Tibet

Historically when the country has ruled itself independently, the Dalai Lama is the central political and religious majesty. The founding of the theocratic rule of the country began in the precarious time of Ghengis Khan’s dominance over East Asia in the thirteenth century. He expressed an admiration for the religious piety of the monks in Tibet and helped to cultivate the tradition in part by sanctioning the Buddhists leaders to travel and indoctrinate many of his commanders. It wasn’t until the sixteenth century that the institutionalization of the Dalai Lama began. After the finding of the great monastery Tashilhunpo near Shigatse in 1447 by the monk Gedun Truppa an ordained structure was assigned to facilitate the Buddhast hierarchy. The first Dalai Lama was Gedun Truppa’s successor, Gedun Gyatso. Securing protection from the Khan lineage up through the sixteenth century by providing religious instruction was important to maintaining Tibet’s identity. During the time of the seventh to the thirteenth Dali Lama’s between 1757-1876 most of the influence was relegated not to the spiritual leaders themselves but to their acting regents. The reason was that many of those who were believed to be chosen successors didn’t live to the age of enacting their leadership. It’s customary that the Dalai Lama will be ordained at a very young age but not actually take power until at least the age of thirteen. Mysteriously this 120 year period experienced the early deaths of those who were expected to assume leadership. A total of about seven years were actually governed accordingly while the other years were at the behest of the regent.

          In 1903 a traveling assembly of Yak herders from Nepal made passage into Tibet where apparently upon entry, local armed Tibetans confronted them. Apparently provoking the animals, the locals herd anxiously and proceeded to frighten the Yak so bad as to provoke the animals to flee from their transporters. As word of this story leaked back to British attaches who had assumed some involvement in Nepal given Britain’s occupation in India, a decision was made to respond forcefully to the incident.

          Under the leadership of a general named Francis Younghusband, a large force of Anglo Hindu soldiers, hundreds of porters and a large supply of livestock embarked on a journey to coerce the Tibetans to accept the establishment of a British agency in the capital of Lhasa. The troop’s destination was the country’s second largest city Gyantse. Having set out to travel the long distance in October, encampment was made during the winter months in a small Tibetan village of Tuna. When conditions permitted, in March of 1904, a one month trek to Gyantse was complete. Along the way messages were given to no avail requesting that the British Company return back to India. The encounter that transpired upon arrival of the British force included fifteen hundred members of the Tibetan army attempting to interfere with the encroachment. Facing a larger British opposition whose weaponry was far more sophisticated than the antiquated fire power held by the Tibetan force little such defense could be enacted. So the Tibetan army was made to surrender their rifles, all the while skirmishes broke loose that ended up causing death to about one half of the local force. Having ended badly in the initial encounter, the army was intent on precluding the foreign intrusion.

          In a second attempt to prevent any further movement by the British into Tibet, the remaining members of the army temporarily blockaded passage to the capital which provoked a similar fate as before. Upon their arrival into the capital, a Chinese political officer had secured approval from the local Tibetan authorities to intervene on the nation’s behalf, somewhat signifying a quasi protector-ship that China maintained over Tibet at the time. The Dalai Lama himself was not present as he had traveled to Outer Mongolia with an ambassador of Russian and powerless to intervene. So with representation by the Chinese official to help settle the affair with the hostile British incursion, an agreement was signed to recognize British trade and administrative functions in the city of Gyantse. Also it specified that no other foreign nation could intervene in national affairs without British consent.

          Until 1910 complacency with the terms of the edict remained in place until the Chinese invaded during the waning years of the Manchu emperor. Soon after, the revolution struck in China that caused it’s government’s overthrow which led to a Tibetan rebellion against the occupying Chinese forces. The Dalai Lama had been forced to flee during the initial invasion a year earlier in which he was accepted in British India. By 1913 a successful Tibetan expulsion of Chinese forces had occur which enabled a safe return of the Dalai Lama.

          The softened relationship between the Tibetans and the British in India formed into a cordial relationship for which the Lama was grateful for being provided refuge in India. A minor allied garrison of Tibetan troops would actually be offered by the Dalai Lama to support the British during the first World War, a gesture in which Britain expressed a favorable appreciation. However, they wouldn’t be held accountable in deterring future aggression of foreign power which eventually would emanate once again from China.

          In 1947, Britain released full autonomy of it’s interests in the region back to India. Therefore the former involvement and protection granted by Britain over Tibet fell upon the government of India who attempted to convey the message of independence to the Chinese. However with communism under the leadership of Mao Tse-tung operating in full force, a large invasion of troops exerted dominance in Tibet. A plea to the United Nations was made by officials but overruled in a committee vote for offering assistance to the occupation.

          A stand off at the Dali Lama’s palace headquarter’ lasted for several days that cunningly allowed his holiness to escape undetected by the invading forces, making safe passage to India. Since then Dhamasala, India has served as the remote capital and religious leader’s residence. The effect of relocating the Dalai Lama was of course to secure his protection but also to permit some influence upon political affairs and most importantly ensuring the religious guidance to Tibet’s people.

          The communist regime primarily was determined to disrupt the deep religious standards that have been a total way of life for the people since the establishment of modern Tibet in 17?? Nearly all of the serene monasteries were destroyed during the next several decades. The peaceful, cultured existence of meditation and religious indoctrination was made to succumb to the brut force that provided no re-compensation in implementing it’s military rule. In 1964, the occupation was listed as an autonomous republic with an assigned Chinese military governor. In 1980 three years after Mao Tse-Tung’s death and after diplomatic relations between the US and China, a newly appointed governor began a liberation policy that encouraged tourism.

          The population of Tibet is around two million not including a large Chinese military force of close to a million still present today. Since 1992, when controls were relaxed on migration with China, an influx from some of the rural population of bordered Chinese territory such as Sichuan settled in areas of Tibet. A large immigrant population of about half a million are thought to live in the capital of Lhasa. Despite the enforced disruption and havoc caused by the Chinese government during its years of aggression, some development of roads, telecommunication and facilitation for tourism can be spoken for. Although now well into the 21st century, as acts of aggression rarely occur, the military presence is an affront to the embodiment of life that the Tibetan’s find meaning in.

          The restoration of a Buddhist culture is much alive today in Tibet although the Dalai Lama has not returned back to his homeland since fleeing in 1951. The significance of the peaceful state of being for this devote religious population provides the key importance for those millions of practicing Buddhists across the world. Currently, modernization has impacted life in Tibet. Aid from many countries have enabled a suitable environment for locals and travelers while trying to respect the sanctity of the nation as a spiritual frontier.