China Befriending Tibet Monks

[Galen]

http://www.tibetsun.com/news/2013/12/13/china-must-befriend-tibet-monks-to-build-impenetrable-defense-official


China must “befriend Tibet monks” to build “impenetrable defense”: official


By Michael Martina | Reuters
BEIJING, China, 13 December 2013
Chinese officials in Tibet must build an “impenetrable defense” against separatism and befriend monks and nuns in the restive [sic] and remote region, a senior official said in remarks published on Friday.

Tension in China’s Tibetan regions is at its highest in years after a spate of self-immolation protests by Tibetans, which have led to a tougher security crackdown.

China defends its harsh rule in the mountainous region, saying it suffered from dire poverty, brutal exploitation and economic stagnation until 1950, when Communist troops “peacefully liberated” it.

China must grasp the heart of the people with one hand and seize the law with the other to strike down illegal groups, the ruling Communist Party chief in Tibet, Chen Quanguo, said in the official People’s Daily newspaper.

To win favor with monks and nuns, officials must ensure all monasteries have electricity and running water, display national flags and images of government leaders, and get access to state television, newspapers and libraries, Chen said.

Officials must “to the greatest degree unite monks and nuns with the masses around the party and government and make them aware of the party’s kindness,” Chen said in a commentary.

With varying degrees of success, the government has tried to prevent Tibetans from accessing broadcasts from overseas, or any information about the Dalai Lama and the exiled government on the Internet.

Chen has stressed in the past that he would aim to drown out separatist voices in Tibet by confiscating satellite dishes, stepping up monitoring of online content and ensuring all telephone and internet users registered under their real names.

But many Tibetans are still able to get such news, either via illegal satellite television or by skirting Chinese internet restrictions. The Dalai Lama’s picture and his teachings are also smuggled into Tibet, at great personal risk.

Beijing calls the Nobel Peace Prize laureate a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” who seeks to use violent methods to establish an independent Tibet.

The Dalai Lama, who fled to India after a failed uprising in 1959, says he simply wants genuine autonomy for Tibet, and denies espousing violence.

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This is the latest tactic played by the Chinese Government to win the Tibetans over. They are giving the basic necessities a normal human being would want. They are also bringing progress to the remote parts of Tibet which is often neglected. So, how could a citizen be continuously angry with their government who provides modern amenities to have a better quality life?

The Chinese are taking steps in their favour in order to make the situation better. What is the CTA doing to make the lives of Tibetans better? I have not heard or seen. They only kept on saying that the Chinese are brainwashing their people. All words but no actions to win your own people over.

[dsiluvu]

http://www.tibetsun.com/news/2013/12/13/china-must-befriend-tibet-monks-to-build-impenetrable-defense-official
_______________

This is the latest tactic played by the Chinese Government to win the Tibetans over. They are giving the basic necessities a normal human being would want. They are also bringing progress to the remote parts of Tibet which is often neglected. So, how could a citizen be continuously angry with their government who provides modern amenities to have a better quality life?

The Chinese are taking steps in their favour in order to make the situation better. What is the CTA doing to make the lives of Tibetans better? I have not heard or seen. They only kept on saying that the Chinese are brainwashing their people. All words but no actions to win your own people over.

Wow... you're right... at least the Chinese are improving the infrastructure of these Tibetans? What has CTA done besides going along the disharmony in their exile community. They cannot even get their own people in their own backyard UNITED. Have the not heard "United we stand, divided we fall" quote? They should chant this mantra first and lift the Dorje SHugden ban I say. It's ridiculous!

Things change and nothing is permanent, and throughout history, lands have been conquered, new building take over the old, presidents change, people immigrate, etc etc... this is quite NORMAL in life. So why are they having so much difficulty in letting go when even if China gives Tibet back to the CTA, what can they do to make it grow? Will they have the resources to do it? 

We should write to this reporter Michael Martina of Reuters and perhaps shed some light on what's happening with Tibetans in the exile community!

