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At the end of the 14th century, Tibet began
to be ruled by a succession of god-kings known as the Dalai Lamas.
These leaders were both spiritual authorities and heads of state.
Unlike other forms of monarchy, the Dalai Lama system does not
involve the hereditary transfer of the crown from one generation
to the next within a royal dynasty. Instead, following the Buddhist
belief in reincarnation, upon the death of a Dalai Lama, Tibetan
monks undertake an intensive search throughout the land to find
the child into whom his spirit is believed to have transmigrated.
It is believed that such a boy can be known by his ability to
identify the personal belongings of the previous Dalai Lama.
The present Dalai Lama was discovered in just this way, living
humbly with his parents and siblings in a small village in eastern
Tibet in the late 1930s.
The Tibetan monk who was later to be considered the first Dalai
Lama was Pema Dorje, whose name means “Lotus Thunderbolt.”
Born into a poor peasant family in western Tibet in 1391, he
was proclaimed high Lama in 1419 at Drepung, believed to have
been the largest monastery anywhere in the world at that time.
Under his rule, the system of Buddhist Lamaism spread throughout
Tibet, and many new monasteries and nunneries were founded. Shortly
after he died, a child was found who appeared to have uncanny
memories of a past life as the Dalai Lama. By the time of Ngawang
Lozang Gyatso, the fifth Dalai Lama, who ruled during the 17th
century, the system was functioning effectively, and the immense,
1000-room Potala Palace, which dominates the skyline of Lhasa
to this day, was constructed.
It was during this period that the “Mandate of Heaven”
had fallen upon a new ruling dynasty in China. The Manchu, or
Qing rulers had originated in Manchuria, in northeastern China,
and were eager to impose their authority over the entire country.
In 1682, the fifth Dalai Lama died, but worried monks in Lhasa
kept his death a state secret for 15 years, for fear of a Chinese
invasion, while an impostor ruled in his place. In 1720, the
Qings took advantage of the weakness of the next Dalai Lama and
imposed a Chinese military presence in Tibet.
One year later, Emperor K’an Hsi proclaimed that Tibet had
always been a vassal state of China. In order to cement their
authority, Chinese agents in Lhasa curried favour with the powerful
Regents, the monks responsible for affairs of state during the
often lengthy periods of time between the death of a Dalai Lama,
his rebirth in the body of a young boy, and this successor’s
enthronement and arrival at the age of maturity. Over subsequent
decades, the power of the Regents grew as a number of boy Dalai
Lamas died under mysterious circumstances before they reached
the age at which they could assume responsibility for Tibet’s
political and religious affairs.
China’s determination to secure its control over Tibet increased
by the late 19th century as this region, along with Afghanistan
and northern India, became the focal point for what was called
“The Great Game.” Having consolidated its domination
over India, Britain was anxious to outflank imperial Russia’s
expansion into central Asia. In 1904, 3000 British troops under
the command of Colonel Francis Younghusband marched into Tibet.
After quelling minor opposition from Tibetan forces, the British
imposed a treaty on Tibet requiring it to trade with British
India. Angered by this British incursion into what it considered
its territory, China dispatched an invasion force that seized
Lhasa in 1910.
China’s occupation of Tibet proved to be short-lived, however.
A year later, the Qing dynasty was overthrown, and the Republic
of China was proclaimed. This ushered in a lengthy period of
instability, as rival warlords battled for control over the new
government, and central authority in Beijing all but collapsed.
Taking advantage of their occupier’s weakness, Tibetan forces
expelled the Chinese in 1913, and the 13th Dalai Lama, who had
previously fled both British and Chinese occupiers, proclaimed
Tibet an independent country.
Later that year, British, Chinese, and Tibetan negotiators met
at Simla, India, to resolve the issue of Tibetan independence.
Under the terms of the Simla Convention, Tibet was to be partitioned
into two zones. One, known as Inner Tibet and including the eastern
part of the country, was to revert to Chinese control, while
the second, called Outer Tibet, was to be granted full independence.
The Chinese, however, refused to ratify this agreement, and within
a few years Tibetan forces had reasserted their control over
the eastern parts of the country.
Discussion
1. How did Tibet’s Buddhist religion influence the way the
monks went about finding a new Dalai Lama after the old one died?
2. How did both China and Britain try to
increase their influence and control over Tibet during this period
of history?
3. How does this period in the history
of Tibet suggest the universal desire, belief, metaphor, or notion
of rebirth and the cycle of the life?
4. Suggest how a problematic balance of
power existed during this period that could be seen as setting
a precedent for the modern-day state of affairs in Tibet.
5. How did imperialism and the whole notion
of empire influence the turn of events in this small Asian country?
6. Why is the issue of partitioning so
significant not only in terms of Tibet’s history but also
in terms of world history in general? Substantiate your answer
with specific examples throughout history. What, in your opinion,
is the importance or results of partitioning? |
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Indicates material appropriate or adaptable for
younger viewers.
