A while back I wrote an extensive article about the high speed train to Lhasa Tibet. My critical response to an Article in WIRED Magazine, which wrongly extolled its engineering “virtues” and amazing feats of construction, was published (click here to see it) in the following monthly issue.
Mao started this project, because he knew that the way to "assimilate" the Tibetan culture and peoples would be through forced re-settlement. Stalin advised him to destroy the Tibetans wholesale….and he listened. Briefly, the concept is to kill off as many trouble makers as you can (i.e. during the overthrow of Tibet 50 years ago), buy off those you can, and run off those who you can't (the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan govt in exile in Dharmasala India, and many millions of ex-patriots all over the world), and Then move in millions of others into the geographic space( i.e. well over 6 million very aggressive Han Chinese forced & bribed to move into Tibet…overwhelming the barely 6 million remaining Tibetans). Mao, in his infinite evilness, also forced many Tibetans left in Tibet to be impregnated and "married" to incoming Han Chinese soldiers and relocated farmers. Forcing nuns and monks into public sex, to assure they "consummated" their new "alliances."
Such horrific things are not spoken of by most Tibetans, and certainly not the monks. To even speak of these things, is to "resurrect" negative "effects." I only do so now, to set the context for Western peoples who have become numb to violence; and only "hear" the harshest things. The trap in this, is becoming so jaded and desensitized that we can no longer understand the soft-spoken entreaties of most Tibetans....particularly the monks, and the Dalai Lama.
What brought this to mind to me was the news coverage of the peaceful protest of many hundreds of Tibetans and supporters on Friday the 8th of August, marching across the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. The police, says this TV report, were "Afraid of a replay of the protest in the spring; where security on the bridge was shown inadequate, because some Tibetans climbed the suspension wires and hung big banners up" (paraphrased). "We don't want any of the Tibetans to get hurt climbing wires," the woman in charge of the bridge said. To which, a smiling Tibetan responded: "Given what is happening in Tibet; to us, this is a very little thing. Not to worry" (insert grin)
Why did he laugh?
Because they were telling the toughest people on the planet that their fun high wire act was dangerous. (I say "the toughest,” but Mongolians Might have them beat for that. Either way, it’s a close second ;-)
Why do we automatically assume that Tibetans are meek and weak? Because they are nice? Because they are typically friendly, smiling, and instructed by the Dalai Lama to be ever more so compassionate towards others? I suppose.
But what is the truth?
Bottom line? Its takes more strength to smile at your oppressors for over 50 years, wishing them a "deliverance" from their ignorance, than it does to lash out blindly in hate, anger, rage, or violence.
Have Tibetans done themselves a disservice in being so kind and meek? Not really, because they don't keep themselves in tortured mental prisons due to these extraordinary efforts of patience, and compassion. But in a way, they have....
There is such a thing as peaceful resistance. The Tibetan Freedoms fighters did non-killing guerilla tactics (taught by our CIA, BTW) that disrupted communications, trade routes, and traffic into and out of Tibet's most sacred/pristine regions. But, once Nixon got his trade agreement with China, he dropped support for them......leaving them hanging in the wind, ready to be slaughtered by the Chinese military. The Dalai Lama, correctly foreseeing this slaughter, did his best to make the Freedom Fighters surrender. he knew, in geo-political terms, that they had been given up for money. Nixon and Kissinger only supported the Freedom Fighters in order to irritate China; so that they could get a trade agreement. Part of that agreement, a Chinese requirement, was the surrender of Freedom Fighters.
Where am I going with all of this?
Well, simply, if the Dalai Lama is unsuccessful in forging a true peace with China before he passes away; the younger Tibetans will have no problem turning to violence...out of sheer frustration, seeing their world destroyed. The Dalai Lama is a strong, very positive, influence on many peoples.....with him gone, China thinks they will be free of his “meddling”/"splittist and seditious activities," when in fact, he is a damn holding back the pent-up rage of very determined and strong peoples who have stood by, why their families and world are killed.
My question is this? Is there a middle road here? What is there to hold back Tibetans from disrupting this monstrosity of a train to Lhasa? The train that brings in over 6,000 new Han Chinese immigrants into Tibet EVERY DAY!!
