By Shi Shan (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-10-04 08:51

After more than 40 years of exile abroad, the 14th Dalai Lama has posed as a Buddhist spiritual leader and made hundreds of trips around the world. He claims there are two missions for these visits: one is to elevate human values, and the other is to promote harmony among different religions. Is that so?

When the Dalai Lama controlled the regional regime in Tibet, the region was a society of feudal serfdom under the despotic religio-political rule of lamas and nobles. Such a system, which ignored human rights and impeded local development, had turned Tibet into a paradise for feudal lords but a hell on earth for serfs and poor monks.

The Dalai Lama, as one of the leaders of the Gelugpa (Yellow Sect of Tibetan Buddhism) who was also head of the regional government in Tibet, was the general representative of this theocratic system.

After the new China was founded, the whole country carried out reform campaigns to overthrow the feudal system. But the central government adopted a lenient policy for Tibet on account of the ground realities there.

According to the Agreement of the Central People's Government and the Local Government of Tibet on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet, "in matters related to various reforms in Tibet, there will be no compulsion on the part of the central authorities.

"The local government of Tibet should carry out reforms of its own accord, and when the people raise demands for reform, they shall be settled by means of consultation with the leading personnel of Tibet.

"The central authorities also will not alter the established status, functions and powers of the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Erdeni. The religious beliefs, customs and habits of the Tibetan people shall be respected, and lama monasteries shall be protected."

Late Chairman Mao Zedong also used the example of the Buddha, who advocated that all living beings are equal, gave up a royal life and the throne that awaited him, and went to the mountains to take up difficult ascetic practices in order to enlighten the upper echelons of society to conform to historical trends and not to alienate themselves from the people.

But the feudal lords and the upper, reactionary classes saw the central government's leniency and tolerance as weakness. To retain the feudal system and their privileges, they openly advocated Tibet's "independence" and started an uprising with the backing of anti-China forces.

They used the Tibetan people's devout religious feelings and asked the people to "sacrifice" themselves under the banner of "defending Buddhism". They had turned the grounds of Buddhist reverence into a sinful place to train armed rebels. The three monasteries for dharma activities were thus turned into rebel hubs. Those rebels burned, killed, stole and plundered. Their atrocities around Tibet exposed their hypocritical faces of "defending Buddhism" and "defending the nationality".

Betraying his country, deceiving or even forcing the masses to join his rebellion, the Dalai Lama has totally deviated from the basic creed of Buddhism.

Mahayana Buddhism advocates altruism as well as emancipation of all living beings. To develop Bodhi Citta and relieve others are the axis of Mahayana. Master Tsongkhapa holds Bodhi Citta as the essence of Mahayana and source of all lofty behaviors. Dharma activities without Bodhi Citta are like crops without fertilizer.

But the Dalai Lama has been using the banner of dharma and turning pujas into political gatherings to spread bias and sow discord. Let's take a look at his speech at the Kalachakra Puja in 1995. There was not much about religion in his speech and even the little he mentioned about religion was just recitation from religious scriptures with no further explanation.

What he concentrated on was political preaching about the "Tibet issue". He said "Tibet absolutely does not belong to China", "the homes of Tibetan people suffered unprecedented calamities in the past decades" and "the religion and culture of Tibet had been wiped out".

He further said the root of all troubles lies in the people of Han nationality; Tibetan people should not have any expectations from the Hans and should strive for their great cause.

As shown by his words and deeds in the past dharma assemblies, isn't his political intention behind the dharma assemblies all too clear?