Disliking the Demi-God: the Dalai Lama and the cult of personality

He’s an informant for the FBI

Whack the Dalai Lama

– The Dickies, “Whack the Dalai Lama”

Okay, I don’t actually advocate harming the Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, and don’t hold serious animosity towards him; that Dickies lyric merely seemed like a good opener.

I think the Dalai Lama is an alright guy.

I don’t think he’s the re-incarnation of a demi-god though, and I don’t think he’s an infallible sage or “the premiere moral presence of our time” (yes, I have seen this claim in print). And I hate, hate, hate the cult of personality that has surrounded him, and consequently, distorted the terms of debate over the Chinese occupation of Tibet and the issues pertaining to it.

Since I’m an advocate of self-determination (to some degree), I suppose it seems hypocritical to not throw in behind the Tibetan cause to any real extent, but that’s because I’ve done something a lot of the Dalai Lama’s supporters actually have not: I’ve read some Tibetan History. And furthermore, I’ve taken in excess of three seconds to evaluate the Dalai Lama’s wishes for a free Tibet, and realized that he wants a Theocracy that he can be the ruler of. His cause for a free Tibet is not entirely a selfless mission.

My main beef here is that Americans look at Buddhism in general, and its Tibetan subset in particular, through rose-colored glasses. This probably sounds weird coming from someone from an Abrahamic background, when all of the branches have some blood on their hands (yep, Judaism, you too). Yet, the Abrahamic faiths are re-examined all the time, while Buddhism gets a pass.

The Buddhist drive to war and force behind Imperial Japanese fascism was well-documented by Brian Victoria (himself a Zen priest) in his excellent book, Zen At War. Buddhism often serves as a force for state control in East Asian history (though it also led the Indian warrior-king Asoka to become a peaceful man and renounce conquest). Buddhism was the justifier for some Asian rulers to suppress native religions, and the fortunes of Buddhists and Taoists in ancient China often depended on who the emperor was. And in Tibetan Buddhism, it was the basis of one of the last truly feudal societies, a civilization with its virtues, but nevertheless also one of severe oppression.

The Dalai Lamas presided over some very, very bad times, and were often despotic rulers. Of many examples, ones as recent 20th century Tibetan history, one that has stuck with me was that of the “sky dancers”: young men who ascended tall poles and dangerously spun around at the top during certain festivals. The young men were from a province that had opposed the rule of Lhasa’s religious establishment at a point in the distant past, and as penance had to perform this insalubrious function. The CIA, of course, has never had a problem with despotic rulers that can be used as a cudgel against communism, and so aided the current Dalai Lama’s escape and establishment as a popular figure (this is not conspiracy theory, this is a matter of record).

The Dalai Lama has scratched the back of those who scratched his, by such small favors as speaking out against Augusto Pinochet being forced to pay for his crimes. As a young man, the Lama cozied up to Mao for a brief period when it seemed like an expedient thing to do.

Things did get out of hand when the Chinese occupied Tibet. The Tibetan army (which, as a side note, was heavily Muslim; Muslims apparently get a pass when they fight for Buddhists) couldn’t fight the invasion and many Tibetans welcomed it. There are scenes captured on tape of the aftermath of the invasion when crowds of peasants and surfs were publicly humiliating and tormenting, and even physically attacking, deposed aristocrats and monks. Without condoning this behavior, one might ask why if Tibetans treasured the old system so much, they would act this way.

The Dalai Lama has referred to China’s programs in Tibet as ‘cultural genocide’. I have not been to Tibet but have been to Eastern China, and Tibetans there practice Tibetan Buddhism freely and openly; there are Tibetan teahouses, restaurants, and merchants of traditional crafts. I visited a Tibetan temple in Beijing, and met and spoke with Tibetan monks and nuns. As I understand it, the only restrictions Tibetans face are related to Tibetan nationalism; they cannot display, or advocate for, pictures of The Dalai Lama or related figures or Tibetan flags.

In Tibet proper, Tibetan monasteries and oracles have been allowed to re-establish and stay in operation for years with similar strictures. As long as Tibetans stick to those rules, they are not bound by any cultural imperatives that do not bind ordinary Han Chinese or other ethnic minorities in China. I believe it is telling that the Dalai Lama believes that his own exclusion and the erasure of the traditional system amount to cultural genocide.

I do not want to serve as an apologist for China; China has done reprehensible things in Tibet, including torturing and killing dissidents and employing a secret police (often made up of ethnic Tibetans) to make sure nobody foments resistance. It also requires special permits for foreigners to enter Tibet, though with the horde of Shangri-La-seeking westerners that might overrun Tibet otherwise I’m not sure that this is a bad thing.

What I would like to point out is that before you demand a country you may not know much about be turned over to a neo-medieval dictator (no matter how loveable said dictator) who has not set foot in said country for almost fifty years, perhaps it would be best to figure out if there are more pressing problems at home and abroad.

Dave Ashal is a 26-year old nomad, aspiring linguist, and writer. He lives in the mountains of Northern Arizona, where there are more Tibetan Prayer Flags than you’d actually see in Tibet. He is pursuing a degree at Northern Arizona University and working with troubled kids.