My problem is what kind person Dalai Lama really is. You can hardly find anything good about Tibet or him before 1950, the history reality. Main stream media usually skips or are very brief on this matter. He may appear to be a "nice" person now, talking about freedom and human rights but numerous articles proved otherwise historically. Yes, human can change, but would you let your young daughter under a convicted sex offender because you believe he has changed?

wang yexi: You are the world's biggest fool. For you not to realize that Robert Thurman doesnt spend time online responding to replies on his post, show your ignorance. You obviously do not know how many Tibetans have been killed since 1959 and you surely lack the historical knowledge to make any solid point on Chinese occupation. Your arguements are like a child who speaks before he thinks. Stop being brainwashed you freaking idiot. Your points and post are just a waste of space.

well,Robert Thurman.i am so surprised to know that u are a professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies,for you don't qualified to say all of those above before a chinese,as a civilian of the great china, i have the duty to let u know the truth.
1 the dalai lama doesn't equal the tibetans.the latter means people who obey the law and love country,the former is quite opposite,as only a extremely small part of tibetans,they break the peace,destorying people's happy life.
2 u said the dalai lama exemplify and elucidate the most reasonable path to peace and happiness.so i must ask u a qustion,if they really love tibetans ,why they kill so many innocent people on the street and destroy their shops,schools and are crasy about killing children(maybe the fruture of them).in china,everyone especially the tibetans all know the fact that their real leader is our president hu,and we all know the complot of dalai lama,they dare to break up china and destory their happiness.u are a so-called expert,so don't u know tibetans have little knowledge,they are pure and honest,what's important?they know who treat them well and who bring them tragedy.after dalai lama made the conflict,they ran away or went on making more.but what our kind government did, they brought much money to those who was badly hurt in the conflict and who lost his families and nealy broke down..with much money,food and comfort in time,even a stupid man would know who is the one he can trust and rely on,so what about u great clever and proud american?u said dalai was kind and thought more of people,so why didn’t he stand out after the accident?where is he when his people need help ?and where is his money, food and comfort?don’t tell my he doesn’t have money, if he really love tibetans, he would rather starve to death than let his civilian suffer from pains.
At last, I got a good news to tell u,my english professor successfully tanslated your article into chinese,and thousands of students were spreading them on the steet,libraries and anywhere that had people.now u are a popular star among us,everyone admire u so much,they said,if u can be a professor ,a expert,they can be the headmaster of harward!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I,we chinese are looking forward to seeing how you can prove me wrong without a reasonable evidence.don’t be sad ,professor,even a extremely smalllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll is ok.
I am extremely curious about u,how could u our domestic information more exaxt than us chinese.
If u don't reply,I would think u have accept all my ideas and meantime admiting that u are totally wrong.
I am serous

hey all the hot heads out there.

Here is an extract essay by Melvyn C. Goldstein, Tibet, China and the United States: Reflections on the Tibet Question. (http://omni.cc.purdue.edu/~wtv/tibet/article/art4.html).

it detailed the on-going negotiations between the central government and the Tibetan exiles. And here is a quote:

"the exile government was deeply committed to the recreation of a "Greater" Tibet, that is to say a Tibet that included traditional political Tibet and ethnographic Tibet. This had been a goal of previous Tibetan governments (e.g., at the Simla talks in 1913-1914) and was deeply felt, but it was especially important in exile because of the presence of large numbers of Tibetan refugees from those ethnic areas. The Dalai Lama had worked hard since 1959 to meld the disparate refugees into a unified community by including these Tibetans in the exile government as equals, and by setting as a fundamental political objective the inclusion of their areas in a future "free" Tibet. However, the goal of a Greater Tibet was not politically realistic. Tibet had not ruled most of these areas for a century or more, and it is difficult to see how China could have handed over large areas in Sichuan, Qinghai, Gansu and Yunnan, many of which included Chinese and Chinese Muslim populations that had migrated there well before the communists came to power in 1949."

One side wants to control 6 million people and 1/4 of the area of PRC and the other side doesn't want to relinquish.

This is not about the suffering of the poor Tibetan people, it is all about land, power and control.

Anyone who believe anything otherwise either have their own agendas or just plainly naïve.

THE CHINESE AND TIBETAN DILEMMA
By Tsongi (pen name)

Prohibiting the Tibetans
From practicing their religion and culture
And killing, torturing and imprisoning them
Is like handing to the Tibetans
A can of gasoline with a box of matches
What do the Chinese expect???

For almost half a century
Tibetans have been non-violent
Now with a tiny bit of violence
Tibetans are getting
The media's and the world's attention
What are Tibetans to do???

Copyright: Tsongi - 2008

Why aren't all the world religious leaders coming out to support the Tibetans (and Buddhists) right to religious freedom? If these were Christians being persecuted, Americans and Europeans would be jumping to their defense, and LOUDLY.

Here is a universal truth: If there is a God, there can only be ONE God.

The Buddhists and Christians and Muslims may worship differently and may see God differently, but it is the same God.

Moreover, even if you don't believe that another faith worships the "one true God", it is still in everyone's interest to defend their right to practice their religion. It is the moral thing to do.

When I talk to Christians that I honor Buddha, they say, Buddha is dead, Christ is alive, therefore, Christ is the only true God. This is insulting and dismissive of human beings who happen to believe in God DIFFERENTLY than they do.

For those who need the Biblical justification, just read Ephesians 4:6 "God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all."

There it is...something we all know is true if we believe in God at all.

Whenever a religion is being persecuted, we should come to its aid, because it honors God.

Cody

Bless all Texas people! The US have treated these people cruelly and without remorse. All the leaders of the world should take careful Texas people.

Bless all Tibetans and the Dalai Lama. The Chinese have treated these people cruelly and without remorse. Of all the international leaders in the world, the Dalai Lama is the only leader who truly, truly promotes peace. The rest of the world should take careful notice.

Are you kidding me?It's very ridiculous of your words.
Now, I can surely tell you that you have a totally misunderstanding of the problem. It's under the leadership of the Commumist Party of China that Tibetan can live a better life. Most of them are thankful to the Chinese Government . Unfortunately, the Dalai Lama,the betrayer haven't learnt to be thinksgiving. Worse still, he even attempts to break up China.But I am not worried about it at all for all his action is in vain. I have much confidence to Chinese government for she must ruin all the Dalai Lama's intrigues at all cost.
Mr Thurman I warn you that you have committed a crime ,even not in law but in human nature .
What you said have clearly proved that you are the enemy of China. You are really a terrorist in every Chinese's eyes.

People throughout the world call us do the right thing by appealing to the highest values of humanity. Everyday we are faced with opportunities to respond with compassion for the hopeless, the helpless, the most vulnerable,the defenseless, the homeless, "those wanting to breathe free, the tired, the weary, the poor...". Sometimes responding with weapons of war risks losing our souls for the sake of revenge or some illusion of order and security. When we view the enemy and the source of our own salvation, we can embrace the good for all people and give up the need to punish others. I appeal to all people of conscience to respond to the many Dali Llamas, the Jesus Christs, and the lowly ones with big hearts and good souls among us in our communities. How we treat others is indeed that ultimate expression of who we are as a people. I hope China can show what ancient China values most - freedom and respect for all people, by responding with compassion to the Tibetan folks and their spiritual leader, the Dali Llama.

To Hirsh,

Tibet has no riches to loot. If you ever been in Tibet, all the valuables in the monasteries are gifts from China's rulers of past dynasties.

If you insist that Tibet has not been part of China, that’s fine. It is now. So unless there is war in which China loses. Just forget about independence。

You are saying moving Han Chinese to Tibet is a crime. How so? Are you a racist and advocates racial segregation? Besides, Han Chinese is still a small minority in Tibet now.

Actually, I am starting to think, the only way to solve the Tibet issue, is to do what you people accusing China has done and not yet done. To really move Han Chinese to Tibet. It is part of China and no body can stop the movement of people. After all, freedom the movement is a Western value.

think carefully, if you live in china for a long time, you'll know the fact.
For a long time, the chinese government has always given favorable rights to the minority!!!

a crowd of fool!

Are you a true man?
Do you know the real fact?
You just want to blame.
You must like to blame everything
According to this article , i found you an aboolutly a lier!!!
What a dirty lier you are!!

