Understanding Tibet

 

Understanding Tibet

 

The wise man Agudengba and the caravan leader Lacuo started their trip to Tibet again. They walked along southern Tibet to the foot of Gongga Snow Mountain. Along the way, the two chatted about the national purity and eugenics doctrine advocated by the Nazi Party, and also talked about Nazi scientists' inspection of Tibet to find their ancestors, the ancient Aryans.

Agudemba said:

A five-member German Nazi team made a special trip to India and Tibet for investigation and research. In early May 1938, a ship carrying five Germans docked in Colombo, Sri Lanka. From there they took another ship to Madras, now Chennai, and a third ship to Calcutta. Late that year, the five Germans entered Tibet with Nazi flags tied to their mules and luggage. The swastika used by the Nazi Party can be seen everywhere in Tibet. Among Hindus, the Swastika has always been a symbol of good luck. Even today this symbol can be seen outside Hindu houses, inside temples, on street corners, on tempos and trucks.

A 5-man team of German Nazis in Tibet measured the skulls and facial details of Tibetans and made masks. They were particularly interested in collecting material on the proportions, origins, significance and development of the Nordic race in this region. By then, they had measured the skulls and facial features of 376 Tibetans, taken 2,000 photos, "cast the heads, faces, hands and ears of 17 people" and collected "fingerprints and handprints from another 350 people." . 2,000 "ethnographic artifacts" were also collected, and another member of the task force took 18,000 meters of black-and-white film and 40,000 photographs.

During their investigation in Tibet, they determined that the ancestors of the Germanic people should be the ancient Aryans. The ancient Aryans were the greatest nation. Just when it seemed that the five-member Nazi team in Germany could spend more time conducting real "research" under the guise of conducting scientific investigations in the fields of zoology, anthropology, etc., in August 1939, the inevitable war occurred, and Germany Human adventures had to be cut short. A group of 5 German Nazis brought most of their Tibetan "treasures" to a castle in Salzburg, but once the Allies arrived in 1945, the place was attacked and most of the Tibetan photos and other materials were destroyed.

Meanwhile, in Tibet, things are changing. The 13th Dalai Lama died in 1933 and the new Dalai Lama was only 3 years old, so the Buddhist Kingdom of Tibet was controlled by a regent. The Germans were treated with special kindness by the regent and ordinary Tibetans. But in the mistaken imagination of the Nazis, Buddhism, like Hinduism, weakened the power of the Aryans who came to Tibet and led to the loss of the Aryan spirit and strength.

Lacuo said:

My ancestors all lived in Tibet, but I grew up in Myanmar. I don’t know what kind of society Tibet is. Can you give me more knowledge in this area?

Agudenba said:

Tibet was once known as the holy land closest to heaven. Today's Tibet Autonomous Region is located in the southwest border of China, in the southwest of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It spans 26°50'~36°53' north latitude and 78°25'~99°06' east longitude, with an area of 1.2028 million square kilometers, accounting for about one-eighth of China's total area, second only to the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is about 1,000 kilometers wide from north to south and 2,000 kilometers long from east to west. It is the largest plateau with the highest altitude in the world, and is known as the "Roof of the World." It borders Xinjiang to the north, Qinghai to the northeast, Sichuan to the east, Yunnan to the southeast, and borders Myanmar, India, Bhutan, Nepal and other countries to the south and west. The national border is 3,842 kilometers long and is an important gateway to China's southwest border.

Tibet was called "Tubo" during the Tang and Song Dynasties. Since the Yuan Dynasty, the central government has always exercised effective jurisdiction over Tibet. It was called "Wuzang" in the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, and "Tanggute" and "Tibet" in the Qing Dynasty. It was called "Tibet" from the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty.

 Tibet not only has the strange geological landforms and unique natural scenery on the roof of the world, but also has a unique social and cultural landscape. At its peak in history, there were more than 2,700 temples, as well as many palaces, gardens, castles, fortresses, and ancient tombs. , ancient monuments, etc. Famous scenic spots include the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Ganden Temple, Mount Everest, and the Brahmaputra River.

As early as ancient times, ancient Tibetan clans were formed on this land. From the ancient clans, they gradually evolved into the four major clans in Tibet: Sai, Mu, Dun and Dong. On this basis, the "Ra" and "Zhu" clans were added, commonly known as the "six major clans".

