Published by: World Tibet Network News Saturday, December 6, 1997
translated text of the original German transcript of the renowned German news programme 'Panorama' that was shown on German TV at prime time on 20th November 1997:
Introductory comments:
PATRICIA SCHLESINGER
"Defender of the truth" they call him, "Ocean of Wisdom" or "The excellent mind". Wherever he is, he radiates an aura of peace. I am not referring to one of our politicians; I am talking of the Dalai Lama whose support of non-violence
and tolerance and his exotic flair is making the Buddhist teaching of reincarnation interesting to Westerners looking for meaning in life. And since religious heroes are perfectly suited for dreams and myths, you can now follow the life of the Tibetan God-king in the form of a Hollywood production. He still represents a religion without a country: the Chinese government is denying the Tibetans an independent country. We are not expressing our support of old, doctrinal potentates in Peking if we now reveal that the environment around the Dalai Lama is not as harmonious and tolerant as one might imagine, particularly with regard to his own power.
By John Goetz and Jochen Graebert.
Commentary:
A superstar in the "Cinedom" in Cologne. Brad Pitt is enjoying his fame at the first showing of the Hollywood film "Seven Years in Tibet". The blond teen hero plays the role of the Austrian SS officer, Heinrich Harrer, who flees to Tibet from English internment.
O-sound.
Film text:
"And suddenly he finds himself in a forbidden world which would change him forever."
"It is an honour, Your Holiness."
"Golden hair."
Commentary:
Hollywood portrays old Tibet in a way the modern world likes to imagine it: a paradise far away from civilisation - deeply religious, harmonious, peaceful.
O-sound.
BRAD PITT:
"Look at the Tibetans, how poor they are materially. And then look how happy and peaceful they are due to their world view, how they follow their path. That's fantastic and so moving. The hearts of the people make Tibet into a Shangri-la, paradise. In America it has become a real movement."
Commentary:
He alone embodies the struggle for a free Tibet against the brutal Chinese occupying forces. The Dalai Lama received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. The spiritual and political head of all Tibetans is regarded as a second Mahatma Gandhi. His non-violent struggle for a free Tibet has found sympathy and admiration the world over. He is regarded as the epitome of Buddhist perfection, and he uses this image to promote the struggle for freedom of his people.
Quote:
"The continuous influence of Buddhism resulted in a society of peace and harmony. We enjoyed freedom and contentment."
Tibet as it really was: historical film coverage in the fifties when the present Dalai Lama ruled this country. Feudal Tibet was ruled by monks and an aristocracy. Here, the young Dalai Lama is taking his last exam.
O-sound.
PROF. JENS-UWE HARTMANN:
(Tibetologists, Humboldt University, Berlin)
"Tibetan society was organised as a strict hierarchy. There was a form of serfdom, and there were draconian punishments, including physical dismembering, flogging and so on for wrong-doers. All this shows that the society cannot have been as ideal as it is portrayed again and again in the context of the myth of Tibet"
Commentary:
An American travelogue from 1950 documents the archaic conditions existent in old Tibet. These prisoners were sentenced to have their noses and ears cut off. Only when the Americans protested, was the punishment reduced to 250 lashes.
Ordinary people were particularly afraid of the Tibetan monk police. This man had his eyes gouged out, a common punishment in old Tibet. Cut-off arms are evidence of draconian punishments. The majority of Tibetans were owned by their feudal lord. Without his permission, these Tibetans were not even allowed to leave the farm.
Another aspect of Tibet as it was under the reign of the present Dalai Lama in the 1950s.
The Dalai Lama today, almost forty years later. He still plays down these conditions and so nourishes the romantic idealisation of old Tibet. Quote:
"A poor Tibetan had little reason to be envious or hostile towards his wealthy squire because he knew that he was reaping the crop of his previous life. We were plain and simply happy."
This cliché of the poor, but deeply religious and thus happy Tibetan has survived to the present day. Experts have for a long time known better, but up to now hardly anyone has dared to question the myth of Tibet.
Donald Lopez, a renowned Tibetologist, has published works of the Dalai Lama. The image of a "happy Tibet" he regards as Western wishful thinking.
O-sound.
PROF. DONALD LOPEZ:
(Tibetologist, University of Michigan, USA)
"It was absolutely understandable that the Tibetans used this idealised image to further their struggle for freedom. But now this imaginary picture of Tibet has become independent, and has got out of control. It's a real danger since this idealised image of Tibet obscures the real interests of the Tibetans under Chinese rule."
Commentary:
The Dalai Lama travels about six months a year in order to win support with politicians around the world for a free Tibet. They support him morally. One reason for this support is the brutality of the Chinese dictators in Tibet.
These images shocked the world: a video of the Chinese police which was smuggled out of China. It shows the brutal persecution of monks in Tibetan monasteries. When these monks disappeared in Chinese prisons, the worst was still to come. Again and again, Tibetans report on cruel tortures in Chinese prisons. Hundreds of thousands of Tibetans have lost their lives since the Chinese occupation.
The Dalai Lama at the Church Congress in Munich in 1993. He preaches love, freedom, and non-violence. And the more brutal the Chinese yoke his people, the more of a myth he becomes, not only in Tibet. His main message of religious tolerance which he also preaches here, is almost lost by the loud applause of the faithful.
