Divine intervention for the

HUMAN TORCH

Case study submitted by

SONEPHAVANH LIEMPHACHANH WILFREDO RUIN

As requirement for completion to PAF 204: Ethics in Public Affairs

13 December 2014

Outline of Presentation

Background

Analysis of the Case Viewpoints

Time Context

Objectives

Areas of Consideration

Alternative Courses of Action

Recommendations

Background

Today‟s generation is FREE and generally

enjoying the sense of freedom

People, with globalization, are empowered

and are able to make expressions

However, there still are oppressed

communities fighting for their freed

Background

Tibetans are jailed inside the ruling of the Chinese

authorities, which resulted to the following:

Destruted Tibet‟s civilization, language, identity;

Interfered with their spiritual lives;

Demonized the Dalai Lama; forced monks to

denounce him;

Influx of Chinese settlers and took jobs away, land, and

future of Tibetans; exploited Tibet‟s natural resource; &

Forced Tibetan nomads away from their settling areas

Background

Self-immolation – a way of protest inflicting

own body in fire; a form of sacrifice to voice

out an expression of disgust/disagreement

Characterized by 2 major arguments:

Politically motivated

Manipulation from an organized group

Background

Self-immolation

Increasing substantially in number

2009 recorded 133 incidents; 112 men and 21

are women

Particulars Percentages (%)

Known to have died following their protest 81

Aged 18 or under 18

Percentage of monks 18

Percentage of nuns 2

Background

Dalai Lama

Head of the Buddhist religion in Tibet; primarily referred to as the “Bodhisattva”

Three main commitments are the following: Promotion of human values such as compassion,

forgiveness, tolerance, contentment and self-discipline;

Promotion of religious harmony and understanding among major religious traditions; and

Work to preserve Tibet‟s culture which is that for peace and non-violence.

Viewpoints

Dalai Lama

Urged China to look harder at the reasons

behind the incidents

Self-immolation is an understandable act but

doesn‟t encourage others to do the same

The act is hard to judge whether right or wrong

for it is an expression that doesn‟t hurt anyone

Viewpoints

Robert Thurman & Je Tsongkhapa

They are moved about the act but doesn‟t

encourage anyone to do the same

It is better to endure with the suffering and

from there develop a mind of love and

compassion for the people while alive.

Honor the people who undergone the act

Those who died in anger against the Chinese

are doing the act wrong.

Viewpoints

Dr. Dibyesh Anand

The act is due to the politics of resistance

It represents the suffering of the Tibetans

Increase in number is expectable due to

greater control by the Chinese authorities

The Dalai Lama is the highest respective person

and symbol of Tibet thus any act against him is

a threat to Tibetans‟ lives; generally

disrespectful to their dignity

Viewpoints

Lobsang Sangay

They don‟t encourage the act, especially those

inside Tibet because of the consequences such

as they getting arrested, beaten up, tortured

and disappear

Jiang Yu

The exiled Tibetan group is to be blame for the

increase incidence of self-immolation because

they exemplifies rebellion and fires up revolt.

Viewpoints

Stephen Prothero

Said that the Dalai Lama should condemn the

practice by making an impression that killing is

wrong; if he speak out clearly against this ritual,

they would stop.

However, he may then accrue a bad karma, which

extends far beyond Tibet and the protesters

Time of Context

First practiced by Indian women and it is a

rite requiring the widows to be burned with

her deceased husband; called suttee;

First recorded case is that in 1963 by the

Buddhist monk named Thich Quang Duc in

South Vietnam

1987 the Tibetans began to protest against

ruling of Chinese

Time of Context

Chinese implements laws against protest

and punishments for activists

Chinese imposed a communication

blockage not only for local but includes

international media

2009 case during the 18th National

Congress of Chinese communist party was

witnessed by international communities

Time of Context

Mid year of 2012 recorded over 40 cases

Recent case is that of Lhamo Tashi; a

student who puts himself in fire in front of

the police station.

