Ludi's Travels

Tibet: Letter from Lhasa!

In October 2026, my group and I made a once-in-a-lifetime visit to Tibet, known popularly as TAR (Tibet Autonomous Region) or Xizang. The visit was enlightening and transformative — and I would return in a heartbeat!

Let’s be clear: China is as unlikely to give up Tibet as India is to give up Sikkim! (Maybe that’s a faulty analogy, but read my footnotes). The question remains: is Tibet better off in 2026 than it was in 1959 when the average life expectancy was 35.5 years? It is double that figure today at 72 years!

Tibetans have seen their land progress from abject poverty to prosperity and from autocracy to limited self-government (albeit imperfect) with the sweeping away of a centuries-old system of feudal serfdom.

Better Off?

Whether Tibet is "better off" under Chinese rule or as an independent nation is a polarized question depending on whether one prioritizes economic modernization or political freedom — or makes comparisons with the level of poverty and underdevelopment in surrounding countries!

Proponents of Chinese rule point to mega state investments that have radically changed Tibet from what was once an isolated and agrarian society. China has famously tunneled through mountains, bridged multiple high-altitude rivers, and built rail lines over permafrost in some of the toughest terrain in the world to deliver extensive modern infrastructure: roads, airports, power grids, railways (see footnote on rail construction).

Statistics from Chinese state sources and development reports show major improvements to public health, education, and social mobility. GDP per capita — 81,502 RMB or roughly US$11,500 in 2025 — has grown considerably compared to neighboring Himalayan regions in Bhutan, Nepal, and even India.

According to the official Chinese narrative, the 1950–1951 entry of the People’s Liberation Army to Tibet ended a traditional theocratic system where a large majority of the population lived under monastic rule.

History

The tensions between China and Tibet go back more than a millennium. In the 8th century, Tibet was a sizable empire, extending into Central Asia. Under the Mongols, in the 13th century, it was almost completely overpowered. For long periods, Tibet and China were politically linked while remaining culturally and ethnically distinct: Chinese emperors sent official representatives to Lhasa where they served as symbols of Chinese authority. Tibet was most assertive when China was at its weakest!

After the collapse of the Qing dynasty, in 1912, the 13th Dalai Lama declared Tibet independent. But, in 1950, after the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, the Communists invaded a poorly defended border region and negotiated an agreement that brought Tibet all but entirely under Beijing’s control. Many Tibetans resisted the military takeover and, in 1959, during a failed uprising, the current Dalai Lama (the 14th) fled to India.

Criticism

Human rights organizations like Freedom House consistently rank Tibet among the least free regions in the world, citing repression, surveillance, indoctrination, and the denial of an independent political opposition.

Tibetan exile groups argue that Chinese policies actively threaten the identity of Tibet through restrictions on language, controls over Buddhist monasteries, relocations, and demographic shifts driven by Han Chinese migration.

Can Tibetans Practice their Religion?

Let me be clear: I am not a Communist Party shill, nor do I live in China. We did not know what to expect from our travel to Tibet. What we got was normalcy!

We saw Tibetans freely practice their religion while availing themselves of the benefits of Chinese rule: schools, hospitals, roads, high-speed rail, electrified villages, and a well developed tourism infrastructure that — by contrast — is sadly lacking in parts of India with comparable Tibetan Buddhist populations — such as in Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, and Sikkim, as well as in non-Buddhist places (see footnotes)!

Peaceful Utopia?

Prior to 1951 when China overran it, Tibet was not “a peaceful Utopia,” as some Western observers and Tibetans claim. It was a feudal theocracy, according to historians, where over 95 percent of the population were serfs. With the advent of China came land reforms and modern high-quality education. Literacy has skyrocketed from 5 percent to 95 percent compared to pre-1951.

From what we could observe, Tibetans speak their language, practice their faith and celebrate their culture. Temples are under state protection. According to one statistic I saw, there are thousands of protected religious sites and over 50,000 resident monks and nuns. Tibetan is the primary language in schools, and cultural practices appear to be actively preserved.

Ethnic Tibetans

The ethnic Tibetan population has not been wiped out, as critics say, They have increased from 2 million in 1950 to 7 million in 2020, with over 90 percent still speaking their own language.

