Dalai Lama sees "encouraging signs" of shift in China

[WisdomBeing]

Is there a shift? The Dalai Lama says he thinks so. I just have a few comments on the article below:

• "FORCE HAS FAILED" – yes, the ban on Dorje Shugden has not stifled the practice but instead it has spread in leaps and bounds throughout the world. From organisations like NKT, there are Dorje Shugden centres in every corner of the world. From DorjeShugden.com, there is now information available to anyone who is interested in Dorje Shugden’s practice, its history, benefits, lineage and practices.
• “The Dalai Lama has refrained from calling for a halt to the self-immolations.” Why not, Dalai Lama? Why not ask your poor subjects to not kill themselves because it is a heinous sin in Buddhism which sends them to the hell realm.
• "Apparently in good health, the spiritual leader said he was looking forward to another 10, 15 or 20 years of life.” – so much for Dorje Shugden practice shortening the Dalai Lama’s life.
• “he was not seeking full independence for Tibet.” – How can Dorje Shugden practice stop Tibetan independence when the Dalai Lama is not seeking it???

Are we going to see "encouraging signs" of a shift in the Dalai Lama's stance towards Dorje Shugden? Now that would be something newsworthy!

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/29/us-tibet-dalai-idUSBRE87S0NO20120829
Dalai Lama sees "encouraging signs" of shift in China

By John Chalmers and Frank Jack Daniel
DHARAMSALA, India | Wed Aug 29, 2012 11:21am EDT
(Reuters) - There are encouraging signs that attitudes towards Tibet are shifting in China, the Dalai Lama said on Wednesday, adding that the exiled Tibetan leadership is ready for fresh talks on his homeland if there was a genuine change of heart in Beijing.

The spiritual leader said in an interview that it was too early to tell if China's next president - who is almost certain to be Xi Jinping after a Communist Party Congress later this year - would adopt a new stance that could break decades of deadlock over Tibet. But he was reassured by what he had heard.

"I can't say for definite, but according to many Chinese friends, they say the new, coming leadership seems more lenient," the Dalai Lama, 77, told Reuters in his audience room in the Indian Himalayan foothills town of Dharamsala.

"If their side ... for their own interest are thinking more realistically we are ready for full cooperation with them."

His comments were more upbeat than just a few weeks ago when he declared that resuming formal negotiations - frozen since 2010 - was futile unless China brought a more realistic attitude to the table and that it was useless trying to convince China that he was not seeking full independence for Tibet.

The Nobel peace laureate said there had been a stream of visitors to Dharamsala from China, among them people who told him they had connections with senior Communist Party leaders.

"We don't know who is who ... everything is a state secret, so it is difficult to say," he said, but added that some officials in China now appeared to agree with intellectuals that a new approach to Tibet is needed.

"These are very, very encouraging signs," he said.

"No formal talks, but there are sort of signs among the Chinese officials or top leaders."

China has ruled Tibet since 1950, when Communist troops marched in and announced its "peaceful liberation".

The Dalai Lama, who fled to India in 1959 following a failed uprising, has accused China of "cultural genocide". Beijing considers him a separatist and does not trust his insistence that he only wants greater autonomy for his Himalayan homeland.

"FORCE HAS FAILED"

A spate of self-immolations in China in protest over its rule in Tibet has heightened tension in recent months.

As the number who have set themselves on fire topped 50 this week, Indian-based rights groups said there had been a massive security clampdown in Tibet and Tibetan areas of China, and in some instances protesters were beaten even as they were ablaze.

The Dalai Lama has refrained from calling for a halt to the self-immolations.

"I will not give encouragement to these acts, these drastic actions, but it is understandable and indeed very, very sad," he said. "Now the Chinese government, they should investigate what are the real causes. They can easily blame me or some Tibetans but that won't help solve the problem."

In June, two of the Dalai Lama's envoys to negotiations with China resigned over what they said was a deteriorating situation inside Tibet and Beijing's lack of a positive response to Tibetan proposals for genuine autonomy.

Asked if he thought that with a change of leadership ahead in China there was now a better prospect for resuming talks soon, the Dalai Lama said it was difficult to say and it could take six to 12 months after Xi becomes president before any shift becomes apparent.

In the early 1950s, the Dalai Lama knew Xi's father, Xi Zhongxun, one of the most liberal leaders of the Chinese revolution, who was known to have had a less hardline approach to Tibet.

The Dalai Lama said he was sure China would, sooner or later, realize that "using force for 60 years completely failed" and its revolutionary leader Mao Zedong's idea that power came from the barrel of a gun was "outdated".

Earlier this year, the Dalai Lama said he had information suggesting Chinese women spies had been trained to attack him with a slow acting poison. Asked about his safety by Reuters on Wednesday, he said he knew of no more plots but that his security detail frequently encountered Tibetans who confessed to being paid by China to spy on him.

