{"id":4507,"date":"2015-02-07T05:43:41","date_gmt":"2015-02-07T05:43:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/?p=4507"},"modified":"2015-02-07T05:43:41","modified_gmt":"2015-02-07T05:43:41","slug":"jay-michaelson-is-right-dont-get-your-hopes-up-for-tibet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/2015\/02\/jay-michaelson-is-right-dont-get-your-hopes-up-for-tibet.html","title":{"rendered":"Jay Michaelson is right, don’t get your hopes up for Tibet"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"Tenzin<\/a>
Tenzin Gyatso \u2013 14th Dalai Lama by Christopher Michel (C.C. flickr<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The mere sight of the Dalai Lama smiling brings joy to many of us. Knowing that his smile \u2013 and perhaps some sort of influence \u2013 is in the same room, and just yards away from, President Barack Obama can doubtless bring a sense of hope for the world. And if not the world, at least the Dalai Lama\u2019s beleaguered homeland of Tibet.<\/p>\n

But as Jay Michaelson writes for Salon<\/a>, \u201cdon\u2019t get your hopes up, Tibet.\u201d In his insightful essay, subtitled: \u201cWhy Obama\u2019s Meeting With The Dalai Lama Is An Empty Gesture,\u201d Michaelson writes:<\/p>\n

Cham\u00a0<\/em>is a Tibetan\u00a0ritual dance<\/a>, a carefully choreographed ritual meant to bring blessings to the Buddhist<\/a> community.<\/p>\n

The American and Chinese governments have long been engaged in a similar Tibetan ritual dance, also carefully choreographed, but one that has brought no blessings to anyone, least of all Tibetan Buddhists.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how it works.\u00a0 American politicians meet and say lovely things about the Dalai Lama, one of the\u00a0top 10 admired people in the world<\/a>, but carefully avoid saying anything too overtly political.\u00a0 The Chinese government reacts with consternation.\u00a0 Nothing changes.\u00a0 A year or two later, the ritual is repeated.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In fact, here are excerpts from recent\u00a0Presidential statements on meetings with the Dalai Lama:<\/p>\n

Obama \u2013 February 21, 2014:<\/strong> \u201cThe President reiterated his strong support for the preservation of Tibet\u2019s unique religious, cultural, and linguistic traditions and the protection of human rights for Tibetans in the People\u2019s Republic of China.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Obama \u2013 July 16, 2011:<\/strong> \u201cThe President reiterated his strong support for the preservation of the unique religious, cultural, and linguistic traditions of Tibet and the Tibetan people throughout the world. He underscored the importance of the protection of human rights of Tibetans in China.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Obama \u2013 February 18, 2010:<\/strong> \u201cThe President stated his strong support for the preservation of Tibet\u2019s unique religious, cultural and linguistic identity and the protection of human rights for Tibetans in the People\u2019s Republic of China.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Bush \u2013 October 17, 2007 (addressing the Dalai Lama\u2019s Congressional Gold Metal Ceremony):\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Over the years, Congress has conferred the Gold Medal on many great figures in history \u2013 usually at a time when their struggles were over and won. Today Congress has chosen to do something different. It has conferred this honor on a figure whose work continues \u2013 and whose outcome remains uncertain. In so doing, America raises its voice in the call for religious liberty and basic human rights.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the tragic anomalies of the past century is that in an era that has seen an unprecedented number of nations embrace individual freedom has also witnessed the stubborn endurance of religious repression. American cannot look to the plight of the religiously oppressed and close our eyes or turn away.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2026<\/p>\n

I congratulate His Holiness on this recognition. I\u2019m so honored to be here with you, sir. Laura and I join all Americans in offering the people of Tibet our fervent prayer that they may find days of prosperity and peace.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Bush \u2013 October 16, 2007:<\/strong> \u201cAs I understand it, the Dalai Lama wants not for \u2014 he\u2019s not calling for independence from China. He\u2019s asking for the people there to have ability to \u2014 the freedom to practice their religion. And the United States supports him as a great spiritual leader. He should be honored as a spiritual leader. But we are not asking for independence from the country.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Bush \u2013 September 10, 2003:<\/strong> \u201c<\/span>The President reiterated our strong commitment to support the preservation of Tibet\u2019s unique religious, cultural and linguistic identity, and the protection of the human rights of all Tibetans\u2026. The President also declared his strong support for the Dalai Lama\u2019s commitment to the dialogue with China.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bush \u2013 May 23, 2001:<\/strong> \u201cThe President said he would seek ways to encourage dialogue and expressed his hope that the Chinese government would respond favorably. The President also reiterated the strong commitment of the United States to support the preservation of Tibet\u2019s unique religious, cultural, and linguistic identity and the protection of the human rights of all Tibetans.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Clinton \u2013 June 20, 2000:<\/strong> \u201cThe President reiterated the strong commitment of the Unite States to support preservation of Tibet\u2019s unique religious, cultural and linguistic heritage and to the protection of human rights of Tibetans. The President and the Dalai Lama agreed on the importance of strong and constructive U.S.-China relations.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t change much, as you can see. (Read the statements in full here<\/a>, going back to 1991).<\/p>\n

Michaelson continued:<\/p>\n

\n

As at any ritual dance, all the details were noticed.\u00a0 On the one hand, Tibet activists cheered that, unlike the president\u2019s three private meetings with the Dalai Lama, this one was public\u2014the first joint public event between the Dalai Lama and an American president\u00a0since 2007.<\/a><\/p>\n

On the other hand, Senator Casey went out of his way to\u00a0note<\/a>\u00a0that the Dalai Lama did not have a speaking role at the event.\u00a0 Indeed, the keynote was delivered by former NASCAR star Darrell Waltrip, presumably a religious figure of greater gravitas.<\/p>\n

The president\u2019s remarks, too, were carefully nuanced.\u00a0 Note that he praised the Dalai Lama not as the leader of the world\u2019s largest occupied nation, but rather as a powerful example of compassion.\u00a0 The word \u201cTibet\u201d was never mentioned.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Michaelson\u2019s conclusion suggests that perhaps we can see this as yet another failed opportunity for the Dalai Lama, just one in a long succession, or perhaps we could see this as a PR victory, a showcasing of Tibet\u2019s amazing culture which \u2013 despite its tiny numbers and extraordinary persecution \u2013 continues to produce humans of such astonishing caliber as His Holiness the Dalai Lama.<\/p>\n

If\u00a0that\u00a0<\/em>message \u2013 the one of an extraordinary culture built on rigorous philosophical and practical principles, a culture with a message for all of the world* \u00a0\u2013 can be the message Americans hear, then maybe the prayer breakfast welcome from Obama<\/a> wasn\u2019t just another round of empty political gesturing.<\/p>\n

*Of course that message\u00a0is contested in\u00a0itself, not only by China\u2019s government, but by many Western academics.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The mere sight of the Dalai Lama smiling brings joy to many of us. Knowing that his smile \u2013 and perhaps some sort of influence \u2013 is in the same room, and just yards away from, President Barack Obama can doubtless bring a sense of hope for the world. And if not the world, at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":118,"featured_media":4508,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,15,7,27,18],"tags":[518,82,158,521],"class_list":["post-4507","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-activism","category-buddhism","category-china","category-politics","category-tibet","tag-china","tag-dalai-lama","tag-president-obama","tag-tibet"],"yoast_head":"\nJay Michaelson is right, don't get your hopes up for Tibet<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The mere sight of the Dalai Lama smiling brings joy to many of us. 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