An Analysis Of Tibet's Governmental System and the Dalai Lama as Head of State

(4, 6, 7) Particularly during its largest period of influence (The Era of Division), they largely welcomed Buddhism, as it offered a type of refuge from the turmoil and war of that time period (ADD EV). Buddhism was very flexible, and as Zong Mi pointed out, was fairly flexible to the needs of the individual worshipper (Document 6). It disregarded previous social structures, and accepted people regardless of social status or education, as displayed in the records of Buddhist teachings transcribed by disciples (Document 4). Though, documents such as this one aren’t fully credible, as the events written about are transcribed by loyal, and heavily biased, disciples (SOURCE). But, around the 840s, the government’s view on Buddhism began to shift. Many confucian administrators claimed that the lack of taxes on the religion caused an economic deficit, feeding state fears and leading to restrictions, and later the open persecution of the religion by Emperor Wuzong (Doc 7). Monasteries either heavily taxed or destroyed, monks/nuns were forced to renounce their religion, and previously Buddhist lands were parceled out to landlords. (ADD EV). So despite the inclusiveness and flexibility of the religion with peasants, the ultimate persecution of worshippers affected buddhist members of the Chinese peasant class

Lao-Tzu takes the view that possessions and wealth are leaden weights of the soul, that they are meaningless and trivial. Because of his anti-materialist view, his recommendations may seem ironic or unclear, especially when he urges politicians to adopt a practice of judicious inaction. Lao-tzu’s advice to politicians is not to do nothing but to intercede only when it is a necessity and then only inconspicuously. Above all Lao-tzu counsels avoiding useless activity: “the master / acts without doing anything / and teaches without saying anything.” …A state of spiritual peace and fulfillment that is central to the Tao-te Ching (203).

The spread of Buddhism in China occurs during a time of great political faction following the collapse of the Han dynasty. Initially, many citizens convert but as time continues people begin to question the belief. Unlike legalism or Confucianism, Buddhism has very little interference with the political climate of a country. When the country is in a state of tyranny or chaos, many people adopt Buddhist beliefs to appease themselves. Other popular belief sets of the time include Confucianism and Daoism, which were commonly practiced during peace times. By 845 C.E the emperor issues a statement in opposition of Buddhism; this would be respected by many of the citizens under him. The resistance to the spread of the religion is emphasized in documents 4 and 6. There are scholars who continue to support Buddhism, as seen in documents 2 and 3. Documents 1 and 5 provide logical and unbiased statements, that can help create compromise and respect between others.

Nothing is flawless, and this is especially true of governments, which are simply collections of flawed individuals attempting to serve, or in some cases control, a larger group of flawed individuals. Despite this, a large portion of the population accepts the government’s procedures and regulations without a second thought. Dr. Brian Farrell’s lecture titled “Wrongful Convictions,” an article about false confessions by Douglas Starr titled “The Interview,” and even the events surrounding Prohibition are just some examples of a government that may provide order, but is far from perfect. RULES AND PROCEDURES ARE NOT ALWAYS BENEFICIAL AND CAN EVEN LEAD TO UNDESIRABLE CONSEQUENCES.

Government is an administration defined by the Constitution, but is also a constantly adjusting foundation by the efforts of its citizens. By Litherland (2014), government is defined as policies set in order to lead a body of people (p. 395). Over the span of time, the idea of government has been stretched, changed, and applied to various communities throughout both the nation and the world. Whether it was back in the eighteenth century, current, or in the very near future—government has existed and will continue to exist for its people and the nation it has built its foundation upon. With the use of multiple authors, those of: “Difference between Direct and Representative Democracy” (n.d.), “Federalism - Dividing Power between States and the

Buddhism religious teachings focus on the significance of living in harmony with other people despite their beliefs. For that reason, most people that follow Buddhist teachings learn how to tolerate with other religions. They rarely compel people to follow their religion, although their teachings can influence the non-believers. Most of The Buddhists teachings emphasize on the significance of living in unity with others regardless of their religion. Consequently, those who adhere to their respective teachings understand other religions. This work discusses whether the teachings spread by The Dalai Lama affected religion, or whether his actions had any impact on religion. In his teachings, The Dalai Lama played a significant role of spreading Buddhism teachings by encouraging positive relationship between religion and science. His messages won him numerous awards; an action that spread harmony and tranquility among thousands in the Christian world.