I apologese to Author, to His Excelency the Dali Lama and all Tibetian people for dirty language used by some of my countrimen and for making false statments.

Long Live the Dali Lama!

THE CHINESE AND TIBETAN DILEMMA
By Tsongi (pen name)

Prohibiting the Tibetans
From practicing their religion and culture
And killing, torturing and imprisoning them
Is like handing to the Tibetans
A can of gasoline with a box of matches
What do the Chinese expect???

For almost half a century
Tibetans have been non-violent
Now with a tiny bit of violence
Tibetans are getting
The media's and the world's attention
What are Tibetans to do???

Copyright: Tsongi - 2008

Give exile to Monks in Saudi arabia:
Please have the dali & his Lammas move & live in Saudi Arabia, they can snuggle with the Camels!

We should take an inventory of various genocidal and otherwise murderous campaigns throughout history - a short list might look like this:
...let's skip the Vikings, Huns, and Celts and go directly to the....

- slaughter of countless thousands by various warring desert tribes and cultures (many found in the Old Testament)
- slaughter of countless thousands by the armies of Rome and Greece
- slaughter of countless thousands by the invading hordes of Ghengis Khan
- slaughter of countless thousands of 'heretics, witches and other apostates' by the Catholic Church - and spiritual leader of the Inquisition
- decimation of the Native American peoples by (mainly) white protestant settlers and their various military organizations.
- decimations of Central and South American native peoples by the various Catholic Spanish Conquistadors
- slaughter of over 6 million Jews, gypsies, and assorted 'inferior' peoples by the Nazis
- slaughter of 30 millions of Russians by Stalin
- slaughter of 100 millions of Chinese by Mao
- slaughter of hundreds of thousands of German and Japanese civilians in the fire bombing of Dresden and the a-bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
- countless millions killed in WWI, WWII, Vietnam, and on and on.
- the final tally in Iraq remains to be counted...
- thousands of Tibetans killed during various Chinese invasions, most recently in 1959.

Notice the killers were all either very religious, or very unreligious.

Now - how many did the Dalai Lama kill????

“Compassion seems to be the greatest power”

Dalai Lama

To Hirsh: The american Indians were driven entirely from their usual habitat to such inhabitable reservations and were slaughtered almost to extinction. They cannot return to their holy places. Their cultural heritage is marginalised. There are no Indians living on where there once were. On the other hand the Tibetans still have their monastaries, their holy places and their usual habitat. They are not confined to their small reservations and they are everywhere in the Chinese society strata. The Tibetans are sure better than the American Indians. I guess you are not an American Indian.

It's amazing! The China propaganda machinery is trying to hijack this site with pro-China comments. They are trying to drown out all other viewpoints consistent with what they are doing in Tibet and in China itself. But the fact is that this will only enrage people further and increase sympathy for Tibet.

The entire argument of these anti-democratic participants rests on:
a) the alleged historicity of Tibet's inclusion in China
b) the feudalism of Tibet before Communist take-over
c) the benefits Tibet has accrued by being a part of China.

All these points are weak. Tibet was never an intrinsic part of China but only a (sometime) conquered province. China has tried to anhilate Tibetan culture by flooding it with Han people amongst other atrocities. Even if feudalism in Tibet was fact, Tibetans dont want China's generous help to capture their land and end feudalism any more than Rwanda wants Chinese colonization to end genocide. Lastly, Tibet can get richer without the Chinese who have, in fact, looted Tibet's riches and polluted their land, culture and environment.

Just forget about the tens of millions of Chinese that were exterminated under Mao. I'm sure China has changed it's human rights policies since that time, right??? Obviously it must be the Dalai Lama's fault.

Remind me again - who is it that's been responsible for killing countless millions - the communists under Stalin & Mao, or the Dalai Lama??? Let's by all means get the record straight.

It is another praise to cover up the vicious mssion of the Dalai-Lama and his extrenists/terrorists. It is a fact now reported by western media that these extemists/terrorists committed murdurous crimes. Dalai Lama's act speaks better than his words. He does not condemn President Bush's crime against humanity in Iraq. He even becomes his best friend. That means he condones crime against humanity. He didn't condemn the astrocities committed by his fellow extremists/terrorists, exposing his pretense of non-violent and peace teaching. Facts are more convincing than words. You judge people by what they do and not by what they say. The murdurous crimes committed by Dalai-lama and his fellow extremists/terrorists disdainly dishonor the Nobel Peace prize and the USA Congressional Gold Medal and all those who approved those honors to him.

The bottomline is, as wittily spelled out by Mao, that power comes from the barrel of a gun. Just look at what the US did to its native people and what it has been doing in Iraq.

Tibet has been a part of China and will remain that way until the humans on this planet evolve into another kind of being.

By the way, it is total nonesense to talk about ethnicity. With the current pace of globalization, human races will be mixed up and become homogenous before long. Ultimately, there will be only one race (before Homo sapiens as we know evolves into something else), the human race, and one culture, the human culure, remaining. What is happening in China is merely the regional mixing of different groups of people and their cultures.

For about half a century the Tibetans have been non-violent and the world was silent. Now with violence Tibetans are getting the media's and world attention. What are Tibetans to do?

Dear Professor,
I appreciate your article...simply excellent and how true.The tibetan fight for a free Tibet will go on till the Communist chinese government come to sense and recall the chinese back to their homeland.It is since time immemorial inscribed on a stone pillar in Tibet that the chinese are happier in China and the tibetans are happier in Tibet.Why is the chinese government encouraging the chinese to move into a foreign country like Tibet.Is the production of babies so fast in Chiana that they need more space for their people so the chinese dont starve to death.We tibetans are Buddhists...You ask us for food and other help...we will give you full heartedly but if you bahave like monsters and snatch the rights of other nations you will lose in the end.Look at your dictatorship government...It has killed your own people specially the educated ones during the Tianenmansquare massacre in 1989.Are you so scared of getting shot by your own government that you say stupid things.Dont forget...Truth reigns in the end.

Obviously, your best friend would not claim your wife as his wife right? Dalai Lama Claims 1/3 of the Chinese land belongs to Tibet.

Obviously, he is not "friend" of China, and your comment is failed.

How much your boss paying you to write this crap? 7K or 8K USD a month? oh I guess your soul only worth this price. But doesnt matter, it will be burned in Hell sooner or later

U all r fooled by this article.

Prohibiting Tibetans from practicing their own religion and culture, and killing, torturing and imprisoning them is like handing to the Tibetans a can of gasoline with a box of matches. What do the Chinese expect???

Dear Prof. Thurman, it can be sure that you are an expert in Buddism. But what you know about Tibet must come more from indirect sources other than your own experience in Tibet. There must have something not satisfying to everyone in Tibet. But can you name a society in which everyone is satisfied? If in a society most people think life today is better than yesterday, what's your opinion about this society? I wonder how you get the impression that there is no spiritual freedom in Tibet. Predudice against sth comes up when one don't fully understand this thing or when he prefers the opposite.
But one thing I hope you can keep in mind: Tibet is a part of China.

My instinct is to apply pressure -- non-violent protests at Chinese embassy's throughout the world, boycott large Chinese State owned international companies. Or pressure US companies with large direct Chinese Government investments: Black Rock Capital comes to mind. Those actions worked well elominating Apartheid in South Africa.

What happens in Tibet is one thing, but what can and must be done by us, now, to free Tibet?

Why do we let George Bush be our spokesman on liberty? Let's raise our voices: freedom for Tibet!

hi,cicero.I'm Chinese,too.whatever how much you've known about the affair,as we chinese,we all know what a monk should do and shouldn't do.They should do something to help human beings not to give them pain or make them die.Do you agree?

this is a superb article. thank you robert thurman for your insight and deep committment to the future of our children and our world. everyone should take the time to read the words of the Dalai Lama and they would then know the sincerity of this great man.

Thank you Dr Thurman!
The world is tired of suicide bombers - in Sri Lanka, in Palestine/Israel. If there is one thing the world can learn from these countries is that we need not repeat the same mistakes. The world today can consciously come together and prevent a repeat of lessons from Sri Lanka and Palestine. Which is - listen to what the people are saying. If you continue to ignore their plight and pleas, they have no choice except to resort to violence. Matters could escalate, for the worse. The Tibetan folks are among the gentlest human beings on the planet. What people do not know is that before Buddhism came to Tibet in the 7-8th century, the Tibetans were a barbaric lot, violence and aggression was the norm. But years and centuries of gentle Buddhist practices have converted them to beome the most tolerant and patient and compassionate specimen of the human race today.

