Self-immolation, again, now in Lhasa

[Ensapa]

From here, it is very obvious that CTA is using self immolations as a tool to get the world's attention but it is failing miserably. Because the world is not that stupid anymore. Lobsang Sanggay, please stand up and do the right thing and tell people to stop self immolating and be good citizens instead if you're serious about the dialogue with China. Dont say you want a dialogue on one hand and act in ways that greatly displease China on the other.

Dr Sangay expresses disappointment at global response to Tibet self-immolations
Phayul[Tuesday, August 21, 2012 14:30]


Jamphel Yeshi, 27, engulfed in flames runs at a protest rally demanding international intervention in the ongoing crisis inside Tibet on March 26, 2012. (Photo/Reuters/Adnan Abidi)
DHARAMSHALA, August 21: Tibet’s elected leader Dr Lobsang Sangay expressed disappointment at the global response to the unfolding crisis inside Tibet, even as the number of self-immolations touched 50 this month.

Addressing members of international press in the Indian capital New Delhi on Monday, Dr Sangay noted that the wave of fiery protests inside Tibet were a reflection of Chinese government policies.

“The fact that these Tibetans are going to such lengths of protest means the [promised Chinese] ‘socialist paradise’ never touched the land of Tibet – the welfare and education policies they always write on paper were never realised,” the de facto Tibetan prime minister was quoted as saying by media outlets.

He added that the self-immolating Tibetans have no recourse to other forms of protest against China's rule inside Tibet.

"Since I took over, the situation in Tibet became worse... and given the constraints on any freedom of speech, Tibetans have unfortunately resorted to self-immolation," he said.

50 Tibetans have set themselves on fire, since 2009, demanding freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama from exile.

"We have made several appeals to Tibetan people not to resort to drastic actions like self-immolation but it continues today. It brings sadness to Tibetan people and as Buddhists we pray for them."

Kalon Tripa urged other countries to pay attention to the plight of the Tibetab people.

"Ignoring us or not supporting us might send a message to other marginalized groups around the world that perhaps it is not worth investing in democracy and non-violence," he said.

Dr Sangay pushed for an international delegation to be sent to Tibet to investigate the causes behind the fiery protests and for unrestricted access of the international media to the region.

Calling his job one of the “most difficult in the world,” the Harvard law graduate said that the Tibetan leadership will be closely observing China’s once-in-a-decade leadership change.

“We need to study their background and personalities … Then only we can guess how they will deal with Tibet – but the past 50 years doesn’t give us much reason to be optimistic,” Dr Sangay said. “But as a human being one should remain always hopeful – and with so many changes in Arab countries and Aung San Suu Kyi freed, there are reasons to be hopeful.”

The Tibetan leader was in New Delhi on his way back from the Bihar’s capital city of Patna, where he addressed a seminar on the topic 'Role of Tibet in Future Geo-Politics' on a day-long visit.

Stressing that the Tibetan movement was based on the Indian ethos, Dr Sangay said, "The Tibetan freedom movement is a 'Made in India' concept as the exiled people of Tibet have adopted the Indian culture and democratic values, with a thrust on non-violence in their pursuit.”

While in the Indian capital, Kalon Tripa Dr Lobsang Sangay met some “dignitaries” and is scheduled to arrive back to the exile headquarters of Dharamshala later today.

[vajratruth]

Dr Sangay expresses disappointment at global response to Tibet self-immolations
Phayul[Tuesday, August 21, 2012 14:30]


Jamphel Yeshi, 27, engulfed in flames runs at a protest rally demanding international intervention in the ongoing crisis inside Tibet on March 26, 2012. (Photo/Reuters/Adnan Abidi)
DHARAMSHALA, August 21: Tibet’s elected leader Dr Lobsang Sangay expressed disappointment at the global response to the unfolding crisis inside Tibet, even as the number of self-immolations touched 50 this month.

Addressing members of international press in the Indian capital New Delhi on Monday, Dr Sangay noted that the wave of fiery protests inside Tibet were a reflection of Chinese government policies.

“The fact that these Tibetans are going to such lengths of protest means the [promised Chinese] ‘socialist paradise’ never touched the land of Tibet – the welfare and education policies they always write on paper were never realised,” the de facto Tibetan prime minister was quoted as saying by media outlets.

He added that the self-immolating Tibetans have no recourse to other forms of protest against China's rule inside Tibet.

"Since I took over, the situation in Tibet became worse... and given the constraints on any freedom of speech, Tibetans have unfortunately resorted to self-immolation," he said.

50 Tibetans have set themselves on fire, since 2009, demanding freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama from exile.

"We have made several appeals to Tibetan people not to resort to drastic actions like self-immolation but it continues today. It brings sadness to Tibetan people and as Buddhists we pray for them."

Kalon Tripa urged other countries to pay attention to the plight of the Tibetab people.

"Ignoring us or not supporting us might send a message to other marginalized groups around the world that perhaps it is not worth investing in democracy and non-violence," he said.

Dr Sangay pushed for an international delegation to be sent to Tibet to investigate the causes behind the fiery protests and for unrestricted access of the international media to the region.

Calling his job one of the “most difficult in the world,” the Harvard law graduate said that the Tibetan leadership will be closely observing China’s once-in-a-decade leadership change.

