Buddhism vs the Yellow Emperor
Grace Wang's reply in the Washington Post on Sunday was very well written. I have frankly been amazed at the reaction to the unrest in Tibet by Chinese in China and abroad. Despite modernizations, a more open press, the Internet, etc. the world-view of the average Chinese citizen appears to be still stuck somewhere in the 1950s. And then there are the students in the US, at Duke for example. The sight of Chinese studying in the West and using the freedoms they enjoy in the West to attack Tibetans for wanting the same freedoms is nothing short of breathtaking. The same is ironically true for the use (or misuse) of the Internet by Chinese, something which could have never been invented in China, to attack those who understand the true nature of what China is doing in Tibet. Then there is the more or less complete misunderstanding of Tibet and the Dalai Lama among Chinese, even those who have lived and studied in the West but continue to believe government propaganda. If you think the Dalai Lama is a threat to China, to split China, etc. etc. then you are either incredibly naive, or wilfully ignorant. And the Western media has nothing to do with it. Go read a book or two on how China has brought "progress" to Tibet. And make sure it is not printed in Beijing. After you have read several books on the topic, think again about the protests. Do you think people are angry in Tibet for no reason? Do you think they are just trying to disrupt the Olympics for the fun of it? Do you think it could possibly have something to do with 40 years of repression? Of denial of religious freedom? Of denial of TIbetan culture? Of repeated demands of Tibetan Buddhist monks to denounce the Dalai Lama? Of the arrival in Tibet of hundreds of thousands of Han Chinese, who just happen not to be Buddhists? Do you think it could have something to do with the destruction of sacred monasteries, texts, and religious objects over a period extending from the Cultural Revolution? Despite all the unbiased evidence concerning the true nature of China's rule in Tibet, about the ridiculousness of historical claims to Tibet, that Chinese educated or otherwise can continue to have such a distorted view of Tibet is testament to the power of propaganda. It also shows that China is not ready to join the international community, because of its immaturity in dealing with situations such as TIbet, Xinjiang, and Taiwan. Of course the Olympics are political, how can Chinese say on the one hand the Olympics is about China coming of age (political), great power, etc. etc. and on the other say it should be about sports only? This again shows a level of immaturity when it comes to understanding how the world works. Instead, Chinese, like little children, stamp their feet in anger and point fingers at CNN and other western media sources, as if they are the problem and not 40 years of failed policies in Tibet and other human rights violations....it really is astounding at one level, but quite understandable at another....guess what: Tibetans don't believe in the Yellow Emperor, get it?