For a long time, the only English translation of this document available was by W. D. Shakabpa in his English-language book Tibet: A Political History. However, Shakabpa’s translation has been criticized as being a bit vague, and Chinese scholars such as Shi Shuo have even claimed that Shakabpa misinterpreted key points for political reasons. Thus, it was to the good that Tibetologist Derek F. Maher completed a new English translation of the declaration as part of his translation of Shakabpa’s magnum opus, One Hundred Thousand Moons. However, until now, Maher’s complete version has not been available online. For this reason, I have typed it up and I am posting it below. I hope that Professor Maher, his publisher, BRILL, and the estate of Tsepon Shakabpa will agree that publishing this document here is suitable as fair use.

I – the Dalai Lama, the protector of the three worlds, lord of all the conqueror’s teachings on the earth throughout time, the omniscient Dorjé Chang, who was prophesied as the Oceanic Lama by the Buddha from the land of India – speak to you as follows:

This should be made known to all the monks and lay people, the powerful, the weak, and those in between, and to the heads of civil and military posts, all the citizens of Tibet, this land of medicinal plants which is fringed with cook, white mountain peaks; hence, messengers should be sent to report it. As it was prophesied by our compassionate teacher from India [Buddha], from the time of the ancient religious kings up to the present time, the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara has continually come to this land of medicinal plants of the cool earth. I have taken this land as my instrument, protecting sentient beings with compassion and whatsoever methods are required to tame them.

Previously, the preceptor-patron relationship has been enjoyed since the time of the Mongolians Genghis Khan, Alten Khan, and so forth, through the series of Chinese kingdoms, the Ming Dynasty and so forth to he Manchu Dynasty, which developed a preceptor-patron relationship with the great fifth Dalai Lama. Each side would protect the other. Nevertheless, recently some Chinese functionaries in Sichuan and Yunnan, out of avarice, have ceaselessly worked to intimidate and terrorise us out of our land. Moreover, under the pretense that they were protecting the trade marts, many Chinese soldiers have reached as far as Lhasa. It is clear that within the precept-patron relationship[p between China and Tibet, there is no sense of of subordination of one to another; consequently, I left for the Indian border with my ministers, planning to conduct negotiations with Beijing by wire. Nevertheless, after we left, armed Chinese troops were dispatched to kill or capture me by any means necessary. Having no other choice, we crossed the border for the time being.

Upon arriving in India, I sent a telegram to the Chinese side. Although I recounted our situations one item after another, the emperor was relying upon corrupt minsters, and so I did not receive any sort of reply. Through the force of actions and their inevitable effects, a change in the unstable Manchu Empire became unavoidable. All exalted or humble Tibetan people took up the struggle against the Chinese troops, each according to his ability, and consequently, every single Chinese soldier who was in Ü Tsang was expelled. Thereupon, I returned safely to the land possessed of religion, my protected place. The Chinese that remain in Kham are also to be expelled in turn.

The Chines side had a wicked plan that this land of Tibet should ave upheld the responsibilities of the preceptor-patron relationship, while ultimately, they would bind us as servants. Those schemes have dissolved, like a clump of sand or like a rainbow in the sky; sentient being have arrived at a fortunate time in which they can experience happiness and joy with religion and resources. From this point onward, the following out to be put into practice by all people – monks and lay people, the powerful and the weak – as mentioned above:

1) Finding and offering respects to this precious Buddhism, the foundation of whatever benefit and happiness have come to this part of the world, depends upon the preservation of the sacred places. Hence, people should untiringly take responsibility for continuously proffer worship at all monastic institutions and caring for them without distinctions, including the great sites – Rasa Trülnang and Gyetap Ramoché temples in Lhasa – and Tradruk and Samyé, and the three monastic seats, Drepung, Sera, and Ganden monasteries.

2) The abbots, teachers, and monks, of the various Buddhist schools without distinction should enhance the pure traditions of sūtras and the old and new tantras before they decline. Those traditions that have declined should be restored, and the rituals should be explained and studied. There must be enhanced efforts and exerted in teaching, learning, and meditating and in the protection and observance of the precepts.