“We need to study their background and personalities … Then only we can guess how they will deal with Tibet – but the past 50 years doesn’t give us much reason to be optimistic,” Dr Sangay said. “But as a human being one should remain always hopeful – and with so many changes in Arab countries and Aung San Suu Kyi freed, there are reasons to be hopeful.”

The Tibetan leader was in New Delhi on his way back from the Bihar’s capital city of Patna, where he addressed a seminar on the topic 'Role of Tibet in Future Geo-Politics' on a day-long visit.

Stressing that the Tibetan movement was based on the Indian ethos, Dr Sangay said, "The Tibetan freedom movement is a 'Made in India' concept as the exiled people of Tibet have adopted the Indian culture and democratic values, with a thrust on non-violence in their pursuit.”

While in the Indian capital, Kalon Tripa Dr Lobsang Sangay met some “dignitaries” and is scheduled to arrive back to the exile headquarters of Dharamshala later today.

There is one thing Dr Lobsang Sangay will need to address as a matter of urgency, if he expects to be taken seriously. That is the question that has been asked for a millionth time i.e. why the CTA is marginalizing Shugden practitioners, how come the democracy that the CTA is demanding of the Chinese has not been accorded to CTA's own people just because they refuse to obey an illegal ban, and how can the Kalon Tripa be asking for assistance when he himself is now the prime witness to CTA's crimes against humanity?

Its really very rich for the Kalon Tripa ti be expressing disappointment and to even suggest that Tibetans have no other recourse than to self immolate.

If it really hurts Dr Lobsang Sangay to see his own people suffer to the point of taking their own lives, and if he is serious about democracy, then he should immediately lift the Dorje Shugden ban which he is fully empowered to do now that HHDL has relinquished all secular powers, and engage the Chinese sincerely rather than insulting our intelligence any further.

The Tibetans in exile have lost their country and claim religious persecutions. I see these Tibetans having a place of their own even in asylum and I see that they are free to pursue their own beliefs. The people who are crying foul against China, are the very same people who have denied Shugdenpas their homes, livelihood, freedom and the right to continue in their religious practice.

This article with comments from the Kalon Tripa really upsets me because it reeks so heavily of hypocrisy and BS.

[Ensapa]

There is one thing Dr Lobsang Sangay will need to address as a matter of urgency, if he expects to be taken seriously. That is the question that has been asked for a millionth time i.e. why the CTA is marginalizing Shugden practitioners, how come the democracy that the CTA is demanding of the Chinese has not been accorded to CTA's own people just because they refuse to obey an illegal ban, and how can the Kalon Tripa be asking for assistance when he himself is now the prime witness to CTA's crimes against humanity?
First of all, the Tibetans that got into trouble with China were those who broke the laws of the land. China has harsh punishments as this is the only way to control a huge country full of people. The Tibetans who followed the law were not punished at all. Then CTA used these stories as a basis for their poor me stories. In all instances, CTA used them as a basis for their poor me stories, but they failed to talk about how they suppressed their own people just for practicing something that they believed was right. Why talk about China giving them freedom when they deny that same freedom to their own people?

Its really very rich for the Kalon Tripa ti be expressing disappointment and to even suggest that Tibetans have no other recourse than to self immolate.
Many people including Tibetans have been suspecting that the self immolations were incited by the CTA, mainly because they increased after LS took office. This statement proves that CTA has been creating self immolations as their little campaign has failed. He said that they have made a number of appeals to the Tibetans to stop the self immolation, but none of these appeals were ever present in phayul. Invisible appeal letters? Wow. What advanced technology. OR a huge, big, fat lie.

If it really hurts Dr Lobsang Sangay to see his own people suffer to the point of taking their own lives, and if he is serious about democracy, then he should immediately lift the Dorje Shugden ban which he is fully empowered to do now that HHDL has relinquished all secular powers, and engage the Chinese sincerely rather than insulting our intelligence any further.
Rather than making more sarcastic statements about the Chinese and portraying them negatively, CTA should really just do what they are supposed to do and play nice with China. Else, they're just lying to the world and are using people and the world.

The Tibetans in exile have lost their country and claim religious persecutions. I see these Tibetans having a place of their own even in asylum and I see that they are free to pursue their own beliefs. The people who are crying foul against China, are the very same people who have denied Shugdenpas their homes, livelihood, freedom and the right to continue in their religious practice.
Such blatant and disgusting hypocrisy. Why cry help for oppression when you are oppressing others? It does not make sense to me at all.
This article with comments from the Kalon Tripa really upsets me because it reeks so heavily of hypocrisy and BS.
It is very disappointing to see the katri acting in this way. Instead of doing things in a straightforward way, he twists and turns and used underhanded methods for "freedom" when he could have done so much to gain the freedom. Tibetans can be law abiding citizens and later when they get in a position to influence the Chinese government, they could do a lot from there. 

If you can see the hypocrisy from the katri's statement, so can everyone else except probably the few people who are believing in the lies that they spout. the US is just using them to weaken China, but it wont work because China knows better.

[icy]

China’s best known artist and a fierce critic of the authoritarian government in Beijing, Ai Wei Wei has said that he would “feel ashamed” to visit Lhasa, Tibet’s capital, following the ongoing wave of self-immolations by Tibetans.

