What do you think?
Rate this book
Buddha's Warriors: The Story of the CIA-Backed Tibetan Freedom Fighters, the Chinese Communist Invasion, and the Ultimate Fall of Tibet
Buddha's Warriors is the first book that brings to life Tibet before the Chinese communist invasions and depicts the transition of peaceful monks to warriors with the help of the CIA.
Tibet in the last sixty years has been so much mystified and politicized that the world at large is confused about what really happened to the "Rooftop of the World" when Mao Tse-tung invaded its borders in 1950. There are dramatically conflicting accounts from Beijing and Dharamsala (home of the Dalai Lama's government-in-exile). Adding to the confusion is the romanticized spin that Western writers and filmmakers have adopted in an effort to appease the popular myth of Shangri-La.
Buddha's Warriors is no fairy tale. Set in a narrative framework but relying heavily on the oral transcripts of the Tibetan men who actually fought the Chinese, Buddha's Warriors tells, for the first time, the inside story of these historic developments, while drawing a vivid picture of Tibetan life before, during, and after Mao's takeover. The firsthand accounts, gathered by the author over a period of seven years, bring faces and deeply personal emotions to the forefront of this ongoing tragedy. It is a saga of brave soldiers and cowardly traitors. It's about hope against desolation, courage against repression, atheism against Buddhism. Above all, it's about what happens to an ancient civilization when it is thrust overnight into the modern horrors of twentieth-century warfare.
Tibet in the last sixty years has been so much mystified and politicized that the world at large is confused about what really happened to the "Rooftop of the World" when Mao Tse-tung invaded its borders in 1950. There are dramatically conflicting accounts from Beijing and Dharamsala (home of the Dalai Lama's government-in-exile). Adding to the confusion is the romanticized spin that Western writers and filmmakers have adopted in an effort to appease the popular myth of Shangri-La.
Buddha's Warriors is no fairy tale. Set in a narrative framework but relying heavily on the oral transcripts of the Tibetan men who actually fought the Chinese, Buddha's Warriors tells, for the first time, the inside story of these historic developments, while drawing a vivid picture of Tibetan life before, during, and after Mao's takeover. The firsthand accounts, gathered by the author over a period of seven years, bring faces and deeply personal emotions to the forefront of this ongoing tragedy. It is a saga of brave soldiers and cowardly traitors. It's about hope against desolation, courage against repression, atheism against Buddhism. Above all, it's about what happens to an ancient civilization when it is thrust overnight into the modern horrors of twentieth-century warfare.
433 pages, Hardcover
First published December 29, 2004
12 people are currently reading
192 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
April 2, 2021
Excellent addition to the still-growing volume of books dealing with the horrific Chinese subjugation of Tibet.
There was an early flood of books on this topic in the '70s and early '80s, many of which have since become classics (John Avedon's In Exile from the Land of Snows, Michel Peissel's The Secret War in Tibet, Gompo Tashi Andrugtsang's Four Rivers, Six Ranges, et al), and then beginning in the very late '90s there was a second wave of books that dealt more with the CIA's clandestine support of the Khampa rebels (Orphans of the Cold War: America and the Tibetan Struggle for Survival, Arrested Histories: Tibet, the CIA, and Memories of a Forgotten War and Tears of the Lotus: Accounts of Tibetan Resistance to the Chinese Invasion, 1950-1962 by Roger McCarthy, the CIA officer who actually led the Agency's Tibet Task Force). Dunham draws extensively from all these sources - in a good way - along with many others, as attested to by his near-endless bibliography.
So one might be tempted to ask what Dunham brings to the story that hasn't already been told; but the answer is "quite a lot." Somehow, the author was able to meet with and interview many of the main players in this story - from surviving freedom fighters to Tibetan government-in-exile leaders to CIA staffers who planned and executed the 15-year effort to...well, I'm not sure what, exactly. The U.S. certainly never believed that it's support of the Tibetan resistance would actually result in Tibet's independence (which is what the Tibetans themselves hoped for), but then what was the point? Collecting intelligence on China's actions in the Far Southwest? Keeping the PLA busy on another front to relieve pressure on Taiwan and Korea? And therein lied much of the problem - as we have since learned from our involvements in Vietnam and Iraq/Afghanistan, going in without a clearly defined goal or endgame usually does NOT end well.
