The Chinese have repeatedly tortured, imprisoned, and murdered Tibetans all for what they claim is national unity. While the oppression of the Tibetan people began in the 1950’s with the invasion of China, it continues just as strongly today. From religious oppression and unfair trials to the torture of nuns and monks, the Chinese abuse even the most reverent aspects of Tibetan culture. Political prisoners, whether they are monks, nuns or lay people, are tortured with utter disregard for human
For 48 years, China has occupied Tibet. In Tibet's history, there has been over 17 percent of the Tibetan people killed, and 6,000 monasteries ruined. For starters, Tibet was never part of China. During the first few years when China was in control of Tibet, the Chinese declared that Tibet should be part of China, because an Emperor of Tibet once married a Chinese princess. Years later, the Chinese said that Tibet was part of China because of the warrior Genghis Khan. Genghis Khan and the Mongolians
Tibetan Women Under Chinese Occupation Prior to the Chinese occupation of Tibet in 1959, Tibetan women were treated with the utmost respect. They served as equals to men, nothing less and in some instances even more. However, since the Chinese have occupied Tibet the status of Tibetan women in the country has changed. Women’s basic human rights are violated every day under the Chinese, rights such as reproduction and education. They face violence and coercion and must live their lives in
The Tibetan Struggle for Independence Throughout history, struggles for land, and battles for independence have all been fought via the hand of war. Winners are decisive and quick, and disputes are fought and won at the cost of many deaths. War is gruesome, ugly, and never predictable. Does struggle have to always involve death and fighting? For more then 50 years one country has found a way to maintain a non-violent independence struggle. The people of Tibet have implemented non-violent
popular support of the struggle of the Tibetans has become well known due to the involvement of celebrities spreading the word, has it really helped the cause or simply let people know what is going on there? Even more importantly, is the information that the celebrities are passing on always correct? Before any of these questions can be answered though, one must first know the origin of the conflicts between the two regions as well as the history of the Free Tibetan Movement. As said above, Tibet used
in the Tibetan government. In fact, as Avedon notes in In Exile from the Land of the Snows, for the last 1300 years the chief oracle-priest or state-oracle oracle has had the final say on “virtually every key decision of the state.”[1] This disproportionate degree of influence that the chief oracle-priests exercised on the internal as well as the external affairs of Tibet, had often led to situations where “the chief medium became the playball of political intrigues.”[2] The present Tibetan government
Tibetan Education Since 1951, education in Tibet has changed dramatically through the Chinese government’s hyper-political agenda. Depending on the source, some view the changes as great improvement to the educational system, and others are gravely concerned. The positive view is that of the Chinese policy-makers and the fear comes from Tibetans who see that their culture is being drained from the classroom. The central Chinese government wants to completely assimilate the Tibetans by removing
treaty acknowledged sovereignty over Tibet, but recognized the Tibetan government’s autonomy with respect to internal affairs. The Chinese violated the treaty on many occasions, though. This lead to the National Uprising in 1959, and after that, the exile of the Dalai Lama, spiritual leader of Tibet, and many governmental leaders (Office of Tibet 1). During and after the Chinese invasion of Tibet, there was mass destruction of Tibetan buildings. Over 6,000 monasteries, temples and other cultural
The Tibetan Family Family life is the core element that defines the population of a country. It gives Identity to a group people by the way they carry out their day to day operations and the customs and ideals that are unique to that group of people. Family life can be difficult to define as it comprises so many elements; such as housing, education, gender roles, family size, health, education, and religion. These are all critical inputs that ultimately determine the situation in a family and
Tibetan Medicine Tibetan medicine, developed over the course of over one thousand years in the isolated mountainous terrain of Tibet and preserved despite China’s decimation of Tibetan customs, views healing in a much different way than Western physicians. Tibetan medicine emphasizes science, faith, perception, spirituality, karma, and philosophy, whereas Western medicine is based almost entirely on science. In the West, religion and spirituality are believed to have absolutely nothing to do with
