Tulku Tenzin Delek Rinpoche
When the first delegation from the
exiled Tibetan government went to Tibet to see how conditions were
first hand, there was a heavy clamp-down on the Tibetans by the Chinese
in order to give a false impression of contentment with the Chinese
regime. Defying the clamp-down, Rinpoche appraised the delegation of
the Chinese maltreatment of Tibetans.
When the Panchen Lama, the
second-highest figure in the Tibetan Buddhist hierarchy, was released
from prison and went to Labrang Tashi Khyil, Rinpoche went to confer
with the Panchen Lama secretly, and submitted a report to him on the
torture of monks and nuns and other forms of punishments done to
Tibetans by the Chinese. He urged that those who had been framed on
doctored-up charges should be acquitted and that the many monasteries
which had been razed should be rebuilt. The Chinese, hoping to use the
Panchen Lama as a figurehead leader in Tibet, had given him some small
authority.
From 1980 onwards, Rinpoche
repeatedly asked the concerned authorities to reopen the monasteries
and that Tibetans who had been imprisoned on fabricated charges should
be released. Finally he performed prayers and burnt incense on the
ruins of a major monastery and announced that it was the beginning of a
new era of religious activities as a result of which he incurred the
wrath of the Chinese and was forced to flee Tibet in 1982.
He reached Dharamsala, India and
conferred with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, receiving ordination into
senior monkhood. He then went to southern India and joined Drepung
Monastery, where he studied Buddhist philosophy for six years. In 1987,
Rinpcoche returned to Lithang, Tibet. At Lithang Monastery, he played
an audio cassette containing advice from His Holiness the Dalai Lama on
the menace of the Dorje Shudgen cult and distributed literature on the
subject.
He then travelled to the Athog
region and advised the people on the construction of new monasteries.
The local authorities refused to give permission to Rinpoche for the
construction of new monasteries. He went to Peking and conferred with
the Panchen Lama, and obtained a letter stating that the building of
the new monasteries should be permitted, so the local authorities were
thus overridden in the matter. The Panchen Lama named the first new
monastery to be completed, Kham Nalanda Thegchen Jangchub Choeling.
From 1991 to 1995, seven
monasteries, including Jangchub Choeling, and an old people’s home were
built. The local people performed the work and provided most of the
materials for the construction.
In 1997, a special meeting was held
by the Karze Tibetan Autonomous Region to discuss Tulku Tenzin Deleg
Rinpoche, wherein it was concluded that the activities of Rinpoche went
against the established policy of the country. The meeting delegates
further accused Rinpoche of promoting religion and building monasteries
contrary to the law of the land. Further, they prepared a six-point
document which they distributed to the public, and after which, they
went to arrest him. But Rinpoche had fled to the mountains and lived
there for five months. More than 30,000 people gathered and signed a
letter stating that Rinpoche was innocent of the charges and they stood
proof of their claim. The Chinese finally said that if Rinpoche did not
engage in political activities, they would show leniency.
In 1998, Rinpoche opened a school
for orphans in the Nagchu region. He bought the necessary land and
accommodated 300-plus orphans in the school. Rinpoche provided the
students with board, clothing, housing, and paid a salary to the
teachers. But the Chinese authorities then informed Rinpoche that
private schools were not permitted. The school was taken over by the
local authorities and eventually closed down and the orphans disbanded.
In 1998 and 2000, there was much
strife in the Kham area among the nomads regarding grazing rights and
Rinpoche was invited to bring the concerned parties together and settle
the dispute. This he did to the satisfaction of all the disputants. He
continued travelling and giving discourses advising people to abide by
the advice of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, to live in harmony and help
one another. He further urged the people to strive for the preservation
of their religion and culture, and admonished Tibetans serving in
government positions to work for the development of the country.
The Chinese authorities went to
arrest him a second time on the grounds that he was building
monasteries and giving discourses without the permission of the
concerned authorities. Rinpoche had to flee to the mountains and stayed
there for seven months. An application signed by about 20,000 people
was forwarded to the central government in Beijing challenging the
verdict of the local authority in ordering the Rinpoche’s arrest
warrants. The central government claimed that if Rinpoche was not
indicted in political matters, then the case against him could be
withdrawn. However, he was banned from giving further discourses and
was not allowed to travel, and had to live as an ordinary monk.
When the Chinese launched the
Patriotic Education Program, they sought Rinpoche’s opinion of the new
Panchen, a candidate chosen by the Chinese government rather than by
Tibetans. Rinpoche replied that he would respect a Panchen Lama who was
recongised by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, adding that Tibetan people
would never accept a Panchen Lama who had not received endorsement from
His Holiness. He opined that imposing a fake Panchen Lama would cause
disharmony between the Tibetan and Chinese peoples. When the ban on the
display of the Dalai Lama’s photographs was imposed, Rinpoche retorted
that for him, having His Holiness’ photograph displayed did not enhance
nor lessen his faith in him. He added that His Holiness was Rinpoche’s
life’s nerve. Hearing this the Chinese were nonplussed.
On the night of April 7 2002, police
from Sinchuan province came and arrested Rinpoche and five of his
disciples. The Chinese accused Rinpoche and his disciples of setting
off bombs in the city of Chendu. For eight long months, the public had
no knowledge of the whereabouts of Rinpoche. Eventually, the Chinese
charged Rinpoche with engineering the bomb blast on December 2 2001,
possession of arms and engaging in activities to ‘split the
motherland.’ The Chinese sentenced Rinpoche to execution within two
years time, and his companion, Lobsang Dhondup, for imminent execution
on the three counts cited above.
When the verdict was given by the
court, Rinpoche said that it was a baseless and unjust verdict. When
the court dismissed his objection, Rinpoche shouted at the top of his
lungs, "Long live His Holiness the Dalai Lama," upon which the security
personnel gagged him and dragged him out of the room.