The Karma of Tibet 

by 5th Samdhong Rinpoche, Lobsang Tenzin

DR: For many spiritual people the question needs to be addressed: How was it possible that a culture of violence, greed, and materialist expansionism was able to triumph over a culture rooted in the spiritual values of compassion and mindfulness striving towards Enlightenment? Doesn’t this part of Tibetan history clearly illustrate the impossibility of establishing a spiritual society on earth? Does it not confirm what most people already suspect about the global order, that the realistic and pragmatic way is the pursuance of power?

Does it not also undermine the notion of Karma in the sense that those who attempt to amass Kushala Karma through the practice of righteousness and wisdom merely become more vulnerable to those whose philosophy is based on the mundane principles of avarice and power? Is there not a balance to be struck here, and did Tibet fail to strike that balance in its pre-invasion history?

RINPOCHE: By design of the collective karmic force it appears to me, or I am inclined to believe, that each nation or each country — or we can dispense with the terms “nation” or “country” — we may speak of a particular race of people — has its unique universal responsibility, by the design of collective karmic force.

This is quite evident or visible if we observe the various and differentiated races in this world. And Tibet, situated in a very remote area, almost unapproachable by its neighbours, a very high and dry land, surrounded by high mountains, and very thinly populated: this people, the Tibetan race, has as its responsibility to preserve, promote, and disseminate a certain spiritual heritage, and this has been the case for the last 1500 years at least. Its particular responsibility or job has been to preserve a Buddhist-related spiritual heritage and Buddhist culture, for their own people and for the neighbouring peoples: Mongolia, Manchuria, China, India. These neighbours were being benefited by the Tibetan people, and the Tibetan people were not meant to build up economic power or military power or political power. Their main responsibility was to the Buddhist spiritual and cultural heritage.

Until recent times, by and large with a few exceptions, the Tibetan people were able to perform their responsibility and able to remain within that limitation of their performance. And they were quite happy and content.

But in the last 100 or 150 year period prior to 1951 the Tibetan people failed to perform their responsibility as they should have done. And they were much influenced or overpowered by negative defilements, and they became greedy for power and wealth, and spiritual influence was reduced day by day, and material influence was increased tremendously. 

And the nation became much weaker since the 8th Dalai Lama until the 12th Dalai Lama. The 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th Dalai Lamas had very short lifespans and were not able to look after the state governance of Tibet. And for around 100 years — a little less than 100 years — the country was ruled by unenlightened regents. Some of the regents who were enlightened were rendered powerless by other officials. And therefore the spiritual strength of the nation became completely rotten.

And the 13th Dalai Lama did his utmost to revive this strength, but he was also not able to find any good functionaries who could understand his policies and how to implement his policies and programs. He found himself alone, no-one around him was able to understand him and work according to his vision and wisdom. Then finally he was a disappointed person and before he passed away he wrote the famous pronouncement, and in that also he very clearly stated that Tibet may not be able to defend itself against the influence of communist China, and he cited the examples of Mongolia and other countries, saying that the same fate might befall Tibet. So he very clearly foresaw this — if somebody believes in his spiritual power, it was and remains very easy to believe him; but even a secular person with no belief in his spiritual power must admit his ability to foresee the future. And we understand that he was a very extraordinary political analyst: he saw the rise of communism and the changing China, and he saw how Tibet would be occupied by the Chinese communists. It was a very foresighted political analysis.

So therefore I do not give the credit for the occupation of Tibet to the communist Chinese military power or to the Chinese power as a whole. I give the credit — or perhaps the discredit — of losing Tibet to the weakness of the Tibetans themselves.

And it was open to communist China; we could say that we very happily invited them to come and occupy Tibet. So it was not the power of China, but the weakness of Tibet which led us to the present situation.

We had committed so many mistakes and we had accumulated so much negative collective karmic force for the people — and the upright people had become completely excluded and helpless in the management of the state, and the monasteries had become corrupt. And the government officials had become corrupt and the regents had become corrupt. And this corruption and lack of foresight, and then particularly ignorance of the international political situation — we had lost so many golden opportunities. The Tibetan leadership of the previous 100 years never understood the world or how to govern a nation or country. They thought only to collect and misuse taxes. Beyond that they did not know anything: how to build up international relations and so forth.

In 1913 when a small Chinese military force was expelled from Tibet and the 13th Dalai Lama restated Tibet’s independence, from then until 1951 there was ample time to assert Tibet’s sovereignty and independence in the international community of nations. At least they could have set up diplomatic relations with India, Nepal, Bhutan. This would have been so easy to do. Or they could even have applied for membership in the United Nations in the beginning; and throughout the Second World War Tibet was recognised as a neutral nation by the British and by the other side as well. But we were never able to take advantage of these things. Somebody suggested to Shakyapa, when he was about to send a delegation to America after the Second World  War — the American people solicited him to apply for membership in the United Nations, and he informed the Kashag (Tibetan Cabinet) and the Kashag replied: “Mind your own business and don’t do anything which you have not been instructed to do.” [Laughs] You might have read it somewhere. So he was prevented from initiating anything to assert Tibet’s sovereignty.

On the other hand, Nepal gave evidence of her sovereignty by quoting her treaties with Tibet. Nepal only had treaties with Tibet, and with no-one else. And on this basis they recognised Nepal’s sovereignty in the United Nations.

And all this process and progress of affairs did not come about by accident, but was due to the foolishness of the leadership at that time. And nobody knew how to manage the whole affair, and so it went to China. So this does not contradict the principle of causality and the theory of Karma. It also does not contradict that spiritual and righteous governance can remain stably and can be protected by its principles from the evil side. Tibet did not have all these virtues and the vices were accumulated, and it went. And even today the majority of the Tibetan people could have a purer mind and power of love, and reduce the hatred and anger towards the Chinese rulers. If this were to happen, we could have autonomy at least within no time, the genuine autonomy which His Holiness is pleading for.

But we are not able to achieve it, not because of China’s power, but because of our weakness of the positive karmic stance, and that is quite evident. And this happening, the Tibet incident or the Tibet issue, is enforcing the law of causality and the theory of Karma.

And you will see that if the Tibetans will be able to accumulate positive collective karmic force, that change will occur, unexpectedly and easily. But again, how long will it last: if a good situation arises, how long it will last will again depend on the people’s behaviour and the extent of their positive karmic force.

Particularly in the case of a small nation like Tibet, no military and no political power can do it any good. Only positive karmic force and strength of morality and the spirituality of the people can help them.