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Abstract
This thesis examines ideology and morality, focusing on the ideological tension among Tibetans and the integrity of their moral self under China's authoritarian rule. One aspect highlights how a specific curriculum, infused with state ideology, creates noticeable tension between Tibetan Buddhism and secular Chinese Marxism for students and teachers within the school environment. Simultaneously, the thesis documents and reflects on family moral education in the daily life of contemporary Tibetans based on ethnographic research. Using multiple methods, my study finds that Tibetan students generally do not feel the need to reconcile these ideological conflicts or choose between the two belief systems. Instead, guided by their practical wisdom, they find ways to live with both opposing ideologies. For example, they practice tolerance to manage intolerance, avoid sensitive debates, and apply contextualization to dissolve apparent conflicts. They maintain their beliefs while understanding opposing views and set clear boundaries between personal beliefs and overt behaviors. Similarly, Tibetan teachers employ various tactics to navigate tensions arising from their diverse social roles and identities—being Tibetan Buddhists, instructors of Marxist ideology courses, and morality role models for the next generation. In this thesis, I interpret these tactics and describe their efforts using the theoretical concept of an “ideology tax,” which draws on a local Tibetan expression, ཁྲལ་འཇལ་འདོད་མེད་པ།, meaning “unwillingly paying tax.” Guided by this conceptual framework, the thesis aims to understand how Tibetans navigate an authoritarian regime while maintaining moral integrity, a stable, shameless, and consistent sense of self. From their perspective, paying the mandated ideology tax to a Chinese secular Marxist government seeking ideological control is seen as an opportunity to creatively exercise their own agency as subjects. The thesis concludes with reflections on both the universal and Buddhist-specific features of the Tibetan response to ideological domination.