A case study about the self-immolation practice of the Tibetan and its increasing incidence; in search for the best strategy/action for the Dalai Lama to control its number.

1. Divine intervention for the HUMAN TORCH
Case study submitted by
SONEPHAVANH LIEMPHACHANH
WILFREDO RUIN
As requirement for completion to
PAF 204: Ethics in Public Affairs
13 December 2014

2. Outline of Presentation
Background
Analysis of the Case
Viewpoints
Time Context
Objectives
Areas of Consideration
Alternative Courses of Action
Recommendations

3. Background
Today‟s generation is FREE and generally enjoying the sense of freedom
People, with globalization, are empowered and are able to make expressions
However, there still are oppressed communities fighting for their freed

4. Background
Tibetans are jailed inside the ruling of the Chinese authorities, which resulted to the following:
Destruted Tibet‟s civilization, language, identity;
Interfered with their spiritual lives;
Demonized the Dalai Lama; forced monks to denounce him;
Influx of Chinese settlers and took jobs away, land, and future of Tibetans; exploited Tibet‟s natural resource; &
Forced Tibetan nomads away from their settling areas

5. Background
Self-immolation – a way of protest inflicting own body in fire; a form of sacrifice to voice out an expression of disgust/disagreement
Characterized by 2 major arguments:
Politically motivated
Manipulation from an organized group

6. Background
Self-immolation
Increasing substantially in number
2009 recorded 133 incidents; 112 men and 21 are women
Particulars
Percentages (%)
Known to have died following their protest
81
Aged 18 or under
18
Percentage of monks
18
Percentage of nuns
2

7. Background
Dalai Lama
Head of the Buddhist religion in Tibet; primarily referred to as the “Bodhisattva”
Three main commitments are the following:
Promotion of human values such as compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, contentment and self- discipline;
Promotion of religious harmony and understanding among major religious traditions; and
Work to preserve Tibet‟s culture which is that for peace and non-violence.

8. Viewpoints
Dalai Lama
Urged China to look harder at the reasons behind the incidents
Self-immolation is an understandable act but doesn‟t encourage others to do the same
The act is hard to judge whether right or wrong for it is an expression that doesn‟t hurt anyone

9. Viewpoints
Robert Thurman & Je Tsongkhapa
They are moved about the act but doesn‟t encourage anyone to do the same
It is better to endure with the suffering and from there develop a mind of love and compassion for the people while alive.
Honor the people who undergone the act
Those who died in anger against the Chinese are doing the act wrong.

10. Viewpoints
Dr. Dibyesh Anand
The act is due to the politics of resistance
It represents the suffering of the Tibetans
Increase in number is expectable due to greater control by the Chinese authorities
The Dalai Lama is the highest respective person and symbol of Tibet thus any act against him is a threat to Tibetans‟ lives; generally disrespectful to their dignity

11. Viewpoints
Lobsang Sangay
They don‟t encourage the act, especially those inside Tibet because of the consequences such as they getting arrested, beaten up, tortured and disappear
Jiang Yu
The exiled Tibetan group is to be blame for the increase incidence of self-immolation because they exemplifies rebellion and fires up revolt.

12. Viewpoints
Stephen Prothero
Said that the Dalai Lama should condemn the practice by making an impression that killing is wrong; if he speak out clearly against this ritual, they would stop.
However, he may then accrue a bad karma, which extends far beyond Tibet and the protesters

13. Time of Context
First practiced by Indian women and it is a rite requiring the widows to be burned with her deceased husband; called suttee;
First recorded case is that in 1963 by the Buddhist monk named Thich Quang Duc in South Vietnam
1987 the Tibetans began to protest against ruling of Chinese

14. Time of Context
Chinese implements laws against protest and punishments for activists
Chinese imposed a communication blockage not only for local but includes international media
2009 case during the 18th National Congress of Chinese communist party was witnessed by international communities

15. Time of Context
Mid year of 2012 recorded over 40 cases
Recent case is that of Lhamo Tashi; a student who puts himself in fire in front of the police station.
Tashi during the act is shouting slogans of freedom from the Chinese

16. Central Problem
Given the increase incidence of self- immolators, the primary interest of this case study is to know what is Dalai Lama‟s best action/ strategy, being the most influential person and head of the Buddhists in Tibet, to put a stop to this practice or control its occurrence.