Tashi during the act is shouting slogans of

freedom from the Chinese

Central Problem

Given the increase incidence of self-

immolators, the primary interest of this case

study is to know what is Dalai Lama‟s best

action/ strategy, being the most influential

person and head of the Buddhists in Tibet,

to put a stop to this practice or control its

occurrence.

Objectives of the Study

The interest of this study is generally to understand the practice of self-immolation and to look at an action, which the Dalai Lama may use, along with his influence, to encourage the Tibetans to stop self-immolation. To present facts about self-immolation, including

definition;

To help increase awareness about this practice and in the long-run contribute to freedom of the Tibetan from the Chinese government; and

Identify set of alternative actions through the various ethical lenses

Areas of Consideration

Chinese‟s rule over the Tibet is

characterized by the following: continual destruction of the civilization,

language and identity;

the interference to the spiritual lives of the

people;

invasion of the Chinese settlers to their lands;

setting a force against Tibetan nomads; and

exploitation of the Tibetan‟s natural resources

Areas of Consideration

The act is thought to have been caused by

two major arguments; It is politically motivated; and

It is a manipulation from an organized group

who persuaded/ influenced these individuals to

do the act

Areas of Consideration

Dalai Lama‟s three main commitments in life

are the following: promotion of human values such as compassion,

forgiveness, tolerance, contentment and self-

discipline;

promotion of religious harmony and

understanding among major religious traditions;

and

work to preserve Tibet‟s culture which is that for

peace and non-violence.

Areas of Consideration

Robert Thurman said to honor the people

who undergone self-immolation and to

offer them prayers so they can be reborn as

humans. Those who self-immolated are definitely free of

hatred because if they were not then they die

not ready for the sacrifice and that would mean

the act does not work; defeated its purpose;

Areas of Consideration

Lobsang Sangay don‟t encourage the

practice because they may tend to get

arrested, beaten up, tortured and

disappear;

Jiang Yu said that the exiled Tibetan group

should be the ones to blame for the self-

immolation because they just exemplifies

rebellion and fires revolt

Alternative Courses of Actions

1. Dalai Lama to condemn the practice of self-immolation and to discourage the Tibetans to the same act again.

Pros: This is the right thing to do and this choice makes the Dalai

Lama morally right because he just did what is expected from him, which is the promotion of life;

This action will cause for the drop in number of self-immolation incidence;

This will minimize the violence inflicted by the Chinese authorities against the Tibetans; and

This action pleases the “precept” of Buddhism about killing, which says that it is wrong to take someone‟s life, not even his own life.

Alternative Courses of Actions

1. Dalai Lama to condemn the practice of self-immolation and to discourage the Tibetans to the same act again.

Cons: This action may conflict with the ethics of those who self-

immolated. The action being done for a higher purpose;

The family of the immolators may be dismayed with the Dalai Lama;

This action defeated one precept of Buddhism, which is to respect the departed, honor them and show compassion.

Stoppage to the practice would also mean lesser chance for the Tibetan to be freed away from the Chinese authorities because there might be no other effective way to protest.

Alternative Courses of Actions

2. Dalai Lama to encourage the practice and continue doing this sacrifice as their revolt against the Chinese authorities.

Pros: This action is ethical to the side of those who immolated.

Taking the utilitarian ethicist‟s view and given the assumption that the self-immolation is a right thing to do, then they must maximize utility so they must continue the practice until it serves the higher purpose;

There will be a greater chance for this practice to be internationally heard;

There is greater chance for the attainment of their freedom from the Chinese if all the aware international community will support them in their fight against their oppressors.

Alternative Courses of Actions

2. Dalai Lama to encourage the practice and continue doing this sacrifice as their revolt against the Chinese authorities.

Cons: Defeats the Dalai Lama‟s commitments, which will make

him unethical and morally wrong in his actions;

This will fire an even greater stance of control from the Chinese to the Tibetans and, consequently, will increase violence such as being arrested, beaten up, tortured and made disappear; and

Violates precept of Buddhism about killing and disrupts universal laws about taking life away from someone‟s body.

