Opinion Analysing Chinese obsession over “son of India” By Dhundup
There is a saying that with great power comes great responsibility. However, as far as China is concerned, their recent behaviors have exhibited only their lack of maturity and excessive hubris of a wannabe superpower. As China seeks to exploit the maximum leverage out of its newfound economic and political clout, it is also candidly clear that the country is besotted with a motley assortment of deeply embedded insecurities. The author of China’s Trapped Transition, Minxin Pei, cited as his favorite sign of this insecurity the huge market for conspiracy theories in China, for he believed that “if you are really secure, you don’t dabble in conspiracy theories”. For instance, China has aggressively peddled the theory that the recent mass upheavals in Tibet and Xinjiang were actually products of foreign machinations. “I am not talking about the man on the street. I’m talking about quite well-educated people, very serious people, who believe in this kind of conspiracy theories,” said Minxin Pei. Since in the free world these wild theories would be dismissed easily with contempt and ridicule, more often than not, they are in fact exclusively targeted for domestic consumption. They are meant to serve as rabble-rousers, to stir up nationalist sentiments of the Chinese people by regurgitating the same old stories of foreign powers acting in cahoots with the domestic dissidents and separatists to scuttle the long-awaited rise of China as the new superpower of the world. The catalogue of conspiracy theories about His Holiness the Dalai Lama is currently topped by a newfound fear that His Holiness might actually be seeking Indian citizenship. A brief analysis of the sheer absurdity of arguments propping up this idea, underlined in the article titled “A look at the Dalai Lama’s ridiculous Indian heart”, is discussed hereafter in detail: A look at the Dalai Lama’s ridiculous Indian heart Source: China Tibet Information Center/ People’s Daily Online January 22, 2010 According to reports January 16, 2010, during the opening ceremony of the International Buddhist Conference in Gujarat State, India, the Dalai Lama remarked that due to the fact that he was from purely Tibetan parents, he was Tibetan in appearance, but an Indian in spirituality. Thus, his comments and ideas originate from Indian traditions. Absolutely true! The (Tibetan) Buddhism is the fabric of Tibetan identity, the quintessence of Tibetan core values and belief system. Since the Buddhism emanated from India, how can we deny its Indian origin. Why thus the fuss about being Indian in spirituality! In the annals of Tibetan history and religion, India has always been revered as the “holy land”. The deep cultural affinity between Tibetan and Indian peoples is not limited to Buddhism only. The Tibetan script was devised on the basis of ancient Indian Devnagri script. Among the many theories about the origin of the first (recorded) King of Tibet, one popular view is that he was the son of an Indian King. Although the (Indian) Buddhism that spread in Tibet was significantly different from the one that spread in China—whether in its content, social impacts or other relevant aspects—the real Chinese Buddhists should have no problem in saying that their religion had emanated from India, thus making them, technically, “Indian in spirituality”. Similarly, in the lexicon of Tibetan Buddhism, there are honorific phrases like “The son of the Buddha” (rgyal sras) or “The chief of sons” (sras kyi thu bo), which in actuality mean the most prominent disciple of Buddha, who has mastered the knowledge of his master, and are therefore not meant to be taken literally. This whole issue over “a son of India” can also be seen and understood in that context. Unfortunately, the communist capitalists of China, for whom religion is poison, have time and again, whether deliberately or not, proven to be simply incapable of grasping the spiritual connotations and nuances read between the lines. Last year, the 14th Dalai Lama kissed the ground to win the heart of India in addition to his intensive lobbying around the world, pleading to visit various national leaders. His Holiness the Dalai Lama does not need to kiss the ground to win the hearts and minds of Indian people. India has always esteemed His Holiness the Dalai Lama as its “honored guest” and, to borrow the words of present Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, “the greatest living Gandhian of the world”. It may also be noted that despite a constant flux in the coalition politics of India’s pluralist democracy, or for that matter, the various political parties of diverse ideologies that formed the Government of India, there has been not a slightest change in their Tibet policy or for that matter, their commitment towards the care of Tibetan refugees. Similarly, the moral authority of His Holiness the Dalai Lama today transcends all borders. There is as such no need to “plead” for visiting foreign leaders. Those still in doubt could take a glance at some of the independent polls conducted on the most popular or influential global leaders of present times. His Holiness is not only recognized as a beacon of peace and non-violence, but revered for promoting universal values and warm-heartedness that has been a source of happiness in the lives of millions across the world. It is in fact this overwhelming global popularity and influence of His Holiness that he has come to