Dalai Lama Loses Control

The Tibetan Youth Congress was as its name stipulated, was formed by the Tibetan youth in the 1970s. It is an organisation which headquartered in Dharamsala, which is a political group that voices its opinions on Tibetan affairs, culture, and its future.

They have a meeting every 3 years of which this year 40 sub-centres from around the world gathered in Dharamsala for their meeting. It is a six-day event and during this year’s eventful meeting, the Tibetan Youth Congress discussed what has transpired over the past years and the future of Tibet. At the same time, they are voting in new committee. Over 130 members participated in the meeting of which many have come from all over the world. The key point in this year’s discussion was the Middle-Way policy adopted by His Holiness the Dalai Lama starting from 1987.

The agenda of this Middle-Way is to adopt China’s policy of Tibet integrating into China or autonomous state, and to give up Tibetan independence. Out of the 130 members, majority were against this policy. The 34 that were for the policy were from Bangalore, Bylakuppe, Mungod, Hunsur, Kollegal, Dalhousie, Pondoh, and Ladakh. The 34 members were completely against fighting for independence, and were pro Dalai Lama’s Middle-Way approach. The 96 majority members were against the Dalai Lama’s pro-Middle-Way policy against China and wish to fight for complete independence of Tibet. They are exhausted in waiting for the Middle-Way policy to fruition, of which nothing has manifested since its inception in 1987. The 34 members in a dramatic turnaround stormed out of the meeting, refused to participate and wrote a letter to the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) asking the congress to reconsider the Dalai Lama’s Middle- Way, failing which they will resign from their posts. The Middle-Way concept to integrate Tibet into Greater China as an autonomous state was proposed by the Dalai Lama to make Tibet a zone of peace and addressed to the European Parliament in Strasbourg in 1988.

The Executive Members of the Tibetan Youth Congress

The Executive Members of the Tibetan Youth Congress had proposed a three-point resolution to be adopted by the gathering on opening day of the meeting this year. The first point was to apologise to the Dalai Lama for causing any difficulties for him. The second point was to withdraw an earlier resolution that had passed, which was to lobby the members of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile to change the official stance from seeking autonomy to independence.  The third point was for the Tibetan Youth Congress to continue with their aim and goal towards a fully independent Tibet without any form of autonomy. The 34 members felt that Tibetan Youth Congress should change their stance to the Dalai Lama’s Middle-Way. This difference in opinion has created tremendous upheaval within the Tibetan communities and in Dharamsala itself. It has split Tibetan refugees population into two factions, one pro-Dalai Lama’s Middle-Way stance, the other against.

We are seeing more and more tension and dissension among the Tibetans with the Dalai Lama’s policy. They recognise the fact that the aging Dalai Lama and his Tibetan Government in Exile are not accomplishing autonomy or independence. Everyone though silent, is in mortal fear of what will happen to the Tibetans after the passing of the Dalai Lama. Although in reality, the Tibetans consider it inauspicious and a bad omen to talk about the death of the Dalai Lama or any High Lama for that matter. Tibetans will avoid that subject for fear of bringing inauspicious circumstances to arise, creating obstacles to the Dalai Lama’s life. Even so, many Tibetans feel much frustration, fear, impatience, and even anger towards the ineffectiveness of the Dalai Lama’s Middle-Way policy.

At the same time, to reject this Middle-Way policy is tantamount to rejecting the Dalai Lama himself. Within Tibetan society, although they flaunt their government as democratic, actually it is autocratic. Whatever the Dalai Lama said must be followed and any differences in opinion, regardless of motivation, will be tantamount to being a traitor against the Dalai Lama. This would be unheard of and considered unacceptable. Violent physical fighting have broken out in pockets of Tibetan settlements throughout India, by the supporters of the pro and anti-Middle-Way policies. The Tibetan Government in Exile and the Tibetan communities are in turmoil, confusion, and tremendous upheaval.  For the first time people are expressing their lack of faith, and trust in the Dalai Lama’s Middle-Way policy.

TYC President Tsewang Rigzin

TYC President Tsewang Rigzin delivering the inaugural address at the 15th Greneral Body Meeting of TYC in Dharamsala on May 27, 2013

Not being able to cast votes, the TYC are in great danger of completely dissolving and breaking apart as the majority are against the Dalai Lama’s Middle-Way policy. The situation has become so urgent that the President of the TYC, Tsewang Rigzin approached His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Private Office Secretary Kungo Lobsang Jinpa to intervene. The Private Office of the Dalai Lama recognising the danger within the political organisation instructed Samdhong Rinpoche to join the TYC meeting to intervene immediately, and to speak on behalf of the Dalai Lama and the Middle –Way policy. Samdhong Rinpoche obliged and representing the Gaden Podrang, or in other words, His Holiness the Dalai Lama suddenly arrived at the TYC meeting in hopes of calming down the situation of which it has been futile so far. A few days ago, the Kashag announced that Nechung oracle has commented that self-immolation is not good at all and must stop immediately. The Tibetan people responded that the Kashag is again using Nechung’s name to lie to them. They reasoned that if it was really Nechung’s pronouncement, why did Nechung wait for more than 110 people to die from self-immolation before he gave such advice. Is that the track record of a so-called Buddhist protector? To wait till 110 people have died and then suddenly say, “Self-immolation is wrong in achieving Tibet’s purpose.”  People reject the Kashag’s announcement and even said that they are always lying and using Nechung to cover their tracks. The Tibetan populist has also claimed that the Kashag lied 20 years ago when they proudly proclaimed that Nechung said it is good to announce and recognise the highly sought after incarnation of the Panchen Lama Gendun Chokyi . Upon announcement of the Panchen Lama’s incarnation, the Chinese immediately took the young Panchen Lama and his family, and they were never heard of again. Why would Nechung with his so called foresight and clairvoyance allow the announcement of the Panchen Lama which led to his house arrest and disappearance until today?

