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Tibetan FAQ (1)
This FAQ was created for the Usenet newsgroup talk.politics.tibet and
addresses various issues that are discussed in that newsgroup on a recurring
basis. Also included are the addresses of various organizations that deal
with Tibet and a guide to the additional sources of information that are
available, both on the Internet and in print.
The maintainers of this FAQ are:
Peter Kauffner (Peter.Kauffner@bearsden.org)
Nima Dorjee (tibet@acs.ucalgary.ca)
Suggestions for improvement should be sent to (Peter.Kauffner@bearsden.org).
Note that this is a new address. The glossary entry for Losar (question A1)
has been updated for this edition of the FAQ and a chronology entry has been
added for the year 1227 (question B1).
----TABLE OF CONTENTS----
Introduction
A1) What are the meanings of specialized words used on TPT (glossary)?
Historical Issues
B1) What are the major events of Tibetan history (timeline)?
B2) What were the roles of the Dalai and Panchen Lamas in Tibetan history?
B3) Did slavery exist in old Tibet?
B4) Was human sacrifice practiced in old Tibet?
B5) What is the historical basis of the Chinese claim to Tibet?
B6) What was Tibet's status during China's Qing dynasty (1644-1912)?
B7) What was Tibet's status immediately prior to China's 1950-51 invasion?
Human Rights
C1) Are Tibetan women being forced to have abortions?
C2) How are Tibetan political prisoners treated?
C3) How many Tibetans have died as a result of the Chinese occupation?
Statistical Issues
D1) What is the total population of Tibet?
D2) How many ethnic Chinese live in Tibet (population transfer)?
D3) What are Tibet's economic statistics?
Further Information
E1) What World-Wide Web sites have further information about Tibet?
E2) Where do I find information concerning travel to Tibet?
E3) What Tibet-oriented mailing lists can I subscribe to?
E4) What are the addresses of some organizations that deal with Tibet?
E5) What books about Tibet would you recommend?
F0) Sources
Section A: INTRODUCTION
A1) What are the meanings of specialized words used on TPT (glossary)?
The following is a glossary of words related to Tibet. When the
pronunciation of a word differs from what one might expect from the
standard spelling, a phonetic spelling is given between slash marks (//).
Words in all CAPITAL letters have glossary entries of their own. The tonal
indicators for Tibetan are as follows: 1 -- high; 2 -- low; 3 -- falling;
and 4 -- middle. For Chinese (Mandarin), the tonal indicators are: 1 --
level; 2 -- high rising; 3 -- low rising; and 4 -- falling.
AMBAN -- A representative of the QING emperor who resided in the territory of
a tributary state or dependency. The Qing mission in Lhasa was usually
headed by two Ambans of equal status.
AMDO /ahm'doh'/ -- The Tibetan name for a region located northeast of Lhasa.
It includes the bulk of QINGHAI province, as well as the Kanlho Tibetan
Autonomous Prefecture in Gansu province. Along with KHAM and U-TSANG,
it is one of Tibet's three historic regions. Each of these regions
speaks its own distinctive dialect of Tibetan.
BOD [Tibetan /puh3/] -- The Tibetan word for TIBET. The word Bod may be
derived from BON.
BODPA [Tibetan /puh4ba4/] -- The Tibetan word for "Tibetan," both as a noun
and as an adjective.
BON [Tibetan /puhm2/] -- Tibet's pre-Buddhist, animist religion.
Cf. NYINGMAPA
CCP -- Chinese Communist Party. The ruling party of China since 1949. (The
Chinese government prefers "CPC" -- Communist Party of China.)
COMMISSION OF PEOPLE'S DEPUTIES -- TGIE's legislative branch. The Tibetan
exile community has held CPD elections every three years since 1960.
DALAI LAMA [Tibetan /ta1le4 la1ma4/] -- Tibet's most renown line of incarnate
LAMAs. The Dalai Lamas reigned as kings of Tibet from 1642 until 1959.
The current Dalai Lama has lived in exile since 1959. See question B2.
DL -- DALAI LAMA
GELUGPA /ge'luk'pa'/ -- The dominate Buddhist sect in Tibet and Mongolia. The
literal translation of Gelugpa is "model of virtue." The sect was
founded by the Tibetan monk Tsongkhapa in the 15th century and is also
known as the Yellow Hat sect. Cf. RED HAT.
