论1910-1912年的十三世达赖喇嘛

A Discussion of the 13^(th) Dalai Lama during the Period from 1910 to 1912

晚清政府的藏务实施令西藏地方上下丧失信心,十三世达赖喇嘛对此亦感不满,精明的英国人则借机拉拢、引诱十三世达赖。1910年十三世达赖离境出走印度,至1912年5月,前后在印度境内停留两年。此事造成的影响是巨大的,首先,十三世达赖喇嘛产生了依托英国的思想;第二,英国笼络扶持西藏上层势力的模式取得了成功,之后西藏宗教领袖出走印度成为其政治诉求道路的选择之一。当然,人们不能过分苛求生逢乱世、面对乱象的十三世达赖会超越历史。

Following the decline of the Qing dynasty and its weak foreign policy,the Tibetan people became gradually dissatisfied with：（ i）the Qing local administration＇ s lack of progress;（ ii） their succumbing to the force of Britain; and（ iii） their wantonly selling their local benefits.Especially during the time of the 13 thDalai Lama,this kind of mood of dissatisfaction further deepened. In order to maintain the benefits of Tibet,the 13 thDalai Lama tried to submit reports directly to the Qing court,and was eager to get the support from the central government of the Qing dynasty.However,this effort did not reach the central government due to the barriers created by the royally appointed minister in Tibet. The British army launched a second invasion of Tibet in 1903,and soon occupied Lhasa. To the 13 thDalai Lama＇ s disappointment,Youtai,the royal minister in Tibet,did not consider the Tibetan＇ s strong anger about the British invasion,but tried to appease the enemy in order to safeguard ＂peaceful relations＂.And,at the same time he framed the 13 thDalai Lama saying＂his abandonment of the land became an excuse for the foreign enemy ＇ s invasion ＂.The Qing court then,without making a detailed investigation,announced a decree that abolished Thubten Gyatso ＇ s title of Dalai Lama. Since then,misunderstanding between the 13 thDalai Lama and the Qing court deepened further, and some upper- class Tibetans even considered leaving the Qing. Taking advantage of the Qing＇ s improper attitude towards the 13 thDalai Lama,Britain began officially to carry out a strategy of winning over the heart of the 13 thDalai Lama.In February,1910,the 13 thDalai Lama left Lhasa and went into exile in India. Britain was very happy about the Dalai＇ s arrival in India.The British man with whom the 13 thDalai Lama had the most contact during his stay in British India was Charles Alfred Bell,a political officer of Sikkim. Bell noted the value of the 13 thDalai Lama,and he believed that friendly treatment of the Dalai Lama would reap rewards one hundred fold in Tibet. The lonely exiled 13 thDalai Lama requested the British government to help him to fight against the Qing court,saying that otherwise the Qing court would oppress Tibet,destroy Tibetan Buddhism and the Tibetan government. Bell exaggerated by saying that China had already become a major threat to British India,and Britain should assist the Dalai to restore his political power.However,in the end,Bell had to tell the 13 th Dalai Lama that the British government would not intervene into China- Tibet affairs, and the British government could only acknowledge the de facto government,i. e. the Tibetan government established by China. Although the British government＇ s attitude to the 13 thDalai Lama was not clear,Bell＇ s contact with the 13 thDalai Lama was very frequent,and Bell was the contact person between the British government and the Dalai.The 13 thDalai Lama was＂provided for＂by Britain indefinitely. It is worth noting here that the 13 th Dalai Lama did not have absolute freedom while staying in India. His actions were heavily monitored by the British government,and as a result of his arrival, the British government strengthened their control along the border.At the beginning of 1912,the Qing Empire came to an end after more than 200 years of rule.When the news came to Tibet,the whole system controlled by the royal minister in Tibet immediately went into disarray; Tibetan society became very restless; the Sichuan military in Tibet sent by the Qing court mutinied as ＂a response to the revolution＂,which gave rise to Tibetan opposition; the situation in Tibet was in chaos. With the support of Britain,the anglophiles in Lhasa began to rebel,and expel the officers and soldiers sent by the central government. On March 12,1913,being forced by the Tibetan local government, Zhong Ying,the first officer of Tibetan affairs,together with other officials and soldiers,had to leave Tibet. Since that time,all officials and soldiers of the Qing were expelled,and the central government lost its political power and management rights in Tibet. Tibet was completely beyond the control of the central government.The 13 thDalai Lama＇ s exile in India doubtlessly was related to the Qing court＇s series of inexpedient strategies. The Qing court ＇ s standpoint on Tibet ＇ s anti- Britain war was very weak. Hence,it lost the support of the masses.Later,the Qing court did not use the opportunity while the 13 thDalai Lama was in Beijing to handle the contradiction between the Dalai and the royal minister in Tibet. Before and after the 13 thDalai Lama returned to Tibet,the Tibetan local elites＇ way of handling Tibetan affairs was both simplistic and violent which served to deepen the suspicions of the 13 thDalai Lama. However the Qing court took a drastic measure to deal with the situation when the 13 thDalai Lama left for India,and did not give him another opportunity. The decayed Qing court＇ s inconsistency was really too excessive,and,the impact of the 13 thDalai Lama＇ s stay in India for nearly two years, from March1910 to May 1912,was huge.On one hand,the 13 thDalai Lama began to rely on Britain. In India, the 13 thDalai Lama came to know a lot of officials in British India,including Bell. No matter that Britain invaded Tibet in the past,during the period of exile of the 13 th Dalai Lama,the ＂enthusiastic reception＂ offered to the 13 thDalai Lama by the British government and Bell was a big contrast to the attitude of the Qing court. Although British internal recognition of the value and usefulness of the 13 thDalai Lama differed,everyone was confident regarding the 13 th Dalai Lama ＇ s influence. Although the British had slandered the backwardness and ignorance of Tibetan society, they were generous to Tibetan Buddhism. The 13 thDalai Lama was quite fearful when he first arrived in India,but after two years he was gradually influenced by British colonial aggressive thinking,especially as he began intuitively to understand the western governmental system and industrial science in India,he began to think to＂modernize＂Tibet by depending on Britain. In addition,while the Dalai Lama was staying in India,the British government conveniently cultivated a group of Tibetan anglophiles, and, thus,nurtured a mechanism for communicating with high-level Tibetans,and,thus formed a new way to invade Tibet. The power of the Tibetan anglophile was very strong,and they continued their influence in Tibet in the following decades in history. On the other hand, the British government completely abandoned the strategy of invading Tibet through military force,and started to use the way of giving support to the upper classes in Tibet to invade the sovereignty of China. In the period of the Republic China,the issues related to Tibet became more international and complicated.In brief,the period from 1910 to 1912 was not only an era in which China＇ s political situation changed rapidly,but was also an important period in the life of the 13 thDalai Lama,one of religious leaders in Tibet. The last feudal empire in China ended,and the newborn central political power was not able to maximize the integration.All Chinese people in the field of politics would encounter the question of making a choice on the political route,and there was no exception for the13thDalai Lama. Therefore, people should not demand the 13 thDalai Lama to transcend history while he was facing a world of chaos.