In an interview with Foreign Policy, Ai remarked that the Tibetan people are burning themselves to death and nobody was taking notice.

“Already over 40 of them (Tibetans) in the past two years (have self-immolated), and nobody's talking about it,” Ai said.

The 54-year-old, who was last year hailed by ArtReview as the world’s most powerful artist, said that he would feel ashamed to visit Lhasa in response to a query on whether he has visited Tibet’s ancient capital city on earlier occasions.

“No. I would feel ashamed to go,” Ai said. “I think to respect [the Tibetans] is not to touch them, to leave them alone.”

The artist gained international prominence in 2008 as one of the designers of the Birds Nest stadium for the Beijing Summer Olympics, but later refused to attend the opening of the games, declaring them "a tool for propaganda."

Following the massive pan-Tibet uprisings in 2008 against Chinese rule, Ai had told reporters that simply blaming the Tibetans for the protests would deepen “hatred” among the Han and the Tibetan people.

“The Tibetan are now simplistically being blamed and scolded for infringing the law,” Ai had said. “I do not think this can solve the problem, because this will only deepen the hatred amongst the Han people and the ethnic minorities, thus further deepen their gap.”

He proposed that the Han people must stop looking upon the minorities as the slaves whom they freed and admit to mistakes committed by them in the past.

“They (Tibetans) have their own religion, their own cultural heritage and their own way of thinking. We have never fully understood their religion and their lifestyle,” the artist had said. “Historically, we destroyed their temples and statues, this is a basic fact.”

“These problems should be solved. If not, then this would be failure of policy. Must seek dialogue. It is not feasible to simply accuse them of just being separatists.”

In April 2011, Chinese police imprisoned Ai on politically motivated charges of tax evasion; when he was finally released after 81 days in custody, he was forbidden from leaving Beijing for a year. (He has since been given permission to travel domestically.)

The artist has continued to speak out against Chinese government censorship and repression, often through social media and through his art.

[Ensapa]

Interesting report of the situation from the US. but I am not surprised as the US is just using it as a way to generate bad press against China. China can either learn from it or become even more secretive from here. In any case, I am amused by this one sided and biased report, the US can complain about the self immolations but say nothing about the ban. CTA is allowing themselves to be used...how sad they are.

US report says Tibet self-immolations sign of Beijing’s policy failure
Phayul[Friday, August 24, 2012 17:01]
DHARAMSHALA, August 24: A special report by the US Congressional-Executive Commission on China, on the ongoing wave of self-immolations inside Tibet, notes that the Chinese government is unwilling to address the grievances of the Tibetan people and has refrained from admitting policy failure in Tibet.

“The Party and government have not indicated any willingness to consider Tibetan grievances in a more constructive manner and to hold themselves accountable for Tibetan rejection of Chinese policies,” the report says. “The Party and government have handled the crisis as a threat to state security and social stability instead of a policy failure.”

The CECC says the “frequency, geographic spread, and diversity” of self-immolations in Tibet has increased since its last report in December 2011.

The special report, released August 22, maintains that the wave of self-immolations is “concurrent with increasing Chinese Communist Party and government use of legal measures to repress and control core elements of Tibetan culture, and with the failure of the China-Dalai Lama dialogue process to achieve any sign of progress.”

The report titled, ‘Special Report: Tibetan Self-Immolation Rising Frequency, Wider Spread, Greater Diversity,’ covers the period from January to August 10, 2012 and documents 33 instances of self-immolations within that period.

The CECC studies the spread of the fiery protests to other parts of Tibet and notes the greater involvement of laypeople in the protests.

“As of August 10, 2012, an additional 33 Tibetans reportedly have committed similar self-immolation protests (29 reported fatal). Of these 33 self-immolations, 13 took place outside Sichuan province and 14 were persons who did not have a monastic background (i.e., laypersons),” the report reads.

The Commission believes that several factors and trends that “developed or worsened” following the major Tibetan uprisings in March 2008 “may have contributed” to the current situation forcing Tibetans to self-immolate as a last resort of protest.

The report lists multiple political, social, and environmental factors, including the “erosion or elimination” of future potential for ethnic autonomy as China “promotes demographic transformation” and the “deteriorating outlook” for the Tibetan culture, language, and environment in the face of the government “continuing to prioritise development initiatives that accelerate infrastructure construction and resource exploitation.”

The US Congressional Commission also notes that the “steepening decline” in the status of religious freedom; the ongoing security crackdowns and enforced “education” campaigns; and the “lack of hope” of China engaging in substantive discussions with the Dalai Lama’s envoys are factors leading to the rise of self-immolations inside Tibet.

[Ensapa]

Unfortunately for CTA, it seems that China has stepped up on his stance on self immolation and they are getting very serious. "Unknown reasons" probably translates to suspected of being CTA's spies. China is kind enough to not disclose that to not complicate things, but I dont know how long will it last if CTA keeps poking the dragon. I dont think China is that callous to arrest people without proof.