be the proverbial prickly thorn in the flesh of China’s hubris. Despite the overwhelming political and economic muscle of China, coupled with its bellicose statements and threats to almost every country that hosts His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the frequency of his foreign visits and the size of crowd that he invariably draws internationally have only increased over the years. The Chinese hue and cry against him has, on the contrary, only added to the glamour and attraction of his foreign visits—though it is a different matter that His Holiness has always been extremely considerate in avoiding any possible inconvenience to his host. He referred to himself as a “son of India” as early as last March. The Dalai Lama expressed that he would call himself a “son of India” on a news conference in New Delhi March 31, 2009. When it was published by various newspapers, his secretary hurried to interpret it. The Tibetan people down the ages have always taken great pride in their close spiritual affiliation with India. The Tibetans cherish the fact that their religion can be traced back to the ancient Nalanda University. The Tibetan history is therefore fraught with extraordinary stories about the trials and tribulations of Tibetan lotsawas [interpreters] who went to study in India and imported Buddhism to Tibet. A great many of Tibetan religious texts therefore begin by citing a routine verse in Sanskrit, “gyagar sked du…” (meaning, In the language of India…) as a trademark of authenticity and purity of the text. Tibetans also cherish the fact that out of over 360 million worldwide Buddhists, only Tibetans could claim to have preserved the whole corpus of exoteric and esoteric teachings of the Buddha. As a sign of their authenticity, the origin of these texts could be traced back to the scholars of the Great Nalanda University through various unbroken chains of transmission. The depth of Tibetan affinity with the Indian people would appear even greater when it is juxtaposed against the sheer lack of it in-between Tibetan and Chinese peoples, apart from of course a handful few dishes. This is exactly why many eminent intellectuals have said that Tibet belongs more to India then China, if they were ever to contest ownership over Tibet. Furthermore, in the 1950’s, when the Tibetan people led by His Holiness the Dalai Lama were desperate for help, as the Chinese military stepped up its aggression on Tibet, it was India that came forward and embraced Tibetans with open arms, just as they would to their own people. Since then, for over 50 years of the Communist Chinese rule, the Tibetans have endured mass devastation and carnage at various times of brutal military repression and catastrophic mass movements, like the Cultural Revolution, that resulted in the deaths of over 1.2 million Tibetans and destruction of over 6,000 monasteries. In fact, the entire bio-diversity of the once pristine Tibet has been degraded to the present critical level. Contrary to the mass devastation in Tibet, where virtually all vestiges of Tibetan religion and culture were so systematically and holistically destroyed that it coined the new term of “cultural genocide”, India provided the proverbial home away from home to the Tibetan refugees. We often like to boast that ours is the most successful of all the exile communities in the world. In fact, there are times when we have to remind ourselves that we are still refugees and as such, there is still a cause to fulfill, that the fundamental rights and freedoms that we so take for granted (in exile) are still denied to our brethren back home. There are as such no words that could convey the profundity of Tibetan gratitude towards India and its people. This is exactly why the Tibetans in India voluntarily organized a series of events at various places to express their heartfelt gratitude. The spontaneity of Tibetan gratitude towards India is all the more visible when we compared it with the state-sponsored events that are hosted in China to celebrate with great fanfare the “liberation” and “prosperity” of Tibet under the communist rule. The sheer mendacity of Chinese propaganda was exposed before the whole world when a wave of peaceful mass uprising stormed the entire Tibetan plateau in 2008. In the light of Chinese exploitation and oppression in Tibet, it is but natural that Tibetans have only grievances and resentment to attribute towards China. This feeling of gratitude towards India and resentment towards China should be extremely humiliating to the hubris of Chinese regime. Blinded by the blinkers of their own propaganda, the communist leaders, instead of making a reality check on their own wrongdoings in Tibet, still have the temerity to expect Tibetans to be grateful to their oppressive rule. However, based on the reports from VOA April 15, Indian Bhupendra Kumar Modi told reporters that the Dalai Lama mentioned before that he was by nature an Indian, and would try to obtain Indian nationality if the conditions were right. Later, the Dalai Lama’s remarks and actions bore out Modi’s words. But, where is the wrong in that? His Holiness is not merely the undisputed religious and political leader of Tibet, but an influential international figure whose views create headlines across the world. He is counted among the greatest champions of world peace and non-violence, who is also a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and commands a massive international following. The catalogue