The Unifying Aspects of Cultures

SECTION:

The image of the "Other" in the contacts of Europe, Asia, Africa and America

Emilia Sulek (Warsaw, Poland)
The collective portrait of Tibetan people. The Polish example of "modern mythology"

With the Tibetan diaspora that began in 1959 there started a new period in perceiving Tibet in the World. The Chinese invasion on Tibet which has resulted in a Tibetan exodus gave inhabitants of Western countries a chance to get closer with the Tibetans. A big part of the refugees settled in Europe and in the United States engaging themselves in various activities disseminating Tibetan culture among the Westerners. Also in Poland there is a small Tibetan refugee community, whose members participate in all events connected with their country. In the Warsaw University, courses in the Tibetan language are much frequented by students of various faculties and still more and more books about Tibet are being published.

During last years the way of perceiving Tibet by Western people was a frequent object of interest of many scholars, both from Western countries and from Asia, including Tibet. Their work led me to a question what does this image look like in Poland, where the Buddhist movement is of a quite recent origin and where the popularity of Tibet is not as well established as in the Western Europe or the United States. My aim is to draw an overall picture of popular views on the Tibetan people held by Polish authors and informants. The paper is based on interviews with Polish Buddhists and demonstrators against Chinese occupation of Tibet and on popular accounts of Tibet found in Polish books, newspapers and journals.

Descriptions of the Tibetan nation are frequently build on opposition between the harsh conditions of their country and a kind or warm disposition of its inhabitants. All the informants stressed that what shapes the Tibetans' character is definitely the unique surroundings of their land and that in comparison with the conditions of their land, the Tibetans are nice, cheerful and calm people.

Descriptions of a typical Tibetan's character are build also in contrast to the "people of the West". The Tibetans are imagined as quiet, even-tempered and of fewer needs than the Westerners. They are said to live a simple life with limited needs. In spite of poverty and lack of modern commodities they are happy and life-loving. Many informants stressed that our "materialist" way of life doesn't bring happiness, so poor but happy Tibetans can become an example to follow.

The 14th Dalai Lama's teachings on non-violence gave his nation the fame of being a non-violent and peace-loving one. Also in Poland a concept of the Tibetans as people who love peace is a very important part of popular image of Tibet. Yet this "Tibetan pacifism" is not seen as a political strategy, but rather as a reflection of the inherent nature of this nation, a kind of "internal defenceless".

All informants agree that the Tibetans do not exploit mineral resources and that they respect life more than other nations do. They have developed an awareness of the ecological need to preserve environment long before industrialisation and growing devastation of the environment gave rise to it in the minds of the Western people. That "ecological" consciousness (contrasted with the "ecologically barbarian" Westerners) is explained either by the influence of Buddhism or by living a nomadic life close to the nature.

Tibetan culture is identified with Buddhism and the Tibetans as its followers are often thought to be the most religious people in the world, tolerant and devoid of hypocritical bigotry which in opinion of many informants is typical of the religious life in Poland. Being a Tibetan is synonymous with being a Buddhist. Religion is an essence of the Tibetans' life, they experience it deeper that other nations do.

Although the Tibetans seem to be an ideal-typical "people of the East", one can also find an opinion that they are rather an exception among its neighbours. Sincere and kind Tibetans are often compared with deceitful and obtrusive inhabitants of India or China. The Tibetan people are also renowned for their hospitality and as highlanders they are said to be open and independent.

Although popularity of Tibet and number of Polish followers of Tibetan Buddhism still grows, the popular knowledge of this country in Poland remains relatively poor. The statements by my informants and the authors cited in the paper fit the Edward W. Said's theory on Orientalism as a system build of ideas independent of any references to the "real" East. These statements are independent of references both to the geography of Asia and to the history of Tibetan people and culture. It is often unclear whether they refer to the past or the present times. It gives an impression that the Tibetans as a subject of all these speculations are more alive in imagination than in reality. They are a vivid example of "modern mythology".

THE UNIFYING ASPECTS OF CULTURES