Burning Frustration
With the recent spate of self-immolations (setting fire to themselves) among monks - particularly young ones - in Tibet and Chinese-as-such provinces bordering it - all seemingly in the name of autonomy for Tibet and unfettered practice of their religion - there has been the usual jumping-up-and-down by Free Tibet! groups in the West.
Like a recent big one in the New York area, with its sizeable Tibetan population: many of them monks living there illegally, preferring dead-end jobs and sex in the city - closer to Hollywood - to practicing non-attachment at home - not so close.
Which - according to Tibetan Buddhism (Lamaism) - they ought to be able to do anywhere, in any situation. No matter who's running the place. But - as Bopa Lama tells me in Nepal - that's Buddhism today! Of course, the Chinese are the bad guys, and the recent arrest of an older monk for supposedly encouraging self-immolation among young monks gets much press for the wrong reasons: there's a key in this - probable truth to the Chinese claim.
Tibetans - or supporters of their cause - don't self-immolate in New York or anywhere else in the West.
With a fair grasp on Chinese and Tibetan history and having spent time in Lamaism monasteries in China/Tibet, Nepal and India - with friends among monks: my views of the latest development and how it got that way are not necessarily in step with predictable media reports over here.
So - following is some religio/historio-cultural background-color: the heroes not totally heroic and the villains not totally villainous. And Tibetan Buddhism another top-heavy organized religion.
Tibet's China Connection
In 641 ce (current era), the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo marries a niece of the Chinese Tang-Dynasty emperor to solidify a connection between China and Tibet. This is done at the request of the Tibetan king - initially refused by the Tang Court.
Today the Tang-Dynasty is acknowledged as a high-point in Chinese history: intellectually, scientifically and artistically - Tibet then does not figure in any of these areas.
The size of China's territory at that time is comparable to that of today - except it also includes large areas of today's countries west and south-west of China. Large Tibet - China's neighbor - is independent, but its size not manageable effectively by a very small group of land/people-owners and the king. Thus the request for a lasting connection - security through marriage.
Jokhang
At this time, Buddhism is already strong in China, while Tibet is still practicing Bon - an animist-shamanist belief-system. Princess Wen Cheng Gong Zhu brings Buddhism - in form of scriptures, Buddha statues and paintings - into the marriage with Songtsen Gampo. And Jokhang Monastery is built in Lhasa to house them. Jokhang becomes the first Buddhist monastery in Tibet - and over time the most venerated.
The first Buddhist-teachers come from China, to eventually be followed by monks from India. Chinese Buddhists - having all of China to play in - do not insist on making a lasting impression on Tibet: they don't aim to set-up house or - more specifically - monastery.
Here Come The Indians!
Indian Buddhists though come well-aware of and well-prepared for Tibet's socio-economic conditions! They have an agenda!
At this time, Tibet's social structure is feudal: few haves and many have-nots. The Tibet-haves team-up with the India-haves, and the political system eventually turns into a theocracy, once the Buddhist-haves have more of everything than the landlord-haves.
The have-nots are serfs. Running serfs is much more economical - thus profitable - than running slaves. Slaves need to be fed, clothed and sheltered - generally cared for. Serfs - in the same relationship with their masters - fight battles and produce for them, while feeding, clothing and housing themselves.
This goes on until the 1950s - with the average life-expectancy of Tibetans in the low 20s.
The rapid growth/influence of Buddhism here is easily explained with religion indeed being the opium of the masses. Indian monks - ingratiating themselves with the locals via their own very stripped-down belief-system - Bon - soon have the much more involved, much more colorful, much more dramatic, much more incomprehensible Buddhism absorb Bon: Voila - Tibetan Buddhism!
For basic serfs just surviving - while having to produce non-stop for their masters - means working no matter what/when. That's all they know! Thus continually producing children to help - most die soon - is imperative. Of course, the more survive - they less all have to eat!
And monks craftily tap into that with - karma!
The concept of karma has it: if this time around my life is a bummer, I created that by not living according to certain - conveniently Buddhism-supplied - rules in a previous life. So I pay for that in this! But if I accept this as my learning-curve and - above all - always do as I'm told: I may be ok in a future life.
This is how monks get their own serfs; this is how monasteries are rapidly built all over the place; this is how they become wealthy and powerful. The carrot and the stick!