HAN /han4/ -- The Chinese word for an ethnic Chinese. More precisely, a Han
is someone whose primary or ancestral language is Chinese (_Han4yu3_)
and who does not belong to any of China's various other officially
recognized ethnic groups.
KAGYUPA -- Tibet's third largest monastic order. The name means "transmitted
word." The Kagyupa order consists of several sub-orders, including Karma
Kagyupa, widely practiced in both Tibet and Sikkim, and Dukpa Kagyupa,
the dominate faith of Bhutan. Cf. KARMAPA.
KARMAPA -- A line of incarnate LAMAs whose traditional residence is at
Tsurphu Monastery near Lhasa. The Karmapa heads the Karma KAGYUPA order
and is also known as the Black Hat Lama. The 16th Karmapa died in
Chicago in 1981. A successor was enthroned at Tsurphu in 1993, although
some Karma Kagyupa members still support a rival candidate.
KASHAG [Tibetan /ka1shaa3/] -- A group of four men appointed by the Dalai
Lama to supervise day to day government administration. The group is
often referred to as Tibet's cabinet. In 1992, TGIE's constitution was
amended to make the Kashag responsible to the COMMISSION OF PEOPLE'S
DEPUTIES.
KHAM -- A region of eastern Tibet. Western Kham is now in TAR (q.v.) while
eastern Kham is in China's Sichuan (Szechwan) province.
KMT -- Kuomintang [Chinese /gwo2min2dang3/] The ruling party of China from
1928 to 1949. The ruling party of Taiwan since 1949. It is also known
as the Nationalist Party.
LAMA [Tibetan /la1ma4/] -- The literal translation of this Tibetan word is
"superior one." The word has several meanings, but is most commonly
used to refer to incarnate lamas or TULKU. Other Buddhist spiritual
teachers may be referred to as root lamas. Cf. YOGIN.
LHASA [Tibetan /lhe1sa4/] -- The capital and largest city in Tibet with a
population of 170,000. Lhasa is a shortened form of _lha sacha_, which
means "god's place."
LOSAR -- Tibetan new year. The next Losar will be on February 27, 1998.
By the Tibetan calendar, it is currently 2124, the year of the fire ox.
Cf. MONLAM CHENMO.
MCMAHON LINE -- The boundary for the eastern section of the frontier between
Tibet and India. It runs from the eastern end of Bhutan to the great
bend in the Brahmaputra River. British and Tibetan negotiators agreed
to this boundary in a conference held in Simla, India in 1914. The line
is named for Sir Henry McMahon, the head of the British negotiating
team. Although China claims territory south the McMahon Line, it has
generally respected the line in practice.
MANCHU -- a people who lived in what is now northeastern China for many
centuries. Until 1636, they were known as the Jurchen. From 1644 to
1912, China was ruled by emperors of Manchu ancestry. Cf. QING.
MONLAM CHENMO -- The "great prayer festival," which begins three days after
LOSAR and continues for ten days. China currently prohibits the public
celebration of Monlam and other Buddhist holidays in Tibet.
NYINGMAPA -- "The old order," Tibet's second largest monastic order.
Nyingmapa priests are not usually required to be celibate. The sect's
rituals include many elements that were derived from BON.
PANCHEN LAMA [Tibetan /pen1jeen4 la1ma4/] -- A title used by the head LAMA of
Tashilhunpo Monastery in Shigatse. His spiritual authority is second
only to that of the DALAI LAMA within the GELUGPA sect. See question B2.
PAP -- People's Armed Police. A paramilitary force created in 1983 to patrol
border areas and to guard government buildings. It was used extensively
to suppress demonstrations in Lhasa between 1987 and 1991. Cf. PSB.
PLA -- People's Liberation Army. The official name of the Chinese armed
forces since 1949. The PLA is a combined service and includes ground,
air, and naval units.
PRC -- People's Republic of China. China's official long form name since
1949.
PSB -- Public Security Bureau. China's principle agency for enforcing
criminal law, i.e. the regular police. Cf. PAP.
QING /ching1/ -- A dynasty of MANCHU origin which was founded in 1636 and
ruled China from 1644 to 1912.