3) High government officials involved in collecting taxes or enforcing the law should perform their jobs jobs honestly; both the government and the people must be untiring in their efforts to make improvements. Beyond that, central government officials posted at Ngari Korsum and Domé are coercing their subject citizens to purchase commercial goods at high prices and have imposed transportation rights exceeding the limit permitted by the government. Houses, properties, and lands belonging to subject citizens have been confiscated on the pretext of minor breaches of the law. Furthermore, citizens’ limbs have been amputated as a form of punishment. Henceforth, such sever punishments are forbidden.

4) Tibet does not have wealth, power, and technology like other nations. It is a free country abiding in peace and happiness in accordance with our religion. If these days, through taking greater responsibility in the duties, civil and military officials can enhance our military preparedness, enabling us to protect the stability of our territory, then the minor hardships that arise among the tax conscripts and at waysides along the roads in Kham can be mitigated. Upon giving detailed consideration to the historic reasons for the improper land claims the Chinese have made on us through time, all Tibetans should volunteer, without needing to be persuaded. Everyone ought to take greater responsibility for protecting and defending our land.

In addition, by tirelessly scouting along the borders in the highlands and the lowlands, to the south and north, people should remain vigilant in not permitting foreign spies to enter. If even minor suspicious rumors emerge, people must send a report to the government immediately by pony express or by traveling daily. Naturally, people are not permitted to undertake provocative actions based on minor pretexts, whether it is out of boredom or for no reason at all.

5) Tibet has few people and a tremendous amount of uninhabited land. Yet, even though some industrious people have considered clearing land, the local leaders have objected out of greed. Landlords, being unable to do anything at all to put such plans into effect themselves, are jealous about others’ endeavors. Hence, these improper practices which undermine the foundations of our progress in all sorts of ways are not at all auspicious for oneself or others. Henceforth, industrious people whose homes have deteriorated can clear land amidst whatsoever unused public lands there are. Hence, government, private, or religious interests are not permitted to obstruct in any way whoever is able to plant things like willow and mustard that will lead to improvements. Land taxes will not be collected until three years have passed; after that the land will be assessed for its size and usefulness. The cultivator will have to pay taxes to the government a royalty to the landlord every year. The land will belong to the cultivator in perpetuity.

Both the government and the public are to bring this about. It would be a matter of serving and protecting the kind government if all people were to implement these things just as I have explains them. Also, it is certain that the degree of happiness and virtue will increase for everyone in the country, oneself and others. Thus, reflecting carefully on the profit and loss, everyone must voluntarily engage in correctly and adopting the good and abandoning the bad in both religious and secular affairs.

This proclamation must be announced in every district. Copies should be posted in busy areas and originals should be kept in the district registers. Officials must enact it.

Written at the inconceivable second palace of Avalokiteśvara, the Potala Palace, on the eight day of the month of miracles in the Water-Female-Ox Year (1913).

In the article The stories of Tibetan elders in exile, J.M. Brown writes about the oral history project work by clinical psychologist Marcella Adamski in recording the stories of Tibetan elders in exile. Adamski’s work was spurred directly from a request by the Dalai Lama, whom she met in Dharamsala in 1999. After reading this article I was reminded of some of the stories I have heard from my own “elders in exile” when I was younger. I thought I’d patch together and share some of these stories so that people can read them and then maybe share their own stories as well.

I can remember most clearly my mother’s account of why her family fled from Tibet in late 1959. My mother’s family lived in the  small farming village of Namdha, about a half hour walk from the town of  Khangmar in the district of Gyantse. Her family was the wealthiest of the village and her father was well respected for the kindness he had shown to the poorer villagers, and the loans he gave to those who needed it.

My late grandfather and I

One particular villager had a lot of respect for my grandfather. My mother cannot recall his name, but for the sake of the story I will refer to him as Tenzin. Tenzin had many children and his family was  the poorest in the village. For this reason, many of the villagers took pity on him – especially my grandfather. My grandfather had always helped Tenzin by giving him food and clothing for his children. On one occasion Tenzin had persuaded my grandfather to lend him money for a business venture he wished to pursue. However, rather than using this money for the business venture, Tenzin lied and ended up gambling all the money away.

