The series of self-immolations by Tibetan Buddhists protesting oppressive Chinese rule has been tragic. His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Prime Minister Lobsang Sangay and the Karmapa have working hard with their fellow Buddhists to bring worldwide attention to the horrible situation in Tibet which has lead to these self-immolations. And so Syracuse Buddhists have been alarmed that it has turned out this has been the most "underreported" important story of 2011.
Phayul.com has reported "Tibetan self-immolations - the most “underreported” story of 2011." A TIME magazine survey on a wide-ranging list of the highs and lows of the past 12 months has listed the “Self-Immolation of Tibetan Monks” as the number one “underreported story” for the year 2011. Ever Since March of this year, 12 Tibetans have set themselves on fire in protest of China’s continued occupation of Tibet and with demands for the return of the Dalai Lama from exile.
In its ratings TIME magazine has conceded that it generally takes a U.S. President aggravating Beijing by meeting with the Dalai Lama, or a high profile celebrity Richard Gere fundraiser, to get Tibet into the news these days. Tsewang Rigzin, who is President of the largest Tibetan pro-independence group in exile, has said that the underreporting on the self-immolation of Tibetans was "like adding insult to injury." Rigzin feels these historic sacrifices in the form of self-immolations by Tibetan monks and nuns for Tibet’s Independence and return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet deserves headlines in media worldwide and concrete support from world leaders.
Such extreme sacrifices by Tibetan Buddhists serves as a reflection of the horrible pain they have been in under clearly oppressive conditions in Tibet. If these emotionally shocking self- immolations are ignored instead of being given the coverage they deserve in the press their sacrifices may go un-recognized and the Tibetan cause itself may float away in a pool of their wasted blood. Extreme measures of this nature, which should of course not be encouraged in the best interest of preserving the lives of the Tibetan people themselves, should nevertheless not go un-noticed once they have occured. If mankind turns its back on the Tibetan cause now than mankind may simply be helping to write another in a long series of chapters of brutal genocides of
unique people and cultures on our planet.