Ethnic Tibetans still make up the majority of the population in Tibet even though many have moved to eastern China for work. Note that Tibetans were exempt from the one-child policy which only applied to Han Chinese.

14th Dalai Lama

After China occupied Tibet in 1951, the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism — revered as a manifestation of Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion — became leader of the Tibetan struggle for independence. He and his supporters set up a government-in-exile in Dharamshala, a hill town in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, three hundred miles from the TAR. (See footnote on India’s Tibet policy).

The Dalai Lama gave up his struggle for Tibetan independence at the end of the 1980s and has said that Tibet would be better off remaining in China. He has repeatedly called for dialogue over confrontation, and has consistently advocated for a "Middle-Way" approach of genuine cultural and religious autonomy within China.

In an old interview in TIME Magazine, he said “Tibet is a big land, rich in natural resources, but we lack the technology or expertise… So, if we remain in China, we might get a greater benefit, provided it respects our culture” and added “some Tibetans accuse me of selling out their right to independence, but my approach is in our interest.”

Among other concerns, the Tibetan government-in-exile is said to be seeking assurances from China that the Dalaï Lama be given full control over the publication and editing of religious texts, and authority over the appointment of abbots for monasteries.

Visit to Dharamshala

I visited Dharamshala more than three decades ago with a group of hikers. This happened after an arduous trek in Lahaul-Spiti, a beautiful but stark and (at the time) woefully underdeveloped, mostly Tibetan Buddhist region, also in Himachal Pradesh. (See footnotes).

I remember Dharamshala vividly as a cluster of villages in the Kangra Valley. The Dalai Lama’s residence and the main temple complex are in the village of McLeod Ganj, high up in the hills, known as “Little Lhasa.” There are several streets with shops, sidewalk stalls, and small restaurants. Clean-shaven, crimson-robed Tibetan monks and nuns walk the streets counting prayer beads, while tourists shop for Buddha statues, jewelry, and scarves.

Our goal at the time was to get a meeting with and blessing from the Dalai Lama and we were fortunate to do so! I recall him speaking both Hindi and English, down-to-earth but also otherworldly, as I’m sure many truly spiritual people are. (I got the same feeling when I met with Mother Teresa in Calcutta a few months later)! My quick assessment of the Dalai Lama: friendly, progressive, cool!

Authority to Choose His Successor?

Millions of Tibetans have been deprived of seeing their spiritual leader for more than half a century, and the prospect that he could die in exile poses a challenge for Beijing.

In 2025, as he approached his 90th birthday, the Dalai Lama asserted that his successor will be born in the “free world.” He also declared that the sole authority to recognize his reincarnation rests with Tibetan Buddhist leaders, free from Chinese or external influence. (Note that Tibetan Buddhists believe that the Dalai Lama is reincarnated in his successor, who is identified after a search, in the form of a young boy).

Will China accept this? Very likely not! China’s leaders claim (sans irony!) that only the governing Communist Party (avowedly atheist) has the power to oversee the next Dalai Lama incarnation! In addition, China claims state authority over all Tibetan Buddhist reincarnations and requires government approval to recognize reincarnate lamas!

In 1995, China installed its own Panchen Lama, laying the groundwork to influence the Dalai Lama’s succession. As we repeatedly observed during our visit, it is mandatory for a photo of the Beijing-appointed Panchen Lama (often accompanied by portraits of Xi Jinping and Chairman Mao) to be displayed in every Buddhist place of worship throughout China, not just in Tibet. This directive is part of Beijing's broader “Sinicization” campaign which enforces political alignment over traditional religious practice, including an absolute ban on displaying Dalai Lama images.

China’s official position on reincarnation used to be more nuanced: they only required the right to confirm a choice made by senior Tibetan monks. But, in the 1990s, Beijing became more hard-line. A Tibetan expatriate and foreign policy expert in Washington said to me that, if China moderated its approach, there would be “room for talks.”

The succession remains a fraught issue. It is a symbolic battleground for Beijing to make a fundamental claim about who rules Tibet — and not one they are likely to relinquish.

Present Day

Chinese President Xi Jinping made a rare visit to Lhasa in August 2025 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of TAR’s founding. He called for stronger regulation of religious affairs to help Tibetan Buddhism “adapt to socialist society.”