17. Objectives of the Study
The interest of this study is generally to understand the practice of self-immolation and to look at an action, which the Dalai Lama may use, along with his influence, to encourage the Tibetans to stop self-immolation.
To present facts about self-immolation, including definition;
To help increase awareness about this practice and in the long-run contribute to freedom of the Tibetan from the Chinese government; and
Identify set of alternative actions through the various ethical lenses

18. Areas of Consideration
Chinese‟s rule over the Tibet is characterized by the following:
continual destruction of the civilization, language and identity;
the interference to the spiritual lives of the people;
invasion of the Chinese settlers to their lands;
setting a force against Tibetan nomads; and
exploitation of the Tibetan‟s natural resources

19. Areas of Consideration
The act is thought to have been caused by two major arguments;
It is politically motivated; and
It is a manipulation from an organized group who persuaded/ influenced these individuals to do the act

20. Areas of Consideration
Dalai Lama‟s three main commitments in life are the following:
promotion of human values such as compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, contentment and self- discipline;
promotion of religious harmony and understanding among major religious traditions; and
work to preserve Tibet‟s culture which is that for peace and non-violence.

21. Areas of Consideration
Robert Thurman said to honor the people who undergone self-immolation and to offer them prayers so they can be reborn as humans.
Those who self-immolated are definitely free of hatred because if they were not then they die not ready for the sacrifice and that would mean the act does not work; defeated its purpose;

22. Areas of Consideration
Lobsang Sangay don‟t encourage the practice because they may tend to get arrested, beaten up, tortured and disappear;
Jiang Yu said that the exiled Tibetan group should be the ones to blame for the self- immolation because they just exemplifies rebellion and fires revolt

23. Alternative Courses of Actions
1.Dalai Lama to condemn the practice of self-immolation and to discourage the Tibetans to the same act again.
Pros:
This is the right thing to do and this choice makes the Dalai Lama morally right because he just did what is expected from him, which is the promotion of life;
This action will cause for the drop in number of self- immolation incidence;
This will minimize the violence inflicted by the Chinese authorities against the Tibetans; and
This action pleases the “precept” of Buddhism about killing, which says that it is wrong to take someone‟s life, not even his own life.

24. Alternative Courses of Actions
1.Dalai Lama to condemn the practice of self-immolation and to discourage the Tibetans to the same act again.
Cons:
This action may conflict with the ethics of those who self- immolated. The action being done for a higher purpose;
The family of the immolators may be dismayed with the Dalai Lama;
This action defeated one precept of Buddhism, which is to respect the departed, honor them and show compassion.
Stoppage to the practice would also mean lesser chance for the Tibetan to be freed away from the Chinese authorities because there might be no other effective way to protest.

25. Alternative Courses of Actions
2.Dalai Lama to encourage the practice and continue doing this sacrifice as their revolt against the Chinese authorities.
Pros:
This action is ethical to the side of those who immolated. Taking the utilitarian ethicist‟s view and given the assumption that the self-immolation is a right thing to do, then they must maximize utility so they must continue the practice until it serves the higher purpose;
There will be a greater chance for this practice to be internationally heard;
There is greater chance for the attainment of their freedom from the Chinese if all the aware international community will support them in their fight against their oppressors.

26. Alternative Courses of Actions
2.Dalai Lama to encourage the practice and continue doing this sacrifice as their revolt against the Chinese authorities.
Cons:
Defeats the Dalai Lama‟s commitments, which will make him unethical and morally wrong in his actions;
This will fire an even greater stance of control from the Chinese to the Tibetans and, consequently, will increase violence such as being arrested, beaten up, tortured and made disappear; and
Violates precept of Buddhism about killing and disrupts universal laws about taking life away from someone‟s body.

