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Tibet: Difference between revisions
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At one meeting an organizer said, “The meeting will not stop until the whole audience denounces the Dalai Lama.... Everyone had to say, ‘The gods, lamas, religion and monasteries are tools of exploitation.... The Chinese Communist Party liberated us.... The Chinese Communist Party is more kind than our own parents.’”<ref>Dhondub Choedon, ''Life in the Red Flag People’s Commune'' (Dharamsala, india: The Office, 1978), p. 60.</ref> | At one meeting an organizer said, “The meeting will not stop until the whole audience denounces the Dalai Lama.... Everyone had to say, ‘The gods, lamas, religion and monasteries are tools of exploitation.... The Chinese Communist Party liberated us.... The Chinese Communist Party is more kind than our own parents.’”<ref>Dhondub Choedon, ''Life in the Red Flag People’s Commune'' (Dharamsala, india: The Office, 1978), p. 60.</ref> | ||
But all of this was only the beginning. The Cultural Revolution was the true era of the destruction of Tibetan religion and culture. It was | But all of this was only the beginning. The Cultural Revolution was the true era of the destruction of Tibetan religion and culture. It was [[Mao Tse-tung|Mao]]’s attempt to wipe out conservative and moderate elements in the Communist Party and the government. It was to be a violent “cleaning” of China’s “rotten core.” During it, the “Four Olds”—old ideology, old culture, old customs, and old habits—were to be destroyed. | ||
Many Tibetan youths participated, particularly those who had received a Chinese secondary education. In Tibet, Buddhism became the primary object of the destruction campaign. The Jokhang Temple was Tibet’s holiest shrine. Built in the seventh century, it was the Mecca of Buddhism for many Buddhists throughout Asia. On August 25th, 1966, Red Guards invaded and destroyed it and defaced hundreds of priceless frescoes and images. For five days its courtyards were filled with mobs burning scriptures. After the rampage it was renamed Guest House number 5. The main temple was used as a pigsty. Its catacombs were taken over for the most radical Red Guard troops. | Many Tibetan youths participated, particularly those who had received a Chinese secondary education. In Tibet, Buddhism became the primary object of the destruction campaign. The Jokhang Temple was Tibet’s holiest shrine. Built in the seventh century, it was the Mecca of Buddhism for many Buddhists throughout Asia. On August 25th, 1966, Red Guards invaded and destroyed it and defaced hundreds of priceless frescoes and images. For five days its courtyards were filled with mobs burning scriptures. After the rampage it was renamed Guest House number 5. The main temple was used as a pigsty. Its catacombs were taken over for the most radical Red Guard troops. | ||