WHY THE WORLD CANT AFFORD A CHINESE DALAI LAMA

Today, the world is in the midst of long drawn wars against terror, for fossil fuels, military might, corporate gains, and religious supremacy.   In just 67.2 average human years, a person can change the course of history and so he does, albeit in the smallest of ways.  Very few have stepped back and contemplated upon the reasons behind such human behaviour – the 14^th Dalai Lama, who probably is the only religious head disinterested in winning converts into his fold, is one of the few.  His approach is humane, pragmatic and open to experiments – he stimulates people to think on humanitarian, rather than on religious or nationalistic grounds.

Note the stark contrast in Chinese policy towards religion.  On one end, the officially atheist Communist Party of China crushes religious institutions but on the other hand, they have thoroughly co-opted the Tibetan religious sphere as can be seen from their forced appointment of the 11^th Panchen Lama (after kidnapping six year old Gedhun Choekyi Nyima).  While they destroy Buddhist monasteries (the most recent being Larung Gar, a monastic establishment housing over 10,000 occupants, bulldozed in August 2016) they are also organising Kalachakra initiations through their Panchen Lama.  The Kalachakra initiation is a Tantric Buddhist ritual for initiating willing devotees into a special type of worship, traditionally conferred by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in various parts of the world, attracting devotees in colossal numbers.  It is interesting to note that every Kalachakra event is also attended by thousands of Chinese devotees from non-Tibetan stock.   In 2016, China facilitated this event in their country through their Panchen Lama for the first time and it’s obvious that this was done purely to counter the 14^th Dalai Lama and prevent Chinese people from coming into contact with him. 

Through their forced occupation strategies, although they created a behemoth and an unofficial super power, China also created schisms among their ethnic communities through an autocratic political system.  There are reports of small Han communities practicing Tibetan Buddhism, and following the Dalai Lama within closed doors.  The father of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Xi Zhongxun, “was a dove in the party, championing the rights of Tibetans, Uighurs and other ethnic minorities. He also opposed the army crackdown on the 1989 Tiananmen student protests and was alone in criticising the sacking of liberal party chief Hu Yaobang by the Old Guard in 1987”. (Reuters, Does China's next leader have a soft spot for Tibet?, Sep 1, 2012).  Although many thought Xi Xinping would have a softer stand towards Tibet, he now categorically opposes the Dalai Lama’s so called ‘separatist’ stance.  Note that the CPC have a history of purging leaders with soft corners for people’s rights, as was the case with former premier Zhou Ziyang who displayed such sentiments towards Tiananmen Square protesters.

Whereas they denounce the 14^th Dalai Lama, China repeatedly states that they will appoint the 15^th Dalai Lama of Tibet, after the great 14^th passes on.  They are also projecting their version of the Panchen Lama as the next spiritual head of Tibetans and will most probably use him to identify the 15^th Dalai Lama.  We need to stop here and ask the question – if they denounce the Tibetans’ universal religious leader who has for centuries been regarded as a reincarnation of the same person, why would they want to appoint the next Dalai Lama themselves?

The answer is simple, but in two parts and both parts spring from China’s fear psyche:

• Firstly, they will control a puppet through whom they can wipe out the Tibetan movement and
• Secondly deprive India, China’s most powerful neighbour, of an asset who if India hasn’t realised, is their most lethal weapon against China – a weapon that doesn’t fire shots or nuclear warheads, but exposes the true face of China time and again.  In China’s ‘surround India’ strategy, the Tibetan community in exile in India, led by the 14^th Dalai Lama is a self goal 

His Holiness the Dalai Lama has repeatedly said that a 15^th version of him will only appear if the Tibetan people so desire – whatever he decides will be a binding decision, although the Chinese will try to denounce anything he says.  The absence of a Tibetan Dalai Lama, truly identified by Tibetans and as per the wishes of the great 14^th, could cause the following issues:

• Rifts among the exiled Tibetan community that already have a number of sects within them,
• The Dalai Lama is seen as a binding force between Buddhists from all sects and ethnicities, the absence of which will create divisions between them,
• Among fundamentalist forces and rigid clerics, the 14^th Dalai Lama must be an eye sore because of his open-minded views on issues like human cloning, abortion etc, and his popularity among non-Buddhists.  It is good for the modern man to have a mentor in a spiritual leader who does not condemn one to hell
• Countries like United States and France probably house the largest number of Buddhists of non-Tibetan stock practicing Tibetan Buddhism and the resultant Chinese heartache is clearly demonstrated through the frequent banning of celebrities from their country
• The humble monk is a ‘mascot’ against Chinese human rights violations, and a united Tibetan community adds more force in such disclosures

Although Religion and Materialism are considered to be poles apart, both are necessary to maintain balance in the world order and the 14^th Dalai Lama is one of the few (and definitely the only religious head) who is trying to find convergences between the two.  China has unending ambitions for world domination and they will dispose of their religious facade once they totally dominate the Dalai Lama and the exiled Tibetans.  Moreover, if they subdue their lesser Asian alter ego India, the next cold war might be between them and the United States.