Out of shame and fear of coming back to face my grandfather, and his own family, he hid somewhere nearby. But, due to the absence of their father, his family began to suffer. Thus, my grandfather went to where Tenzin was hiding and told him to forget about the loan and come back to the village to take care of his family.

When the Chinese communists invaded Tibet in the 1950s, they began to implement social reforms within many Tibetan communities. Many of the poorest Tibetan villagers were placed as the head of their respective communities. When the communists arrived in my mother’s farming village of Namdha, they did exactly this. The communists proclaimed that Tenzin, the same man who had gambled away my grandfather’s loan and was pitied by most of the villagers of his village, was now to lead as head of the village.

As the new head of the village, Tenzin was present at many of the meetings the Chinese communists held in the region. During one meeting he overheard the communists’ decision to arrest my grandfather under the charge of being a “feudal serf lord”. He quickly went to my grandfather and told him of the decision to arrest him. He urged my grandfather to quickly flee before the communists would surely come to arrest him. My grandfather, heeding to Tenzin’s warning, fled with his wife and children south towards India through the Himalayas.

One side-story from my grandfather’s flight to India that I can also recall comes from my late uncle, who was my mother’s eldest brother.

The Himalayas

A snowstorm had picked up during the family’s escape through the Himalayas. When the storm settled, my uncle had found himself in a tough situation. He looked around and could not find his parents or siblings anywhere. He was all alone. The storm had separated him from his family and, worst of all, he was lost and had no idea which direction he should head in order to reunite with them.

My uncle started to look around for any sign or clue that might help him find his way. Suddenly, in the distance, he noticed a bird flying high in the sky. This was no ordinary bird; he had recalled how his father had told him how this particular bird was sacred and it’s sighting considered auspicious. My uncle believed that this had to be a sign of some sort. He began to head in the direction of the bird. After walking for some time, a snow storm picked up. Once again he found himself covered in wind and snow.

Suddenly, my uncle noticed a silhouette of a figure walking towards him in the distance. It was difficult to distinguish who, or what, this figure was, but he quickly concluded that this was surely a Chinese soldier who had caught his entire family and was now looking to capture him too. He turned and began to run, but the Chinese soldier pursued him. He kept running, but soon his legs began to tire. Eventually the shadow of the Chinese soldier approached from only a few feet behind him. Exhausted from running, he turned and faced the soldier.

As the Chinese soldier approached and put his hands forth to grab him, my uncle tried to slip past – but he was too slow. The soldier blocked him from running around and then grabbed onto him. My uncle tried to wrestle free from this man’s grip, but couldn’t get loose. He finally looked up and examined this stranger closely. It was then that he realized that he had not been captured by a Chinese soldier afterall – it was his own father who had been searching for him.

Tibetan Mastiff

Lastly, I can recall another story from my second eldest uncle. During the family’s flight to India, my uncle had begged to take along the family’s Tibetan mastiff dog. His father quickly objected to my uncle’s pleas, he realized it would be too dangerous for the family if the dog was noisy.

And so, the dog was left behind. However, shortly after leaving their village and walking for some time, the dog could be seen in the distance running towards the family. After a short while the dog had finally reunited with his owners. Somehow he had managed to break free from his leash and find the family. The sight of the liberated dog made my uncle very happy (perhaps to the dismay of his father); the two friends could make the long trek together after all. It seemed the dog had escaped his own chains to now help his owners escape their own chains of repression.

After many nights of travelling and hiding from the Chinese, the family had reached the Tibetan border. Many starving Tibetan families who had made the strenuous trek through the Himalayas, approached farmers in these borderlands with gold, jewelry, and other valuables, in an attempt to make exchanges for food. My grandfather’s family was one of these Tibetan families, the harsh conditions during the trek had led to the death of two of his sons. He hoped that these farmers would be kind enough to provide food for his family to prevent the loss of more of his children.

My grandfather approached a farmer and offered their most valuable jewelry and belongings for food. The farmer rejected his offer since he had already amassed plenty of jewelry and gold from other fleeing Tibetan families before them. However, the farmer had taken a liking to the family’s Tibetan Mastiff. And so, regretably for my uncle, the dog was exchanged to the farmer for food to nourish the family.