A large number of ancient objects excavated in Tibet can provide some scientific evidence of how humans developed in Tibetan areas. During archaeological excavations in Tibet, archaeologists discovered a large number of physical objects such as various stone tools, pottery, bone tools, decorations, grain seeds, and even ancient human skulls from the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods. The ancient human bones excavated from the banks of the Niyang River do not have the original characteristics of apes and belong to modern humans. The bones of the "Nichi (Lynzhi) man" are human bones from the Neolithic period or the age of iron and stone, about 4,000 years ago.

Agudemba continued:

In the 6th century AD, after thousands of years of migration, development, differentiation and combination, the tribes of Tibetan ancestors formed dozens of tribal alliances, large and small. Among them, there are the so-called "Forty Small States" distributed in Tibet, which were merged into the "Twelve Small States".

At the beginning of the 7th century AD, the powerful Tang Dynasty was established in the Central Plains. At the same time, the Xiboye tribe, which rose from Yalong in Shannan, Tibet, gradually conquered tribes from all over the country and established the Tubo Dynasty, the first regime in history to unify all tribes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Songtsen Gampo, the leader of Tubo, admired the civilization of the Central Plains and proposed to the Tang Dynasty several times. In the fifteenth year of Tang Zhenguan (641), Emperor Taizong married Princess Wencheng to Songtsen Gampo. Princess Wencheng's entry into Tubo intensified the economic and cultural exchanges between Tang and Tibet and enhanced the friendly relations between Tibetan and Chinese. At the beginning of the 8th century, the Tang Dynasty married Princess Jincheng to Tubo. Tubo and the Tang Dynasty were "one family". With the two marriages between the Tubo Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty, there were frequent exchanges between the two sides, extensive and in-depth political, economic, and cultural exchanges, and comprehensive development of people-to-people exchanges. The relationship between Tibetans and other ethnic groups in China has reached an unprecedented level of closeness. The Tang and Tibetan parties met eight times. The "Tang-Tibet Alliance Monument", also known as the "Changqing Alliance Monument" and "Nephew and Uncle Alliance Monument", still stands in front of the main entrance of the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa. It was the eighth time. Established after the alliance. In the next three to four hundred years, Tibetans had close ties with the Northern Song Dynasty, Southern Song Dynasty, Xixia, Liao Dynasty, Jin Dynasty and other political regimes. Due to the chaos of the Tubo ruling group, in 869, the common people rebelled, or the slave civilian uprising. In 877, the rebel army excavated the tomb of King Zampu and killed the royal family and nobles. The Tubo dynasty completely collapsed. After the collapse of the Tubo Dynasty, during the 370 years from 869 to 1239, a large unified political power was not established on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, so it was called the period of separatism and separatism in history.

 Agudumba continued:

In the eighth year of the Yuan Dynasty (1271), the Mongol Khan Kublai Khan designated the country as Yuan. Wusizang, Duogan and other places became part of the unified multi-ethnic Yuan Empire. Tibet was officially included in the central government of the Yuan Dynasty. under the direct jurisdiction of. Wusi Zang refers to the central, western and western areas of today's Tibet. After the Yuan Dynasty unified China, it adopted a series of far-reaching policy measures based on the actual situation in Tibetan areas:

For example, a central organization, the Zongzhiyuan, was established for the first time to take charge of national Buddhist affairs and military and political affairs in Tibet and other places. They checked households in Tibet, set up post stations, collected taxes, stationed troops, appointed officials, and promulgated the Yuan Dynasty criminal law and calendar in Tibet. Appoint Tibetan monks and laymen to serve as senior officials from central to local levels. The establishment of administrative agencies in Wusizang, Duogan and other places, as well as the appointment and dismissal, promotion, promotion and punishment of officials, are all subject to the central government's orders. Divide the local administrative regions of Tibet. The central government of the Yuan Dynasty established three independent Xuanwei Envoys in Tibetan areas, all of which were directly under the management of the Xuanzhengyuan. This is what is called the "Three Districts of Ka" in Tibetan history books.

In the first year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1368), the Ming Dynasty replaced the Yuan Dynasty. It adopted the method of confiscating the old imperial edicts and old seals of the Yuan Dynasty and replacing them with the new imperial edicts and new seals of the Ming Dynasty. It inherited the national sovereignty over Tibet.

