Dalai Lama and China — how did he avoid bloodshed for a decade?

1950 China became independent from the British, after a round of occupation and liberation at the hands of the Japanese during World War 2. The Communists led by Mao Zedong set up a government in the Mainland, while the Nationalists led by Chiang Kai-shek took refuge in Taiwan.

However, the territorial aspirations of Communist China were immediate. And the first country that they put their eyes on was Ladakh.

Tibet was an independent country, which was the size of almost one-third of India but with a population of only 1 million. Given the barren lands, the people were mostly poor, with livestock being the most common livelihood.

But the Tibetans were happy, it was a place of peace and tranquillity. And the person responsible for that was Dalai Lama.

Dalai Lama is the title of the head of Yellow Hat or Gelug School of Tibetan Buddhism. The present Dalai Lama, whose spiritual name is Tenzin Gyatso, was born in Lhamo Thondup in 1935. When the 13th Dalai Lama died in 1933, a search began following the Tibetan traditions to find a successor, and in 1937 at the age of two 14th Dalai Lama was coronated.

Now, one point that needs to be noted is Dalai Lama was both the spiritual and territorial leader of all the Tibetans and quite literally the guide of the million Tibetans in every way. Dalai Lama, as soon as he came out of his toddler years, was able to provide an environment of serenity and happiness to the otherwise very poor Tibetan people.

But that was about to change very fast. On 3rd October 1950, The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China attacked Tibet.

Tibet was a very peace-loving, spiritual nation, with no regular army. So in a little over two weeks, a large part of the country was under Chinese occupation. Then they sent Zhang Jingwu, Lieutenant General of the People’s Liberation Army, and later Communist Party of China Committee Secretary of Tibet Autonomous Region, to meet Dalai Lama at Tibet’s capital Lhasa.

How did that meeting go? Well, it is an interesting story and has been described in the book “Seven Years in Tibet” by Heinrich Harrer, an Austrian mountaineer who came to India, got arrested, escaped, and landed up in Tibet. The meeting has also been portrayed in the movie with the same name.

So what are the protocols for meeting the Dalai Lama? There are instructions given by the Dalai Lama’s mother to Heinrich when he met the Dalai Lama for the first time. Here it is:
“When you are in the presence of His Holiness you must always be standing, bent in obeisance, hands folded in supplication.

If seated, you must always be seated lower than he. Never look him in the eye.

Never speak before he does. Always refer to him as “His Holiness.”

Never turn your back to him. And never, never touch him.”

And then the meeting happened. General Zhang Jingwu accompanied by two other Generals, came to meet Dalai Lama in 1951. They were escorted by Tsarong, the Commander General of Tibet.

But the Chinese were in no mood to be courteous. General Zhang Jingwu gave scant hearing to what Tsarong had to say, deliberately walked on the Mandala art that was created to welcome them, and refused to sit below the level of Dalai Lama.

This is a situation which today, after 71 years.

On one side were the arrogant Chinese generals, who were the occupiers, unpredictable, and immensely powerful vis-a-vis the Tibetans. But they are disrespectful, and out to provoke.

On the other side, here is the Spiritual and Political leader of a country, who is just fifteen years of age, who has been challenged right in front of his people, and any compromise from his side will be seen as an inability to protect what the country stands for.

But in between the two stands the people of Tibet. A million of them. People Who have no role in this geopolitics. And who can suffer in case the situation is not handled well?

Well here is what happens. Dalai Lama says — “I can come down”.

The Chinese proposed a Seventeen Point agreement, essentially stopping all military action, making Tibet an Autonomous region of the Peoples’ Republic of China, and keeping Dalai Lama as a titular head. And this gave almost a decade of peace, till 1959. When a rebellion broke out, around 100K Tibetans were killed, and the Dalai Lama came to India and started living a life in exile in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh.

15 years, just a kid. No formal education beyond the traditional scriptures. No one to decide on your behalf, but many to advise (but in this case, no time even to take the advice).

But still, the Dalai Lama could make a considered, logical decision based on the situation. He did not know what the Chinese were to propose, he did not know what would happen at the end of the meeting.

He did not know how his country’s people would take this. He also did not know what awaits him.

But still, Dalai Lama could put his emotions, biases, fears, and anxiety in check, and took a momentous decision to come down from his pulpit and talk.

And in the process ensured at least a decade of relative peace for Tibetans.

One decision has such implications.