Tibetan monk Geshe Shersang Gyatso dies by suicide in protest against Chinese repression at Tsang monastery

DHARAMSHALA(Himachal Pradesh): Geshe Shersang Gyatso, a 52-year-old Tibetan monk and esteemed leader of Tsang Monastery located in Amdo, eastern Tibet, tragically died by suicide on August 18 in protest against the ongoing pressure and increasing repression from Chinese authorities, as reported by Tibet Times and cited by Phayul.com

Phayul.com (Fatherland in Tibetan) is a pioneer English-language news portal of the Tibetan diaspora.

As noted in the report, in the days before the 90th birthday (July 6) celebration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Chinese officials conducted extensive inspections at Tsang Monastery. Security forces searched the monks’ living quarters one by one, where they found photos of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader in several rooms. Following this, the monastery was put under a strict lockdown, which severely limited the monks’ movements.

Furthermore, all monks under eighteen years of age were expelled, as indicated by the Phayul report.

Starting from July 20, authorities imposed even stricter controls. Monks faced daily searches, were forced to attend political indoctrination sessions several times a day, and experienced significant disruption of traditional religious practices. Long-standing rituals and ceremonies were overlooked, which caused considerable distress among the monastic community, according to the Phayul report.

Nomadic groups under the spiritual leadership of Tsang Monastery, who typically invite monks to conduct religious services during the fifth and sixth months of the Tibetan calendar, were also barred from access this year, an action that not only breached long-held traditions but also represented a clear violation of religious freedom.

Geshe Shersang Gyatso, who also held the position of director of the monastery’s management committee, took his life on the afternoon of August 18 by leaping from the upper floor of the monastery’s shop building. Tibet Times’s report indicated that his death was perceived as a final act of resistance against China’s persistent repression, as emphasised by the Phayul report.

Hailing from Arig village in Sog County within the Malho Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Geshe Shersang Gyatso was highly regarded for his intellect, discipline, and moral character. Tsang Monastery, one of the largest in the Amdo region, accommodates nearly a thousand monks from Malho, Tsolho, and Golog. Geshe Shersang Gyatso was recognised as one of its most distinguished and venerated figures, as reported by Phayul. (ANI)