"Sometimes these agents are a good source of information, these Tibetans receive some sort of salary or something, and they tell us everything," he said.

Apparently in good health, the spiritual leader said he was looking forward to another 10, 15 or 20 years of life, and joked that China seemed more interested in who would be reincarnated as the next Dalai Lama after his death than he was himself.

(Editing by Robert Birsel)

[beggar]

There are encouraging signs that attitudes towards Tibet are shifting in China, the Dalai Lama said on Wednesday, adding that the exiled Tibetan leadership is ready for fresh talks on his homeland if there was a genuine change of heart in Beijing.

The Tibet-China situation is an interesting one in the context of the whole Dorje Shugden issue, considering how so much of the reason for the DS ban arose because of the Tibetan government's failure to get back their country back. So they needed a scapegoat for WHY they couldn't get independent / autonomy - and who easier to blame than a protector, a supposed spirit, than on their own incapabilities. This is indeed what happened after all, when a prediction by Nechung that Tibet would gain back its country fell through and didn't manifest. The attention then turned to Shugden, as being the primary cause for damaging the Tibetan cause and the Dalai Lama's life. Why now? All of a sudden? If he was a malicious spirit, surely he would have started concocting and enacting his evil plans many other decades ago? or perhaps even when the Dalai Lama was praying to Shugden himself!

So now, the Dalai Lama is expressing new hopes for getting back into talks with China. Here's a thought. IF in the eventuality that Tibet ever did get independence back and the Dalai Lama DID live for another 20 years, even another 15, then what would the CTA and the Dalai Lama have to say about the "damaging" effects of Shugden then?

Okay, independence is not a likely possibility. But the dalai lama living for longer is. He says it himself here. The fact that Dorje Shugden's practice is growing stronger than ever now, with more and more people practicing and hearing about him globally certainly doesn't correlate with it shortening his life, as WB has already pointed out. So who's telling a fib?

[Ensapa]

I wouldnt really say that it is an encouraging sign, but America is helping Tibet out in undermining China using the Tibetan issue. America has lent a helping hand for the CTA with hidden agendas, but I guess the CTA is desperate enough to accept their help. But what is interesting is that the Dalai Lama has asked China to investigate on the real reason behind the self immolations when he could have directly said that China was causing the self immolations, although he has said that it was due to the repressive policies that the self immolations took place. He's never said that before LS took office...hmm is that a hint he's trying to leave there?

‘Don’t encourage, but self-immolations understandable and very sad,’ says the Dalai Lama
Phayul[Thursday, August 30, 2012 16:52]


His Holiness the Dalai Lama addressing a gathering at the Tsug-la Khang temple, Dharamshala. (Phayul file)

DHARAMSHALA, August 30: Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama has said that although he doesn’t encourage self-immolations, the ongoing wave of fiery protests in Tibet was “understandable and very, very said.”

The Dalai Lama was speaking to Reuters in a week when two more self-immolations in eastern Tibet against China’s continued occupation of Tibet took the self-immolation toll past 50.

"I will not give encouragement to these acts, these drastic actions, but it is understandable and indeed very, very sad," the 77-year-old Tibetan leader said.

"Now the Chinese government, they should investigate what are the real causes. They can easily blame me or some Tibetans but that won't help solve the problem."

After relinquishing his political duties last year to the elected Tibetan leadership, the Dalai Lama has been reluctant in responding to political queries, particularly regarding the self-immolations.

In a July interview to The Hindu, the Tibetan leader said it is best for him “to remain neutral” on the self-immolations, calling it “a very, very delicate political issue.”

“Now, the reality is that if I say something positive, then the Chinese immediately blame me,” he said. “If I say something negative, then the family members of those people feel very sad. They sacrificed their… life. It is not easy. So I do not want to create some kind of impression that this is wrong.”

China has been consistent in blaming the Dalai Lama and the exile Tibetan administration for inciting the self-immolations.

However, in many of the last notes and messaged left by the Tibetan self-immolators, they have called for freedom in Tibet and the return of the Dalai Lama and opposed China’s occupation and repressive policies.

Choephag Kyab and Sonam, who carried out a twin self-immolation protest on April 19 near a local government office in Barma township, recounted the suffering of the Tibetan people due to the lack of fundamental human rights and the forced occupation of Tibet in their last recorded message.

“So, for the restoration of freedom in Tibet and world peace, both of us in sound mind, are setting ourselves on fire,” Choephag Kyab and Sonam state. “The Tibetan people’s suffering due to denial of freedom is far greater that the tragedy of setting our bodies on fire.”

Tamding Thar, a lay Tibetan who set himself on fire on June 15 in front of a local Chinese police station in Chentsa, eastern Tibet wrote: “With the yearning for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to his land, For Tibet to be ruled by Tibetans, I set my body on fire as an offering of light.”

