Tibet & The Chinese, An Inspired Exploration Post by Sandy Kingsley

Preface: I wrote this while traveling in Tibet and China in August/September 2015. Since both Facebook and Google are blocked in China, I had no way to post it anywhere. So, while we are several months past the time in question – the 50th “celebration” of the “Tibetan Autonomous Region” in September 2015 – this is an insight on current life in occupied Llasa and the Tibetan region. And it poses the question – what did occur during this “celebration”?

Visiting Llasa, the capital of Tibet, is like a trip into the past. Well, in my dreams it would be that way. In reality there is new construction popping up where village homes and farmlands once were, cliche Chinese clothing stores everywhere, neon signs, and the Chinese military loud and clear, announcing their presence in the most significant and holiest of Tibetan Buddhist sites. Bullying in the worst of ways.

In most any other place in the world, it would be soul crushing. Yet, in Tibet, you don’t have to dig very deep or spend much time here to see that their highly spiritualized culture, building up their karma every day with prayers, pilgrimages, koras and other compassionate actions and deeds, continues to be the center of life regardless of the Chinese imposing themselves here. Of course, if they did speak out, make their opinion known of what they think of the Chinese occupation, they would end up in loads of trouble. In jail or worse. When a Tibetan is found with a picture of the current Dali Llama, they are imprisoned for 2-3 years and then unemployable once they get out. Tibetans are denied passports by the Chinese government. Chinese people are granted passports by their government, but not Tibetans. The Chinese hold Tibetans as prisoners in their own country, which for all intensive purposes, is no longer their own country.

So a Tibetan wanting to visit India to see their exiled spiritual leader…DENIED. One of the most spiritually grounded, peace and compassion-centered people on earth continue their simple life of prayers and good karma accumulation without any hope of even getting to see or hear their beloved spiritual teacher and leader, the Dali Lama.

A Tibetan friend we met in Llasa, I’ll call him Lobsang to protect his identity, told us that his brother secretly fled from Tibet and spent 10 years in India so that he could attend the teachings of the Dali Lama. His brother eventually secretly came back to Tibet after his 10 year escape, and somehow is safe and was not discovered. Lobsang speaks relatively good English (as well as Chinese) and other than that is a pretty typical Tibetan, trying to make a living while also being true to his Buddhist heritage. He was never without his mala beads, and would pray in silent mantras whenever he was not interacting with us or his friends. When my husband asked him what he typically did with his free time with his family, he responded that he, his children and wife liked to go into the fields to harvest their barley, or climb up a hillside and watch the yaks graze.

 As I write this, a tourist in the Llasa area, I am about to be kicked out of Tibet. Or rather, if I had not rearranged plans to be out of Tibet by August 31st, 2015, a few days before leaving the US, I would be kicked out at that time. Why? Because in 1950, China invaded Tibet, killing hundreds of monks and destroying all but a few monasteries. In 1965, they renamed Tibet the “Tibetan Autonomous Region”. Needless to say, there is nothing autonomous about this region. I will leave you to guess what I can only assume — if there are foreigners here, then during their planned “celebrations” for the “50th Anniversary of the Tibetan Autonomous Region”, there would be witnesses to testify that this is a grossly, mis-named, misleading label for an occupied territory. Witnesses to testify to human rights violations against the Tibetan people. And the tourists here could also be put in danger, getting caught in the crossfire.

Can a powerful government change current reality, past and future, just by changing a name? China definitely thinks it can. And, they want to celebrate it.

The devout Tibetan Buddhists who live here have no reason to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the slaughter of their people, religious leaders, and the take-over of their home. Yet speaking out against it, they risk loosing even more. So I suppose that all of the Chinese who now live in Llasa will take part in the celebrations with the Chinese government, while the Tibetans sit back and hold their tongues. If not, there may be a completely different scenario with probable human rights violations. Best not to have any witnesses if that becomes the reality. Only time will tell. And since there will be no foreigners to observe the truth of the events that take place for these “celebrations”, all we will hear, if anything, is what the Chinese government will report.

Either way, I think it is safe to say that few Tibetans here believe the Fourteenth Dali Llama will ever be allowed back in China or that they will be granted a passport to leave China themselves any time soon.The fact is that as more and more Chinese are encouraged to move to Llasa, it is becoming harder and harder for Tibetans to find jobs, and soon the number of Chinese there will outnumber the number of Tibetans, which is exactly the intention of the government. This way, the powerful spiritual energy and beauty that exudes from the Tibetan Buddhist people will continue to be diluted and thinned until it dissolves in a sea of Chinese people whose culture could not be more different from their own.

Sandy Kingsley is the owner of Inspired Exploration – Travel to Delight the Heart and Senses, a yoga teacher, and a curious, life-long learner. She just returned from a trip to China and Tibet, and will be taking a group of “Inspired Explorers” to India in October of 2016 with Elemental Om! She teaches Gentle Vinyasa on Tuesday nights at the Symmes studio of Elemental Om – join her for a class!  Learn More About Our Trip