“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
— George Santayana
— George Santayana
“That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of all the lessons that history has to teach.” –Aldous Huxley
“Do not lose view to conduct, or you might take things as real. Do not lose conduct to the view, or you might think virtue and non-virtue do not exist.” –Guru Padmasambhava
Introduction
Think Tibet was a peaceful Shangri-La? And that the Dalai Lamas and their monastic tradition brought peace, compassion and unity? Think again!
• Over 3 centuries of violence, destruction, censorship, suppression and intimidation that continued into exile post 1959
• Foreign invasion: Mongolian-Gelug rule to Chinese Qing dynasty
• Gelugpas traded power for protection, say independent historians
• Mass suppression and censorship of other lineages for authoritarian power
What really happened in Tibet? Was it a peaceful haven Shangri-la or a manipulated, dictatorial religious regime? Discover the truth behind the Dalai Lamas’ and Gelugpa rise to political and religious power.
Join Buddhist scholar-translator, Adele Tomlin for a brief history lesson of over three centuries of violence, intimidation and suppression of the other lineages under foreign invasion Mongolian-Gelug rule, followed by the Chinese Qing dynasty, in this reel below:
Independent historians and scholars, such as Eliot Sperling and others, agree that Gelugpas gave away their administrative power to foreign armies and regimes in exchange for protection of their authoritarian rule in Tibet, first to the Mongolian brutal military regime, then to the Chinese Qing Dynasty. So that by the time of the 13th Dalai Lama they had almost zero administrative or political control over Tibet other than in a religious appearance.
See some infographic about some key events during this period after the 1642 Mongolian conquest of Tibet, which instituted the Dalai Lamas (a Mongolian name) as both political and religious leaders of Tibet for the first time in it history. This was unlike previous Buddhist masters in Tibet such as the 2nd Karmapa (who managed to escape Mongolian domination and assassination several times due to his amazing powers of realisation), and the 5th Karmapa who refused to entertain the idea of taking over Tibet politically when offered support by Chinese Emperors.
The effect that had on the other main lineages to this day, and why it is still relevant now, read my Buddhist Door Global article: The Mongolian-Gelug Shadow Over Tibet: Six Decades of Failed US-Gelug led policy.
For original research and translations on this topic, see: https://dakinitranslations.com/history-politics/
Images of 17th Century effects of Gelugpa sectarianism and military takeover by foreign military from 17th Century onwards
Primary Research & Essays
- The Mongolian-Gelug Shadow Over Tibet: A comprehensive analysis examining the 17th-century historical alliance between the Gelug school and Güshi Khan’s Mongol military force, which she argues violently suppressed alternative lineages to construct a political monopoly. The essay critiques modern Western foreign policy for continuously conflating all of Tibetan Buddhism with the Gelug institution. It can be accessed on Buddhistdoor Global and via her academic repository on Academia.edu.
- The Gelugpa ‘One-Way Street’ Sectarianism: An extensive article addressing institutional asymmetry in exile. Tomlin posits that the language of the Ri-mey (non-sectarian) movement is frequently co-opted by dominant institutions to police legitimate critique and enforce a false narrative of spiritual unity. The full analysis is hosted on Dakini Translations.
- The Sixteen Arhat Statues Looted and Exhibited by Gelugpa: A historical case study mapping the 1644 destruction of the 5th Karmapa’s Tse Lhagang repository by Gelug-Mongol forces. It details the subsequent seizure and transport of imperial Ming Dynasty artifacts to Drepung Monastery. This research can be read on Dakini Translations.