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