The world has a choice this time. Let us not create more suicide bombers, let us not turn the gentlest people into monsters. Do something, whatever you can - people of this world - to help our brothers and sisters in a place that is known as Shangri-La!

You're all the colonists of Tibet,Dalai Lama and US.We're all Chinese,we can deal with interior matters well by ourselves!Please shut up,having ulterior motives persons!

Hi Professor,
I am a Chinese sophomore in the north of China.
Honestly I don't know what happened in Tebet exactly.Because our media refuse to report the fact.In my opinion,Dalai Lama is very sad.Who is far away from homeland and be regarded as a traitor.
So Mr Professor ,could you tell me the truth there.
Thanks a lot.

Do you really know the truth?I'm not sure that you have the authority to say like this.

I can tell you that your viewpoint is nonsense.Now I want to ask you:Do you know the history of Tibet? Do you know the culture of the history? Do you know the history of China? Do you know the matter what happens in of China?
Don't think by your heart according from others.Plealse to rearch or read some the literature by yourself!!!!!

I think Chinese government should do some efforts to prevent the citizens in Tibet from suffering the violence. I feel upset because there are some people died in the fighting. We need peace, not conflict! I hope Chinese leader can give Dalai lama a chance to come back Tibet.

The odd thing is that it is reported that in China proper Buddhism is being encouraged so as to make for better citizenship. Alexandra David-Neel in her early travels to Tibet reported that varied shamans claimed animals and people carry different "consciousnesses" simultaneously. It truly appears that although Chinese leadership is on the Western path of economy, it still has the old Marxist/Maoist religion or "anti-religion religion" stuck up in the head and so vehemently opposes an authentic religious figure like the Dalai Lama on party principle only.

I wonder how many of the anti-Tibet posters here are really just shills of the Chinese government engaging in internet propaganda?

Before, any solution can be found or agreed upon in the on going Tibet conflict, the fundamental question which arises>

1.Is Tibet part of China.
2.If so, who agreed to that, there was no referendum took place in Tibet, China simply marched with its troops, killed Tibetians and annexed Tibet. "True or False?
3.Who was the legally, morally head of Tibet, before China annexed it. "Dalai Lama," True or False
4.Electing head of Tibet Lama is as old as Tibet even older then main land China. True or False.?
5. Mainland China itself was raided and taken over by communists followers and chased the legitimate goverment to Taiwan. True or False.?

All this has happened right before our eyes and China is still poking stick in world eyes and blaming Dalai Lama for ite repressive policies in Tibet.Besides all this pogroms taking place in Tibet, Dalai Lama has been extending olive branch to China policy makers to talk and resolve the problem peace fully within the frame work of China annexation of Tibet.China policy makers should not blame the messenger of peace and reconciliations. "The Dalai Lama,"but listen to his peaceful overtures and talk. Jaw-Jaw-Jaw not Bullet- Bullet and Bullet.

Before, any solution can be found or agreed upon in the on going Tibet conflict, the fundamental question which arises>

1.Is Tibet part of China.
2.If so, who agreed to that, there was no referendum took place in Tibet, China simply marched with its troops, killed Tibetians and annexed Tibet. "True or False?
3.Who was the legally, morally head of Tibet, before China annexed it. "Dalai Lama," True or False
4.Electing head of Tibet Lama is as old as Tibet even older then main land China. True or False.?
5. Mainland China itself was raided and taken over by communists followers and chased the legitimate goverment to Taiwan. True or False.?

All this has happened right before our eyes and China is still poking stick in world eyes and blaming Dalai Lama for ite repressive policies in Tibet.Besides all this pogroms taking place in Tibet, Dalai Lama has been extending olive branch to China policy makers to talk and resolve the problem peace fully within the frame work of China annexation of Tibet.China policy makers should not blame the messenger of peace and reconciliations. "The Dalai Lama,"but listen to his peaceful overtures and talk. Jaw-Jaw-Jaw not Bullet- Bullet and Bullet.

Tibet was a light for the world. The Chinese occupation has all but snuffed it out. This is a tragedy for all mankind.

Self-determination is a wonderful thing. I am very glad that China is no longer occupied by foreign nations. Now, China has a lot to gain by offering independence to those that want it. What does China have to lose? I love the idea of "The Chinese Commonwealth" that might emerge. Chinese power and prestige internationally would increase greatly. Even the British and Japanese have renounced imperialism. It's time for China to stand up again and do the right thing.

There is another story about Tibetans who want a free China for all the people in China. Like the USSR fell to freedom, so will China...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9D0wA-LTYU

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2001415&id=117811881

I have many photos I can share with you if you are interested. Please tell me who else I can contact? Thank you for your time and understanding.

Sincerely,
Jon Galt
Tibetans4FreeChina@yahoo.com

What you say is untruth,Dalailama is the enemy of Chinese and Tibetan

I want to ask the people who tend to say something about China and its people ,its affairs ,its politics and so on one question:have you ever been to China?how do you acquire what you have known about China?Have you thought about that what will be the effect if you do not know the accuracy and do what you think that is possible?

I want to ask the people who tend to say something about China and its people ,its affairs ,its politics and so on one question:have you ever been to China?how do you acquire what you have known about China?Have you thought about that what will be the effect if you do not know the accuracy and do what you think that is possible?

I want to ask the people who tend to say something about China and its people ,its affairs ,its politics and so on one question:have you ever been to China?how do you acquire what you have known about China?Have you thought about that what will be the effect if you do not know the accuracy and do what you think that is possible?

I want to ask the people who tend to say something about China and its people ,its affairs ,its politics and so on one question:have you ever been to China?how do you acquire what you have known about China?Have you thought about that what will be the effect if you do not know the accuracy and do what you think that is possible?

don't compare dalai lama to osama u sick ... u don't know about dalai lama then better go and read some history... and tibet was a part of india only...

This just is about political, nothing to do with "human rights". Westerns are totally blinded by western media.
Freedom is a fake reason to distort the real situation in China now. Wake up!!!!
We didn't see the water under the table, because there are so many un-responsible media that are tring to manipulate public opinion.

China should give up land that was taken from India... and don't talk about the whole world knows who supply arms to paki and al quaida terrorist...should boycot Beijing Olympics, coz When we talk about olympics we talk about sports, when we talk about sports, it means brotherhood, it means equality, it means friendship, which does not exists in China. We are talking about fair play, fair game. Let the best win. If you host Olympics in China, the country with the worst human rights records will win and we all will be supporters of that."

I wanna to say F word to you.

Do you have enough money? Go to China to learn more on the spot. You could found how barbarous they are who commanded by DaLai.

What you speak in this article is only preach but reality.

The West says Tibet needs Dalai Lama and China needs to talk to Dalai Lama. How could a man who has never treat his own people with respect and honour by his practice of the slave system during his reign as the spiritual leader before he fled China?

Dalai Lama, who does not now represent all the the Tibet residents and who is only interested to continue his rule as a spiritual leader. The population of Tibet is now consists of the Tibetans, Muslims,Chinese, and other minority. Dalai Lama's hatred and dislike of the Muslims and the Chinese is no secret at all.

To ask china to talk to Dalai Lama is like asking the USA and the Western world to talk to Osama bin Laden.

Hello Bob

David Lewiston calling from Maui. I've thought for decades that the best course for the Chinese would be to ask Kundun to come run the country. It's going to take a Bodhisattva to sort things out.

Incidentally, Choegyal Rinpoche (Khampagar & Nepal) told me some years ago that there's at Tibetan prediction that a Bodhisattava will arise in China in this century.

The author is a liar as most of the journalist in America and Europe. Please see www.anti-cnn.com for truth.

Dalai is a slave owner when he controlled tibet before. He always encourages violence. This time, his followers killed so many innocent persons, including 4 young girls burned in the fire. They are terrorists.

You guys here are all double standard. When world trade center was attacked by Muslim terrorist, you invade Afghanistan. But when Chinese suffered from those terrorists, you support terrorists.

