Dalai Lama's middle way : characteristics and contradictions.

Abstract

This paper examines the Middle Way Approach of the Dalai Lama as a strategy for the Tibetan movement. The Middle Way emerged against the backdrop of religious rejuvenation, clash of civilizations and indigenous development. The characteristics of the Middle Way illustrate that "the genuine autonomy" pursued by this strategy is in effect a quasi-independence. The Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government-in-exile successfully keep the Middle Way on the world stage through democratization, internationalization, and the dialogue with the Central Authority of China. However, the aging of the Dalai Lama endangers the identity of the Tibetan diaspara at present. This identity crisis gives birth to a radicalized agenda within the exiled Tibetan community, which may eventually bring the Middle Way to a dead end.