An Appeal to the Chinese People
Today, I extend heartfelt greetings to my Chinese
brothers and sisters around the world, particularly to those in the
People's Republic of China. In the light of the recent developments in
Tibet, I would like to share with you my thoughts concerning relations
between the Tibetan and Chinese peoples, and make a personal appeal to
all of you.
I am deeply saddened by the loss of life in the
recent tragic events in Tibet. I am aware that some Chinese have also
died. I feel for the victims and their families and pray for them. The
recent unrest has clearly demonstrated the gravity of the situation in
Tibet and the urgent need to seek a peaceful and mutually beneficial
solution through dialogue. Even at this juncture I have expressed my
willingness to the Chinese authorities to work together to bring about
peace and stability.
Chinese brothers and sisters, I assure you I have
no desire to seek Tibet's separation. Nor do I have any wish to drive a
wedge between the Tibetan and Chinese peoples. On the contrary my
commitment has always been to find a genuine solution to the problem of
Tibet that ensures the long-term interests of both Chinese and
Tibetans. My primary concern, as I have repeated time and again, is to
ensure the survival of the Tibetan people's distinctive culture,
language and identity. As a simple monk who strives to live his daily
life according to Buddhist precepts, I assure you of the sincerity of
my personal motivation.
I have appealed to the leadership of the PRC to
clearly understand my position and work to resolve these problems by
"seeking truth from facts". I urge the Chinese leadership to exercise
wisdom and to initiate a meaningful dialogue with the Tibetan people. I
also appeal to them to make sincere efforts to contribute to the
stability and harmony of the PRC and avoid creating rifts between the
nationalities. The state media's portrayal of the recent events in
Tibet, using deceit and distorted images, could sow the seeds of racial
tension with unpredictable long-term consequences. This is of grave
concern to me. Similarly, despite my repeated support for the Beijing
Olympics, the Chinese authorities, with the intention of creating a
rift between the Chinese people and myself, the Chinese authorities
assert that I am trying to sabotage the games. I am encouraged,
however, that several Chinese intellectuals and scholars have also
expressed their strong concern about the Chinese leadership's actions
and the potential for adverse long-term consequences, particularly on
relations among different nationalities.
Since ancient times, Tibetan and Chinese peoples
have lived as neighbors. In the two thousand year old recorded history
of our peoples, we have at times developed friendly relations, even
entering into matrimonial alliances, while at others we fought each
other. However, since Buddhism flourished in China first before it
arrived in Tibet from India, we Tibetans have historically accorded the
Chinese people the respect and affection due to elder Dharma brothers
and sisters. This is something well known to members of the Chinese
community living outside China, some of whom have attended my Buddhist
lectures, as well as pilgrims from mainland China, whom I have had the
privilege to meet. I take heart from these meetings and feel they may
contribute to a better understanding between our two peoples.
The twentieth century witnessed enormous changes
in many parts of the world and Tibet too was caught up in this
turbulence. Soon after the founding of the People's Republic of China
in 1949, the People's Liberation Army entered Tibet finally resulting
in the 17-point Agreement concluded between China and Tibet in May
1951. When I was in Beijing in 1954/55, attending the National People's
Congress, I had the opportunity to meet and develop a personal
friendship with many senior leaders, including Chairman Mao himself. In
fact, Chairman Mao gave me advice on numerous issues, as well as
personal assurances with regard to the future of Tibet. Encouraged by
these assurances, and inspired by the dedication of many of China's
revolutionary leaders of the time, I returned to Tibet full of
confidence and optimism. Some Tibetan members of the Chinese Communist
Party also had such a hope. After my return to Lhasa, I made every
possible effort to seek genuine regional autonomy for Tibet within the
family of the People's Republic of China (PRC). I believed that this
would best serve the long-term interests of both the Tibetan and
Chinese peoples.
Unfortunately, tensions, which began to escalate
in Tibet from around 1956, eventually led to the peaceful uprising of
March 10, 1959, in Lhasa and my eventual escape into exile. Although
many positive developments have taken place in Tibet under the PRC's
rule, these developments, as the previous Panchen Lama pointed out in
January 1989, were overshadowed by immense suffering and extensive
destruction. Tibetans were compelled to live in a state of constant
fear, while the Chinese government remained suspicious of them.
