Foreword to a book by Mr Tenzin Phuntsok Atisha

This Forward by His Eminence Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche was written for Mr Tenzin Phuntsok Atisha’s book The Last Fact Finding Delegation to Tibet: 1985—What I have Seen and Experienced, A Factual Narrative.

Foreword

Tibet, styled Pur rgyal, is a country with a marvellous history, distinct from its neighbouring countries, in both habitats and habitants, for many tens of thousands of years, since living beings came to exist on the roof of the world. Yet, due to the rather late flourishing of a written script and a system of communication still in use today, it has not featured in very ancient histories. After development of a script and a literary knowledge, the Tibetans translated innumerable texts, principally of Buddhist teachings and those of other fields of knowledge, from India and neighbouring countries and have maintained their studies, reflections, teachings and writings to a point where no other nation of people stands equal to them in undertaking such far-reaching works in a very short time. It can be decisively said that in terms of population and duration, there has not been any other country with the volume and the quality of translation works and writings surpassing that of Tibet.

However, an aspect of deficiency in that vast literary output is its lack of historical narratives.  Because spiritual events (religious history) were considered greatly important, little effort was put into writing about politics, society, economy, education, the life of ordinary people or life stories of individuals and so on.  The few that were written were a blend of historical facts, spiritual expressions of experiences, legends and records and are thus difficult to set apart as a genre.  There were many biographical works of sublime teachers, yet most of them had deeds visible to the common sight of all interspersed with aspects of the inconceivable secrets, so it was difficult for historical facts to manifest in them. In general, when Buddha’s teachings are categorised into the twelve branches of teachings, history (‘as it occurred’) is listed on its own. Because historiography as a knowledge did not flourish in Tibet, it appears that erudite Tibetans in general, and particularly Drolwai Gonpo (sgrol waḥi mgon po, Tārānātha) and Rinchendrub (rin chen grub), who wrote extensive historical chronicles, did not take that much interest in historiography.

By not perceiving their manifest ‘historical’ (‘as occurred’) importance while events were taking place, when effort is put into recording them in writing after much time has elapsed and the generation of those events is no longer alive, or when the events themselves are no longer within living memory, it is difficult to find complete details of the events when researched for. The principal evidences of history are chronicles (documentations), oral narratives, reliance on past artefacts and so on.  Evidences other than documentation offer mere approximations as bases for assumptions, so it would be difficult that they would provide credible ascertainment.

It is natural for historians to have dissimilar interpretations. When walking on a snowy mountain or on dusty ground, clear footprints are formed, yet after a while when they are erased by a fresh snowfall or a windstorm, searching for those footprints and describing them could only result in an approximate assumption. The possibility of creating an unerring and factual description would be remote, indeed akin to the coincidental meeting of ‘bird and stone coming across’.

Recently, Gedun Choephel, a writer of broad intellect as regards historiography, said:

When the wheel of time of the three times rotates
The reflections of the past that have occurred and disappeared
Written by the mind on the void space
Is [this] very marvellous illusory chronicle.

With understanding, one can admire Gedun Choephel for having acknowledged the hardships and expressed the problem in such critical words. However marvellous an illusion be, it cannot be a thing of how it appears is how it exists.

It is rare to see internationally undisputed and reliable works on ancient Tibetan history in general, and particularly of political history, in our Tibetan language, so there have been many occasions of having to rely on accounts written by foreigners in other languages. Also, it is observed that young Tibetans who want to research Tibetan history have to rely on histories of other nations and those written in other languages.  This inadequacy in the understanding—by all Tibetans, old and young—of the history of Tibet as a nation and of its people, and of general fields of knowledge, is a matter to feel embarrassed about. It goes without saying that the main cause for these drawbacks is due to the lack of a tradition of historiography in Tibet; there had not been the tradition of immediately documenting factual events related with people and society’s conditions. Moreover, those histories that were put into writing lacked qualified documentation.

We regularly experience problems arising from the absence of exact documentation and administrative memory as regards events directly related with the present karmic forces of Tibetans at home and in exile: Tibet’s international relations from the beginning of the twentieth century, particularly the chronologies of military treaties, trade agreements and so on. There is some very slight progress in the manner of carrying out works by Tibetans, both governmentally and individually, with lessons to be learned from those experiences. For the last hundred and forty years—that is, since about the late nineteenth century up to the present—general political changes, the many ups and downs of Tibet and its urgent relationship with the neighbouring countries, have mostly become as if faded from both memory and writing. Consequently, there has been no process to avoid repeating mistakes and to correct them; to develop procedures for making past experiences beneficial for the foundation of future works and plans. Many important political works have had to be decided by facing what appears at the front and in dependence on temporary factors at hand, thus some analysts have described many recent Tibetan officials as ‘Temporariests’ (a system of temporariness), a remark difficult to consider as baseless.

In the lifetime of living elderly Tibetans at home and in exile, many, many events have taken place: the communist Chinese occupation, the military intrusion into Tibet; the placing of the Seventeen-point Agreement; His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s visit to China and India; rebellion against communist China from all parts of Tibet; the peaceful uprising of the year 1959; the arrival in exile in neighbouring countries of His Holiness and many tens of thousands of Tibetans; the proclamation of the annulment of the Seventeen-point Agreement; movements for restoration of an independent Tibet; the stages of the nature of the Tibetan political system being transformed into a genuine democracy; the livelihood of Tibetans in exile; preservation of spirituality, culture and language; providing an all-encompassing education in both traditional and modern systems; determination of the Middle Way Policy; commencement of Tibet-China negotiations, and re-continuing of the negotiations; and so on.

