Friendly Feudalism: The Tibet Myth
Global Research, November 18, 2007
by Dr. Michael Parenti

Along with the blood drenched landscape of religious conflict there is the experience of inner peace and solace that every religion promises, none more so than Buddhism. Standing in marked contrast to the intolerant savagery of other religions, Buddhism is neither fanatical nor dogmatic--so say its adherents. For many of them Buddhism is less a theology and more a meditative and investigative discipline intended to promote an inner harmony and enlightenment while directing us to a path of right living. Generally, the spiritual focus is not only on oneself but on the welfare of others. One tries to put aside egoistic pursuits and gain a deeper understanding of one’s connection to all people and things. “Socially engaged Buddhism” tries to blend individual liberation with responsible social action in order to build an enlightened society. more...

FROM BUDDHIST POLITY TO INVASION AND DIASPORA
Department of International Relations, FHSS, Bond University, Australia Eurasia
by R. James Ferguson © 2005

Topics: -
1. Historical Introduction
2. The Buddhist Transformation
3. The Incomplete Buffer
4. 1950: Chinese Invasion or Tibetan Liberation?
5. Two Conflicting Interpretations
6. The Politics of Exile
7. Slow or Frozen Diplomacy?
8. Bibliography and Further Reading

This is a very interesting 27 page word document that will take a few seconds to load. more...

A brief History of the Karmapa-Shamarpa Lineages
By H.H. Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche

The Karma Kagyupa Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism has enjoyed a distinguished 900-year history that is intertwined at various points with the Gelugpa School to which the Dalai Lama belongs. Central to the transmission of the Kagyupa Lineage are the alternating reincarnations of the Karmapa and the Shamarpa. This brief history discusses some of the highlights of this cycle and its points of intersection with the Gelugpa School and the Dalai Lama. more...

State Department Religion Report, Tibet Section
International Campaign for Tibet December 18th,

The Department of State released its Fifth Annual Report on International Religious Freedom on December 18, 2003, in Washington, D.C. The report was issued by the State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. more...

Recognition of reincarnate lamas in Tibet
By Professor Geoffrey Samuel
Professor of Anthropology, University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia

The specialist field of my research is religion and politics in Tibetan societies, and I have written and researched in this field since my doctorate, which was awarded in 1976 for a thesis on religion and politics in Tibetan societies. This thesis, and my principal book on Tibetan religion, Civilized Shamans: Buddhism in Tibetan Societies, published in 1993, both discuss the role of reincarnate lamas (tulku) in Tibetan religion at length, and I have continued to gather material on these topics subsequently, also working on other aspects of Tibetan culture and society. My research is based on interviews, participant observation, and study of documentary materials in Tibetan and in Western languages. more...

The Tibetan Diaspora and Tibetan Buddhism in the West
Published in The Sacred Life of Tibet, HarperColllins, 1997
by Keith Dowman

Only a hundred thousand Tibetans left their homeland in the wake of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama in 1959. Thirty-five years later, small but flourishing Tibetan lay communities exist in most large cities of America, Europe and East Asia, hundreds of Tibetan gompas and temples have been built in the Indian sub-continent and around the world, and Tibetan Buddhism has become one of the fastest growing religions on the planet. The Dalai Lama himself, a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, has international status as a man and politician of rare, if not unique, integrity, and has assumed a high media profile in his crusade for the survival of Tibetan culture and for the oppressed people of his country. The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of the Geluk order and his name is well known, but performing the same quality of spiritual guidance are scores of other lamas with similar status within their communities of Tibetan, Asian and Western disciples. How has this tiny number of representatives of a nation of four million people achieved such international renown? more...

Timeline of Tibetan Buddhist History
Tibet lies at the centre of Asia, with an area of 2.5 million square kilometers. The earth's highest mountains, a vast arid plateau and great river valleys make up the physical homeland of 6 million Tibetans. It has an average altitude of 13,000 feet above sea level. more...