To promote integration, Beijing has invested heavily in infrastructure which has led to better standards of living, particularly for a Tibetan élite that has adopted the language and entrepreneurial outlook of the Chinese. But, according to news reports, this boom has mainly benefited Han Chinese migrants; Tibetan locals often lack the education and capital to participate.

One of Beijing’s long-term policies — that worries the diaspora and Tibetan leadership — is aimed at absorbing Tibetans into Chinese mainstream language and culture, including a drive to send Tibetan children to boarding schools where the language of instruction is (almost exclusively) Mandarin Chinese.

Autonomous Regions vs. National Unity

The TAR is one of China’s 55 officially recognized autonomous areas for ethnic minorities who (in theory) have the right to preserve or reform language and customs while enjoying the benefits of increased education and development funding. But the migration of Han Chinese (who make up more than 90 percent of the overall population) has skewered results and been a barrier for ethnic minorities to reap sizable benefits.

A consensus is now emerging among China’s political élite that the model of autonomous regions should be discarded in favor of assimilation and integration. The pro-assimilation camp points to the breakup of the Soviet Union as a sign that autonomy undermines national unity.

Self-Immolations

Over the past two decades, more than 200 Tibetans (monks, nuns, farmers, nomads, students, writers, and restaurant workers) have immolated themselves in protest against Chinese rule. Besides Tibet, they also come from provinces with significant Tibetan populations (Sichuan, Qinghai, and Gansu). Similar deaths have taken place in India and, most recently, outside the U.N. headquarters in New York when a Tibetan activist self-immolated on July 2, 2026, shortly after China enforced its Ethnic Unity and Progress Law: such acts of protest have frequently spiked in response to assimilation policies.

Beijing has labeled these acts as criminal behavior while imposing severe punishment, including detaining family members. Chinese security forces seal off areas where immolations occur to block independent news coverage. Documentaries on the state-run network depict perpetrators as “delinquents and dupes of the Dalai Lama clique” and other outside powers. Organizations like Amnesty International and the International Campaign for Tibet say these acts stem from deep desperation.

The Dalai Lama has maintained a position of neutrality, recognizing the personal sacrifice of the immolators while questioning their effectiveness and urging Beijing to address the root cause. The protests are seen by some as a form of political theatre designed to attract attention but with little likelihood that Chinese policies will change. Despite everything, self-immolations remain the ultimate agonized expression of a people who have been deprived of the freedom to organize and express themselves politically while causing shame and embarrassment to the state.

Strategic Area

The Tibetan Plateau is the source of major rivers — including the Yangtze, Yellow, Mekong, and Brahmaputra — which provide water to over a billion people. Controlling Tibet allows China to build massive hydroelectric dams and manage downstream water supplies. The Himalayan Mountains and the Tibetan Plateau provide a massive natural barrier and high-ground military advantage along China's southwestern border.

It goes without saying that China would never allow Tibet to secede! From Beijing's perspective, it would set a dangerous precedent for other autonomous or separatist regions that may have grown similarly restive, like Xinjiang, Hong Kong, or even Taiwan.

Tibet is not the Cause Célèbre it used to be!

For many years, Tibet was a celebrated cause in the West, and supporters flocked to Dharamshala from around the world, including Western legislators and Members of Parliament, as well as Hollywood and Bollywood film stars and celebrities. But, with China's increasing clout, Tibet has faded from the international conscience, from popular imagination, and from newspaper front pages although, it must be said, that the Dalaï Lama seems more practical and realistic than his followers or the Western governments that once supported him more fully.

As China’s economy grew, other countries became more reluctant to challenge it on human rights issues or even allow official delegations to meet with the Dalai Lama. Young Tibetans living in the West are increasingly resigned to Chinese rule or, at least, decidedly apolitical.

However, Tibet continues to remain one of China’s greatest challenges. Despite the millions that Beijing has sunk into raising living standards and provided in subsidies over the last nearly 70 years, the TAR has erupted in protest from time to time.

Romance and Wonder!

A journey to Tibet evokes romance and joy and wonder! Lhasa's allure for any world wanderer is evident in its remoteness and — despite globalization and Sinicization — it has got to be one of the more isolated places to reach. Since we were already in Sichuan and Yunnan, we flew from Lijiang in Yunnan Province to Kunming and from Kunming to Lhasa — and were very relieved to leave behind the massive October “Golden Week” holiday crowds in Chengdu, Juizhaigou, Huanglong, and Dali!

