China Blames HHDL for Self-Immolations

[WisdomBeing]

Regarding the article above on clamping down on satellite or broadcasting equipment - this is the same rule of law for any country in the world. In the UK, you MUST have a license to broadcast and conform to the rules and regulations of OFCOM. If not, there would be chaos in any country which had an unregulated communications industry.

I read the article below today, which is quite objective. What i like about it is that it states: "China knows the significance of respecting and protecting the right to religious freedom." This is why there is NO ban on Dorje Shugden practice in Tibet/China. If you see the crowds who come to Lama Jampa Ngodup's teachings (http://www.dorjeshugden.com/forum/index.php?topic=2985.0), you can see that large groups of people - both lay and sangha members - are free to attend Dharma teachings.

The Dalai Lama should call for a stop to self-immolations in Tibet. As the article below says, many Tibetans "worship the Dalai Lama" and they would listen to him. There is no reason for there to be a waste of our precious human lives. 

Self-immolations in Tibetan region expose Dalai Lama’s political aims
Global Times | 2013-1-21 23:08:01
By Mi Guanghong   


Since last year, there has been a constant stream of cases of young Tibetans in the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, dying after setting themselves on fire.

Regarding these self-immolation incidents, some media have revealed details of these cases and shown to the public the plot being hatched by the Dalai Lama group, which deliberately creates an atmosphere of terror to attract the attention of the international community and chases its political purposes by using the lives of young people.

In an interview in July 2012 with the Hindu, a popular Indian newspaper, the Dalai Lama called self-immolation "a very, very delicate political issue."

Some Tibetans in China accuse the government of eroding their culture and repressing their religion. However, in Tibetan region, one can see many cultural facilities and activities. Local authorities have provided insurance for monks and invested in public religious infrastructure projects.

As China becomes an increasingly diverse country, officials have acknowledged that only a diverse cultural environment can lead to the prosperity of Chinese culture as a whole.

China knows the significance of respecting and protecting the right to religious freedom. Only when abrupt incidents take place and the situation threatens social stability will the government take action.

The Dalai Lama group makes false charges against the Chinese government and incites young people to sacrifice their lives for the sake of their so-called religious freedom.

Due to their historical roots and religious doctrines, many ordinary monks, especially young people, worship the Dalai Lama.

Some can easily be instigated and very seldom listen to other voices. They are innocent and in the prime of their lives, which makes their sacrifice so distressing.

Self-immolation goes against humanity and religious principles. "Compassion" and "ahimsa (no killing)" are the core values of Buddhism.

In its thousands of years of tradition, Buddhism has required its believers to keep compassion in mind, cherish their lives, and treat life with the greatest kindness. The act of inciting suicide and providing conditions for suicidal behavior is a grave sin.

If, as the Dalai Lama claims, Tibetans are living in misery, could those self-immolation cases give people there a better life?

Some followers of the Dalai Lama believe that self-immolation is the highest nonviolent form of expressing resentment against government rule.

However, it is worth noting that self-immolation not only does serious harm to those who commit it, but also brings fear to others and causes social panic.

The Internet era has made the methods of religious missionary work more diverse. The Dalai Lama group has made use of the far-reaching nature of the Internet.

Each time a self-immolation case occurs, Dalai followers upload frightening pictures to spread the pernicious influence of the act and manipulate facts so as to achieve their own political aims.

Such behavior hardly represents the mainstream view of Tibetans, though.

It is highly expected that pious practitioners of Buddhism will promote the right view of life to its believers, help them make a distinction between right and wrong, and ensure their lives are not ruined by distorted Buddhist precepts and doctrines.

[WisdomBeing]

Sorry - i forgot the link to the above article in case anyone wants to see the source: http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/757259.shtml

[beggar]

Hi Kate, interesting you should revive this thread, since China since to be a hot topic in the forum at the moment.

