Steve Stone, a cybersecurity expert, recently recounted an incident that left a lasting impression on him. He found that every Chinese hacker he traced was simultaneously targeting a specific hospital. It turned out these hackers were after the medical information of a particular patient: His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet. This incident underscores the extraordinary lengths to which the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is willing to go to spy on the Dalai Lama.
Why does the CCP fixate on the Dalai Lama? The answer can be found in his new book, Voice for the Voiceless: Over Seven Decades of Struggle with China for My Land and My People. In this compelling work, he shares his personal experiences and insights into the ongoing Tibetan struggle against China.
The book opens with a vivid recounting of the Dalai Lama’s extraordinary life journey. At just 2 years old, his life as a regular toddler abruptly shifted when Tibetan officials recognized him as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama. When he turned 15 in 1950, Communist China invaded Tibet, thrusting the tremendous responsibility of protecting his people onto the shoulders of a teenager.
The official narrative of Communist China describes the period from 1950 to 1951 as the PLA’s “peaceful liberation” of Tibet. In stark contrast, the Dalai Lama and many Tibetans view this era as a “blatant land grab of an independent nation by force.”
In 1954, 19-year-old Dalai Lama met Chairman Mao, who promised that Tibet would maintain its regional autonomy and “the established status, functions, and powers of the Dalai Lama” wouldn’t change. However, the Dalai Lama soon learned that Chairman Mao lied to his face as the PLA bombed towns, destroyed temples, and forced monks into secular life. The heavy military presence also strained food supplies, leading to widespread hunger among Tibetans.
The stark reality on the ground, the broken promises, and the suffering of his people helped the Dalai Lama see Marxism’s true nature. He writes, “What is lacking in Marxism is compassion. Its greatest flaw is the total neglect of basic human values and the deliberate promotion of hate through class struggle.”
After the PLA began its assault on the Dalai Lama’s residence in 1959, he had no choice but to flee to India, fearing for his safety. At just 24, he became a refugee, stripped of his homeland.
Inside China, the CCP condemns the Dalai Lama as a “separatist” and “traitor” and ensures all school textbooks and government propaganda portray him in the worst possible way. The Dalai Lama, however, has responded to the CCP’s vicious personal insults against him with magnanimity. He urges his followers not to lose compassion towards the Chinese people.
For over 70 years in exile, the Dalai Lama has sought dialogue with CCP leaders, aiming for a peaceful resolution that benefits both Tibetans and Chinese. Having long abandoned the quest for full independence, he has proposed plans for limited autonomy for Tibet under Beijing’s control, as long as all the Tibetans can maintain their cultural identity and religious freedom.
Aside from Chairman Mao, the Dalai Lama has engaged with five leaders of Communist China throughout his life: Deng Xiaoping, Hu Yaobang, Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao, and Xi Jinping. While Deng and Hu Yaobang initially showed some openness to dialogue, they ultimately shared a common agenda with their successors, offering only empty promises regarding Tibet’s autonomy and enforcing policies that erode its culture and spiritual practices. The CCP absurdly claims that the only problem Tibet faces is the Dalai Lama in exile.
Xi is the most hardline CCP leader the Dalai Lama has confronted. Since Xi took power in 2013, all communication with the Dalai Lama has ceased. Xi’s oppressive policies against the Tibetans are similar to those used against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, China, including a pervasive surveillance system and the detention of Tibetans in “patriotic re-education” camps that force them to denounce the Dalai Lama. Disturbingly, more than 150 Tibetans have self-immolated since 2009 in protest against the Chinese Communist regime’s repression.
The CCP harbors both resentment and fear toward the Dalai Lama. His global respect and fervent advocacy for the Tibetan people lay bare the CCP’s human rights violations, earning him widespread sympathy and support for Tibet’s cause. As the Dalai Lama approaches his 90th birthday this July, the CCP mistakenly believes that time favors their agenda. They have even resorted to deploying hackers to monitor his health, plotting to seize the moment when he passes away. Their goal is to find a controllable puppet within China to claim as his reincarnation, an alarming prospect for millions of Tibetans yearning for true representation.
The Dalai Lama is aware of his mortality and the CCP’s sinister plans. Despite spending most of his life in exile and facing disappointments in dealings with the CCP, he remains hopeful for Tibet’s future.
In his insightful book, the Dalai Lama offers powerful practices for navigating the challenges of suffering. He states, “Suffering and problems are inevitable parts of human life; the question is how we choose to respond. The key is to never lose sight of our shared humanity, a bond that unites the perpetrator, the victim, and ourselves.”
Drawing from the wisdom of Buddhist teachings, he eloquently reminds us, “Our adversaries are our most valuable teachers. While friends can support us in many ways, it is our adversaries who present the challenges necessary for us to develop the virtues required to cultivate peace of mind and attain genuine happiness.”
The Dalai Lama views his more than six decades as a refugee as a blessing. He has been able to speak freely on behalf of his people on the world stage when many of them cannot. He has also had the opportunity to travel to many different places — something he wouldn’t have been able to do had he stayed in Tibet — and has met individuals from diverse backgrounds and various walks of life, including many ethnic Chinese living abroad.
After the Dalai Lama lectured at a university in Paris, a young Chinese man stood up to apologize on behalf of his grandfather, a soldier involved in the PLA’s invasion of Tibet. The Dalai Lama writes that it’s this kind of human-to-human interaction between Chinese and Tibetans that inspires his hope for a peaceful resolution to the Tibetan issue, asserting that “no matter how enduring or powerful they might seem at any given time, governments will come and go, but the peoples will always remain.”
The Dalai Lama predicts that the CCP’s sinister plan to wait for his passing in order to manipulate the selection of his successor will ultimately fail. He believes the next Dalai Lama will emerge from the free world, not repressive Communist China. Only in a free world, “the traditional mission of the Dalai Lama — that is, to be the voice for universal compassion, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, and the symbol of Tibet embodying the aspiration of the Tibetan people — will continue.”
The Dalai Lama’s new book is a rich source of wisdom and optimism. Whether you are invested in the Tibetan cause or grappling with a personal or professional challenge, this book serves as a beacon of hope and inspiration.
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