However, instead of cultivating enmity towards the Chinese leaders
responsible for the ruthless suppression of the Tibetan people, I
prayed for them to become friends, which I expressed in the following
lines in a prayer I composed in 1960, a year after I arrived in India:
"May they attain the wisdom eye discerning right and wrong, And may
they abide in the glory of friendship and love." Many Tibetans, school
children among them, recite these lines in their daily prayers.
In 1974, following serious discussions with my
Kashag (cabinet), as well as the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker of the
then Assembly of the Tibetan People's Deputies, we decided to find a
Middle Way that would seek not to separate Tibet from China, but would
facilitate the peaceful development of Tibet. Although we had no
contact at the time with the PRC - which was in the midst of the
Cultural Revolution - we had already recognized that, sooner or later,
we would have to resolve the question of Tibet through negotiations. We
also acknowledged that, at least with regard to modernization and
economic development, it would greatly benefit Tibet if it remained
within the PRC. Although Tibet has a rich and ancient cultural
heritage, it is materially undeveloped.
Situated on the roof of the world, Tibet is the
source of many of Asia's major rivers; therefore, protection of the
environment on the Tibetan plateau is of supreme importance. Since our
utmost concern is to safeguard Tibetan Buddhist culture - rooted as it
is in the values of universal compassion - as well as the Tibetan
language and the unique Tibetan identity, we have worked
whole-heartedly towards achieving meaningful self-rule for all
Tibetans. The PRC's constitution provides the right for nationalities
such as the Tibetans to do this.
In 1979, the then Chinese paramount leader, Deng
Xiaoping assured my personal emissary that "except for the independence
of Tibet, all other questions can be negotiated." Since we had already
formulated our approach to seeking a solution to the Tibetan issue
within the constitution of the PRC, we found ourselves well placed to
respond to this new opportunity. My representatives met many times with
officials of the PRC. Since renewing our contacts in 2002, we have had
six rounds of talks. However, on the fundamental issue, there has been
no concrete result at all. Nevertheless, as I have declared many times,
I remain firmly committed to the Middle Way approach and reiterate here
my willingness to continue to pursue the process of dialogue.
This year, the Chinese people are proudly and
eagerly awaiting the opening of the Olympic Games. I have, from the
start, supported Beijing's being awarded the opportunity to host the
Games. My position remains unchanged. China has the world's largest
population, a long history and an extremely rich civilization. Today,
due to her impressive economic progress, she is emerging as a great
power. This is certainly to be welcomed. But China also needs to earn
the respect and esteem of the global community through the
establishment of an open and harmonious society based on the principles
of transparency, freedom, and the rule of law. For example, to this day
victims of the Tiananmen Square tragedy that adversely affected the
lives of so many Chinese citizens have received neither just redress
nor any official response. Similarly, when thousands of ordinary
Chinese in rural areas suffer injustice at the hands of exploitative
and corrupt local officials, their legitimate complaints are either
ignored or met with aggression. I express these concerns both as a
fellow human being and as someone who is prepared to consider himself a
member of the large family that is the People's Republic of China. In
this respect, I appreciate and support President Hu Jintao's policy of
creating a "harmonious society", but this can only arise on the basis
of mutual trust and an atmosphere of freedom, including freedom of
speech and the rule of law. I strongly believe that if these values are
embraced, many important problems relating to minority nationalities
can be resolved, such as the issue of Tibet, as well as Eastern
Turkistan, and Inner Mongolia, where the native people now constitute
only 20% of a total population of 24 million.
I had hoped President Hu Jintao's recent statement
that the stability and safety of Tibet concerns the stability and
safety of the country might herald the dawning of a new era for the
resolution of the problem of Tibet. It is unfortunate that despite my
sincere efforts not to separate Tibet from China, the leaders of the
PRC continue to accuse me of being a 'separatist'. Similarly, when
Tibetans in Lhasa and many other areas spontaneously protested to
express their deep-rooted resentment, the Chinese authorities
immediately accused me of having orchestrated their demonstrations. I
have called for a thorough investigation by a respected body to look
into this allegation.
Chinese brothers and sisters - wherever you may be
- with deep concern I appeal to you to help dispel the
misunderstandings between our two communities. Moreover, I appeal to
you to help us find a peaceful, lasting solution to the problem of
Tibet through dialogue in the spirit of understanding and
accommodation.
With my prayers,
The Dalai Lama
March 28, 2008
