DHARAMSALA, INDIA – The past few months have not been easy for His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who has had to cancel a number of meetings and appearances citing exhaustion. Today, His Holiness announced an indefinite leave of absence from his public engagements.
Since the news broke in 2016 that the Dalai Lama was receiving treatment in the famed Mayo Clinic in the United States, observers around the world have taken a keen interest in the Dalai Lama’s health. With this latest news, Tibetans and Tibetan Buddhists everywhere are understandably worried for the aging Tibetan leader and the state of his health, and questions are invariably being asked as to what could have been done to prevent this.
What people want to know is if His Holiness’ cited fatigue is the result of years of abuse, neglect and exploitation from Dharamsala. For 82 years, they have relied on His Holiness for spiritual and secular guidance, and to see them through their darkest and most difficult days.
When His Holiness went into exile in 1959, he was just a few months shy of his 23rd birthday yet was carrying the burden of the entire Tibetan nation on his young shoulders. The succeeding years did not become easier, as the young ruler had to re-establish his people in exile, and make all efforts to secure their welfare. He was also responsible for initiating negotiations for their future and a possible return to their homeland. How many other young adults in the world can say they have been thrust into such a position, to bear so much responsibility at such an age?
As decades in exile passed by, the Tibetan leadership flat-out refused to take up the mantle of responsibility and to grow into a mature, transparent and effective democratic government. Instead, they chose to leave His Holiness traversing the course of the globe for six decades, to raise funds and awareness for his people. Meanwhile, Tibetan elected officials stayed comfortable at home, choosing to descend into the swamp of politicking, constant infighting and petty bickering.
The news of His Holiness relinquishing his public appearances will no doubt greatly worry the Tibetan public, as they too have pinned their hopes on the Dalai Lama since entering into exile. That they will be worried is extremely telling, not just because they love the Dalai Lama but also because it expresses their lack of confidence in the CTA to replace him.
No doubt we wish His Holiness well and a speedy recovery. But even more than that, we wish that the Tibetan leadership would stop being so reliant on the Dalai Lama who, after eight decades of serving sentient beings, should now be given time to rest. A leader of the Dalai Lama’s secular and spiritual caliber should not be traveling the world begging for funds. A leader of His Holiness’s stature should be in Dharamsala, comfortable and in retreats, receiving audiences with world leaders who come to see him while his government takes care of everything else.
But centuries of blind obedience to a singular ruler has created an unthinking, unexposed leadership who become paralyzed at the thought of having to do anything for themselves, and having to make any decisions on their own. Instead, whenever it is inconvenient for them to decide for themselves, they fall back on centuries’ old habits – to consult with the Nechung Oracle, or to defer to the Dalai Lama’s decisions.
But now that the Dalai Lama will no longer be as accessible, what will the Tibetan leadership do? Now that His Holiness is resting and will no longer travel to drum up support for the Tibetans in the foreseeable future, everything will hinge on the Tibetan leadership. Whether they make it or not, and whether they keep up the momentum and support for their works in His Holiness’ absence will be entirely up to them. Whether or not they succeed will be entirely up to them. All of it lies in the hands of the CTA now, all of it.
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Source: https://www.voanews.com/a/dalai-lama-appoints-personal-emissaries/4118315.html. Click to read the full report.
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