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Compass - Season Episode 12
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00:15My whole identity is Thibet. Everything I do is for the sake of Thibet.
00:20I guess most of our culture and our tradition and the way we live has a really strong tie
00:27to the Buddhist scripture and Buddhism as a religion.
00:32His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama, is about to turn 91.
00:37He's the spiritual leader of millions of Tibetan Buddhists worldwide.
00:42With each year the contentious question of his succession intensifies.
00:48The reincarnation of the Dalai Lama must adhere to the principle of domestic search,
00:53golden urn draw and approval by the central government.
00:56The Chinese government wants to control who will be the next Dalai Lama,
01:01while Tibetan Buddhists want that decision to be made by the current Dalai Lama
01:05in line with traditional Tibetan Buddhist beliefs.
01:09As far as my own rebirth is concerned, the final authority is myself, no one else.
01:21And obviously, not Chinese communist.
01:25The Chinese government, their plan of course is to select their own Dalai Lama
01:30and to put that puppet Dalai Lama in office.
01:35Our sole protector is His Holiness, so without him, like, what will happen, you know?
01:40What will the Chinese do?
01:42His birthday is both a cause for celebration for us,
01:45it's a time for us to gather as a community,
01:48and it is tinged with a bit of anxiety for us about what it means for us in the future.
01:52I really hope that the world sees how wrong it is for China to choose the next Dalai Lama,
01:59because it's not a political matter, it's a religious matter.
02:04So are we heading towards a major clash between religion and politics?
02:09And are we facing the prospect of a world with two Dalai Lamas?
02:34It's a cold Canberra morning and the Australia-Tibet Council and supporters are here at Parliament House for their annual
02:42Lobby Day.
02:43They're hoping to ensure the Australian government will recognise the Dalai Lama's choice for his successor and not China's choice.
02:54Among the group are Yang Kyi, who's travelled from Newcastle, and Shen Pen, who lives locally in Canberra.
03:03We are here to ask the Australian government to take a stance in keeping with democratic governments across the world,
03:10like the US, like the EU, publicly stating that the Australian government will only engage with and recognise a Dalai
03:18Lama
03:18that is appointed in accordance with the wishes of the current Dalai Lama.
03:22Politicians from across the spectrum, Liberal, Labor, Greens and Independent,
03:28have come together to hear directly from Tibetan Australians about their concerns both here and in Tibet.
03:36So on this Tibetan Lobby Day we extend our deepest appreciation to Tibetans wise and older and Tibetans younger
03:46and we welcome them to their national parliament.
03:49Tibetan existence is actually at a really critical point in time. It's very vulnerable right now.
03:57In the Tibetan space, simply being Tibetan is an act of resistance really.
04:02So when Tibetans here in Australia don their cultural dress, speak Tibetan language,
04:06and just celebrate the life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, this is a powerful act of resistance.
04:13My name is Youngki. I was born in Tibet and grew up there until I was 12 and came to
04:18Australia.
04:19My father became a political prisoner when I was four months old and had to escape Tibet.
04:25But due to the dangers of travelling over the Himalayas to India on foot, they had no choice but to
04:31leave me with my extended family in Tibet.
04:34I grew up under CCP's rule, like many other Tibetan children.
04:39I felt completely disconnected to my Tibetan identity, only speaking Mandarin and punished for speaking Tibetan.
04:46I'm here today because I want to feel safe. Thank you.
04:54Some politicians are visibly moved by these stories. Among them is Senator Barbara Pocock.
05:01Yes, very nice to meet you too. Thank you so much.
05:04I think of my own grandchild who's four months old.
05:07I cannot imagine the decision that your mother had to make and your father to set aside a four-month
05:13-old child and make that journey.
05:15I am glad that all those years later you were able to come and clearly make a contribution in our
05:24own community.
05:28Ready? Three, two, one.
05:31Free Tibet! Free Tibet! Free Tibet!
05:37Shen Pen and his family live close to his father, Cho Pei, who worked for the Dalai Lama for more
05:44than two decades.
05:46I was in the lobby.
05:48What are you doing?
05:50I was in Melbourne, Sydney, Newcastle.
05:55What are you doing?
05:57I was in the lobby.
05:59I was in the lobby.
06:01I was in the lobby.
06:02What are you doing?
06:03Like many Tibetans in Australia, they're still deeply connected to their homeland and the Dalai Lama.
06:10We have a central figure, our North Star, who basically guides us in every walk of life.