Not everything is as we see it and perceive it!

[dondrup]

Every Tibetan wants happiness. We are not talking about the ultimate happiness of enlightenment in this context. Happiness of being able to lead a peaceful life accorded with the basic amenities like food, water, shelter, electricity, medical facilities, religious freedom, education, livelihood and so on. These are fundamental needs that a government should provide for its citizens.

Notice that these are the things that the Chinese government has been able to give to the Tibetans in China. It may not be the best but at least the Tibetans in China get to enjoy them. It is not so for Central Tibetan Administration who will not be able to fulfill the wishes of Tibetans in China.

Chinese government's approach in befriending the sangha at the monasteries is commendable. The government however should extend its hospitality to all Tibetans not just for the sangha!

[Freyr Aesiragnorak]

Chinese government's approach in befriending the sangha at the monasteries is commendable. The government however should extend its hospitality to all Tibetans not just for the sangha!

I completely agree with Dondrup. What the Chinese government is a ploy to foster integration, but by focusing on only the Sangha, they will most probably create disharmony within the lay communities within Tibet. This surely would fuel more discontent within the region.

It is however nice to read that the Sangha will be getting the basic necessities some of us elsewhere seems to take for granted, if the statement is put into action by the Chinese Government. It is far more than the CTA are doing to improve the lives of ordinary Tibetans, creating disharmony through the ban on the great Protector for one, now that's a step in the wrong direction!

[fruven]

Thank you for the latest news. I feel that both CTA and Tibet are using some forms of propaganda to win people over. No doubt there are no perfect governments. As one has pointed out that China should include the lay people in their plan to provide basic amenities since there are many more of them. We cannot only provide and give things to only the selected few.

Anyway now is putting promises into actions. The Tibetans can see for themselves when the China government fulfill what they have said they will do for them. There is no need to pull down satellite connectivity. This says how much resources the China have.

[Tenzin Malgyur]

Yes, the Chinese Government is surely making the right move by providing basic necessities like electricity and running water to monasteries in Tibet. Most outstanding fact is that the Tibetans under the Chinese rule are are not told to stop their religious/deity practice. It is just unfortunate they are not allowed to have in their possession a picture of His Holiness Dalai Lama. This is just a small sacrifice compared to those living under the CTA rule who rob the rights to education and medical care from the innocent people who choose to continue with their religious belief. Why would the Chinese Government grant independence to a group of people who does not let their people have religon freedom? Hmmm.

[Big Uncle]

China definitely have been trying its best to befriend monks and monasteries particularly those that are not pro-Dalai Lama. The idea is to destabilise the Tibetan resistance within Tibet. I think that the Chinese has got it made. Dorje Shugden practitioners are placed perfectly in this position to be allied with the Chinese. However, they may think that the practitioners are against the Dalai Lama simply by the virtue of their practice but the truth is that they just want freedom to practice Dorje Shugden.

And that is the reason that the Chinese government can leverage against the Dalai Lama faction. This is not a recent phenomenon and it has been building over the years. The Chinese government is not really interested in alliance but in leveraging or rather furthering their interests in Tibet. Whatever the intent, the results seems to favor the practitioners of Dorje Shugden at this time. I feel the Chinese is doing this over the years but have not officially made it public because they are simply playing the waiting game. They know that the Dalai Lama is old and will soon pass on. They are waiting for that to happen then they will definitely pounce on the recognition of the next Dalai Lama. That will be really interesting when that happens.

[samayakeeper]

Regardless of the motive, at least the local people's lives would be improved further. I am not interested in the politics but interested how the people can live better with modern infra structure that offers them better global access to many learning and new opportunities. I do not hear of big plans by the CTA for its people. I do not believe the CTA can provide for its people what the Chinese have provided and will continue to provide. CTA cannot even unite its people spiritually by enforcing the ban on Dorje Shugden practitioners which led to a big split that brought about untold suffering to many of its people. Tibet is known to be a Buddhist country with Buddhist leaders, no?

