Tibetan Buddhism: Politics of Religion

Paper Summary:

This paper explores Tibetan Buddhism as an essence of Tibet's national identity that has helped Tibetans unite and work together for Tibet's independence. In order to fully understand how Tibetans incorporate their Buddhist norms into their independence movement, it investigates political movements led by both Tibetans in Tibet and the Tibetan refugee community in India. It also discusses what kinds of limitations future independent Tibet would face due to the Dalai Lama's complete authority and how the Dalai Lama is conforming to a modern political system..

From the Paper:

"With the Dalai Lama as its unquestionable leader, Tibetans have strived to gain an independence and democracy of their nation. Indeed, the pro-democracy component of their protests has helped them gain a support from other nations, especially from Western developed nations, and present the Dalai Lama as the true representative of the Tibetan people. The Dalai Lama as Tibet's democratic representative, however, poses challenges to its further democratization. When asked about their views on democracy, Tibetans commonly reply that in future independent Tibet the Dalai Lama should have the complete authority and there should be democracy."

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