Alternative Courses of Actions

3. Dalai Lama to make a statement that the practice is neither

right nor wrong and should emphasize that the practice is

“understandable” due to the situation and they must honor

those who self-immolated but will discourage doing the act.

Pros:

Right thing to do given the precept of Buddhism, which is the

preservation of life and because he must act/do his commitments;

Tibetans will follow him, may result to substantial decrease in number;

This will encourage the Tibetans to realize what is right or wrong

based on their unique situations; it suggests that the Dalai Lama is

leaving final decision to people and will respect the choices they made.

Alternative Courses of Actions

3. Dalai Lama to make a statement that the practice is neither right nor wrong and should emphasize that the practice is “understandable” due to the situation and they must honor those who self-immolated but will discourage doing the act.

Pros: This action did not violate a precept of Buddhism

about the departed because he still showed them compassion by saying that “he understands the intentions” and still paid for high respect to them by honoring them; and

The Chinese authority may appreciate the initiative of the Dalai Lama in saying that he discourages the act

Alternative Courses of Actions

3. Dalai Lama to make a statement that the practice is neither right nor wrong and should emphasize that the practice is “understandable” due to the situation and they must honor those who self-immolated but will discourage doing the act.

Cons: Tibetans may take this as a “half-baked” decision and

may get confused about whether to take the practice as absolutely wrong or right; Tibetan may also signal a weak stance against the Chinese; and

This action may be limiting the options of the Tibetans as they voiced their disagreements with their oppressors.

Discussions & Recommendations

Dalai Lama to make a statement that the practice

is neither right nor wrong and should emphasize

that the practice is “understandable” due to the

situation and they must honor those who self-

immolated but will discourage doing the act.

References The Economist. 2013. Buddhism and Self-immolation: The theology of self-destruction. Retrieved from

http://www.economist.com/blogs/erasmus/2013/03/buddhism-and-self-immolation

Rob Taylor (2013). Tibetan self-immolations having little effect, Dalai Lama says. Thompson Reuters International Media Agency. Retrieved at: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/13/us-china-tibet-dalai-idUSBRE95C05S20130613 on December 1, 2014.

Center of Tibetans Administration, (2013). NBC Interviews His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Self-immolation Tragedy in Tibet. New York. Retrieved at: http://tibet.net/2012/10/23/nbc-interviews-his-holiness-the-dalai-lama-on-self-immolation-tragedy-in-tibet/

Thurman, R (2013). A Statement from Robert Thurman on the Tibetan Self-Immolation. Retrieved at: http://youtu.be/_XEEohjzAZQ. December 2, 2014.

Arora, K (January 2, 2012). Tibet: Self-immolation won‟t trigger China Spring. Zee News of India. Retrieved from: http://zeenews.india.com/home/tibet-self-immolation-wont-trigger-china-spring_742597.html.

TA. (2011, November 4). Explanation on the Tibetan Self Immolation Protest. Retrieved from „https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kKPVDhrnFg&feature=youtu.be‟

Robert Barnett, “Political Self-Immolation in Tibet: Causes and Influences”, Revue d‟Etudes Tibetaines, no. 25, Decembre 2012, pp. 41-64.

International Campaign for Tibet. 06 October 2014. Self-immolations by Tibet. Retrieved from http://www.savetibet.org/resources/fact-sheets/self-immolations-by-tibetans/

The Dalai Lama. Three main commitments. Retrieved from http://www.dalailama.com/biography/three-main-committments

Associated Press. The Burning Monk. Historical Context. Retrieved from http://www.ap.org/explore/the-burning-monk/

Biggs M. December 2012. Self-Immolation in Context 1963-2012. Revue d'Etudes Tibetaines, no. 25. pp 143-150

Samphel T. (n,d).Cause of Self-Immolation in Tibet and Reaction of Chinese Netizens. Tibet Policy Institute

Thank You!

"An act that is not often committed,

not casually arrived at, and, most

assuredly, not easily forgotten. It is more than just an anguish cry for help; it is a searing demand to be remembered."

- Bostic, 1973