name is Tibet in Song. This documentary was released in 2009 by former Tibetan prisoner and musician Ngawang Choephel – he was in prison because of making that document. Little introduction about movie: The movie is basically the document about Tibetan culture and traditions. Movie is based on interviews with Tibetan artists, musicians, activists and director himself. His aim was to show, how China wants to erase the Tibetan culture, force their culture and how China treats people in Tibet, so as
While most music in Tibet is religious, secular music still exists and is still a part of life there. Tibetan music has played an important role in shaping who the Tibetan people have become today by giving themselves different ways to express who they are, through the use of differing instruments and styles of music, and has allowed other people from around the world the opportunity to look at Tibetan culture through their music. Any discussion on music should first begin by learning about the instruments
Tibetan Culture and Art Tibetan culture and art possess a history of more than 5,000 years, and the Tibetan Buddhism has had the greatest influence on this culture. The development of Tibetan culture and art proceeded through four stages: prehistoric civilization before the 7th century; cultural stability during the Tubo Kingdom; high development during the Yuan Dynasty; and the height of cultural achievement attained during the Qing Dynasty. The prehistoric stage includes all development from the
The Role of Women in Tibetan Buddhism “In Tantric Buddhism, we are dealing with a misogynist, destructive, masculine philosophy and religion which is hostile to life – i.e. the precise opposite of that for which it is trustingly and magnanimously welcomed in the figure of the Dalai Lama.”[1] Within Tibetan Buddhism, there is an inherent contradiction regarding the status of women. Although in many aspects women are seen and treated as inferior to men, several of the ancient and fundamental values
Tibetan Oracles The miraculous feats of the Tibetan oracles are well known sources of mysticism. Stories of men who can bend metal swords with their bare hands, dance wildly and proclaim the future have piqued the curiosity and fascination of many. However, most rationale people will question, how real is the Tibet oracle? Are these men really visited by the deities who they claim to be visited by or are they merely masters of illusion? “The desire to know the future is probably as old as
Incorporating Tibetan Buddhism into Modern Psychotherapy As the world moves into the twenty first century, Western civilizations are witnessing a surge of new technology, ideas and economic success. Urbanization is spreading rapidly and Western society’s push for progression is becoming more apparent. However, this obsession with advancement has begun to take its toll on the happiness of the citizens. Studies have shown that in 2002, up to 13 percent of U.S. citizens suffered from mental
Tibetan Thanka Paintings Tibet, with its isolated, harsh geographical location and history of political and social remoteness would seem an unlikely place to provide a “cradle for creative art” (Bailey 22). Yet it is in this desolate section of the world that one of the most intriguing artistic cultures has been cultivating over hundreds of centuries. One facet of what makes Tibetan art so unique and interesting is its interdependency on its religious beliefs. In Tibet one might use the words
book ‘The final solution: A genocide’ has brought about much criticism and debate. In this book Bloxham “seeks to situate the mass-murder of European Jewry between 1941 and 1945 within the broader history of European genocide from 1875 to 1945” . In this, he challenges the uniqueness of the holocaust, and presents the argument that the full meaning of the holocaust and final solution can only be completely understood, if it is placed in the larger context of genocide. Bloxham argues that “the history
This essay will argue that the genocide convention is not a meaningless document, but rather weak in dealing with genocide as evidenced in the case of Darfur 2003, because of limitations in definition which need to be addressed. The convention is characterized as being problematic due to the following grounds, its definition of genocide and its furtherance’s as well as lack of enforceability and its failure to prevent genocide. Even though the statement contains an element of truth, it is too subjective
Indian Genocide The United States government used military force to follow a policy of genocide toward the Native Americans. Politically, the policies of removal, concentration, and assimilation caused the death of thousands of Native Americans. Economically, the United States government used military force whenever any valuable resource was discovered on Indian Land. Socially, the near extermination of the Buffalo caused starvation and death among the tribes. The evidence clearly indicates that