| Welcome for Karmapa Lama | Drumming/horns | 00:00 |
|
| CAMPBELL: He’s a 23-year-old monk, but he’s treated like a rock star. | 00:13 |
|
| Thousands have gathered since dawn to glimpse him on a rare visit to Ladakh near the Tibetan border. | 00:23 |
|
| His name is Ogyen Trinley Dorje. But to his followers he’s the 17th reincarnation of the Karmapa Lama -- the third highest figure in Tibetan Buddhism. That makes him a living Buddha. | 00:30 |
|
| OLD WOMAN: It’s a ray of hope for the whole world. | 00:50 |
| Old woman | It’s just because of him today we’ve got very good weather. Otherwise it’s always cloudy. | 00:53 |
| Archival. Karmapa Lama as child | Music | 01:12 |
|
| CAMPBELL: He was once a prisoner of the Chinese – a little boy used as a pawn in the battle for Tibet. | 01:22 |
|
| Now some believe he could eventually take over from the Dalai Lama to lead the struggle against China. | 01:32 |
| Karmapa Lama | TENZIN DHUNDUP: He’s a very charismatic person. He’s the one who has to shoulder a great responsibility. There is no doubt Karmapa Lama will do it, that’s for sure. | 01:41 |
| Tenzin Dhundup. Super: | There’s no other religious figures or lamas you know who can really replace His Holiness and he would be the best option I think. | 01:54 |
| Women wait for arrival of Karmapa Lama | Music | 02:02 |
|
| CAMPBELL: Many of the Buddhists here are Tibetan refugees. They have borne children and grandchildren in India since fleeing China’s invasion. | 02:05 |
| Children | Music | 02:15 |
|
| CAMPBELL: For nearly 50 years their hopes of returning home have lain with their exiled leader, the Dalai Lama. | 02:21 |
| Pictures of Lamas | But at 73, he says it’s time to retire. | 02:29 |
| Dalai Lama at Press Conference. Super: November 3, 2008 | DALAI LAMA: Since 16 year old, I carry this responsibility. Difficult circumstances, darkest period of Tibetan history, I took this responsibility. I cannot take responsibility now. There should be a limit! | 02:37 |
| Karmapa Lama greets supporter | CAMPBELL: There’s now speculation the Karmapa Lama could fill his shoes. While India has granted him political asylum, it’s banned him from engaging in politics. | 02:56 |
| Karmapa Lama at interview | His advisers told me he would not be able to discuss Tibet. We asked him anyway. | 03:07 |
|
| CAMPBELL: How troubled are you by the recent turmoil in Tibet and what is your understanding of the current situation? | 03:13 |
|
| KARMAPA: On the one hand this shows how Tibetans in Tibet are suffering. On the other hand it shows that Tibetans in Tibet are united. | 03:18 |
| Buddhist statues | Music | 03:48 |
| Inside temple | CAMPBELL: Ogyen Trinley holds a unique position in Tibetan Buddhism. | 03:59 |
| Archival. Karmapa Lama’s coronation | As a child in Tibet, he was recognised by the Dalai Lama as the reincarnation of the previous Karmapa Lama. The atheist Chinese government endorsed the choice, even sending a representative to the seven-year-old’s coronation. | 04:05 |
| Archival. Karmapa Lama as child walks with monks | Music | 04:25 |
|
| CAMPBELL: It fitted with China’s policy of subduing the province by co-opting its spiritual and political leaders. But seven years after these pictures were taken, the Karmapa Lama fled to India. | 04:30 |
| Photo. Karmapa Lama with Dalai Lama | There, the Dalai Lama took the 14-year-old under his wing, despite historic rivalry between their sects. | 04:48 |
| Karmapa Lama interview | KARMAPA LAMA: During the past eight years I’ve come to know of all the suffering and I’ve been educated here. | 04:58 |
| Riot footage. |
| 05:11 |
| Super: March 2008 | CAMPBELL: The turmoil inside Tibet has only worsened. This year’s riots were some of the biggest since China invaded, and provoked another brutal crackdown. Outside Tibet, it cast grave doubt on the Dalai Lama’s policy of peaceful engagement with China. Many refugees want a more radical approach. | 05:16 |
|
| CAMPBELL: Tibetan Buddhism of course preaches non-violence, and yet we have seen some violence in recent times. | 05:45 |
| Karmapa Lama interview | What is your message to people? How confident that the struggle will remain peaceful? KARMAPA LAMA: Although we are Buddhists it’s very difficult to control one’s emotions. People who are in Tibet have been suffering and they have a lot of inner turmoil. For that reason, it’s very difficult to control through a Buddhist approach. | 05:51 |
| Dalai Lama at press conference | CAMPBELL: In recent days the Dalai Lama has himself signalled a major change, saying he’s lost hope of negotiating a solution with China. | 06:40 |
|
| DALAI LAMA: Things not going well. I cannot pretend something okay! No – I have to accept failure. | 06:50 |
|
| So therefore now it is my responsibility, my moral responsibility, to ask people what to do. | 07:00 |
|
| CAMPBELL: Many young Tibetans want the Karmapa Lama to be given a greater role. Tenzin Dhundup is secretary of the Tibetan Youth Congress in Ladakh. | 07:10 |
| Karmapa Lama walks through crowd | TENZIN DHUNDUP: He has this special dynamic quality. The kind of teaching that he gives, it really touches the people’s hearts and I think he can do very well. | 07:22 |
