The Real Tibet: Dharamsala

Written on a Bone Rattler Bus from Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh to Amritsar, Punjab on March 23, 2014

I just spent a whole week in Dharamsala, the home of the Dalai Lama and his Tibetan government in exile. This was a special week in my journey where I was really able to connect with a culture that I love. I laughed hysterically while sharing stories with the locals, was inspired by the detail and rigour of Tibetan art, became intrigued by the depth and wisdom of Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and even teared up as I continued learning what the Tibetan people have been through at the hands of the Chinese government.

My Tibetan Connection

I visited a Tibetan town called Zhongdian in 2008 during my first sabbatical in China. It was a beautiful place with tall Himalayan mountain peaks, colourfully dressed Tibetan people, and a gorgeous monastery that seamlessly blended in within its mountainous environment…

….and it was dead quiet.

I was naïve to the news of an uprising in Tibet and didn’t know that I was right at the peripheral of what was one of the largest Tibetan uprisings against the Chinese government in its history, the 2008 Tibetan Unrest. As military trucks cruised down the street full of armed soldiers I still did not realize the severity of the situation until the only other foreigner in town gave me insight into what was happening. That was my first introduction to the plight of the Tibetan people.

Zhongdian used to be part of Tibet until, as part of its efforts to increase its claim over Tibet, the Chinese government shrunk Tibet’s borders and re-assigned the town to the province of Yunnan. The town was then renamed Shangrila to boost tourism in the region. This was more or less the story across the Tibetan region: a story of marginalization, discrimination and tragedy.

An Enlightened People

As in 2008 when I first fell in love with the Tibetan culture, I continue to be impressed every time I come across the beauty of its people. I actually believe that as a people, Tibetans have more culture per capita than any other people I have ever come across. Tibetans have incredibly deep spiritual roots and they value the expansion of knowledge and happiness above all else. The commitment they have made to their monastic practices is equivalent to putting the America’s defense budget into the American education budget.

This fanatical focus on enlightenment has created some of the most beautiful and awe inspiring art, architecture and spiritual practices I have ever seen. It is completely impressive given there are only around 6 million Tibetans in the world.

A relatively modest monastery by Tibetan standards, yet still a beautiful and inspiring place of gathering for Tibetans

The inside of the monastery

The entrance to the Norbulingka Institute, a centre established by the Dalai Lama for preserving Tibetan arts and culture  

The institute was built within a beautiful hybrid Japanese/Tibetan garden photographed here

Tibetans even have their own field of medicine based on pressing natural herbs into these balls that feel and look like brown Gobstoppers. I decided to give them a shot for my insomnia issues, due to the natural contents of the medicines, got a 20 day prescription for them

My Journey to Dharamsala

Visiting Dharamsala, the home of the Dalai Lama, has been on my life bucket list since I first came to love Tibetan culture in 2008. When the Chinese invasion forces encroached near the Dalai Lama’s palace in the 1950’s, he was snuck across the Himalayan range to India where him and his people have been accepted which has accepted him and his people as refugees ever since. 

Highly governed tourist permits are required to even enter the government-approved tourism areas of Tibet. The experience is very much a Chinese-fabricated version of the real Tibet and military permits are required to venture outside of those restrictions. Given the state of censorship for tourists in the Chinese side of Tibet, I always saw Dharamsala as the one of the few places left on Earth where one could find the real Tibet.

A panorama of one of the valleys of the Tibetan settlement. The Turkish fellow I walked into town with said "You see all this? None of it would be here if not for China." It was one of the few moments in my life I have felt ashamed of my Chinese roots.

My favorite hangout spot in town: an NGO which set up a fushion Chinese/Tibetan restaurant to bring happy bilateral relationships through tasty food and comfy cushions

I spent a week in Dharamsala taking courses on Tibetan Buddhist Philosophy and volunteering at the LHA, an NGO set up for Tibetan refugees, as a conversational English teacher. It was an amazing week of meeting Tibetans and foreigners alike who either shared my love for Tibetan culture or its philosophical teachings.

My classroom for my Tibetan Buddhist Philosophy studies

It’s Just Conversation 

Through volunteering at the LHA, I was able to meet other travellers and Tibetans who I bumped into innumerable times given the small size of the town. 

The classes were set up as casual chats with me leading groups of 4-5 people at a time. My role was really just to facilitate the conversation and correct grammatical or pronunciation mistakes. Sometimes I had to keep the conversations quite simple to accommodate some of the newer English learners in my groups. There were some great interactions that were at times hilarious, such as stories of taking bone-rattling local buses in India or getting food poisoning after eating some bad street food.

One of my co-English teachers holding a globe which clearly shows Tibet as an independent nation

A conversation I really remembered was when I asked my group about what made them happy. Even those who weren’t monks answered along the lines of “happiness is satisfaction and contentment on the inside”. I told them that if you asked the same question in Western culture, the answer would be along the lines of “eating chocolate lava cake” or “getting a big pay raise”. 