Regardless of America's ultimate intentions, however, the CIA did provide much needed support to the desperate Tibetans at a time when the rest of the world - and Nehru's India in particular - stood around with their eyes closed and their thumbs up their asses. And Dunham, through his extensive interviews, sheds a very personal light on what was already a heartbreakiing - if too easily ignored - piece of mid-20th century history. In fact, I would love to see him combine these same interviews into an oral history in the vein of Richard Rubin's outstanding The Last of the Doughboys: The Forgotten Generation and Their Forgotten World War, so that these unforgettable voices receive the attention and immortality they deserve. Many of those interviewed had already died by the time Dunham completed his project in 2014, and undoubtedly many more have passed since then.
Next up: I'd like to read McCarthy's own telling of this story, as he was a main player in the overall Tibet program. I also want to read JFK's Forgotten Crisis: Tibet, the CIA, and the Sino-Indian War, as most of what I've read so far took place during the early years under Eisenhower. Of course, the Tibet program continued for another two administrations, until it was finally ended when Nixon visited China, and throwing Tibet under the bus was one of Mao's preconditions for normalizing relations.
FINAL NOTE: The above painting illustrates the episode beginning on page 352 of this book, which describes the capture of a satchel of TOP SECRET Chinese intel during a rebel raid. This and other paintings have been commissioned by the CIA over the past 20 years or so, and make up a special art collection of the CIA Museum. They are now publicly available in either book or calendar form from www.cia-art.com. You can also read a great article about the overall collection here: https://greensboro.com/life/rockingha....
There was an early flood of books on this topic in the '70s and early '80s, many of which have since become classics (John Avedon's In Exile from the Land of Snows, Michel Peissel's The Secret War in Tibet, Gompo Tashi Andrugtsang's Four Rivers, Six Ranges, et al), and then beginning in the very late '90s there was a second wave of books that dealt more with the CIA's clandestine support of the Khampa rebels (Orphans of the Cold War: America and the Tibetan Struggle for Survival, Arrested Histories: Tibet, the CIA, and Memories of a Forgotten War and Tears of the Lotus: Accounts of Tibetan Resistance to the Chinese Invasion, 1950-1962 by Roger McCarthy, the CIA officer who actually led the Agency's Tibet Task Force). Dunham draws extensively from all these sources - in a good way - along with many others, as attested to by his near-endless bibliography.
So one might be tempted to ask what Dunham brings to the story that hasn't already been told; but the answer is "quite a lot." Somehow, the author was able to meet with and interview many of the main players in this story - from surviving freedom fighters to Tibetan government-in-exile leaders to CIA staffers who planned and executed the 15-year effort to...well, I'm not sure what, exactly. The U.S. certainly never believed that it's support of the Tibetan resistance would actually result in Tibet's independence (which is what the Tibetans themselves hoped for), but then what was the point? Collecting intelligence on China's actions in the Far Southwest? Keeping the PLA busy on another front to relieve pressure on Taiwan and Korea? And therein lied much of the problem - as we have since learned from our involvements in Vietnam and Iraq/Afghanistan, going in without a clearly defined goal or endgame usually does NOT end well.
Regardless of America's ultimate intentions, however, the CIA did provide much needed support to the desperate Tibetans at a time when the rest of the world - and Nehru's India in particular - stood around with their eyes closed and their thumbs up their asses. And Dunham, through his extensive interviews, sheds a very personal light on what was already a heartbreakiing - if too easily ignored - piece of mid-20th century history. In fact, I would love to see him combine these same interviews into an oral history in the vein of Richard Rubin's outstanding The Last of the Doughboys: The Forgotten Generation and Their Forgotten World War, so that these unforgettable voices receive the attention and immortality they deserve. Many of those interviewed had already died by the time Dunham completed his project in 2014, and undoubtedly many more have passed since then.