"Welcome to Lhasa,” said our guide at Gonggar Airport — one of the highest altitude airports in the world at an elevation of 11,800 feet. He draped long white shiny silk scarves (the traditional Tibetan welcome) around our shoulders before snapping a couple of mandatory pictures and ushering us aboard a van filled with water, snacks — and the ubiquitous oxygen canisters which we saw everywhere in China although I don’t recall seeing them in Machu Picchu where the altitude gave me constant headaches — in Tibet, I was miraculously headache-free!

Health wise, our group weathered the low oxygen atmosphere surprisingly well with altitude pills and patches. Sure, we may have panted a bit the day we went to Yamdrok Tso Lake — who wouldn’t at 16.5 thousand feet with temps of 27 degrees Fahrenheit — but the secret is climbing and walking at one’s own pace and not rushing. Indeed, we loved Tibet: my thanks to our 7-member group, all of whom helped to make it a memorable trip!

Staying Focused on Faith and Culture!

I decided to keep sentiments of wonderment front-of-mind and refrain from getting too mired in the charged politics of it all — while channeling one’s expectations in more constructive directions, such as, in exploring faith, ritual, and landscape, while we engaged with local communities. We enjoyed a visit to a beautifully furnished village home for lunch and went on to observe men and women engage in threshing a rapeseed harvest, while walking past terraced fields and pastures dominated by large fierce-looking yaks!

Much of our interest also lay in observing prayer woven into everyday life — not just confined to monasteries or temples — but seen in devotion and sacred art. This is evident in the practices that connect generations of Tibetans to a spiritual tradition that has flourished for more than a thousand years and one we were privileged to witness: pilgrims prostrating themselves in the sacred act of “kora” while encircling temples and embodying a message of compassion and nonviolence.

I think everyone should visit Tibet, at least once in their life! Buddhism is so integrated into daily life: there is such intense belief and a lack of materialism not seen in the West — and a strong sense that all can attain Nirvana, no matter one’s birth, status, power, or wealth that is both egalitarian and strangely comforting!

What I found most intriguing about Buddhism — besides delving into the differences between Tibetan Mahayana and Indian Theravada (footnotes below) — is that compassion and goodwill are centered on empathy and care for all living beings. Rather than petitioning an external deity, the goal of reciting mantras is to transform one’s mind by distancing oneself from attachment and ego. Let me conclude with the recitation in Sanskrit of the Shakyamuni Mantra, which is said to draw out the “pure Buddha nature” that resides in us all:

Om Muni Muni Mahamuni Shakyamuniye Svaha!

ॐ मुनि मुनि महामुनि शक्य मुनिये स्वाहा (in Devanagari)

Ludi Joseph

October 25, 2026

Lhasa, Tibet

NOTES:

Sikkim

Following years of political turmoil, calls for democratic reform, and weakening of the Chogyal monarchy, Indian troops entered Sikkim’s capital of Gangtok in 1975 in a military takeover that resulted in Sikkim’s annexation. A special referendum was held where people of Sikkim voted to abolish the monarchy and join India as its 22nd state. While critics called the 1975 referendum a “coercive takeover,” it was ratified by the Indian Parliament and Sikkim formally became an Indian state. Although China initially rejected the annexation as illegal, it moved toward acceptance. Unlike Tibet, the transition in Sikkim did not involve large-scale bloodshed, mass refugee exodus, or the destruction of Buddhist monasteries and cultural heritage. The local Tibetan-Buddhist cultural fabric in Sikkim remained largely intact, though the Chogyal was marginalized.

Railways in Tibet: Ecological Damage?

Despite being marvels of human engineering, high profile Tibetan rail projects — the Qinghai–Tibet Railway (QTR), Sichuan–Tibet Railway (STR), and the proposed Xinjiang–Tibet railway — could cause serious ecological damage to the Tibetan Plateau as rail lines are built on fragile high-altitude permafrost! Rising global temps threaten the structural integrity of the tracks while heavy construction increases soil degradation and thawing. Although “green construction" elements were incorporated, independent experts note that the sheer scale of the STR and QTR are major stresses on Asia’s watershed and ecosystems and that disturbance from heavy machinery and thermal absorption accelerates permafrost degradation. In the wake of the recent tragedy in Nepal with the glacial melting and cataclysmic flooding, this could be a concern, ecologists warn.