Sometime after my mother’s family arrived in India, my grandfather received a letter from the Chinese communists informing him that the crops from his land had been sold for a sum of money which he should come back to claim. Rightfully suspicious, my grandfather replied that he did not want to come back to claim the money, rather, the Chinese should distribute the money out to the people of his village.

I’m not certain whether the Chinese communists followed out my grandfather’s wishes, but it gives me another reason to someday go to Tibet and see the village my family once called home.

Kalon Tripa Lobsang Sangay, Kalon Dicki Chhoyang, and the Tibetan interns of the 3rd Parliamentary Friends of Tibet Internship Program

The Kalon Tripa spoke to the interns and explained the importance of representing the Tibetan people and the Tibetan cause on Parliament Hill, while stressing for interns to take pride in their rich cultural and historical background as Tibetans.

He also candidly shared his experiences serving as Kalon Tripa thus far and the challenges he faces in his new role as the political leader of the Tibetan people.

“He was able to show us that with strong will power and determination, we can accomplish anything we want. Most importantly, he reminded me of the things that I can be proud of as a Tibetan, and truly motivated me to work harder towards achieving the ultimate goal as a Tibetan – to see his Holiness the 14^th Dalai Lama return to Tibet.” said intern Tenzin Kalsang.

Kalon Chhoyang also had words of guidance for the young interns, encouraging them to put themselves to service for advancement of the Tibetan people in their future endeavors.

She also urged interns to develop their Tibetan language skills and to travel to their Tibetan homeland in order to understand and experience firsthand the conditions their Tibetan brothers and sisters face today.

“The meeting with Kalon Dicki Chhoyang la was very motivating and informative.  It was impressive to see the things Chhoyang-la has been able to accomplish. She is a really good example of female empowerment in our community” said intern Tenzin Lhadon.

Since 2007, the Parliamentary Friends of Tibet (PFT) have worked hard at advancing this initiative to involve young Tibetans in the Canadian political system through the coordination of an internship placement program for students of Tibetan origin.

Supported by the Tibetan-Canadian community, the internship program has grown every year and has allowed many of its participants to secure parliamentary and governmental employment in the nation’s capital.

The Parliamentary Friends of Tibet (PFT) is an all-party group, of Members of Parliament and Senators, formed in 1990 by parliamentarians who were concerned about the situation in Tibet. PFT has become the voice for Canadian support for Tibet in parliament and government.

One other question that today’s charges bring up: how much is the Karmapa willing to put up with in India before he decides to try to find somewhere else to live? Is he even at liberty to leave India? He has been heavily restricted from visiting other countries, but that was on the assumption that he was still relying on their hospitality when he came back. I’m going to assume that India wouldn’t try to prevent him from leaving the country to live somewhere else permanently. If it did come to that, where would make a good home for the Karmapa? An obvious option would be the United States. The Karmapa already has a well-established headquarters in Woodstock, New York. He would have the opportunity to make an enormous impact on Buddhism in North America. By dint of its hegemonic position, the United States is more willing to stand up to Chinese political pressure than any other nation, so it would likely be willing to offer him asylum and not restrict his movements or activities. The downside, however, is that the Karmapa might be seen as aligning himself clearly with China’s main rival, which could undermine his ability to act as a go-between in negotiations with the Chinese government.

Living in Japan or Taiwan would probably offer fewer benefits to the Karmapa while evoking an even greater level of suspicion from the Chinese. Any of the other countries in East Asia are likely to be too intimidated by Chinese power to make amenable home for him.

Western Europe is another promising option. Perhaps the best home for the Karmapa would be in Switzerland, a small country famous for its neutrality. I understand there is already a small but active Tibetan exile community there. Perhaps the Karmapa could make an arrangement with the Swiss government to be able to create a monastery and a small settlement of his followers at some out-of-the-way location in Swiss Alps. The residents would mostly be monks interested to helping the Karmapa build a new home monastery in exile, but could also include some laypeople employed by the Karmapa’s organisation as well as some business owners and workers doing business with the other residents. This could benefit Switzerland by creating a unique cultural attraction (Tibet remains fashionable) and a lot of positive PR. It would also create an alternate center for the global Tibetan exile community, which could potentially be a useful hedge if, in the future, India becomes much less hospitable to the exile community there. A side benefit for the Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, is that Western Europe so far has been the heartland of support for his rival, Trinlay Thaye Dorje. By establishing his headquarters, there he might be able to shift the region’s tendencies in his own favor.