One of my students, a monk in his 40’s, really liked me and always tried getting me into his conversation groups. He talked about how happy he was to have me as his teacher with a glimmer of real happiness I could see in his eyes every time we interacted, and I was glad I could spread that joy doing something as simple as sharing a conversation with him.

This photo of a beautiful dog holding a firm guard in a doorway symbolizes the Tibetan ethos. The animals in Dharamsala, even stray dogs, were extremely well taken care of because of the Buddhist philosophy of compassion to all beings. In contrast, dogs in the rest of India look mangley and full of diseases. I was very comfortable with going up to strays and petting them

In contrast, I dubbed this hotel pug "Little Fucker" because he loved taking a big shit right outside my bathroom and shower every night

The Cry of the Tibetan People

I have never met or interacted with refugees before and I wasn’t quite sure how to tread carefully around the topic. A couple conversations came up which deeply saddened me about the situation in Tibet and the plight of its refugees. I did ask during one of my classes about how things really were in Tibet and what opportunities were available for refugees to establish themselves. My brightest student told me “we have a hard time here in India. As a refugee, I have a big ‘R’ on my forehead which makes it very difficult to own property. We have to have our paperwork stamped every year and only our children born in India will have a chance to become proper Indian citizens. Our skills are very limited and we also have to learn English to qualify for jobs. Some of the new refugees coming here end up living in tents and face extremely challenging conditions.”

As part of my conversation classes, I asked my students about their most memorable experiences in their life. I expected to hear about things their first kiss, first job or getting stuck in a 4 hour Indian traffic jam, but instead here were some of the responses: 

• One man talked about the first time he got glasses as a teenager and he was so glad to be able to see clearly again. A few days later, he was beaten up by a Chinese police officer for no reason and had some of his things confiscated, including his glasses
• A girl told me about the moment when her parents sent her away to India to become a refugee. She told me about her parents draping a special type of fabric over her head as a village tradition when sending your kids away (typically to another place to get married or study)
• A young man, about my age, told me about how his friend recently committed suicide in his birth town in Tibet by jumping off a cliff into a river. He tried lightening the mood after by joking about how he will always remember how hard English was to learn

In the next class, I figured I would avoid depressing topics by asking people to describe their happy moments in their life. Most of my students told me about their happy moments back home surrounded by the beautiful scenery of their birthplace. One response stood out… I think I will always remember the response of a beautiful young lady (my one and only weakness) who described the time she spent with her horse in the high altitude plains of Tibet. She would take joy in carrying out simple tasks like loading her horse with goods and walking along with her to transport goods around. When she had time, she loved riding her horse through the meadows surrounded by beautiful Himalayan mountains. She seemed extremely happy to recall these memories but I could a veil of sadness see in her eyes because she will probably never have that lifestyle ever again as a refugee in India.

I teared up when I saw this exhibition at a museum. This was a photo of a father leading his daughter through a 5,700m Himalayan pass to seek refuge in India. I have been as high as 5,900m myself and the conditions there are extremely dangerous. It breaks my heart to know that a place contains so much suffering that a father and daughter will risk their lives like this to leave it 

Breaking Bread with a Tibetan Monk

A Tibetan Monk by the name of Kalsang overheard my English from another group during my first conversation class and took the initiative to introduce himself immediately after class ended. He felt that I spoke quite distinctly and wanted to learn from me. We grabbed dinner that night and every night afterwards while I was in Dharamsala.

Kalsang became a monk 12 years ago and came to India 7 years ago to continue his studies. I don’t think he came as a refugee but he hasn’t seen his family since moving to India. He was one of the most compassionate and enlightened dudes I have ever met.

I was really struggling to understand Buddhist philosophy, a topic which some monks study for over 20 years to master. Our dinners were a great opportunity to pick his brain on topics like impermanence, ignorance and compassion. I did my best to help him with his English and was real impressed that he was able to keep up in a conversation topic as complex as philosophy.

To be honest, I spent many minutes just completely silent in our conversations because my mind was turning to mush while trying to understand the concepts. The teachings were so deep and I was trying to get a basic grasp of everything in just the short time of one week.

Kalsang and I. He kept calling me "teacher" despite my objections to the title

Thoughts on Sustainable Tourism

I have mixed feelings about whether or not tourism is good for Dharamsala. After all, it is a refugee settlement and tourism can attract all sorts of negativities such as cost inflation, Indian-run stores selling fake Tibetan products that ultimately tarnish the reputation of Tibetan quality and a gang of local Indian beggars who have been known to employ razors to cut open the bags of Tibetans and steal from them.

