Around 34 Tibetans have so far
self-immolated themselves. Is it possible that the Dalai Lama as a
reincarnation of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, and his so called
‘clique’, are behind all these self-immolations as this
editorial writer
with the China Daily claim in the below
article?
Is it true that self-immolation, a form of
suicide is against the Buddhist tenets?
By Shan Chu (China Daily) Updated: 2012-05-16
08:10
The early spring in the Tibetan-inhabited
areas of west China was calm, until some horrifying news broke the
peace. Some young Tibetans set themselves on fire, resulting in
several deaths and serious injuries.
Watching the pictures of these
self-immolations, I was choked with sorrow beyond words, especially
as some of the victims were not yet adults.
It's not enough for us to merely extend our
condolences to the families of those who died we should look into
the root causes.
Is it purely coincidence that whenever
there is a suicide by self-immolation the Dalai Lama clique
immediately disseminates perfectly framed videos and sensational
statements? The hands of the Dalai Lama and his clique are not
clean, as the case of Rigzin Phuntsog, who committed suicide by
self-immolation last year, shows.
An investigation found that on the evening
of March 15 of last year, Rigzin Phuntsog, a 16-year-old lama at
the Kirti Monastery in Aba county, bought three bottles of
gasoline, accompanied by Lhadan, a lama in the monastery. Early on
March 16, Rigzin Phuntsog told Lhadan and other lamas that he was
ready and would set fire to himself that day. In the afternoon,
Rigzin Phuntsog did set himself on fire after making sure that the
lamas had finished reciting scriptures, guaranteeing that many of
them would be on the street to witness his
suicide.
A group of lamas from Kirti Monastery
forcibly took Rigzin Phuntsog away from police who tried to save
his life and held him for nearly 11 hours before they agreed to
allow the injured monk to be taken to hospital. But as a result of
the delay, Rigzin Phuntsog died in hospital of cardio-respiratory
failure.
As is so often the case, shortly after the
tragedy occurred, the Dalai Lama clique released images of the
young monk's self-immolation. When questioned, the lamas from Kirti
Monastery admitted that they had filmed the self-immolation and
sent the images to Dharamsala - where the Dalai Lama and his clique
gather - immediately after the incident.
From this it is clear that the
self-immolations are nothing but staged scenes directed by the
Dalai Lama clique as part of their separatist agenda. The Dalai
Lama and his followers honor these innocent victims as heroes and
martyrs, glorifying their self-immolations as a non-violent means
of restoring their power and privilege.
Clearly, the Dalai Lama and his followers
do not know the true meaning of "non-violent", as self-immolations
are violent, brutal and extreme. They are against human nature,
morality and the tenets of Buddhism. It is impossible for any
reasonable person to endorse such acts.
The Dalai Lama claims that the
self-immolations show the failure of the Chinese government's
Tibetan policy. However, as a result of the preferential policies
of the central government, Tibetans' average life expectancy has
increased from 35.5 years in 1951 to 69 years today. Tibetan
children enjoy free education, meals and lodging in schools. Most
schools have Tibetan language classes daily. Farmers and herdsmen
receive free medical care. Freedom of religion and normal religious
activities are fully respected.
What an irony that the Dalai Lama, the
former biggest serf-owner in Tibet before democratic reforms in the
1950s, who regarded human lives as disposable straws, should now
portray himself as a human rights defender caring about the
Tibetans who are leading incomparably better lives than ever
before.
The self-immolations incited by the Dalai
Lama and his followers are staged to win the world's sympathy and
support. But their desperate attempts to exploit such horrific acts
for their own gain have only served to reveal their heartless
disregard for young lives and their political
conspiracy.
The author is a Beijing-based scholar of
international relations.