It's really not surprising that the Chinese would think that the Dalai Lama and his government are behind the self-immolations. The Dalai Lama and the CTA have remained surprisingly quiet on the issue - their lack of comment and not issuing any directive or instruction to the Tibetan people to stop it is suspicious in itself.  Why are they so vocal about something suppressing a single Dharma protector practice (which has not harmed anyone) but remained so quiet about something as destructive as self-immolations (which has involved over 80 deaths to date)? Is there something to hide within their silence? Or is it really because they're behind the immolations? You couldn't blame anyone for thinking so.

Not sure if you might have seen this but there's an article about self-immolations on the website too:
Self-immolations and the true fight for freedom: http://www.dorjeshugden.com/all-articles/the-controversy/self-immolations-and-the-fight-for-true-freedom/

This below, in particular, are very valid points about the fight for freedom. Is this fight actually counter-productive?

Therefore, on the one hand, the CTA and Tibetans are championing a return and reunification with their homeland Tibet. But on the other, their very own tiny community of 100,000 in India are desperately and horribly split among themselves. What does this say of harmony and unification when the governing body of the CTA cannot even hold their own people together? And why would any one else support their cause when they see how unkindly and illogically they are managing their small exiled community? Why support the Tibetans’ return to Tibet when they’re actively creating separation among themselves now? How can anyone take the CTA’s fight for independence seriously when it has become increasingly apparent that they just can’t govern their people fairly or logically?

[yontenjamyang]

The CTA is very very silly... if they were smart they would make friends with China not irritate the Dragon further... Okay if they are not so smart, perhaps listen to the "wiser" ones?

For example His Eminence Gangchen Rinpoche?

Although the Tibetan Government criticizes him for going to Beijing to 'pay respects' to the Chinese endorsed Panchen Lama. When asked why Gangchen Rinpoche does that, he says, "don't antagonize China further. We are a small group of people against the might of all China. We cannot win, so it is better to make friends with them.  The important issue is to have some autonomy in Tibet to save the culture, and the spiritual practices while there is time otherwise it will be lost Rinpoche mentions."

Perhaps they are really not interested in autonomy or the lives dying in the name of HHDL. How can they sleep at night?

It is just based on simple and pure logic that they will not be able to go against China in any way. They do not have a chance which is the reason why they depended on self immolation. And perhaps, it is due to the frustration from these failures that they choose to focus their efforts on the ban, which is 'easier' in  terms of scale and size in many ways, but will only bring them down to ruin in the long term as they will never learn to achieve anything worthwhile due to the ban.

I totally agree with Ensapa and Gangchen Rinpoche. How can the CTA win. Better to have peace and some autonomy. History tells us that in such situation it is better to have peace first and foremost and seek autonomy or even independence later. Many countries which thrived economically, did not fight their colonist and after independence they progress much faster. Those who fought their colonist just wasted much more time and precious human lives.

Thanks you vajratruth for your post explaining the relationship between self-immolation/self sacrafice and Buddhism. I now do understand a little more why Tibetan monks and nuns out of desperation do what then think would put pressure on China to return Tibet to an autonomous region.

Who can deny that the self immolations by the Tibetans were ultimate acts of selflessness, with the hope of stopping further atrocities being inflicted on Tibetans? Therefore if the motivation of the Tibetan self immolators were pure acts of compassion, is it for HHDL to stop them? To give up one's life for the benefit of many is a primary objective of every practitioner and would it be right for HHDL to intervene on the basis that such acts do not please the Chinese and may not augur well politically for HHDL?

However, I personally feel that sacrificing your life over a lost cause brings more detrimental results than good. No one can deny that despite all the lives lost due to self-immolation, China still remains impassive and indifferent. Instead of just demanding China to investigate causes of self-immolations, as revealed by Big Uncle, HHDl should at least speak out to stop Tibetan monks and nuns from killing themselves over nothing. It is just such a waste of a good life which could have been used to spread Dharma and the practice of DS.