06:16And so with him as an example for us, we have something bigger to aim for.
06:22We have a purpose much larger than ourselves to work for.
06:26Being a Tibetan and sort of leaning into your heritage is just one of the things that comes by the
06:33by in aspiring to live a life,
06:36that is the way that His Holiness is teaching us.
06:39Cho Pei is one of the generation of Tibetans who fled after the failed Tibetan uprising in 1959,
06:46almost a decade after Tibet was annexed by China.
06:52He was 11 years old at the time.
06:56At the wake of the Chinese invasion, my parents decided to escape from Tibet and try to find a safer
07:05place.
07:05But we did not know, at that time, the fate of His Holiness.
07:12While the Dalai Lama sought refuge in India, Cho Pei and his family arrived in Mustang, Nepal,
07:19after crossing the mountains in treacherous conditions.
07:24Because so many refugees and thousands of them poured into this tiny little valley, food was scarce.
07:33So that was the beginning of the hardship.
07:36My father died there.
07:38My sister died there.
07:40Our daughter died there.
07:42All our animals died there.
07:45And it was a very difficult time.
07:51Life in exile took Cho Pei to several Tibetan settlements in Nepal.
07:57As a young man, he travelled to England to study.
08:00With little connection to his Buddhist community, his spirituality was tested.
08:07When I got in England, I became more hard, even questioning my Buddhist faith.
08:16After finishing his studies, he went to Dharamshala, India, where he met the Dalai Lama and everything changed.
08:26When you meet His Holiness, every worry, every negative emotion just melts away.
08:35Here was a man who was completely compassionate.
08:39If I were to take out my heart and fresh and ask him to keep it for me in my
08:47next generations, next lives, I thought he would do it.
08:51And then I said, I don't know whether I'm a Buddhist or not, so please give me a Buddhist vow.
09:03He laughed and said, by saying this, you are a Buddhist.
09:08So I don't need to get a special vow.
09:13Cho Pei served as a representative for the Central Tibetan Administration in many countries around the world.
09:21In 1998, Cho Pei and his family made a home in Australia.
09:27Now he has four grandkids to pass his culture on to.
09:32My dad instilled in us a pride in our heritage, educating us about our history, about Tibetan Buddhism, and about
09:42the richness of the culture.
09:44I said, well done.
09:47And then mum took that and almost operationalized that on a day-to-day basis, sort of reminding us constantly
09:55about things.
10:01I think maybe part of us teaching them about the culture is creating the nostalgia that they'll always come back
10:07to.
10:08And a lot of that, I think, is tied to food.
10:10We want to make sure that when they're in their thirties and they eat this, they think, ah!
10:14It just triggers certain memories.
10:16I would hope that those memories are then tied to their cultural identity.
10:39For most Tibetans, this cultural identity is inseparable from the spiritual leadership of the Dalai Lama.
10:50There have only been 14 Dalai Lamas since 1391.
10:56According to Tibetan Buddhist belief, each is the reincarnation of the previous one, believed to be all the same being,
11:05but alive at different times.
11:09This Dalai Lama was recognized when he was two years old.
11:14Tibetan Buddhists believe that like all previous Dalai Lamas, he will choose the time and place of his own reincarnation.
11:24Over the years, he's hinted, he could reincarnate as male or female, or even not at all.
11:32If the circumstances such, female Dalai Lama is more useful, then automatically, female Dalai Lama will come.
11:41When he celebrated his 90th birthday last year, he made it clear that there will be a 15th Dalai Lama,
11:50and that senior Lamas in his own trust have the sole authority for finding his next incarnation.
11:58In his recent book, he wrote that his successor would be born in the free world.
12:04As the Dalai Lama confirms that he will have a successor, one who will be recognized by the trust he
12:10founded and won't come from China.
12:12But Beijing, though, has rejected the landmark announcement by the head of Tibetan Buddhism, saying the future Dalai Lama can
12:19only be approved by the Communist Party.
12:24The reincarnation of the Dalai Lama must adhere to the principle of domestic search, golden urn drawer, and approval by
12:30the central government,
12:31and be handled in accordance with religious rituals, historical customs, and national laws and regulations.
12:38Rebirth happens to everybody. You know, we are all rebirth of something, somebody, or dog, or insect, whatever. We are
12:48rebirth.
12:49A reincarnation is intentional. So the person who is reincarnating would say,
12:55okay, I'll be born in this place to this parents on this time.
13:01It's a very common thing. We legislate the Dalai Lama to be born here. It is beyond belief.
13:13If you accept that the current Dalai Lama can be reincarnated, then you're accepting that he has the spiritual authority
13:21to choose a place and time to be reborn.
13:23But you have spent the last 70 years undermining His Holiness and calling him a wolf in sheep's clothing.
13:33Recent tensions between the Tibetans and the Chinese government centre over the Panchen Lama.
13:39The Panchen Lama, who's the second highest incarnate Lama in Tibetan Buddhism, would be the one who would say directly
13:46who the next Dalai Lama was.
13:48The most recent Panchen Lama's reincarnation was recognised in 1995 as a six-year-old boy, but he was swiftly
13:58taken away by the Chinese Communist Party and has been disappeared ever since.
14:04The CCP replaced him with their own Panchen Lama.
14:08They knew and they recognised the role the Panchen Lama would play eventually when His Holiness passed away.
14:13They've shown us what they're capable of and what they will do.
14:17They talk about time-honoured traditions, but it's sort of laughable to see a Communist Party that is only a
14:24few decades old have any sort of say over an institution that is many hundreds of years old.
14:30And so it is a scary prospect because it's a weird world we live in and the truth doesn't necessarily
14:38matter anymore.
14:39Compass contacted the Chinese Consul General in Sydney, who declined an interview, but provided this statement.
14:47The Chinese government upholds the principle of independence and self-governance in religious affairs and administers the reincarnation of living
14:56Buddhas, including that of the Dalai Lama, in accordance with the law.
15:19The Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government in exile are based in the foothills of the Himalayas in Dharamsala, India.
15:27Here, Tibetans are free to express their religion and culture.
15:35Today, a multi-party delegation of Australian parliamentarians has come to see the Dalai Lama and members of the Central
15:44Tibetan Administration.
15:48Their visit coincides with the 36th anniversary of the Dalai Lama's Nobel Peace Prize and celebrations are in full swing.
16:04We are delighted to acknowledge the presence of honourable members of parliament and journalists from France, Australia, New Zealand, which
16:12we have today's gathering here.
16:14We are deeply moved, deeply humbled, and very, very delighted to share this very special day with you.
16:32Amid the festivities, there was a rare moment to meet with the Dalai Lama himself.
16:38It was much more profound than I expected it to be, actually, just seeing all these parliamentarians from across the
16:45world who are used to operating in an adversarial environment become childlike under his touch.
16:54It was actually quite overwhelming. I felt the emotion of the moment and I could just feel that kindness coming
17:01from him and I will be taking that kindness and that message of peace back home with me.
17:07I love that the Dalai Lama talked about how his hearing and his sight and his teeth are very good.
17:15That's very encouraging. I want him to live a long time.
17:19He talked about the need for compassion around the world and the need to respect human rights.
17:26I can say that the Australian parliament will continue across all parties to pay attention to the situation of Tibetans
17:34and to push for their right to determine who their next Dalai Lama is.
17:51Yang Ki moved to Australia at 12 and now lives in Newcastle, New South Wales.
17:58She grew up under Chinese rule in Tibet and had to go to a Chinese state-run boarding school away
18:04from her village.
18:06They nearly tried to erase my identity as a Tibetan.
18:12It seemed like a normal school, you know, where you get taught everything, but it's all in Chinese.
18:18Tibetan wasn't allowed to be spoken at that school and you do get punished for speaking Tibetan.
18:24You weren't allowed to represent anything that's Tibetan.
18:29That included things like having beads around your hands or we usually wear sacred texts around our neck or pictures
18:39of llamas around our neck.
18:42That is not allowed.
18:44So when I went back home from that school, I mean, I'm ashamed to say this, but I'm basically telling
18:52my family, you know, in Tibet that they shouldn't be speaking Tibetan.
19:00Language and culture is under attack in Tibet.
19:04Chinese are removing Tibetan children.
19:05So it's estimated that up to a million Tibetan children are now in Chinese state-run institutions.
19:12Those schools will wipe out generations of knowledge, Tibetan knowledge, Tibetan traditions, Tibetan culture.
19:23They will basically brainwash the kids if they were to tell those Tibetan kids that Tibet has always been China.
19:31That is possible.
19:34It is very scary to think that, you know, a whole generation of Tibetan children being taught the wrong history.
19:46In a previous statement, the Chinese embassy said the following.
19:51Boarding or not is entirely decided by students and parents.
19:55There is no so-called being forced or punishment at all.
19:59Boarding students can go home regularly and parents can visit their children at school at any time.
