BEIJING (AP) — China denied a report Thursday that its border police fired upon a group of Tibetans trying to cross a mountain pass to exile in Nepal.
China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said at a regular briefing that he checked into the report and found it was "made up, fabricated news."
Liu was responding to claims by the International Campaign for Tibet, which said Tuesday a group of more than 30 Tibetans, including Buddhist monks, nuns and two children, came under attack from China's People's Armed Police while trying to enter Nepal using the icy Himalayan Nangpa Pass last month.
The Washington-based activist group said the information came from several people who managed to reach Katmandu in Nepal.
The group said there were no reported injuries or fatalities, but that several people, including three monks, were taken into custody.
The report follows a similar case in September 2005 when a group of international climbers witnessed a Buddhist nun being shot dead at the same location. The incident was captured on video by a Romanian cameraman climber, leading to international condemnation.
About 2,000 Tibetans arrive in Nepal each year, according to the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. Many attempt to reach Dharamsala, India, the base of the Tibetan government in exile led by the Dalai Lama.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
30,000 expected to hear Dalai Lama in Toronto
Last Updated: Wednesday, October 31, 2007 | 8:18 AM ET
CBC News
The Dalai Lama's visit to Toronto continues Wednesday, when he will address an estimated 30,000 people at the Rogers Centre.
The Dalai Lama's visit has raised the ire of China in spite of his attempts to keep his visit non-political.
Many people who will be in the audience to hear him speak believe the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists is a symbol of the fight against oppression.
"I think of him more as a political figure you know, going out into the world in order to gain their freedom," said Johann Juarez.
The Dalai Lama insists the purpose of his trip is not to forward the cause of a free Tibet. He calls his trip to Canada "non-political."
Still, the Chinese government has been sharply critical of the attention being paid to the Dalai Lama's visit and says it could affect the economic relations between Canada and its second largest trading partner.
"I'm here just one simple person," he told reporters. "Of course morally we have obligation to serve people inside Tibet."
He was welcomed to Toronto Tuesday by Tibetan Buddhist monks and nuns chanting on the sidewalk outside the Fairmont Royal York hotel.
For many, the Dalai Lama is the embodiment of peace, compassion and respect.
Helmut Wegner came from Hamburg, Germany, to hear him speak. Wegner said he's here to hear him talk about "freedom and peace, to feel good, and to feel love."
CBC News
The Dalai Lama's visit to Toronto continues Wednesday, when he will address an estimated 30,000 people at the Rogers Centre.
The Dalai Lama's visit has raised the ire of China in spite of his attempts to keep his visit non-political.
Many people who will be in the audience to hear him speak believe the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists is a symbol of the fight against oppression.
"I think of him more as a political figure you know, going out into the world in order to gain their freedom," said Johann Juarez.
The Dalai Lama insists the purpose of his trip is not to forward the cause of a free Tibet. He calls his trip to Canada "non-political."
Still, the Chinese government has been sharply critical of the attention being paid to the Dalai Lama's visit and says it could affect the economic relations between Canada and its second largest trading partner.
"I'm here just one simple person," he told reporters. "Of course morally we have obligation to serve people inside Tibet."
He was welcomed to Toronto Tuesday by Tibetan Buddhist monks and nuns chanting on the sidewalk outside the Fairmont Royal York hotel.
For many, the Dalai Lama is the embodiment of peace, compassion and respect.
Helmut Wegner came from Hamburg, Germany, to hear him speak. Wegner said he's here to hear him talk about "freedom and peace, to feel good, and to feel love."
Monday, October 29, 2007
China warns Dalai Lama visit could harm relations
Updated Mon. Oct. 29 2007 8:19 AM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
China has warned that a meeting today between Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Dalai Lama could harm its relations with Canada.
The talks scheduled for this afternoon will mark the first time a Canadian prime minister had ever held a formal meeting with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, at a government office.
In a statement to The Globe and Mail, the Chinese Foreign Ministry expressed its frustration that Ottawa is going ahead with the meeting, despite its repeated objections.
The statement said the Dalai Lama is a separatist who veils his intentions in religion.
"China has on many occasions made solemn representations to the Canadian side on the proposed visit of the Dalai Lama to Canada," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.
"We call on the Canadian side to clearly understand the nature of the Dalai Lama's separatist activities and treat seriously China's serious concerns, and not to allow the Dalai Lama to visit, not allow him to use Canadian territory for activities to split China, and not to do anything to harm Sino-Canadian relations."
However, the ministry has released no details about retaliatory steps China could possibly take.
Harper will meet His Holiness at his Parliament Hill office.
Upon his arrival in Ottawa on Sunday morning, he was met at the airport by Environment Minister John Baird and Ottawa Mayor Larry O'Brien.
Talks will set the tone
Meanwhile, a Tibetan-Canadian leader said he hopes the meeting will set the tone for negotiations between Canada and China.
Norbu Tsering, president of the Canadian Tibetan Association of Ontario, told CTV's Canada AM that the country should learn from the Dalai Lama.
"I think my first hope is that the Canadian government will stand up and support what his holiness is trying to achieve -- to have a peaceful dialogue with the Chinese government," Tsering said.
Former prime minister Paul Martin met with the Dalai Lama for about an hour in 2004. But they met at the Ottawa home of a Roman Catholic Archbishop, not on Parliament Hill.
Earlier this month the Dalai Lama met with U.S. President George Bush.
While he said he found Bush to be a likable person, he disagreed with his politics.
"As far as your policies are concerned, I have some reservations," he told Bush.
On Iraq
On the U.S. presence in Iraq, the Dalai Lama then told an Ottawa audience on Sunday that the intention was "not necessarily" bad, but the practical result was that the problem is only getting worse.
"No matter what the intentions, methods become unrealistic. So instead of solving the problem (they) increase the problem," he said to the audience of about 5,000 people.
As a person, he said Bush was very likable.
"I love him, really, as a human being. Very nice man, very simple, straightforward, no formality," he said, to laughter from the audience.
The Dalai Lama avoided mentioning Canada's military commitment to Afghanistan during his address, but it is likely to come up before he departs the country.
He did however, touch on his commitment to non-violence, saying that when Tibetans resorted to violence in the 1950s, it led to half a million deaths, and less freedom overall.
"Violence brings more violence, more suffering,'' he said. "That's almost like suicide.'"
Tibetan autonomy
He also spoke little about the Chinese occupation of Tibet, a longstanding thorn in the side of many Tibetans.
He said he isn't pushing for outright Tibetan independence from China, but desires "meaningful autonomy" and democratic reforms, noting that there are economic benefits from being under Beijing's rule.
Tsering said he hopes Harper's relations with China will be impacted by his meeting with His Holiness.
Tsering said the Dalai Lama's visit is part of his campaign to bring about peaceful relations between the world's nations. He said it is clear the spiritual leader is against the war in Iraq.
"Definitely he meant we have seen a lot of destruction by the war itself. It's not going to bring any solutions we are looking for, so that means the next option is to look for the peace options that will bring about harmony," Tsering said.
He said the Dalai Lama's very presence inspires peace and tranquility in those he meets.
On Sunday, the Dalai Lama spoke on a number of subjects including the need for Canada, the U.S., Mexico, and Latin America to eventually unite in an effort to resolve problems in the hemisphere.
He added that Russia should become a part of NATO because it is essentially a European country.
And the Dalai Lama also noted that the world has to come together to destroy nuclear weapons, which he said were useless in the modern world. But he pointed out that resolving such problems begins with the individual.
The 72-year-old spiritual leader is currently on a North American tour to promote Tibetan autonomy and the preservation of Tibetan Buddhist culture ahead of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
In 1949, China invaded the Himalayan nation. The following year, at the age of 16, the Dalai Lama assumed full political power as Head of State and Government in Tibet.
After a failed uprising in 1959, the Dalai Lama fled to northern India where he remains in exile.
Chinese officials are vehemently opposed to foreign leaders meeting with the Dalai Lama, claiming the Nobel laureate is a political figure and a separatist.
Beijing has publicly chastised Bush and German Chancellor Angela Merkel for meeting with the leader.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CTV.ca News Staff
China has warned that a meeting today between Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Dalai Lama could harm its relations with Canada.
The talks scheduled for this afternoon will mark the first time a Canadian prime minister had ever held a formal meeting with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, at a government office.
In a statement to The Globe and Mail, the Chinese Foreign Ministry expressed its frustration that Ottawa is going ahead with the meeting, despite its repeated objections.
The statement said the Dalai Lama is a separatist who veils his intentions in religion.
"China has on many occasions made solemn representations to the Canadian side on the proposed visit of the Dalai Lama to Canada," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.
"We call on the Canadian side to clearly understand the nature of the Dalai Lama's separatist activities and treat seriously China's serious concerns, and not to allow the Dalai Lama to visit, not allow him to use Canadian territory for activities to split China, and not to do anything to harm Sino-Canadian relations."
However, the ministry has released no details about retaliatory steps China could possibly take.
Harper will meet His Holiness at his Parliament Hill office.
Upon his arrival in Ottawa on Sunday morning, he was met at the airport by Environment Minister John Baird and Ottawa Mayor Larry O'Brien.
Talks will set the tone
Meanwhile, a Tibetan-Canadian leader said he hopes the meeting will set the tone for negotiations between Canada and China.
Norbu Tsering, president of the Canadian Tibetan Association of Ontario, told CTV's Canada AM that the country should learn from the Dalai Lama.
"I think my first hope is that the Canadian government will stand up and support what his holiness is trying to achieve -- to have a peaceful dialogue with the Chinese government," Tsering said.
Former prime minister Paul Martin met with the Dalai Lama for about an hour in 2004. But they met at the Ottawa home of a Roman Catholic Archbishop, not on Parliament Hill.
Earlier this month the Dalai Lama met with U.S. President George Bush.
While he said he found Bush to be a likable person, he disagreed with his politics.
"As far as your policies are concerned, I have some reservations," he told Bush.
On Iraq
On the U.S. presence in Iraq, the Dalai Lama then told an Ottawa audience on Sunday that the intention was "not necessarily" bad, but the practical result was that the problem is only getting worse.
"No matter what the intentions, methods become unrealistic. So instead of solving the problem (they) increase the problem," he said to the audience of about 5,000 people.
As a person, he said Bush was very likable.
"I love him, really, as a human being. Very nice man, very simple, straightforward, no formality," he said, to laughter from the audience.
The Dalai Lama avoided mentioning Canada's military commitment to Afghanistan during his address, but it is likely to come up before he departs the country.
He did however, touch on his commitment to non-violence, saying that when Tibetans resorted to violence in the 1950s, it led to half a million deaths, and less freedom overall.
"Violence brings more violence, more suffering,'' he said. "That's almost like suicide.'"
Tibetan autonomy
He also spoke little about the Chinese occupation of Tibet, a longstanding thorn in the side of many Tibetans.
He said he isn't pushing for outright Tibetan independence from China, but desires "meaningful autonomy" and democratic reforms, noting that there are economic benefits from being under Beijing's rule.
Tsering said he hopes Harper's relations with China will be impacted by his meeting with His Holiness.
Tsering said the Dalai Lama's visit is part of his campaign to bring about peaceful relations between the world's nations. He said it is clear the spiritual leader is against the war in Iraq.
"Definitely he meant we have seen a lot of destruction by the war itself. It's not going to bring any solutions we are looking for, so that means the next option is to look for the peace options that will bring about harmony," Tsering said.
He said the Dalai Lama's very presence inspires peace and tranquility in those he meets.
On Sunday, the Dalai Lama spoke on a number of subjects including the need for Canada, the U.S., Mexico, and Latin America to eventually unite in an effort to resolve problems in the hemisphere.
He added that Russia should become a part of NATO because it is essentially a European country.
And the Dalai Lama also noted that the world has to come together to destroy nuclear weapons, which he said were useless in the modern world. But he pointed out that resolving such problems begins with the individual.
The 72-year-old spiritual leader is currently on a North American tour to promote Tibetan autonomy and the preservation of Tibetan Buddhist culture ahead of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
In 1949, China invaded the Himalayan nation. The following year, at the age of 16, the Dalai Lama assumed full political power as Head of State and Government in Tibet.
After a failed uprising in 1959, the Dalai Lama fled to northern India where he remains in exile.
Chinese officials are vehemently opposed to foreign leaders meeting with the Dalai Lama, claiming the Nobel laureate is a political figure and a separatist.
Beijing has publicly chastised Bush and German Chancellor Angela Merkel for meeting with the leader.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday, October 28, 2007
PM talks with Dalai Lama signal unprecedented push
Updated Sun. Oct. 28 2007 8:03 AM ET
Ashleigh Patterson, CTV.ca News
Prime Minister Stephen Harper will host the first-ever formal meeting between a Canadian prime minister and the Dalai Lama -- a controversial move that could signal an unprecedented push for Tibetan autonomy.
The 72-year-old exiled spiritual leader will visit Ottawa today and publicly meet with Harper in the House of Commons on Monday.
That meeting is expected to go further than former prime minister Paul Martin's informal private talk with the Tibetan leader in 2004 -- the first time the Dalai Lama had ever met with a Canadian prime minister.