Go CHINA, i dont know tibet, and dont know why they are fighting. If you are not interested in being under chinese rules, then find another country. GO CHINA, RUSSIA and SERBIA :) we need to wipe out all usa

Saying the Dalai Lama is China's friend is another way to help the Dalai Lama achieving a free Tibet, by pressuring the Chinese government, right? The Dalai Lama is very grateful about such help in the public opinion.

Rearranging your limited vocabulary and posting them over and over will not enhance your argument, it only make it look childish. Now that's truly an insult to our intelligence. Thanks for dumbing down this discussion. I'm out.

We should snub the communist traitors. China is beacon of torture and human rights violations. Let world be one and crush this country. Help Tibet gets its freedom and democracy. Arm Tibetans. Why china is providing arms to Al-quida?

Why china do not route the olympic torch through tibet?? Why are they worried about the security of torch in India. No wonder chines are still communist under the guise of democracy.

Maybe the government you refer to is a clumsy and insecure bureaucratic elephant who is so preoccupied with saving face, and so incompetent with managing image to the outside world. Unlike Dalai Lama, who has all these Hollywood friends to help with the branding and packaging. It just doesn’t want to be further embarrassed. Typical defensive reflex for any insecure regime.

But wait, “tapping forehead.” Why am I arguing with you? It only further insult your intelligence.

China is a fake country they make all fake goods, everything fake... people in china are good but Govt is too bad...

Just watching, of course, but, hey, nothing's going on anyone might feel *guilty* over or nothing...

Right?

*gasp!*

They'd *never* hide anything *bad,* would they? People hide the nice things they do *all the time.*

Don't they?

Hey, Search. If China's being ill-used in some way, they can *let the media in.* Clear it right up.

Like I said before, governments don't expel all outside observers cause they're planning a pajama party.

Don't insult our intelligence.

The world is watching.

"...I don't know Tibet, and I'd really like to, but for some reason I can't find much out..."

All the more reason you and the rest of the world should do more watching before jumping on this China bashing bandwagon. I guess it makes you feel good and important when you are belonging to some mass movement of public whipping. But it does not solve problem only divide people. Maybe that's what some people want, divide and conquer.

Good afternoon,professor.
I believe you've never been to Xizang before,and you don't know much about China.
To tell you the truth, Chinese people love peace,and also dislike others'discussing about their own affairs.
please do remember that you're not the police of the Pacific....

I mean, see, ...Gods. Someone told me I don't know Tibet, and I'm all ripped up about it.

Can I go see?

Or.... Hrm... Maybe, just maybe... there could be some kind of *person* A professional, perhaps...

Wacky idea, I know.

But *maybe,* there could be some kind of *person,* who could *go there and look at things and talk to people, maybe even take a few photographs... I hear they got moving ones, now...

Maybe even *several of them, different ones.*

And *they* could go do all that stuff, and in some way *tell me about what's going on.*

And then maybe I'd know Tibet a bit better.

Aha! We could all be happy.

Let's do that. Cool?

"Professor Thurman is a well known Tibetan Buddhism scholar and a close friend of Dalai Lama and his movement. Therefore he’s hardly a neutral and objective observer of this conflict."

Oh, yes, *Gods* forbid he should know anything about the culture when people are working so hard to assure us we don't need to worry about what's going on in a place from which the media have been expelled.

For our comfort and convenience, of course.

The world is watching.

Professor Thurman is a well known Tibetan Buddhism scholar and a close friend of Dalai Lama and his movement. Therefore he’s hardly a neutral and objective observer of this conflict. But I would not hold that against him personally though because…what can you do…Uma is so hot.

Two observations:
1. Does it occur to any of you why all of sudden people are so outraged by the actions taken by Chinese government when they have been referred to by the West as an authoritarian regime from day one? Are they expecting an authoritarian regime to tolerate a violent uprising aimed at separation when peaceful demonstrations were not even allowed? It’s like someone keeps poking at a pittbull and then yell “bad dog, let’s shoot that SOB” when the pittbull bites back. It appears to me that the purpose of these protests is to embarrass the Chinese government leading up to the Olympics rather than to seek a peaceful solution to their grievances. How can expect someone sit down and talk business with you after you slapped his face in front of the world?

2. Despite all the theatrics being played out all over the western media about peace loving monks against blood thirsty communists, people should realize that this, like any other current and historical conflicts, is about the fight over the control of people, land and resources, regardless of these nice slogans about religious freedom, culture and spirituality. Let’s face it, if all these burning and looting are results of people reacting to “cultural genocide”, the violent acts were directed at ethnic Han Chinese instead of westerners or their businesses? After all, Chinese have pretty much lost their culture to western influence and the “culture” they brought to Tibet is actually western, like the boutique apparel shop that got burned down with 5 young Chinese and Tibetan girls in it. So stop sugar coating it and call it what it is. This is a secessionist’s movement not unlike that of the Northern Ireland, Kashmir or Kosovo. His Holiness likes to use high impact words like “cultural genocide” to bring attention to his cause. How about another pair of high impact words – Ethnic Cleansing? Judging from all the violence directed against the ethnic Han and Hui people, a lot of whom were born in Tibet and have lived there throughout their life, can anybody guarantee that they will not be “cleansed” out if Dalai and his followers truly attained independence? BTW, His Holiness and his people have territorial aspirations that include not only the current TAR but also large portions of China’s Gansu, Qinghai, Yunnan and Sichuan provinces. Imagine the human tragedies that will be created if the cause that Professor Thurman and his fellow celebrity friends of His Holiness support becomes a reality.

Just some food for thoughts. Peace!

How's the weather over there, by the way? You know, it's all kinds of cold here, lots of snow on the ground, and I don't know Tibet, and I'd really like to, but for some reason I can't find much out, and,

The world is watching...

why you western medias repeatedly claim DaLai is such a spiritual leader instead of a double faced? To say is easy, but it's extremely hard to carry out, especially when there involves religion.So, please do some studied before biasing the land outside US.

Must be nice work if you can get it, 'Jackie.' Tell your boss you won.

The world is watching. :)

PROFRESSOR:
Did you really know Tibet？I don‘t think so.

I dunno, LLC, maybe they'd be more in line with your idea of what Buddhists are supposed to be if *they were allowed to learn Buddhism from someone other than people approved by profiteering, yet still totalitarian *Commies?*

Let's go ask. We can go ask, right?

The world is watching.

The very act of protesting by the monks breaks the most fudamental of Buddhist philosophies of letting the natural course of fate to take place. As a man enters a monastary to cultivate as a monk, he is no longer the person that he was. That is why all monks are given a new name once inducted into the sanctuary. So then, why are these monks involved in politics?

" joyce:

do you really know Tibet?"

Not just lately. And isn't that funny in this day and age.

But I know someone who's been there, and many who can't go there.

*tapping forehead.* Oh. Right. I *can't* go there, these days, can I?

I wonder why that is.

The world is watching.

do you really know Tibet?

Just to be clear on this. Occupying powers don't expel the press and all potential international observers cause they're planning a *pajama party.*

What do you take us for?

The world is watching.

Hey, if China's doing such good, for the country they *invaded,* why won't they *let* us see?

You just can't spin that. *Fox News* couldn't spin that.

Media blackout or no,

The world is watching.

Comment on some west people misunderstanding about Lhasa riot.
Which kind of live we want to have. And which kind of spirit principles we should follow. We want to have true justice and true love can shed to everybody. Is religious belief make people more Unity, Peace, Harmonious and Love with each other?

Yes now there is trouble in Tibet .But from the problems, what we want to get. Is that we want to deep the misunderstanding ? Is that we hope there are more conflictions ? Can a responsible institution or individual say the words "harsh crackdown", Only after they have investigated the truth ,in the site what they arrogantly want to comment on, by themselves.?
Who can believe some person say they can give the people the freedom. But they had never touched the ground which they imagine as a place of horrible dictator and being suppressed. Do they care about the happiness people living there, Or they Only care about their own position they supposing to occupy .
Please be a wise man when someone tell you something you don’t know or don’t be informed by whole picture.