 However, the Ming Dynasty did not follow the official system of the Yuan Dynasty, but established a unique system of conferring monks and officials. Representative political and religious leaders from various places were given different titles by the Ming Dynasty. They were awarded seals and titles, and ordered to manage their respective places. The inheritance of their positions must be approved by the emperor, and their names can be directly transferred to the emperor. . In terms of administrative divisions and military and political institutions, the Ming Dynasty basically inherited the Yuan Dynasty’s division methods in Tibet. Officials in military and political institutions at all levels are appointed by local monks and lay leaders. The appointment, dismissal, and promotion of officials at all levels were directly decided by the central government of the Ming Dynasty, and seals and seals were issued.

In the first year of Shunzhi of the Qing Dynasty (1644), the Qing Dynasty established its capital in Beijing and then unified China. The Qing Dynasty exercised sovereignty in Tibet in accordance with historical regulations. As long as the officials granted by the previous dynasty submitted the seal of the old dynasty, they would be granted the seal of the new dynasty and their original status would remain unchanged. In the ninth year of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1652), the fifth Dalai Lama of the Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism was summoned to Beijing to meet Emperor Shunzhi, the ancestor of the Qing Dynasty. He was officially canonized by the Qing Dynasty the following year; later, the fifth Panchen Lama was canonized by Emperor Kangxi. The titles of the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Erdeni and their political and religious status in Tibet were thus officially established. Since then, all Dalai Lamas and Panchen Lamas have been canonized by the central government and have been custom-made. In the fifth year of Yongzheng's reign in the Qing Dynasty (1727), Emperor Yongzheng officially established the Minister in Tibet to handle Tibetan affairs.

The Qing Dynasty's governance and management of Tibet, based on summarizing the experience of governing Tibet in the Yuan and Ming dynasties, made major and comprehensive adjustments based on actual conditions and changes in the situation, such as: setting up a minister in Tibet to oversee the entire Tibet; adjusting the political and religious management of Tibet system; bestowed the names of the Dalai Lama and Panchen Erdeni, and established the system of drawing lots from the golden urn; established the principle that the decision-making power of local foreign affairs and border defense in Tibet should be vested in the central government; demarcated the boundaries between present-day Tibet and Qinghai, Sichuan, and Yunnan boundaries; stipulates the jurisdiction and authority of the Dalai Lama and Panchen Erdeni, and divides the areas directly under the jurisdiction of the ministers stationed in Tibet.

Agudengba told Lacuo:

In the third year of Xuantong in the Qing Dynasty (1911), the Revolution of 1911 overthrew the feudal monarchy and established the Republic of China the following year. The "Provisional Constitution of the Republic of China" clearly stipulates that Tibet is one of the 22 provinces of the Republic of China. The Constitution and other laws and regulations officially promulgated since then clearly stipulate that Tibet is part of the Republic of China. A large number of archival records during the Republic of China prove that during the Republic of China, representatives of the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan local government and the Panchen Erdeni were all sent to participate in and be elected in all parliaments, the highest state power organs, national deliberative bodies or national assemblies. Or appoint various national public offices and participate in the management of national affairs.

In October 1950, the 18th Army of the Chinese People's Liberation Army liberated Qamdo. On May 23, 1951, the Central People's Government and the Tibetan Local Government signed the "Agreement between the Central People's Government and the Tibetan Local Government on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet." The peaceful liberation of Tibet. On April 22, 1956, the Tibet Autonomous Region Preparatory Committee held its founding meeting in Lhasa and was officially established. On March 10, 1959, the Tibetan local government and upper-level groups publicly tore up the agreement on the peaceful liberation of Tibet and staged an armed rebellion in Lhasa; on March 17, the Dalai Lama fled Lhasa; on March 22, the rebellion in Lhasa city was Complete suppression. On March 28, Premier Zhou Enlai issued an order to dissolve the Tibetan local government, appointed Panchen Erdeni Chokyi Gyaltsen, deputy chairman, as acting chairman, and appointed the preparatory committee standing committee members Pabala Gelelangye and Ngabo Ngawang Jigme is the deputy chairman. and carry out Tibetan democratic reforms ahead of schedule.

Lacuo asked again:

Tibet has now become one of the hottest topics in the world. What happened during this period?

Agudengba told Lacuo:

The "Tibet" mentioned by the People's Republic of China refers to the Tibetan Autonomous Region, while the traditional scope of Tibet includes southern Tibet that is currently controlled by India but claimed by China. These areas are similar to Arunachal Pradesh, which is currently administered by India. It partially overlaps and is basically equivalent to the entire area under the jurisdiction of the Lhasa government during the middle and late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China. The Tibetan-inhabited areas in the four provinces of Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan outside the Tibet Autonomous Region are collectively called the "Tibetan Areas of the Four Provinces".

