The Dalai Lama's 80th birthday has been a cause for celebration but also consternation for Tibetans at home and in the diaspora. Now, as he grows older, doubt hovers in the air as to who will carry on the struggle when he's gone. America Abroad explores Tibetan Buddhism and the changing conditions in modern day Tibet from a spiritual, political, and cultural perspective.
We visit a Tibetan Buddhist Monastery in upstate New York to better understand Tibetan Buddhism and why it seems appealing to so many Westerners. We travel to the Chinese city of Chengdu, near the Tibetan border, to explore the tensions between Tibetan culture and Chinese urbanization efforts. In Dharamsala, India, we see how Tibetans in exile deal with Chinese surveillance while gradually embracing technology. And we talk to top experts on American foreign policy in Tibet and the role of Tibetan activists in the diaspora.