"For us, no matter what they talk about in the meeting, the significance is that they are meeting," Norbu Tsering, president of the Canadian Tibetan Association of Ontario, told CTV.ca from Toronto.
October's visit will be the Dalai Lama's sixth trip to Canada and his third to Ottawa since he began travelling to the West in the 1970s:
The Dalai Lama first visited Canada in 1980 and was met by then-governor general Ed Schreyer.
In 1990, he visited Ottawa for the first time and met former secretary of state for multiculturalism Gerry Weiner on the government's behalf.
The Dalai Lama's 1990 visit prompted an amendment to Sino-Canadian diplomatic policy, which was officially established in 1970. Canada continued to recognize the People's Republic of China as the official government but would take no position on territorial claims.
In 2004, former prime minister Paul Martin courted controversy by becoming the first Canadian leader to meet the Dalai Lama. The one-hour talk on human rights took place at the home of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Ottawa. Martin's predecessor, Jean Chrétien, refused such a meeting.
The Dalai Lama was personally recognized when he last visited Canada in 2006 and received an honorary Canadian citizenship -- a measure protested by Chinese officials. He joins Holocaust hero Raoul Wallenberg, Nelson Mandela and, most recently, Burmese democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi in receiving the honour.
Currently, Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade recognizes China as the legitimate government of both China and Tibet -- but has "great respect" for the Dalai Lama.
Dermod Travis, executive director of Canada Tibet Committee, says western nations have made a distinct shift in recent years toward a negotiated solution for an autonomous Tibet within China.
Travis said the prime minister's meeting demonstrates Harper wants to see concrete change and not a continuation of the current record.
"Certainly we would hope that the prime minister will reflect what the House of Commons said this year when it passed a motion unanimously in February calling on the government of Canada to increase pressure on the government of China to enter into these negotiations with determination and resolve to reach a solution," Travis told CTV.ca from Montreal.
Over the past two years, the Conservative government has angered China on a number of issues prompting several high-profile visits to mend frayed relations.
Jacob Kovalio, an Asia-Pacific expert and professor at Carlton University, speculates that Harper's public meeting with Dalai Lama is a response to icy relations with the People's Republic of China.
"It's posturing and a display of Canadian foreign policy confidence, not against the People's Republic of China, but to reinforce our position as a nation proud of its democratic political traditions," Kovalio told CTV.ca from Ottawa.
Kovalio speculated that Harper has chosen this moment to resuscitate international interest in the Tibetan issue because of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
"He (Harper) knows China is not going to rock the boat too violently because of the concern the Chinese have with some nations or some important individuals boycotting the Olympics," Kovalio said.
Lhadon Tethong, Tibetan-Canadian and Executive Director of Students for a Free Tibet, said the meeting could equate to nothing more than a symbolic shift in diplomacy.
"It's a fantastic gesture and a very important one for the elected prime minister of the Canadian people to the Dalai Lama, who the Chinese government wants to paint as an extremist," Tethong told CTV.ca in an interview from New York.
"It's one thing to meet with the Dalai Lama but it's another to give a real expression of support for his attempts to resolve this threatening issue non-violently," Tethong said.
"We haven't seen, other than token gestures, any real substantive moves by the Canadian government or the Canadian corporate business community to help improve the situation on the ground inside Tibet."
In August, Tethong was detained in Beijing by Chinese officials for criticizing the government on her blog. Two other Canadians in her group were taken into custody after they unfurled a banner that said ''One World, One Dream, Free Tibet" at China's Great Wall.
The dispute's history
In 1949, China invaded the Himalayan nation killing more than 400,000 Tibetans, destroying 6,000 monastic communities and branding the Dalai Lama a separatist. The following year, at the age of 16, the Dalai Lama assumed full political power as Head of State and Government in Tibet.
After a failed uprising in 1959, the Dalai Lama fled to northern India where he continues his struggle for Tibetan autonomy and the preservation of Tibetan Buddhist culture.
China has been chastised for its human rights record inside Tibet where it is illegal to possess a photo of the Dalai Lama or a Tibetan flag. Ethnic tensions have heightened in recent months, prompting an escalation in police action.
"We would like to see a real effort by the Canadian leadership to address the situation and to push the Chinese for change," Tethong said.
"(We need) substantive measures and not just these backroom closed bilateral talks on human rights but to lead the international community in getting together and saying to the Chinese leadership that enough is enough."
Chinese leaders protest
Chinese officials are vehemently opposed to foreign leaders meeting with the Dalai Lama, claiming the Nobel laureate is a political figure who aims to fracture the People's Republic of China.
During this recent North American tour, the Dalai Lama met privately with U.S. President George Bush at the White House on Oct. 16 and received the Congressional Gold Medal at Capitol Hill -- the body's highest civilian honour.
Chinese officials protested the visit and responded by saying the "erroneous actions by the US have severely undermined China-US relations."
China cancelled a third consecutive round of Germany-China talks following a meeting between Chancellor Angela Merkel and the Dalai Lama in September.
As expected, the Chinese embassy in Ottawa issued a statement critical of Harper's public meeting with the Dalai Lama referring to him as a political figure engaged in "secessionist" activities.
Potential fallout
Despite China's continued threats, western supporters of the Dalai Lama continue to push for diplomatic talks between China and the exiled spiritual leader.
"We saw the outcry in 2004 when (Paul) Martin met the Dalai Lama," Travis said. "I think that China would be well advised to pull back on the knee-jerk reaction and instead focus on the benefits of building trust between the Tibetan people and the Chinese government,"
"Certainly there has been no demonstrable fallout from the Dalai Lama meeting with heads of state around the world."
According to a Canada Tibet Committee survey conducted last month, nearly nine out of 10 Canadians support the meeting despite the threat of consequences for Canada's trade relations with the communist country.
"I think Canadians are speaking with one voice and the West is speaking with one voice and China now has an obligation to hear the message that we are sending," Travis said.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Chinese ambassador protests Harper's meeting with Dalai Lama
Glen McGregor, National Post
Published: Friday, October 26, 2007
OTTAWA -- In advance of the Dalai Lama's visit to Ottawa this weekend, China's ambassador to Canada warned last night that any interference in what the nation considers domestic affairs will undermine Canada's interests and jeopardize relations between the two countries.
The revered Tibetan Buddhist is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Sunday or Monday, as part of a global tour that has seen him hold similar meetings with other Western leaders, including U.S. President George W. Bush.
The government of China considers the Dalai Lama a separatist who is seeking Tibet's independence from China, and disapproves of foreign leaders who meet with him.
"Any meeting with him sends the signal that the government here or in any other country is supportive," ambassador Lu Shumin said. "That is not in the interest of Canada and of Canadian-Chinese relations."
Although the Prime Minister's Office has yet to release details, reports suggest the meeting between Mr. Harper and the Dalai Lama would be held publicly and at an official venue.
The public meeting is likely to annoy China as a further intrusion on what it considers to be a domestic matter.
On a previous visit to Canada, the 72-year-old monk met with then-prime minister Paul Martin in the private residence of Ottawa's Roman Catholic archbishop.
That helped support the Liberal government's contention that the Dalai Lama was being received as a religious leader and not a political figure.
Speaking at a conference on Chinese-Canadian relations, Lu called the Dalai Lama "a political exile" and "not a pure religious figure."
It is important that Canada be careful with matters involving Tibet, as well as Taiwan, because they are sensitive issues that bear on China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, Lu said.
"Any failure to do so will undoubtedly jeopardize our bilateral relations and will also undermine the fundamental interests of Canada in the long term."
Relations between Canada and China have been strained under the Harper government, but observers say they had been improving in recent months after ministerial-level visits between government officials on both sides, and a meeting between Harper and Chinese President Hu Jintao at the G8 summit in June.
Lu expressed hope that the government might reconsider how it handles the Dalai Lama's visit.
"We hope that people will give it thought and consider this in the long term of the relationship between our two countries, not to damage the relationship which we are now seeing having some positive progress in the right direction."
Published: Friday, October 26, 2007
OTTAWA -- In advance of the Dalai Lama's visit to Ottawa this weekend, China's ambassador to Canada warned last night that any interference in what the nation considers domestic affairs will undermine Canada's interests and jeopardize relations between the two countries.
The revered Tibetan Buddhist is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Sunday or Monday, as part of a global tour that has seen him hold similar meetings with other Western leaders, including U.S. President George W. Bush.
The government of China considers the Dalai Lama a separatist who is seeking Tibet's independence from China, and disapproves of foreign leaders who meet with him.
"Any meeting with him sends the signal that the government here or in any other country is supportive," ambassador Lu Shumin said. "That is not in the interest of Canada and of Canadian-Chinese relations."
Although the Prime Minister's Office has yet to release details, reports suggest the meeting between Mr. Harper and the Dalai Lama would be held publicly and at an official venue.
The public meeting is likely to annoy China as a further intrusion on what it considers to be a domestic matter.
On a previous visit to Canada, the 72-year-old monk met with then-prime minister Paul Martin in the private residence of Ottawa's Roman Catholic archbishop.
That helped support the Liberal government's contention that the Dalai Lama was being received as a religious leader and not a political figure.
Speaking at a conference on Chinese-Canadian relations, Lu called the Dalai Lama "a political exile" and "not a pure religious figure."
It is important that Canada be careful with matters involving Tibet, as well as Taiwan, because they are sensitive issues that bear on China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, Lu said.
"Any failure to do so will undoubtedly jeopardize our bilateral relations and will also undermine the fundamental interests of Canada in the long term."
Relations between Canada and China have been strained under the Harper government, but observers say they had been improving in recent months after ministerial-level visits between government officials on both sides, and a meeting between Harper and Chinese President Hu Jintao at the G8 summit in June.
Lu expressed hope that the government might reconsider how it handles the Dalai Lama's visit.
"We hope that people will give it thought and consider this in the long term of the relationship between our two countries, not to damage the relationship which we are now seeing having some positive progress in the right direction."
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Karnataka’s thriving Tibetan settlement
The Statesman
Sangeetha Nair
BYLAKUPPE (Karnataka), Oct. 24: With heavy maroon robes flapping in the wind, auto-rickshaws speeding down an empty road, seated inside are three bald novices, Buddhist monks on their way to Kushalnagar to watch a film. “Three days’ holiday,” screams a little Buddha, waving his bright pink electronic fly swat, the ones that look like a tennis racket and made in China. Hardly a week had passed since the US Congress awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to the Dalai Lama.
About 87 km southwest of Mysore, lies the first and largest of the Tibetan settlements in India ~ established in 1969-70. Thanks to a maharaja and a monk, approximately 20,000 Tibetans live in the Dickyi Larsoe camps here.
In 1957, Penor Rinpoche (25), the 11th throne-holder of the Palyul Monastery in Tibet and the chief caretaker of Tibetan refugees settled in Bylakuppe, having understood the irreversibility of the Chinese occupation, set out with a group of 300 people to India.
They reached Assam in 1960 but only 30 survived the ordeal. In 1961, the Mysore Maharaja, moved by the plight of homeless Tibetan mendicants, gifted 1,500 acres to the Dalai Lama.
Later, an NGO, the Mysore Rehabilitation and Development Agency (MYRADA), gave the community an economic leg-up by taking over the responsibility of building settlement houses and schools. At present, there are 16 villages at a distance of about three kilometres. The MYRADA also helped establish six schools, a hospital, a Tibetan medical and astrology institute and individual health clinics in all the villages.
Mrs Nima Dorma, a Tibetan refugee born and brought up here, said each settlement has an officer who is the representative of the department of home appointed by the Central Tibetan Administration, Dharamshala. “He is in-charge of running our camps and is the main link between the people of the settlement and the Central Tibetan Administration,” she said.
Life at the Dickyi Larsoe camp, she said, is pleasant. “My hopes are pinned on my children and the cooperative society that has boosted my business. I have lots of buyers for traditional carpets. A 3’X6’ rug is priced at Rs 21,500. The American flag is the most selling item.” Her carpet business generates a sizeable income that goes towards tuition and boarding fees for her second born, who is being educated in an up-market college in Mysore. Her first-born, like most other first-borns in the settlement, was sent to one of the two monasteries to become a nun.
“I see her only during vacations, from January to March. My daughter will remain there till she is 16, after which she gets to decide if she wants to continue.
Nuns are not given the same freedom as the monks. While monks are allowed to use I-Pods, cell-phones and Internet, eat at the local mall, ride motorbikes, go to Kushalnagar or Bengaluru to watch films, female novices are allowed none of these and must adhere to severe prohibitions known as gurudharmas (eight special rules that essentially establish the nuns’ standing to be lesser than that of the monks),” Mrs Dorma said. Only monks got to witness the three-day celebrations that took place at the Sera Jay monastery to commemorate the award won by the Dalai Lama. Depending on one’s outlook on life, Bylakuppe can mean different things to different people ~ for the shopaholic it’s an excellent mall stocked with made-in-China goods, for the traveller it’s a picnic spot with a view of the Coorg mountain range, for the devout it’s a spellbinding experience to stand in front of the 60-ft gold plated Buddha and tantric paintings.
