When His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama met Chairman Mao Zedong for the last time in 1955, Mao Zedong approached him and said, “Religion is poison.”
“Here,” said the Venerable in his autobiography, Freedom of exile“I felt a strong burning sensation on my face, and I was suddenly scared.’ So,’I thought,’You are the destroyer of this world. law after all. ‘”
Mao Zedong’s beliefs did have devastating consequences for Tibet as a Buddhist country—including the destruction of more than 6,000 Tibetan monasteries and the stripping and killing of thousands of monks and nuns. It is estimated that the number of Tibetans subjected to torture, starvation and execution ranges from 400,000 to 1.2 million. The International Commission of Jurists officially recognized these atrocities as genocide in 1961.
Today, under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party Xi Jinping, Sworn to identify and care for the reincarnation of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. But how can we believe that the CCP wants to take care of the future of Tibetan Buddhism? There is no doubt that the actual goal of the Chinese regime is: to completely control the Tibetan people who respect the venerable.
Take reincarnation as the theme-believe in rebirth after death. This is a sacred tradition of Tibetan Buddhists, with a history of more than 900 years. In 2007, the CCP required the reincarnated Lama Living Buddha to be approved by CCP No. 5 Order.This is a heinous and shameful order, as the Dalai Lama Pointed out at the time While ensuring that clear guidelines regarding his reincarnation will be issued, “leave no room for doubt and deception.”
Is Order No. 5 really a government action to protect Tibetan Buddhism? It is not the responsibility of any government to tell a religious group that should lead it. This is their requirement, simple and clear.
Fortunately, in 2020, the United States passed the historic Tibet Support and Policy Act (TPSA) to counter this serious injustice. Among other things, the bill promises to “support the basic right of Tibetan Buddhists to choose, elect, and educate their own spiritual leaders.”
This landmark piece of legislation also clearly stated that the United States’ position on the succession of the Dalai Lama should be “determined by Tibetan Buddhists without interference from anyone, including the Chinese government”. TPSA also made it clear that those who interfered “will be denied entry into the United States.”
But the passage of TPSA 2020 is not only meaningful to Tibetans. Since religious freedom is a principle without borders, the bill is a hope and support for many people oppressed by China, including Uyghurs, Hong Kongers, Southern Mongolians, Falun Gong practitioners, Christians, Taiwanese and Chinese citizens.
Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters
But even with this active legislation, the persecution of Tibetan Buddhists and believers from all corners of the CCP continues unabated. The CCP established committees chaired by party leaders in various monasteries in Tibet to manage all aspects of spiritual and educational activities. Young disciples were prevented from becoming monks and nuns, which greatly reduced the ranks of those who wish to protect Buddhism. The prayer flag has been banned. Religious ceremonies and festivals are prohibited. The two largest and most historic monasteries have been demolished.
The Tibetan language itself is a key part of preserving the essence of Tibetan Buddhist principles and is being threatened because the CCP actively forces students to switch from their mother tongue to Mandarin.
Even having a small image of the Lord will lead to immediate and severe punishment. The oppression of Tibet and Tibetans does not stop at religious persecution. Arbitrary arrest, detention and imprisonment are common.
Tibet is a police country that has been around for decades.In approximately 200 national entities Freedom House, Tibet and Syria are tied Least free. To protest against China’s ruthless repressive policy, 157 Tibetan He has committed a desperate act of self-immolation since 2009. Of these, 125 people are known to have died. His Holiness the Dalai Lama described the situation in Tibet as “hell on earth.”
Nevertheless, we will not disappear. The 2021 International Religious Freedom Summit will be held in Washington from July 13 to 15, providing an opportunity to join hands in declaring religious freedom without borders. This is a basic human right, which has been attacked in Tibet and all over the world.
As for the CCP’s attempt to elect the next Tibetan Buddhist leader, we support His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. He suggested that the Communist Party of China first identify the reincarnated soul boys of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping. Before that, we hope that many people will join us in the summit to emphasize these and other violations of religious freedom as we work together to end the persecution of all faiths around the world.
Sam Brownback Served as the U.S. Ambassador for International Religious Freedom. Yuzhu Tsering Acting as the representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Washington, D.C.
The views in this article are those of the author.
