ABSTACT

This chapter provides an analysis of the Tibet’s political history up to the middle of the 20th century, the time when the country went under the control of People’s Republic of China (PRC), and thenceforth. At the heart of the Tibet’s tragic political history was the establishment over time by the 3rd to 5th Dalai Lamas of the Dharma King government with reliance on brutal Military forces of Mongol Khans. This system of governance is more commonly referred to as a rule of religion or a theocracy, the essence of which is the religious king rules both politics and religion. This system of governance was forced upon Tibetans by Mongol Khans during 16th-17th centuries. When Qing and later the PRC took over the Tibetan government, Dharma Kings were no match against the China’s political might and had degenerated as a useful tool for the China’s eventual full takeover of Tibet. The Dharma King governance led not only to a political demise of Tibet but also to a deterioration of Tibetan Buddhism. This chapter explicates the seven delusions of a rule of religion or, as Tibetans call it, a harmonious union of politics and religion, and their tragic consequences.

Keywords: Tibetan Buddhism; Dharma King; A Rule of Religion; Theocracy; Mongol Khans; Dalai Lamas; A Harmonious Union of Politics and Religion; Politics of Delusion; Qing; People’s Republic of China.