police and military swiftly arrived at the scene and extinguished the flames and took away the body, the source told RFA.
It was not clear on Saturday whether Chagdor Kyab was alive or dead. The source in Tibet identified his mother as Dolma Tso and his father as Zoepa, farmers from Dardo in Bora Township.
Following the self-immolation, the local Chinese authorities imposed tight restrictions in the area which made it difficult to obtain further information.
Since 2009 four Tibetans from Bora have self-immolated, and the May 2 protest brought to 149 the number of self-immolations by Tibetans living in China since the wave of fiery protests began in 2009. Of these, 125 are known to have died.
Reported by Lumbum Tashi and edited and translated by Kalden Lodoe. Written in English by Paul Eckert.
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/amdo-protest-05072017091020.html
Pema Norbu
September 15, 2017
You have to see this clear video showing His Holiness the Dalai Lama asking the monasteries to expel monks that practice Dorje Shugden. Click here to watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTgYWidYw3U
TseringD, Delhi
October 29, 2017
Nechung is ZUMA 👎 before I m think he is one of d best when I m watch dis video By Geshe Dorjee la but now I m think is not d truth n he is lie to Tibet people we r not back to Tibet yt https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIDZLzXIgW8 Chithue Tenpa Yarphel la tq for talk about truth of Nechung . I m watch to this video many time la https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=if2dFMKIr_8 n after I hear you talk I m not belief to Nechung
Lhakpa Dhendup
August 11, 2018
What will the all the people around the world and in Tibet do now? Dalai Lama says he is happy that Tibet is a part of China and should remain a part of China. So many Tibetans self-immolated for Tibet to be independent and now Dalai Lama did a 360 degree turn and says he wants to go back to Tibet and China and Tibet should be a part of China. So unbelievable. So many are angry and disappointed.
Dalai Lama should set things right
August 12, 2018
Dear Dalai Lama,
Since you started the cruel ban against the 350 year Dorje Shugden practice, how has it benefit your Tibetan society and Buddhism in the world? Things have become worse and most educated Tibetans can see this. They don’t speak out not because they don’t see your ban as wrong, but you instill fear in them and not respect. It is like fear of a dictator. I am sorry to say so. Everyone is divided. There is no harmony. Before your ban there was more harmony and unity.
By enacting the ban, you split the monasteries, split so many families, split regions in Tibet apart, split your disciples from you, split your own gurus from you, split Tibetan Buddhism apart. You have created so much disharmony.
It is not democratic what you have done to ban a religion within your community. You always talk of tolerance and acceptance and democracy and yet you do not accept and tolerate something different from your beliefs. When people practice Dorje Shugden you ostracize them, ban them from seeing you, ban them from using Tibetan facilities. You know you have done that. There are videos that capture your speech and prove this point. You even had people expelled from monasteries just because they practice Dorje Shugden. Some of the monks you expelled have been in the monastery for over 40 years. Many older monks shed tears because of this.
Many young educated Tibetans lost confidence in you as they saw the damage the Dorje Shugden ban created and they lose hope. Many have become free thinkers. They reject what you have done. So many people in the west left Buddhism because of the confusion you created with this ban against Dorje Shugden which is immoral.
You could of had millions of people who practice Dorje Shugden to support, love and follow you, but you scared them away. They are hurt and very disappointed. They loved you and respected you deeply before the ban. It has been 60 years and you have failed to get Tibet back. Your biggest failure is not getting Tibet back after 57 years in exile. Now you are begging China to allow you to return to Tibet to the disappointment of thousands of people who fought for a free Tibet believing in you. So many self-immolated for a free Tibet and now you want Tibet to be a part of China with no referendum from Tibetans. Just like a dictator, you decide on your own. It was your government and you that lost Tibet in the first place. Your policies and style of doing things do not benefit Tibet and Buddhism. You have been the sole ruler of Tibet your whole life and you still have not gotten our country of Tibet back for us. Our families and us are separated. Yet you create more pain by creating a ban to further divide people. Please have compassion.
No other Buddhist leader has banned or condemned any religion except for you. It looks very bad. You are a Nobel laureate and this is not fitting of a laureate. You should unite people and not separate them by religious differences.
