Visiting Tibetan teacher warns of persistent Tibet–China tensions, discusses exile community and U.S. resettlement trade-offs

Geshe la told the Missoula audience that Tibet–China relations remain unresolved and warned that failure to negotiate with Tibetan leaders could produce instability after the Dalai Lama’s generation.

He said the Dalai Lama has long favored dialogue and accommodation as China rose in global power, and that asking for "total freedom" became less practical over several decades. "As China is emerging into super power… it leaves very small room for us Tibetans to expect for a free" Tibet, Geshe la said.

Geshe la described the 2008 unrest in Tibet and said young Tibetans who have grown up under Chinese rule still raise slogans and take risks. He warned of the danger that frustration could "burst out anytime" if Chinese authorities do not engage in dialogue with Tibetan leaders.

On exile-community conditions, Geshe la said Tibetan refugees in India have shelter but limited civic rights — "we have everything like Indian people, except we can vote" — and that families and the exile government have used community donations and internal savings to support schools and services. He discussed U.S. resettlement programs, saying some in the community view resettlement as "good" and later beneficial, while others see it as encouraging emigration and the erosion of culture.

An audience question about the Tibetan resettlement project prompted Geshe la to say the program was "helpful" but that it also created incentives for people to leave exile settlements in India, and that leaders discourage use of illegal channels to migrate.

These were descriptive remarks during a public talk; no municipal or policy actions were proposed at the Missoula event.