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"FRIENDLY FEUDALISM" AND THE FREE TIBET MYTH "FRIENDLY FEUDALISM" FREE TIBET MYTH AND THE Far from being an enlightened Shangri-La, the old Tibet was a feudal theocracy where ordinary Tibetans were treated cruelly by lamas and landlords and were forced to accept their misery as karmic atonement for their wicked ways in previous lives. long 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. A glance at history, however, reveals that not all the many and widely varying forms of Buddhism have been free from doctrinal fanaticism or from the violent and exploitative pursuits so characteristic of other religions. In Sri Lanka there is a legendary and almost sacred recorded history of the triumphant battles waged by Buddhist kings of yore. During the 20th century, Buddhists clashed violently with each other and with non- Buddhists in Thailand, Burma, Korea, Japan, India and elsewhere. In Sri Lanka, armed battles between Buddhist Sinhalese and Hindu Tamils have taken many lives on both sides. In 1998, the US State Department listed 30 of the world's most violent and dangerous extremist groups; over half of them were religious, specifically Muslim, Jewish and Buddhist.' In South Korea in 1998, thousands of monks of the Chogye Buddhist order fought each other with fists, rocks, fire-bombs and clubs in pitched battles that went on for weeks. They were vying for control of the order, the largest in South Korea, with its annual budget of US$9.2 million, its millions of dollars worth of property and the privilege of appointing 1,700 monks to various offices. The brawls damaged the main Buddhist sanctuaries and left dozens of monks injured, some seriously. The Korean public appeared to disdain both factions, feeling that no matter what side took control "it would use worshippers’ donations for luxurious houses and expensive cars".? As with any religion, squabbles between or within Buddhist s are often fuelled by the material corruption and personal deficiencies of the leadership. For example, in Nagano, Japan, at Zenkoji, the prestigious complex of temples that has hosted Buddhist sects for more than 1,400 years, "a nasty battle" arose between the chief priest Komatsu and the Tacchu, a group of temples nominally under the chief priest's sway. The Tacchu monks accused Komatsu of selling writings and drawings under the temple's name for his own gain. They also were appalled by the frequency with which he was seen in the company of women. Komatsu in turn sought to isolate and punish monks who were critical of his leadership. The conflict lasted some five years and made it into the courts.* But what of Tibetan Buddhism? Is it not an exception to this sort of strife? And what of the society it helped to create? Many Buddhists maintain that, before the Chinese crackdown in 1959, old Tibet was a spiritually oriented kingdom free from the egotistical lifestyles, empty materialism and corrupting vices that beset modern industrialised society. Western news media, travel books, novels and Hollywood films have portrayed the Tibetan theocracy as a veritable Shangri-La. The Dalai Lama himself stated that "the pervasive influence of Buddhism" in Tibet "amid the wide open spaces of an unspoiled by Michael Parenti, PhD © 18 November 2007 c/- Centre for Research on Globalization, Canada Website: http:/Awww.globalresearch.ca/ by Michael Parenti, PhD © 18 November 2007 c/- Centre for Research on Globalization, Canada Website: http:/Awww.globalresearch.ca/ NEXUS = 43 I. For Lords and Lamas FEBRUARY — MARCH 2008 www.nexusmagazine.com