[Buddha-l] Tibet uprisings

[Curt Steinmetz]

Christopher Fynn wrote:
>
> Younger generation rejects non-violent tradition:
> <http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/18/tibet.china2>
>

I don't think that pacifism has ever been widely accepted among 
Tibetans. Historically it has never been a tenet of Vajrayana - quite 
the opposite, in fact.

Because of the the authority that the Dalai Lama has, and also because 
of the daunting prospect of directly taking on the Chinese, I think that 
Tibetans were willing to, as the old song says, "give peace a chance". 
But not only has HHDL's approach failed to yield any results, but he has 
also encouraged the development of a more democratic political culture 
for Tibetans. I think it is because of these two factors that many 
Tibetans, like those quoted in the article linked above, are starting to 
say more loudly and more publicly what they have been saying quietly and 
privately all along.

If His Holiness listens to the Tibetan people he might even do what 
Nelson Mandela did after the Sharpeville Massacre - and abandon "passive 
resistance" as the only acceptable form of struggle. But even if he does 
not do that - I doubt very much that the 15th Dalai Lama will be a pacifist.

Curt Steinmetz