MCLC: Tang Danhong on self-immolations

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
From: Anne Henochowicz <annemh at alumni.upenn.edu>
Subject: Tang Danhong on self-immolations
********************************************************

Source: China Digital Times (1/9/13):
https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2013/01/tang-danhong-fire-between-the-dark-an
d-the-cold/

Tang Danhong: Fire Between the Dark and the Cold
Tang Danhong is a poet and filmmaker from Chengdu, Sichuan. She currently
lives in Israel. She blogs at Moments of Samsara
<http://moments-of-samsara.blogspot.com/> [zh] and tweets @DanHongTang
<https://twitter.com/DanHongTang>.

This essay was first published January 2013 in Hong Kong’s Open Magazine
(here <http://www.open.com.hk/content.php?id=1108>). CDT translated
another essay by Tang in 2008 called Tibet: Her Pain, My Shame
<http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2008/03/tibet-her-pain-my-shame/>, which
became one of CDT’s most popular and most commented-on posts ever.

黑与冷之间的火
Fire Between the Dark and the Cold
Tang Danhong

From the very beginning of my experience with Tibet, I fell in love with
the Tibetan people, their culture, and their faith. Their unique
hospitality, charm, good humor, and confident attitude moved me quite
deeply. They convey a priceless character through their smiles and their
eyes, and the way they serve their tea and toast their wine, the way they
spin prayer wheels. It’s a special kind of character that makes one feel
warm and think deeply. This special character of theirs is intimately
related to their land and Mother Nature, to their language and wisdom, and
to their faith and philosophy about the world. I cherish most their
understanding of, and universal compassion for, the tough realities
experienced by all forms of life.

But never in my life have I imagined that so many of these people whom I
love, at this very moment that I am writing this essay, already over 100
men and women, wish to cover their bodies with gasoline, drink gasoline,
and calmly walk down to the grasslands, or along small village paths, or
to the gates of the local government building, or to the town roads, or to
the gate of a temple, and on this land and under this sky that once
belonged to them, set themselves on fire, to cry out in their language,
and to die on this land and under this sky that was ripped away from them.
What they cry out for, in a normal world, would make perfect sense. Any
self-respecting people must have the freedom to possess its own language,
culture, and faith, and the ability to determine its own leaders. But
their dignity has been ripped away. Their language, culture, and faith
have all been ripped away. All the legitimate rights of the Tibetans have
been ripped away. Faced with such external, steely, unemotional resolve,
perhaps they still hold out hope that their harrowing self-immolations
will precipitate some change to the deaf and dumb status quo.

I can imagine the smiles and the familiar looks in the eyes of these
self-immolators. I can imagine them singing and dancing, their demeanor as
they serve tea and make toasts with their wine and their posture as they
roll their prayer wheels. I can imagine how they open their scriptures,
how they memorize the passages within, and how they worship the Eight
Auspicious Signs <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashtamangala>. I can
imagine how they give alms to beggars… I can imagine them, just like us,
having their own tastes, favorite colors or smells, putting on more
clothing as the weather gets cold just like us, recoiling when they touch
something hot, just like us. I can imagine their many connections with
this world. Surely they have loved ones. Surely they have loved ones whom
they pity. Surely they have loved ones whom they fret over. Right?

I admit, I am unable to imagine how they could be so desperate. I cannot
imagine the intense pain they endured while alive and the excruciating
pain they suffered as they burned. I once tried to stick my finger into an
open flame to better understand the pain. But after just one second, I
pulled my hand away. How could someone possibly endure many minutes with
every inch of her skin on fire? How could someone possibly be so
determined? With such endurance, why not go on enduring your life?