"Tibet" as defined by the Tibetan government-in-exile, also known as the "Greater Tibet Area", includes the current Tibet Autonomous Region, Qinghai and small parts of Gansu, Sichuan, and Yunnan. Its overall area is twice the size of the current Tibet Autonomous Region and roughly equivalent to the Tang Dynasty. It has been a traditional Tibetan settlement area for generations. The broad Tibetan-speaking area and Tibetan ethnic area also includes Bhutan, Sikkim, Ladakh and the mountainous areas of northern Nepal.

The Tibetan government-in-exile claims that before 1950, the Dalai Lama administered the three traditional Tibetan provinces of Uizang, Kham, and Amdo. The Tibetan Government in Exile and Free Tibet state that this view is accepted by most Western organizations. This area covers an area of approximately 2.5 million square kilometers, equivalent to 26% of the area of the People's Republic of China, but does not include Arunachal Pradesh (called South Tibet in China), Sikkim, and Lada, which are controlled by the Republic of India in South Asia. Gram and the Kingdom of Bhutan and other countries and regions that historically belong to the Tibetan cultural circle.

The proposal of the Greater Tibet region proposed by the Tibetan government-in-exile is an important proposition to unite Tibetans in exile. If the Tibetan government-in-exile decides not to pursue the Greater Tibet region, it will cause problems with the eastern Tibetans among the overseas Tibetans and other surrounding Tibetan ethnic groups. Split, permanently destroying the unity of the Tibetan community in exile. The government of the People's Republic of China strongly opposes this concept, calling the Tibetan government-in-exile's claim the Greater Tibet Area. The Dalai Lama refuted the Chinese government's accusations, claiming that he had never proposed the concept of Greater Tibet, saying that Tibet's religious culture itself is not limited to the Tibetan Autonomous Region, but also includes all Tibetan areas, and should be truly realized in all Tibetan autonomous areas stipulated by Chinese law. autonomy.

Lacuo asked:

Many people can't figure out why southern Tibet has become controversial. Is there anything well-known about it?

 Agudengba explained to Lacuo the disputes over southern Tibet:

Southern Tibet includes Tawang, the hometown of the sixth Dalai Lama Tsangyang Gyatso, located on the south side of the Himalayas. According to the McMahon Line, about 90,000 square kilometers of land were assigned to British India, and the Tibetan-Indian border was moved nearly 100 kilometers north. A series of documents and agreements produced at the Simla Conference held in the northern Indian city of Simla between October 1913 and July 1914 and attended by representatives of the government of the Republic of China, British India and Kashag, Tibet, including The McMahon Line. Representatives of the Republic of China government refused to sign the agreement, and neither the Republic of China nor the People's Republic of China recognized its validity under international law. Tibetan representatives accepted the McMahon Line on the condition that Britain promoted Tibetan independence. Later, he also refused to recognize the McMahon Line.

After independence, India claimed to inherit all international laws of the former British India and used the agreement as its territorial claim in southern Tibet. On June 4, 2008, the 14th Dalai Lama, who also held political positions at the time, said in an interview with a reporter from the New India Times that Dalai Lama, located in Arunachal Pradesh (what China calls the southern Tibetan region), Wang belongs to Indian territory and recognizes the validity of the Treaty of Simla and the McMahon Line.

Lacuo was speechless and said nothing more.

Agudengba pointed to the snow-capped mountains in the distance and sang an impromptu song "The Blessing of the Gongga Snow Mountains":

 

We stand under the high snow-covered plateau,

Looking at the beautiful and white Gongga Snow Mountain,

Brought greetings and blessings to us.

This is the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the roof of the world.

Keep your pure and unpolluted heart,

These thoughts are in the hearts of the people.

 

Tibetans treat the land and snow-capped mountains piously,

And the yaks and monks here,

There are even grasses on the snowy plateau.

This snowy piety is far away from the hustle and bustle,

In the invisible sky above this earth,

It forms a protective and safe barrier.

 

People's hearts block a lot of negative energy,

This piety has never disappeared,

But the world under the protection of the roof,

But greed breeds destructive power,

More and more holes are forming inside,

It is urgent to repair this hole.

 

The destructive events that occur in the world every day,

increasingly profound impact on daily life.

The most powerful force on the roof of the world,

Never among temples and monks,

but in the hearts of pious people.

It is these pious and pure hearts,

Keep the purity of this snowy world.