Panchen Lama vows to uphold ‘glorious tradition’ of patriotism

[Ringo Starr]

South China Morning Post
25th February 2017

"When meeting Sun Chunlan, head of the United Front Work Department which helps oversee religious groups, China’s Panchen Lama said he would work hard to maintain the country’s and ethnic unity, Xinhua said late on Friday."

Source:
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/2074018/chinas-panchen-lama-vows-uphold-glorious-tradition-patriotism

This is kind of refreshing and quite the opposite of what the CTA has been doing - splitting up the Tibetans.

[SabS]

I agree with you Ringo Starr. Panchen Lama will the future of China's Tibetan Buddhism. Tibet already belongs to and is a province of China, a fact accepted by all Heads of States. This is a fact that CTA needs to accept if they are to move forward for their future return. Why keep rehashing what was 58 years ago when all these years nothing much had changed, even their status as refugees although millions annually had been pumped into their wellbeing. If CTA had the smarts, they would have ingratiated themselves to China rather than America. Simple fact being America does not own Tibet.   

Now when China is the "darling" of most countries in the world as they scramble to trade and enter into partnership with China, who would dare support CTA? Look what happened to Mongolia, left in deep financial crisis after the Dalai Lama's visit when China pulled out of the much need loan to hold up their national debt. Mongolia was forced to ban the Dalai Lama from future visits and are still working on China for the financial help. Look at India who supported CTA and China shifted the construction of the much talked about inland transport route and shipping hub from India to Pakistan, losing billions worth in contract value. America met with the Dalai Lama but through the back door, London and many other countries rejected meetings with the Dalai Lama. With the fast dwindling supports, even then whatever supporters CTA has left accept Tibet as part of China, CTA will do well to humble themselves to make overtures to China herself for any hope of future return. As the Panchen Lama who works with China for the welfare of his people and religious freedom, CTA should emulate and stop being selfish with concerns only for the ludicrous sponsorship monies from the West. Heavy price to pay in selling their prize, the Dalai Lama rather than exalt His Holiness as they should.

CTA, we the Shugden practitioners are not your enemy but your greed, attachment, fear and power driven policies are. Please realise this and lift the ban on Dorje Shugden practice, be a caring and fair ruled Government that people look up to. Attachment is a bane to new beginnings and progress.

[grandmapele]

If there is real spirituality, I think, one will want unity, harmony and peace for the people. It is when politics come  into the fray that they people are divided along the old motto "divide and conquer".

For the Tibetans in exile, the latter gas been prevalent for the last 4 decades and getting worse. This bodes ill for all schools of Tibetan Buddhism especially for the Karma Kagyus with the controversy of the 2 number of 17th Karmapa and for the Gelugs with the controversy of the practice of Dorje Shugden as well as the 2 number of 11th Panchen Lama.

It is thus very welcoming and refreshing to read that Chins's 11th Panchen Lama, Gyaltsen Norbu  saying that he would work hard to maintain the country’s and ethnic unity.

[Belinda Mae]

I really don't understand why the CTA want to break the Tibetan up instead of unite them all together. I am sure every leader also want his citizen to be united rather than split up. What they claimed as China's Panchen Lama is doing the right thing to maintain the country’s and ethnic unity. That is only way that they country can grow. If a country is always fighting and protesting, how to expect it to grow as the citizen's mind is angry and polluted with the wrong information.

[PrajNa]

This is great that Panchen Lama is patriotic, similar to his predecessor who cared about the people very much. When the 14th Dalai Lama departed into exile in 1959, the 10th Panchen Lama was offered the presidency of the preparatory committee for the establishments of the Tibet Autonomous Region.

In 1960, the Chinese named him Vice-President of the National People's Congress so that he act as the spokesperson for Chinese policy in Tibet. In this capacity, the 10th Panchen Lama visited several Chinese regions and when he met with Westerners in Lhasa, the capital of the current Tibet Autonomous Region, he affirmed to them his desire to "fulfill his revolutionary duty towards the people" and to "live the life of a good Buddhist."

The Panchen Lama was famous for his 70,000 Character Petition to China. He began writing his petition in the monastery of Tashilhunpo in Shigatse, Tibet, continued in his residence in Lhasa, and finished it in Beijing. His stated objective in writing it was "to benefit the Party and the people." This petition was addressed to the Chinese government denouncing abusive policies and actions of the People's Republic of China in Tibet.

When the Petition was sent to Mao Zedong in 1962, the Panchen Lama was the most senior religious leader remaining in Tibet and titular head of the Tibetan Government. Unfortunately, Mao denounced the Petition as "a poisoned arrow shot at the party" and its author as a "reactionary feudal overlord". Two years later the Panchen Lama was condemned without trial as an enemy of the people, and spent most of the following 14 years in prison or under house arrest. This report became known as the 70,000 Character Petition because of the Chinese translation that totalled 70,000 characters. The Panchen Lama was doing the best he could, under very difficult circumstances, to safeguard the interests of Tibetans when many have left and gone into exile.

The 70,000 Character petition was founded on the principle that the specific characteristics of Tibet should be taken into account. This premise was central to the policies of Deng Xiaoping in China during the 1980s and allowed the Panchen Lama to introduce numerous liberalisations into Tibet. It is said that the propositions in the 70,000 Character petition were implemented between 1980 and 1992 by Chinese  reformer Hu Yaobang, consistent with the policies of Deng Xiaoping during the 1980s.