More and more Tibetans are openly expressing that Tibet State Oracle Nechung and Tibetan leaders such as the Kashag are lying, that their lies are surfacing and it is hard for them to cover their misdeeds. Tension is high. Why would the Dalai Lama allow the Kashag and Nechung to lie? Why does Nechung lie? Why does the Kashag lie? Why are the Tibetan people waiting this long to express their opinions? A simple and clear answer is Tibet has gotten nowhere in their pursuance of independence/ autonomy and their patience is running out. They have listened to and followed the Kashag’s and Nechung’s instructions for over 4 decades now with no result. The aging Dalai Lama has brought fear and impatience to the Tibetan people who wonder what is their fate after the demise or death of the Dalai Lama.

The Kashag and the Tibetan Government in Exile have not accomplished a long term goal for the people in Tibet and outside of Tibet in Exile. Their failure in this has been covered up and they have used many scapegoats to avoid admitting their failures. From pointing fingers at different members of the Tibetan government themselves as well as using Dorje Shugden as a reason for not gaining independence.  Dorje Shugden has been the favourite scapegoat of the Tibetan Government in Exile for the last two decades. They blamed Dorje Shugden as the main cause of Tibet not gaining independence and therefore his practice should be abandoned and banned, which they have done so.

Since abandoning and banning the practice of Dorje Shugden and alienating his followers, what success have they achieved for the independence or autonomy of the Tibetan nation? They cannot further blame Dorje Shugden as the cause of their failures, as their inept governance of the Tibetan people is starkly clear for all to see. The Dalai Lama is now 76 years old and how many more years can he live? What will happen to the Tibetan people inside of Tibet and the exile communities of India after his death?

Dorje Shugden has been a principal protector of Tibetan Buddhism, especially within the Gelug and Sakya school of Buddhism, with followers among Kagyu and Nyingma also. He has been blamed from nuns disrobing to bad weather condition, to threatening of the Dalai Lama’s long life, and even creating the causes for the lack of success in gaining independence of Tibet. How can one protector deity be so powerful in creating all these problems? It is almost like the Judeo-Christian eternal fight of God and his nemesis, the Devil.  It would seem it is ridiculous to blame one deity, Dorje Shugden, to be the cause of all of Tibet’s woes.

The Kashag and Tibetan government are now experiencing the very dissension, schism, and disharmony they have caused to the millions of Dorje Shugden practitioners around the world. The Tibetan government should invite the oracle of Dorje Shugden, request him to take trance and offer sincere apologies and amending of spiritual relations in order to deflect further karmic repercussions. They should unite the Tibetan people and religion without conflict and scapegoating. The Tibetan government should duly apologise to this compassionate, world peace protector Dorje Shugden. It can only serve to benefit them. Their current policies have not achieved any fruitioning and the Dalai Lama is aging. Therefore, they must attempt a new policy, new direction and a new stance.

The Tibetan Government in Exile and the Dalai Lama should stop courting and entertaining Western governments who will not take any action against the Chinese towards Tibetan independence. In fact, the Tibetan government and Dalai Lama should go out of their way and cease all interaction with Western governments and reach out to the Chinese government before it is too late. The simple fact of the matter is Tibet is in China, not America. So the President they should court and please is the Chinese Premier, not the US leader. If they were to reach out, and humbly approach the Chinese government, it would help the Tibetans within Tibet and outside of Tibet. After all, the Dalai Lama has no power in Tibet, and the only way he can help his Tibetan people is via the Chinese government. It is essential for His Holiness the Dalai Lama to make friends and go to Beijing to repair relations with China. Only by doing so, China will lighten their tight policies against Tibet and give more autonomous benefits, if not the name itself. In conclusion, the Tibetan Government in Exile should make full apologies to the protector deity Dorje Shugden who can only help in their purpose and not harm.

Time has told us their policies are not working. Secondly, they should immediately cease all interaction with Western governments that only serve to irritate China and not bring them closer to their goals. China’s absorbing of Tibet into the Motherland, whether right or wrong, is a fact that cannot be changed by any Western government. No Western government has the power, say, or self-sacrificing courage to challenge China for Tibet. In fact, all Western governments are scurrying to be China’s best friend. It would behoove Tibet and His Holiness to immediately make friends with China regardless of the past for the sake of Tibet and its unique culture.