Like many other worried people, I want to say, “Please do not protest in
this excruciating way.” I have said before, “Stop self-immolating. Your
light will not illuminate their darkness, your flame will not heat their
coldness.” But this is nothing but a failed attempt to relieve some
anxiety by someone from the outside world. I’ve never lived their life. My
situation is completely different. My values certainly differ in some way
from theirs. My parents’ peers were were not killed by another people. My
country was never occupied by another people. I’ve never been forced to
speak the language of my occupiers. I’ve never opened a scripture. I never
had the habit of daily morning and evening prayer. I’ve never had a faith.
I’ve never had to face the portraits of the “Four Leaders” in the temple
halls 
<http://www.dajiyuan.eu/%E6%96%B0%E9%97%BB/%E4%B8%A4%E5%B2%B8%E4%B8%89%E5%9
C%B0/2697-%E6%8B%89%E8%90%A8%E5%91%8A%E6%80%A5%E5%86%9B%E8%AD%A6%E5%AF%86%E
5%B8%83-%E8%A5%BF%E8%97%8F%E5%AF%BA%E5%BA%99%E8%A2%AB%E8%BF%AB%E4%BE%9B%E2%
80%9C%E5%9B%9B%E5%85%9A%E9%AD%81%E5%83%8F%E2%80%9D.html>. I’ve never had
to hear those foreigners insult my masters. The rites of my religion were
never abolished. I’ve never been forced to curse a deeply devoted lama
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7307495.stm>. I’ve never had to
face guns pointing towards my temple. I’ve never faced the barking and
cursing of those heavily armed men
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/11/china>… Perhaps it is
precisely because of my inexperience that I cannot imagine the humiliation
with which they live that makes them so resolute. But their own people
understand the self-immolators. They gather around them and place hada
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khata> all over their bodies in a display of
extraordinary respect.

But regardless, these self-immolators among this people which I adore, are
so close to their “enemies.” Those heavily armed people are right beside
them. Those people who insulted their masters are right beside them. Those
people who ripped away their freedom and destroyed their culture are right
beside them. Yet they do not so much as lay a finger on their “enemies.”
They merely leave a final testament, cover themselves with gasoline, set
themselves alight, and call out: Dalai Lama come home; Free Tibet; Tibet
Independence… And then, they die a tragic death. The atrocities they have
endured, both spiritually and physically, far surpass what I can imagine.
Self-immolation is a language of intense pain
<http://www.aavw.org/special_features/letters_thich_abstract02.html>, an
intensely painful denouncement–a way to communicate the extent of the
atrocity they endure.

A mother seeing the blackened body of the child she once loved and
cherished so dearly– I cannot imagine how heartbroken their mothers must
be! A father facing the twisted deformation that once was his child–I
cannot imagine how heartbroken their fathers must be! Children witnessing
their scorched parents bodies burnt completely beyond recognition, never
to feel their embrace or kiss again–I cannot imagine how heartbroken their
children must be! I admit: I want them to stop. I’d rather they go on
living, even if they live a horrible life. I’m actually scared of talking
about Tibetan self-immolation. And I’ve nearly managed to maintain my
silence.

I breach the topic here because those people, our fellow human beings,
standing tall or struggling to run as flames rage and smoke billows
<http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/26/tibetan-in-delhi-sets-self-aligh
t-to-protest-chinese-leaders-visit/>, have not only shown me their
determination for free will, but they’ve also shown me once again how that
group of rulers known as “Communist Party members,” to protect their own
power, would snuff out the free will of any who fight back.

<<All subsistence stipends, disaster relief assistance, and other public
welfare policies enjoyed by the self-immolator’s family are to be revoked.
The family is hereby permanently disqualified from such programs. All
government financed and implemented projects are to be cancelled in the
town of the self-immolator. Any and all current or planned projects are to
be adjusted and cancelled.

<<Immediately investigate the identities of any local Tibetan who visits
the home of the self-immolator’s family to offer condolences or donate
money… Public security organs are to immediately take action and enact an
intense crackdown.
Any civilian or monk who visits the family of a “self-immolator” to give
condolences or donate money must undergo criticism and reeducation. Revoke
subsistence stipends, disaster relief assistance, and all other public
welfare policies enjoyed by those who organize trips to family homes or
represent civilians or monks on visits family members.

<<Revoke subsistence stipends, disaster relief assistance, and all other
public welfare policies for any village or temple which organizes
large-scale donation or fundraising events. The village community and/or
temple(s) are hereby disqualified from applying for any government
financed or implemented project for three years. Any and all current or
planned projects are to be adjusted and cancelled.