Next up: I'd like to read McCarthy's own telling of this story, as he was a main player in the overall Tibet program. I also want to read JFK's Forgotten Crisis: Tibet, the CIA, and the Sino-Indian War, as most of what I've read so far took place during the early years under Eisenhower. Of course, the Tibet program continued for another two administrations, until it was finally ended when Nixon visited China, and throwing Tibet under the bus was one of Mao's preconditions for normalizing relations.
FINAL NOTE: The above painting illustrates the episode beginning on page 352 of this book, which describes the capture of a satchel of TOP SECRET Chinese intel during a rebel raid. This and other paintings have been commissioned by the CIA over the past 20 years or so, and make up a special art collection of the CIA Museum. They are now publicly available in either book or calendar form from www.cia-art.com. You can also read a great article about the overall collection here: https://greensboro.com/life/rockingha....
April 5, 2014
For those of us who had scant knowledge of the incredible resistance movement our forefathers took up in response to the Chinese occupation, this book is quite literally an eye-opener. There is so much we owe to the many men and women who refused to simply surrender their land, culture and way of life to the Chinese, and selflessly put their lives on the line to preserve our freedom. More than we care to give thought to today it seems. Buddha's Warriors is filled with interviews and first-hand accounts from the brave soldiers who gave up their livelihood in the fight for freedom and the Dalai Lama, even as it went against the Buddhist precepts they held dear to their hearts. (Reminded me of a quote from a TV show - "Demons run when a good man goes to war.") Long before, in my ignorance, I used to have this image of our Tibetan ancestors just completely vulnerable and helpless against the face of the PLA barging into our borders in the early years of occupation. It's a shame this vital part of Tibetan history and our struggle against the PRC is not more thoroughly shed light on in our schools. We might have been an ignorant and naïve populace during the time the Chinese began to take over our land, but we were not absolutely hopeless, and the stories of the Chushi Gangdruk and other figures in this book are a testament to that. Mikel Dunham has done a great service to our generation and the future generations of Tibet in whose time only lores and legends of these courageous fighters will remain. I hope they will read this and know what was sacrificed for us to be here today and what we can do on our part to keep their memories alive, by continuing the fight they started for freedom.
February 19, 2017
The tragic tale of the Chinese destruction of the peaceful Buddhist land of Tibet and its people has never been more clearly told than in this book. I've been familiar with the story for many years; I read the story of the Dalai Lama's escape from Tibet in 1959 when I was a boy and was captivated by it. But I only knew pieces; Buddha's Warriors has the full measure of the tragedy. Dunham weaves together the geopolitics, the moment-to-moment events of the late '50s, and first-person narratives from surviving Tibetans that the author has interviewed in the research for this book. The result is a powerful book that brings to life the people of Tibet, their special grace and heroism, and their endless courage. And now the Chinese dragon has swallowed Tibet whole, and the country is gone except in spirit and in these pages and in the Tibetan diaspora. The genocide is a stain on the character of China that will never be washed away.
November 2, 2022
1. The book provides insights of Armed resistance by warriors of Kham, Amdo & Golok regions against Chinese occupation of Tibet, successfully highlights atrocities done by Chinese on the locals and journey of the land of La mas from'Tibet' to 'Tibet Autonomous Region'. How the resistance was backed by CIA, the role played by US, India, East Pakistan and Nepal. The dilemma faced by HH Dalai Lama at young age whether to support the armed resistance or stand by non-violence.
2. The book has been written in a simple and lucid manner with various important characters narrating their stories.
3. Overall a must read book for all those interested in Tibetan culture and history; Chinese thought process; role played by geo-politics and present state of affairs.
2. The book has been written in a simple and lucid manner with various important characters narrating their stories.
3. Overall a must read book for all those interested in Tibetan culture and history; Chinese thought process; role played by geo-politics and present state of affairs.
