The question popped into my head two years ago when Leah and I were traveling in the high mountains in Nepal. We came upon settlements of Tibetan refugees who had fled the Chinese government’s occupation and repression of Tibetan people in lands where Tibetans had lived for countless centuries. The Tibetans’ peaceful Buddhist culture had flourished but now they were essentially homeless and living in neighboring countries like Nepal. The refugees quietly fingered prayer beads and recited Buddhist mantras and I wondered: What is it about Tibetans that the Chinese government seems to find threatening?
Returning home to the U.S., I met Tibetans who are fortunate to have made comfortable homes in the Seattle area, and they too are noticeably peaceful, warm and friendly. I attended a lecture by the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet who now lives in exile in India. Speaking to a large crowd in Seattle, the themes of the Dalai Lama’s message were compassion for all beings and nonviolence.
Several weeks ago I photographed the Seattle-area Tibetans’ observance of Losar New Year. There were prayers and the offering of ceremonial scarves to a Buddhist shrine, as well as music and dance. Last week I documented a peaceful rally when the Seattle Tibetan community marked the 51st anniversary of the Tibetans’ resistance to Chinese occupation. At both events I photographed something that struck me as admirable: Adults were taking great care in teaching their children the ways of the ancient Tibetan culture.
Thinking about Tibetans I have come to know, I am utterly unable to conjure up an image of them being a threat to any government.