| Tenzin Dhundup interview | CAMPBELL: So you’d like the Dalai Lama to name him as his successor? TENZIN DHUNDUP: I think he will, and he has done the indication already. | 07:31 |
| Prayer flags | Chanting | 07:37 |
| Karmapa Lama prays with supporters | CAMPBELL: Choosing the Karmapa Lama would mean breaking centuries of tradition. Tibetans have always believed that when their leader dies, he’s reborn. A search begins to find the reincarnated child who takes over again. But that’s what China’s been waiting for ever since it invaded. | 07:44 |
| Darjeeling | Music | 08:10 |
|
| CAMPBELL: When the Dalai Lama finally dies, China will be able to choose its own reincarnation – a young Tibetan boy it can raise to be a loyal communist. | 08:13 |
| Photo. Panchen Lama as child | CAMPBELL: China has already done this with the second highest figure in Tibetan Buddhism, the Panchen Lama. In 1995, it arrested the six-year-old child who the Dalai Lama recognised as the reincarnation. He hasn’t been heard from since. | 08:25 |
| ‘Installed’ Panchen Lama with Government official | The communists named this boy as the Panchen Lama, raising him in the Party line. | 08:42 |
|
| PANCHEN LAMA: I always say to people, Pray more, do more good things, | 08:49 |
| ‘Installed’ Panchen Lama interview | and listen to the Chinese Communist Party to create a happy life. | 08:58 |
| Temple statues | Music | 09:08 |
|
| CAMPBELL: By switching overall leadership to the Karmapa Lama, Tibetans abroad could sidestep China’s plan to control the succession. | 09:11 |
|
| Music | 09:18 |
|
| CAMPBELL: But those wanting a smooth transition may be disappointed. | 09:20 |
| Keshav Pradhan walking | From his base in Calcutta, Keshav Pradhan has been covering the politics of Tibet’s exiles for 20 years. He predicts chaos. | 09:30 |
| Keshav Pradhan. Super: | KESHAV PRADHAN: As long as the Dalai Lama’s there, as long as they follow his methods or philosophy, they are fine, but the moment he’s gone and there is again a controversy over his reincarnation, the Tibetan community may be in chaos for a very, very long time. | 09:42 |
| Monks in temple | CAMPBELL: And this is why. The Karmapa Lama heads a different sect, known as the Black Hats. | 10:02 |
|
| It’s subservient to the Dalai Lama’s sect, known as Gelupa, or Yellow Hats. Throughout history, the rivalry between them has been so intense they’ve even gone to war. | 10:19 |
|
| Chanting | 10:33 |
|
| KESHAV PRADHAN: I don’t know whether the Dalai Lama sect, that is Gelupa, would accept anybody from the other sect as their leader, after so many years or so many centuries. | 10:37 |
|
| Here three things are involved -- politics, religion, and superstition. | 10:49 |
| Sikkim Monastery | CAMPBELL: To see just how bizarre Tibetan rivalries can get, we travelled to the Black Hat headquarters in the Indian province of Sikkim. | 10:04 |
|
| Rumtek was built as an exact copy of the Karmapa Lama’s monastery in Tibet. | 10:17 |
|
| It’s just a short drive from the Tibetan border, so it’s a restricted area, and foreigners need permits to come here. | 11:23 |
| Photo of Karmapa Lama in monastery | But the one foreigner who’s not allowed to come here at all, even to visit his own monastery, is the Karmapa Lama. | 11:34 |
| Sikkim Monastery | Music | 11:42 |
|
| CAMPBELL: India has refused all his requests to visit the monastery. Officially, it’s to prevent violence. There have been clashes with Buddhists who claim he’s not the true Karmapa Lama. | 11:47 |
| Armed soldiers at monastery | Armed soldiers now patrol the monastery in fear of attacks from his rivals’ supporters. | 12:03 |
|
| Some have even accused the Karmapa Lama of being a Chinese spy. But others suspect China is pressuring India to stop him speaking out. | 12:10 |
|
| KESHAV PRADHAN: I don’t think India will do anything to annoy China. And the | 12:21 |
| Keshav Pradhan. Super: | present system of market economy, I don’t think any country will like to annoy a big power or a big market like China. I don’t think the United States -- America will also do anything overly to help the Tibetans, as it used to do in the ‘70s. | 12:28 |
| Karmapa Lama interview | CAMPBELL: Just how sensitive it all is became clear during our interview. CAMPBELL: So what do | 12:46 |
|
| you see as the way forward for Tibet after so many years under Chinese occupation, and still no real autonomy, no freedom, what is going to happen in the future? What can happen? KARMAPA LAMA: Mmm, that is difficult to say, I’m sorry! | 12:50 |
| Karmapa Lama in car | Music | 13:09 |
|
| CAMPBELL: Until now, his reputation has been more as a teacher and poet than as an activist. | 13:13 |
|
| Music | 13:18 |
|
| CAMPBELL: But Tibetans are at a turning point. When the Dalai Lama dies, they will need a strong, charismatic figurehead to continue the struggle. | 13:27 |
| Tibetans turn prayer wheels | Music | 13:36 |
|
| CAMPBELL: The Karmapa and those around him may wish for a spiritual role. But his people may compel him to the earthly hell of fighting a superpower. | 13:41 |
|
| Music | 13:51 |
| Credits: | Reporter: Eric Campbell Camera: Wayne McAllister Editor: Simon Brynjolffssen Producer: Marianne Leitch | 14:01 |