While motivations of these self immolators are important, ie driven by compassion; we cannot be sure that there are no copy cats immolators ie driven by delusions. One must be conscious that the results of any act especially one as extreme as immolations is very broad. It can have both positive and negative results and I suspect more of the negative ones. Over and beyond that, to sacrifice one's precious human life is not something that should be taken lightly.

Overall, I do not think self immolation will result positively towards Tiber's well being beyond making China look bad. So, what is the result of that? More suffering for everyone!!?

[Ensapa]

I wouldnt say that China blames. China knows and they have caught the instigators and they were interviewed and they admit to instigating the self immolations. Watch the video here:

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ID1hI528-hA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

National broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) has released a documentary on self-immolation in the country's Tibetan-inhabited areas.

The documentary debuted at 9:27 p.m. on Sunday on CCTV-4, an international channel mainly targeting overseas viewers in Chinese language.

It also aired on CCTV's English channel, Spanish channel, French channel, Arabic channel and Russian channel on Monday.

The documentary, titled "Facts About Self-Immolation in Tibetan Areas of Ngapa (Aba)," discloses the truth about self-immolations that have occurred in Aba, a Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

The documentary contains interviews with the masterminds and victims of the self-immolations. It states that the monks in Aba were acting on orders sent from overseas to convince people to self-immolate, as well as sending information about the self-immolations abroad, as they have claimed that the acts were a form of "protest" against Chinese rule in Tibetan areas.

The documentary also states that the Dalai clique masterminded the self-immolations in order to split China.

Dear CTA,

your turn to explain as the instigators have already admitted they were sent by you guys.

[Positive Change]

I think based purely through inference, the fact that HHDL and the CTA does nothing to prevent self-immolations especially when they are in the best position to do so, provocates this assumption. I do not believe for one moment HHDL is happy that self-immolations are happening and what China sees as a non action is revealing in itself.

However, the actions (or non actions in this case) of HHDL cannot be comprehended by use. I am sure the emanation of Chenrezig has a bigger picture in mind and more profound way of looking at things that may be beyond us.

In his clairvoyance, perhaps HHDL sees some "benefit" coming out of the self-immolations in the long run.... perhaps he sees a completely different aspect. Then again, we need to take into consideration the karma of the self-immolators themselves and what brought them to the decision however drastic. Surely the monks that set themselves on fire would know better than to do so?

There are often grey areas that we do not perceive and hence to point fingers at someone especially HHDL is not without repercussion, hence think before the index finger finds its target.

The CTA however... well that is a different story... Isnt Dr Lobsang Sangay in power to do so especially when he has taken over all secular responsibility? Should we not point at this person instead?

[WisdomBeing]

This has always been my point - why doesn't the CTA do anything??

it seems like the CTA is actually just a puppet for HH the Dalai Lama because it is completely subservient to the Dalai Lama's mandate. If the CTA would like to differentiate itself from the Dalai Lama as it should, since the Dalai Lama is supposedly stepped down from his political role, then the CTA can forge its own way: call for the stop to self-immolations (since HH Dalai Lama isn't saying anything) and lift the ban on Dorje Shugden so Tibetans everywhere can have religious freedom! Otherwise the CTA will just look like a toothless tiger. Why? Look at their results.

[Ensapa]

We can all agree on one page here: the self immolations should be stopped by the CTA. Instead of instigating more and more self immolations to 'pressure' China (which will never happen because China is just too big and too powerful to fall for that) but it would show the world how cold and cruel the CTA is to exploit innocent and restless Tibetans who desire a name for themselves. Honestly, the sikyong should once and for all issue a statement that they will stop doing pujas for self immolation victims from xx day onwards and they would like to focus on the betterment of the Dharamsala citizens as a secular government, and henceforth lift the Dorje Shugden ban. But I dont see that happening, so CTA will only go down...

