For quite some time now, the cause of Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism has enjoyed a phenomenal vogue in the advanced circles of the West. The “Tibetan cultural heritage,” as it is known, is universally understood to be the repository of a precious spiritual wisdom—one, moreover, that is critically relevant to the future of the entire world. But Tibet’s heritage is also seen to be highly endangered, in need of urgent support and rescue by the West. One can date the emergence of the Tibetan cause fairly precisely. It occurred after the country was incorporated into the People’s Republic of China in 1950, and especially after the 1959 flight to India of its spiritual and temporal leader, the 14th Dalai Lama. Before that time, Tibet barely registered in the West’s consciousness. Indeed, for centuries it had effectively disappeared from the political map of the world.

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