However, this image of a demonstration in London a few years ago does not fit in at all. Followers of Tibetan Buddhism demonstrate against the Dalai Lama. "Dalai Lama, give us religious freedom now!" they demand. The shocking accusation against the God-like religious leader: he is repressing the practice of a century old Buddhist deity. Here, we see European Buddhists protesting, but the rift goes much deeper.
Gonsar Rinpoche is a world-wide respected Tibetan lama. He belongs to the Buddhist tradition of the Dalai Lama and heads this monastery at Lake Geneva. The monks here, like hundreds of thousands of others, once worshipped the Tibetan deity, Shugden. Shugden is one of many traditional protecting deities of the Tibetans. The Dalai Lama himself worshipped this centuries-old deity for a long time. But now he has outlawed the worship of this deity - which is something incomprehensible to his followers. For the first time, they begin to criticise the Dalai Lama.
O-sound.
GONSAR RINPOCHE
(Tibetan lama)
"Our religious freedom with regard to worshipping this special deity has been limited by his Holiness the Dalai Lama, and is under threat. This ban was announced last year, and since then we have experienced a rift between us."
Commentary:
The religious ban came from here, from Dharamsala in India, where the Dalai Lama lives in exile. A sitting of his exile government, democratically elected and where religious and political offices are clearly separated - which is something he likes to stress. Thus, his claim that the worship of the deity Shugden is the reason that Tibet is still being oppressed by the Chinese is even more surprising. The government of the Dalai Lama decreed: Quote:
"All government officials have to declare that they will abandon the worship of the deity Shugden."
In the light of this, demands of the Dalai Lama for religious freedom and democracy appear no more than lip service. The Tibetan exile parliament - his democratic "legitimisation" - immediately changed the constitution following the religious ban decreed by the Dalai Lama. Up to now it read:
Article 63 of the Tibetan exile constitution - quote:
"The presiding judge of the court and the two members of the jury must be Tibetans."
- now this has been amended to: "and also must not worship the deity Shugden."
The worship of Shugden endangers the personal safety and health of the Dalai Lama it is claimed. Prohibition extends to professional activity and applies to all those who worship Shugden, from ministers to nurses. And in addition to this, the Dalai Lama is now promoting denunciation: "If anyone continues to worship the deity Shugden, compile a list of names, addresses, and places of birth. Keep the original and send us a copy of the list."
Denunciation and spying have poisoned the atmosphere among Tibetan exiles. Bitterness with regard to the deep rift among them has in the meantime become so great that three murdered monks have been the result.
O-sound.
DONALD LOPEZ:
(Tibetologist, University of Michigan, USA)
"This rift is the most important conflict in the Tibetan exile community. It is the first public attack on the authority of the Dalai Lama. Emotions have been heated up so much that the result has been three murdered monks."
Commentary:
The Dalai Lama is famous for his wisdom. But in fact he makes all his political decisions in a highly dubious manner: he asks traditional Tibetan oracles for advice.
Film documents of one of these Tibetan state oracles on whom the Dalai Lama relies. These pictures were taken a few years ago. Other methods which assist the Dalai Lama in making decisions include oracles using dough balls and drawing lots. Apparently these state oracles have also proved that the worship of Shugden is harmful for the Tibetan cause. Thus, the Dalai Lama says. Even Tibetan traditionalists are slowly beginning to feel uncomfortable with such decisions.
O-sound.
GONSAR RINPOCHE:
(Tibetan lama)
"Nowadays oracles - there are many other oracles, altogether there are three or four in India - play quite an important role in the various decisions of the exile government. Many of us think this constitutes quite a risk."
Commentary:
As the leader of the Tibetan democratic movement this man is also regarded as a follower of the Dalai Lama. The newspaper which he published was called "Democracy". Because of pressure from the exile government, this newspaper is no longer being published. Reason: the newspaper had criticised the exile government publicly for being too willing to compromise with the Chinese.
O-sound.
LHUSANG TSERING:
(exile Tibetan)
"Concerning democratisation I can only say that the exile government is half-hearted, even embarrassingly so. The question of independence was taken by the government alone. Not even the exile parliament was asked, let alone the people. I say: the decision to give up the goal of independence is undemocratic."
Commentary:
Up to now, the common enemy, China, has united all Tibetans. But now, after almost forty years in exile, conflicts are arising, and the image of the infallible Dalai Lama is starting to crumble."
O-sound.
PROF. JENS-UWE HARTMANN:
(Tibetologist, Humboldt University)
"The glorification of the Dalai Lama in his role as a political leader is no longer helping the process of democratisation. A critical, differentiated discussion of his political statements must be possible, and should not be repressed simply by the argument that criticism exclusively helps the Chinese. The brutal Chinese policy of repression cannot be justified in any way."
Commentary:
The image of a harmonious Tibetan society with a God-like Dalai Lama at its head which Hollywood is now putting on screens is turning out to be a myth.
Concluding comments:
PATRICIA SCHLESINGER
The image of living in harmony with a religious and political ruler is probably only a Western ideal. The Chinese government is using this conflict to split the Tibetan people into two camps. In addition to our own research, the exile government sent us a statement. The followers of the deity Shugden according to this statement are sectarians financed by the Chinese. The Dalai Lama has refused an interview with us.
German TV (ARD), Panorama No.: 553, 20th November, 1997