One sight particularly unsettled me. I saw a couple high-maintenance looking Asian girls who spoke with North American accents and each had a branded handbag worth probably around $3,000. I met a professional photographer in Dharamsala who travelled with probably $20,000 worth of camera equipment, but I think it’s a different case given there was a degree of utility-value to his gear. I really felt that walking into a refugee camp with low-utility branded luxury products worth more than the annual income of the local refugees was just simply in bad taste. I last saw these girls lining up for hamburgers. Am I wrong to judge them? At least they were good at being hot.

The positive aspect of tourism comes in the form of hospitality jobs for the locals, a pool of kind-hearted volunteers to help Tibetans upgrade their skills and a spread of awareness of the Tibetan plight and its Buddhist philosophies throughout the whole world. 

My favorite restaurant in town. Blink while walking by and you'd miss it.

A hole in the wall always jam packed with Tibetan monks and their less-enlightened counterparts

I went to this restaurant five times before I could get these dumplings before they sold out. Yum.

Buying Authentic Tibetan Art in Dharamsala

I tried to be responsible with my spending by avoiding posh Indian-run stores and restaurants in town because I felt that they were effectively monetizing the Tibetan plight. I was more than happy to put more money into the establishments of Tibetans and the poor-to-middle class Indians who were always native to Dharamsala.

In my attempts to support local Tibetan art, I planned on buying a couple paintings from a merchant who claimed to be Tibetan and the paintings were painted by his father. I brought Kalsang later to get an opinion on the art pieces and was surprised to learn that the merchant didn’t speak Tibetan at all. He was basically a Nepalese guy pretending to be Tibetan. What a character.

The painting I almost bought from a fake Tibetan

Eventually I did find a store with a husband-wife combo who passed the Kalsang Tibetan test and also were quite talented painters. After a few negotiations that spanned a few days, I finally chose my art pieces and was super happy with my selection. They breathed a huge sigh of relief when I sealed the deal with them. They haven’t received any business for a long time.

It requires painstaking attention to detail and patience to complete a Thangka painting

These artists (Bishnu Lama on the left and Asali Lama on the right) rock! Now I have big awkward tubes in my backpack to carry around for another 2 months... woot

Why Freeing Tibet is Good for China

I understand that Tibet is very strategic from a military, political and geographical perspective from China, which is why I believe “The Middle Way” proposed by the Dalai Lama is likely the best solution for a tricky situation. This proposal allows China to retain political control over Tibet while leaving its people free to manage their own spiritual and internal affairs. It seems like a win-win for both parties but I think China is primarily concerned that giving in even a little would lead to an unstoppable domino effect that could destabilize the entire country.

I actually believe freeing Tibet, as per The Middle Way, is the most pragmatic move China can make to continue its trajectory of success that it has accomplished over the past few decades. Here’s why:

• China has a culture problem. For a long time, the country has set aside its ancient and globally admired traditions for economic progress. Other recently developed countries like Korea have used its culture as a way of gaining recognition on the world stage. Just as China was able to “manufacture” Olympic gold medallists, they are trying to do the same with manufacturing pop stars by identifying young potentials and directing major investment towards them. The world round will think it hypocritical for China to try positioning itself as a cultural hub on the world stage without giving Tibet back its cultural autonomy 
• China cannot sustain its historic growth rate with its proven approach because it is already the world’s premiere producer of cheap goods. The country needs to build respected brands in order to move up the value chain, increase domestic consumption of its own goods and sell higher-margin products on the world stage. This links closely with the cultural development of China – how can they produce globally prized brands when “Made in China” and “Human Rights Violator” go hand in hand?
• The government talks about moral degradation as one of the greatest threats to the country. As a matter of fact, social morality is actually one of the points on their net five-year plan. When they have a government which so readily supresses the plight of the Tibetan people, it is not hard to imagine why its people face a morality issue
• A good image is good for business. China is making big investments on the world stage, such as mining properties in Africa and oil properties in Canada. In the case of the takeover of Nexen, a Canadian oil company, the Chinese came up against heavy resistance by the Canadian people. It could only bode well for business if Chinese companies are welcomed as they make more investments abroad, rather than facing opposition and a constant need to look over their shoulders 

Tibetans definitely don't see themselves as part of China

The Panchem Lama is the second holiest leader in the Tibetan culture because he chooses the next Dalai Lama. China abducted the Panchem Lama about 20 years ago and replaced him with their own state-puppet. The whereabouts and safety of the real Panchem Lama are unknown to date

Proof of Tibet's independence include many relics before the Chinese invasion: Tibetan passports, stamps, it's own flag in the National geographic, etc. Most importantly, it's people have never seen themselves as part of China, although the Chinese would be among the last to understand the whole concepts of "Democracy" and "Free Will"

In short, I think that freeing Tibet can help improve the international perceptions, morality and cultural potential of the country – a completely necessary step if the country wishes to continue down a prosperous path of growth and development over the coming years.

I hope this guy poops on the Chinese Government's existing Tibetan Affairs policy

That is all.