When I cycled through rural Tibet in 2001 I saw the last of “peaceful resistance” through damaging the roads and cutting telephone lines (see pictures). I also saw the construction of shining new buildings (using modern construction techniques) right next to new “old” buildings (using mud brick construction). New “established” villages have been erected to replace the ones destroyed….in different locations (see pictures). The maniacal attention to detail would be amazing, if it weren’t so sinister.
Why shouldn’t Tibetans disrupt the railroad? It would be easy enough to block train tracks. Is it fair to stop the destruction of your world, through nefarious and devious “development,” by simply “pulling the plug” on power plants? The Tibetans are more patient than I am, obviously. What do you think?
Just wait until “Tibet-land” is unveiled by the Chinese Govt during the Olympics. People are being arrested, harassed, and carried away…..by the thousands, to places unknown. Just so you will see the bus road to Mt. Everest, and a false “picture” of “harmonious living.” (btw, they took out an entire mountain to build that road to Everest Base camp)
The Northern States “won” the Civil War, because the South was distracted into protecting its railroad. One small band of men, called “Andrew’s Raiders” played havoc with the rail lines….forcing the Southern states to spread their army men too thin, protecting miles of track. They stayed in Marietta, Georgia…..in a hotel right under the noses of the Confederate Army. Why, do you think, a few bands of devoted Tibetans couldn’t do the same thing?
When does the madness end? Maybe when a few people say; "enough is enough!"
The Chinese government does not understand that the Dalai Lama is trying very hard to work with them; and continually shoot him down for the effort. I can tell you with assurance, without the Dalai Lama things are going to get much worse. They had better cut a deal while they can.
As an aside, today we welcome "The Students for a Free Tibet" to Gather. They will be posting updated articles on the events in Tibet. Also, you can view their 24 hour internet TV "show" on current events during this tense period. Click this to see Student for Free Tibet Video Streaming.
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Comments: 13
You have been writing Russian literature again, haven't you? :-)
I hear what you are saying, though.....
The issue isn't so much a numbers game though. Its an ideological war. Rampant greed & hyper aggressiveness for material wealth versus a purely spiritual existence. Worlds apart, walking side by side.
Mao, correctly, saw the belief in anything beyond the "in-your-face, concrete" ambition he espoused as a threat to full control.
You can see in the present Olympics the lengths they will go to, just to maintain an image....(i.e. fake fireworks, one girl singing w/good voice, and prettier one mouthing the words, the radical "redevelopment " that evicted millions of Chinese people from the city, etc)
This is why they never give up; because Buddhists are really hard to control, and pose a threat to their authority (or so they feel)
As for Tibet getting a McDonalds...I doubt that anyone will ever see that day. At least that would be my prayer.
I was soooo disappointed, like in the early 1980's, when I visited Windsor Castle....and there was a McDonalds right across the cobble-stoned street. It took all of the mystery out of the place; and made the whole place feel like a poorly maintained attraction at Disney World. Sucks when Disney world is our "standard," eh?
Well, maybe no McDonalds.....but Coke has recently built bottling plants in Tibet. Notice how they side-step responsibility for financially supporting 2008 Olympics with the "We have been supporting the Olympics for 80 years" campaign??
There are dirty hands everywhere, and China knows it. They counted on complicity, borne out of fear of losing money, to insure final "closure" to the "Tibetan Question"......and we have either fallen for it, or don't have the nads to stand up to it. As long as we have gas in our Hummers, who gives a flip, eh? :-o
BTW, glad to see you , peter, jerry, and tom again.....sorry so "absent" lately....will be getting back soon.
best, patrick
ps: dont know you danyale, but thanks too ;-)
And now for something really interesting. The convergence of two very ancient prophecies, from two groups of peoples who had not seen each other in over 10,000 years...
More recent advances in coding the human genome, and the ability now to trace ancestry via the mother's mitochondrial DNA (not directly involved in sexual meiosis, and hence antiquity sits there) has resulted in the following finding, which was only a theoretical "educated guess" back when I studied anthropology:
SALT LAKE CITY & PAVIA, Italy--(Business Wire)--
In the most comprehensive study to date on the genetic origins of
Native Americans, an international research team confirmed that Native
Americans who descended from ancestors who crossed from Asia to the
Americas approximately 20,000 years ago are offspring of six founding,
or ancestral, mothers. The study also confirms the presence of genetic
subgroups of more rare, less known and geographically limited genetic
groups who arrived later. This study is the first time all known
Native American mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences and lineages have
been compiled, corrected and organized into a single tree with
branches dated.