[hope rainbow]

South China Morning Post
Friday February 22nd, 2013

Tibetan teenagers in double self-immolation

Two Tibetan teenagers died after setting fire to themselves in protest at Beijing's rule, reports said, in a rare double self- immolation.

They were named as Sonam Dargye, 18, and a 17- year-old identified by US-based Radio Free Asia (RFA) only as Rinchen.

They died on Tuesday in Aba prefecture, a Tibetan area in the north of Sichuan (0111) province, RFA said.
The self- immolations followed the reported death on Sunday of 49- year-old Namlha Tsering in the middle of a busy street in Xiahe county in neighbouring Gansu Wait) province, RFA said.

More than 100 people have set themselves on fire in protest at Beijing rule since 2009, according to reports.

AFP

[Ensapa]

South China Morning Post
Friday February 22nd, 2013

Tibetan teenagers in double self-immolation

Two Tibetan teenagers died after setting fire to themselves in protest at Beijing's rule, reports said, in a rare double self- immolation.

They were named as Sonam Dargye, 18, and a 17- year-old identified by US-based Radio Free Asia (RFA) only as Rinchen.

They died on Tuesday in Aba prefecture, a Tibetan area in the north of Sichuan (0111) province, RFA said.
The self- immolations followed the reported death on Sunday of 49- year-old Namlha Tsering in the middle of a busy street in Xiahe county in neighbouring Gansu Wait) province, RFA said.

More than 100 people have set themselves on fire in protest at Beijing rule since 2009, according to reports.

AFP

What really hurts my heart is that the people who commit self immolations are usually teenagers. Very rarely you get to see someone who is above the age of 35 that self immolated. It's usually the youngsters whose minds are very impressionable and restless to do something or to seek recognition. I can guess that most of the people who committed self immolations did it with the intention of wanting the Dalai Lama and the CTA to recognize them and not really for Tibet's freedom as there are just so many other things and ways that they can do to benefit the Tibetans, but why self immolation? And why arent the Kashag self immolating if they care so much about Tibet and also that they see self immolation as a really noble act? these are the few questions that came to mind of many people with regards to the self immolations.

[hope rainbow]

China Daily, 6 March 2013

TIBETAN 'EXILE-GOVT' CALLED TWO-FACED

By CHINA DAILY

A senior official of the Tibet autonomous region said the "Tibetan government-in-exile" in Dharamsala, India, is two-faced because it claims to discourage self-immolation but actually
fans extremism in China.

"What is the use of them calling on Tibetans to stop self-immolations but instigating people to do so at the same time?" Padma Choling, chairman of the standing committee of the Tibet autonomous regional peoples congress, or the regional legislature, told China Daily exclusively on Tuesday.

Padma Choling said the "government-in-exile" is not doing what it said, but is using self-immolators as tools to split China.

"I learned that it is mobilizing and orchestrating mass group self-immolations. What does that mean?"
"The international community has started to become concerned about the problem of self-immolations," he said.

A series of self-immolations began in 2011 in regions inhabited by the Tibetan ethnic group in Sichuan, Qinghai and Gansu provinces. Police and courts found cases showing the "government-in-exile" and the "Tibetan Youth Congress" are behind the instigation of extremism.

However, the "government-in-exile" is attempting to deny its role and blames China for the tragedies.
Though the "government-in-exile" continues to "repeatedly appeal to the Tibetans in Tibet to refrain from such drastic acts, sadly, the self-immolations continue," the "government-in-exile" said in a statement on Feb 14.

More recently, on Feb 26, a chief leader of the "government", said in the Canadian Parliament that his stand on self-immolation is the same as that of the 14th Dalai Lama, who has always "discouraged drastic actions by Tibetans".

Contradictorily, the chief leader of the "government-in-exile" also said Tibetans are bound by duty to honor the sacrifices.

"And as a Tibetan, we support the aspiration of the Tibetan people inside Tibet, including the self-immolators," the chief leader said in Canada on Feb 26.