The US Congressional Commission on China in a special report this month noted 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 Dalai Lama’s strongest statement yet on the self-immolation protests came in April this year when he told a media crew from Taiwan that “this problem (self-immolations) has been started by the totalitarian, blind, unrealistic policies.”

“Now, the concerned people should carry realistic work and look for the causes of these self-immolations. That’s important,” the Dalai Lama had said. “All these problems are happening due to certain conditions and certain causes.”

[Ensapa]

The US is aiding CTA in getting Tibet back, but to what extent and what conditions? the US never helps any country without an agenda. They will not assist countries that have nothing to offer them: example they did not assist the african countries at all as they have nothing to give them. What would they want in return for Tibet's independence? A huge chunk of Tibet? There is this contact group now that is formed by many different countries to help Tibet negotiate with China. i dont think it would work well as there will be implications that will come from this.

A New “Contact Group” for Coordinated International Diplomacy on Tibet?
Phayul[Tuesday, August 21, 2012 01:44]
By the editorial board of The Tibetan Political Review

At a time when Tibetans mourn the 49th self-immolation in Tibet, some uplifting news comes out of Washington DC. Two members of Congress have released an August 9 letter they sent to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, calling on the Obama Administration to strengthen public diplomacy and form a multilateral forum to resolve the Tibet crisis. They specifically call for starting a “contact group” with like-minded governments to have focused meetings on Tibet.

Why is a “contact group” useful?

In 2011, the Syrian uprising grew out of the Arab Spring. Unlike in Tunisia and Egypt, however, Syrian president al-Assad chose to wage war against his own population rather than step down. In response, the U.S. and its allies formed a “Friends of Syria” contact group in 2012.

In Syria, the U.S.-led coalition did not want a direct military intervention, unlike in Libya. However, it also did not want to abandon the Syrian people. This “Friends of Syria” contact group allowed like-minded countries to coordinate policies and logistics to support the Syrian opposition, and to share information and intelligence. It also provided multilateral cover, so any one country would not feel too exposed in taking action.

Similarly with China, the U.S. has quietly pushed for multilateral action over territorial disputes in the South China Sea. China has used a “divide and conquer” approach, using its size to intimidate its smaller neighbors. China’s ally, Cambodia, even blocked an ASEAN resolution that would have mentioned Vietnam’s and the Philippines’ territorial disputes with China.

The countries of South-East Asia, with U.S. support, have had some recent success in banding together over the issue of Chinese expansionism in the South China Sea. The China Daily denounced the U.S. action as "stir[ring] up trouble" -- a sure sign that this hit a nerve in Beijing. By coordinating their policies, sharing information, and pursuing a multilateral rather than one-on-one approach, they are stronger and more effective than they would be alone.

How did the Tibet “contact group” proposal come about?

The August 9, 2012 letter was sent by Frank Wolf, a Republican, and James McGovern, a Democract. Both are long-time friends of the Tibetan people. In fact, Congressman Wolf is the only sitting member of Congress to visit Tibet; he traveled there in 1997 on a tourist visa, with the Chinese authorities unaware of his official position at the time.

However, the proposal of a “Tibet contact group” did not spontaneously generate from this letter. This idea grew out of a strategic planning process that the global Tibet movement undertook, going back several years.

In 2008, the International Tibet Support Network (ITSN, now called ITN) released its Strategic Plan for the post-Beijing Olympics period. The Strategic Plan included a call for renewed pressure on governments to do things that did not require the cooperation of the Chinese authorities. One idea was to push for a forum in which like-minded governments (U.S., Canada, E.U. countries, Japan, etc.) could share information and better coordinate their policies on Tibet.

In 2009, Tapey’s self-immolation set off a renewed crisis in Tibet that dramatically increased with the 48 self-immolations since 2011. It was this sacrifice by these Tibetans, above all other factors, which led to renewed pressure for governments to “do something”.

Obviously, though, the Chinese government had become more and more resistant to outside pressure. This meant that the old approach of imploring Beijing to improve its human rights record and return to the (now-defunct) Sino-Tibetan dialogue would be futile. It also meant that expending energy prioritizing calls for a fact-finding delegation to Tibet -– which China has no incentive to allow -– would be naïve.

So the question became: “do what”? And how?

As mentioned, the U.S. and its allies discussed the Friends of Syria contact group back in 2011 and finally formed it in 2012. It serves as a useful precedent for governments acting in concert with like-minded allies, when the regime in question is not susceptible to normal diplomatic pressure.

In October 2011, ITN and Students for a Free Tibet (SFT) started asking members of Congress in the U.S., and members of parliament in other countries, to support a "multilateral approach" with the vision of a Tibetan version of "Friends of Syria".

The Wolf-McGovern letter came on August 9, 2012. The following day, an RFA article quoted Tenzin Dorjee of SFT applauding this approach, saying: “What we need is a Friends of Syria-style coalition, a Friends of Tibet group to raise the priority of Tibet as a humanitarian issue of global concern.”