The day when the Karmapa chooses to move away from India might be a long way away and it might never come, but the time to start planning for contingencies, I would say, is here already.

UPDATE: according to news reports, the Karmapa in principle could be sentenced to up to two years in prison. I still think this will never happen in a million years. Still, the threat of prison time could be very real for some of his advisers, which might encourage him to stay in India — the better to lobby for their release.

UPDATE 2: it occurs to me that moving his headquarters might be a good opportunity for the Karmapa to revamp his team of advisers. I’ve always had the gut feeling that there might be some shady characters around him. On the face of it, you’d think that someone like the Karmapa could just hire and fire staff at will, but in interpersonal relationships it’s always a little more complicated than that, especially given the limitations placed on the Karmapa by the Indian government. This incident could be an opportunity for a shake-up. Obviously, the Karmapa would still not want to leave his older advisers to languish in prison.

UPDATE 3: The more I think about, the choice of where the Karmapa would move if he left India depends a lot on what political rôle, if any, he expects to play in the future. If he expects not to be involved with politics at all, then there are many advantages to living in the United States. I think the Karmapa could have an enormous impact on Buddhism in North America. On the other hand, if the Karmapa is going to be involved in negotiations with the Chinese, then he would be better off not appearing to affiliate himself with the U.S. Switzerland is a country that is used as a symbol of neutrality. Incidentally, the Karmapa’s rôle in negotiations would be as an informal go-between and he would likely remain entirely in the background until after a deal was reached. The Karmapa’s value comes from the fact that he is probably perceived by the Chinese as more neutral and trustworthy than the Dalai Lama or the exile government are. The Karmapa should never have a formal position in the government-in-exile, nor does he need official approval from them to talk to the Chinese about politics (he should quietly coordinate with them behind the scenes). The distance between the Karmapa and the government-in-exile is a feature, not a bug: the CCP hates the idea of negotiating with a “government-in-exile”, so that makes the Karmapa the “good cop” by comparison. Even if everyone knows the Karmapa and TGIE are coordinating behind the scenes, the public presentation is still a face-saver for the Chinese government.

9. We underscore that the concurrent presence of all five BRICS countries in the Security Council during the year of 2011 is a valuable opportunity to work closely together on issues of peace and security, to strengthen multilateral approaches and to facilitate future coordination on issues under UN Security Council consideration. We are deeply concerned with the turbulence in the Middle East, the North African and West African regions and sincerely wish that the countries affected achieve peace, stability, prosperity and progress and enjoy their due standing and dignity in the world according to legitimate aspirations of their peoples. We share the principle that the use of force should be avoided. We maintain that the independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of each nation should be respected.

Most of the world is pleased and inspired to see people in the Middle East working together to overthrow their corrupt governments. BRICS, of course, is “deeply concerned”. But I call BS on the statement, “We share the principle that the use of force should be avoided.” It makes it sound like they are pacifists. But, do you think the Chinese government will use force the next time Tibetan protesters take to the street with snow lion flags and calls for the Dalai Lama’s return? You betcha. Not only will they use force, but they will feel no need to apologize for it. Anybody who thinks about trying to pull a Tahrir Square on the People’s Republic had better get ready for some force coming their way.

Now, of course what the Sanya Declaration means is that they want regional monopolies on using force within the boundaries of the countries they rule. That’s fine. That’s the basis for the current status quo international regime. There’s a downside to it (China locking up Tibetan protestors, al-Assad in Syria having demonstrators shot, etc., etc.), but that’s the way things work. I just wish the BRICS would say what they mean instead of what sounds nice.

Not much that’s mentioned in these cables is very surprising, but it’s interesting to see what gets emphasised, i.e. what an American diplomat thought was interesting to talk about. It’s important to note that the Wikileaks cables are marked with the lowest level of secrecy in the U.S. system. Presumably, any really shocking news that diplomats wanted kept secret would be available only at higher security clearance levels.