"Once a protest takes place, it becomes our sacred duty to support it," he recalled saying when he became head of the "government-in-exile" in Dharamsala on Aug 8, 2011.

"I take the same stand on self-immolations," he was quoted as saying by the Huffington Post. Padma Choling said he learned the international community has raised concerns over the self-immolations.
US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland on Feb 15 called on "those who are immolating, or those who might be considering this, to think hard about whether it's the best way to express yourself".

US State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said on Friday: "We urge Tibetans to end self-immolations."

A report in The New York Times said: "A quiet debate has been under way among Tibetans who are anguished over the deaths of the young men and who question how the acts reconcile with Buddhist teachings."

Padma Choling said the government of the autonomous region will work harder to improve peoples lives and educate them to cherish life.

He added there are no local residents, monks or nuns in the autonomous region who have self-immolated so far, and the local administration is "not facing any pressure".

[Ensapa]

I think on this page, many people by now would have realize that CTA has been instigating the self immolations. Its not that hard to figure out what they have been doing and that China has found out about their plots. But what is good is that Padma Choling is speaking up on behalf of Tibet. If Tibet's administration speaks up, CTA will lose their credibility over time so it is quite encouraging to see Tibet's administration talk about the self immolations or anything about Tibet in general and be more open.

[Gabby Potter]

In my opinion, I don't think that we should put the blame on His Holiness the Dalai Lama. His Holiness has never asked for this to happen, why would He?? He might have never spoken up on this matter but this doesn't mean that He is asking this self- immolation thingy to happen. I definitely do not support this kind of actions, a real Buddhist practitioner will not simply hurt someone else's life, not even our own life. Killing ourselves is not going to solve anything, when we are dead, there's nothing else we can do to contribute towards lifting the ban. 

[Matibhadra]

In my opinion, I don't think that we should put the blame on His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

That's why you call the evil criminal “His Holiness” in the first place, isn't it?

His Holiness has never asked for this to happen,

Blatant falsity. The evil dalie not only adamantly refuses to condemn the self-immolations, and to call for their end, but also brazenly promotes and encourages them. He praises the “courage” of the foolish self-immolators, and says that the gruesome self-murderings are a “non-violent” means of expression.

Here are the words of the criminal suicide inducer, verbatim:

“I am quite certain that those who sacrificed their lives with sincere motivation, for Buddha dharma and for the wellbeing of the people, from the Buddhist or religious view points, is positive.”

“It is difficult to judge whether these kind of methods are right or wrong. They are expressing in a non-violent way regarding the Chinese policies [in Tibet].”

http://tibet.net/2012/10/23/nbc-interviews-his-holiness-the-dalai-lama-on-self-immolation-tragedy-in-tibet/

Besides the evil dalie, while hypocritically claiming that “he does not encourage the protests”, “has praised the courage of those who engage in self-immolation.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-immolation

why would He??

Because he is a criminal; someone personally waging war against his own people; someone guilty of crimes against humanity such as perverse witch-hunts; and someone who incites both social rifts among Tibetans, and bloody, genocidal racist riots against innocent Chinese people, such as those seen in March 2008. Why should such an evil criminal not incite self-immolations?

He might have never spoken up on this matter

Apart from your cultish reverence for the evildoer and his evil deeds, you are just misinformed.

As above shown, the evil criminal clearly spoke up on this matter, and explicitly praised the foolish self-immolators as “courageous”, and the gruesome self-immolations both as “non-violent expression” and “positive from the Buddhist or religious view points”.

but this doesn't mean that He is asking this self- immolation thingy to happen.

What else do you want? That he personally sets the foolish self-immolators on fire with a match?