In sum, the Wolf-McGovern letter came about as the result of three forces:

1. Most importantly, the self-immolation of 49 Tibetans inside of Tibet has created a sense of crisis, demanding action.
2. The global Tibet movement has adapted its strategy, embracing factors that do not depend on the Chinese government to do or not do anything. This includes pushing for like-minded countries to coordinate their Tibet policy and through a multilateral forum.
3. The crisis in Syria has provided a valuable precedent in how a contact group can be used to try to advance humanitarian goals when individual countries may be hesitant to take individual action.

Pulling these three forces together, Congressmen Wolf and McGovern have shown the vision to issue a bi-partisan call for the U.S. government to take the lead in forming such a “Tibet contact group”.

It now remains to be seen whether the Obama Administration will adopt this sensible proposal. Clearly, the formation of a “Tibet contact group” is only a step – albeit a historic one. By itself it will not resolve the Tibet crisis, but it will make it more likely that any international action toward that end is as focused, coordinated, and effective as possible.

[icy]

9:29PM Thursday August 30, 2012 Source: Reuters

There are encouraging signs that attitudes towards Tibet are shifting in China, the Dalai Lama has said, adding that the exiled Tibetan leadership is ready for fresh talks on his homeland if there was a genuine change of heart in Beijing.

The spiritual leader said in an interview that it was too early to tell if China's next president - who is almost certain to be Xi Jinping after a Communist Party Congress later this year - would adopt a new stance that could break decades of deadlock over Tibet. But he was reassured by what he had heard.

"I can't say for definite, but according to many Chinese friends, they say the new, coming leadership seems more lenient," the Dalai Lama, 77, told Reuters in his audience room in the Indian Himalayan foothills town of Dharamsala.

"If their side ... for their own interest are thinking more realistically we are ready for full cooperation with them."

His comments were more upbeat than just a few weeks ago when he declared that resuming formal negotiations - frozen since 2010 - was futile unless China brought a more realistic attitude to the table and that it was useless trying to convince China that he was not seeking full independence for Tibet.

The Nobel peace laureate said there had been a stream of visitors to Dharamsala from China, among them people who told him they had connections with senior Communist Party leaders.

"We don't know who is who ... everything is a state secret, so it is difficult to say," he said, but added that some officials in China now appeared to agree with intellectuals that a new approach to Tibet is needed.

"These are very, very encouraging signs," he said.

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"No formal talks, but there are sort of signs among the Chinese officials or top leaders."

China has ruled Tibet since 1950, when Communist troops marched in and announced its "peaceful liberation".

The Dalai Lama, who fled to India in 1959 following a failed uprising, has accused China of "cultural genocide".

Beijing considers him a separatist and does not trust his insistence that he only wants greater autonomy for his Himalayan homeland.

"Force has failed"

A spate of self-immolations in China in protest over its rule in Tibet has heightened tension in recent months.

As the number who have set themselves on fire topped 50 this week, Indian-based rights groups said there had been a massive security clampdown in Tibet and Tibetan areas of China, and in some instances protesters were beaten even as they were ablaze.

The Dalai Lama has refrained from calling for a halt to the self-immolations.

"I will not give encouragement to these acts, these drastic actions, but it is understandable and indeed very, very sad," he said.

"Now the Chinese government, they should investigate what are the real causes.

"They can easily blame me or some Tibetans but that won't help solve the problem."

In June, two of the Dalai Lama's envoys to negotiations with China resigned over what they said was a deteriorating situation inside Tibet and Beijing's lack of a positive response to Tibetan proposals for genuine autonomy.

Asked if he thought that with a change of leadership ahead in China there was now a better prospect for resuming talks soon, the Dalai Lama said it was difficult to say and it could take six to 12 months after Xi becomes president before any shift becomes apparent.

In the early 1950s, the Dalai Lama knew Xi's father, Xi Zhongxun, one of the most liberal leaders of the Chinese revolution, who was known to have had a less hardline approach to Tibet.

The Dalai Lama said he was sure China would, sooner or later, realise that "using force for 60 years completely failed" and its revolutionary leader Mao Zedong's idea that power came from the barrel of a gun was "outdated".

Earlier this year, the Dalai Lama said he had information suggesting Chinese women spies had been trained to attack him with a slow acting poison.

Asked about his safety by Reuters, he said he knew of no more plots but that his security detail frequently encountered Tibetans who confessed to being paid by China to spy on him.

"Sometimes these agents are a good source of information, these Tibetans receive some sort of salary or something, and they tell us everything," he said.

Apparently in good health, the spiritual leader said he was looking forward to another 10, 15 or 20 years of life, and joked that China seemed more interested in who would be reincarnated as the next Dalai Lama after his death than he was himself.