of awards and honors presented to him internationally also includes the award of honorary citizenship. He is already an honorary citizen of Canada and several world cities like Paris (France), Rome (Italy), Warsaw (Poland), Wroclaw (Poland), etc. Since the moral authority of His Holiness the Dalai Lama as an international figure transcends all borders, he should be viewed only as a citizen of the world. Any one country, religion or group of people cannot claim him exclusively. This is why, the mission of promoting human values and inter-religious harmony are earmarked as his list of life-long priorities. His Holiness therefore has also said that the next Dalai Lama could be born outside Tibet, in a land of freedom. As far as the global Tibetan diaspora is concerned, acquiring citizenship of a country and maintaining one’s national identity are not mutually exclusive. They are in fact complimentary, a practical necessity to preserve their national identity and heritage. However, as far as Tibetans in India are concerned, they have always attached a greater importance on maintaining their status of a political refugee ever since they first took shelter in this country. As their ultimate aim was and is to return to Tibet, instead of sprinkling themselves in the teeming multitude of India, they had built from scratch their own separate and cohesive community in exile. This is why a teeny weeny community of merely 100,000-odd Tibetans today stands out even in a nation of billion people. There is as such a solid foundation in exile today for “retaining, nourishing and promoting” the rich Tibetan heritage for generations to come. Some people thus say that the real Tibet survives not in Tibet, but in India. Despite the award of honorary citizenship of various countries, there has been no change in the political status of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He is still “a refugee”, who travels across the globe with the Identity Certificate (also known as the yellow book) issued by the Government of India to all its refugees, including non-Tibetans. The Dalai Lama pleases his Indian masters not only by showing his willingness to be a “son of India,” but also by effacing the originality of the Tibetan culture. The Dalai Lama uses such words to dwarf the rich Tibetan culture with distinctive local characteristics. He could not be more subservient. Anybody who knows anything about “the originality” of Tibetan culture would know that it has nothing to do with China and almost everything to do with India. Since the quintessence of Tibetan culture, or for that matter, the Tibetan national identity, is its religion, the authenticity of the source of its religion is of paramount importance. This is why His Holiness the Dalai Lama often says that Indian and Tibetan peoples share a pure bond of master and disciple. There is an ancient Tibetan saying, gang byams pha ma dang gang skyid pha yul, meaning whoever loves you is your parents, wherever you find happiness is your homeland. Since His Holiness the Dalai Lama has lived in India more than he had lived in Tibet, it is only natural that he is often quoted as saying, “I have spent most of my life in this hill station [Dharamshala]. Now I feel like a citizen of Himachal Pradesh.” This is particularly true of the present Tibetan generation, like this writer for instance, who were born, bred and buttered in India. They feel they are Indian as much as they are Tibetan. For them, it is not necessary to choose one. The beauty of freedom in exile is that you can choose both of them. Unlike those in Tibet, the Tibetans in exile are not facing a cultural imperialism that is forcing them to assimilate into the folds of the dominant nationality. In fact, another reason why the Dalai Lama calls himself a “son of India” is that he intends to deny his Chinese citizenship. When was His Holiness the Dalai Lama ever a Chinese citizen to deny it in the first place? The Tibetan people, whether in or outside Tibet, have always viewed themselves more as victims rather than citizens of China. Besides, Tibetans and Chinese have been historically as different as cats and dogs. They differ in race, language, religion, tradition, custom and in other relevant aspects. The Dalai Lama might have forgotten many historical facts when saying so. For example, Chinese Buddhism played a very important role in the formation and development of Tibetan Buddhism, and the Sakyamuni statue in the Jokhang Temple was taken to Tibet by Princess Wencheng in Tang Dynasty. Absolutely, completely utter nonsense! It is true that the Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo married Chinese princess Wencheng, who brought a statue of Shakyamuni to Tibet; but so did the Nepalese princess Bhrikuti, the other bride of Songtsen Gampo. The Tibetans do not dispute the fact that Buddhism spread in China before it came to Tibet. This is why His Holiness the Dalai Lama often refers to the Chinese Buddhists—who today come in thousands to attend his teachings in India and across the globe—as the elder student of the Buddha. However, to say that the “Chinese Buddhism played a very important role in the formation and development of Tibetan Buddhism” amounts to a brazen travesty of historical facts. According to Tibetan history, at the time when Tibet reigned as a great military power in Asia, the Tibetan King hosted a debate between an Indian master (Shantarakshita) and a Chinese heshang (monk) in order to rate their Buddhist