Another incentive: donate a son to a monastery for additional karmic brownie-points! Most of these sons turn into more and more monks - those who do not become the monasteries' serfs. Who do all the physical work - while monks work on getting the evolving - increasingly involved - Buddhist imagery sorted; are fed, clothed, housed; learn to read/write and run serfs. Strengthening the base!
Today's Monk
Many youths see only two ways to go today:
But many of them - possibly most - may soon tire of the unvarying, unexciting sameness of their days - and nights; it would be naive to assume that they all come to find and do find the spiritual light.
Hordes of Western tourists come to stay in pricey spiritual fat-farm comfort, yearning to rub-up against godly - ideally attractive - monks. While many godly monks want to meet tourists, to be whisked away by them - to Hollywood!
They have a lot of untapped energy, leading to dissatisfaction with their lot looking for an outlet. Chafing at the bit: the bit here being the Chinese who pay the bills for everything: much improved schools, much improved medical care, an efficient infra-structure - and the complete lengthy and very expensive renovation of the Dalai Lama's (DL) palace of palaces: Potala. So they want something in return. This is known to neither-here-nor-there youths before they sign-up to become monks.
The there-part: they have also been told over and over again - for Western political purposes in general and by Western tourists in particular: they and their brand of religion are special. Over time, they have come to believe they actually are and expect stuff to be done for them. This has spilled-over into the general - mostly urban - population. I have never witnessed/heard of Lamaism monks do any kind of charitable work - in Tibet, India, Nepal, China - since Day One. Entitlement.
The young monks' scriptures-based classes are taught by older monks, and many of those still come from a strong disciplined belief. So - any kind of spiritual influence is handed down by them: the sameness of teaching(s) and daily life dumbing-down - instead of uplifting. Brain-wash. Not by design but repetitiousness, lack of diversity. With deviation from the norm not acceptable by scriptures, teachers and keepers of the purse.
Thus rebellion today is confusedly multi-layered but expressed with a simpler Western-supported focus - China. And to some self-immolation may seem like a sure bet to get the life they have dreamt of - consistently, tantalizingly promised by teachers. Next time around can be NOW! Entering it with their very own dramatic 15 minutes of fame.
Regardless of the Chinese influence - real and/or perceived - over Tibetans: it is said by Buddhists in Asia today that a future of Buddhism is possible in the West only. Older monks in Tibet are worried about that and push the young, any young - there's a lack of "real" raw material!
And it is clear that spiritual tourists - with their breathless demand for pieces of the Tibetan-Buddhism wonderfulness - are far more responsible for watering-down historio-cultural aspects than the Chinese. As are Tibetans themselves, supplying any amount of this wonderfulness - mass-produced and with the highest possible mark-up. Very old, my friend, just for you cheap! The Chinese are behind glitzy multi-storeyed, escalatored department-stores - where the Tibetans spend their money.
All this elsewhere called socio-economic development.
All this elsewhere called socio-economic development.
The Reincarnation Angle
This goes back to before the DL. During the Mongol-reign Yuan-Dynasty in China, 1270 - 1368 ce, Karim Pakshi - a high-ranking member of the Kagyuba - seeks patronage (read protection) of Mongke Khan, brother of Kublai Khan and grandson of Ghengis Khan. Pakshi's is one of four schools of Buddhism - all positioning for power politically and often attempting to gain/maintain it with their own armies - consisting of serfs and Mongol mercenaries. Mongke Khan bestows a seal and special black hat on Karim Pakshi - symbols of good will granted. Before he dies - to preserve this power for his school beyond his own and Mongke Khan's direct control - Pakshi decides to come back from the grave and carry-on. He does! Thus reincarnation Tibet-style comes into being and becomes the overnight rage. The Kagyuba are the Black Hats. And the the other three the Yellow Hats, Red Hats, White Hats - all eat meat, and the Red Hats can have a wife - and come up with their own reincarnations. All of a sudden there are tulku - reincarnations of Buddhist masters of various levels - all over the place.
The tulku-phenomenon continues today - discoveries are frequently based on border-crossing pragmatic possibilities.
