Abstract
In the seven decades since the Chinese Communist Party forcibly annexed the Tibetan plateau, the so-called Tibet question—which asks to what degree the Tibetan ethnic minority should manage and control its own affairs within the Chinese system—has been a key point of contention for East Asian governments. Versions of this question (and answers) have been especially important for China, India, and the Tibetan diaspora in India and Nepal. However, in examing this contemporary political question, the cultural-religious aspect of Tibetan sovereignty has received comparatively less attention. Moreover, the Tibetan interpretation of Buddhism—as far as it was considered consequential to the resolution of the Tibet question itself—has historically been viewed as an ancillary issue. Nonetheless, moves by China and India suggest that historical ambivalence toward Tibetan Buddhism is shifting, and governmental interests are becoming more politicized. The Indianled, partially Chinese-funded revival of Nālandā is one place to examine this shift.
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Notes
- 1.
This paper draws on fieldwork conducted in 2017, as well as the author’s decades of personal experience. Beginning in early 1997 and continuing until today, Greg C. Bruno has spent months living with, studying among, and writing about Tibetan refugees, first as a student, and then as a journalist and author. He has also lived in China. Between 1998 and 1999, he brought his understanding of contemporary political issues to the classroom, teaching Chinese undergraduate students English in rural Shandong. His first non-fiction book—which explores China’s policies related to Tibetan refugees—was published in April 2018 by the University Press of New England (Bruno, 2018).
- 2.
In early 2000, the 17th Karmapa arrived in India, escaping from house arrest at his monastery inside Tibet (Brown, 2010). Like the Dalai Lama before him, he was granted political asylum by India, although his movements were restricted.
- 3.
During January 2017 fieldwork, university administrators confirmed that Australia, Laos, and Thailand had pledged additional contributions.
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Bruno, G.C. (2021). Managing the Buddha at Nālandā. China, India, and the Control of Tibetan Buddhism. In: Toropova, M. (eds) Rethinking the Religious Factor in Foreign Policy. Politik und Religion. Springer VS, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-33776-6_8
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