[DharmaSpace]

Tibet had its own admin system prior to China’s occupation: Sikyong
Wednesday, 13 January 2016 13:03   Yeshe Choesang, Tibet Post International E-mail Print
Sikyong-2016-Tokyo-Japan
Sikyong speaking to students and faculty of Chiba University in Japan, January 11, 2016. Photo: CTA/DIIR

Tokyo — Speaking to a crowd of students and faculty of the prestigious Chiba Institute of Technology (CIT) University in Tokyo, the political leader of Tibetan people Monday said that "Tibet had its own administration system including its own postal system, currency and judiciary prior to China's occupation of Tibet."

The talk was held the prestigious Chiba Institute of Technology (CIT) University on Monday, 11 January, as part of Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay's effort to raise international awareness on the grim political situation prevailing inside Tibet, during his ongoing visit to Japan.

Dr Sangay spoke about the occupation of Tibet and Tibetan political movement led by the Central Tibetan Administration to restore freedom for the Tibetan people, according to a report by the India based Tibetan administration media.

Sikyong also briefly explained the Chinese government's narrative on the Tibet issue including their claims of sovereignty over Tibet, the peaceful liberation of Tibet from serfdom and 'the golden era' in Tibet proclaimed by China.

Refuting these claims, Sikyong clarified that Tibet was an independent country with a written history of over 2000 years as evidenced by the peace treaty signed between China and Tibet in 821. "The stone pillars on which the treaty was engraved is still standing," Sikyong said,adding that even some Chinese historians have voiced their opinion about this inaccuracy.

He explained that Tibet had its own administration system including its own postal system, currency and judiciary prior to China's occupation of Tibet.

Elaborating on the 'peaceful liberation of Tibet' claimed by China, Sikyong remarked that that the occupation of Tibet was never a peaceful liberation,rather it was a military invasion. "Tibetans were promised development and progress.

Yet, the Communist Chinese army came and killed thousands of Tibetans. In view of all this injustice meted out to the Tibetans, a 70,000-character petition was submitted by the 10th Panchen Lama, in protest in 1963 to Mao Zedong," Sikyong recalled.

Dr Sangay also expressed deep concern over the geopolitical tension arising due to melting of glaciers on the Tibetan plateau which could lead to wars over over water in the future.

Sikyong also paid tribute to the 142 Tibetans who have set themselves on fire for the cause of Tibet and explained that the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet and freedom for Tibetans have been the major calls of the self-immolators.

"The Central Tibetan Administration has repeatedly urged Tibetans not to resort to drastic actions such as self-immolations. However, self-immolation protests against the Chinese government have continuously escalated since 2009. This clearly shows the critical situation of the Tibetan people inside Tibet and their reverence for His Holiness the Dalai Lama," said Sikyong.

The political leader also highlighted the irony in the Chinese government's attempts to hijack the right to recognise the reincarnation of the current His Holiness the Dalai Lama. On the one hand, they call His Holiness as a 'devil' or a 'wolf in sheep's clothing' while on the other hand, Chinese government is shamelessly claiming it as their right to find the reincarnation of His Holiness," Sikyong mused.

The talk was followed by a question and answer session. According to the report, the Chiba Institute of Technology (CIT) is a reputed University in Japan, which has offered scholarship for five Tibetan students from India. Formal announcement of the scholarship will be made in due course of time.

I have not heard the CTA formally asking Tibetans to stop immolations as far I know. As obviously this is one of the best weapons that CTA can use to pressure CHINA and hope the rest of the world would sympthatise them even further. Clever huh. The Japanese have their own agenda, naturally, faced with an almost zero growth economy and an ascendant China, any kind of pot shots they can take on China is most welcome in Japan. 

The article above is typical of the double speak that CTA employs also with regards to the Dorje Shudgen issue, on one hand telling the Tibetans, you must enforce this discrimination on Dorje Shugden people, and to more exposed and well educated first world audience, the ban is not a ban it is merely advice.   

try googling news about Lobbing Sangay at Chiba, you will find that this news is mainly covered in pro CTA new site and not the Japanese ones.