Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
various lamas, most notably the Panchen Lama, have spotlighted how religious decisions
are becoming increasingly politicised, a trend that will doubtless only intensify as the
Dalai Lama heads into his 80s.
Both sides have their eyes firmly on the future here, for it is the Panchen Lama who tra-
ditionally assists in choosing the next Dalai Lama. The Chinese government knows that
the struggle to control future reincarnations is fundamental to controlling Tibet; the rather
bizarre result being that the avowedly atheist Chinese Communist Party is now in charge
of choosing incarnate lamas for a religion it doesn't believe in. For his part, the Dalai Lama
has made it clear that he will only be reborn in Tibet if he is allowed to return there as part
of a political settlement.
The spectre of the death of the Dalai Lama haunts the entire Tibetan world. More than
just 'a simple monk' or even a god-king, the Dalai Lama has become a shining symbol of
Tibetan identity. When he dies, Tibet will have lost something essential to its modern iden-
tity. Some commentators even believe that the death of the Dalai Lama may herald the
death of the Tibetan cause, one reason why both sides are laying the ground for future re-
birth.
Tragedy in Crimson: How the Dalai Lama Conquered the World but Lost the Battle with
China
, by former Běijīng-based journalist Tim Johnson, examines the current state of
Tibet, its political status and possible future.
Cultural Survival
The greatest threat to Tibetan cultural life comes from indiscriminate economic change
and Chinese migration, as government subsidies and huge infrastructure projects change
the face and ethnic make-up of cities across the breadth of Tibet. As Tibetan culture be-
comes diluted, there is a fear that Tibetans will become a minority in their own country, a
situation the Dalai Lama has described as 'cultural genocide'. Tibetans point to Amdo in
Qīnghǎi, once a Tibetan-dominated area that now has three Han Chinese to every Tibetan.
Education is another sore point that has long-term cultural consequences. An education
system that exclusively uses the (Mandarin) Chinese language reinforces the fact that only
Sinicised Tibetans are able to actively participate in Tibet's economic advances. Parents
face the unenviable balancing act of preserving Tibetan language and tradition (often send-
