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The Dalai Lama implies that violence achieves sudden, small satisfaction, but in the long run creates negative effects through the form of karmic rebirth.

The Dalai Lama believes that although we can't forgive the action, we should always forgive the actor. It isn’t the Buddhist way to blame China because that would mean they lost compassion; yet how can the Tibetan Monks forgive China sans forgiving the acts committed upon themselves?
www.dalailamainaustralia.org

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In 1989, the Dalai Lama received the Nobel Peace Prize for maintaining a policy of nonviolence with the Chinese regime. In his acceptance speech, he evinced the idea of humanity to all international leaders; the idea that we are all the same, bounded by the same wants and desires of happiness. “To be contented, we must find trust and friendship which are found when we realize that everyone has a right to be happy “ (CNN). Happy and the want to be happy is the core of human nature so says the Dalai Lama. He believes that the cause of Tibet’s freedom will prevail as long as the people tread the path of nonviolence and compassion.

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So how is Tibetan Buddhism different? It carries with it all the same qualities as Buddhism mentioned here. However, it has a more interesting emphasis on the Vajrayana path, which focuses more on enlightenment through practice than through removal of negativity. This emphasizes the importance of a guru or lama to navigate the mundane world, or samsara. Because of its focus on enlightenment through practice, saying, Tibetan Buddhism also encourages skepticism and debate (Miller and Lin, 118). Rather than a religion of blind faith, it has been called a “religion of reason” (Lempert 3).

Tibetan Buddhism has in fact been called out for being “Buddhism in its least recognizable appearance” (Lieberman). The distinct turn Vajrayana takes from the original Theravada/Hinayana path is difficult to ignore. One no longer finds enlightenment on one’s own, but with the guide of a guru. The path is not slow and personal, but fast and ritualistic (Lieberman). While it keeps to many original Buddhist teachings, the Vajrayana path leaves more room for misinterpretation than any other, perhaps explaining why self-immolation is practiced with regularity despite the controversy it has in the Buddhist world.

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Four Noble Truths and the Brahma Viharas

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Four Noble Truths and the Brahma Viharas

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To end suffering and reach enlightenment, one must realize the nature of reality is emptiness, or sunyata. Through Buddhism’s principle text, the Theravada, one learns the Four Noble Truths: the truth of suffering, the truth of origin, truth of cessation, and the final truth, which is the Eightfold Path (Chávez-Segura 29). These truths start with acknowledging suffering, that is comes from desire, one must removes selfish wants, and then achieve enlightenment by 8 “right” means: view, aspiration, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration (Chávez-Segura). There are also four Brahma Viharas: metta (loving kindness), karuna (compassion), mudita (sympathetic joy), and uppekha (equanimity). By following these viharas, one can enter the realm of Brahma – but only through social action and interaction rooted in these four virtues (Chávez-Segura 46).

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In a complex and painful world, it is important to recognize similarities in order to not only empathize with their suffering, but also to be able to learn together about faith, spirituality, and forgiveness.

“In a multifaith and multisuffering world, being friends cannot and should not be limited by the boundaries of faith tradition” (Jung).

Self immolation is not a conclusion one comes to lightly. This is not just suicide, it is one that is slow, painful, and dramatic. The rest of the world remains relatively silent on the issues involving Tibet because of fear of upsetting China.

This shows how apathetic the world can be. These monks feel as though the only way for the world to notice their suffering is to set themselves on fire as an outward expression of their inward pain.

At the root of it, self immolation is really a study in empathy. In America's current political climate, there is no empathy for anyone with dissenting opinions, and intellectual walls are continuously built up. We see violent protests frequently on our streets. We should not have to wait to have empathy for each other until someone has to die.

http://tinyurl.com/hor4d99

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In Buddhism, there are three core notions: karma, rebirth, and enlightenment (Kapstein and Goldstein 5). These notions define the rest of the practice: one earns karma by one’s actions, is reincarnated to the degree of the karma earned, and in each reincarnation should be seeking enlightenment. This enlightenment, once achieved, brings about a bodhisattva – such as a Dalai Lama – who, though enlightened, stays on earth out of compassion for others to help them reach enlightenment as well (Kapstein and Goldstein 5).

Because the ultimate goal of Buddhist practitioners is enlightenment such as the bodhisattva’s, the ultimate goal is also compassion for all sentient beings (Miller and Lin 117).

Thus, the good relationships among human beings is of utmost importance, and everybody is interconnected (Miller and Lin 117).

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There are three general paths in Buddhism: the Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana paths.

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And the Vajrayana is an offshoot of Mahayana focusing on reaching enlightenment by experiencing the mundane world of samsara.

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The Mahayana path says that one go even further and can become a bodhisattva or Buddha themselves, which will be explained later.

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The Hinayana, or Theravada, is the the general acceptance of basics Buddhist thought, that one suffers by desire and can overcome it through meditation and gives an individual means by which to achieve enlightenment.

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The question then lies with whether or not this specific form of protest is really an act of compassion. In many different religions, leaders and other figures have given up their lives in an act of martyrdom.