[WisdomBeing]

Of course there is an agenda behind the US' support for the Dalai Lama. Even the Dalai Lama's winning the Nobel Peace prize was a political move. The Dalai Lama is simply a pawn in the economic warfare between China and the US. It is quite ironic that on the one hand, the US is sympathetic to Tibet and the Dalai Lama, yet on the other hand, the US is wary enough of China to openly defy it.

When President Obama met the Dalai Lama last year, he said in an openly pro-China voice that “Tibet is a part of the People’s Republic of China and the United States does not support independence for Tibet.” (http://edition.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/07/16/dalai.lama.white.house/index.html)

We can’t really blame Obama though. With the US having around USD 300 billion deficit to China, the US pretty much has to watch that it does not p*ss China off.

Despite the Dalai Lama being a political pawn, I think that the Dalai Lama is far from stupid and he is an astute politician, retired or not. He will take advantage of the situation to achieve his end goal.

[Ensapa]

Of course there is an agenda behind the US' support for the Dalai Lama. Even the Dalai Lama's winning the Nobel Peace prize was a political move. The Dalai Lama is simply a pawn in the economic warfare between China and the US. It is quite ironic that on the one hand, the US is sympathetic to Tibet and the Dalai Lama, yet on the other hand, the US is wary enough of China to openly defy it.

When President Obama met the Dalai Lama last year, he said in an openly pro-China voice that “Tibet is a part of the People’s Republic of China and the United States does not support independence for Tibet.” (http://edition.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/07/16/dalai.lama.white.house/index.html)

We can’t really blame Obama though. With the US having around USD 300 billion deficit to China, the US pretty much has to watch that it does not p*ss China off.

Despite the Dalai Lama being a political pawn, I think that the Dalai Lama is far from stupid and he is an astute politician, retired or not. He will take advantage of the situation to achieve his end goal.

I believe that HHDL will not be swayed or influenced by the US, but Lobsang Sanggay is really another story altogether. He has shown himself to be a weak leader, and is not capable of making his own decisions or carry out what he believes in. He does not have a voice, neither has he carried out any reforms in the Tibetan government's system. He is more of a figurehead of sorts, plonked into this role just because no one else in Dharamsala is more qualified. In due time, he will be the US's political pawn and there will be little or nothing that people can do about it when that happens. Even now, he is but a puppet to the stronger and more aggressive ministers in the Kashag. I really hope that his speeches will not sound like a kid whining incessantly because they did not get the toy that they want because it is not what a prime minister should even think of in the first place.

The US hates China's guts, but they cannot do anything directly to vent their anger against China, so they use Tibet instead to do the same. Think: The Chinese has immense hatred towards the Japanese due to what happened during WW2, but China tolerates Japan and maintains a cordial relationship with them but why not CTA? The Chinese hate the Japanese as much as the Tibetans hate the Chinese, but China and Japan can still be friends...in a way. Wouldnt that be a better stance for CTA to adopt rather that to throw tantrums at China and nasty words?

[Big Uncle]

I think that the Dorje Shugden ban is definitely NOT a scapegoat for the the failure of Tibetan independence. That is what some Western intellectuals think because they cannot piece together a more credible reason for the outright ban on this deity. With the string of self-immolations, it is painfully clear to the Tibetans both in exile and those remaining in China that the people have not forgotten of the Tibetan cause.

Now, if a new policy does emerge under the a new Chinese leadership which will lead towards a moderate approach, fresh talks may resume. It will take years before any consensus can be reached. However, if the CTA negotiators would follow the Dalai Lama's lead of approaching it from the angle of self-autonomy, the future will be bright and the possibility of consensus would easier to reach.

If a consensus is reached and exiled Tibetans do return to the autonomous Tibet led by the CTA's elected head and the Dalai Lama is welcomed back. I really do wonder about the Dorje Shugden ban, would it be dissolved by then as the rule of the land is atheist. Would the Chinese even allow such archaic ban on Dorje Shugden? What would mean to the millions of Dorje Shugden practitioners, High Lamas and monasteries in Tibet should the ban be allowed to be enforced in Tibet?
 

[Ensapa]

I think that the Dorje Shugden ban is definitely NOT a scapegoat for the the failure of Tibetan independence. That is what some Western intellectuals think because they cannot piece together a more credible reason for the outright ban on this deity. With the string of self-immolations, it is painfully clear to the Tibetans both in exile and those remaining in China that the people have not forgotten of the Tibetan cause.
But CTA and their drones choose to see Dorje Shugden as the cause for them to lose Tibet when it was from their own negative Karma that caused them to lose Tibet in the first place. They do not have any real reason to ban this deity aside from sectarian reasons of trying to keep the Nyingma, Kaygus and Sakyas happy and so must find another reason to justify the ban.

