Every country marks significant historical dates in its founding as a nation. Regardless of its current political status, Tibet is no exception and Students for a Free Tibet has set aside February 13th as an important day to commemorate Tibet's independent past. In occupied countries, observing independence day is a powerful expression of a people's desire for freedom.
Last year on February 13th, in over 30 cities worldwide, Tibetans and their supporters commemorated the Centennial of the 1913 Tibetan Proclamation of Independence by organizing flag raising ceremonies, exhibitions, lobbying event and other creative actions to put a spotlight Tibet's independent past. Globally, elected representatives took part in honoring this day and showed solidarity with Tibetans in Tibet.
The Doring stands strong outside the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa today just as it did in 822 A.D. at the height of the Tibetan Empire.
The Tibetan Empire spanned nearly three centuries, from the 7th to the 9th (618-841 AD), and at its height stretched beyond the borders of modern day Tibet. The power and influence of the Tibetan Empire soared and flourished under the reign of the "Three Dharma Kings" – Songtsen Gampo, Trisong Detsen and Ralpachen – who introduced Buddhism in Tibet and forged a unified Tibet which came to encompass the traditional provinces of U-Tsang, Kham and Amdo.
During the rule of the 41st King of Tibet, Ralpachen, the Tibetan Empire reached its zenith, projecting great power and influence over its neighbors, including the Chinese Empire under the rule of Emperor Mu Zong of the Tang Dynasty. It was during this period that the Tibet-China Treaty of 821-822 AD was signed to establish peace and constitute the boundaries of Tibet and China.
A key text in the treaty reads, "Tibetans shall be happy in the land of Tibet, and Chinese shall be happy in the land of China," [བོད་བོད་ཡུལ་ན་སྐྱིད། རྒྱ་རྒྱ་ཡུལ་ན་སྐྱིད།] clearly marking the boundaries of China from Tibet.
A doring, or stone pillar, was built to commemorate the important treaty between the two empires and placed in front of the Jokhang, considered Tibet's holiest temple. The Tibet-China Treaty of 821-822 AD is carved in Tibetan and Chinese on one side of the doring; on another side is the historical introduction in Tibetan; and on the other two sides are the names of the ministers who witnessed the event, in Tibetan and Chinese. Another doring depicting the Tibet-China Treaty of 821-822 AD was placed in the capital of the Tang Dynasty.
The Doring of the Tibet-China Treaty of 821-822 AD signifies the great legacy of a free and powerful Tibetan Empire and constitutes an important reason to celebrate Tibet's history as an independent nation and strengthen our struggle for a future free Tibet.
1. INDIVIDUAL ACTIONS OF SOLIDARITY:
The translation of the Doring of 821-822 AD by H.E. Richardson. Translated from the inscription on the west face of the stone pillar outside the Jokhang in Lhasa:
The great king of Tibet, the Divine Manifestation, the b Tsan-po and the great king of China, the Chinese ruler Hwang Te, Nephew and Uncle, having consulted about the alliance of their dominions have made a great treaty and ratified the agreement. In order that it may never be changed, so that it may be celebrated in every age and every generation the terms of the agreement have been inscribed on a stone pillar.The Divine Manifestation, the bTsan-po, Khri gTsug-Ide-brtsan himself and the Chinese Ruler, B'un B''u, He'u Tig Hwang Te, their majesties the Nephew and the Uncle, through the great profundity of their minds know whatsoever is good and ill for present and future alike. With great compassion, making no distinction between outer and inner in sheltering all with kindness, they have agreed in their counsel on a great purpose of lasting good--the single thought of causing happiness for the whole population--and have renewed the respectful courtesies of their old friendship.
Having consulted to consolidate still further the measure of neighbourly contentment they have made a great treaty. Both Tibet and China shall keep the country and frontiers of which they are now in possession.
The whole region to the east of that being the country of Great Tibet, from either side of that frontier there shall be no warfare, no hostile invasions, and no seizure of territory. If there be any suspicious person, he shall be arrested and an investigation made and, having been suitably provided for, he shall be sent back. Now that the dominions are allied and a great treaty of peace has been made in this way, since it is necessary also to continue the communication of pleasant messages between Nephew and Uncle, envoys setting out from either side shall follow the old established route.
According to former custom their horses shall be changed at Tsang Kun Yog, which is between Tibet and China. Beyond sTse Zhung Cheg, where Chinese territory is met, the Chinese shall provide all facilities; westwards, beyond Tseng Shu Hywan, where Tibetan territory is met, the Tibetans shall provide all facilities.
According to the close and friendly relationship between Nephew and Uncle the customary courtesy and respect shall be practised. Between the two countries no smoke or dust shall appear. Not even a word of sudden alarm or of enmity shall be spoken and, from those who guard the frontier upwards, all shall live at ease without suspicion or fear, their land being their land and their bed their bed. Dwelling in peace they shall win the blessing of happiness for ten thousand generations.
The sound of praise shall extend to every place reached by the sun and moon. And in order that this agreement establishing a great era when Tibetans shall be happy in Tibet and Chinese shall be happy in China shall never be changed, the Three Jewels, the body of saints, the sun and moon, planets and stars have been invoked as witnesses; its purport has been expounded in solemn words; the oath has been sworn with the sacrifice of animals; and the agreement has been solemnized.
If the parties do not act in accordance with this agreement or if it is violated, whether it be Tibet or China that is first guilty of an offence against it, whatever stratagem or deceit is used in retaliation shall not be considered a breach of the agreement. Thus the rulers and ministers of both Tibet and China declared and swore the oath; and the text having been written in detail it was sealed with the seals of both great kings. It was inscribed with the signatures of those ministers who took part in the agreement and the text of the agreement was deposited in the archives of each party.
Utopia
Last year on February 13th, in over 30 cities worldwide, Tibetans and their supporters commemorated the Centennial of the 1913 Tibetan Proclamation of Independence by organizing flag raising ceremonies, exhibitions, lobbying event and other creative actions to put a spotlight Tibet's independent past. Globally, elected representatives took part in honoring this day and showed solidarity with Tibetans in Tibet.
SECURE THE PAST, SHAPE THE FUTURE
In their latest attempt to rewrite Tibet's history of an independent past, the Chinese government has invented propaganda lies depicting the Doring pillar of the Tibet-China Peace Treaty of 821-822 AD outside the Jokhang in Lhasa - a very prominent monument from the time of the Tibetan Empire - as a legitimate claim to Tibet.
Nothing could be further from the truth!
This year on February 13, Students for a Free Tibet will mark the day by celebrating the great legacy of the Tibetan Empire to challenge China's propaganda about Tibetan history as well as to strengthen the case for Tibet on the global stage.
In commemorating the historical legacy of the Tibetan Empire, we are not only securing our past but also shaping our future, as we work toward fulfilling our vision of all Tibetans uniting in a free and democratic Tibet.
This year on February 13, Students for a Free Tibet will mark the day by celebrating the great legacy of the Tibetan Empire to challenge China's propaganda about Tibetan history as well as to strengthen the case for Tibet on the global stage.
In commemorating the historical legacy of the Tibetan Empire, we are not only securing our past but also shaping our future, as we work toward fulfilling our vision of all Tibetans uniting in a free and democratic Tibet.
THE HISTORY OF
THE DORING OF 821-822 AD
The Doring stands strong outside the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa today just as it did in 822 A.D. at the height of the Tibetan Empire.
The Tibetan Empire spanned nearly three centuries, from the 7th to the 9th (618-841 AD), and at its height stretched beyond the borders of modern day Tibet. The power and influence of the Tibetan Empire soared and flourished under the reign of the "Three Dharma Kings" – Songtsen Gampo, Trisong Detsen and Ralpachen – who introduced Buddhism in Tibet and forged a unified Tibet which came to encompass the traditional provinces of U-Tsang, Kham and Amdo.
During the rule of the 41st King of Tibet, Ralpachen, the Tibetan Empire reached its zenith, projecting great power and influence over its neighbors, including the Chinese Empire under the rule of Emperor Mu Zong of the Tang Dynasty. It was during this period that the Tibet-China Treaty of 821-822 AD was signed to establish peace and constitute the boundaries of Tibet and China.
A key text in the treaty reads, "Tibetans shall be happy in the land of Tibet, and Chinese shall be happy in the land of China," [བོད་བོད་ཡུལ་ན་སྐྱིད། རྒྱ་རྒྱ་ཡུལ་ན་སྐྱིད།] clearly marking the boundaries of China from Tibet.
A doring, or stone pillar, was built to commemorate the important treaty between the two empires and placed in front of the Jokhang, considered Tibet's holiest temple. The Tibet-China Treaty of 821-822 AD is carved in Tibetan and Chinese on one side of the doring; on another side is the historical introduction in Tibetan; and on the other two sides are the names of the ministers who witnessed the event, in Tibetan and Chinese. Another doring depicting the Tibet-China Treaty of 821-822 AD was placed in the capital of the Tang Dynasty.
The Doring of the Tibet-China Treaty of 821-822 AD signifies the great legacy of a free and powerful Tibetan Empire and constitutes an important reason to celebrate Tibet's history as an independent nation and strengthen our struggle for a future free Tibet.
