Page 13

Scholars have debated why Tantric Buddhism, the Vajrayana, survived in Tibet where it died out in places like China, Korea, and Thailand. One factor cited by scholars is geography and I suspect another is this factor of lineage. The Tibetan plateau’s challenging landscape promoted cultural and linguistic diversity and resisted political and cultural centralization. It’s only in the last century, with the advent of modern transportation and communication, that the immense mountain and valley ranges of Tibet have been physically conquerable (and as I would later discover, only just).

The traditions of Buddhist Vajrayana were ideal for Tibetans. This later cycle of Buddhism featured diverse lines of masters that could adapt to the Tibet landscape and its complex range of communities. Added to this, the Vajrayana’s emphasis on lineages of teachers was highly complementary to that of clan lineages. Vajrayana practice and that of mountain cults and other clan-based traditions can and do co-exist quite happily.

Given the complicated issues surrounding Tibet and Tibetan nationalism, it’s interesting the Chinese communists adopted the Epic of Gesar as a symbol of the Tibetan “nation”. According to Maoist/Marxist theory, national differences of minority nations like the Tibetans are meant to dissolve under the reforms of the Communist state. This presupposes a series of minority nations within the Chinese mainland that then can be dialectically absorbed. In the case of the Tibetans, however, what happens if there is no clearly defined “nation” to be dissolved? It’s a litlle like the zen koan of the sound of one hand clapping. Or to put it in the key of Vajrayana, what if there is no “nation” to be imputed. Well, you may have to invent one.