But for the Tibetans, Bylakuppe is home. When Ms Dorma was asked if she would like to go back to Lhasa, to her grandparents’ home, she said: “Of course, for a visit. But I am not sure about settling there, the weather is too cold.”
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Tibet monastery surrounded by military amid security crackdown after Dalai Lama award
The Associated Press
Published: October 24, 2007
BEIJING: A major Tibetan monastery has been sealed off by armed troops following an increase in security after celebrations last week over a U.S. award for the region's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, an activist group said Wednesday.
The Drepung monastery in Lhasa is still surrounded by armed troops, according to the International Campaign for Tibet, a Washington-based pro-Tibet human rights group, citing local sources and several reports. Hundreds of monks may still be inside the monastery while others may have been detained or injured, it said.
Another major monastery in the capital is also closed, the group said.
The awarding of the U.S. Congress' highest civilian honor — bestowed by President George W. Bush on Wednesday — to the Dalai Lama was a setback to Beijing's efforts to undermine support for the spiritual leader, who they regard as a threat to the unity of China and their continued rule over the region.
He remains popular among Tibetans since fleeing into exile 48 years ago after a failed uprising, and has increased his international standing recently by meeting with world leaders.
The International Campaign for Tibet said in a statement that security on roads in and out of Lhasa had been stepped up and residents had been ordered not to carry out religious activities or further celebrations.
Several Tibetans were also temporarily detained after celebrations in a monastery in Gansu province, the group said. Citing eyewitness reports, it said there may have been injuries during clashes with police.
A Tibetan source quoted by the group said the increased security road checkpoints and restrictions on travel was similar to March 1989 when martial law was imposed following protests against the Chinese government.
"The tension in Lhasa and other areas of Tibet coinciding with the Gold Medal ceremony and the Party Congress in Beijing, takes place in the context of an intensified political campaign in Tibetan areas against the Dalai Lama," the International Campaign for Tibet said in a statement.
A monk who answered the telephone at the Drepung monastery said he was not clear about the situation. The other monastery in Lhasa could not be reached. The monastery in Gansu said no protest had taken place last week.
A male official at the Lhasa police office did not confirm or deny the news, but said there may be a news conference on the issue. Other government and Communist Party departments could not be reached for comment.
Security around China was increased before and during the week-long 17th Chinese Communist Party Congress which ended on Monday in Beijing, but the International Campaign for Tibet said security was tighter than normal in Tibet.
The congress makes a point of stressing the unity of China, especially for regions such as Tibet.
Published: October 24, 2007
BEIJING: A major Tibetan monastery has been sealed off by armed troops following an increase in security after celebrations last week over a U.S. award for the region's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, an activist group said Wednesday.
The Drepung monastery in Lhasa is still surrounded by armed troops, according to the International Campaign for Tibet, a Washington-based pro-Tibet human rights group, citing local sources and several reports. Hundreds of monks may still be inside the monastery while others may have been detained or injured, it said.
Another major monastery in the capital is also closed, the group said.
The awarding of the U.S. Congress' highest civilian honor — bestowed by President George W. Bush on Wednesday — to the Dalai Lama was a setback to Beijing's efforts to undermine support for the spiritual leader, who they regard as a threat to the unity of China and their continued rule over the region.
He remains popular among Tibetans since fleeing into exile 48 years ago after a failed uprising, and has increased his international standing recently by meeting with world leaders.
The International Campaign for Tibet said in a statement that security on roads in and out of Lhasa had been stepped up and residents had been ordered not to carry out religious activities or further celebrations.
Several Tibetans were also temporarily detained after celebrations in a monastery in Gansu province, the group said. Citing eyewitness reports, it said there may have been injuries during clashes with police.
A Tibetan source quoted by the group said the increased security road checkpoints and restrictions on travel was similar to March 1989 when martial law was imposed following protests against the Chinese government.
"The tension in Lhasa and other areas of Tibet coinciding with the Gold Medal ceremony and the Party Congress in Beijing, takes place in the context of an intensified political campaign in Tibetan areas against the Dalai Lama," the International Campaign for Tibet said in a statement.
A monk who answered the telephone at the Drepung monastery said he was not clear about the situation. The other monastery in Lhasa could not be reached. The monastery in Gansu said no protest had taken place last week.
A male official at the Lhasa police office did not confirm or deny the news, but said there may be a news conference on the issue. Other government and Communist Party departments could not be reached for comment.
Security around China was increased before and during the week-long 17th Chinese Communist Party Congress which ended on Monday in Beijing, but the International Campaign for Tibet said security was tighter than normal in Tibet.
The congress makes a point of stressing the unity of China, especially for regions such as Tibet.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Dalai Lama Becomes Emory Professor
By DORIE TURNER – 16 hours ago
ATLANTA (AP) — The Dalai Lama was formally installed as a professor at Emory University on Monday as Tibetan monks wearing moon-shaped yellow hats chanted and played cymbals, gongs and horns.
The exiled Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader, whose face is recognized around the world, now is the bearer of a faculty ID card.
"I suspect you will not need to carry this with you for identification, but in any case, we wanted you to know you are welcome," student Emily Allen said as she handed him the card, a present from the students.
In his first speech as a faculty member, the Dalai Lama encouraged his audience of thousands of people to look beyond money and fame for happiness and to use their education for the greater good.
"As a professor of this university, I think you should listen to me," the 72-year-old monk and Nobel Peace Prize laureate said with a laugh.
Later, in an address to a crowd of thousands at Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta, the Dalai Lama called the U.S. the world's "greatest, most powerful" democracy and said it should send more members of the Peace Corps, instead of soldiers, to other countries to spread democracy peacefully.
"The concept of war is outdated," he said. "Through war, through violence, you cannot achieve what you want."
During the weekend, he delivered a lecture on the basics of Buddhism to thousands and participated in a conference on depression. He also joined with spiritual leaders from the world's major religions — including Rajmohan Gandhi, a grandson of India's Mohandas Gandhi — to discuss peaceful resolution of military conflicts.
As Presidential Distinguished Professor, the Dalai Lama will provide private teaching sessions with students and faculty during Emory's study-abroad program in Dharamsala, India, and will periodically visit Emory.
The Dalai Lama fled the Himalayan region in 1959 during a failed uprising against Chinese rule. He remains highly popular among Tibetans and is lauded in much of the world as a figure of moral authority, but China reviles him as a Tibetan separatist.
Chinese officials lashed out angrily at the United States after he received Congress' highest civilian honor last week. The Dalai Lama brushed aside the furious reaction, saying he supports "genuine autonomy," not independence for Tibet.
ATLANTA (AP) — The Dalai Lama was formally installed as a professor at Emory University on Monday as Tibetan monks wearing moon-shaped yellow hats chanted and played cymbals, gongs and horns.
The exiled Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader, whose face is recognized around the world, now is the bearer of a faculty ID card.
"I suspect you will not need to carry this with you for identification, but in any case, we wanted you to know you are welcome," student Emily Allen said as she handed him the card, a present from the students.
In his first speech as a faculty member, the Dalai Lama encouraged his audience of thousands of people to look beyond money and fame for happiness and to use their education for the greater good.
"As a professor of this university, I think you should listen to me," the 72-year-old monk and Nobel Peace Prize laureate said with a laugh.
Later, in an address to a crowd of thousands at Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta, the Dalai Lama called the U.S. the world's "greatest, most powerful" democracy and said it should send more members of the Peace Corps, instead of soldiers, to other countries to spread democracy peacefully.
"The concept of war is outdated," he said. "Through war, through violence, you cannot achieve what you want."
During the weekend, he delivered a lecture on the basics of Buddhism to thousands and participated in a conference on depression. He also joined with spiritual leaders from the world's major religions — including Rajmohan Gandhi, a grandson of India's Mohandas Gandhi — to discuss peaceful resolution of military conflicts.
As Presidential Distinguished Professor, the Dalai Lama will provide private teaching sessions with students and faculty during Emory's study-abroad program in Dharamsala, India, and will periodically visit Emory.
The Dalai Lama fled the Himalayan region in 1959 during a failed uprising against Chinese rule. He remains highly popular among Tibetans and is lauded in much of the world as a figure of moral authority, but China reviles him as a Tibetan separatist.
Chinese officials lashed out angrily at the United States after he received Congress' highest civilian honor last week. The Dalai Lama brushed aside the furious reaction, saying he supports "genuine autonomy," not independence for Tibet.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Dalai Lama paves way for East-West partnership
By ANDREA JONES
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 10/19/07
As an inquisitive and sometimes restless boy with the run of a thousand rooms in an ancient Tibetan palace, the Dalai Lama stumbled on objects left by his predecessor: a pocket watch, a brass telescope, two hand-cranked film projectors.
In a world filled with prayer and meditation, the items, he says in one of his books, were a glimpse into the outside, "the telltale signs of a technological culture."
He remembers being fascinated with the inner workings of the watch and the three motorcars at the palace. There was a time, he wrote, when he would "rather fiddle with the objects than study philosophy or memorize a text."
His interest in science and technology never waned, and the Tibetan spiritual leader has met with dozens of scientists and philosophers in his travels around the world.
Now, professors at Emory University will take the Dalai Lama's desire to integrate modern sciences with monastic training to a new level, eventually educating thousands of monks and nuns in India in areas like neuroscience, cosmology and life sciences.
Creating a "cross fertilization" between science and spirituality has long been a goal for the Dalai Lama. He wrote a book on the subject called, "The Universe in a Single Atom," published in 2005.
"Bridging the sciences of the mind and the life sciences — His Holiness sees that as a really important mission, a way to tap into the most effective tools of both traditions," said Lobsang Tenzin Negi, the director of the Emory-Tibet Partnership.
Already, Emory's connection with the exile Tibetan community in Dharamsala has yielded results. Some Emory students now use contemplative meditation to combat the stresses of school. A handful of monks study on Emory's campus each year, learning subjects like quantum physics and biology.
Each spring, about two dozen Emory students make the trek to the foothills of the Himalayas to study Tibetan culture, language and philosophy. With colorful prayer flags flapping, they celebrate Losar, the Tibetan New Year, and have an audience with the Dalai Lama.
Now, Emory scholars from various disciplines are coming together to create a comprehensive science curriculum for Tibetan monastics, admittedly a somewhat daunting task.
How do you teach a monk, who has likely never trained in traditional sciences, about a concept like evolution? Unlike western students, who come to college with twelve years of science and math training, Tibetan scholars will have to be taught from the ground up, said Preetha Ram, Emory's assistant dean of science.
Tibetan monastic training, a 16-year journey for those who choose the path, focuses on eastern philosophy, meditation and the teachings of Buddha. A group of Emory faculty have held meetings for more than a year, plotting pedagogy and figuring ways to unpack science in bite-sized chunks.
Ram and other faculty presented their plan for the science curriculum to the Dalai Lama Friday, his Holiness's first public engagement in Atlanta.
At the presentation, Ram said the program will "seek to connect the domains of knowledge between East and West."
During the first year of the program, 30 to 50 monks will get an intensive four-week course of training in science and math concepts. Emory will fund the initiative for the first five years, at a cost of about $280,000 a year.
In a ballroom at the Ritz Carlton Buckhead, the Dalai Lama thumbed though the glossy 400 page "Handbook of Science" and said he is impressed with the work the Emory faculty had done.
"It's wonderful, just wonderful," he said.
The 72-year-old monk and Nobel Peace Prize laureate said he has no qualms about monastics learning about modern sciences.
"I don't think there is any negative impact."
With knowledge of the sciences, he has rejected the cosmology found in some Buddhists texts, he said, laughing about texts that said the world was flat.
"I feel positive if we get closer to reality," he said.
In turn, those educated in modern sciences, he said, can take a page from Buddhist science and benefit.
"As educated as a person is, he can still be unhappy inside."
Buddha, the Dalai Lama said, encouraged acceptance of concepts through experimentation and investigation.
"Through reasoning, that should be the reality," he said.
Monks should learn about the modern sciences, he said. Then he leaned over and spoke quickly to his translator.
"As long as it doesn't involve nightclubs... or music [clubs]," his translator said, as the Dalai Lama laughed.
In January, Emory faculty will gather again, this time in India, to announce the science initiative to more than 20,000 monks and nuns clad in maroon and saffron robes. Emory faculty will lecture to smaller groups.
"This is not about giving a small group of monks access to science, this is about changing the way monastic education is done," Ram said. Tsondue Samphel, a Tibetan monk who graduated from Emory with a degree in physics in May of 2006, has spent hours translating more than 400 pages of Emory readings and text into Tibetan. The textbook is filled with mathematics and science concepts, a road map to learning.
Samphel said there is some resistance to the science curriculum among senior monks, who fear the western teachings could distract from the rigorous eastern monastic training, based around the Four Noble Truths: Life Means suffering; The origin of suffering is attachment; The cessation of suffering is attainable; and, There is a path to the cessation of suffering.
The science itself isn't the problem, Samphel said, the time commitment is.
Unlike many western religions, including Christianity, which often find themselves at odds with science — think Evangelical Christians and evolution — Tibetan Buddhists embrace and accept verified modern concepts and theories.
The Dalai Lama, in particular, has brought open mindedness and pragmatism into practice.
"It is not necessary to cling dogmatically to the Buddha's every word," he has said.