27. Alternative Courses of Actions
3.Dalai Lama to make a statement that the practice is neither right nor wrong and should emphasize that the practice is “understandable” due to the situation and they must honor those who self-immolated but will discourage doing the act.
Pros:
Right thing to do given the precept of Buddhism, which is the preservation of life and because he must act/do his commitments;
Tibetans will follow him, may result to substantial decrease in number;
This will encourage the Tibetans to realize what is right or wrong based on their unique situations; it suggests that the Dalai Lama is leaving final decision to people and will respect the choices they made.

28. Alternative Courses of Actions
3.Dalai Lama to make a statement that the practice is neither right nor wrong and should emphasize that the practice is “understandable” due to the situation and they must honor those who self-immolated but will discourage doing the act.
Pros:
This action did not violate a precept of Buddhism about the departed because he still showed them compassion by saying that “he understands the intentions” and still paid for high respect to them by honoring them; and
The Chinese authority may appreciate the initiative of the Dalai Lama in saying that he discourages the act

29. Alternative Courses of Actions
3.Dalai Lama to make a statement that the practice is neither right nor wrong and should emphasize that the practice is “understandable” due to the situation and they must honor those who self-immolated but will discourage doing the act.
Cons:
Tibetans may take this as a “half-baked” decision and may get confused about whether to take the practice as absolutely wrong or right; Tibetan may also signal a weak stance against the Chinese; and
This action may be limiting the options of the Tibetans as they voiced their disagreements with their oppressors.

30. Discussions & Recommendations
Dalai Lama to make a statement that the practice is neither right nor wrong and should emphasize that the practice is “understandable” due to the situation and they must honor those who self- immolated but will discourage doing the act.

31. References
The Economist. 2013. Buddhism and Self-immolation: The theology of self-destruction. Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/blogs/erasmus/2013/03/buddhism-and-self-immolation
Rob Taylor (2013). Tibetan self-immolations having little effect, Dalai Lama says. Thompson Reuters International Media Agency. Retrieved at: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/13/us-china-tibet-dalai- idUSBRE95C05S20130613 on December 1, 2014.
Center of Tibetans Administration, (2013). NBC Interviews His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Self-immolation Tragedy in Tibet. New York. Retrieved at: http://tibet.net/2012/10/23/nbc-interviews-his-holiness-the-dalai-lama-on-self- immolation-tragedy-in-tibet/
Thurman, R (2013). A Statement from Robert Thurman on the Tibetan Self-Immolation. Retrieved at: http://youtu.be/_XEEohjzAZQ. December 2, 2014.
Arora, K (January 2, 2012). Tibet: Self-immolation won‟t trigger China Spring. Zee News of India. Retrieved from: http://zeenews.india.com/home/tibet-self-immolation-wont-trigger-china-spring_742597.html.
TA. (2011, November 4). Explanation on the Tibetan Self Immolation Protest. Retrieved from „https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kKPVDhrnFg&feature=youtu.be‟
 Robert Barnett, “Political Self-Immolation in Tibet: Causes and Influences”, Revue d‟Etudes Tibétaines, no. 25, Décembre 2012, pp. 41-64.
International Campaign for Tibet. 06 October 2014. Self-immolations by Tibet. Retrieved from http://www.savetibet.org/resources/fact-sheets/self-immolations-by-tibetans/
The Dalai Lama. Three main commitments. Retrieved from http://www.dalailama.com/biography/three-main- committments
Associated Press. The Burning Monk. Historical Context. Retrieved from http://www.ap.org/explore/the-burning- monk/
Biggs M. December 2012. Self-Immolation in Context 1963-2012. Revue d'Etudes Tibetaines, no. 25. pp 143-150
Samphel T. (n,d).Cause of Self-Immolation in Tibet and Reaction of Chinese Netizens. Tibet Policy Institute

32. Thank You!
"An act that is not often committed, not casually arrived at, and, most assuredly, not easily forgotten. It is more than just an anguish cry for help; it is a searing demand to be remembered."
- Bostic, 1973