Crackdown continues in Kirti, More monks arrested
Phayul[Saturday, August 25, 2012 17:16]


Arrested Kirti monk Lobsang Sangay in an undated photo. (Photo/Kirti Monastery)
DHARAMSHALA, August 25: Amidst continuing crackdown at the Kirti Monastery in Ngaba, eastern Tibet, more monks of the Monastery have been arbitrarily detained for unknown reasons.

Dharamshala based rights group Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in a release today said two more monks were arrested by Chinese authorities in the past two weeks.

“Around 14 of this month, Lobsang Sangye, 30, a monk from Kirti Monastery, who hails from Chilgdril (Chinese: Jiuzi) County in Golog (Chinese: Guoluo) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, was arbitrarily detained for unknown reasons,” the release said.

“On August 17, another monk from Kirti Monastery, Lobsang Konchok, 40, who belongs to Gyatsotang family in Chashang Chukle Gongma Township in Ngaba County was also detained on unknown charges.”

Lobsang Sangye, son of Rabten and Yumkho is a student of Pharchin class (En: Perfection of Wisdom).

Lobsang Konchok, Tharten and Atso is pursuing his Karampa degree (equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree in Tibetan Buddhism) at the Kirti Monastery.

“Both monks were detained by the Public Security Bureau personnel of Ngaba County,” TCHRD said. “Their condition and whereabouts remain unknown at the time of reporting.”


Arrested Kirti monk Lobsang Konchok in an undated photo. (Photo/Kirti Monastery)
The rights group added that two more monks of the Monastery were also detained for over a week and later released.

“On an unknown date this month, security personnel detained two more monks from Kirti Monastery, Lobsang Tenzin and Sangdhue,” the release said. “They were held in custody for a week during which they were subjected to prolonged interrogations. Both were released without any explanation for their detention.”

In 1998, Lobsang Tenzin had received a three-year prison term and was again detained for a month in 2008 during the widespread Tibetan uprisings.

With over 2500 monks, the Kirti Monastery is one of the largest seats of learning inside Tibet.

Since Tapey, a Kirti monk set himself on fire demanding freedom in Tibet and the return of the Dalai Lama from exile in February 2009, 18 more monks and former monks from the Monastery have self-immolated.

The monastery remains under heavy military blockade with armed soldiers strictly controlling the movement of the monks. Hundreds of monks from the monastery have been disappeared, while many have been sentenced to lengthy jail terms on charges of “subversion”.

[Ensapa]

On a side note, there is yet another article from the net of Tibetans justifying the self immolations...this time by associating it with Buddhism and glorifying it in the name of Buddhism. Have a read...does it convince you that self immolations is good and not bad, and in fact it is a very Buddhist thing....? It didint really work for me in any way, tho, but neverthenless it is an interesting read.

SELF-IMMOLATION AND BUDDHISM
 
The Yiddish word “chutzpah”, pronounced “huspa”, has the exact same meaning as the Tibetan word “hamba”, and even shares a passing tonal quality to it. Leo Rosten, the humorist, defined chutzpah as “that quality enshrined in a man who, having killed his mother and father, throws himself on the mercy of the court because he is an orphan.”

Dai Qingli, an official of the Chinese Embassy in Britain brilliantly demonstrated that quality in a letter to the Guardian (25 Nov. 2011) titled “Tibetan Deaths violate Buddhism”. Dai wrote, “The self-immolations of Tibetan monks and nuns were truly tragic. They were also a fatal violation of the spirit of peace and tolerance that defines Tibetan Buddhism. And, as such, these acts have met anger and disapproval from the local people and the religious community.”

Bhuchung K.Tsering of the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) expressed himself in a similar manner in his article “This Chinese is Right About Tibetan Self-Immolation!”

“Yesterday, i.e. December 1, 2011, I was reading an article in People’s Daily by  “renowned Tibetologist” Li Decheng concerning self-immolations by Tibetans in Tibet in which he says these actions are against “core Buddhist code of ethics.” He further says, “In Buddhism, particularly Tibetan Buddhism, scripture has never encouraged killings and suicide, nor has Buddhist dogma incited others to carry out killings or commit suicide.” I have no hesitation in saying I agree with him here.’

Bhuchung went on to request the Chinese that they should pay attention to the self-immolations “as it is an important social issue for China and its future.”  Bhuchung also attempts to explain why Tibetans were – and I use his exact word – “indulging” in this behavior. Bhuchung and his colleagues at ICT might not approve of the self-immolations but they should realize that the monks and nuns were hardly “indulging” themselves in any way.

The Dalai Lama chose his words more carefully. In his statement to UPI on Nov 21 he said he didn’t encourage self-immolation by monks and nuns protesting China’s control over Tibet and questioned the usefulness of the acts as a protest tool. He did acknowledge that the monks and nuns had courage, but he gave the impression that it wasn’t a Buddhist thing to do.

So is self-immolation against Buddhist teachings or not?

In 1963, Thich Quang Duc, a Vietnamese monk set fire to himself at a busy Saigon intersection. The famous Pulitzer Prize winning photograph by Malcolm Browne of the burning monk sitting serenely in the lotus position surrounded by flames, became a worldwide sensation and contributed to fall of the Diem regime. At the time Beijing openly praised the action of the Vietnamese monk and distributed millions of copies of the photo (pirated of course) throughout Asia and Africa as evidence of “US imperialism”. Other Vietnamese monks and a nun subsequently set fire to themselves to protest the war.



Self-immolation appear to be an unusual though accepted Buddhist traditio in China and parts of South East Asia. There are numerous cases in Chinese history, especially during the Qing period, of such acts being performed as political protest (see  Burning for the Buddha: Self-immolation in Chinese Buddhism by James A. Benn). In 1948 in the city of Harbin a monk seated himself in the lotus position on a pile of sawdust and soybean oil and set fire to himself in protest against the treatment of Buddhism by Mao Zedong’s Communists.

The main inspiration for the practice appears to be based on a teaching in The Lotus Sutra (Tib. dam chos pad-ma dkar po’i mdo). One chapter of this sutra recounts the life story of the Bodhisattva Medicine King who demonstrated his insight into the selfless nature of his body by ritualistically setting his body aflame, spreading the “Light of the Dharma” for twelve hundred years.

But I think that the spiritual motivation for the sacrifice of our young monks and nuns in Tibet might have come from another direction. Forty-five kilometers south-east of Katmandu is one of the most popular pilgrimage sites for Tibetans visiting Nepal. The hill of Namo Buddha (or Tagmo Lujin in Tibetan) is – the Golden Light Sutra (phags pa gser ‘od dam pa’i mdo) tells us – the very place where the Buddha (in a previous incarnation) gave up his body to feed a starving tigress and her four cubs. This is a popular Jataka story with all Tibetans and is often brought up in conversations whenever an example of self-sacrifice or selfless conduct is required.  There are other such Jataka or Avadana stories of the Buddha giving up his life for others, a well known one from the mahakapi jataka being the tale of the Great Monkey King who died saving the lives of his “80,000” monkey subjects.

The courageous action of the thirteen self-immolators in Tibet must be seen in this specific doctrinal light. I emphatically disagree with the opinion some people are circulating that the monks and nuns burnt themselves in despair because they were not allowed to practice their religion. If that were the main concern of these monks and nuns then the logical course of action for them to take would have been to escape to India, as many others had done so before. Kirti monastery, where most of the young self-immolators had studied, even has a large branch at Dharamshala where they would have been welcome.

Hence we must see the self-immolations in Tibet as action taken for the welfare of others, for the freedom of the Tibetan people and the independence of Tibet (as some of the self-immolators expressly stated). Even the call by most of the self-immolators for the return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet must be interpreted as a call for the restoration of an independent Tibet, as the Dalai Lama is regarded as the legitimate sovereign ruler of independent Tibet, and should not merely be interpreted as a plea for the return of a personal spiritual leader, as those attempting to de-politicize the events have been claiming.

The deed of the thirteen self-immolators is not only Buddhist in an unquestionably absolute sense, but furthermore comes from within a heroic and action-oriented tradition of Buddhism. Some scholars have viewed this approach as truer to the original teachings of the historical Buddha, in contrast to the quietist, passive, even escapist perception of Buddhism which has gained more widespread acceptance, especially in the West.

The historical Buddha was a member of the warrior class, a Kshatriya. Though he accepted all classes and castes into the sangha he was given to addressing his followers thus “We are Kshatriya, all”. He did this, of course, not to highlight his own caste, but probably to lay emphasis on the qualities of commitment and courage that he required of his disciples. The sutra’s tell us that Siddhartha was a tall man of powerful build, trained in the martial arts, in which he excelled, even defeating other Shakya warriors to prove his worth for the hand of the princess Yashodhara. The warrior’s fearlessness and commitment were evident in his first attempt to achieve enlightenment, and which is powerfully represented in the Gandhara image of the Buddha, after six years of extreme self-mortification had seen his body reduced to skin and bone.



Even after he realized that his first attempt was a failure his warrior’s commitment and courage were never in doubt. The Buddha’s next method, the “Middle Way” was not an excuse for inaction, weakness or impotence. When Siddhartha finally sat under the Bodhi tree he fixed his resolve on the goal of enlightenment with an unshakable resolution. A beautiful and dramatic verse is attributed to him by some early compilers of the sutras. “Let blood dry up, let flesh wither away, but I shall not stir from this spot till Enlightenment be attained.”

A few of the titles by which Siddhartha was known after his enlightenment appear to acknowledge this heroic quality, as in “jina” or “conqueror” and “mahavira” or “great hero (also the title of the founder of Jainism).

The Bodhisattva as hero is delineated clearly in a passage from the Prajnaparimita Sutra where he is said to fearlessly lead all sentient beings out of the deep forests of samsara, fighting of attacks from “inimical forces”. At the end of this passage he asks his disciple Subhuti “If, then, more and more hostile and inimical forces should rise up against him in that forest, would this heroic man decide to abandon his family and take himself alone out of that terrible and frightening forest?” and Subhuti of course replies, “No, O Lord”.