Ubermonk
In 1578, Sonam Gyatso of the Yellow Hats - in a neighborly confab with Altan Khan, grandson of Kublai - is declared DL #3 - ubermonk of ubermonks. While his two long-dead predecessors as Yellow-Hat leaders become #1 and #2. Dalai - a Mongol word - meaning something like Ocean of Wonderfulness. Not stopping there - this now DL is also declared the reincarnation of Avalokiteshvara - Bodhisattva of Compassion. He - Indian in origin - conveniently also the patron-saint of Tibet: Chenrezig.
A bodhisattva is an enlightened being who is ready for Buddhahood - no more reincarnations necessary here to learn whatever - who decides to come back anyway to spread the light among the suffering. So - as far as reincarnations go - they don't come any more exalted than that.
Solid move!
Reciprocating in kind - DL#3 declares Altan Khan the reincarnation of Kublai.
Power politics (the power being military): convincing everybody who wants to live with a great show! And more of the same follows. The involved process of finding the boy-incarnate in Tibet, established by the Black Hats, is ignored for DL#4 - in favor of simply picking a close relative of Altan Khan. Pay-back time! Question: Provided the DL reincarnation process is to have any significance - is #5 then a reincarnation of #4, who clearly wasn't the real thing? And what about all those following him! I mean - we're talking holy gene-pool here!
Anyway, real political power starts with #5 in the 17th century and lasts until 1959. But nominally continues until a few yers ago. #5 has absolute spiritual and political power over everybody and everything. Including life. Theocracy! With military Mongol-help he wrests all power from monasteries - as always fighting each other for supremacy. Then he establishes the office of Panchen Lama #4 (PL) - second to his own position - giving it to the abbot of Tashilhumpo Monastery, his teacher and close ally. The abbot's 3 predecessors - all dead - become PL#1 to PL#3.
Things become more earthbound with DL#6 up to DL#12 - most die unnatural deaths as boys or young men. Leaving the run of the show in Lhasa's Potala Palace - and what a show it is! - to lama-regents. While there is no DL, or the current one is too young or unqualified and/or disinterested. So there often is very wordly intrigue at Potala - a palace of over 1000 rooms, 13 floors and over 300 meters in height. Built by serfs as the DL's main residence; there's a much smaller Summer Palace down the block. During all the infighting - taking much energy of those in charge and leaving little for compassion and running the country - Beijing sends in Amban, as sort-of governors-general, who - for 113 years - oversee Tibet as a protectorate of the Qing Court. They leave certain rights to self-rule to the Palace. In 1727, Beijing installs an Imperial Resident, to whom 3 Amban are reporting. As are the DL and PL.
The next-to-current #13 - finally! - is capable and concerned, attempting to establish order by - once again - taking away the monasteries' divisive power and centralizing it in himself. He is a reformer within - but less successful with various foreign powers nipping at Tibet's ankles.
With the DL - at least nominally - having absolute power, he has over time become the focus of average Tibetans: he is the promise of liberation - delivered? - from the serfs' horrible lives. With the religious drama made more and more colorful and involved and complicated by those in power: the DL - more simply - embodies all of it.
Thus to Dorje Tibet today: #14 still is the main-man, the great liberator, the door, the essence - superstar! On a more personal level: a nice man with spiritual platitudes for any occasion. And when Tibetans today clamor for Tibet's freedom or at least autonomy: they actually just want him to come home, be with them - instead of living in India and traveling all over the place, doing nice for Washington.
Serfs
When the Chinese attempt to introduce land-reforms in the early 1950 - most of Tibet's useful land belongs to monasteries, refusing to give-up any of it to the multitude of serfs.
So there are clashes between the Chinese and the monks - thus #14 as the bottom-line, and the Chinese try to prod the landless into revolutionary action against the monasteries. With experience in that from having done the same with feudals in China not long before - what with Mao Ze Dong having known that revolution needs to start in the countryside. And eventually #14 and his intimates leave for India - because even though their influence is still great within a religious context, it doesn't measure up to Chinese fervor.
At the time of #14's move to Dharamsala, in 1959, a demographic breakdown of Tibet shows
5% - slaves
70% - destitute serfs
20% - well-off serfs
and all of them run by the remaining 5% - monks and landlords - who have systematically used and abused these 95% since day one.
With compassion!
When young Tibetans today want freedom - it is Freedom: The Movie; the old days never were the good old days. Still serfs to an illusion conjured by religio-political interests ages ago - still manipulated now by the same for the ever-so-ready Western sympathy-vote.
..... then I resumed my spirals.
MOLLOY
Samuel Beckett
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