August 20, 2013
I have knowledge of the Dalai Lamas - all 14. This book rounded out my knowledge of Tibetans, their suffering. I was familiar with some but not all the horrors of Mao, the PLA and the continued repression. I cried. I ache inside when I think of what happened - still happens!- in Tibet. How little the world really knows.
Free Tibet
Free Tibet
April 13, 2020
“The communist invaded Tibet in 1959.”Period. The world knew about Tibetan uprising and Cultural Revolution but not the ensuing atrocities. Tibet was cut off from the world, and the Chinese fed only good news of “liberating” Tibetans, portrayed as an alien and uncultivated tribe. Foreigners were not given access. In their own land, Tibetans were made strangers, criminalized and tortured.
August 10, 2020
Review of Buddha’s Warriors by Mikel Dunham
We are all aware of China’s intentions today. Every day they have something new up their sleeves to show to the world. I mean it never ceases to amaze me that a country with such an ancient cultural heritage, knowledge and wisdom can be something like this. We all know ancient Chinese philosophers like Sun Tzu, and Lao Tzu. Their very philosophies were based on the principal of hide and seek. Well, now all of us can very well understand this philosophy has been materializing all over the world in the last quite a few decades. Especially, this year with the outbreak of COVID-19 Pandemic, war posturing over the South China Seas, border dispute with India, which is still ongoing for the past 3 months. They have become past masters of this craft; which we can see in the case of Tibet, which they annexed in 1959, or when they took over Hong Kong in 1997.
If you really want to know more about Tibet’s annexation and the heroic resistance of the peace-loving , harmless Buddhist Monks; then, I would recommend Mikel Dunham’s amazingly brilliant book ‘Buddha’s Warriors’.
In this book, the author has shown the pain, the torture, the systematic destruction of Tibetan culture and history, the complete ruination of the Tibetan way of life, the ruthless destruction of Buddhist Monasteries and other heritage monuments, and the gradual erosion of Tibetan beliefs and practices. The author has interviewed many great Tibetan Monks, scholars and researchers for the purpose of writing this book. Especially, if you read about those few remnant Buddhist Warrior Monks, who led the valiant resistant against the ‘god-less’, Chinese occupation forces; you would be moved to the core by their tale.
It’s a tale of about how a group of peace-loving and harmonious monks were transformed into fierce resistance fighters (The Khamba Fighters) with the help of few courageous American CIA agents fought back against impossible odds and numbers. The most amazing part of this book is that these Khamba fighters, riding on their horses, armed with vintage Second World War weapons took on the most advanced army of the time. That too, at a time when majority of the world could not even point out the nation of Tibet on a world map! This is also a recollection of the warriors; who may be forgotten for the world, but for the Tibetans, they are still immortalized in their hearts.
Finally, I would like to add that the author Mikel Dunham has taken extraordinary steps for accurate portrayal and description about the whole movement and has brilliantly and painstakingly depicted every single moment of those times.
It’s an honest, fresh and very significant book exposing the Chinese agenda. The one which they are following in Hong Kong, Macao, and other nations today.
This is one book which I wouldn’t miss for anything else, if I really want to understand the Chinese Leadership’s hidden agenda and what is going in the Chinese Politburo.
January 23, 2023
I must say this must be the best book written about the period of China occupying Tibet. It feels like all the mysteries and unknown stories were revealed and it was like a scene laying right through my mind. There were many unknown heroes that had done so much for Tibet yet aren't known well nowadays. But, here, in this book, all of them are given credit and their works are explained exceptionally well.
When they, the heroes died, it made me very sad and disappointed. It made me wonder, if only were those brave tibetans alive, would our society have a change for the better? Or not, we can't exactly know. However, the death of those wonderful, courageous fellow countrymen was a very bad loss.
Beside the wonderful Tibetans, there was always a bad one among them. By bad, I meant those who betrayed our country. Now this may come off as me overacting or overreacting, but trust me, try reading this book. Seeing how a fellow man back stab his own countrymen and helping the enemy will surely make your blood boil, if not, throw the phone out of the window.