The historical Buddha himself, when stalked by the bandit and murderer Angulimala, chose not to flee or leave the problems to others. Instead he confronted and subdued the killer through what has traditionally been regarded as magical power. No matter how swiftly Angulimala ran after the casually strolling Buddha, he could not catch up with him. About a hundred years earlier the Greek philosopher Zeno posited such a situation in his “time paradox” of Achilles never being able to catch up with a tortoise. These day physicists might explain it as a “Quantum Zeno effect”, the name which E.C.G. Sudarshan and B. Misra coined to describe “the suppression of unitary time evolution caused by quantum decoherence…”

Then there is the story of how in a previous life the Buddha killed a mass-murderer on a ship to save the lives of the other travelers on board. The context in which Buddha told this avadana story to his disciples is interesting and relevant to the overall point I am trying to make. One day a disciple noticed that the Buddha had received a wound on his feet. The disciple asked how this could happen to some one who had attained nirvana. The Buddha then told his disciples the above story. The lesson being that no one can wholly escape the consequence of a violent deed even if its performance is necessary and righteous. But there is another logical corollary to the story, that if the Buddha had chosen, for reasons of cowardice or ethical fastidiousness, not to kill the murderer and not to save those many lives, he would have committed a more far more immoral and evil act.

It is this essentially non-violent yet nuanced and dynamic interpretation of Buddhist action that is completely absent from the passive, comfortable, sanitized, hands-off, and inherently self-serving interpretation of the Dharma dominating much of the contemporary Buddhist world.

A noticeable aspect of this “New Age” Buddhism is its preoccupation with money, celebrity and a kind of low-maintenance intellectualism disseminated in a plethora of unreadable self-help books with catchy Zen style titles (Watching the Watcher, Silent Mind Holy Mind, Living Through Dying and so on). Something like this is, I suppose, prevalent in institutionalized religions worldwide, and is probably a waste of time to work yourself up about it. But I think Tibetans would wholeheartedly join me in condemning Buddhist teachers charging extortionate ticket prices for their sermons, and Dharma centers discouraging, sometimes forbidding, their members from participating in political action, even for the cause of Tibetan freedom and human rights.

And how can you argue with them when even the former prime-minister of the exile government, a Tibetan lama and learned geshe has not only not participated in any Free Tibet demonstrations but has even ordered Tibetans not to demonstrate against Chinese leaders visiting the West. Yet Samdhong Rinpoche was seen on European TV, in 2006, as one of the leaders of a major demonstration against the Swiss company SYNGENTA in India, a leading agri-business company that Indian environmentalists opposed. So perhaps the spiritual lesson here is that political activism is permissible so long as it is fashionable, profitable and does not upset Beijing. The Dalai Lama has publicly joined the opposition to the proposed oil pipeline from Alberta to Texas. I am enough of an environmentalist not to take issue with the Dalai Lama’s initiative, but I wish His Holiness had been as opposed to the Beijing Olympics or China’s “population-transfer” railway line to Tibet.

Yet the most cynical thing I have seen recently, especially in relation to the self-immolations, is a fund raising letter sent out by the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), asking people to donate money to it because “…13 Tibetans have set fire to themselves,” This from the organization that opposes the Tibetan independence struggle, and whose senior official wrote in enthusiastic support of China’s condemnation of self-immolation as being against Buddhism.

Original article: http://www.jamyangnorbu.com/blog/2012/01/03/self-immolation-and-buddhism/

[Ensapa]

Here's an interesting analytical of the self immolation issue from a more technical and psychological viewpoint. It does add a refreshing degree of neutrality to the whole issue, without those pro and anti Tibet/China sentiments hanging around.

Self-Immolations In Tibet: Altruism, Fatalism Or Anomie? – Analysis
By Bhavna Singh, IPCS, August 25, 2012
Lhasa, Tibet (China) -- In its Annual International Religious Freedom Report released on 30 July 2012, the US held the Chinese government responsible for the wave of self-immolations amongst Tibetans over the recent years (45 deaths so far).
It identified that ‘there was marked deterioration’ in the government’s approach in handling religious issues during 2011 and increased restrictions were placed on religious practices especially in Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and nunneries. Beijing’s obvious immediate reaction has been to ridicule the report as being highly prejudiced, arrogant and ignorant. However, it is beyond doubt that the concerned actors are giving up their lives to send a definite message across the international community.

These are against religious repression, or for an end to the colonial style administrative set up, or against the forced patriotic education campaigns. Paradoxically, they are also cognizant of the fact that such acts are intrinsically a violation of their own religious beliefs and pacifist way of life. Then why have they turned to self-immolation as a strategy? This article makes a socio-psychological foray into the underpinnings of ‘self-immolation’ as a phenomenon and whether it will prove to be an evolutionarily stable strategy.

Altruism


 Three particular concepts can be adduced to explain the rationale behind these self-immolations. First, the concept of ‘altruistic suicide’, a term popularized by Emile Durkheim in context of a community-bound consciousness which propels one to sacrifice for the benefit of others. Durkheim identified that individuals who commit such acts feel overwhelmed by a group’s goals and beliefs and are highly integrated into the norms and customs of a society. In the Tibetan case, a significant proportion of these monks are institutionally integrated via their religious scriptures and practices into a code of beliefs, religious freedom being the principal one. Their identification as a single community as opposed the rest of Chinese citizens (barring other autonomous regions) provides greater scope for integration within the group. And though it would be an unfair comparison to make, but altruistic suicides seem to be emerging as an alternative strategy for these non-state actors given the stress on non-violence amongst Buddhist practitioners, and as a corollary, their inability to endorse suicide terrorism as a way to force the governments to yield to their cause.
Fatalism

Secondly, fatalism as an attitude has also contributed to the growing levels of frustration amongst the Tibetan population who for the lack of options feel excessively regulated and choked by oppressive discipline by the Chinese authorities. They face, what in the terms of Game theory would be called, Prisoner’s dilemma, where cooperation with fellow Tibetans would manifest in achieving the goal of a free Tibet while destabilizing the Chinese state and noncooperation would result in the obliteration of their own ilk.