Hi Robert:

When you wrote "the brave people of Tibet stepping out ... They stood up to the firing of armed Chinese troops, they raised their flag of freedom, and they remain standing in spite of the massive loss of life and liberty they knew would come.", were you in Tibet at that moment???
If you were not in Lhasa, Tibet, how do you know the fact??? Are you listening to the civilians of Tibet? Do you know what they're thinking?
I am 100% sure that you were not in Tibet at that time and do not know what is the fact. And you
also do not know what is the ethic for a media blogger.
The fact is On March 14th in Lhasa, those rioters masterminded by Dalai Lama began a rampage, beating people, smashing businesses, looting and burning. They set fire to the schools, hospitals, and what they did jeopardized a lot of people's property and lives. 13 innocent civilians were burned or stabbed to death in the riots. 56 cars were damaged or burned. They burned down hundreds of sites. "To the mobs, this time China's police has exerted the highest restraint and tolerated. Tens of policemen were beaten and stoned. None of them fired on the attackers." Tibet civilians said.
Are you still thinking what they did is standing for Civil Rights??? Are you still thinking Dalai Lama is the pure Buddhist??? Dalai, in fact, is the fake Buddhist. He used various means to issue orders to their co-conspirations in Tibet. He uses Buddhism to cover up his political purpose and to stir up the conflicts among people for his "independence".
And at the same time, let's think about so called "Civil Rights". A proud country , not approved by UN, conducted the war against the small and weak country with the fake excuse "Mass Destruction Wepons". Now the small contry has lost 650,000 lives and even in this powerful country's army, 4,000 approximated has died. Is this the Respect of Human Rights???
However, when this powerful country try to blacken its so called "potential competitor". It used some fake evidence and fake Buddhist to prevent the competitor's normal development.
The only words I can say is "Only Strong Talks" and now this powerful nation is really strong. But how long could this strong maintain????

there are a terrorist in china,dalai lama

Professor Thurman,
When you sit comfortably in your elegant and scholarly office on Columbia campus typing up your high-minded opinion piece for WoPo, I am sure you did not smell anymore the stench of dead bodies of Native Indians who once roamed the Manhattan Island. You should light up your Tibet candle that was given to you as a Christmas gift last year by the Holy Dalai Lama, say a prayer for world peace, and thank your ancestors whose farsightedness and decisiveness (plus their sharp killing tools) were so effective -- today there is no more Indians around to offend your highly-enlightened sensibility. Today, the remaining Indians are enjoying their gambling revenues and malt liquor on their reservation, while you are enjoying the pleasure of speaking your educated mind on a moral high ground. What a wonderful world!

Professor Thurman,
When you sit comfortably in your elegant and scholarly office on Columbia campus typing up your high-minded opinion piece for WoPo, I am sure you did not smell anymore the stench of dead bodies of Native Indians who once roamed the Manhattan Island. You should light up your Tibet candle that was given to you as a Christmas gift last year by the Holy Dalai Lama, say a prayer for world peace, and thank your ancestors whose farsightedness and decisiveness (plus their sharp killing tools) were so effective -- today there is no more Indians around to offend your highly-enlightened sensibility. Today, the remaining Indians are enjoying their gambling revenues and malt liquor on their reservation, while you are enjoying the pleasure of speaking your educated mind on a moral high ground. What a wonderful world!

You shut up!!
you are Ignorant and biased !!!
as matter in fact is:
The beating, smashing and looting recently occurred which about Lhasa burnt the petty crime event. this event certainly did not flaunt like the Dalai group was any "peace demonstration", "the non- violence" the motion, but was the naked serious petty crime activity. Regarding this kind of serious infrigement human rights, the serious harassment social order, the serious harm people life and property security petty crime activity,.
any responsible government all cannot look on no matter
a chinese people

Which kind of live we want to have. And which kind of spirit principles we should follow. We want true justice and true love can shed to everybody.

Yes now there is trouble in Tibet .But for the problems, what we want to get. Is that we want deep the misunderstanding ? Is that we hope there is more confliction ? Can a responsible institution or individual say the words "harsh crackdown"? Only after they have investigate the truth ,in site what they want comment, by themselves.
Who can believe someones say they can give the people the freedom. But they had never touch the ground they imagination the place is horrible and being suppressed. Do they care about the people living there happily ,Or they Only care about their own position.
Please be a wise man when someone tell you something you don’t know or don’t be informed by whole picture.

this is a highly biased and provocative article. I hope readers who are ignorant about the real situations in china and Tibet won't be misled by the equally ignorant author.

What happens now in Tibet is a big irony if Dala Lama truly upholds non-violence.

Good for you! This is just a supurb article. I hope it gets a prize.

CHINA GO HOME...OUT OF TIBET AND TÜRKESTAN!

To Dear Blog Owner, I don't know why this comments apparently assaulting Chinese can be posted while my comments can not.

"Raja Raja:
Looks like Chinese Communists are trolling this article and vituperating with nasty comments.

Very nice points by the Author. Its not surprising to see all the Red China supporting Chinese calling his Holiness with names. Communists cannot understand the strength of religion and especially China cannot.

Instead of isolating His Holiness and Tibetians, China could become the darling of the world and improve their status ( they try so hard to be accepted by West ) -- but they will not. Looks to me like Red Chinese Communists have a Small Penis syndrome. It is not in their DNA to compromise.

BTW, My new hero is Sarkozy.

So when is a theocracy justified in a putatively democratic system?

what if the Dalai Lama turns out to be "just another nice guy" and nothing more/less?

Tibet has been under China's rule (even by name only) at least since Qing Dynasty. If you don't like that, that's fine, so let's say it is part of China now.

To Change that, it has to be done by war. Short of a war in which China loses, Tibet will forever be part of China. So my fellow overseas Chinese Tibetans give it up.

If you are so keen to preserve the Tibetan culture, you can do it right now. Send you and your young children to the monastery. Study scriptures hard and be a scholar of your Buddhist tradition. Do it now!

Ask your wife to start a pilgrimage today. The kind it is practiced in Tibet now. Kneeling down and hug the ground every step of the way. All the way from US to Dalai Lama.

Everything you do in US right now is the genocide to your culture. You drive a car, wears western cloths. You even go to shopping mall once a while. You enjoy sex and watches exciting movies. You are a disgrace to your race.

In the meantime, you encourage your fellow Tibetans to commit hate crimes in China. They got arrested but you are ok. You just drank a beer after you typed few words advocating racial segregation on a website.

There is another option for you, go back to China, go back to Tibet, teach your people the new ideas of science, business and technology, let them compete, let them succeed. You can build a better Tibet.

Or, you can keep protesting in front of Chinese missions overseas. Why not, it is just like an excise, it is safe. You don't have to worry about been arrested or killed. You can do this until you die and be proud of it.

Or, you eventually lose your interest and concentrate more on your family's well being and your children's education.

That's about all you can do.

It seems the western don't need the useless dalai any more.They want to get rid of this old-fashion pet.Why don't the western give us a discount first?

Looks like Chinese Communists are trolling this article and vituperating with nasty comments.

Very nice points by the Author. Its not surprising to see all the Red China supporting Chinese calling his Holiness with names. Communists cannot understand the strength of religion and especially China cannot.

Instead of isolating His Holiness and Tibetians, China could become the darling of the world and improve their status ( they try so hard to be accepted by West ) -- but they will not. Looks to me like Red Chinese Communists have a Small Penis syndrome. It is not in their DNA to compromise.

BTW, My new hero is Sarkozy.

Very nice points by the Author. Its not surprising to see all the Red China supporting Chinese calling his Holiness with names. Communists cannot understand the strength of religion and especially China cannot.

Instead of isolating His Holiness and Tibetians, China could become the darling of the world and improve their status ( they try so hard to be accepted by West ) -- but they will not. Looks to me like Red Chinese Communists have a Small Penis syndrome. It is not in their DNA to compromise.

BTW, My new hero is Sarkozy.

Don't think Dalai Lama's words carry any weight at all these days judging by the continuous violence of the Tibetans.

This site is definitely observing posts before they're posted - and eliminating undesirable posts. You are being very closely screened for your content.......on the other hand, if you're for or against the Dalai Lama, you'll get posted.

Fair warning.........

There are a lot of arguments about whether historically Tibet is a part of China. It's unrelavent. What's relavent is now China is a part of China. Look at US states, Texas and other states along mexico border, and Hawaii and US as a whole, all are Indian's or Hawaii's land. It was taken by British and and American by force. History is history. Wake up and Look at reality now.

No one needs him

Historically China has been subjected to foreign occupations from Mongols to Japanese. Chinese have that weird historical complex of foreigners that led them to build the Great Wall of China on their borders of the country. By the way, why they did not build the Great Wall to include Tibet under the protection? It is because Tibet has historically been a different nation with its own distinct culture, language, tradition, kings, etc. Now in this modern internet era, China is again afraid of another invasion - the internet invasion, that led them build the infamous the Great Internet Wall that blocks all foreign reliable news sources like BBC, New York Times, Youtube, Google.com, etc., and filters words like Free Tibet, Dalai Lama, Tianamen Squre Massacre, etc.

Your comment - "These acts of truth—the Dalai Lama’s long insistence on nonviolence and dialogue in responding to the genocidal acts of one of the world’s largest military powers", do not match what China has practice over hundred's of year. China has never tried to kill all Tibetian; instead, they are trying land grab just as U.S. have been doing over past hundreds of year in the continent of North America and Hawaii. In doing so, US have practically wiped out the entire American Indian population - that is genocial act. While we do not condone what China is doing, what you said is definitely overboard.

I am strongly against communist rule in China. I long for the days when China is a fully democratic country in which people have the right to choose their own political leaders through democratic elections, like Taiwan.

I was born in China and I am 100% Han Chinese. I always think there is nothing wrong to let Tibet or Taiwan become an independent country. But it seems that the vast majority of the Chinese differ from me on this, especially independent Tibet.

What does that mean? Well it means that even if China is a 100% free country like the United States, Tibet will never be an independent country, not in a near future anyway.

So what the Tibetans are fighting for? Something without a hope if they are fighting for an independent country, as if today's Native Americans wanting their country back.

About the recent/current Tibet incident/crisis.

1. Remember the Chinese authority did not intervene when the Tibetans/Monks protested peacefully on the street. How do I know? Well they did not intervene even when the protesters started to riot.

2. Many opinions from the west/US (yes, it is US) are biased. They either do not know the facts or do not want to know the facts.

3. What do I think the right reaction should be(I do believe there is still right and wrong in this world)? The world opinion should condemn the riot that caused substantial loss of lives (what is the most important human right? the right to live peacefully) and then urge the Chinese government to start dialogue with Dalai Lama.

NO! The Dali Lama Needed China! If he kept quiet then he [Mr. Tizin Gyatso] would have gone Far!

No, IT was not the Kali or Durga that made him do it, but rather Greed & APATHY. He listened to the Wrong Players!

He Blew It! Goodbye Buddhism! Ya Ya!

We don't need the moral high ground...just moral equivalence.

Tibet : China

Iraq: US

Northern Ireland : UK

China should agree to give Tibet its independence when US and UK agree to give independence to those lands and/or cease to exist.

We Chinese are by no means easy to understand why some of the westerners and those who know less about China always do something against China, actually, China is well on the way to peace, democracy, well-being, it is impossible for anyone not to make a minor mistake in the process of development. Pls you guys stop blaming and distorting China, it is our business but yours, save much more to take care of somthing definitely bad in your countries.

Yes, welcome the Monk Emperor of Tibet back to his palace so that freedom and democracy may reign over Tib...oh wait...I mean so that theocracy and serfdom may return to Tibet. Perhaps the good American professor should spend some time pondering whether China's occupation of Tibet is more legit and less brutal than America's occupation of Iraq. China needs no lessons on civilized behavior from a nation and people created out of Genocide, Racism, and Imperialism. Hu should call Bush and urge him to dialogue with Osama Bin Laden, who, after all, is an admired man in his circle of Fundamentalist nutjobs. BTW, "Bhuddists" don't recognize the Dala Lama as anything, TIBETAN Bhuddism thinks he is their god reincarnate.

I'm doing a Project on Citizenship (Civics),
I was wondering since I'm like mentaly retarded or can't think right or either don't care to think... What does this have to with citizenship?

An excellent and timely article by Professor Thurman. It's ironic that the Chinese period known as the Tang Dynasty and mentioned by another poster gave the world such great spiritual masters of Chan as Hui Neng and Huang Po, to name but two. Where is the transcendent spirit of these great masters to be found in China today? The same culture that gave the world Confucious and Lao Tzu and insight into the Tao??

Today the Dalai Lama stands as a living monument to these same great spiritual and humanistic pursuits of compassion and enlightenment as found throughout the various schools of Buddhism.

Both Tibet and China are recipients of the same great Buddhist heritage, a religious and philosophical tradition which ultimately came from India. Why has this common ground and spiritual symbiosis been lost? Politics and political strategies my friends, pure and simple. Tibet lies between China and India, much as Kashmir lies between India and Pakistan. And therein lies the answer. Possession is the law that rules.

To suppress the noble religious pursuits inspired by the Dalai Lama among his own people is a grevious sin and will prove to be a monumental error on China's part. How this is so may be difficult to percieve now, but it will come to pass.

It is only hoped that the leaders of China will wake up to the error of their ways and grant the Dalai Lama his rightful role as spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, as well as serving as a singular inspiration to many millions of people on planet Earth.

Spiritually enlightened individuals are uncommon enough in our midst, and for reasons owing to our own base nature, they are inevitably persecuted. This in spite of our pressing need to profit from the presence of the rare great spirits that appear in this vale of tears. The Dalai Lama is such a one.

Christians should be very sympathetic to this truth. As humans continue to evolve we will discover that peace, prosperity, and spirituality can and will coexist for the benefit of all. The egocentrism of cultures and societies are the only thing standing in the way.

Robert Truman isn't a true man. Oh, Man! You got to obey the principle of journalism. Do your search first and be objective.

This is the biggest BS. China does not need Dalai. Time will tell.

what are you talking about?

Robert Thurman obviously didn't bother to research history. If he had spent a minute reading history book, he would have been better informed that Tibet has been part of China for centuries. A quick google search of Tibet map shows Tibet has been part of China's territory since Yuan Dynasty.

What western media fails to recognize is Dalai Lama is only interested in his own power. He is not concerned about the well being of ordinary Tibetans. He wants to return to the half a century ago slavery rule.

I can see we agree on almost everything. Now about China needing the Dalai Lama. Are you saying that China doesn't have a government or that they have one that is incompetent or what?

Religions, not limited to Christians are governments. You said that, "in the closer presence of their spiritual and political leader" and I agree completely with you. The Dalai Lama is a political leader just like the pope and Billy Graham only the pope and Billy have puppets like Bush that assume the political end of the stick. Dalai Lama has the whole stick doesn't he?

The Chinese government is not a religion is it? Even if it was it would be duty bound to pronounce the Dalai Lama's faith to be in error, unless it was the same faith. Then, if the Chinese government was a religion and the same one as the Dalai Lama's it would be a matter of who shall be the Dalai Lama wouldn't it?

What we have in Tibet is a simple case of a government in exile attempting to return and overthrow the government. It would be like Queen Elizabeth announcing that the US is a British colony and the US government is null and void. You are aware that the British government is the previous, before the revolution US government that is now in exile?

So why don't you crusade for the Church of England to retake America and leave the Chinese alone? Your chances are equally good and it's a lot closer to rabble rouse patriots, the ones known as loyalists. Doesn't your heart just break over what happened to the original government in the USA run by the head of the Church of England?

Maybe you'd like for China to become an Islamic state like we're sure to do given the present attitude about the role of religion in government. Thank God for the Godless Chinese for they stand alone as Muslim free. Dalai Lama free too I see. It's against the law to preach the gospel of the lord God of Israel or the lord God of anywhere else in China. You think the Chinese should cancel that law? Stranger things have happened.

http://www.hoax-buster.org/sellyoursoul tells you all one needs to know about the situation in China. They don't need the representatives of a Devil that wants to be God running their country. Do you blame them? Lucifer and all his ministers do. Maybe we could get on God's side for a change?

Many thanks to Mr Robert Thurman. I do totally agree with you not only as a Tibetan but as a responsible citizen of this planet. There is no denying the fact that Chinese Communist Party has systematically carried out cultural genocide in Tibet. The recent uprising throughout Tibet speaks for itself about the 49+ years of Chinese oppression and marginalizing of Tibetans. 'China needs Dalai Lama' if China is serious in resolving the Tibet problem. Please visit www.tibet.net for His Holiness's Middle Way Approach. We, Tibetans, of course need His Holiness the Dalai Lama, for He is the incarnation of Avalokitesvara and has a special karmic relationship with our race. The world needs His Holiness as a spiritual leader and a poineer in resolving human conflicts (like the Tibet problem) through non-violent means.