QINGHAI /ching1hi3/ -- A Chinese province created in 1928 to administer the
bulk of Tibet's AMDO region. In 1992, the population of Qinghai was
estimated to be 4.61 million, [Fiske94] of whom 58 percent were ethnic
Chinese, 20 percent were ethnic Tibetan, and 14 percent were Hui
(Chinese Muslim). The ethnic Chinese population is concentrated in the
vicinity of Xining, the capital. All of the province's rural prefectures
are classified as "Tibetan autonomous." Qinghai can also be referred to
as Kokonor, the region's Mongolian name.
RANG-BTSAN /rang2dsen4/ -- The Tibetan word for "independence" or "self-
government."
RED HAT -- Any of various Tibetan monastic orders established prior to the
15th century when the GELUGPA order was founded. The three largest Red
Hat sects, in order of membership, are: NYINGMAPA, KAGYUPA, and Sakyapa.
The Tibetan term corresponding to Red Hat (_Zhvamar_) refers only to
the followers of the Sharmapa, a TULKU of the Karma Kagyupa sub-order.
ROC -- Republic of China, China's official long form name from 1911 to 1949.
Although the ROC government has ruled only Taiwan since 1949, it still
claims to be the legitimate government of all China, including Tibet.
SELF-DETERMINATION -- The determining by a people of the form their
government shall have, without reference to the wishes any other people.
The Charter of the United Nations calls for, "respect for the principle
of equal rights and self-determination of peoples." A 1961 U.N. General
Assembly resolution describes Tibetans as a people entitled to the
right of self-determination.
SERF -- A peasant bound to perform feudal obligations for a lord. In 1959,
about 60 percent of Tibet's population were legally classified as serfs.
(In Tibetan, serfs are known as _miser_ or "yellow people").[Grunfeld1]
TAR -- Tibet Autonomous Region. China created TAR in 1965 to administer the
Tibetan regions of U-TSANG and western KHAM. Despite its name, the TAR
government does not in fact enjoy any significant degree of autonomy.
The region's top policymaker is CCP Secretary Chen Kuiyuan, an ethnic
Chinese appointed by Beijing.
TASHI DELEK -- A common Tibetan greeting.
TGIE -- Tibetan government-in-exile. See question B2.
TI -- Tibetan independence. TI can also stand for "Taiwan independence."
TIBET -- The Tibetan government-in-exile refers to the entire Tibet-Qinghai
Plateau as "Tibet." But the word can also be used to refer to TAR (q.v.)
only. "Tibet" is a word used in various European languages and was
derived from the Arabic _Tubbat_, which was in turn derived from the
Chinese TUFAN. [Partridge66]
TPT -- talk.politics.tibet. The Usenet newsgroup for which this document is
the FAQ.
TSAMPA -- roasted barley flour, a staple of the Tibetan diet. Various Tibetan
celebrations, such as LOSAR, are marked by tossing tsampa into the
air.
TSHONGDU -- Tibet's national assembly, established in the 1860s. Included the
heads of major government departments as well as representatives from
the larger monasteries. Decisions were made by consensus.
Cf. COMMISSION OF PEOPLE'S DEPUTIES
TUFAN /tu3fan1/ -- A Chinese name for Tibet used during the Tang dynasty
(618-907). The second syllable of Tufan was traditionally pronounced
/bo/ and is probably a corruption of BOD. [Giles1]
TULKU [Tibetan /drue1ue1ku4/] -- A person who is considered to be the
reincarnation of a great spiritual teacher. The preferred translation
of tulku is "incarnate LAMA." An older, less accurate, translation is
"living Buddha." The Dalai and Panchen Lamas are Tibet's best-known
tulku.
U-TSANG /oh'tsong'/ -- The Tibetan name for central Tibet, now included in
TAR (q.v.).
XIZANG /she1tsong4/ -- The modern Chinese name for Tibet. The word is derived
from U-TSANG and has been in use since the 18th century. [Kolmas67]
The literal translation of Xizang is "western storehouse" or "western
storeroom," not "western treasure house" as is sometimes
claimed. [Giles2]
YOGIN -- A spiritual teacher who is not bound by monastic vows.
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