Maybe, because I, myself am a Tibetan girl, my feeling might be involved, but still, when I read how the inside helped the outside, it always gets to punch me right in the face. Reading about those days that passed in Tibet, it really disappointed me and even pained me to know that we, the Tibetans could have saved our country from the upcoming catastrophe, but due to the ignorance of some of our own, lead to this, is very frustrating.
However, this was a wonderful book and we must appreciate the author of providing us with such detailed and expanded stories that were hidden beneath the soil. My appreciation to the author for gathering all these informations. Alas, I just want more people to read about this and get to know more about Tibet. If you are planning to read this, I can guarantee you this. Oh boi, you are in for a ride.
When they, the heroes died, it made me very sad and disappointed. It made me wonder, if only were those brave tibetans alive, would our society have a change for the better? Or not, we can't exactly know. However, the death of those wonderful, courageous fellow countrymen was a very bad loss.
Beside the wonderful Tibetans, there was always a bad one among them. By bad, I meant those who betrayed our country. Now this may come off as me overacting or overreacting, but trust me, try reading this book. Seeing how a fellow man back stab his own countrymen and helping the enemy will surely make your blood boil, if not, throw the phone out of the window.
Maybe, because I, myself am a Tibetan girl, my feeling might be involved, but still, when I read how the inside helped the outside, it always gets to punch me right in the face. Reading about those days that passed in Tibet, it really disappointed me and even pained me to know that we, the Tibetans could have saved our country from the upcoming catastrophe, but due to the ignorance of some of our own, lead to this, is very frustrating.
However, this was a wonderful book and we must appreciate the author of providing us with such detailed and expanded stories that were hidden beneath the soil. My appreciation to the author for gathering all these informations. Alas, I just want more people to read about this and get to know more about Tibet. If you are planning to read this, I can guarantee you this. Oh boi, you are in for a ride.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 11, 2020
This account is very well written, and goes into tactical detail with people, units, and events. Fills in so many gaps - anthropology, religion, and military science. If you have a good library of literature on resistance movements, make sure you add this. Finally, the topic of forced assimilation by the PRC is as fresh today as it was then. I'll be interested to read more reviews and see what more knowledgeable Sinologists have to say.
April 16, 2020
Fascinating account of the Tibetans' way of life and their battles against the CCP's brutal invasion, aided by the CIA's Tibetan Program. A tragic collapse of an ancient civilization.
August 7, 2014
I stopped reading this book after few pages. I realized this is not honest and studied non-fiction. Instead of studying subject "sine ira et studio" this book is more a celebration of the Tibetan resistance. But as the matter of fact, this resistance was a quiet controversial issue, but I realized this book will not present different views and contesting accounts. I will have to look for another book on the issue, probably Carol McGranahan's Arrested Histories: Tibet, the CIA, and Memories of a Forgotten War.
August 31, 2012
I was inspired to read more about TIbet's history after meeting the Dalai Lama this past month. As a triad, "Buddha's Warriors", "Murder in the High HImalayas" and "Seven Years in Tibet" paint a new historical picture for me that highlights there is not just one person to blame. Fairly complicated what has brought Tibet to this point of Chinese domination and, as usual, money plays a key role even among the devout!
March 21, 2007
Great interviews by the author and a story that documents one of the great overlooked (in my view) human rights tragedies of the 20th century...
October 5, 2009
Not to use blank words or anything, but this was a super interesting book. Does a great job of complexifying the Chino-Tibetan-Dalai Lama issue.
July 11, 2010
A complete untold story of Tibetan freedom fighters and their undying loyalty to the Tibetan government and his holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. Truly Inspiring and rare story1
October 23, 2010
had no idea there was even a resistance, insightful book
November 8, 2013
A must read for all Tibetans..
January 20, 2015
Downright homoerotic hero-worship, suspect sources. Could not get through it.
May 28, 2013
Read this book. Now.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews