[Michael Parenti was a political science professor at UVM until being
fired by the board of trustees]

Swans - http://www.swans.com
Friendly Feudalism: The Tibet Myth
http://www.swans.com/library/art9/mparen01.html
by Michael Parenti
July 7, 2003

Throughout the ages there has prevailed a distressing symbiosis between
religion and violence. The histories of Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism,
and Islam are heavily laced with internecine vendettas, inquisitions,
and wars. Again and again, religionists have claimed a divine mandate to
terrorize and massacre heretics, infidels, and other sinners.

Some people have argued that Buddhism is different, that it stands in
marked contrast to the chronic violence of other religions. But a glance
at history reveals that Buddhist organizations throughout the centuries
have not been free of the violent pursuits so characteristic of other
religious groups.  In the twentieth century alone, from Thailand to
Burma to Korea to Japan, Buddhists have clashed with each other and with
nonBuddhists. In Sri Lanka, huge battles in the name of Buddhism are
part of Sinhalese history.

Just a few years ago in South Korea, thousands of monks of the Chogye
Buddhist order---reputedly devoted to a meditative search for spiritual
enlightenment---fought each other with fists, rocks, fire-bombs, and
clubs, in pitched battles that went on for weeks. They were vying for
control of the order, the largest in South Korea, with its annual budget
of $9.2 million, its additional millions of dollars in property, and the
privilege of appointing 1,700 monks to various duties. The brawls left
dozens of monks injured, some seriously.

But many present-day Buddhists in the United States would argue that
none of this applies to the Dalai Lama and the Tibet he presided over
before the Chinese crackdown in 1959. The Dalai Lama's Tibet, they
believe, was a spiritually oriented kingdom, free from the egotistical
lifestyles, empty materialism, pointless pursuits, and corrupting vices
that beset modern industrialized society. Western news media, and a slew
of travel books, novels, and Hollywood films have portrayed the Tibetan
theocracy as a veritable Shangri-La and the Dalai Lama as a wise saint,
"the greatest living human," as actor Richard Gere gushed.

The Dalai Lama himself lent support to this idealized image of Tibet
with statements such as: "Tibetan civilization has a long and rich
history. The pervasive influence of Buddhism and the rigors of life amid
the wide open spaces of an unspoiled environment resulted in a society
dedicated to peace and harmony. We enjoyed freedom and contentment."
In fact, Tibet's history reads a little differently. In the thirteenth
century, Emperor Kublai Khan created the first Grand Lama, who was to
preside over all the other lamas as might a pope over his bishops.
Several centuries later, the Emperor of China sent an army into Tibet to
support the Grand Lama, an ambitious 25-year-old man, who then gave
himself the title of Dalai (Ocean) Lama, ruler of all Tibet. Here is a
historical irony: the first Dalai Lama was installed by a Chinese army.

To elevate his authority beyond worldly challenge, the first Dalai Lama
seized monasteries that did not belong to his sect, and is believed to
have destroyed Buddhist writings that conflicted with his claim to
divinity.  The Dalai Lama who succeeded him pursued a sybaritic life,
enjoying many mistresses, partying with friends, writing erotic poetry,
and acting in other ways that might seem unfitting for an incarnate
deity. For this he was "disappeared" by his priests. Within 170 years,
despite their recognized status as gods, five Dalai Lamas were murdered
by their enlightened nonviolent Buddhist courtiers.

full: http://www.swans.com/library/art9/mparen01.html

---

Michael Parenti is an internationally known author and lecturer. He is
one of the nation's leading progressive political analysts. Parenti
received his Ph.D. in political science from Yale University in 1962. He
has taught at a number of colleges and universities, in the United
States and abroad. Parenti's most recent books are To Kill a Nation
(Verso); The Terrorism Trap (City Lights); and The Assassination of
Julius Caesar: A People's History of Ancient Rome (New Press). You can
find more information about Michael Parenti at michaelparenti.org.

Swans
http://www.swans.com