Anomie

Thirdly, the concept of Anomie also helps to explain the directionless-state of the Tibetans who reflect moral confusion and lack of social direction due to the two-directional pull from the Chinese state and the Tibetan fraternity. They confront conflicting choices due to lack of definitions on legitimate aspirations within a framework of desirable social ethics, which could otherwise impose meaning and order on the individual conscience. Pursuit of desires is restrained by constant abuse and excessive regulation. Viewed from this prism, the endorsement of self-immolations as a strategy could evince a breakdown of moral regulation within the Buddhist paraphernalia as well as Chinese visions of integration of its autonomous regions.

Inadvertently, a mix of the above mentioned three factors explains the occurrence of this phenomenon in Tibet, but will it prove to be an evolutionary stable strategy is a question that requires further probing.

Self-Immolations as Evolutionary Stable Strategy?

Two crucial factors need to be kept in mind while assessing the potential for success of this strategy: first, the nature of the Chinese state and second, the sustainability of the strategy itself. In a certain way, an unyielding authoritarian polity provides enough space for devising a stable strategy as the reactions are largely predictable and the element of surprise is greatly reduced, though execution is a problem in the long run. For self-immolations to succeed it would require larger participation from the Tibetan community, which seems to be a dim possibility in this case. In the long-run the strategy might run out of steam as the grave personal losses encumbered by the community as a whole could impinge on the larger Buddhist precepts thus drawing rebuke from the spiritual gurus. Also, it seems impracticable as no specific time-frame can be ascertained to achieve their aspired goals which will render the efforts of the martyred few fruitless.

There is a pressing need for correction of their strategy by the Tibetans so as to not advance the anomie resulting from the amalgamation of religious and political ends. Moreover, the credentials of self-immolations as an evolutionarily stable strategy are highly questionable.

[Tenzin Gyatso]

Brave Tibetans fiercely loyal and proud of their culture, religion and country. It is sad China has pushed them to this desperate plea for help to liberate Tibet from the yoke of Red China's illegal rule.

I salute those who sacrificed themselves for others unfortunately by self immolation.

[harrynephew]

I find it sad that this immolation thing is still going on. Discussions over discussions have been carried out with not one single solution at hand. We bring the subject up to world discussion but we very well know that no matter how many people are going to burn themselves, it would not change one bit of the current situation of Tibetans inside and outside of the country.

Why be so stuck to just having things done one way and not find another peaceful and more amicable solution  to make everybody happy?

Self-immolation is heroic, one person get burned and dies, a handful mourns but the situation remains the same. I don't understand this equation.

[Ensapa]

Let's just put it this way, that if self immolations worked for the freedom of Tibet, it would have worked a long time ago. It would have worked after the first or second ones, but after 50 self immolations have happened and still China does not do what they want and release Tibet back to them, should they not be getting the hint that their approach is wrong? Why are they not doing about that and cant they  just work together with China to ensure that the Tibetans get what they need instead of demanding for their independence incessantly, which is also making no progress at all and they should really try an alternative method. But sadly, they seem to refuse to change their ways although many people have died and there has been no progress at all with their current set of methods.

The sad part is, the methods that they have chosen costs human lives, and they are not stopping even though so many people have died. No matter how you want to see it, the self immolations are caused by the CTA and them saying very little to overcome it really shows that they are guilty of inciting them.

[Ensapa]

This is what the self immolations have resulted in: more arrests and raids on the monasteries. Perhaps China is aware that there are CTA spies in the monastery, which is why it has been subjected to the raid. China would not be so silly as to simply raid monasteries without proof. Of all the monasteries there are in Tibet, why did China target that one? Surely there must be a reason behind it...

One more Tsodun monk arrested on unknown charges
Phayul[Wednesday, August 29, 2012 16:18]


Lobsang Rabten, monk of Gyalrong Tsodun Kirti Monastery in an undated photo. (Photo/Kirti Monastery)

DHARAMSHALA, August 29: In continuing crackdown at the Gyalrong Tsodun Kirti Monastery in Barkham, eastern Tibet, another Tibetan monk has been arrested by Chinese security personnel on unknown charges.

Lobsang Rabten, 34, an official with the Monastery Management Committee of Tsodun Monastery, was detained on August 19, according to the Dharamshala based rights group Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy.

His whereabouts remained unknown for almost ten days following his arrest.

“After sustained inquiries by friends and relatives, it has emerged that Rabten is now being held at Barkham (Chinese: Ma'erkang), capital of Ngaba Prefecture,” TCHRD said. “However, there is no information on the location of his detention and the reasons for his detention.”

Lobsang Rabten hails from Tsukde nomadic village in Tsodun and is the son of Tsering Popo and Dolma.

