Community members cannot vilify the Dalai Lama, his nonviolent messages

In a recent letter to the editor, progressive members of the campus community were encouraged to oppose the visit of the 14th Dalai Lama because of the social conditions and human rights violations in Tibet before the 1950 Chinese incorporation of the country. Likewise, the letter claims conditions in Tibet improved dramatically after the Chinese takeover.

It is true that Tibet was a feudal theocracy before 1950. Conditions in jails were deplorable.  There was a vast socioeconomic divide between classes. Brutal capital punishment was widely employed. It was certainly no Shangri-La. However, starting in 1913, the 13th Dalai Lama initiated a number of radical reforms. Tibet became one of the first nations to outlaw capital punishment, jail conditions improved and the gaps between social classes diminished.

Some aspects of life for the people of Tibet continued to improve after the Chinese takeover. As the aforementioned letter points out, life expectancy has increased and a modern infrastructure system is being constructed. However, the Chinese government’s takeover and occupation of Tibet can also be characterized by pervasive human rights violations.

A 2010 U.S. State Department report cites widespread arbitrary arrests, indefinite detention, despicable prison conditions and torture of Tibetans, many of whom are arrested for political dissent.

The United Nations’ resolution on Tibet states that “Chinese occupation of Tibet has been characterized by … murder, rape … and cruel treatment of Tibetans.” The Chinese government also continues to repress cultural expression and Buddhist practices by pressuring Tibetans to change their doctrines such that they comply with state political stances and policies.

Therefore, we should not condemn the Dalai Lama for the sins of his predecessors. By the standards of the letter in question, German Chancellor Angela Merkel should be condemned because of the atrocities perpetrated by the Nazis.

The Dalai Lama admitted Tibetan society needed drastic redress and enacted several reforms, including the removal of debt inheritance — a construct that kept many people in poverty. The Dalai Lama has repeatedly said he is a simple, Buddhist monk, and stepped down from his political role in Tibet in 2011, delegating his authority to the democratically elected Tibetan government in exile.

Rather than vilify a man who has continually preached a message of nonviolence, opposed militarism and supported socioeconomic equality, women’s rights and environmental protection, let us develop a more nuanced understanding of his beliefs and role in international politics.

Tomasz Falkowski

Graduate student in ecological engineering

Department of Environmental Resources Engineering

State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry