But is the situation in Tibet a Buddhist issue? If you are a Buddhist--a Tibetan Buddhist--do you HAVE to get involved with a "Free Tibet" or a "Save Tibet" movement? Do you have to look at horrifying pictures of people being tortured, humiliated, and executed?
After all, there are many atrocities in the world, in China itself and even here in the United States. Americans and non-Americans, humans and non-humans all over the world are experiencing exploitation, injustice, the suffering of having their lives stolen from them, their opportunities to have a meaningful life stolen from them.
On the website of the Campaign for Tibet, there is a quote:
"Tibet is a human rights issue as well as a civil and political rights issue. But there's something else too - Tibet has a precious culture based on principles of wisdom and compassion. This culture addresses what we lack in the world today; a very real sense of inter-connectedness. We need to protect it for the Tibetan people, but also for ourselves and our children."
- Richard Gere, Chair of the Board of the International Campaign for Tibet
I, the author of this blog, tend to stand back and watch, not getting involved. I'm not advocating that; I just feel frozen by the overwhelming magnitude of the problems in the world, Tibet just being one issue out of many.
Prof. Robert Thurman argues that Buddhists should be interested in preserving the Tibetan culture because it is one that has managed to put a priority on Buddhist education and practice over the centuries. I can't find an exact quote about this right now, but his views are well-publicized. See: www.bobthurman.com, and Why Tibet Matters So Much.
Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche composed a new prayer in 2011 called Remembering the Kindness of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan People, in which he says:
. . . And the numberless Holy Beings
Who preserved and spread the Buddha Dharma in Tibet;
And the Tibetan people who practiced
And served Buddhism so faithfully for a thousand years,
As well as those who, along with many others,
Died sacrificing their lives for Tibet and His Holiness―
May all their positive wishes be fulfilled immediately. . .
So I seemed to have argued that the Tibet situation is important for Buddhists, but I still can't decide whether it's more important than so many other ethical issues in the world today. I would like people to feel free to practice Buddhism without automatically being expected to get involved in foreign policy or Tibetan independence.
What do you think?
I think this quote from Robert Thurman's article can closely relate to what you stated about Tibet issue being Buddhist: "Tibetans are unique on the planet in that their national life is wholly dedicated to Buddhism. For them the Dharma is all in all. Their culture was laboriously transformed over the 1000-year period from Srong btsan sGam po (early 7th century) to the great 5th Dalai Lama (early 17th century) from a normally ethno-centric, warlike, imperialistic national culture to a universally Buddhicized spiritual, peaceful culture. Essentially, they have been unilaterally disarmed for over 300 years. Their material development has been systematically neglected in favour of their spiritual development. For centuries, the main line item in the budget of the national government has been the support of the monasteries and the studies and the practices of the monks and nuns. The wheel was purposely never used for transport, but only for generating prayers, the energy of OM MANI PADME HUM. Their rulers have been spiritual lineages of wisdom and compassion, triumphing over dynastic blood lineages. Tibetan culture thus represents Buddhism's most sustained experiment in transforming a social environment. It is of course a still incomplete experiment, and the present Dalai Lama and other active leaders look forward to completing it, especially by balancing spiritual development with more effort toward a modest post-industrial level of material progress." ~by Robert Thurman from http://www.freetibet.org/about/tibetan-culture
ReplyDeleteOr though I see Dr. Thurman's point, I am also inclined to better see the point of His Holiness regarding this issue and as you put it ", tend to stand back and watch, not getting involved".
Yet i also believe, that you and I, as well as all other practitioners are involved. Just not as obvious may be and not as loud as "Free Tibet" would probably wants us to be. But we are involved, by creating compassionate thoughts and wish for Tibetan liberation within our mind streams, by feeling sad and compassionate without external fanatism, by meditating instead of marching near Chinese embassy. In my opinion this is being involved. Internally. Not everything has to be obvious. I also think-true Buddhist would know how and why things manifest, which may eliminate necessity of any active response to negativity all together, yet it does not mean that this person does not care. As His Holiness said in one of his interviews:
"If one has an enemy, one would want him to suffer. Whenever you feel hatred towards the enemy, think of him as a human being. That is actual karuna because you are feeling it for your enemy. You don't have the other's kindness to base your compassion upon; the other is actually harming you! That is why I say real karuna is unbiased. What we normally feel is biased karuna, as it is mixed with attachment. Genuine karuna flows towards all sentient beings, particularly towards your enemy. You must keep in mind that developing karuna might not benefit the other directly. If I try to develop karuna towards my enemy, he might not even be aware of it. But it will immediately benefit me! How? By calming my mind. On the other hand, if I keep thinking how awful everything is, I will immediately lose my peace of mind." ~ His Holiness the Dalai Lama. This is just my personal opinion, of cause, my five cents. It is a spicy topic though. I am surprised there is not many replies....