Emory graduate Stephen Dominick said he saw firsthand on a recent trip to the monasteries just how eager the monks are to learn. The Kansas City native and Buddhist practitioner offered to teach a lecture about physics and math during his stay.
Expecting a chat with perhaps 100 monks, he dressed casually and prepared some quick notes. When a monk arrived to walk him to the lecture, he encouraged him to dress up. When Dominick entered the massive prayer hall, he understood why. Nearly 2,000 monks sat quietly in front of a lectern, anxious for a teaching. The talk stretched late into the night.
"It was phenomenal," Dominick said.
It's that kind of intellectual curiosity that excited Emory President James Wagner, who said the science initiative is just one more example of the university's vision and strategic plan to honor all forms of inquiry.
"We're in an era where people are really curious and being honest about that curiosity — from physicists to academics," he said.
Wagner said the partnership brings visibility to the melding of Western medicine and Eastern practices and will lead to dialogue that he believes could change the world.
He paused, then said, rather giddily: "Isn't this exactly what a university should be?"
US No. 2 diplomat meets with Dalai Lama for talks
The Associated Press
Published: October 19, 2007
WASHINGTON: The Dalai Lama met with a senior U.S. diplomat, continuing a swing through Washington that China says has undermined its relations with the United States.
Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte met with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader Friday to discuss the situation in Tibet and the Dalai Lama's work on behalf of his followers, said Rob McInturff, a State Department spokesman.
China is furious over the U.S. Congress' award to the Dalai Lama of its highest civilian honor, personally bestowed by President George W. Bush in a ceremony Wednesday.
China is demanding Washington stop supporting the Buddhist monk and that it act to repair ties.
The Dalai Lama is considered a figure of moral authority in much of the world, but China reviles him as a Tibetan separatist. The 72-year-old monk and Nobel Peace Prize laureate has reiterated in Washington that he wants "real autonomy" for Tibet, not independence.
Published: October 19, 2007
WASHINGTON: The Dalai Lama met with a senior U.S. diplomat, continuing a swing through Washington that China says has undermined its relations with the United States.
Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte met with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader Friday to discuss the situation in Tibet and the Dalai Lama's work on behalf of his followers, said Rob McInturff, a State Department spokesman.
China is furious over the U.S. Congress' award to the Dalai Lama of its highest civilian honor, personally bestowed by President George W. Bush in a ceremony Wednesday.
China is demanding Washington stop supporting the Buddhist monk and that it act to repair ties.
The Dalai Lama is considered a figure of moral authority in much of the world, but China reviles him as a Tibetan separatist. The 72-year-old monk and Nobel Peace Prize laureate has reiterated in Washington that he wants "real autonomy" for Tibet, not independence.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Beijing summons US envoy over Dalai Lama
Agence France-Presse in Beijing
4:00pm, Oct 18, 2007
China said it had summoned the US ambassador in Beijing on Thursday to deliver a strong protest over the honouring of the Dalai Lama in Washington.
4:00pm, Oct 18, 2007
China said it had summoned the US ambassador in Beijing on Thursday to deliver a strong protest over the honouring of the Dalai Lama in Washington.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Dalai Lama Receives Highest Civilian Honor From US Congress
Dan Robinson
Capitol Hill
17-10-2007
Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has been honored at a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol attended by President Bush. The awarding of the Congressional Gold Medal to the Dalai Lama marked the first time a U.S. president has made such a high profile public appearance with the Tibetan leader. President Bush joined lawmakers in urging China to hold direct talks with the exiled leader. Congressional correspondent Dan Robinson has more on the story.
The Dalai Lama (l) holds up the Congressional Gold Medal during a ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda on Capitol Hill in Washington, 17 Oct 2007
It was an unprecedented tribute to the 72-year-old spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, the symbol of his people's aspirations for autonomy for a half a century.
In presenting the Dalai Lama with the highest civilian honor Congress can bestow, the president and congressional leaders underscored hopes for a resolution of the decades-long Tibetan dispute with China, and direct talks between Beijing and the Dalai Lama.
"It [Congress] has conferred this honor on a figure whose work continues, and whose outcome remains uncertain," said President Bush. "In doing so America raises its voice in the call for religious liberty and basic human rights."
Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell also spoke.
PELOSI: "With this gold medal we affirm the special relationship between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the United States."
MCCONNELL: "We have reached out in solidarity to the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people, and the Chinese government needs to know that we will continue to do so. The U.S. government stands with Tibet."
The Dalai Lama fled Tibet for India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule. He has long said he seeks greater religious and cultural freedoms not independence for Tibet's six million people.
The winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, the Dalai Lama used his remarks to repeat his readiness for dialogue with Chinese leaders aimed at meaningful autonomy for Tibet.
"Let me take this opportunity to once again appeal to the Chinese leadership to recognize the grave problems in Tibet, the genuine grievances and deep resentments of the Tibetan people inside Tibet, and to have the courage and the wisdom to address these problems realistically in a spirit of reconciliation," said the Dalai Lama.
Earlier at a White House news conference, President Bush faced questions about China's condemnation of the tribute to the Dalai Lama. He had this response:
"I have consistently told the Chinese that religious freedom is in their nation's interest," said Mr. Bush. "I have also told them that I think it is in their interest to meet with the Dalai Lama."
Among other tributes, Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel called the Dalai Lama a man of profound spiritual conviction who is devoted to his people.
"Who believes that, like all people, his own in Tibet have the right to live a sovereign religious and cultural life," said Elie Wiesel. "This is a right that must never be deprived from anyone."
Some U.S. lawmakers were more blunt in their remarks at Wednesday's ceremony .
Tom Lantos is Democratic chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is ranking Republican on the panel.
LANTOS: "There is nothing that will guarantee the right atmosphere for the Beijing Olympics more certainly and more forcefully than your inviting this man of peace to Beijing for serious discussions and the once and for all resolving of the dispute between you and His Holiness."
LEHTINEN: "His heroic efforts on behalf of six million Tibetan people who continue to suffer under the iron grip of Beijing's Communist rulers. They continue to brave systematic attacks aimed at destroying their national and cultural identity."
In their remarks praising the Dalai Lama, U.S. lawmakers also touched on the human rights situation in Burma, where another Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi, remains in detention amid a military crackdown on democracy protesters.
After the ceremony, the Dalai Lama enjoyed Tibetan musical and dance performances by groups from across the United States gathered outside the U.S. Capitol building.
With One Eye on China, Bush Receives Dalai Lama
Source: New York Times
By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG
Published: October 17, 2007
WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 — President Bush met privately with the Dalai Lama at the White House on Tuesday, as tensions escalated between the United States and China over Congress’s awarding its highest civilian honor to the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader.
Back Story With The Times's Sheryl Stolberg (mp3)The 30-minute meeting, which the Dalai Lama said included a discussion of the situations in Tibet and Myanmar, formerly Burma, was fraught with symbolism and cloaked in secrecy — an effort by the White House to avoid further angering the Chinese.
The session was held upstairs in the Yellow Oval Room of the White House residence, not the Oval Office, to send a message that Mr. Bush was receiving a spiritual leader, not a political one.
Aides to Mr. Bush declined to disclose details of the discussion, and the White House would not release a photograph of the two together, as it has during previous visits.
“We in no way want to stir the pot and make China feel that we are poking a stick in their eye,” Dana Perino, the White House press secretary, told reporters, adding, “We understand the Chinese have very strong feelings about this.”
The Dalai Lama, a Nobel laureate, has lived in exile in India since the Chinese army crushed an uprising in his homeland in 1959, and is revered as the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists. He has been pressing, without success, to return to China to advocate for greater cultural and religious freedoms for his followers.
The Dalai Lama’s envoy, Lodi Gyari, who attended the meeting, said Mr. Bush described his efforts with China’s president, Hu Jintao, on the Dalai Lama’s behalf: “The president said he has been telling the Chinese president that you need to meet with this man, you should trust the Dalai Lama, I know this man and I trust him and you must not hesitate to meet with his holiness.”
At the end of the meeting, Mr. Gyari said, the Dalai Lama closed his eyes, as if in prayer, and then offered gifts to the president and first lady: white silk ceremonial shawls, which he draped around each of their necks.
The Dalai Lama is in Washington for a week of festivities. On Wednesday, he will receive the Congressional Gold Medal in a ceremony at the Capitol, and will later deliver a speech on the Capitol lawn. Mr. Bush will participate in the award ceremony, marking the first time he and the Dalai Lama will have appeared together in public during this visit.
That has infuriated the Chinese, who on Tuesday warned the United States not to honor the Dalai Lama, saying it would have “an extremely serious impact” on relations between the United States and China.
Speaking at a Foreign Ministry briefing and on the sidelines of the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party, the Communist Party boss of Tibet, Zhang Qingli, condemned the Dalai Lama as a “splittist” who wants to break Tibet away from China.
“Such a person who basely splits his motherland and doesn’t even love his motherland has been welcomed by some countries and has even been receiving this or that award,” Mr. Zhang said, adding, “We are furious.”
But the officials did not say what actions the Chinese would take. A senior White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid further straining relations, said the award was unlikely to seriously disrupt China’s relations with the United States, which have warmed as the countries have cooperated on an agreement to end North Korea’s nuclear program.
“They know where we stand on the Dalai Lama and religious freedom, and we know where they stand,” the official said. “So we can all make these statements, but we wind up in the same place at the end of the day.”
Still, by participating in the ceremony, Mr. Bush will be walking a fine line. He began laying the groundwork to soothe Chinese feelings more than a month ago, in Sydney, where he told President Hu that he would attend the Congressional medal ceremony — at the same time that he accepted an invitation to attend the 2008 summer Olympics in Beijing.
Mr. Bush cannot afford to alienate Mr. Hu; he wants China to help end Iran’s nuclear program, as it has done with North Korea.
But on Monday, the Chinese postponed a meeting in Berlin at which world powers were to discuss Iran, raising speculation that it had done so because of the Dalai Lama’s visit to Washington.
China also recently canceled its annual human rights dialogue with Germany, to protest the September meeting between Chancellor Angela Merkel and the Dalai Lama.
In a brief encounter with reporters on the sidewalk outside his Washington hotel after leaving the White House on Tuesday, the Dalai Lama shrugged off China’s protest. Dressed in his familiar flowing burgundy robe with gold trim, he threw up his hands when asked about the Chinese.
“Oh, that always happens,” he said, laughing.
He said Mr. Bush was “showing his concern about Tibet” and, “accordingly, I explained.” He also said he had “expressed my appreciation to Mrs. Bush” for her advocacy on Myanmar, where the military government last month cracked down on pro-democracy demonstrations led by Buddhist monks.
He described the meeting as “very good,” adding, “Since we know each other and we develop some kind of, I think, very close friendship, therefore something like a reunion of one family.”
Burma and Tibet: The world's double standards
Source: Rediff.com
Commentator:Francois Gautier
October 16, 2007
The Westernised world, led by the United States, had come down hard on Burma, today known as Myanmar, for its human rights abuse. And rightly so: Burma, once called the `jewel of Asia', is in dire straits. Its military government, which has plundered resources and kept this magnificent nation in poverty, ruthlessly clamped down on the peaceful monks manifesting for greater freedom recently and are still keeping Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, under house arrest. Sanctions are called for, immense pressure is exerted upon Burma and even China, that clever manipulator of nations, is brought upon to influence the Burma generals.
At the same time, terrible things are happening in Tibet, on a more violent and deadly scale. Tensions have increased in the Kardze (Chinese: Ganzi) area of eastern Tibet, the present-day Sichuan province, with the execution of a Tibetan prisoner that may be linked to the political crackdown following a protest in support of the Dalai Lama [Images] by nomad Runggye Adak in August. According to reports from Amnesty International, there have been further detentions of Tibetans, including a young art teacher, a local nomad who expressed support for Runggye Adak and the Dalai Lama, and a senior monk respected for his commitment to Tibetan education in the Lithang area.
There is also an increased and intimidatory military presence in the two neighbouring counties of Lithang and Kardze, both in Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (in the Tibetan area of Kham). International Campaign for Tibet also notes that there is an intensified political campaign that requires Tibetan monks, nuns, laypeople and children to denounce the Dalai Lama. "The stepping up of this anti-Dalai Lama campaign in the region coincides with a period when the Dalai Lama himself is increasingly received by world leaders and respected for his leadership on peace and non-violence," says Kate Saunders, spokesperson for ICT. Witness the hysterical Chinese reaction to the Dalai Lama receiving the US Congress's highest civilian award on October 17.
Yet, the whole world keeps mum. Including India of course, although Tibet has always acted as a natural buffer between her and China, which often has had hegemonic tendencies. In spite of the fact that Tibet has taken and assimilated so much of Indian culture, without mentioning that the Dalai Lama embodies the best qualities of compassion and ahimsa. Why does the West keep quiet? Well, for one, it does so much business with China -- the US and the European Union have (unwisely) invested their shirts there -- that if anything happens to China, it will shake the very foundations of the West. Then of course, Burma is a small Buddhist country and it cannot retaliate if anything is done to it and cancel its orders of Airbuses or Boeings like China might. And lastly, India, which should dictate terms, as it can exert an influence on Burma (it has the economic and military leverage to do so) and does need to contain China in that region, because of its strategic location, is strangely mum.
In journalism, you have to read between the lines, or look for what is hidden. There are also many things which are left unsaid. Firstly, there is a lot of oil and gas at stake in Burma. Secondly, as we said above, Burma is very strategically placed in terms of maritime access to the Far East and from the Far East, westwards -- and both China and the US are eying it (India as usual is getting bypassed, because of inertia, indifference and a lack of a forceful will, although Burma falls within her natural sphere of influence). Then there is the Christian element. As in South Korea, the Philippines or Taiwan, the American armies of missionaries are impatiently waiting at the doors of Burma to get in that stronghold of Buddhism.
Burmans, of Tibetan ethnic origin, form 68 per cent of the population of 57 million. But there are other important, distinct ethnic groups: the largely Christian Karen, for instance, which has always had a lot of support from the West and Christian lobbies in the US. What would happen if the Karens were allowed independence as they wish ? Well, as pointed out by award-winning author and broadcaster Eric S Margolis, the largest, Shan, with their Shan State Army, who are ethnically close to neighbouring Thailand and are in cahoots with the Thai military, would do the same. They might be followed by each major ethnic group, which has its own army and finances itself through smuggling timber, jewels, arms, and drugs. "The only force holding Myanmar together is the military and secret police," says Margolis.
As for Tibet, who cares: The Chinese have killed, directly or indirectly, a million Tibetans since they invaded it in the early '50s. They have wiped out one of the most peaceful, one of the most lovable cultures in the world. And they are quietly waiting for that wonderful icon of human courage and dignity, the Dalai Lama, to die, so that they can 'find' a puppet Dalai Lama and finish Tibet for ever. So the moral of the story is that it is a world upside down, where not everything that appears evident and true is necessarily noble.
Commentator:Francois Gautier
October 16, 2007
The Westernised world, led by the United States, had come down hard on Burma, today known as Myanmar, for its human rights abuse. And rightly so: Burma, once called the `jewel of Asia', is in dire straits. Its military government, which has plundered resources and kept this magnificent nation in poverty, ruthlessly clamped down on the peaceful monks manifesting for greater freedom recently and are still keeping Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, under house arrest. Sanctions are called for, immense pressure is exerted upon Burma and even China, that clever manipulator of nations, is brought upon to influence the Burma generals.
At the same time, terrible things are happening in Tibet, on a more violent and deadly scale. Tensions have increased in the Kardze (Chinese: Ganzi) area of eastern Tibet, the present-day Sichuan province, with the execution of a Tibetan prisoner that may be linked to the political crackdown following a protest in support of the Dalai Lama [Images] by nomad Runggye Adak in August. According to reports from Amnesty International, there have been further detentions of Tibetans, including a young art teacher, a local nomad who expressed support for Runggye Adak and the Dalai Lama, and a senior monk respected for his commitment to Tibetan education in the Lithang area.
There is also an increased and intimidatory military presence in the two neighbouring counties of Lithang and Kardze, both in Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (in the Tibetan area of Kham). International Campaign for Tibet also notes that there is an intensified political campaign that requires Tibetan monks, nuns, laypeople and children to denounce the Dalai Lama. "The stepping up of this anti-Dalai Lama campaign in the region coincides with a period when the Dalai Lama himself is increasingly received by world leaders and respected for his leadership on peace and non-violence," says Kate Saunders, spokesperson for ICT. Witness the hysterical Chinese reaction to the Dalai Lama receiving the US Congress's highest civilian award on October 17.
Yet, the whole world keeps mum. Including India of course, although Tibet has always acted as a natural buffer between her and China, which often has had hegemonic tendencies. In spite of the fact that Tibet has taken and assimilated so much of Indian culture, without mentioning that the Dalai Lama embodies the best qualities of compassion and ahimsa. Why does the West keep quiet? Well, for one, it does so much business with China -- the US and the European Union have (unwisely) invested their shirts there -- that if anything happens to China, it will shake the very foundations of the West. Then of course, Burma is a small Buddhist country and it cannot retaliate if anything is done to it and cancel its orders of Airbuses or Boeings like China might. And lastly, India, which should dictate terms, as it can exert an influence on Burma (it has the economic and military leverage to do so) and does need to contain China in that region, because of its strategic location, is strangely mum.
In journalism, you have to read between the lines, or look for what is hidden. There are also many things which are left unsaid. Firstly, there is a lot of oil and gas at stake in Burma. Secondly, as we said above, Burma is very strategically placed in terms of maritime access to the Far East and from the Far East, westwards -- and both China and the US are eying it (India as usual is getting bypassed, because of inertia, indifference and a lack of a forceful will, although Burma falls within her natural sphere of influence). Then there is the Christian element. As in South Korea, the Philippines or Taiwan, the American armies of missionaries are impatiently waiting at the doors of Burma to get in that stronghold of Buddhism.
Burmans, of Tibetan ethnic origin, form 68 per cent of the population of 57 million. But there are other important, distinct ethnic groups: the largely Christian Karen, for instance, which has always had a lot of support from the West and Christian lobbies in the US. What would happen if the Karens were allowed independence as they wish ? Well, as pointed out by award-winning author and broadcaster Eric S Margolis, the largest, Shan, with their Shan State Army, who are ethnically close to neighbouring Thailand and are in cahoots with the Thai military, would do the same. They might be followed by each major ethnic group, which has its own army and finances itself through smuggling timber, jewels, arms, and drugs. "The only force holding Myanmar together is the military and secret police," says Margolis.
As for Tibet, who cares: The Chinese have killed, directly or indirectly, a million Tibetans since they invaded it in the early '50s. They have wiped out one of the most peaceful, one of the most lovable cultures in the world. And they are quietly waiting for that wonderful icon of human courage and dignity, the Dalai Lama, to die, so that they can 'find' a puppet Dalai Lama and finish Tibet for ever. So the moral of the story is that it is a world upside down, where not everything that appears evident and true is necessarily noble.
Bush to meet with Dalai Lama today
Source: Associated Press.
WASHINGTON - President Bush and the Dalai Lama will meet today with a ceremony planned for tomorrow to award the spiritual leader the Congressional Gold Medal. China is warning that the events are bad for U.S.-Chinese ties.
The Dalai Lama is the exiled spiritual leader of Tibet's Buddhists. While the Dalai Lama is lauded in much of the world as a figure of moral authority, Beijing reviles the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and claims he seeks to destroy China's sovereignty by pushing for independence for Tibet, where the Dalai Lama is considered a god-king.
The Dalai Lama's special envoy, Lodi Gyari, said images of the U.S. president standing beside the Dalai Lama at the congressional ceremony will send a clear message that "people do care about Tibet. We have not been forgotten."
"I have no doubt this will give tremendous encouragement and hope to the Tibetan people," he told reporters ahead of the visit. It also "sends a powerful message to China that the Dalai Lama is not going to go away."
The Dalai Lama says he wants "real autonomy," not independence, for Tibet. But China demonizes the spiritual leader and believes the United States is honoring a separatist. The Dalai Lama's U.S. visit comes as China holds its important Communist Party congress.
Chinese diplomats have worked doggedly since the U.S. award was voted on last year to get the ceremony and meeting with Bush scrapped and to "correct this mistake," said Wang Baodong, spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington.
"We are certainly very much displeasured and regret the fact that the U.S. side would totally ignore the repeated positions of the Chinese side and go ahead with its erroneous decision," Wang said in an interview. "Such moves on the U.S. side are not a good thing for the bilateral relationship."
A State Department official said Monday that China was protesting U.S. honors for the Dalai Lama by pulling out of an international strategy session on Iran sought by the United States and planned for Wednesday.
China objected to participating in the meeting on the day that the Buddhist leader was to receive the congressional honor, said the U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe another country's motives.
Since the American Revolution, Congress has commissioned gold medals for distinguished achievements and contributions by individuals or institutions. Recent winners have included civil rights icon Rosa Parks; former President Reagan and his wife, Nancy; cartoonist Charles M. Schulz; Gen. Henry Shelton, and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Congress has long championed the Dalai Lama; lawmakers also regularly criticize Beijing for human rights abuses and a massive military buildup and claims that China ignores abuse by unsavory foreign regimes in its pursuit of energy deals.
The Bush administration also finds fault with China but is usually more measured as it seeks to manage a booming trade relationship and a desire to enlist Chinese cooperation on nuclear standoffs with North Korea and Iran.
Bush has met several times privately with the Dalai Lama, and, analysts say, his decision to attend the public congressional ceremony reflects his worry over the situation in Tibet.
Judith Shapiro, a China author and professor at American University, says the visit is "not going to profoundly affect ties in either direction. China needs the U.S., the U.S. needs China, and issues like Tibet are a bit of a sideshow to the basic relationship."
On Monday, dozens of people, some dressed in brightly colored traditional Tibetan robes and hats, greeted the Dalai Lama at a downtown Washington hotel. The Dalai Lama gave his blessing to people in the crowd and tasted some rice that had been prepared for him.
Bush supports the Dalai Lama's visit, although the White House tried to ameliorate Chinese anger before the Tibetan priest's arrival. Bush told Chinese President Hu Jintao at a recent meeting that he would be welcoming the spiritual leader to Washington.
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino recently told reporters that Bush "understands that the Chinese have concerns about this."
"We would hope that the Chinese leader would get to know the Dalai Lama as the president sees him — as a spiritual leader and someone who wants peace," she said.
The Dalai Lama is immensely popular in Tibet, which China has ruled with a heavy hand since its communist-led forces invaded in 1951. He has been based in India since fleeing his Himalayan homeland in 1959 amid a failed uprising against Chinese rule.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Al Gore Won Nobel Peace Prize
TibetReporter.com congratulate Former Vice President and champion of Global environment for winning Nobel Peace Prize.
May you succeed in your laudable work.
CONGRATULATION!!
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
China condemns U.S. award for Dalai Lama
Source: Reuters, London
Thu Oct 11, 2007 9:46am
BEIJING (Reuters) - China has complained to the United States over a decision to award exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama a U.S. Congressional Gold Medal, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Thursday.
The Dalai Lama, who fled to India after a failed uprising against Chinese Communist rule of Tibet in 1959, is branded by China as a "separatist".
The Nobel Peace Prize winner says he only wants greater autonomy for the predominately Buddhist Himalayan region.
"The Chinese government strongly opposes the U.S. Congress giving the Dalai Lama a so-called award," spokesman Liu Jianchao told a regular news briefing.
"We strongly oppose any country or person who uses the Dalai Lama to interfere in China's internal affairs. We have already made solemn representations about this to the U.S. side."
White House National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said last month that President George W. Bush would attend the October 17 ceremony at the U.S. Capitol.
Bush has previously met the Dalai Lama at the White House.
China has already chided German Chancellor Angela Merkel for hosting the Dalai Lama, demanding Berlin take action to repair damage done to bilateral ties.
China, keen to maintain stability ahead of a key Communist Party meeting next week, is also questioning the loyalty of ethnic Tibetan Party members, accusing many of swearing their true allegiance to the Dalai Lama, according to an internal memo.This week, China's state media lashed out at the Dalai Lama, accusing him of supporting "evil cults", such as Japan's Aum Shinrikyo and banned Chinese spiritual group Falun Gong.
On Thursday, the overseas edition of Party mouthpiece the People's Daily said the Dalai Lama was involved in killing people during an uprising in the 1950s, in violation of Buddhist principles, and that he was a liar.
"The armed rebels set houses on fire, looted Tibetan people and raped women. What happened then still lingers in Tibetan people's minds today," said the commentary, signed by somebody called Shi Shan.
‘10 Questions for the Dalai Lama’ | 2 ½ stars
Source:www.kansascity.com
By LOEY LOCKERBY
Special to The Star
In addition to interviewing the Dalai Lama, the film explores his homeland. With his impish smile and Yoda-like voice, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet has become a cultural icon in places where most people couldn’t find his home country on a map.
Celebrity friends like Richard Gere have certainly raised his profile, but he does not need their help to be a fascinating figure. As director Rick Ray regularly points out in this fawning documentary, His Holiness has quite a personality of his own.
Ray has previously made films that are part travelogue, part spiritual journey, and his particular interest in Asia serves him well as he explores the Dalai Lama’s world.
Most of “10 Questions for the Dalai Lama” (opening today at the Tivoli) is taken up by a lesson on Tibet’s culture and history. That provides much-needed context and pads out the running time beyond the 45 minutes Ray has been granted with his subject.
This part of the film is enlightening, if a little shallow. It portrays Tibet as a virtual paradise before the brutal Chinese takeover in the 1950s, completely ignoring the feudal system that kept most of the population in poverty and servitude.
It does, however, offer a candid view of the Dalai Lama as a person, showing not only his well-known kindness and sense of humor, but also his impatience with the more formal aspects of his position. Ray also explains the religious beliefs that led to this man’s ascension from poor peasant to revered spiritual leader.
Ironically, when Ray finally gets to the reason for his movie’s existence — the interview itself — he runs out of things to say. Many of his questions are of the “Why are you so awesome?” variety, and it’s clear that he wouldn’t think of throwing anything but softballs.
Fortunately, His Holiness can give nuanced answers to even the lamest questions, and he offers a few surprises. He believes, for instance, that doing away with some of Tibet’s long-standing traditions is a good thing, and he supports modernizing the largely rural country. He also acknowledges that non-violence isn’t always the best response, while still wishing no harm to Chinese officials, who have kept him in exile in India since 1959.
He delivers these responses thoughtfully, even if he seems slightly bemused by Ray’s awestruck manner. The Dalai Lama may be, as Ray asserts, a “rock star for peace,” and the spiritual idol of millions, but he’s also a pretty cool guy. You don’t have to be an adoring fan to see that.
By LOEY LOCKERBY
Special to The Star
In addition to interviewing the Dalai Lama, the film explores his homeland. With his impish smile and Yoda-like voice, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet has become a cultural icon in places where most people couldn’t find his home country on a map.
Celebrity friends like Richard Gere have certainly raised his profile, but he does not need their help to be a fascinating figure. As director Rick Ray regularly points out in this fawning documentary, His Holiness has quite a personality of his own.
Ray has previously made films that are part travelogue, part spiritual journey, and his particular interest in Asia serves him well as he explores the Dalai Lama’s world.
Most of “10 Questions for the Dalai Lama” (opening today at the Tivoli) is taken up by a lesson on Tibet’s culture and history. That provides much-needed context and pads out the running time beyond the 45 minutes Ray has been granted with his subject.
This part of the film is enlightening, if a little shallow. It portrays Tibet as a virtual paradise before the brutal Chinese takeover in the 1950s, completely ignoring the feudal system that kept most of the population in poverty and servitude.
It does, however, offer a candid view of the Dalai Lama as a person, showing not only his well-known kindness and sense of humor, but also his impatience with the more formal aspects of his position. Ray also explains the religious beliefs that led to this man’s ascension from poor peasant to revered spiritual leader.
Ironically, when Ray finally gets to the reason for his movie’s existence — the interview itself — he runs out of things to say. Many of his questions are of the “Why are you so awesome?” variety, and it’s clear that he wouldn’t think of throwing anything but softballs.
Fortunately, His Holiness can give nuanced answers to even the lamest questions, and he offers a few surprises. He believes, for instance, that doing away with some of Tibet’s long-standing traditions is a good thing, and he supports modernizing the largely rural country. He also acknowledges that non-violence isn’t always the best response, while still wishing no harm to Chinese officials, who have kept him in exile in India since 1959.
He delivers these responses thoughtfully, even if he seems slightly bemused by Ray’s awestruck manner. The Dalai Lama may be, as Ray asserts, a “rock star for peace,” and the spiritual idol of millions, but he’s also a pretty cool guy. You don’t have to be an adoring fan to see that.
sOURCE: Associated Press
By TERENCE HUNT – 1 hour ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — Risking heightened tensions with China, President Bush will attend a ceremony to award Congress' highest civilian honor to the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader whom Beijing reviles as a separatist.
The White House confirmed Bush will go to the Capitol on Wednesday for the presentation of the Congressional Gold Medal, whose recipients include Mother Teresa, former South African President Nelson Mandela, Pope John Paul II and Ronald and Nancy Reagan.
Beijing expressed its unhappiness about honoring the Dalai Lama, the winner of the 1989 Peace Prize.
"China resolutely opposes the U.S. Congress awarding the Dalai its so-called Congressional Gold Medal, and firmly opposes any country or any person using the Dalai issue to interfere in China's internal affairs," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said at a news conference in Beijing.
Liu said China had "presented a representation" to Washington over Congress' move, but gave no details.
The Dalai Lama will be honored for his "many enduring and outstanding contributions to peace, nonviolence, human rights, and religious understanding."
The Dalai Lama has been based in India since fleeing his Himalayan homeland in 1959 amid a failed uprising against Chinese rule. He remains immensely popular among Tibetans, despite persistent efforts to demonize him by Beijing, which objects vigorously to all overseas visits by the Dalai Lama.
China claims Tibet has been its territory for centuries, but many Tibetans say they were effectively independent for most of that period.
In its announcement, Congress said that the Dalai Lama was "recognized in the United States and throughout the world as a leading figure of moral and religious authority."
It praised him for fighting for democracy, freedom, and Tibet's cultural heritage, saying he promoted peace for Tibet "through a negotiated settlement of the Tibet issue, based on autonomy within the People's Republic of China."
The Dalai Lama insists he wants "real autonomy," not independence for Tibet, but Beijing continues to accuse him of seeking to split the region from China.
Christopher Bodeen contributed to this report from Beijing
China 'resolutely opposes' US medal for Dalai Lama
Agence France-Presse
Last updated 04:43pm (Mla time) 10/11/2007
BEIJING -- China hit out Thursday at a US Congressional plan to award its highest medal to the Dalai Lama in a ceremony expected to be attended by President George W. Bush, saying it had protested to Washington.
"China resolutely opposes the US Congress's awarding of a so-called Congressional gold medal and firmly opposes any country and any person using the Dalai Lama issue to interfere in China's internal affairs," foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said.
Liu said China had made "solemn representations" to the United States over the plans to bestow the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor the legislature can bestow, on the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader.
However, Liu made no reference to the announcement by the White House on Wednesday that Bush would attend the ceremony.
Last updated 04:43pm (Mla time) 10/11/2007
BEIJING -- China hit out Thursday at a US Congressional plan to award its highest medal to the Dalai Lama in a ceremony expected to be attended by President George W. Bush, saying it had protested to Washington.
"China resolutely opposes the US Congress's awarding of a so-called Congressional gold medal and firmly opposes any country and any person using the Dalai Lama issue to interfere in China's internal affairs," foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said.
Liu said China had made "solemn representations" to the United States over the plans to bestow the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor the legislature can bestow, on the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader.
However, Liu made no reference to the announcement by the White House on Wednesday that Bush would attend the ceremony.
Dalai Lama urges listeners to attain inner peace to end conflict
By WILLIAM KATES | Associated Press Writer
5:40 PM EDT, October 9, 2007
ITHACA, N.Y. - Achieving global peace must begin with each person attaining an inner peace first, the Dalai Lama told a capacity audience Tuesday at Cornell University.
"It is impossible to achieve inner peace when you are full of hate, suspicion and fear," the Buddhist spiritual leader told 5,500 people who packed Barton Hall for the first of his three public appearances during a two-day visit to Ithaca.
"Taking care of others is the best guarantee for your own happy future," said the 72-year-old exiled Tibetan leader and Nobel laureate.
The visit to the Ivy League school in upstate New York was organized by Namgyal Monastery Institute of Buddhist Studies. The Dalai Lama came to Ithaca to visit and bless the site of the new Namgyal temple, which is the home of the Namgyal branch in North America.
As part of his visit, the Dalai Lama had a sold-out appearance scheduled Wednesday at Ithaca College, where he was to lecture on "Eight Verses for Training the Mind."
Also Wednesday, he was scheduled to lead an interfaith session, "Prayers for World Peace," at the State Theater in downtown Ithaca.
The Dalai Lama told listeners that his talk would be informal _ "sometimes formality itself creates bad air," he said. At times, he emitted a deep, booming laugh as he reacted to his own quips; other times his voice rose to a high pitch as he sought to emphasize his words.
People lined up two hours before the speech to get inside Barton Hall. Another 2,000 students and faculty packed into Bailey and Kennedy halls to watch a telecast of the speech. Countless more in the community watched on cable television and the Internet.
The Dalai Lama told his audience _ a mix of young and old _ that the responsibility for achieving global peace lied not with the leaders of countries but with the people instead.
"Genuine peace must come through inner peace ..." he said.
"Many unnecessary problems we are facing today are because of my generation's mistakes and negligence."
"You are the people who have the opportunity to make a new ship of this planet," he said, singling out the college students in the crowd.
Nature has already equipped each individual with the potential to achieve inner peace, the Dalai Lama said, describing the human body as the ideal vessel for compassion because humans have "arms for hugging and teeth for smiling."
In another light moment, the Dalai Lama said he learned compassion through his mother's affections.
"Unless you are born from the lotus ... all humans have the same potential for compassion and love," he said.
Through reasoning and training, each person can "grow infinite, unbiased compassion," he said.
The Dalai Lama has led Tibet's government in exile in India since 1959. He has spent the last half-century as an international political leader, advocating for freedom of the people of Tibet, opposing violence and calling for respect of human rights worldwide. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.
5:40 PM EDT, October 9, 2007
ITHACA, N.Y. - Achieving global peace must begin with each person attaining an inner peace first, the Dalai Lama told a capacity audience Tuesday at Cornell University.
"It is impossible to achieve inner peace when you are full of hate, suspicion and fear," the Buddhist spiritual leader told 5,500 people who packed Barton Hall for the first of his three public appearances during a two-day visit to Ithaca.
"Taking care of others is the best guarantee for your own happy future," said the 72-year-old exiled Tibetan leader and Nobel laureate.
The visit to the Ivy League school in upstate New York was organized by Namgyal Monastery Institute of Buddhist Studies. The Dalai Lama came to Ithaca to visit and bless the site of the new Namgyal temple, which is the home of the Namgyal branch in North America.
As part of his visit, the Dalai Lama had a sold-out appearance scheduled Wednesday at Ithaca College, where he was to lecture on "Eight Verses for Training the Mind."
Also Wednesday, he was scheduled to lead an interfaith session, "Prayers for World Peace," at the State Theater in downtown Ithaca.
The Dalai Lama told listeners that his talk would be informal _ "sometimes formality itself creates bad air," he said. At times, he emitted a deep, booming laugh as he reacted to his own quips; other times his voice rose to a high pitch as he sought to emphasize his words.
People lined up two hours before the speech to get inside Barton Hall. Another 2,000 students and faculty packed into Bailey and Kennedy halls to watch a telecast of the speech. Countless more in the community watched on cable television and the Internet.
The Dalai Lama told his audience _ a mix of young and old _ that the responsibility for achieving global peace lied not with the leaders of countries but with the people instead.
"Genuine peace must come through inner peace ..." he said.
"Many unnecessary problems we are facing today are because of my generation's mistakes and negligence."
"You are the people who have the opportunity to make a new ship of this planet," he said, singling out the college students in the crowd.
Nature has already equipped each individual with the potential to achieve inner peace, the Dalai Lama said, describing the human body as the ideal vessel for compassion because humans have "arms for hugging and teeth for smiling."
In another light moment, the Dalai Lama said he learned compassion through his mother's affections.
"Unless you are born from the lotus ... all humans have the same potential for compassion and love," he said.
Through reasoning and training, each person can "grow infinite, unbiased compassion," he said.
The Dalai Lama has led Tibet's government in exile in India since 1959. He has spent the last half-century as an international political leader, advocating for freedom of the people of Tibet, opposing violence and calling for respect of human rights worldwide. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.
Bush throws down gauntlet to China with Dalai Lama meeting
WASHINGTON (AFP) — US President George W. Bush will risk angering China by attending a ceremony next week to award a Congress medal to the exiled Tibetan leader, the Dalai Lama, at the bastion of American democracy.
Barely a month after China strongly protested German Chancellor Angela Merkel's meeting with the Dalai Lama, the White House said Wednesday that Bush and his wife will participate in the special landmark event for the 72-year-old Buddhist spiritual leader at the Capitol building next Wednesday.
"The president and Mrs Laura Bush will attend the ceremony," national security council spokesman Gordon Johndroe told AFP.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will award the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor the legislature can bestow, to the Dalai Lama, her office said.
A bill to award the medal won the support of more than two thirds of members of both the Senate and House of Representatives last year before it was signed into law by Bush.
The award was in recognition of the Buddhist spiritual leader's advocacy of religious harmony, non-violence, and human rights and his efforts to find a peaceful solution to the Tibet issue through dialogue with the Chinese leadership, according to lawmakers.
The medal has also been given to such diverse individuals as Sir Winston Churchill, Pope John Paul II, Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela.
This will be the first time that a sitting US president will appear with the Dalai Lama in a public event, a move that could anger China, diplomats said.
China reacted angrily when the US Congress announced the award last year.
The award "has sent very serious, wrong signals to the Tibetan independence forces, seriously interfered into China's internal affairs and damaged China-US relations," Beijing said then.
The ceremony in Washington comes just after Merkel's September 23 meeting with the Dalai Lama despite harsh warnings from Beijing, which warned Germany after the talks that bilateral ties had been damaged.
Merkel also gave support to the Dalai Lama's quest for greater cultural autonomy for his homeland.
Aside from Merkel, the Dalai Lama also met Austrian Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer last month and was received by Australian Prime Minister John Howard in June. He is scheduled to meet Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper this month.
"We are seeing a trend in which world leaders are becoming more aware that it is in their interest to meet the Dalai Lama despite China's objections because he is after all one of the world's leaders," said Kate Saunders, spokeswoman for the International Campaign for Tibet.
Following the ceremony, the Congress has agreed to allow Dalai Lama to address a large crowd of well wishers on the West Lawn of the Capitol.
Bush, known for his religious convictions, has been frank with China on human rights, particularly religious freedom, and strongly supports the idea of a dialogue between the Dalai Lama and Beijing.