India’s Policy Toward Tibet and the Dalai Lama

India’s official policy toward Tibet and the Dalai Lama is a careful balance of strategic positioning and diplomatic caution with Beijing’s sensitivities being front and centre. The Dalai Lama is treated as an honored guest rather than a political leader. Officially, India recognizes the TAR as a part of China. Although India hosts a large Tibetan diaspora, it forbids refugees from engaging in organized anti-China activities. Besides Dharamshala which houses 15-20,000 Tibetan refugees, there is a community of the same size in Bylakuppe in Karnataka. India has said that the selection of the Dalai Lama’s successor is a spiritual matter for Tibetans to decide.

Tibetan Buddhism in Trans Himalayan Regions

The primary form of Buddhism in Lahaul-Spiti in Himachal Pradesh is Tibetan Buddhism which came from Tibet around the 10th century with monasteries belonging to the Kagyu and Nyigma traditions alongside shrines where both Hindu and Buddhist deities blend at Triloknath and Mrikula Temples. Before Buddhism, the indigenous Bön religion was practiced, which still survives in local customs and reverence for nature.

Buddhism arrived in Ladakh in the 1st century CE during the Kushan period with Buddhist art coming from Kashmir. When relations with Tibet grew, the majority of people began practicing Tibetan Buddhism as in other Trans Himalayan regions in India. Ladakh shares deep ties with Tibet and is often referred to as “Little Tibet.” Bordered directly by Tibet, the easternmost section of Ladakh includes the Aksai Chin plateau which is claimed by India (but administered by China) since its 1962 war with India.

Tibetan Buddhism is also the dominant faith in Sikkim, Bhutan, and Buddhist pockets in Nepal.

Tibetan Buddhism in Tibet

A centuries-old tradition, Tibetan Buddhism has thrived in Tibet since the 7th century and has profoundly shaped culture, identity, and daily life through its four major schools — Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, and Gelug — along with the Bön religion. It follows Mahayana, emphasizing bodhichitta or aspiring to enlightenment by freeing all sentient beings from suffering. Vajrayana (or Tantric) builds on Mahayana and uses visualization to transform the mind on its path to enlightenment.

Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism

The difference between Theravada and Mahayana centers on who can achieve enlightenment and how. Theravada focuses on preserving the earliest recorded teachings of the historical Buddha, while Mahayana, which developed later, expanded those teachings into a universal path for all beings. Theravada emphasizes personal liberation: the practitioner follows the Noble Eightfold Path to eradicate ego and suffering; when an Arhat (disciple) achieves Nirvana, the cycle of rebirth ends at death. According to Theravada belief, the historical Buddha has already passed into final Nirvana and cannot grant favors or hear prayers. Mahayana, which views the Arhat path as incomplete, advocates the Bodhisattva path, i.e., everyone must remain in the cycle of rebirth (Samsara) out of compassion and must not enter final Nirvana until every single soul is saved. Mahayana has a pantheon of cosmic Buddhas (like Amitabha) and Bodhisattvas (like Avalokiteshvara) who have postponed final Nirvana to actively intervene, answer prayers, and help people achieve enlightenment.

Kora

The Tibetan word kora (parikrama in Sanskrit) refers to the act of walking around or circumnambulating a sacred place. Tibetan Buddhists practice kora as a form of pilgrimage. It is an integral part of devotion (also popular with Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs) to purify the body, speech, and mind in order to eliminate negativity and bad karma. To prostrate correctly, the pilgrim stretches out full length on the ground, marks the spot where his or her fingertips reach, then stands and steps forward to that spot, before prostrating again. To protect limbs and clothes, they may wear leather aprons, knee pads, and gloves or attach wooden planks to their hands to facilitate stretching out and sliding on rough cobblestones!

Shakyamuni Mantra

Known as the sacred heart mantra, it pays homage to the first Buddha or Shakyamuni, known as Siddhartha Gautama, and is a play on his name: muni (meaning wise or sage) and maha (meaning great) and reads, “Om wise one, wise one, great wise one, wise one of the Shakyans, Hail!” In Buddhist tradition, reciting this mantra can accumulate good karma and connect the chanter to the Buddha’s compassion and wisdom.

Pics from Tibet: