Another Tibetan Monk Sets Himself Ablaze
Self-Immolating Monk
China has to deal with another case of Tibetan monk who protested against the occupation of Tibet by immolating himself, a traditional form of protest in the Mahayana Buddhism and Hinduism. The young monk set himself ablaze in southwest China, and is the fifth such case reported this year. He was 17 years old and was a monk at the Kirti monastery in the Sichuan province, a monastery that was scene to repeated such protests.
The self-immolation occurred on Monday and was reported on Tuesday by Tibetan authorities in exile, who said that as soon as he set himself on fire, the monk was surrounded by security troops, which extinguished the flames, beat him and took him with them.
The name of the monk is Kelsang Wangchuk, and his whereabouts remain unknown. He was said to have had a picture of Dalai Lama on him, when the police took him.
The incident comes a week after other two young Tibetan monks at the same monastery of Kirti set themselves on fire in a protest against religious repression.
When asked by international media, the people in the town of Aba, where the incident happened, were unable to confirm the news about the self-immolation but were able to say that there was a lot of police in their town on Monday.
Another self-immolation occurred in Sichuan in August, when Tsewang Norbu, a 29-year-old monk from Tawu monastery, set himself ablaze while shouting “Long Live Dalai Lama! Let Dalai Lama return to Tibet!”
Another such incident occurred in March this year, when, following a self-immolation, the Chinese security troops have arrested some 300 monks for an entire month.
Self-immolation is a religious ritual in the Mahayana Buddhism and Hinduism, and it is used for various purposes including the political protest. The self-immolations for political and religious reasons were first recorded in Vietnam, where the Buddhist monks were protesting during the last century against the actions of the Roman Catholic Church in the region.
Dalai Lama condemned this practice as a way of disregarding the sanctity of life, which is held high in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. That is why the practice was considered rather rare in this part of the Buddhist world.
Experts consider it “rare” and most of all “worrying,” and argue that its presence is rather recent in Tibet and Sichuan, and is related to the preservation of the cultural and religious heritage of the Tibetans.
Tibetans Protest
The main concern of the Tibetans is the increase of the Han population living in this province, which could influence the ethnic balance of the zone. China on the other hand says that the life conditions in Tibet have improved considerably after it invested billions of dollars in the province.
This leads to what has come to be called a “worrying trend,” as many Tibetan people believe that only by setting themselves ablaze they can make themselves heard in China.
This new protest comes at a time when there is a sharp dispute between Dalai Lama and the Chinese government over the successor of the Tibetan spiritual leader. Dalai Lama made it clear that the next Dalai Lama, if there is a next Dalai Lama, will be recognized by the instructions he will live behind before his death.
China contends that the Communist regime has a right to appoint a new Dalai Lama, and that no Dalai Lama imposed by the incumbent one will be recognized.
Dalai Lama responds that he has a right to decide whether he will be reincarnated and when and where. For that reason he convoked the four schools of Tibetan Buddhism thought, and consulted with them on whether there is a need for another Dalai Lama, and if the tradition that dates back to the 17th century is still needed or the new spiritual leader should be elected just like the pope in Rome or the Western politicians.
The concern of the Tibetans is linked to the intention of China to appoint a Dalai Lama that would be compliant with what Beijing wants. They already appointed a Chinese-friendly Panchen Lama, the second-ranking office in the power structure of the Tibetan society. The Panchen Lama appointed by the Dalai Lama in exile has been arrested and has not been heard from since 1995.
Dalai Lama has been living in exile since 1959, when he was forced to leave the province after it was annexed by the People’s Republic of China. Since then he has been fighting for the religious and cultural autonomy of his people.
China has made it a policy of pressing foreign countries to deny Dalai Lama access on their territory, and this is what happens these days, as the Tibetan leader in exile had to call off a visit to South Africa, after he had waited for a week to see if the South African authorities grant him the visa to attend a conference in honor of Desmond Tutu, an African martyr.
South Africans had to choose between breaking with the past of dictatorial discrimination and angering China, which is the most serious investor in Africa.