He had met the Dalai Lama several times at the White House residence rather than the offices, apparently to avoid the full wrath of China.
China has ruled Tibet since sending troops in to "liberate" the Himalayan region in 1950.
The Dalai Lama fled to India following a failed uprising in 1959 after Beijing crushed an anti-Chinese uprising in Lhasa.
The Tibetan leader lives in the northern hill town of Dharamsala, which is also the seat of his government in exile.
Beijing considers the Dalai Lama a political exile bent on establishing an independent Tibet, an accusation the 1989 Nobel Peace price winner has repeatedly denied.
He instead says he only wants greater autonomy and respect for Tibetan culture and religion
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
China labels Dalai Lama a supporter of "cults"
BEIJING (Reuters) - China, in its latest tirade against Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, on Tuesday accused the exiled Nobel peace prize laureate of supporting "evil cults" like Falun Gong and Japan's Aum Shinrikyo.
China has ruled the mountainous Himalayan region of Tibet with an iron fist since Chinese troops marched in there in 1950.
The Dalai Lama fled into exile in India after a failed uprising against communist rule in 1959 and is branded by China as a "separatist." He says he only wants greater autonomy for the region.
In a lengthy signed commentary in English carried by the official Xinhua news agency, the piece said the Dalai Lama "not only has no hatred toward evil cults but instead shows a great deal of compassion for them."
The Dalai Lama supported Shoko Asahara and his Aum Shinrikyo cult, who carried out a sarin nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway in 1995 which killed 12 and made thousands sick, Xinhua said, in a piece signed by somebody calling themselves Shi Shan.
"It was the support and connivance of the 14th Dalai Lama who took the foe for his friend that made Asahara feel secure in the knowledge that he had strong backing," Xinhua said, in typically strong language.
"It is the 14th Dalai Lama's own deeds that have step by step betrayed his real intentions and political ambitions put under the guise of Buddhism and peace," it added.
The Dalai Lama also provided succor to the Falun Gong, a spiritual movement banned by China as an "evil cult," and its leader Li Hongzhi, Xinhua said.
"... Even such an evil cult leader who is denounced by many people and had to flee abroad to escape the punishment of laws secured compassion and admiration from the 14th Dalai Lama," it added.
Critics have accused China of repressing religious freedom in Tibet and other parts of the country, but Beijing counters by saying it guarantees religious freedom and invests large amounts of money every year to modernize the underdeveloped Tibetan region.
Last month, China chided German Chancellor Angela Merkel for hosting the Dalai Lama and demanded Berlin take action to repair damage to bilateral ties.
China has ruled the mountainous Himalayan region of Tibet with an iron fist since Chinese troops marched in there in 1950.
The Dalai Lama fled into exile in India after a failed uprising against communist rule in 1959 and is branded by China as a "separatist." He says he only wants greater autonomy for the region.
In a lengthy signed commentary in English carried by the official Xinhua news agency, the piece said the Dalai Lama "not only has no hatred toward evil cults but instead shows a great deal of compassion for them."
The Dalai Lama supported Shoko Asahara and his Aum Shinrikyo cult, who carried out a sarin nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway in 1995 which killed 12 and made thousands sick, Xinhua said, in a piece signed by somebody calling themselves Shi Shan.
"It was the support and connivance of the 14th Dalai Lama who took the foe for his friend that made Asahara feel secure in the knowledge that he had strong backing," Xinhua said, in typically strong language.
"It is the 14th Dalai Lama's own deeds that have step by step betrayed his real intentions and political ambitions put under the guise of Buddhism and peace," it added.
The Dalai Lama also provided succor to the Falun Gong, a spiritual movement banned by China as an "evil cult," and its leader Li Hongzhi, Xinhua said.
"... Even such an evil cult leader who is denounced by many people and had to flee abroad to escape the punishment of laws secured compassion and admiration from the 14th Dalai Lama," it added.
Critics have accused China of repressing religious freedom in Tibet and other parts of the country, but Beijing counters by saying it guarantees religious freedom and invests large amounts of money every year to modernize the underdeveloped Tibetan region.
Last month, China chided German Chancellor Angela Merkel for hosting the Dalai Lama and demanded Berlin take action to repair damage to bilateral ties.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Dalai Lama attains icon status
Source: NorthJersey.com
By EVELYN SHIH
STAFF WRITER
AP
The Dalai Lama speaking in the East Meadow of Central Park in 2003, on the last stop of a five-city tour.
He has published a steady stream of books on his life and thoughts beginning in the late 1990s. He has photo ops with Richard Gere. He's drawn a crowd of up to 36,000 at the Rutgers University football stadium. Friday through next Sunday, he takes over Radio City Music Hall for five appearances.
He is His Holiness the Dalai Lama, born Lhamo Thondup, the exiled religious and political leader of Tibet and face of Buddhism in the West. The 1989 Nobel Peace Prize winner has become one of the world's most recognizable icons, with his red and yellow robes, shaved head and wizened eyes twinkling behind a pair of glasses.
Not only is he known as an inspirational figure and a leader in behalf of world peace, but, in recent years, he has also become credibly -- or incredibly -- cool. The Dalai Lama's famous face is encroaching on space normally reserved for the iconic likes of Che Guevara and Albert Einstein – and popping up on everything from tote bags to notebooks to boxer shorts.
"I feel like it's a tribute to him as a person," said Kevin McCormick of Princeton, who has designed a Dalai Lama T-shirt available on the Internet. His design riffs off the black and white sharp relief style of the ubiquitous Che shirts by having His Holiness holding two fingers up in the peace sign. "Instead of showing a leader of revolt, I wanted to show someone who I see as a leader of peace. ... With a Che shirt, you can offend a lot of people."
IF YOU GO
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHO: The Dalai Lama.
WHAT: Lecture on the Diamond Sutra, one of the main texts of Buddhism.
WHERE: Radio City Music Hall, 1260 Avenue of the Americas, Manhattan. Information: 212-307-7171 or radiocity.com.
WHEN: Five bundled sessions at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. next Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. next Sunday.
HOW MUCH: $80 to $300 for a three-day pass.
In the media spotlight
McCormick, who is not a Buddhist, created the T-shirt after reading "The Universe in a Single Atom," a book by the Dalai Lama. The 30-year-old may seem an unlikely fanboy for the 72-year-old Tibetan leader, but he's not alone. The 14th Dalai Lama dominated the New York Times bestseller list for several weeks with "The Art of Happiness" (1998), which ended up selling 730,000 copies. The success of books like 2006's "How to See Yourself as You Really Are" continues to prove his popularity, and DVDs like "Ten Questions for the Dalai Lama," coming out Oct. 23, also keep him in the media spotlight.
Although the Dalai Lama is a religious and spiritual beacon, his image seems to cut across the lines of faith and nationality. Where figures like mega-church pastor Joel Osteen might divide the public into believers and non-believers, the Dalai Lama's message is inclusive, said Mara Einstein, author of the new book "The Branding of Faith," which examines the marketing of different religions.
"He is a consistent face of peace in the world," she said. The New Age movement of the '60s and '70s championed Buddhism and Hinduism as alternative world views, and though that movement may have become outdated, said Einstein, the Dalai Lama still carries on his mission of spreading tolerance and non-violence. His reach extends far beyond Tibet, just as the influence of popular Pope John Paul II (an icon who graced T-shirts himself) traveled far beyond the Vatican.
She said that when people wear the Dalai Lama's face across their chests, it's an act of identity creation. "Whether you're wearing a Yankees baseball cap or a Dalai Lama T-shirt, you are communicating to people, 'This is who I am,' " she said.
Inspired individuals like McCormick, who is a freelance Web and T-shirt designer, create their own Dalai Lama merchandise, as do Web sites like "The Zen Shop" at e-sangha.com. The proceeds may not go directly to the Tibetan cause, but the spontaneous proliferation of His Holiness' image indicates its currency.
"Talk about branding," said Einstein. "He's probably got the best brand of any faith. It would be across-the-board positive" to have his image associated with products, people and events, she added.
While there are many people who have done good things in the world and received Nobel Peace Prizes, they "may be less appropriate to put on a T-shirt because they haven't achieved that iconic status that people can relate to just by seeing an image of them," McCormick said.
A further plus: Identifying with the Dalai Lama is something almost completely non-controversial. How could anyone disagree with peace? And unlike most religions, Buddhism has a reputation for being non-proselytizing and open to other faiths, said Einstein. There is less pressure than there may be in other faiths to convert and commit to a whole set of beliefs.
'Ah ha!' moment
But perhaps the real reason the Dalai Lama has such reach in the West is his charisma.
Diane Hatz, a follower of His Holiness for almost 10 years, felt his "unconditional love" from the nosebleed seats of an auditorium where she heard him speak for the first time. It was 1998, and she was on a trip to Washington, D.C. She decided on a whim to see him speak because he is a "historical figure, like Gandhi or Nelson Mandela."
At first she was irritated because she couldn't understand his words through his accent. But her "Ah ha!" moment came when he prostrated himself at the end of the talk in a ceremonial bow.
"He touched his forehead to the floor, and when it hit the floor, it was like this light pierced me in the heart," she said. As soon as she got back home to New York, she began looking for a Tibetan Buddhist spiritual teacher. She eventually ended up with Lama Pema Wangdak at the Palden Sakya Center in New York, where North Jersey Tibetan Buddhists like executive secretary Michele Sakow also practice.
And she will most definitely be at Radio City Music Hall, hanging on his words. Like die-hard sports fans and rock band groupies, Hatz travels to as many of the Dalai Lama's events as she can. She will be going to Indiana and India this year, and Bethlehem, Pa., next July.
"This is what I do," said Hatz. Buddhism informs every part of her life.
Never underestimate the power of an image, she added. "I know people who have only seen his photo and become totally interested in Buddhism," she said.
While most merchandise carrying his image is all in good fun, who knows: Maybe sporting "Dalai Lama Is My Om Boy" on a spaghetti-strap tank top will inspire some epiphanies -- or even enlightenment.
E-mail: shih@northjersey.com
* * *
A Dalai Lama primer
• Ancient lineage: The man known as the Dalai Lama is believed to be the 14th in a line of reincarnations. Tibetans believe that his soul is that of a bodhisattva, or enlightened being. The Dalai Lama has been both the spiritual and political leader of Tibet since the 17th century.
• What's in a name? The Dalai Lama was born Lhamo Thondup in 1935 in Amdo, Tibet. He was recognized as the next Dalai Lama at the age of 2, given the name Tenzin Gyatso and crowned the leader of Tibet at 15.
• Exiled: In 1959, the 14th Dalai Lama was forced to flee to India because of increasingly dangerous pressures from the People's Republic of China. He set up a government in exile in Dharamsala, India.
• Recognition: For his efforts to bridge gaps with other religious and state leaders and his continued dedication to peace, the 14th Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.
• Continued oppression: Last month, laws went into effect in the People's Republic of China mandating that the next reincarnation of the Dalai Lama be chosen by the Chinese government. Observers say this is a transparent attempt to limit the Tibetan leader's influence over his nation. The current Dalai Lama has vowed not to reincarnate in a China-controlled Tibet.
* * *
Other familiar faces
Che Guevara -- Born Ernesto Guevara de la Serna, "Che" became an icon of socialist revolution in South America. His radical Marxist ideas and perceived martyrdom made him a popular symbol in American counterculture -- and a fixture on red T-shirts.
Albert Einstein -- The scientist who theorized relativity and the space-time continuum became America's quintessential mad scientist with his wild hair and crazy tongue flip. He received a Nobel Prize in physics in 1921.
Mohandas Gandhi -- A spiritual and political leader of India, Gandhi's name has become synonymous with non-violence. He led civil rights struggles in South Africa and worked for Indian independence from Britain.
By EVELYN SHIH
STAFF WRITER
AP
The Dalai Lama speaking in the East Meadow of Central Park in 2003, on the last stop of a five-city tour.
He has published a steady stream of books on his life and thoughts beginning in the late 1990s. He has photo ops with Richard Gere. He's drawn a crowd of up to 36,000 at the Rutgers University football stadium. Friday through next Sunday, he takes over Radio City Music Hall for five appearances.
He is His Holiness the Dalai Lama, born Lhamo Thondup, the exiled religious and political leader of Tibet and face of Buddhism in the West. The 1989 Nobel Peace Prize winner has become one of the world's most recognizable icons, with his red and yellow robes, shaved head and wizened eyes twinkling behind a pair of glasses.
Not only is he known as an inspirational figure and a leader in behalf of world peace, but, in recent years, he has also become credibly -- or incredibly -- cool. The Dalai Lama's famous face is encroaching on space normally reserved for the iconic likes of Che Guevara and Albert Einstein – and popping up on everything from tote bags to notebooks to boxer shorts.
"I feel like it's a tribute to him as a person," said Kevin McCormick of Princeton, who has designed a Dalai Lama T-shirt available on the Internet. His design riffs off the black and white sharp relief style of the ubiquitous Che shirts by having His Holiness holding two fingers up in the peace sign. "Instead of showing a leader of revolt, I wanted to show someone who I see as a leader of peace. ... With a Che shirt, you can offend a lot of people."
IF YOU GO
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHO: The Dalai Lama.
WHAT: Lecture on the Diamond Sutra, one of the main texts of Buddhism.
WHERE: Radio City Music Hall, 1260 Avenue of the Americas, Manhattan. Information: 212-307-7171 or radiocity.com.
WHEN: Five bundled sessions at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. next Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. next Sunday.
HOW MUCH: $80 to $300 for a three-day pass.
In the media spotlight
McCormick, who is not a Buddhist, created the T-shirt after reading "The Universe in a Single Atom," a book by the Dalai Lama. The 30-year-old may seem an unlikely fanboy for the 72-year-old Tibetan leader, but he's not alone. The 14th Dalai Lama dominated the New York Times bestseller list for several weeks with "The Art of Happiness" (1998), which ended up selling 730,000 copies. The success of books like 2006's "How to See Yourself as You Really Are" continues to prove his popularity, and DVDs like "Ten Questions for the Dalai Lama," coming out Oct. 23, also keep him in the media spotlight.
Although the Dalai Lama is a religious and spiritual beacon, his image seems to cut across the lines of faith and nationality. Where figures like mega-church pastor Joel Osteen might divide the public into believers and non-believers, the Dalai Lama's message is inclusive, said Mara Einstein, author of the new book "The Branding of Faith," which examines the marketing of different religions.
"He is a consistent face of peace in the world," she said. The New Age movement of the '60s and '70s championed Buddhism and Hinduism as alternative world views, and though that movement may have become outdated, said Einstein, the Dalai Lama still carries on his mission of spreading tolerance and non-violence. His reach extends far beyond Tibet, just as the influence of popular Pope John Paul II (an icon who graced T-shirts himself) traveled far beyond the Vatican.
She said that when people wear the Dalai Lama's face across their chests, it's an act of identity creation. "Whether you're wearing a Yankees baseball cap or a Dalai Lama T-shirt, you are communicating to people, 'This is who I am,' " she said.
Inspired individuals like McCormick, who is a freelance Web and T-shirt designer, create their own Dalai Lama merchandise, as do Web sites like "The Zen Shop" at e-sangha.com. The proceeds may not go directly to the Tibetan cause, but the spontaneous proliferation of His Holiness' image indicates its currency.
"Talk about branding," said Einstein. "He's probably got the best brand of any faith. It would be across-the-board positive" to have his image associated with products, people and events, she added.
While there are many people who have done good things in the world and received Nobel Peace Prizes, they "may be less appropriate to put on a T-shirt because they haven't achieved that iconic status that people can relate to just by seeing an image of them," McCormick said.
A further plus: Identifying with the Dalai Lama is something almost completely non-controversial. How could anyone disagree with peace? And unlike most religions, Buddhism has a reputation for being non-proselytizing and open to other faiths, said Einstein. There is less pressure than there may be in other faiths to convert and commit to a whole set of beliefs.
'Ah ha!' moment
But perhaps the real reason the Dalai Lama has such reach in the West is his charisma.
Diane Hatz, a follower of His Holiness for almost 10 years, felt his "unconditional love" from the nosebleed seats of an auditorium where she heard him speak for the first time. It was 1998, and she was on a trip to Washington, D.C. She decided on a whim to see him speak because he is a "historical figure, like Gandhi or Nelson Mandela."
At first she was irritated because she couldn't understand his words through his accent. But her "Ah ha!" moment came when he prostrated himself at the end of the talk in a ceremonial bow.
"He touched his forehead to the floor, and when it hit the floor, it was like this light pierced me in the heart," she said. As soon as she got back home to New York, she began looking for a Tibetan Buddhist spiritual teacher. She eventually ended up with Lama Pema Wangdak at the Palden Sakya Center in New York, where North Jersey Tibetan Buddhists like executive secretary Michele Sakow also practice.
And she will most definitely be at Radio City Music Hall, hanging on his words. Like die-hard sports fans and rock band groupies, Hatz travels to as many of the Dalai Lama's events as she can. She will be going to Indiana and India this year, and Bethlehem, Pa., next July.
"This is what I do," said Hatz. Buddhism informs every part of her life.
Never underestimate the power of an image, she added. "I know people who have only seen his photo and become totally interested in Buddhism," she said.
While most merchandise carrying his image is all in good fun, who knows: Maybe sporting "Dalai Lama Is My Om Boy" on a spaghetti-strap tank top will inspire some epiphanies -- or even enlightenment.
E-mail: shih@northjersey.com
* * *
A Dalai Lama primer
• Ancient lineage: The man known as the Dalai Lama is believed to be the 14th in a line of reincarnations. Tibetans believe that his soul is that of a bodhisattva, or enlightened being. The Dalai Lama has been both the spiritual and political leader of Tibet since the 17th century.
• What's in a name? The Dalai Lama was born Lhamo Thondup in 1935 in Amdo, Tibet. He was recognized as the next Dalai Lama at the age of 2, given the name Tenzin Gyatso and crowned the leader of Tibet at 15.
• Exiled: In 1959, the 14th Dalai Lama was forced to flee to India because of increasingly dangerous pressures from the People's Republic of China. He set up a government in exile in Dharamsala, India.
• Recognition: For his efforts to bridge gaps with other religious and state leaders and his continued dedication to peace, the 14th Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.
• Continued oppression: Last month, laws went into effect in the People's Republic of China mandating that the next reincarnation of the Dalai Lama be chosen by the Chinese government. Observers say this is a transparent attempt to limit the Tibetan leader's influence over his nation. The current Dalai Lama has vowed not to reincarnate in a China-controlled Tibet.
* * *
Other familiar faces
Che Guevara -- Born Ernesto Guevara de la Serna, "Che" became an icon of socialist revolution in South America. His radical Marxist ideas and perceived martyrdom made him a popular symbol in American counterculture -- and a fixture on red T-shirts.
Albert Einstein -- The scientist who theorized relativity and the space-time continuum became America's quintessential mad scientist with his wild hair and crazy tongue flip. He received a Nobel Prize in physics in 1921.
Mohandas Gandhi -- A spiritual and political leader of India, Gandhi's name has become synonymous with non-violence. He led civil rights struggles in South Africa and worked for Indian independence from Britain.
His Holiness administers oath to two new Kalons
Source: Tibet.net
Friday, 5 October 2007, 10:00 a.m.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kalon Dongchung Ngodup taking oath of office from His Holiness the Dalai Lama (Photo: Sangjey Kep)
Dharamshala:As enshrined in article 25 of the Charter of Tibetans in exile, two new Kalons or members of the Kashag, Mr Ngodup Dongchung and Mr Tsering Dhondup took oath of office before His Holiness the Dalai Lama at his residence early this morning.
The other Kalon, Mr Chope Paljor Tsering is expected to take his oath of office later on.
The official ceremony of the appointment of the new Kalons took place at the Kashag hall after the oath-taking ceremony.
Kalon Tsering Dhondup taking oath of office from His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Kalon Tripa Samdhong Rinpoche appointed Mr Ngodup Dongchung, Mr Tsering Dhondup and Mr Chope Paljor Tsering as Kalons yesterday. The members of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile unanimously approved the nominations during its 4th session.
The Kashag today announced distribution of portfolios for two new Kalons. Kalon Donchung Ngodup is the Kalon for the Department of Security and Kalon Tsering Dhondup as the Kalon for the Department of Finance.
Mr Ngodup Dongchung joined the civil service of Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) on 15 June 1977 and he was appointed as senior clerk in the Department of Security on 1 September 1978. He was promoted to deputy secretary in 1987. On 1 July 1991, he was promoted to additional secretary. Since 1993, he served as the Secretary of Department of Security.
Kalon Chope Paljor Tsering (File picture)
Mr Tsering Dhondup was appointed as senior clerk in the Office of the Auditor General in 1984. He was promoted to deputy secretary in 1991, and in 1993, he was promoted to joint secretary. After completing one-year further studies in United States in 1993, he served as joint secretary in the office of Auditor General from June 1994. In April 1998, he was promoted to additional secretary of the Office of Auditor General.From March 2000, on the same post, he served as secretary in the Department of Education and was promoted to secretary in July 2000. From April 2002, he served as secretary in the Department of Home.
Mr Chope Paljor Tsering was appointed as deputy secretary in October 1973. From June 1977, he served in the Office of Tibet in Nepal and later in Department of Education from June 1982. He also served as education officer in Nepal from January 1985, and as the representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in the Office of Tibet in Nepal from May 1986. Later, he served as representative in the Office of Tibet in East Europe from September 1991, and was promoted to additional secretary in April 1994. In April 1997, he was promoted to secretary and later served in the Office of Tibet in Australia from April 1998. From December 2002, he served as representative in the Office of Tibet in East Asia. He retired from service in May 2007.
(www.tibet.net is the official website of the Central Tibetan Administration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.)
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Three New Kalons( Ministers) added
Source: Tibet.net
Thursday, 4 October 2007, 12:30 p.m.
Dharamshala:The Kalon Tripa Samdhong Rinpoche today proposed nominations of three new Kalons or members of Kashag - Mr Paljor Tsering, former representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in East Asia, Mr Ngodup Dongchung, Secretary of Department of Security and Mr Tsering Dhondup, Secretary of Department of Home.
The members of the 14th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile unanimously endorsed the nominations of the new Kalons.
(www.tibet.net is the official website of the Central Tibetan Administration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.)
Welcoming the Dalai Lama
Source: The Ithaca Journal
October 4, 2007
The monks of the Namgyal Monastery, of Dharamsala, India, and its branch in Ithaca are constructing two types of mandalas at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University, a Kalachakra Sand Mandala seen in the slide show above and a Thread-cross Mandala seen in a photo gallery on this page. Construction of such mandalas has the purpose of providing temporary dwellings for housing Tantric Buddhist deities. The monks will continue to work until the mandalas are completed approximately Saturday October 6th. This tradition was originally reserved for the monastic environment, but in recent decades the Dalai Lama has allowed the construction of sand mandalas in public places as a cultural offering and to promote preservation of Tibetan traditions.
The sound heard with the slideshow is from the monks creating vibrations in the copper chukpu or funnels that then precisely place the sand into the mandala.
For more information about related events go to www.museum.cornell.edu
October 4, 2007
The monks of the Namgyal Monastery, of Dharamsala, India, and its branch in Ithaca are constructing two types of mandalas at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University, a Kalachakra Sand Mandala seen in the slide show above and a Thread-cross Mandala seen in a photo gallery on this page. Construction of such mandalas has the purpose of providing temporary dwellings for housing Tantric Buddhist deities. The monks will continue to work until the mandalas are completed approximately Saturday October 6th. This tradition was originally reserved for the monastic environment, but in recent decades the Dalai Lama has allowed the construction of sand mandalas in public places as a cultural offering and to promote preservation of Tibetan traditions.
The sound heard with the slideshow is from the monks creating vibrations in the copper chukpu or funnels that then precisely place the sand into the mandala.
For more information about related events go to www.museum.cornell.edu
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Teenagers locked up for Tibetan graffiti
03/10/2007 - 9:11:32 AM
Evening Echo News
Four Tibetan teenagers have been in custody for over a month on suspicion of scribbling graffiti calling for independence and the return of the Dalai Lama, a human rights group said today.
A fifth boy has been treated in hospital for injuries stemming from beatings he suffered during detention by Chinese authorities, according to the Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet.
Dozens of students were initially detained early last month after the graffiti appeared on walls of a school and a police station in Xiahe county, a heavily Tibetan area in western China’s Gansu province.
All but seven were released after two days and two 14-year-olds were released after their families paid a 4,000 yuan (€381) fine.
They were ordered to be confined to their villages.
A 15-year-old was taken to a hospital with possible head injuries resulting from beatings, and it is not clear if he will be returned to custody after treatment.
Four 15-year-olds remain in custody.
The Dalai Lama, Tibet’s traditional Buddhist leader, fled the Himalayan region for India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule.
He remains highly popular among Tibetans, despite persistent efforts to demonise him by Chinese authorities.
China claims Tibet has been its territory for centuries, but many Tibetans say they were effectively independent for most of that period.
Evening Echo News
Four Tibetan teenagers have been in custody for over a month on suspicion of scribbling graffiti calling for independence and the return of the Dalai Lama, a human rights group said today.
A fifth boy has been treated in hospital for injuries stemming from beatings he suffered during detention by Chinese authorities, according to the Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet.
Dozens of students were initially detained early last month after the graffiti appeared on walls of a school and a police station in Xiahe county, a heavily Tibetan area in western China’s Gansu province.
All but seven were released after two days and two 14-year-olds were released after their families paid a 4,000 yuan (€381) fine.
They were ordered to be confined to their villages.
A 15-year-old was taken to a hospital with possible head injuries resulting from beatings, and it is not clear if he will be returned to custody after treatment.
Four 15-year-olds remain in custody.
The Dalai Lama, Tibet’s traditional Buddhist leader, fled the Himalayan region for India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule.
He remains highly popular among Tibetans, despite persistent efforts to demonise him by Chinese authorities.
China claims Tibet has been its territory for centuries, but many Tibetans say they were effectively independent for most of that period.
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