In 1951 an agreement was reached that Tibet would be an autonomous region of China. This included areas with non-Chinese ethnic minorities such as the Kham and Tibetan people. While the Dalai Lama is a Buddhist, he has also been a strong advocate for interfaith dialogue and understanding, and has sought to promote cooperation among people of different religions and backgrounds.Īt the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949, the new communist government took steps to reassert its control over the territories that had broken away from the Qing Empire at its collapse in 1912. The Dalai Lamas devote their lives, or single life if you believe in reincarnation, to the practice and promotion of Buddhist teachings, particularly the principles of compassion, nonviolence, and wisdom. The ultimate goal of Buddhism is to achieve nirvana, which is a state of supreme liberation from suffering and rebirth. The path to its cessation is called the Eightfold Path, which includes understanding, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration.īuddhists believe in the concept of karma, that a person’s actions in this life will affect their future lives. There are three main sectors of Buddhism, Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana, each with their own unique teachings and practices.Ĭentral to Buddhist teachings is the Four Noble Truths, which describe the nature of suffering, called dukkha, its causes. Tibetan Buddhism is a form of Mahayana Buddhism that developed in the country, incorporating elements of Tibetan culture alongside other Buddhist traditions. (This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.The Dalai Lama is the most prominent spiritual leader of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Despite Chinese persecution, Tibetans have fought and gave up their lives for independence for many years, UCA News reported. China violently put down an uprising in Tibet against Chinese control in 1959. Tibetans were angered by China's acquisition of their territory because they saw it as an occupation by a foreign power. A monk in exile said, "They did not give any sort of warning before conducting these random searchers," adding, "The monks in these monasteries were summoned for a meeting where they were forced to sign documents renouncing the Dalai Lama and separatism." "We will vigorously take part in opposing the Dalai Lama clique and will remain loyal and devoted to the country (China)," reads the text on the board, according to UCA News.Īnother exiled Tibetan who wished to remain unnamed claimed that as part of their searches, the authorities had been looking through the monks' prayer manuscripts and books and taking prayer flags from shrines. The Shartsa monks can be seen registering their names on a board on the wall in a photo that RFA got from Tibet. According to the Dalai Lama, he only wants further autonomy for Tibet within China if there is a guarantee that its religion, language, and culture will be preserved. China considers Dalai Lama, who is living in exile in India for decades, a separatist intending to split the formerly independent region from the control of China, as per UCA News.Ĭhinese forces invaded and annexed Tibet in the 1950s under the pretext that it had always been a part of China. In the previous year, RFA reported that China has made it mandatory for Tibetans working in official government positions to cut all ties with the Dalai Lama as a condition of employment. The exiled Tibetan said, "The authorities search all the residences of the monks and the main shrines in the monasteries." The source, quoted by UCA News, also said, "The monks of Shartsa Monastery are also forced into renouncing ties with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and be a part of anti-Dalai Lama groups." Starting this month, the Chinese authorities conducted searches of monasteries in Shentsa and Sok counties on the pretext of maintaining security, said a Tibetan living in exile on the condition of anonymity, Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported on June 26. The Chinese authorities in Tibet are conducting several raids and searches on monasteries and are forcing monks to sign documents that require breaking all relations with Dalai Lama, the supreme spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, reported Union of Catholic Asian News (UCA News).
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