Middle Way - Tibet & China

There will be many aspects of this trip that will astonish, delight and challenge us as we travel.  One stop and event on the itinerary that I am particularly grateful to witness is the 50th anniversary of the "Tibetan Uprising Day" - March 10, 2009.  This is the anniversary of China's invasion of Tibet and the exodus of the young Dalai Lama and his followers.  

This anniversary has marked a re-examination in the exiled Tibetan community.  The Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader for the Tibetan people in exile, has long advocated a 'middle way' - seeking autonomy for the territory without independence - but he has grown frustrated in recent weeks over fruitless talks with China and the length of this exile.  He has called a weeklong retreat in Dharamsala, the northern India hill town that is the base of Tibet's self-proclaimed government in exile, so that his followers can re-evaluate this Nobel Peace prize-winning 'middle way.'

The Dalai Lama will not attend the meetings himself, but that the meetings are occurring at all is momentous, as any deviation from that policy would almost certainly scuttle the already tenuous relations with Beijing, which has long accused the Dalai Lama of fomenting an independence movement in Tibet. 

Five years ago, in a statement to the US Senate, the Dalai Lama said, "My hope is that this year may see a significant breakthrough in our relations with the Chinese government.  As in 1954, so also today, I am determined to leave no stone unturned for seeking a mutually beneficial solution that will address both Chinese concerns as well as achieve for the Tibetan people a life in freedom, peace and dignity.  Despite the decades of separation, the Tibetan people continue to place tremendous trust and hope in me."  

It seems that now the Dalai Lama himself has lost some of that hope.  The re-evaluation of the 'middle way' would be a radical turn in Tibetan/Chinese relationships.  We shall see what 2009 brings.

M