[Vajraprotector]

I must applaud China for trying to win the hearts of the Tibetans via infrastructures. However, Chen Quanguo is not only trying to grasp the heart of the people with one hand, the other part is also to seize the law with the other to strike down illegal groups.

Recently, China has greatly intensified its security clampdown and forced political education in Driru County of Nagchu Prefecture, detaining about 1,000 Tibetans, including dozens of monks, reported Radio Free Asia few days back. Authorities launched a campaign to force the local Tibetans to fly the communist ruled China’s red flag over their homes and monasteries and Tibetans not only refused to comply but also staged protests, leading to killings in violent crackdowns and a number of large-scale arrests. Political re-education program in which meetings are being conducted both day and night in the villages and monasteries.

This is not surprising because China, being a huge country with 56 ethnic groups is trying their best to control the 0.47% of the country to comply to being under central control. In the party's journal Qiushi (Seeking the truth) published in November, Chen vowed to ensure that only the voice and image of the party will be heard and seen over the vast expanses (of Tibet) and that “the voice and image of the enemy forces and the Dalai clique” will be “neither seen nor heard” there.

Two prominent Tibetan religious figures were also recently detained for urging cultural preservation. Khenpo (abbot) Tsultrim Gyurmey of Tanak Monastery was taken away on Nov 29,  accused of having disrupted social order by emphasizing the need to preserve Tibetan religion and culture, including the ethical traditions, during the Kagyu Monlam (an annual prayer assembly) for world peace he had presided over. Monks belonging to his monastery as well as area residents held a number of protests over the detention and they also urged the prefectural authorities to release him. 

Khenpo Kartse, the abbot of Shabgon Monastery in Nangchen, was taken away from Chengdu on Dec 6, capital of Sichuan Province, reportedly by police from Chamdo (Changdu) Prefecture of Tibet Autonomous Region. Due to the protest of communities from some 30 townships in Nangchen County, including with a petition signed by more than 4,000 people, Khenpo Kartse was released four days later.

My question is, why is CTA not focusing on resolving these issues or provides aid but focusing on issues such as executing the ban that further weakens the unity and solidarity amongst Tibetans? The Tibetans in Tibet are suffering under the strict rules of the Chinese, wanting to reform the Tibetans to conform to Chinese ruling and culture. On the other hand, the CTA are making Tibetans in exile suffer more, causing separation in families, discrimination in communities, that indirectly flares up hatred as the Shugden practitioners are viewed as enemy of state.

In the recent Human Rights Day (Dec 10), a group representing the Chinese, Uyghur & Tibetan Solidarity UK delivered a giant Universal Declaration of Human Rights postcard to the Chinese Embassy in London. The reverse side of the postcard featured recommendations of key tasks to the Chinese government, in particular the need to uphold the universally accepted human rights for all its citizens. Why ask for a 'foreign' government to uphold the universally accepted human rights for all its citizens while one's own government (and people) do not care about the rights of one's own?

[DharmaSpace]

The Chinese are no fools when it comes to governing Tibet. The monks and practitioners still greatly influence Tibetan Society by and large so by making it better for the lives of monks goes a long way to win 'brownie points' with the Tibetan public.

China is much better than CTA who makes lives miserable and unbearable for certain segment of the sangha community. CTA ostracizes monks and lay people who chose to follow guru devotion and vows they have established with Dorje Shugden. CTA always claims to have the Tibetans right in their best interest. Then why split the Tibetan community using this ban on Dorje Shugden? 

[icy]

The Chinese is adopting a "win win strategy" for both parties.  It is a smart move for the Chinese to befriend monks and monastery to maintain peace and co-operation in their administration.  In ancient China, during the Qing Dynasty, Buddhism was the pillar to maintain peace amongst a diverse ethnic group, namely the Mongolian, Manchurian, Tibetan and Han.  Hence it is not surprising that the Chinese are following the footsteps of success by their predecessors.   As can be seen with the success rate of all the Dorje Shugden monasteries in Tibet it is certainly promising and heartwarming.