Now, if a new policy does emerge under the a new Chinese leadership which will lead towards a moderate approach, fresh talks may resume. It will take years before any consensus can be reached. However, if the CTA negotiators would follow the Dalai Lama's lead of approaching it from the angle of self-autonomy, the future will be bright and the possibility of consensus would easier to reach.
The current Chinese govt is already very liberal compared to before. They are allowing more and more temples to be built, heck, they even sponsored many of the temples and restored a bunch of other temples at the same time. They are slowly accepting Buddhism more and more as compared to before and CTA can tap into this if they are skillful enough. Sadly Its hard for them as they care too much about other things that Tibet's independence, i.e the ban (which contribute 0 much to their independence)

If a consensus is reached and exiled Tibetans do return to the autonomous Tibet led by the CTA's elected head and the Dalai Lama is welcomed back. I really do wonder about the Dorje Shugden ban, would it be dissolved by then as the rule of the land is atheist. Would the Chinese even allow such archaic ban on Dorje Shugden? What would mean to the millions of Dorje Shugden practitioners, High Lamas and monasteries in Tibet should the ban be allowed to be enforced in Tibet?
The DS bad was made in context of the independence of Tibet. After they gain their independence and everyone goes back to Tibet, it is highly likely that each region of Tibet will be their own autonomous region and that all of the different tradition will isolate themselves from each other. The traditions now are not united by choice but by force from the current condition. Once the condition ends, so will the unity.

I can only wish that CTA would follow the whole autonomy thing but it is clear that they will not. They are more concerned with venting out their frustrations even though that would bring them more unfortunate results. I certainly do hope that CTA would grow up.

[Ensapa]

I found this piece of news as well. I wouldnt call this encouraging at all, but seems that the Indian govt is helping the Tibetans to re-establish themselves and China somehow saw through it and said no. So, CTA will have to wait until they say yes to really say that the relations have improved. If there were no self immolations, China would have said yes...but oh well. India's move is really to recognize Tibet as a country, in case you didint notice.

China rejects re-opening of India’s Lhasa consulate
Phayul[Saturday, August 04, 2012 03:26]
DHARAMSHALA, August 4: China has rejected India’s request to re-open its consulate in Tibet’s ancient capital city of Lhasa. According to Indian media reports, Beijing instead suggested Chengdu, a city on the edge of the Tibetan plateau, as an alternative location.

In May this year, New Delhi had requested Beijing to allow India to re-open its Lhasa consulate, which was shut down following the 1962 border war between the two nations.

Although there is no official word from Beijing on the rejection, observers believe that China will not tolerate a constant foreign presence in the restive capital of Tibet. Currently, only Nepal has a consulate in Lhasa.

However, according to reports, the Indian side is not willing to settle for anything other than Lhasa.

The Indian demand came on the heels of a Chinese request to open a third consulate in the south Indian city of Chennai. Beijing already has consulates in Mumbai and Kolkata and an embassy in Delhi.

China being India's largest trade partner in goods, Indian officials have been quoted as saying that a consulate in Lhasa would help bilateral trade and pilgrimage, such as the Kailash Mansarovar yatra.

Recently, India’s ambassador to China, S Jaishankar, made a rare trip to Tibet, the first by an Indian envoy in ten years. Shortly after his trip, an Indian military delegation also visited the Tibetan plateau.

India is not the only country seeking a consulate in Lhasa.

In July 2011, the US House Foreign Affairs Committee directed the US Secretary of State to forbid additional Chinese consulates in the United States until China allows a US consulate in Lhasa.

The US House of Representatives in 2009 had passed a bill authorising the establishment of a US Consulate in Tibet and also allowing the creation of a "Tibet Section" in the US embassy in Beijing.

[Tenzin Gyatso]

HHDL is forever optimistic and forgiving towards China. It is amazing. If he can forgive a whole nation (China) that did so much harm to his own country, he surely would easily and quickly forgive those who finally abandon the practice of Shugden.

HHDL has no other motive to advise against Shugden except for the general and individual welfare of practitioners. What he has to do is not easy at all. Which one of us can shoulder the responsibilities of HHDL or are we just couch potatoes crouched in front of the PC commentating on the actions of a Bodhisattva and not doing much ourselves?  I don't think anyone can shoulder the heavy burdens HHDL so compassionately carries and for so long. Life after life in fact. This is a true man of religion, peace and humanity.

[thor]

HHDL is forever optimistic and forgiving towards China. It is amazing. If he can forgive a whole nation (China) that did so much harm to his own country, he surely would easily and quickly forgive those who finally abandon the practice of Shugden.

How single dimensional. As you say, the Dalai Lama can forgive the Chinese who have committed and still committing atrocities towards the Tibetans. He allows them to attend his teachings, despite the harm they have done.

So why doesn't the Dalai Lama forgive and embrace with open arms the Tibetans who continue to practice dorje shugden? Why doesn't he allow them at his teachings, as he allows the Chinese who have destroyed his country?

