Washington – The president of the United States, Barack Obama, received Tenzin Gyatso, most famously known as the 14th Dalai Lama, in the White House, in spite of China’s open protest. Apparently, the government of People’s Republic of China has labeled Mr. Gyatso a “separatist that wants to split the whole country two”, and the claim is not taken lightly. The Dalai Lama was exiled from the country by the authorities, and if he returns, he would be arrested. However, his Holiness has said many times he hopes one day he will be able to return home.

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The President of the United States, Barack Obama, welcomes His Holiness, the Dalai Lama at the White House. Credit: El Mundo

The situation is fishy. Right now, The United States has the strongest economy in the world followed by its Chinese homolog, and their alliance has been labeled by many as the most important bilateral relationship of them all. They have had their ups and downs, but the fact that they are working together in the prevention of terrorism, the proliferation of nuclear weapons and many other sensitive subjects highlights the importance of their relations.

That is not to say they don’t have issues. There are a couple of loose ties regarding the democratic status of the governmental system of the Asian country and human right issues, but despite that, China holds 10% of the American foreign debt. In other words, North America owes around $2 trillion to the Asian economic monster which makes it its biggest creditor.

The Dalai Lama is using religion to develop his political agenda further

Taking all of these into consideration it can be difficult to understand why the president of the United States didn’t reject the invitation; he wouldn’t be the first. A lot of other countries have turned down meetings with Gyatso in fear of cutting diplomatic ties with the government of the 4th biggest country in the world. But the head of state didn’t only receive his Holiness in the White House; he met with the man at closed doors, which means no one other than the people in that room knows what they talked about.

China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lu Kang said during a press conference that the 14th Dalai Lama was hiding his true intentions behind the veil of religion. Kang added the Holy man’s real intentions were to divide China and asked the governments of the world not to receive him in their lands. A lot of academics and reporters have said this is a sign of insecurity by the Chinese state because the Dalai Lama has no actual political power.

However, it would be good to remember that the Dalai Lama is an ancient institution established by the Tibetan people. For many years, these people lived as a sovereign empire back in the 7th century, and the religious leader who played a huge role in politics was the Dalai Lama. However, that is in a long forgotten past, ad still, the Holy man has said some things that can be easily misinterpreted by a suspicious listener.

For instance, when asked about his commitments, he said he has three: spread the word of compassion as the greatest human value of all times, to promote the religious harmony between practitioners of different traditions and non-believers, and lastly, to reach a beneficial solution between the Tibetans and Chinese.

“Tibetans place their trust in me. Therefore, my third commitment is to the Tibetan issue. I have a responsibility to act the free spokesperson of the Tibetans in their struggle for justice. As far as this third commitment, it will cease to exist once a mutually beneficial solution is reached between the Tibetans and Chinese. However, my first two commitments I will carry on till my last breath,” reads the official Dalai Lama webpage.

Will the Tibetans choose another Dalai Lama?

Since he left home, the man has been faced with the same question over and over again. Journalists, politicians and celebrities have asked him if he is the last Dalai Lama to what he has said, “It depends on the Tibetan people.”

“Whether the institution of the Dalai Lama remains or not depends entirely on the wishes of the Tibetan people. It is for them to decide. I made this clear as early as in 1969. Even in 1963, after four years in exile, we made a draft constitution for a future Tibet which is based on the democratic system.” Says the official Dalai Lama webpage.

Since the Tibetan Empire was overthrown and its territories added to countries such as China and India, it would be safe to expect that any plans of establishing some independent government are off the table. Implying that the Tibetans could choose another “spiritual leader”, Tenzin Gyatso leaves that possibility open, and the fact that his meeting with Obama was protected by the highest of the secrecies could make anyone wonder.

Source: Daily Mail