This is apparently a smart move by the Chinese but the CTA has degraded themselves into a "reverse" mode, into a primitive administration instead of true democratic by enforcing a religious ban on Dorje Shugden.  They disunite a already small and weak exile community spattered across the globe and made themselves into a laughing stock. 

[bonfire]

It ain't a simple task to govern a country.
It ain't a small task to govern a large country.
And such a task simply cannot be done without hick-ups, without set-backs, without contradictions even... Yet, at the end, it is the result that will show for the process.
So far, the result for Tibet is a rather positive result and is improving every year, all this within a Chinese Tibet. Tibet has been modernized, it has been promoted, it attracts tourists as well as spiritual seekers, the days when temples were destroyed are over, temples are now being rebuilt, monasteries are receiving support and sponsoring, the Tibetan heritage receives support...
China is showing the world its peaceful means.

I must applaud China for trying to win the hearts of the Tibetans via infrastructures. However, Chen Quanguo is not only trying to grasp the heart of the people with one hand, the other part is also to seize the law with the other to strike down illegal groups.

Recently, China has greatly intensified its security clampdown and forced political education in Driru County of Nagchu Prefecture, detaining about 1,000 Tibetans, including dozens of monks, reported Radio Free Asia few days back. Authorities launched a campaign to force the local Tibetans to fly the communist ruled China’s red flag over their homes and monasteries and Tibetans not only refused to comply but also staged protests, leading to killings in violent crackdowns and a number of large-scale arrests. Political re-education program in which meetings are being conducted both day and night in the villages and monasteries.

This is not surprising because China, being a huge country with 56 ethnic groups is trying their best to control the 0.47% of the country to comply to being under central control. In the party's journal Qiushi (Seeking the truth) published in November, Chen vowed to ensure that only the voice and image of the party will be heard and seen over the vast expanses (of Tibet) and that “the voice and image of the enemy forces and the Dalai clique” will be “neither seen nor heard” there.

Two prominent Tibetan religious figures were also recently detained for urging cultural preservation. Khenpo (abbot) Tsultrim Gyurmey of Tanak Monastery was taken away on Nov 29,  accused of having disrupted social order by emphasizing the need to preserve Tibetan religion and culture, including the ethical traditions, during the Kagyu Monlam (an annual prayer assembly) for world peace he had presided over. Monks belonging to his monastery as well as area residents held a number of protests over the detention and they also urged the prefectural authorities to release him. 

Khenpo Kartse, the abbot of Shabgon Monastery in Nangchen, was taken away from Chengdu on Dec 6, capital of Sichuan Province, reportedly by police from Chamdo (Changdu) Prefecture of Tibet Autonomous Region. Due to the protest of communities from some 30 townships in Nangchen County, including with a petition signed by more than 4,000 people, Khenpo Kartse was released four days later.

My question is, why is CTA not focusing on resolving these issues or provides aid but focusing on issues such as executing the ban that further weakens the unity and solidarity amongst Tibetans? The Tibetans in Tibet are suffering under the strict rules of the Chinese, wanting to reform the Tibetans to conform to Chinese ruling and culture. On the other hand, the CTA are making Tibetans in exile suffer more, causing separation in families, discrimination in communities, that indirectly flares up hatred as the Shugden practitioners are viewed as enemy of state.

In the recent Human Rights Day (Dec 10), a group representing the Chinese, Uyghur & Tibetan Solidarity UK delivered a giant Universal Declaration of Human Rights postcard to the Chinese Embassy in London. The reverse side of the postcard featured recommendations of key tasks to the Chinese government, in particular the need to uphold the universally accepted human rights for all its citizens. Why ask for a 'foreign' government to uphold the universally accepted human rights for all its citizens while one's own government (and people) do not care about the rights of one's own?