“Taking your own life is not as violent as people think it is” (Lyons)
Here, the monks are selflessly giving up their lives for their cause.

They also continuously work to maintain compassion in their hearts for their oppressors as their teachings dictate. One monk expressed his greatest fear in Chinese prison was that we would lose his compassion for the guards (qtd. in Weisenthal, 130).

Since the crux of Buddhist belief is to refrain from killing, suicide is seen as a negative act. If the monks are committing suicide, the question remains whether or not they have maintained that compassion for others or if they have given up and chose to at least make a progressive statement with their failure.

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Benn, James A.. Studies in East Asian Buddhism : Burning for the Buddha : Self-Immolation in

Chinese Buddhism. Honolulu, US: University of Hawaii Press, 2007. ProQuest ebrary.

Web. 4 December 2016.

Bammes, Dan. "The Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path." The Four Noble Truths and the

Eightfold Path. Sasana, n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2016.

Chambers, Francesca. "'We Are Not in Favor of Independence': President Barack Obama
Reiterates U.S. Position That Tibet Is Part of China." Daily Mail. Associated

Newspapers, 12 Nov. 2014. Web. 06 Nov. 2016.

Chávez-Segura, Alejandro. A Tibetan Buddhist Approach To International Relations : The

Teaching Of The Dalai Lama. Lewiston: Edwin Mellen Press, 2011. eBook Collection

(EBSCOhost). Web. 6 Nov. 2016.

Jung, Kyeongil. "Introduction: Spiritual Friends in a Multifaith and Multisuffering World."
Buddhist-Christian Studies 34.1 (2014): 3-5. Web.

"Justice Without Borders.”Http://cja.org/where-we-work/china/ N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2016.

Kapstein, Matthew, and Melvyn C. Goldstein. Buddhism In Contemporary Tibet : Religious

Revival And Cultural Identity. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998. eBook

Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 6 Nov. 2016.

Lam, Oiwan. "China: Last Words of 19 Tibetans Who Committed Self-Immolation · Global

Voices." Global Voices. N.p., 25 Nov. 2012. Web. 04 Dec. 2016.

Lempert, Michael. Discipline And Debate : The Language Of Violence In A Tibetan Buddhist

Monastery. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2012. eBook Collection

(EBSCOhost). Web. 6 Nov. 2016.

Lieberman, Maria. “Basic Concepts of Tibetan Buddhism.” Brown University Library. 2003.

Web. 4 Dec. 2016.
Lyons, Ivory. "Tibetan Buddhism and Self-Immolation." Personal interview. 1 Dec. 2016.

"Timeline of Tibetan Buddhist History - Major Events." Timeline of Tibetan

Buddhist History - Major Events. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2016.

Miller, John P., Jing Lin, and Edward J. Brantmeier. Spirituality, Religion, And Peace Education.

Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, 2010. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web.

6 Nov. 2016.

Tam, Aaron. Spiritual Renewal: Chinese and Tibetan Buddhism Explained. University of British

Columbia Blogs. 2010. Web. 8 Nov. 2016.

Wiesenthal, Simon. The Sunflower. New York: Schocken, 1976. Print.

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“I don’t want to live anymore...there is no point to living”

“No one deserves to live like this”
"I can't bear the pain in my heart. I will leave behind some trace for the world "

“...we give up our lives for justice, truth, and freedom.” (Lam)

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Through the monk's actions, we see that forgiveness and compassion are tied to spirituality. However, spirituality does not necessarily mean religion. There are many religious people who are not spiritual and many spiritual people who are not religious. The middle path of Buddhism actually renounces religion (Levine,9).

The Tibetan monks’ protest is also a way of showing compassion. While Buddhists may be pacifists, allowing oppression and violence to take place equally does not adhere to Buddhist principles. By protesting, they are having compassion on themselves. It is to end suffering on the personal and collective level.

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The Dalai Lama is a reincarnated manifestation of the Buddha's lessons of compassion
In 1951, China claimed Tibetan territory, and in 1959 China rushed the failed Tibetan revolt where thousands of Tibetans died. At 16 years of age the 14th and current Dalai Lama, Dondrub Lhamo, lost his freedom under Chinese hegemony, and at 24 years he lost his country. The challenges posed over the 60 years of his life has, as he believes, made him stronger.

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Buddhism is an interesting religion, as it doesn’t ordinarily fall into the category of “religion,” as one may expect. In fact, many consider Buddhism to be a practice rather than part of a theological paradigm. Thus, in explaining Buddhism and in particular its role in Tibet, it is important to realize the complex normative rules that Buddhism has constructed.

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The Tibetan form of Buddhism has been in the region since the beginning of the 7th century CE. Historically Tibet refers to the mountainous region is central Asia, but now refers to the Tibetan Autonomous Region in China, which is about half the size of historical Tibet. China has occupied China since 1950 and the revolts started  6years later. In 1959 the Dalai Lama escaped to India when 87,000 Tibetan protesters died and the protests have ensued ever since.