A Tibetan, in respect and dedication to my brave fellow countrymen in Tibet.

Whatever chance the DL had, it is lost in these violent roits. He certainly picked a good time and wished the Chinese people and government would give in to his demand. The rioters cut flesh, cut ears and arms, burn people alive, stone people to death and butcher people. These are mostly from DL's law if you have read his fuedal law. Some were forced, tricked or bought to join the riots. As always, he got his wish of fooling the western media and some knee jerk reaction from the British, US and French. Some media is volutarily fabricate stories to bash China.

But the sure thing is, unless the DL surrender and serve in prison, there may never be talk. Any talk will require judgement day for those innocent people killed.
As to the olympics, who cares! If you come, we welcome you as friend and guest. If you don't, then stay home.

For those who have doubt, Xizang (Tibet) was, is and always will be part of China. So don't drive wedges among Chinese people.

As a practicing Buddhist (not, however, a follower of the Dalai Lama), I have often wondered why he has remained in exile for all these years while his people were suffering. Would it not have been better to return to Tibet, and would this not be his best course of action now?

Yes, he would be risking arrest and imprisonment, but what better way to bring his moral authority to bear on the situation?

I am reminded of Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison, but in so doing, liberated the people of South Africa.

I am also reminded of Tsunesaburo Makiguchi and Josei Toda, founders of the Soka Gakkai in Japan, who chose prison over coercion. Because of their conviction, the SGI is now the world's largest lay Buddhist movement.

The Dalai Lama has lived a rather comfortable life in exile for nearly 50 years now.

The time has come for him to return home and lead his people out of their misery...and inspire the world through his example.

I am surprised at the so many comments written by Chinese in many different online media who seems to believe the stand and belief of their communist government completely. It is really strange, they seem to have more faith in their official media than other internationally respected media. There is definitely something wrong here!
The Chinese propaganda department does seem to be very efficient and successful because they have achieved their objective to keep their people ignorant!

This writer apparently knows nothing about Chinese history, what the Dalai Lama has actually done and a hypocrtic advocate of so-called human rights. As an observor, America has more human rights problems than anywhere else on the planet, but the people always manage to turn a blind eye to them. This country is hopeless.

This writer apparently knows nothing about Chinese history, what the Dalai Lama has actually done and a hypocrtic advocate of so-called human rights. As an observor, America has more human rights problems than anywhere else on the planet, but the people always manage to turn a blind eye to them. This country is hopeless.

China doesn’t need Dalai Lama. China doesn’t need the Olympics either. For one, his status and authority over Tibetans was granted by Chinese government in Qing Dynasty. The central government can take that away anyways.

What Dalai Lama is proposing is to setup an autonomous region that includes ¼ of Chinese territory. He also wants all Han Chinese and non Tibetans to move out. This can never be agreed upon by Chinese government. Not to mention this is a ethnic cleansing request.

Looking at the history, every time Tibet has a uprising or riot. It sets back Dalai Lama’s agenda further back. This time is no different. What you will see is more integration of Tibet with inland China, both in economic and culture terms. Han and Tibetans will be increasingly mixed and Tibetan population will be more secular. Everybody need a good life, Tibetans are no different. Their language will be well taught and religion will still be strongly followed, but not as strong as now. Is this culture genocide? I don’t think so, what ever you call it, this is the trend of human development and nobody can stop it, even Dalai Lama.

Sign the petition: Boycott the Chinese Olympics.

http://www.avaaz.org/en/tibet_end_the_violence/98.php/?cl_tf_sign=1

http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?pbbo01

leading Chinese historian and a veteran of the committee that advises on official Chinese history textbooks has broken step with the official Chinese line on historical sovereignty over Tibet and said that to claim that the ancient Buddhist kingdom "has always been a part of China" would be a "defiance of history".

In an article in the China Review magazine, Professor Ge Jianxiong, 62, director of the Institute of Chinese Historical Geography and the Research Centre for Historical Geographic Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, states that while considering how big China was during the Tang Dynasty (7th to 10th century), "we cannot include the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, which was ruled by Tubo/Tufan…"

Tubo/Tufan, notes Ge, "was a sovereignty independent of the Tang Dynasty. At least it was not administered by the Tang Dynasty." If it were not, he argues, there would have been no need for the Tang emperor of the day to offer Princess Wen Cheng in a "marriage of state" to the Tibetan king, Songtsen Gampo.

"It would be a defiance of history," asserts Ge, "to claim that Tibet has always been a part of China since the Tang Dynasty; the fact that the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau subsequently became a part of the Chinese dynasties does not substantiate such a claim."

Ge's article is an exploration of a larger theme of Chinese identity in history — and precisely when it evolved. And his comments on Tibet conform to scholarly accounts that acknowledge that the takeover of Tibet during the Qing Dynasty (17th to early 20th century) was the starting point for "Chinese sovereignty" over the region.

Yet, Ge's comments are controversial insofar as they deviate from the official Communist Party line that Tibet has always been an inalienable part of China; in the past China has regarded as any weakening of that theory as "anti-national" and "split-ist". It will be interesting to see how the authorities respond to Ge's scholarly article.

Ge's major research fields include historical population geography, population and migration history, and cultural history. He has written and edited numerous books, and over 100 articles on historical population geography, population and migration history, and cultural history.

In his latest article, Ge notes that prior to 1912, when the Republic of China was officially founded, the idea of China (in Chinese, Zhongguo) wasn't clearly conceptualised. Even during the late Qing period, he writes, the term 'China' would on occasion be used to refer to the "Qing State, including all the territory that fell within the boundaries of the Qing empire"; but at other times, it would be taken to refer only to the "18 interior provinces", excluding Manchuria, Inner Mongolia, Tibet and Xinjiang. Therefore, he argues, "if we want to understand the extent of ancient China's territory, we can only speak of how large the actual territory controlled by a particular dynasty was at a particular moment."

Noting that notions of a 'Greater China' were based entirely on the "one-sided views of Qing court records that were… written for the court's self-aggrandisement", Ge criticises those who feel that "the more they exaggerate the territory of historical 'China' or China's successive dynasties and kingdoms, the more patriotic they are."

In fact, he says, the opposite is true. "If China really wishes to rise peacefully and be on a solid footing to face the future, we must understand the sum of our history and learn from our experiences."

Nicole: It's sad a reality when you believe the words from the Chinese govt. Either you are very innocent or absolutly ignorant. The Chinese govt moved all foreign media out as soon as the riot started in order to prevent the truth to be leaked out. The Chinese govt, with it's state run media, was set to realease a set of lies and create a propaganda. How can you trust the word of the Chinese govt when they still say no one was killed in Tiananmen Square Massacre.

When the Chinese govt tries to label Dalai Lama as terrorist, they lose all accountablity of their words. How can a monk who has practice no violence for over 50 years be labeled as a terrorist? Do you have any logic or reasoning skills?

If you want to see what china did to my country Tibet.. take a look here and decide for yourself.

http://www.itibetan.org/

China will win all the gold medals during the upcoming genocide olympic for being number one in killing people,and murdering those innocent people.

Communist China did not even spare their own children in 1989 Tiananmen square massacre, how will they spare those brave Tibetans proindependent demonstrators. It is coward to be behind those guns and shooting at those unarmed demonstrators using lethal force.

DOWN WITH THE CHINESE TRYANNY!!!
BOYCOTT CHINESE OLYMPIC!
FREE TIBET NOW!
FREE TIBET NOW!!!
FREE TIBET NOW!!!

Tibetan autonomy or independence appears to be an American supported cause which stretches back to the original American plan to offset Maoist China by supporting Gi-Chek and the nationalists in Taiwan.

I don't support China's communist party because it represses millions of people and is a front for corruption by its elites, but Tibetan uprisings now are not a coincidence. Thurman called them spontaneous, but American agents- whether via NGOs or via more clandestine avenues- are likely tied to Tibetan "spontaneity".

Would America support the autonomy of Alaska? Or Florida? Or Hawaii? Or Guam? Or are they an integral part of pax Americana as Tibet is to pax China?

Oh, you are misleading me whether this is violence or not, rioters killing innocent people, setting fire is nonviolence?

