An Appeal To All Chinese Spiritual Brothers And Sisters
Today
I would like to make a personal appeal to all Chinese spiritual brothers and
sisters, both inside as well as outside the People’s Republic of China, and especially to the followers of the
Buddha. I do this as a Buddhist monk and
a student of our most revered teacher, the Buddha. I have already made an appeal to the general
Chinese community. Here I am appealing
to you, my spiritual brothers and sisters, on an urgent humanitarian matter.
The
Chinese and the Tibetan people share common spiritual heritage in Mahayana
Buddhism. We worship the Buddha of
Compassion – Guan Yin in the Chinese tradition and Chenrezig in Tibetan
tradition – and cherish compassion for all suffering beings as one of the
highest spiritual ideals. Furthermore,
since Buddhism flourished in China
before it came to Tibet from
India,
I have always viewed the Chinese Buddhists with the reverence due to senior
spiritual brothers and sisters.
As
most of you are aware, beginning with the 10th of March this year, a series of
demonstrations have taken place in Lhasa
and across many Tibetan areas. These are
caused by deep Tibetan resentment against the policies of the Chinese
government. I have been deeply saddened
by the loss of life, both Chinese and Tibetans, and immediately appealed to
both the Chinese authorities and the Tibetans for restraint. I specially appealed to the Tibetans not to
resort to violence.
Unfortunately,
the Chinese authorities have resorted to brutal methods to deal with the
development despite appeals for restraint by many world leaders, NGOs and noted
world citizens, particularly many Chinese scholars. In the process, there has been loss of life, injuries
to many, and the detention of large number of Tibetans. The crackdown still continues, especially
targeting monastic institutions, which have traditionally been the repository
of ancient Buddhist knowledge and tradition.
Many of these have been sealed off.
We have reports that many of those detained are beaten and treated
harshly. These repressive measures seem to be part of an officially sanctioned
systematic policy.
With
no international observers, journalists or even tourists allowed to Tibet, I am deeply worried about the fate of the
Tibetans. Many of those injured in the
crackdown, especially in the remote areas, are too terrified to seek medical
treatment for fear of arrest. According
to some reliable sources, people are fleeing to the mountains where they have
no access to food and shelter. Those who
remained behind are living in a constant state of fear of being the next to be
arrested.
I
am deeply pained by this ongoing suffering.
I am very worried where all these tragic developments might lead to
ultimately. I do not believe that
repressive measures can achieve any long-term solution. The best way forward is to resolve the issues
between the Tibetans and the Chinese leadership through dialogue, as I have
been advocating for a long time. I have
repeatedly assured the leadership of the People’s Republic of China that I am
not seeking independence. What I am
seeking is a meaningful autonomy for the Tibetan people that would ensure the
long-term survival of our Buddhist culture, our language and our distinct
identity as a people. The rich Tibetan
Buddhist culture is part of the larger cultural heritage of the People’s
Republic of China
and has the potential to benefit our Chinese brothers and sisters.
In
the light of the present crisis, I appeal to all of you to help call for an
immediate end to the ongoing brutal crackdown, for the release of all who have
been detained, and to call for providing immediate medical care to the injured.
