{"id":2049,"date":"2013-02-10T22:58:43","date_gmt":"2013-02-10T22:58:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/?p=2049"},"modified":"2013-02-11T13:33:06","modified_gmt":"2013-02-11T13:33:06","slug":"tibet-on-fire-a-resource-for-activists-and-educators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/2013\/02\/tibet-on-fire-a-resource-for-activists-and-educators.html","title":{"rendered":"Tibet on Fire: a Resource for Activists and Educators"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Z_8B7oG2flc#!<\/a><\/p>\n

As those of you who read this blog know, I\u2019m a strong supporter of Tibetan independence from China.<\/strong> Real autonomy, as advocated by H.H. the Dalai Lama, would be a welcome step, but in truth, the people of Tibet deserve the return of the country that was violently stolen from them just 60 years ago (between 1951 and 1959).<\/p>\n

The realities on the ground are incredibly complicated, as roughly 1\/6 of the population of Tibetans has been wiped out under Chinese rule and millions of (mostly) Han Chinese have been relocated to Tibet. The culture, epitomized and preserved by the institutions of Tibetan Buddhism<\/a>, has been even further damaged. Of an estimated 6000 monasteries existing in 1950, only 12 were spared destruction. Some have been rebuilt, but only under close watch of Chinese officials, who regulate the monastic education and imprison those who speak out against the ongoing occupation of their country. Photos depicting the Dalai Lama are banned.<\/p>\n

The history of Tibet is very important for understanding current events. Three books I would recommend reading are<\/p>\n