Why does he treat those of his own country who practice Shugden worse than the Chinese invaders? Forget what he is saying about china improving. This is the harsh truth for those who can see it.

[Ensapa]

HHDL is forever optimistic and forgiving towards China. It is amazing. If he can forgive a whole nation (China) that did so much harm to his own country, he surely would easily and quickly forgive those who finally abandon the practice of Shugden.
Why not that he forgives those who still practice Dorje Shugden if he is indeed that compassionate? Wouldnt that be a greater show of his great compassion, wisdom and patience? And that he says that its okay to practice Dorje Shugden and those who are his students should not discriminate or harm Dorje Shugden practitioners! That is how Chenrenzig is in my mind! Wonderful!

HHDL has no other motive to advise against Shugden except for the general and individual welfare of practitioners. What he has to do is not easy at all. Which one of us can shoulder the responsibilities of HHDL or are we just couch potatoes crouched in front of the PC commentating on the actions of a Bodhisattva and not doing much ourselves?  I don't think anyone can shoulder the heavy burdens HHDL so compassionately carries and for so long. Life after life in fact. This is a true man of religion, peace and humanity.
If HHDL has no motives, then why is there a need to do this to monks who are Dorje Shugden practitioners? Please do explain:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpvkCryGfws

Well I am not criticizing the Dalai Lama at all but i am not turning a blind eye to his mistakes at all. It is possible to still view Dalai Lama with respect after all that he has done against Dorje Shugden practitioners, but I still dont think that we should deny what he has done to the Dorje Shugden people. What he has did, he has did for whatever reason, but to deny that and say that he has not harmed anyone is nothing short of blind faith which is what both what him and the Dalai Lama actively discourages.

I dont know..but your statements seem to have...made me think a little...and I have replied with my doubts...hope you can answer them..hmmm..

[Ensapa]

I dont think this is encouraging at all. China has left a huge hint on how should HHDL/CTA proceed with this. What went wrong with the 2010 negotiations until China was so pissed off? Perhaps they should analyze their failures and learn from that instead of pushing for "more" negotiations. I dont see anything optimistic about this statement from China. Does anyone else see the same?

Senior Chinese official says no negotiations with Tibet till year end
Phayul[Sunday, September 02, 2012 15:17]
DHARAMSHALA, September 2: A senior Chinese official has said that the stalled Sino-Tibet dialogue process will not resume at least till the end of this year and denied any new approach to the Tibetan issue.

Xu Zhitao, an official with the United Front Work Department, the main office that has represented China in the nine rounds of talks with Tibetan envoys since 2002, insisted that in the event of the continuation of the dialogue process, the discussion will only centre on how the Dalai Lama should "stop his separatist speeches and win the trust of the central government as well as the forgiveness of the Chinese people."

"China will continue to be flexible with the Dalai Lama, but it seems that no result will come out if he does not change his attitude toward some fundamental issues," Xu was quoted s saying by the Chinese state-run Global Times. "The so-called autonomy of Tibet the Dalai Lama claims to be seeking is actually the independence of Tibet, which is definitely forbidden.”

The Tibetan spiritual leader, in a recent interview with Reuters had spoken about “very encouraging signs” of leniency from the next generation of Chinese leaders on the issue of Tibet after meeting with of “visitors from China” claiming to have connections with senior officials of the Communist Party of China.

Xu categorically denied “any such recent visits.”

Speaking to reporters in June, the Dalai Lama had expressed hope that Chinese leadership will take a new and different approach under its new president.

Xi Jinping, China’s vice-president and son of Xi Zhongxun, one of the most liberal leaders of the Chinese revolution, who was known to have had a less hardline approach to Tibet, is certain to take over the reins from Hu Jintao next year.

"I hope Mr Xi Jinping, a new leader, new blood, looks in a more open, realistic way," the Dalai Lama had said.

Amidst the ongoing wave of self-immolations in Tibet, the Dalai Lama’s Special Envoy Gyari Lodi and Envoy Kalsang Gyaltsen resigned in June this year.

The two Envoys cited the deteriorating situation inside Tibet and their “utter frustration” over the lack of positive response from the China as reasons for their decision.

“Given the deteriorating situation inside Tibet since 2008 leading to the increasing cases of self-immolations by Tibetans, we are compelled to submit our resignations,” Gyari and Gyaltsen said in their resignation letter.

The last round of talks between the Envoys of the Dalai Lama and representatives from the Chinese United Front Work Department was held more than two and a half years ago in January 2010. Since then, the Chinese have refused to meet the Tibetan delegation.

The dialogue process has failed to yield much result, with the former Envoys repeatedly stating that large differences still remained on “fundamental issues”.