20:06Courses of traditional culture are widely available.
20:09Students are encouraged to wear traditional dresses at these schools.
20:18After 12 years apart, Yang Qi was finally reunited with her parents who brought her to join them in Australia.
20:29She's now studying to be a primary school teacher and is very active in the Australian Tibetan community.
20:36First one, you guys. One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four.
20:40I volunteer to be a dance teacher in the Tibetan community.
20:45For every event that we have, for example, His Holiness' birthday, we try and prepare a few performances.
20:53And one, two, three, and obviously you guys have to jump a lot.
20:58Yep. Let's try with music. Ready?
21:03Kids love it. They are very proud to dance in their traditional clothes.
21:10My father got in trouble with the Chinese Communist Party because he was bringing Tibetan scriptures and Tibetan political texts
21:19from India back to Tibet.
21:21His motivation was to preserve the Tibetan culture as much as he can.
21:28That tells us who we are in history.
21:32Most of our culture and our tradition and the way we live has a really strong tie to Buddhism as
21:40a religion.
21:41I think that's what's holding us together.
21:56Tibetan language schools around the world are keeping Tibetan culture and religious identity alive in exile.
22:04This one meets every Saturday morning.
22:07When I'm here, I feel like there's a deep cultural connection as well as religious because they're my people, you
22:13know.
22:13We have the same, not only heritage, but the same goal at the end, which is to preserve our language.
22:20It helps me kind of maintain my language because over time, like, because we're in an English-speaking country, we,
22:26like, tend to forget our own language because we don't, like, speak it often.
22:37It is a struggle to keep your language alive.
22:40I was blessed by having parents with the foresight to teach us Tibetan as a first language.
22:47But you're seeing almost a bit of a renaissance now, understanding the importance of Tibetan language here in exile in
22:54the West.
23:01It is an uphill battle, but through the infrastructure built by the Central Tibetan administration, it is a battle that
23:09we are waging actually quite successfully.
23:29Today, the students are rehearsing for an upcoming performance.
23:48So, I learnt myself on YouTube. I feel like I'm really talented when I'm playing those instruments. I'm like, damn,
23:54go me. You know? I'm like, I'm multi-talented.
23:58I think people who play instruments are really cool, but I don't know how to play any English instruments, so,
24:03like, being able to play my, like, cultural instruments makes me feel better.
24:11Events like this honouring the Dalai Lama's Nobel Peace Prize are an opportunity for the wider Tibetan community to come
24:20together.
24:29My whole identity is Tibet. Everything I do is for the sake of Tibet.
24:35In Western societies, Tibetans are able to learn our culture and heritage freely.
24:40So, we do bear the responsibilities of the Tibetan identity.
24:50For the younger generation, the prospect of a world without the 14th Dalai Lama is almost too hard to think
24:58about.
25:01I kind of just like not thinking about it. You know, just feeling his presence, watching videos, lectures, stuff like
25:07that.
25:08Because, like, we're, like, here and he's, like, up there. And it just, like, feels wrong to think about just,
25:14like, him passing.
25:17We call him Jamgu, which means our saviour. So, without our saviour, I don't know what will happen, you know?
25:31No one knows who the next Dalai Lama will be, but it's clear that here in Australia, the resilience and
25:38spirit of Tibetan Buddhists will endure.
25:43What China has realised is that even after 70 years, they've never won the hearts and minds of Tibetan people.
25:51The hearts and minds of Tibetan people are purely with His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
25:56They're trying to sever that connection completely.
26:00If they can get away with saying something so irrational, like an atheist Communist Party has the authority to appoint
26:07a spiritual leader, then, you know, what's next?
26:10Are we going to expect a Pope Xi Jinping the first to come the next Vatican conclave?
26:15While the Australian government has made supportive statements at the United Nations Human Rights Council, at this time, the Tibetan
26:24community here would like a more public declaration of reassurance.
26:30I think the Australian government has a role to play in upholding international law.
26:37We need to be using the diplomatic tools that we have that recognises the ongoing conflict between China and Tibet
26:44and applies some pressure for a peaceful resolution.
26:47The essence of Buddhism is wisdom and compassion.
26:54If somehow anger, in my case, anger against the Chinese occupation and atrocities in Tibet, if that doesn't go away,
27:09then my practice is still not perfect.
27:14I have full trust on His Holiness.
27:18I have full trust the fact that He will come back to us.
27:22Whatever He is born as, I just know that He will come back to us.
27:29biography
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