scholarship. As the the hesheng loses that debate miserably, he was sent back to his homeland, while the Indian master was honored as the spiritual master. The King in fact was said to have gone even further by making it a rule to keep the (then) Chinese flavor of Buddhism strictly at bay. The episode marked the beginning of a tradition of inviting reputed Indian masters to teach Buddhism in Tibet. In the entire course of Tibetan history, other than what is cited above, there is no mention of even a single Chinese monk who was invited to Tibet. On the contrary, many prominent spiritual masters of Tibet visited China, particularly when the later was ruled by Mongols and Manchus. If at all China had played any part in terms of the status of Buddhism in Tibet, it has been entirely that of destroying it in the most diligent and systematic manner. In addition, during the Yuan Dynasty, the Chinese government established a special department to handle Tibet-related military and political affairs and put Tibet under the control of the central government. Of course, he also forgot that in the Qing Dynasty, the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation and enthronement had to be confirmed by the central government. For instance, the 7th Dalai Lama was conferred the title by Emperor Kangxi in 1719 and the 8th Dalai Lama was confirmed by an official dispatched by Emperor Qianlong in 1762. This is insane and absurdly laughable. Since the historical status of Tibet has been proven time and again with valid facts, it might suffice for now to merely mention that even among those who are still undecided about Tibet, there is a general consensus that throughout history Tibet existed as a separate country from China. Furthermore, when the Chinese military invaded Tibet in 1950, it was a de-facto independent country. As for the Chinese authority in the religious affairs of Tibet, a best case in point is that of the present 14th Dalai Lama. China has had absolutely no part whatsoever in his identification process, or for that matter, his enthronement and assuming of state responsibility. The Chinese role, if at all any, was merely that of a mute spectator, like those from the foreign missions (or embassies) of (British) India and Nepal stationed in Lhasa. The relations between Tibet and China were far better when China was ruled by the Mongols (who founded the Yuan dynasty) and the Manchus (who formed the Qing dynasty). It is extremely funny that China today claims with a straight face the glory of Mongols (who had conquered most of Asia) and Manchus, both of whom are simply not Chinese people. The more absurd thing is that the Dalai Lama often considers himself a “son of India” and India’s cultural guru, but he also keeps on claiming that he represents “the interests of all Tibetans.” People cannot help but ask that since the Dalai Lama deems himself an Indian rather than Chinese, then why is he entitled to represent the voice of the Tibetan people? When those who have no authority, relevance or knowledge to meddle in the religious affairs still poke their noses into them, or for that matter, when religious issues are defined or appraised by the self-styled atheists with the yardstick of their own narrow political interest, the end result is often a hotchpotch of pseudo-theories. In fact, the utter nonsense of some harebrained logics peddled by the agents of Chinese propaganda cast a serious doubt even on their mental sanity, like for instance, the aforesaid argument against His Holiness representing the interests of Tibetan people. The fact that His Holiness the Dalai Lama is the undisputed legitimate leader of Tibetan people is today a universal truth that even the blind can see and the deaf can hear. Furthermore, will a guy who betrayed southern Tibet to India really care about the well-being of the Tibetan people? As a Living Buddha of the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism who calls for “protecting Tibetan culture” all the time, the Dalai Lama claims that “Tibetan Buddhism originated from India.” He also claims that the Tibetan language derived from India and he is a “son of India,” will such a guy really want to protect Tibetan culture? Insofar as the so-called betrayal of “southern Tibet” to India is concerned, the border issues between Tibet and (British) India have been resolved amicably at times when Tibet independently handled its foreign affairs. The issue as such is now a foregone conclusion. It must however be pointed out that Tibetans are extremely happy about the fact that people in the Himalayan regions of India, who share the same heritage of religion and culture, enjoy all the fundamental rights and freedoms that make humanity the masters of their own fate. Unlike the people on the other side of the Himalayas, the people on the Indian side have never been subjected to state-sponsored mass oppression and persecution. Furthermore, the onslaught of Chinese cultural imperialism in Tibet today is not merely diluting Tibetan religion and culture. It is posing a serious threat to even the continued survival of Tibetan national identity. The Chinese leadership must however understand that the spiritual territory of Tibetan heritage is not limited to its national boundaries. Irrespective of the eventual outcome of the ongoing, relentless Sinocization of Tibet, the heritage of Tibetan religion and culture will survive in the outside world, especially amidst the people of Himalayan regions of India.