[Ensapa]

Here's an analysis of China's side of this situation. I dont really think it bodes well at all for the Tibetans, but then again, this is more progress than CTA has with China compared to previous years. Still, this article has all the info that CTA needs to improve if they want to. If they could lift the ban, Dorje Shugden would help them and it would be quicker and easier for them to succeed...hmm...oh well.

Beijing's Soft Power Strategy on Tibet

2012-07-25
A rights official says China can’t just sweep the Tibet problem under the carpet.

China is pushing its soft power agenda with an aim to quash debate on the issue of Tibet, where self-immolation protests will continue until Beijing ends its policy of state-sanctioned discrimination in the region, a Tibetan advocacy group said Wednesday.

The U.S.-based International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) said hundreds of Confucius Institutes, which Beijing set up in universities across the world to promote Chinese language and culture, are being used to influence the international debate on Tibet.

The Confucius Institutes are being used as “dissemination platforms for Chinese propaganda on Tibet,” Bhuchung Tsering, ICT vice-president, told a U.S. congressional hearing in Washington.

He cited a state media report by the Xinhua news agency in January which confirmed that a journal published by the official Tibetan Academy of Social Sciences had been distributed to the learning centers.

Tsering said that last year ICT had requested resource materials from a Confucius Institute at a U.S. university, only to receive books and DVDs “giving the Chinese narrative on Tibet” released by a state-supervised publisher—the main function of which is to “produce propaganda products,” according to an official Chinese website.

He told members of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs that in recent years, China has established more than 300 Confucius Institutes at universities around the world. Eighty-one of those institutes and more than 300 Confucius Classrooms have been set up at universities in the U.S.

But Tsering said that the institutes “come with strings attached, which create challenges to academic freedom.”

“We have seen reported, and heard anecdotal evidence, that discussion on sensitive topics such as Tibet is discouraged if not prohibited,” he said.

Tsering suggested that the House Committee on Foreign Affairs scrutinize Confucius Institutes to determine if the terms of their agreements result in reduced academic discourse and freedom of speech on topics such as Tibet, and whether the agreements violate any laws in relation to publicly-funded universities.

The hearing came a day after the conclusion of the U.S.-China Human Rights Dialogue on Tuesday, and during which the U.S. said China’s rights record had continued to “deteriorate” and called on Beijing to allow dissent.

Likely to continue

Tsering suggested that the wave of self-immolation protests by Tibetans would continue until the underlying problems in the Tibetan-populated areas were addressed, saying that Beijing’s increased restrictions in the wake of the burnings have only served to increase the sense of injustice and discrimination felt by Tibetans under Chinese rule.

“As long as Tibetans continue to be denied the opportunity to live a life of equality, respect and dignity, it is clear that they will undertake actions to convey their feelings,” he said.

Tsering went on to say that rather than finding a solution to the issue, Chinese officials had sought to deflect blame by “humiliating” the Tibetans, labeling the self-immolators as “criminals” and saying that their protests had been instigated by the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s spiritual leader.

He said that Beijing had also played down the political significance of the self-immolators as part of a systemic effort to “replace organic Tibetan culture with a state-approved version to suit the Party’s ideological, political and economic objectives,” a policy ICT earlier this year labeled “cultural genocide.”

“The Chinese government’s aggressive security response has made the situation more unstable and potentially dangerous, risking more self-immolations,” he said.

The most recent self-immolation protest in Tibet occurred on July 17 and brought to 44 the number of Tibetans who have set themselves ablaze since Feb. 27, 2009 in protest of Chinese rule in the region.

Nearly all have called for the return to Tibet of exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and freedom for the Tibetan people, Tsering said, adding that they have challenged “political, cultural, religious and social injustices, the roots of which are not being acknowledged and addressed by the Chinese authorities.”

“Instead of addressing the genuine grievances of the Tibetan people, the Chinese authorities have responded to the self-immolations by increasing restrictions, torturing members of the self-immolators’ family or their acquaintances and taking several into custody without any judicial process,” he said.

Recommendations

On behalf of ICT, Tsering recommended that, in light of the self-immolations, Congress pass a resolution expressing support for the people of Tibet.

He also called on lawmakers to update and strengthen the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 to take into account new developments in Tibetan politics, including the election of full democratic governance in exile, and to consider enhancing Washington’s relationship with the Tibetan government in exile, the Central Tibetan Administration.

Tsering also called for the U.S. to make public a transcript of the closed door U.S.-China Human Rights dialogue to provide transparency on what steps the current administration is doing to push for human rights in China and Tibet.

On Wednesday, at a briefing on the U.S. China Human Rights Dialogue, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Michael Posner said that Washington had stressed that China’s policies in ethnic minority areas “are counterproductive and aggravate tensions.”

“Our position is that … these minority communities and representatives of religious minorities are entitled to live freely, to express their religious views, to practice their religion, to express their cultural differences and customs,” Posner said.

“And this is an area where clearly the Chinese Government has a different view.”

Reported by Joshua Lipes.
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