You said Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi did not do right to the Rohingya people in Myanmar due to religious differences, but you are doing the same thing to the Shugden Buddhists within your own society. There is a parallel in this. You separate the Shugden Buddhists from the others in Tibetan society.
You have lost so many people who would have loved and supported you. You have lost so much support around the world. The Shugden Buddhists who love you number in the millions. When you are fast losing support from governments and private people, it will not do you well to lose more.
After you are passed away in the future, the rift you created between the Dorje Shugden and non-Dorje Shugden people will remain for a while and that will be your legacy. Disharmony. You will be remembered for this. Not as a hero but a disharmony creator.
Dorje Shugden will spread and further grow, but you will be no more as you are a human. No one wishes you bad and in fact we hope you have a long and healthy life, but we have lost so much hope and have so much despair because of you. All the hundreds of Dorje Shugden lamas, tulkus and geshes are maturing and there are hundreds of Dorje Shugden monasteries in Tibet who will not give up Dorje Shugden. You have made a mistake. These hundreds of teachers and teachers to be will spread Dorje Shugden further in the future.
The gurus that gave us Dorje Shugden as a spiritual practice and you have called these holy gurus wrong and they are mistaken in giving us Dorje Shugden. How can you insult our gurus whom we respect so much? If they can be wrong, then you can be wrong. Then all gurus can be wrong. So no one needs to listen to any guru? You have created this trend. It is not healthy. Your own gurus practiced Dorje Shugden their whole lives. Your own gurus were exemplary and highly learned.
Dalai Lama you have created so much pain with this ban against so many people due to religion. You are ageing fast. Are you going to do anything about it or stay stubborn, hard and un-moving. You show a smile and preach peace and harmony wherever you go. But will you do the same to your own people? Please rectify the wrong you have done. Please before it is too late. You can create harmony again or you can pass away in the future with this legacy of peace. May you live long and think carefully and admit what was a mistake in having this unethical ban against Dorje Shugden religion.
Ayana
August 16, 2018
Why doesn’t the United States and its allies end Refugee Status for the useless Tibetans? They have been refugees for 60 years now and don’t tell me they still cannot get their lives back in order?
Tibetans really know how to put on a good show and use people, take their money and do nothing in return.
Ojas
August 18, 2018
Supreme Court of India JUSTICE Mr. MARKANDEY KATJU (RETD) writes that Tibet is much better under the Chinese than it was under the lamas who only wanted to make the populace slaves. It was feudal and it will never return to the backwardness again.
Yoezer
August 19, 2018
While the government of Nepal has framed a policy to tighten the noose around non-governmental organisations, they have welcomed 30 Chinese NGOs to enter the country. These NGOs will penetrate the country’s social sector at the grassroots level. This is the first time such a large number of Chinese NGOs have entered Nepal at one time. Nepal is increasingly open to Chinese influence, a sign that ties between both countries are strengthening, while India’s influence is being reduced. The time has passed for India’s monopoly to remain uninterrupted in Nepal as opportunities to engage with China are being welcomed.
Vardaniya
August 24, 2018
The cracks in Tibetan society are starting to show, and it is now coming to the attention of local Indians who have all but identified the Tibetan leadership as the source of the divisions. According to this author, disunity amongst the Tibetans is now creating problems for Indian law enforcement agencies, and this disunity may culminate in young Tibetans holding silent grudges against their host country. It is incredible that after six decades of generosity from India, Indians are now facing the very real possibility Tibetans can be ungrateful towards India. The Tibetan leadership totally failed to impart positive values upon their exiled community, like gratitude for those kindest to them and the need to repay these kindnesses with real, tangible results. It’s also very unlikely that the Tibetan leadership will now start to do this, after six decades of failing to do so. Indians need to realise this, and see that there is no benefit for their nation to align themselves with the Tibetan leadership, and there never will be.
Maya
August 24, 2018
Although the Dalai Lama has offered an apology, the Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) still expressed their disappointment over his controversial comment on Nehru, the Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC). Dalai Lama called Nehru self-centred.
The Congress said Dalai Lama being a foreigner should shun and refrain from interfering in the internal as well as external affairs of India.