India, China Battle it Out Over Buddhism

The sudden decision of India and China to drop the meeting of their special representatives only a day before it was scheduled in Beijing has brought a cold war on Buddhism out in the open.

China decided to drop the meeting as New Delhi reportedly turned down its demand to keep the Dalai Lama away from a four-day Global Buddhist Congregation that began in New Delhi Sunday. This glitch automatically puts off the later defence secretary level annual dialogue of Dec 8-9.

Both sides have publicly downplayed the issue but there is far more behind the scene than what meets the public eye.

The Chinese leadership is determined to make China the supreme Buddhist power. The sudden love affair with Buddhism arises more from anxieties related to the Tibetan spiritual ruler Dalai Lama, than a change in heart on religion.

China’s Communist rulers are focused at building up enough credibility in the international Buddhist community to have their way on the selection of the Dalai Lama’s new incarnation before he dies. The Chinese believe that a friendly Dalai Lama will solve their Tibet knot that has found frequent expression through public uprisings and self-immolation sprees since 1951.

It was the unexpected Tibetan uprising of 1989 that made Chinese leaders realise that a Tibetan generation who had never seen the Dalai Lama and who grew on daily staple of Communist propaganda was to blame. Following a serious review at the third ‘Tibet Work Forum’ in 1991, China adopted a new policy in Tibet which accepts religion as a tool of winning hearts.

As part of this strategy, Chinese Communists have selected at least two top ranking lama incarnations of Karma Pa and Panchen Lama in 1993 and 1995 respectively. Gedhun Choeky Nyima, the six-year-old who was recognized by the Dalia Lama as the ‘real’ Panchen Lama, still remains under Chinese custody 18 years later.

While Chinese candidate Giancin Norbu has yet to be accepted by Tibetan masses, the Karma Pa escaped to India to join the Dalia Lama on the eve of New Year of 2000.

To the supporters of the Dalai Lama, the selection of these two senior incarnate lamas are dress rehearsals for China to impose a baby of its own choice as the Dalai Lama once the incumbent is no more.

Leaving behind Mao’s distaste for religion, Beijing hosted the first World Buddhist Forum in 2006 in Zhejian province and the second in March 2009 in Wuxi. The latter attracted over 1,700 delegates from 50 countries. In both meetings, Giancin Norbu was paraded as the senior most representative of Buddhism in the world.

This aggressive marketing by China as the real Buddhist powerhouse of the world has not gone down well with India, where the Buddha attained enlightenment. New Delhi too has launched its own Buddhist conferences in Singapore, Cambodia and Sri Lanka. There will be similar shows in Nepal and Vietnam.

While the current posturing by New Delhi and Beijing over border dialogue shows where their real concerns lie, the new religious theatre is bound to lead to new fireworks.

Related articles

• India and China scrap border talks after Dalai Lama row (guardian.co.uk)
• Dalai Lama’s Delhi programme behind border talks postponement (thehindu.com)

First Chinese Sanskrit Pop Singer

Sa Dingding, who won the BBC Radio 3 Award for World Music in the Asia Pacific category in 2008, is being promoted as the first Chinese Sanskrit Pop Singer by China ‘s official media. She is being promoted by the provincial government of Tibet and if she garners enough attention she might sing at the inauguration of the May 2010 Shanghai World Expo, which is expected to draw the top business firms

She is the first pop singer who sings in Sanskrit. She is also famous for her ethnic clothes and Tibetan Buddhist style of music. Although she is famous for her ethnic characteristics clothing and Tibetan Buddhist music, she is not a Tibetan girl. Her parents’ ancestral home is Shandong province and her grandmother’s ancestral home is Inner Mongolia .

Only people who can endure loneliness can be successful. As a musician, she dropped fame and learned Sanskrit by herself. She visited all the Chinese cultural sites to find inspiration and to derive affluent nutrition for her music. Her musical inspirations all come from Chinese civilization and culture. 

Apparently, the local government is pushing her to give up song writing and singing in languages other than Sanskrit so she can be presented to the world as a symbol of China ‘s rich cultural heritage. “It is possible China may be trying to show that Sanskrit is part of its cultural heritage. What better way to draw world attention than to get a lovely voice to sing pop?,” a Shanghai based expert on Chinese culture told TNN.

Why India Hesitated to Develop its Chinese Borders?

Another Chinese intrusion along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh and old questions creep up again. How secure are our Chinese borders? Why has India over the years ignored development along Chinese borders? India will lose a lot if the dragon army penetrates along its Northern border. If China attacks India, lack of border infrastructure could largely be responsible for its second defeat.

 

India cannot forget the 1962 debacle with China. China had then unexpectedly attacked India. It is interesting to know the history of the conflict between these Asian giants.

The history of conflict (Past Hostility)

The border claims between India and China has a long past. Nothing has changed much. The hostility took root in 1950 after China captured Tibet. India was not so supportive or impressed. The tensions slowly began and nationalist feelings against China became rampant as the Indian Government released white paper against the border transgressions committed by China along its border.

In 1959, there was an up rise against China by Tibetan leaders and civilians which led to the escape of Dalai Lama to India. India readily gave him refuge which again angered China. India further built 40 check posts along the northern border. This led to the arousal of nationalistic feelings among the Chinese.

The War

In November 1962, China decided to permanently settle scores with India. The Chinese army unexpectedly intruded into the India territory and began capturing major areas along the North and North eastern border. Indian forces were not able to respond appropriately due to the sudden nature of the attack and were thoroughly defeated by the Dragon forces. Luckily for India, the Chinese army withdrew from the major captured territories for mysterious reasons, as unexpected as the attack itself. China, however, captured a part of Ladakh, and other areas along the Himalayan terrain. The suspicion on each other has since remained.

 Now coming to the crux question, why did not India over the years actually develop its LAC border knowing well the unpredictable nature of the threat from China? India may have recently started some work along the border, but the Chinese for long have done their homework. They have built an airport, laid railway line and built roads in Tibet along border which allowing swift movement arms in the event of a war.

Why did not India develop its Chinese borders? (Amusing Reasons)

Amusing as it may seem, Indian government, including the Army and the bureaucracy, were reluctant to the idea of developing infrastructure along Chinese borders for two reasons. Firstly, an improved infrastructure will be taken advantage of by Chinese troops and secondly, because having infrastructure in border areas also meant they have to defend the infrastructure. This cowardly perception is, however, gradually changing today.

Why India should start developing its borders? (The Present Priority)

India is beginning to realize the advantages of a good infrastructure along the border. The Chinese are reportedly occupying Arunachal and other areas inch by inch and a good infrastructure will help take note of any little occupation. In a different context, developing the borders could also encourage trade and people to people contact between the two countries and shed the antagonism which has been prevalent in the collective consciousness since 1962.

Neither ‘Bye Bye’ nor ‘Bhai Bhai’ (Adopting The Middle Policy)

India should consider the northern and north eastern borders as bridge and not a barrier for better relationship with  China. At the same time it cannot adopt the ‘bhai bhai’ policy of Nehru. India should approach the middle path of neither ‘bhai bhai’ nor ‘bye bye’.

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