When the iron eagle flies and horses run on wheels, the Tibetan people will be scattered over the earth and the dharma will go to the land of the red man.
--- Padmasambhava, 8the century Tibet
When the iron bird flies, the red-robed people of the East who have lost their land will appear, and the two brothers from across the great ocean will be reunited.
-- Hopi Native American Prophecy
and to add to the "other-world-li-ness" of your very accurate quotes and the combo of the genetic origins study......
When I took a group of Tibetan Buddhist monks to California, on a tour of universities and churches, etc to do Sand Mandalas and put on "The mystical Arts of Tibet" tour (traditional music,dance, etc) I wanted to take them to Indian Reservations.....but we had no time.
Then, at one university, some Indians approached me....
"can we do a blessing, for the monks?"
"Surely," I said...
so, before the show that night I took all of the monks out into a dark parking lot....and the Indians had a few extra folks with them. They did a blessing with smoke....
this blessing, was just like the kind of juniper smoke blessings that the Tibetans do on their rooftops. The younger monks hadn't, of course, ever seen this.....being born & raised in India. But the older monk, who accompanied the Dalai Lama from Tibet to India, just glowed.
"Just like home," he says. Then, his eyes misted over.....and I could visibly see him "taken back" to his youth of 50 years prior. He said nothing during the entire tour, except that....the deep sadness in him moved me like nothing else.
Two items: I see the Tibetans and the native American Indians as they same. It was a hunch to "get them together", but a fact once done.
and lastly, We CAN STOP THEM FROM BEING DESTROYED. WE can bring back the past. By simply re-connecting with nature, and our true natures.....which these two peoples can help facilitate. The survival of the Tibetan Buddhist world, I contend in my book, is nothing less that the survival of the human race. If we can't assure their safety, ours is surely lost....eventually. we have strayed sooo far from our true natures (and the life-force of nature itself) that we are losing our humanity; our role/relation to earth itself. Then? Only further abuse of that which we were meant to protect....until its dead. Both Native American Indians and Tibetan Buddhists hold this as THE TRUTH....to be ignored at one's peril. This isn't simply "backward cultures tied into natural phenomenon" (as our greedy expansionists throughout time have implied; with the "aid" of control-based religions).
This is the question before us...our last test.....
For respect/cultivation/nurturance of life? Or, against life?
The first way insures everyone's survival.....the second? A slow and miserable death.
So, yeah, Bent, the stakes are at their highest.....and yes, its taken this many centuries to get to this point. Weather its "convergence" or "parallel tracks", its the same question....
Do we want to live, or to die.....
more than half the world's population is in India and China.....why? Well, just like other forms of life, humans "swarm" too. This is whats happening. Swarm, and die off....from burning all the resources in one last blaze of production.
Why the "human swarm?" Because those two countries have very little spiritualism left....of any kind. Without the care for higher level of consciousness (beyond raw intelligence/education), there is no reason to share, care, or nurture (on a societal level). This is why human life, actually all life, is "valued" so cheaply there. Visualize people dying all around you, all the time.....and that is India and China. Tibetan Buddhists were an island in all of this....until Mao correctly perceived the "threat" to his ideology. Most Buddhists in India had been killed off, over many thousands of years.....same in China.
I could go on, but suffice to say.....we are now faced with THE most important question of mankind. Not that it hasn't been considered before, its just that this time its Global, and there is no going back.
Is there anything more important for us to be working on today?
I think not...
Thanks, Bent, for your insightful words...Lets get people to do something now, eh?
:-)
Think of pebble dropped into a still pond. the effects are there. In a turbulent "pond" the effects are not even visible, but none-the-less important part of the whole thing (elsewise, there would be no turbulence, right? ;-)
We all have to work towards reducing the bad ripples.....and the "Boulders" of intentional infliction of pain, through hate and anger (aka: a laziness to not work through things, but just react to stimulus)
Civil disobedience is a fair way to "just say no" to oppression. So what if commerce fails in China? Oh well ;-)