Many events and works of greatly significant historical importance have taken place. This period therefore, has been one of the most hectic times heralding the most significant changes in Tibet’s widely-known history of some two thousand and three hundred years. Compared with the past, the events of this period have not suffered from such poor documentation, rather have become included in international records, correspondences, news media and so on. Nonetheless, due to lack of proper documentation (some of the documentation projects initiated in recent times have not been successfully completed), the standard is unsatisfactory amongst exiled Tibetans in free countries.

Besides, out of attachment, hatred and bias, some have described the facts crookedly. There are not a few documents of that kind which, if left ignored might lead to the danger of numerous misunderstandings and doubts in future generations, subsequent to the finish of the present generation. If one reflects well on this crucial issue, all Tibetans, in particular exiled Tibetans in free countries, would need to record their individual, or organisation’s and society’s works and events as initially witnessed, without fabrication and repudiation and notwithstanding whether or not they appear to be important. It is very important that those records are documented to a standard concordant with modern scientific documentation. This would not only become the basis for future history but a means to resolve the present Tibetan issues.  Such records would be invaluable in making decisions and implementing works to achieve the present and ultimate aspirations of the Tibetan people.

As everybody knows, immediately after the arrival in exile of the legitimate Tibetan government, headed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan political system was led towards genuine democracy, while and at the same time all means were applied to restore Tibet’s independence. However, due to China’s strength, the international situation and modern influences, general politics around the world driven solely by economic and military power, and so on, not only the struggle for independence might not be of successful fruition, there was also the danger of the truth about Tibet soon disappearing completely from the international forum, unless a policy adhered to is adapted to times and that which would be internationally recognised and worthy of gaining support. Foreseeing thus, since around 19754-75 His Holiness the Dalai Lama formulated fully the innovation of the mutually beneficial Middle Way Policy.

When the Chinese leadership first contacted His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 1979, His Holiness was immediately ready to accept their approach, engage in negotiation and re-connect contact that had remained broken for twenty years. Tibetans at home gained new hope and confidence. Around the world countries that cherished justice and truth—and especially those countries that supported Tibet—also found a new light of confidence. The issue of Tibet gained a more prominent and firmer status on the international stage and it became more convenient for many nations wanting to render their support of Tibetans and the issue of Tibet, to do so governmentally. In particular, the situation for Tibetans at home became slightly more liberal compared to the times before that contact. Quite a number of monasteries and educational institutions were restored, and more importantly, many young Tibetans from Tibet were able to travel across to study the major texts and receive education in exiled Tibetan monasteries and schools. Given the times, these were inconceivable benefits.

Considering the political state of related individual countries at that time, it would have been extremely difficult for them to have that good opportunity for Tibet-China negotiations and for Tibetans at home and those in exile to visit each other. This was not at all a work that could be achieved by the Tibetan administration alone, rather it was solely because of the benevolent deeds of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the great treasury of compassion.  This was observable to all.

In the chronology of such marvellously factual events, since 1979 until 1985, four successive delegations, as envoys of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and as representatives of exiled Tibetans, visited each of the three regions of Tibet where they met and had talks with many Tibetans. To have been able do that is not only of unique historical meaningfulness, visits by those delegations have also created a distinct awareness that cannot be erased from the memory of the Tibetans.

Since the determination of the Middle Way Policy and renewed contact between Tibet and China, visits to Tibet by successive delegates making direct contact with the Tibetan public in Tibet is of greater importance than the governmental negotiations between the officials. Consequently, to create a detailed record for historical chronicles, without excess and omission, of all those events and works undertaken so that they can be read by interested members of public and become reference resources whenever needed, for all who are related to the works, is indisputably an important duty for the administration and for any incumbent official.

In 1985, when the fourth delegation, led by the former Kalon Kundeling Woser Gyaltsen, visited the Dhotoe and Dhomey regions of Tibet, Mr Tenzin Phuntsok (Atisha), who was a member of the delegation and the junior member of staff in the Department of Information, kept a detailed and factual written record of daily programmes, beginning with how the delegation members were appointed, right up to briefing His Holiness the Dalai Lama on the visit and explaining observations from the visit to the Tibetan administration’s staff.

That this record and the observations made have now been put into the form of this book is an invaluable service to Tibetan polity, for which I rejoice and express my admiration. I believe it will help fill the big gap of the recent history of Tibet and become a reliable and valid document for future generations to rely on as a resource, and to quote from. Since this writing is in the style of a daily record it has the subject matters in entirety and in orderly sequence; as it covers the background and factors relating to each event, it is decisive; because the factual events are not obscured by selfish interpretations and meaningless wordiness, the meanings are clear; considering the medium of the narrative is in current modern colloquial vernacular, it reads to be easily understood by all, high or low.  This book stands multi-featured with those and other distinct characteristics.

Putting aside a question or two regarding particular wording and so on, this chronicle is a narrative of historic factual matters expressed as they are. It is not a display of literary composition, so its value is to be measured in terms of historical facts.   ..

This mess of utterances, laden in my mental feelings, put together in the form of a Foreword, is expressed by Samdhong (His Eminence Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche), one with the form as a practitioner in the lineage of Shakyamuni Buddha. Jayajagat!

Tibetan Rabjung Year 992, Earth-Dog, 3^rd month, 25^th day

CE: April 29, 2018

(Mr Tenzin Phuntsok Atisha’s book The Last Fact Finding Delegation to Tibet: 1985—What I have Seen and Experienced, A Factual Narrative: the Tibetan version is published by LTWA, Dharamshala, 2019; the English version is published by Inklink, Australia, 2020.)