<<Those leading or organizing the visitation of civilians or monks to
deliver condolences to family members of a “self-immolator” or institute
apportionment… must be quickly and severely punished in accordance with
the law. If the Party secretary or village head participates… immediately
enact a political reshuffling of the town government. If any activities
were organized by living Buddhas of local temples or management
committees, the offending temple is to be closed in accordance with the
law.

<<Cadres found ignoring Party discipline and state law who visit family
members of “self-immolators” to offer condolences or donate money are to
be immediately fired from their public post and transferred to the custody
of judicial organs to be dealt with according to the law.>>

“Terminate,” “shall not arrange,” “intense crackdown,” “political
reshuffling,” “close temples,” “fire from public post,” “transfer to
judicial organs”… It’s too powerful! Its message for us: The Party not
only can wipe out any free-willed person, but it can also wipe out that
person’s entire family. It can even crush anyone who respects the rebel’s
actions or feels compassion for the rebel’s family.

After the Party invaded the homeland of the Tibetan people, it looted
their property, deprived them of their economic sovereignty, and caused
them to fall into destitution. Now, it offers “sustenance stipends” and
“welfare” in order to cast itself as a “savior.” But as soon as anyone
defies the will of the Party, even if the dissenter never hurt anyone
aside from burning his or her own person, the Party has the right and the
power to condemn the self-immolator’s family–women and children young and
old–to hunger and cold. The Party has the right and the power to cut off
sympathizers and supporters for these women and children, young and old.
The Party has the right and the power to cut off the warmth and comfort of
the neighbors of these women and children, young and old, even after
they’ve already suffered such a bitter loss.

Speaking of the Party, I must revert to speaking about it in terms of its
people. After all, the Party is comprised of the people who draw up and
implement all of these “measures” and “policies.” Communist Party members
are human, too. They have voices and smiling faces. They have parents and
children. Like all people, they have their own tastes, favorite colors or
smells. Like all people they put on more clothing as the weather gets
cold, and recoil away when they touch something hot. These Party members
are also inextricably linked to this world. They have loved ones. They
have loved ones whom they pity. They have loved ones whom they fret over.
If something were to happen to one of these people, his loved ones would
be heartbroken. And if something were to happen to his loved ones, he
would be heartbroken, too. Although they are now the authorities, the
rulers, there’s no guarantee that their sons and daughters won’t be the
pieces of meat under the swords of those with even more power in the
future. In some ways, they could not be more different than the
self-immolators, but biologically they are members of the same species.
And because those self-immolators recognize that these Party members are
also living beings, they do not harm them when they decide to lay down
their lives in protest. But these very beings then go and do harm to the
self-immolator’s family and loved ones. Because the challenge of this test
of will for freedom is this: these Communist Party members work to deny
people their natural desire for their own rights. These Communist Party
members wish to selfishly cling to their control of the world.

As one Tibetan after another sets herself on fire, I am made to see the
lengths people will go to for freedom and dignity. We need only see with
open eyes a nation occupied by another, colonized by another; we need only
see with open eyes all the cherished cultural traditions of one group
being trampled by another; we need only see with open eyes an ancient
civilization being swallowed up; and we will therefore see the power of a
steadfast will, the excruciating agony of ending one’s life by
self-immolation, the pain of loved ones, so strong they no longer wish to
live themselves, and individuals, one after another, deciding to
self-immolate for dignity and freedom.

Looking at the unrecognizable bodies of these fellow human beings,
standing tall or struggling to run as flames rage and smoke billows, no
matter the difference of cultural or lot in life, it is hard to understand
their fateful decision. It is hard to face such horrific tragedy. But
evident to us all is the darkness and the cold behind the flames. That
dark rock, that cold rock, is none other than those people holding the
right to “revoke,” the right to enact “intense crackdowns,” the right to
enact “political reshuffling,” the right to “close temples,” the right to
“fire from public office,” the right to “transfer to judicial organs,” and
the right to “punish.” No one ever entrusted them these rights. They and
their predecessors plundered these rights through the barrel of a gun.

Translation by Little Bluegill. Read more about Tibetan self-immolations
<http://chinadigitaltimes.net/china/self-immolations>via CDT.

January 9, 2013 10:01 PM
Posted By: Sophie Beach
<https://chinadigitaltimes.net/author/sophie-beach/>