Who told you Chinese army fired? And where on earth you know there are "massive loss of lives" in Tibet?

Facts don't come out of your mouth. So please shut up!

So many American sounding names and so many Chinese posters - very clever by half.

Excellent article - FREE TIBET!!!!

The world is watching.......

NOOOO..
We don't need him... never did, never will..
Let him die and Tibet will be a better place for most tibetans..
Again, it is so amusing to see all the people who know nothing about China want a bite of China Pie.. keep it on.
As a Chinese in US for so long, I have never felt this strong to support Chinese Govenment.
They don't need Dalai Lama.
I don't need him either..

"Tibetans. Risking their very lives, they protest the total destruction of their culture, environment, and way of life." - Robert, no, Tibetans risk only innocent Chinese life.

"total destruction of their culture", please, you sounds like broken records, where did you get this impression, from CNN, I guess.

"he and the rest of the world stands in awe of the extraordinary depth of faith being exhibited by his brave people" -- Go, Rob & Dalai, go, kill more Chnese.

"They stood up to the firing of armed Chinese troops" -- yeah, after broke into police armory and while slash policemen with knifes.

Rob, I have to admit that your article lacks substance and sound like a proganda machine. You can try the paint the mobs as lovely as you would. But they are still mobs, nothing more and nothing less.

Politic and religion cannot mix. So do sport and politic. Dalai Lama should resign as he has said so if violent continue. Buddhism never teach violent.

Human race can never be at peace on this earth if each individual wants to do things their own way. There is nothing wrong with this world we live but it is the human factors that created it.

Well put, Mr. Thurman. China now has a golden opportunity to turn this sorrowful situation around 180 degrees, if they would only approach the situation with compassion. If they do, it will make Tibet, China, and the entire planet a better place. Will they rise to the occasion? Let us pray that they do.

to the blog owner, my previous posts were not posted, why? If you think your one-sided mind can really prevent people telling the truth, you are totally wrong and no better than the Chinese government you are trying to criticize.

The article correctly pointed out the fact that the relationship between Beijing and Dalai Lama is one of mutual existence. But it failed to identify the true underlying motives for such relationship. Yes, Beijing and Dalai need each other, but their relationship has been and will still be of a parallel, status quo maintaining slow tango than a converging, resolution finding courtship. For Beijing, it needs Dalai to continue be the face of the Tibetan movement while knowing full well that the younger generation exiles no longer share his preaching of “peaceful, non-violence” resistance that won him the Nobel and popularity in the West. This allows Beijing to attack his credibility and sincerity every time events like this happens when the pledge by His Holiness not to seek independence is contrasted sharply by the calls for independence on the street. This gives Beijing ample excuse to drag their feet on any meaningful dialogue with Dalai. This approach, though very short-sighted, helps Beijing, for the time being, avoid facing the tough choices they will have to make if they are to reach a real settlement on the issues of Tibet, which will require sacrifice the interests of other ethnic groups in the region. By the same token, Dalai also needs Beijing to maintain its rigid and paranoid hold on Tibet, so he can keep his image as a charming but helpless victim of Chinese oppression that symbolizes the Tibetan movement. His artful portrayal of himself as a compassionate, peaceful, humorous, intelligent and harmless monk aching for the freedom of his people has helped drum up sympathy and support all over the world because, again, it contrast sharply to the Western impression of China, which is one of a brutally oppressive and greedy country aiming at rubbing the world of its resources and Americans of their jobs. So every time event like this happens, Dalai will be given benefits of the doubt by the world community because of his image, and drumming up more support for the movement and in turn solidify his position in the exile communities. Without that image and contrast, Dalai and the movement will most likely be viewed as no different from other succession figures and their movements, see Kosovo, Northern Ireland, etc., generating much more polarizing opinions than the harmonious ones they enjoy right now. So in summary, as long as they don’t totally lose controls of the situation, which they are running the risk of doing that now, they will continue with this slow dance, while trading barbs at each other. The ideas that external pressures such as boycotting Olympic will help bring about change or at least teach Chinese a lesson are at best delusional or totally ignorant, because these can only further solidify their respective positions to their base and prolong this slow dance.

What\'s wrong with you, Mr. Robert Thurman?

Why do you delete my post? Are we in a free country?

Or dare not face the truth? Here are photos again:

http://www.newspiritualbible.com/index2.html

YOU ARE SO FOOL!DALAI LAMA just needs THE serf system back to tibet! he and his epigone just need THE privilege in tibet!
how foolish you are!

from a CHINESE!

YOU ARE SO FOOL!DALAI LAMA just needs THE serf system back to tibet! he and his epigone just need THE privilege in tibet!
how foolish you are!

from a CHINESE!

We always look into great minds after they pass away. We do not identify, when they are alive. The might of moral will much greater than military strength. If China is quite honest, it should open up its activities to the international press and be calm. By truth, one cannot have an empire by shear force of weaponry. The huge empires have vanished in the history, as they thought they are invincible. It is in greater China's goodwill to give more freedom and autonomy to Tibetans and respect their culture.

Chinese must understand humanity comes ahead of Chinese. They will successful in closing the door to world, when when world is opening up to them.
It has to be two ways.

On the contrary, I think China is largely succeeding in secularize the Tibetan population. The latest riot in Tibet is the last attempt by Tibetan exiles stop the trend. To me, I see two forces behind the riot. One is more secularized Tibetans that want independence. The other is the traditional monk aristocracy that wants the same thing but can settle with the next best thing, autonomy.

The overall trend is the secularization of the Tibetan population. The racial integration of Tibetans and Han Chinese is also going on. Protecting the Tibetan culture, doesn’t mean we should go back to the racial segregation that is advocated by Dalai Lama.

The problem is 49 yrs of mistrust.

The Dalai Lama supported the Chinese "occupation", declared himself a Marxist, joined China's top advisory body, and then suddenly lead a revolt in 1959.

He now supports meaningful autonomy of Tibet within the PRC. However, people close to him still talk about independence. Critical and sometime radical views voiced by people calling themselves his followers also makes Beijing uncomfortable.

I believe the Dalai Lama's sincerety on the question of autonomy vs independence, recognizing he is an imperfect politician (he's a monk!). However, I can also understand why it is difficult for the Chinese to overcome their mistrust.

We always look into great minds after they pass away. We do not identify, when they are alive. The might of moral will much greater than military strength. If China is quite honest, it should open up its activities to the international press and be calm. By truth, one cannot have an empire by shear force of weaponry. The huge empires have vanished in the history, as they thought they are invincible. It is in greater China's goodwill to give more freedom and autonomy to Tibetans and respect their culture.

Chinese must understand humanity comes ahead of Chinese. They will successful in closing the door to world, when when world is opening up to them.
It has to be two ways.

Hear, hear! Thank you, Mr. Thurman, for putting it so eloquently. I totally agree with your statements.
Let the Tibetans be Tibetans, and have their country and their culture. They are not Chinese, and don't want to be Chinese. Maybe the Games will help keep focus on their plight for at least a little while.

His Holiness The Dalai Lama is everything Robert Thurman said and more. Thank you for the article Mr. Thurman. The only good I see from the recent events is that some people are now learning the history of Tibet and the human rights abuses by the Chinese government, not only in Tibet but to its own people. This is a time for dialogue and hopefully, some peace.

LONG LIVE HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA
OM MANI PADME HUNG

China needs the Dalai Lama like America needs Osama Bin Laden.

The man is tragedy and has done nothing but hurt his people's prospect for progress and prosperity.

You need to work within the system and not have violent protests where murdering and looting appear to be the norm.

Minority Tibetans need a new leader!

Not only listen to what he said, but also look at what he did!!
You can't say that if you never been to China!

Please have the dali & his Lammas move & live in Saudi Arabia!

Tibet has been occupied by the communists since 1950 without any United Nations protest. This year, monks suddenly become violent and attack innocent Chinese civilians, which is totally out-of-character, and betrays the non-violent Tibetan freedom movement. The sudden enthusiasm of the former colonial powers, with past human rights abuses, to criticise China for maintaining law and order for mass riots, smacks of hypocrisy and even conspiracy.

read this and think urself:

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/JC26Ad02.html

i agree with you. love dalai lama. chinese need to understand that even though china is economically rich country, you don't get people's hearts and support with violence and oppression.