Born on July 6, 1935 as Lhamo Thondup, Tenzin Gyatso is the 14th Dalai Lama, the most current Dalai Lama. Growing up as the youngest of seven surviving offspring, Gyatso was raised in a farming and horse trading family. At the tender age of two, a series of search teams were sent out to find an incarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso. Following alleged visions and signs, the search parties were lead to the region the current Dalai Lama lived in. His enthronement ceremony was held in Lhasa on February 22, 1940, when he was just four years old. But, it wasn’t until he was 15 years old when he eventually assumed full temporal duties on November 17, 1950. Along the years, the Dalai Lama has been widely regarded for his active involvement

Gendun Drup (1391-1474) was the ordination name of the monk who came to be known as the 'First Dalai Lama', but only from 104 years after he died.[36] There had been resistance, since first he was ordained a monk in the Kadampa tradition[27] and for various reasons, for hundreds of years the Kadampa school had eschewed the adoption of the tulku system to which the older schools adhered.[37] Tsongkhapa largely modelled his new, reformed Gelugpa school on the Kadampa tradition and he also refrained from starting a tulku system.[38] Therefore, although Gendun Drup grew to be a very important Gelugpa lama, after he died in 1474 there was no question of any search being made to identify his incarnation.[37]

Caring for the animals, including gigantic insects such as the lobster, suffering is a sign of people’s compassion. Not inflicting pain to an animal or at least trying to minimize the pain they go through shows that a person cares about the others habitants of the planet. Wallace declares, “[A] criterion [for the animal suffering] is whether the animal demonstrates behavior associated with pain. And it takes a lot of intellectual gymnastics and behaviorist hairsplitting not to see struggling, thrashing and lid clattering as just such pain-behavior” (506). Even thud lobsters show that they feel pain by struggling to get out of the hot water people still boil them and make them suffer because for humans it is easier to just ignore the signs of

The Buddhist theory relates a different sequence of events. It postulates a golden age which gradually decayed through the institution of the private property and other social evil. Finally the peoplgathered together and elected one from amongst themselves to rule over them and maintain an orderly

China and Tibet have always had a deeply intertwined history, and for the majority of that history, Tibet was always either directly or indirectly a part of the greater Chinese culture and nation. The first recorded emperor to rise to power was Songzen Gampo, a tribal chief who had unified the region after conquering the rival kingdoms of Nepal and Kamarupa. During his reign, he married a princess from the Chinese Tang Dynasty, centralized rule to the emperor, and introduced Buddhism to Tibet for the first time (Tibet). By the ninth century, Tibet was engrossed in turmoil as volatile relations erupted between the royal court and tribal chieftains, leading to the breakdown of central rule and the lessening of Buddhist influence in Tibet. As

The Tibetan Plateau, a region unlike any other on Earth, in south central Asia stretches across western China into the distant Himalayas. At an average altitude of 12,000 feet, it is the most elevated region on Earth, and not only is it home to one of the most unique landscapes but also to one of the most unique cultures and people of the world, the Tibetans. Tibet has a rich history that can be dated back to almost 1300 years ago, almost all of which China has been involved in some way. This conflict can be traced back to the beginning of Tibet’s existence, and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) uses claims of historical suzerainty to defend there often questioned subjugation of Tibet. The tense conflict between the two states is nothing new and has consisted of everything from autonomy to harsh violence, the destruction of many of Tibet’s most salient monasteries, their religion and culture, and leaving thousands dead, and attracting the attention of many western powers for their human rights violations.

On September 21st 1987 the Dalai Lama gave a speech to the U.S. Congressional Human Rights Caucus. In the speech he claimed “though Tibetans lost their freedom, under international law Tibet today is still an independent state under illegal occupation.” In 1950 the People’s Republic of China occupied the territory of Tibet claiming it was its right. For this reason, there has been an ongoing debate between China, Tibet and the rest of the world about the question if Tibet has the right to self-determination. The annexation of Tibet by China has an impact on the Tibetans in several ways.

For this student of Buddhism, the movie Seven Years in Tibet was a historically correct, religiously sound, and moving depiction of the beauty and power of this eastern non-monotheistic faith. Furthermore, the grand biography of the Austrian climber Heinrich Harrier, not only illustrated the supernatural aspects of the faith, but also its folkloric magic. Additionally, it tackled the political struggles, both externally and parochially, that embroiled the country in the aftermath of World War II. Moreover, so poignant were these struggles that the Chinese government banned both the lead actor and the producer from ever visiting China. Lastly, the main theme of the movie, was one of purification and redemption in the tale of how an egotistical mountain climber evolved when exposed to this compassionate and generous culture.

The moulding of history for political gain is not something new. It has been going on for centuries, since the time of the pharaohs to even the plight of the white population under Robert Mugabe.