Dalai Lama wants to give up ceremonial duties

[onehandle]

Source: AP

EW DELHI – The Dalai Lama wants to give up his lesser known role as the ceremonial leader of the Tibetan government-in-exile, an aide said Tuesday, in what appeared to be another step in the aging leader's efforts to prepare his people for life after he dies.

However, he will remain the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism and the focal point of Tibetan national aspirations, said spokesman Tenzin Taklha.

As head of the dominate Gelug branch of Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama is the top religious leader for Tibet. Many of his predecessors also served as Tibet's political ruler, and the Dalai Lama himself served as head of government there after Chinese troops marched into his Himalayan homeland in 1950.

Beijing claims Tibet has always been part of its territory, but many Tibetans say the region was virtually independent for centuries.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/as_dalai_lama

[xchrom]

1. recommend

[sulphurdunn]

2. Must not offend Beijing ?

"Amid increasing tensions with the Chinese, he fled into exile in India in 1959 and set up a government-in-exile."

"Increasing tensions?" Actually, the Chinese invaded Tibet, killed thousands of people, established a puppet government and have been supplanting native Tibetans with Chinese settlers ever since. Sound familiar?

[Name removed]

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[sulphurdunn]

4. Hey, storm trooper.

Try and grasp this 3 digit IQ concept before you crush any windpipes. Whatever Tibet was until 1959 was the business of Tibetans. Compare China and Tibet to the United States and Canada. Just because Canada has more to gain as an American province that it did when it had its own native oligarchy and was a more or less independent nation doesn't mean the Tibetans should suffer the same advancement at the hands of a superior culture if they choose not to. :hippie:

[wysimdnwyg]

5. So your opinion is that Tibet is better off under Chinese rule?

Perhaps during the '80s when they had some real autonomy, but since '89 the Chinese government has been ruling with much more control over economics and religion. I'm not saying by any stretch that life was good in the 30+ years where Tibet considered itself to be an independent state, but I'm sure there were a great many things better then than under the iron fist China has employed for most of the past 60 years.


And do you really need to resort to comments like "it makes me want to crush their fucking windpipe"? Especially with the hyperbole that those of us who support a free Tibet really just want to send them back to the 1940s. We may have a difference of opinion, but to state you want to "crush (my) fucking windpipe" because I don't agree with you is offensive and ignorant. I suggest you try learning what the Free Tibet movement is about before you suggest you know what we want and condemn us for that.



The Mission Statement from the Free Tibet web site (freetibet.org):

Free Tibet stands for the right of Tibetans to determine their own future.
We campaign for an end to the Chinese occupation of Tibet and for the fundamental human rights of Tibetans to be respected.
Founded in 1987, Free Tibet generates active support through public education about the situation in Tibet.
We are independent of all governments and are funded by our members and supporters.

[Name removed]

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[Odin2005]

7. LOL!!! Keep shovelling that Maoist propaganda shit.

[Name removed]

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[JanMichael]

10. For someone that doesn't give a shit, you certainly seem to be active on

this thread.

[JanMichael]

9. China did not "take over." It was a bloodbath. Absolutely disgusting that you

make it sound like they just kind of...you know....moved in and bought a bunch of property.

You are correct that it was a theocracy before 1959, and certainly nothing to be proud of by any stretch of the imagination; however, those people didn't deserve what happened to them, while the "super powers that were" stood by and did nothing.

[Name removed]

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[JanMichael]

12. Oh...I get it...the you Americans don't understand the pain of dominance by

stronger countries.

Get over yourself. Many of us understand exactly what is going on; however, we choose to speak out against it whenever possible rather than just sit there passively and say "well, that's just how it is."

[Name removed]

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[JanMichael]

14. oh stfu. My wife majored in religious studies with an emphasis on

Buddhism--- hell, we drove a Tibetan monk up to the mountains once for a seminar. I think we have a pretty damned good clue---

God, I can't stand self righteous twits who think that their attitude is the only acceptable one....

easy peasy to sit there in a country with decent health care and wonder wtf is wrong with Americans isn't it. Wait til your country goes facist, or gets invaded...then all of a sudden, it will be a HUGE problem, and why aren't people coming to bail your lazy laisez fair ass out.

Whatever.

[Name removed]

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