By Amdo bkraces (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-04-23 07:26

An ancient Chinese saying has it that few people live to their 70s (in those times). If I remember correctly, the Dalai Lama is 73 this year, which means he is an old man now.

For many years the Tibetans have treated this Dalai Lama, who has been away from Tibet physically and spiritually for decades, as a deity like their forefathers did all previous Dalai Lamas throughout history. However, this deity has lost his halo in people's minds, especially after they realized he does not possess any divine spirit or a heart of Bodhisattva, and nor has he done anything good for Tibet and Tibetans.

The Dalai Lama officially succeeded to the religious title and position in 1939 after the Kuomintang government back then approved his selection. According to Buddhist tradition, he should have followed Buddha's teachings to seek the ultimate enlightenment by helping people understand and accept Buddhism and by doing whatever good he could for all Tibetans. Instead, he acted as a double-dealing opportunist.

Back in the 1950s he talked about the peaceful liberation of Tibet with the central government, while secretly keeping contact with foreign imperialists; or shook hands with Chairman Mao and then flirted with imperialist foreign regimes. In 1959, 20 years after becoming the Dalai Lama, he finally abandoned his Buddhist disguise by supporting the armed rebellion, forming a separatist government and fleeing the country to India after announcing "Tibet independence", thereby officially embarking on the journey of treason. He has betrayed the Tibetans as well as the trust of the central government and forced tens of thousands of people to leave their homes behind.

In the 1960s and 1970s, with help from a certain foreign country's spy agency, the Dalai Lama formed an army of religious guards to launch frequent cross-border attacks on Chinese territory from Nepal in an attempt to disrupt social and economic development in Tibet, depriving Tibetans living in border areas of a peaceful and prosperous life. During the riots in Lhasa in March, 1989 alone, 24 offices and schools were vandalized, 99 stores and restaurants were looted and set on fire, many Tibetans lost their hard-earned assets. And the Dalai Lama openly expressed "full support" for the riots.

Since the 1990s the Dalai Lama has intensified separatist activities, going out of his way to encourage Tibetans, especially the younger generation, to leave the motherland illegally. Some of the illegal immigrants came back to Tibet and took to organized public disturbances, vandalism and even bombings.

The "Tibetan Youth Congress", which the Dalai Lama formed in India after abandoning Tibet, adjusted its priorities at the 30th plenary session of its standing committee, emphasizing activities designed to "weaken China's economic strength". It waged protest marches repeatedly, tried to block development projects in Tibet funded with World Bank loans, opposed China's participation in the World Trade Organization and exhausted its evil wits to sabotage all efforts by the central government and the whole nation to develop the economy in Tibetan-inhabited areas.

As far as religion is concerned, the Dalai Lama, as an initiated Buddhist monk, trashed his belief by violating the Buddhist doctrine, trampling the religious rules and raped the religious passion of Tibetans. He picked the reincarnation for the Panchen Lama without following the official procedure, chose a foreign national for a living Buddha, and chose several reincarnations for one living Buddha in total disregard of relevant rules followed in Tibet for centuries. This so-called "protector of human rights" and "guardian of religious freedom" persecuted members of other sects within the Tibetan Buddhist community to purge those who disagreed with his devious ways. The most obvious example of this criminal act is his persecution of worshippers of the Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden (a Tibetan Buddhist deity responsible for protecting the religion) in the 1990s on unfounded claims that many of them were "Chinese spies".

The Dalai Lama has shown uncanny friendliness since the early years of his religious promotion toward foreigners who came to Tibet with ulterior motives and later traded Tibetan people's interests for personal gains. He has supped with foreign powers hungry for a piece of the "Roof of the World". He has resorted to self-aggrandizement with foreign help, such as accepting a "Congressional Gold Medal" last year from the very foreign power that has been financing his separatist cause since the 1950s. He also frequently travels all over the world begging foreign leaders to pressure our central government.

Last year the Dalai Lama claimed that "the Beijing Olympic Games could be the last chance for Tibetans" and told foreign governments to link the "Tibet issue" with the Beijing Olympiad in their dealings with China. Meanwhile, his subordinates echoed him by saying "the whole world will be watching China, which is a unique opportunity for us to increase pressure on the Chinese government". They have been inciting their followers and supporters to disrupt the Olympic torch relay through its journey.

His inflammatory words led to the violent crimes in Lhasa on March 14 by his followers, who beat up and even murdered innocent people, vandalized public as well as private properties and attacked medical workers trying to save those they had injured. They displayed so much hate and cruelty all because it was the Dalai Lama's order, which resulted in bloodshed right outside some of the most sacred places of worship in Tibet and inflicted profound suffering on so many innocent civilians, including those who worshipped him like a God. The Dalai Lama is guilty of all these crimes and more.

At this point I want to ask two simple questions. Over the decades what has the Dalai Lama done for the Tibet autonomous region? And what has he brought the Tibetans? The answer is too obvious to spell out.

The people of Tibet will live a better life no matter how hard the Dalai Lama tries to wreck their peaceful existence and how upset he is by the fact that the days when most Tibetans were serfs at his disposal are gone for good.

This "living Buddha" simply cannot be depended on for a better life. I hope my fellow Tibetans cherish today's peaceful situation. It is a blessing we cannot afford to lose. We should put our hearts and minds into building our own happiness and protect it against attempts of destruction by the Dalai Lama and his followers.

The author is an ethnic Tibetan scholar with the State Administration for Religious Affairs

(China Daily 04/23/2008 page8)