- Raise a Tibetan flag on your roof or display it in your window
- Proudly wear a Feb 13 Badge and present opportunities during the day to speak about the legacy of the great Tibetan Kings (coming soon)
- Present a copy of the Tibet- China Treaty to your elected representative: Tibetan | English
- Change your Facebook time line cover
- Share the Feb 13, 2014 stamp or use it as your profile picture
- Tweet about #Feb13 #Feb13HistoricalFact #TibetanEmpire and create a Twitter trend
- Present a nicely framed copy of Tibet-China Treaty to your local elected representatives (coming soon)
- Request your local elected representatives to issue a "message of support" for the living Tibet - China Peace Treaty 821-822 AD
- Organize your Feb 13 Event and educate your community on Tibet's historical independence
- Organize an official flag-raising ceremony across from your nearest Chinese embassy/consulate or city landmark
- Organize a community parade with marching band playing the Tibetan national anthem, Unfurl the the Doring (coming soon)
- Hold an information table/photo exhibit in a public location
- Give a Tibetan history teach-in
- 3. MATERIALS & RESOURCES:
- Tibet -China Treaty: Tibetan | English
- Download Five Legacies of the Tibetan Empire (coming soon)
- Images of Doring (coming soon)
- Feb 13, 2014 Badge
(download and print yourself)
- Reading links:
- Media Packet:
- Media Advisory sample [copied below]
- Press Release sample [coming soon!]
- Media Talking points [coming soon!]
Tibet-China treaty of 821-822 aD
The translation of the Doring of 821-822 AD by H.E. Richardson. Translated from the inscription on the west face of the stone pillar outside the Jokhang in Lhasa:
The great king of Tibet, the Divine Manifestation, the b Tsan-po and the great king of China, the Chinese ruler Hwang Te, Nephew and Uncle, having consulted about the alliance of their dominions have made a great treaty and ratified the agreement. In order that it may never be changed, so that it may be celebrated in every age and every generation the terms of the agreement have been inscribed on a stone pillar.The Divine Manifestation, the bTsan-po, Khri gTsug-Ide-brtsan himself and the Chinese Ruler, B'un B''u, He'u Tig Hwang Te, their majesties the Nephew and the Uncle, through the great profundity of their minds know whatsoever is good and ill for present and future alike. With great compassion, making no distinction between outer and inner in sheltering all with kindness, they have agreed in their counsel on a great purpose of lasting good--the single thought of causing happiness for the whole population--and have renewed the respectful courtesies of their old friendship.
Having consulted to consolidate still further the measure of neighbourly contentment they have made a great treaty. Both Tibet and China shall keep the country and frontiers of which they are now in possession.
The whole region to the east of that being the country of Great Tibet, from either side of that frontier there shall be no warfare, no hostile invasions, and no seizure of territory. If there be any suspicious person, he shall be arrested and an investigation made and, having been suitably provided for, he shall be sent back. Now that the dominions are allied and a great treaty of peace has been made in this way, since it is necessary also to continue the communication of pleasant messages between Nephew and Uncle, envoys setting out from either side shall follow the old established route.
According to former custom their horses shall be changed at Tsang Kun Yog, which is between Tibet and China. Beyond sTse Zhung Cheg, where Chinese territory is met, the Chinese shall provide all facilities; westwards, beyond Tseng Shu Hywan, where Tibetan territory is met, the Tibetans shall provide all facilities.
According to the close and friendly relationship between Nephew and Uncle the customary courtesy and respect shall be practised. Between the two countries no smoke or dust shall appear. Not even a word of sudden alarm or of enmity shall be spoken and, from those who guard the frontier upwards, all shall live at ease without suspicion or fear, their land being their land and their bed their bed. Dwelling in peace they shall win the blessing of happiness for ten thousand generations.
The sound of praise shall extend to every place reached by the sun and moon. And in order that this agreement establishing a great era when Tibetans shall be happy in Tibet and Chinese shall be happy in China shall never be changed, the Three Jewels, the body of saints, the sun and moon, planets and stars have been invoked as witnesses; its purport has been expounded in solemn words; the oath has been sworn with the sacrifice of animals; and the agreement has been solemnized.
If the parties do not act in accordance with this agreement or if it is violated, whether it be Tibet or China that is first guilty of an offence against it, whatever stratagem or deceit is used in retaliation shall not be considered a breach of the agreement. Thus the rulers and ministers of both Tibet and China declared and swore the oath; and the text having been written in detail it was sealed with the seals of both great kings. It was inscribed with the signatures of those ministers who took part in the agreement and the text of the agreement was deposited in the archives of each party.
Utopia
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