The Tsodun Monastery has come under increased surveillance and severe crackdown following the self-immolation protests by three of its monks since March this year.

On March 30, Chime Palden, 21 and Tenpa Dhargyal, 22, set themselves on fire protesting China’s continued occupation of Tibet in Barkham. Chime Palden died a day after his fiery protest while Tenpa Dhargyal passed away a week later.

On July 17, Lobsang Lozin, 18, self-immolated near the monastery’s main prayer hall and began walking towards the local Chinese office in flames before falling down. Lobsang Lozin succumbed to his injuries the same day.

Five Tsodun monks were earlier arrested this month in night raids by Chinese security personnel.

On August 12, Lobsang Sengye, around 19 years old, Yarphel, and Namsey, both around 18, were arrested in night raids from their monastic quarters while Thubwang Tenzin , 20, and Asung, 22, were arrested from their quarters on August 16.

All the arrests were made on unknown charges and their whereabouts and wellbeing remain unknown till date.

The exile base of the Kirti Monastery in Dharamshala earlier told Phayul that Chinese security personnel, armed with weapons, have been carrying out raids every night in each and every quarter of the monks in the Monastery. The monks are being “beaten and interrogated at gunpoint.”

Gyalrong Tsodun Kirti monastery is located some 80 kilometers to the north of Barkham town and is one of the biggest Gelug monasteries in Gyalrong region.

[Ensapa]

As usual, another prayer session for the self immolators from the CTA. Again, what is worse is that CTA is taking this opportunity to blame China on the self immolations. It dosent work anymore, CTA. People have realized what is going on. If you really wanted to help Tibet, demeaning and accusing China does not help at all. Do us a favor and show that you are sincere in working with China for Tibet's safety. Holding prayer sessions for the self immolators will only fan the fire. Please dont anger China anymore.

CTA holds prayer service, Says Tibet effectively under undeclared martial law
Phayul[Friday, August 31, 2012 22:31]


Kalon Tripa Dr Lobsang Sangay addressing the mass prayer service held for Tibetan self-immolators at the Tsug-la Khang, Dharamshala on August 31, 2012. (Photo/Norbu Wangyal)

DHARAMSHALA, August 31: Hundreds of Tibetans and supporters, including the Tibetan Chief Justice Commissioners and Kalon Tripa Dr Lobsang Sangay today attended a mass prayer service held in honour of Tibetan self-immolators Lobsang Kalsang and Dhamchoe.

The special prayer service held at the Tsug-la Khang, the main temple, also mourned and expressed solidarity with all Tibetans who have sacrificed their lives for the cause of Tibet.

Lobsang Kalsang, 18, a monk at the Kirti Monastery in Ngaba, eastern Tibet and Dhamchoe, 17, a former monk at the Monastery, set themselves on fire on August 27 protesting China’s continued occupation of Tibet. Both of them succumbed to their injuries later in the day.

Dhamchoe was the younger brother of Tenzin Choedron, a nun at the Mamae nunnery in Ngaba, who passed away in her self-immolation protest earlier this year on February 11.

In a release, the Dharamshala based Central Tibetan Administration expressed “grave concern” over the deteriorating situation in Tibet and noted that despite their “repeated appeals, over 51 Tibetans have now set themselves on fire in protest against the Chinese government's repressive policies.”

The exile Tibetan administration said Tibet is “effectively under undeclared martial law” and blamed the Chinese government for the increasing number of self-immolations.

“The whole of Tibet is effectively under undeclared martial law, and remains closed to foreign tourists and journalists. Such brutal response from the Chinese government has pushed an increasing number of Tibetans to continue taking drastic steps,” the release said.

“The responsibility for the tragic self-immolations in Tibet lies entirely with the Chinese government, so does the solution.”

Since 2009, 51 Tibetans inside Tibet have set themselves on fire demanding Tibet’s freedom and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama from exile. The month of August alone has witnessed seven self-immolations and a spate of protests, leading to the death and brutal beatings of Tibetan demonstrators.

The CTA, while taking note of resolutions and statements issued by numerous countries calling on China to take proactive steps to ease security clampdown in Tibet and address the underlying grievances of Tibetans through dialogue, urged the Chinese government to heed to those urgent appeals.

The exile Tibetan administration further appealed individual governments to engage China during the September UN General Assembly meeting to end the crisis in Tibet.

“We appeal to individual governments to use their good offices to engage the Chinese government to end the crisis in Tibet at the upcoming United Nations General Assembly meeting in September, to allow fact-finding delegation and international media to visit Tibet, and to pursue substantive dialogue with the Central Tibetan Administration to resolve the issue of Tibet.”

[Tenzin Gyatso]

Pray for those who have sacrificed their greatest possession for the sake of others, their own lives. Pray for their good rebirth and their huge compassion. There is no criticism necessary here. They are dead.

[wang]

Pray for those who have sacrificed their greatest possession for the sake of others, their own lives. Pray for their good rebirth and their huge compassion. There is no criticism necessary here. They are dead.

I pray that HHDL will say no to this kind of 'self-sacrify'.  If he did so,  90% of those who died will still be there today.

I pray that Kirti Rinpoche will say no to this kind of  'self-sacrify'.  If he did so,  50% of those who died will still be there today.