![]() ![]() The Tibetan feeling of isolation and helplessness has a broad historical basis. The Dalai Lama’s younger brother, Tenzin Choegyal, was more emphatic: ‘‘We are finished once His Holiness is gone.’’ The Tibetan poet and activist Tenzin Tsundue, who has disagreed with the Dalai Lama’s tactics, told me that his absence will create a vacuum for Tibetans. And then there is the 150,000-strong community of Tibetan exiles, which, increasingly politically fractious, is held together mainly by the Dalai Lama. Indoctrinated and controlled by the Communist Party, the next leader of the Tibetan community could help Beijing cement its hegemony over Tibet. The Chinese Communist Party, though officially atheistic, will take charge of finding an incarnation of the present Dalai Lama. When the Dalai Lama dies, it is not at all clear what will happen to the six million Tibetans in China. Even Pope Francis, the boldest pontiff in decades, reportedly declined a meeting in Rome last December. The economic potency of China has made the Dalai Lama a political liability for an increasing number of world leaders, who now shy away from him for fear of inviting China’s wrath. The Dalai Lama himself has watched helplessly from his residence in Dharamsala, a scruffy Indian town in the Himalayan foothills, as his country, already despoiled by Mao’s Cultural Revolution, is coerced into an equally breakneck modernization program directed from Beijing. The world has become more interconnected, but - defined by spiraling wars, frequent terrorist attacks and the rapid rise of China - it provokes more anxiety and bewilderment than hope. But the cause of Tibet, once eagerly embraced by politicians as well as entertainers, has been eclipsed in the post-9/11 years. His Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts help secure his place in the contemporary whirl. The Dalai Lama still travels energetically around the world while frequently joking about his age (‘‘Time to say, ‘ Bye-bye!’ ’’). ![]() It could only be a matter of time before Tibet, too, was free. In that innocent era, the universal triumph of liberal capitalism and democracy seemed assured, as new nation-states appeared across Europe and Asia, the European Union came into being, apartheid in South Africa ended and peace was declared in Northern Ireland. ![]() Though the Dalai Lama has yet to use a computer, the 1990s ‘‘Think Different’’ ad is a reminder that he was a mascot of globalization in its early phase, between the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the terrorist attacks of 9/11. He turned to me with a mischievous smile, and said, ‘‘Please sit and enjoy the photo.’’ He then spoke in rapid-fire Tibetan to the monk, cackling with delight: ‘‘These pleasures,’’ he said, ‘‘are not for us.’’ ‘‘Sit, sit,’’ he said and then noticed a black-and-white photo of naked young men and women dancing during Glastonbury’s earliest days. When the Dalai Lama entered his dressing room, I stood up hurriedly, as did the Tibetan monk who was sitting beside me. He looked as amused and quizzical as ever in his tinted glasses when Lionel Richie approached and, bowing, said, ‘‘How are you?’’ ‘‘Good, good,’’ he replied, clasping Richie’s hands. The Dalai Lama then walked into the throng of celebrities wandering about backstage, limping slightly he has a bad knee. The crowd, accustomed to titanic vanity from its icons - Kanye West declared himself the ‘‘greatest living rock star on the planet’’ the previous night - looked uncertain before erupting with cheers and claps. Myself, now 80 years old, but I should be like you - more active!’’ ‘‘Musicians,’’ he said, ‘‘white hair.’’ But ‘‘the voice and physical action,’’ he added in his booming baritone, ‘‘forceful.’’ As Smith giggled, he went on: ‘‘So, that gives me encouragement. The world’s most famous monk then poked a thick finger at Smith’s silvery mane. On a wet Sunday in June at the Glastonbury Festival, more than 100,000 people spontaneously burst into a rendition of ‘‘Happy Birthday.’’ Onstage, Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, blew out the solitary candle on a large birthday cake while clasping the hand of Patti Smith, who stood beside him.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |