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RECENTLY UPDATED BLOGS
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Jul 06
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Which is MOST LIKELY? Evolution or Creation?
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Thoughts From The Hat
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Jul 06
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Erklrung des Sondergesandten Seiner Heiligkeit des Dalai Lama, Kasur Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari
Der Gesandte Kelsang Gyaltsen und ich, in Begleitung von unseren langjährigen Assistenten Sonam N. Dagpo und Bhuchung K. Tsering, die beide dem Arbeitsausschuß für die sino-tibetischen Beziehungen angehören, sowie von Jigmey Passang vom Sekretariat dieser Task Force, besuchten Peking vom 30. Juni bis zum 3. Juli 2008. Am 1. Juli 2008 trafen wir mit Du Qinglin, dem zweiten Vorsitzenden der Politischen Konsultativ-Konferenz des Chinesischen Volkes und zugleich dem Minister für die Zentrale Einheitsfrontabteilung zusammen. Dies war unsere erste Begegnung mit Minister Du, der diese Position seit dem 17. Parteikongreß innehat. Er gab uns einen kurzen Überblick über die innen- und außenpolitische Lage Chinas sowie über die chinesische Tibet-Politik. Wir nahmen die Gelegenheit wahr, um die grundlegenden Ansätze Seiner Heiligkeit des Dalai Lama zur Lösung der Tibet-Frage zu erläutern und zugleich den Opfern der Erdbebenkatastrophe in Sichuan unser aufrichtiges Beileid auszusprechen.
Danach besuchten wir das chinesische Zentralinstitut für Tibet-Studien, wo wir von dessen Direktor Lhakpa Phuntsok und dem stellvertretenden Direktor Zhu Xiaoming empfangen wurden. Wir führten ein interessantes Gespräch mit den Gelehrten, die uns von ihren Forschungsprojekten erzählten. Wir begrüßten ihre Arbeit auf verschiedenen Gebieten und betonten dabei, wie wichtig es sei, daß über Themen wie die Geschichte Tibets in unvoreingenommener und unabhängiger Weise Forschung betrieben werde, was zu einem besseren Verständnis der unterschiedlichen Auffassungen beitragen wird.
Am 2. Juli 2008 führten wir den ganzen Tag Gespräche mit Exekutiv-Vize-Minister Zhu Weiqun und Vize-Minister Sithar. Dieses Treffen erfolgte zu einem entscheidenden Zeitpunkt in unseren Beziehungen. Die jüngsten Ereignisse in Tibet machen die echtempfundene und tiefsitzende Unzufriedenheit des tibetischen Volkes über die politischen Maßnahmen der Volksrepublik China deutlich. Es ist offensichtlich, wie dringend notwendig ernsthafte und aufrichtige Bemühungen sind, um diese Probleme mit Mut und Weitblick, im Interesse der Stabilität, Einheit und Harmonie unter den Nationalitäten der VR China, in Angriff zu nehmen. Obwohl Seine Heiligkeit der Dalai Lama eine Lösung der Tibet-Frage innerhalb des staatlichen Gefüges der VR China anstrebt, ist es eine Tatsache, daß diese Probleme eine Angelegenheit großer weltweiter Besorgnis geworden sind. In diesem Zusammenhang hatten wir gehofft, daß die chinesische Führung unsere Bemühungen erwidern und bei dieser Gesprächsrunde konkrete Schritte unternehmen würde. Das Gegenteil war jedoch der Fall, und auf Grund von übermäßigen Bedenken hinsichtlich der Rechtmäßigkeit stimmte die chinesische Seite nicht einmal unserem Vorschlag zu, eine gemeinsamen Erklärung abzugeben mit dem Ziel, beide Parteien auf den Dialog-Prozeß zu verpflichten.
Während die chinesische Seite nun verstanden zu haben scheint, daß ihre Anschuldigungen gegen Seine Heiligkeit, er habe zu den Ereignissen der letzten Zeit in Tibet angestiftet und würde die Olympischen Spiele sabotieren, allmählich nicht mehr haltbar sind, fordert sie nun von Seiner Heiligkeit, keine Gewaltakte, Terrorismus und die Sabotage der Olympiade zu unterstützen. Wir erklärten mit den deutlichsten Worten, die uns möglich waren, daß niemand uns dazu anzuhalten brauche, weil nämlich Seine Heiligkeit und der tibetische Kampf gerade wegen ihrer konsequenten Ablehnung und ihrer Opposition gegen solche Gewaltakte weltweit anerkannt seien und allgemeine Wertschätzung genössen. Während der Tibetische Jugendkongreß den Ansatz des Mittleren Weges Seiner Heiligkeit des Dalai Lama ablehnt und für Unabhängigkeit für Tibet eintritt, wiesen wir den Versuch der chinesischen Seite, den Jugendkongreß als eine gewalttätige und terroristische Organisation hinzustellen, kategorisch zurück. Seine Heiligkeit hingegen hat wiederholt und in aller Öffentlichkeit erklärt, daß er nicht die Unabhängigkeit für Tibet und keine Trennung von China anstrebe.
Immer wieder haben wir während unserer Gespräche unseren chinesischen Amtskollegen gegenüber betont, daß die Kernfrage, um die es hier geht, das Wohl des tibetischen Volkes sei, und nicht der persönliche Status und die Angelegenheiten Seiner Heiligkeit des Dalai Lama oder die der Tibeter im Exil.
Die Gespräche gestalteten sich so, daß wir uns gezwungen sahen, unseren Gesprächspartnern offen zu erklären, daß in Abwesenheit eines ernsthaften und aufrichtigen Engagements ihrerseits eine Weiterführung des gegenwärtigen Dialogs keinen Zweck mehr habe.
Die chinesische Seite äußerte die Auffassung, der Dialogprozeß sei dennoch produktiv und wir müßten bedenken, daß ein äußerst kompliziertes, seit einem halben Jahrhundert bestehendes Problem keine Sache sei, die in ein paar Jahren gelöst werden könne.
Im Sinne der Politik des Engagements der tibetischen Führung vereinbarten wir mit unseren Amtskollegen, daß die nächste Gesprächsrunde im Oktober stattfinden würde, und besprachen dabei einige Punkte im Hinblick auf deren Tagesordnung.
Heute erstatteten wir Seiner Heiligkeit dem Dalai Lama Bericht. Heute früh unterrichteten wir auch den Sprecher der Abgeordnetenversammlung Karma Chophel und die zweite Sprecherin Dolma Gyari. Gleich nach unserer Ankunft in Dharamsala am 4. Juli berichteten wir dem Kalon Tripa Samdhong Rinpoche.
Schließlich möchten wir unserem Gastgeber, der Zentralen Einheitsfrontabteilung der Chinesischen Kommunistischen Partei, für ihre Gastfreundschaft und ihren Beistand danken.
Department of Information & International Relations (DIIR)
Central Tibetan Adminstration
Dharamshala, India
www.tibet.net
5. Juli 2008
Übersetzung: Adelheid Dönges, Revision: Angelika Mensching
Internationale Gesellschaft für Menschenrechte (IGFM)
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Tibet News in German
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Jul 06
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Exiled Tibetans feeling their homeland?s pain
By Lobsang Sangay July 6, 2008 (MeYuL.com) DURING THE height of the recent protests in Tibet, a 49-year-old Tibetan American living in Medford called his mother in Tibet. He asked, “How are you?” [...]
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Meyul: in Exile
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Jul 06
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World Tibet Day in Chennai
We the Members of the Dhamma Forum, Chennai and the Friends of Tibet in Chennai have organized the following programmes at Chennai to commemorate the Birthday of His Highness The Dalai Lama and to observe the World Tibet Day. July 06, 2006:6pm-7:30pm: Screening of the film ?KUNDUN? at Dhamma Forum Hall. July 07, 2008: 4pm - 6pm: Prayer and Meditation near Memorial Hall, Chennai 600003. Ven. Ashin Wathawa / Ven. Mourya / Ven. Maha Nama / Prof. Marx / Erimalai Rathinam / K.Chandrasekaran / Madam. Asha Reddy /Tibetan Studants All are invited. To know more about the event, write to: : K Chandrasekaran at: kochandrasekaran@gmail.com
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Friends of Tibet
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Jul 05
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DIA MUNDIAL DO TIBETE: HOJE EM LISBOA !
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Grupo de Apoio ao Tibete
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Jul 05
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AFTER THE BUSTED BOYCOTT, WHAT NEXT?
Most Americans had to be disappointed today when they read Lodi Gyari's report on the Tibetan delegation's recent meeting with the Chinese. Disappointed, but not surprised.
"There is a growing perception among the Tibetans and my friends that
the whole tactic of the Chinese government is to engage us to stall for
time," said Lodi Gyari, who led the two-man team which met Chinese
officials in Beijing. While commentators like Jamyang Norbu have long embraced a far more impatient version of this opinion, even the most conservative of us realized early on that these talks seemed nothing more than empty exercises, designed to quiet the international community until the Olymics were done.
Of course, it's sometimes difficult for Americans to read between the lines of Gyari's carefully considered prose, but one sentence in today's statement concerning China's stall tactics seemed to verge on the comical: "My colleague and I told our Chinese counterpart candidly that we
ourselves are beginning to inch towards this school of thought." Inch? How about leap? Pounce? While the Tibetan delegation expressed its disappointment with the talks, the Chinese had another perspective: "The Chinese side expressed the view that the dialogue process has been
productive," Gyari reported, "and that we need to keep in mind that a half-a-century-old
issue of great complexity, cannot be resolved in a matter of years." These are the kinds of comments that simply defy a rational response . . .
I still cannot help but feel that a boycott of the Opening Ceremony would have been an effective means of maintaining the kind of international pressure that was brought to bear on the Chinese in the wake of the March protests. But that's a dream, as the Globe and Mail reports: The boycott movement is now in tatters, with no major Western
leaders still on board. Only a few smaller countries - Estonia, Poland,
Austria and the Czech Republic - have announced that they will not send
any representatives to the opening ceremony in Beijing. Several other leaders, including Prime Minister Stephen Harper and
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, are not planning to attend the
opening ceremony, but they have made it clear that that they are not
participating in a boycott.
Even our state newspaper here in Arkansas ran an editorial a couple of days ago
protesting China's involvement in the genocide in Darfur and pronounced these the genocidal games.
If our world leaders are unable to respond forcefully to the Chinese, we can. Watch the Olympic Trials, then cut the television off. Don't watch the Olympics.
Besides, the Tour de France has started, and they're trying to clean up their act this year, which is more than I can say for the rogue's gallery that will soon be packing for Beijing.
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Tibet Space
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Jul 05
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CHINA: READY TO TALK, NOT READY TO LISTEN
 Representatives of Tibet and China meet in Beijing on July 1, 2008. From left: Tibetan Special Envoys Kelsang Gyaltsen and Lodi Gyari, the translator, and Du Qinglin, Vice Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Minister of the Central United Front Work Department. Photo: Central Tibetan Administration |
Tibetan diplomatic team returned to Dharamsala on Friday, fresh from another round of "talks" with representatives of the Chinese government. While hopes were high that this "official" round might produce some signs of progress after the last "informal" meeting in early May made no progress at all (marked by constant demonization of Dalai Lama in Chinese state-run media before, during and after it), any amateur CCP-watcher could almost predict with certainty what would happen this time. Of course, the Chinese government through its Party mouthpieces kept up its lying vilification campaign -- before, during and after this meeting too. I use scare quotes around "talks" because such a term normally implies that listening is also going on. It's clear from what is known of these events that, while the Tibetan side hears and addresses the expressed Chinese concerns openly, the Chinese side simply covers their ears and re-issues their already-fulfilled demands. I'm beginning to see the Chinese strategy here. Naturally, just holding these events goes some way to getting the world off its back on the Tibet issue (progress or no) barely a month before their treasured Olympic Games are set to begin. But the loony-bin rhetoric is meant for domestic consumption; that's what the hyper-nationalist community can't seem to get enough of. Having actual Tibetans from exile in town -- representatives of the man they love to hate -- ensures more attention for their unhinged screeds, more mileage out of the vilification campaign, and more boost to the CCP's tough guy image. Finding an actual solution to 57 years of absolutely failed policies comes far down on the priority list. As the meetings were beginning in Beijing, the Communist Party boss in Tibet, hard-liner Zhang Qingli issued another of his blistering accusations. "The March 14 incident was a seriously violent criminal incident by the Dalai clique. The organized and orchestrated incident was created by Tibetan separatists after long-term preparation, with the support and instigation of Western hostile forces," Zhang was quoted as saying...
"At a sensitive moment, they harbored the evil intention of turning the incident into a bloodbath, of disrupting the Beijing Olympics and destroying Tibet's stability and political harmony," Zhang said. The next day, Party mouthpiece "editorials" continued the barrage. "The Dalai Lama has shown no intention of taking a break or displaying any sincerity in reining in his negative comments on the Chinese government," the dispatch by the Chinese government mouthpiece said...
"The Dalai Lama should openly and explicitly promise and prove it in his actions not to support activities to disturb the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games," the report quoted delegate Du Qinglin as telling the Tibetan side. That's Du Qinglin sitting in one of the comfy chairs in the photo above. There should be no need to remind anyone that Dalai Lama has openly and explicitly disavowed any and all violent actions (telling his people he would resign if it happened again - which it hasn't), has openly and explicitly stated that it is a good thing for China to host the Olympics, has recognised Chinese pride in the event and called for that to be respected, has always refers to the Chinese people as "my Chinese brothers and sisters" (and to Chinese Buddhists as Tibetans' "elder brothers and sisters"), and has been saying for at least 20 years that he wishes for a genuinely and mutually agreeable solution for Tibet and China within the PRC constitution. The envoys' senior dialogue partner this time was Du Qinglin, Minister of the Central United Front Work Department and Vice Chairman of the People's Political Consultative Conference. During the Tibetans' stay in Beijing, Du was also quoted in mouthpiece media demanding Dalai Lama to "not support and earnestly restrain the Tibet Youth Congress' violent terrorist activities." That would be the same TYC which exemplified the Gandhian philosophy of standing on truth with strict non-violence, and displaying absolutely peaceful passive resistance as they were arrested multiple times by Indian police over the past few months. The radical Tibet Youth Congress has vowed to use violence and terrorism to achieve Tibet independence and the Dalai Lama has said he was unable to influence the group's actions...
"While some 'pro-Tibet Independence' activists claimed their goals were different from the Dalai Lama, evidence has shown conspiracies behind all the plots initiated by them were linked," Xinhua said. Strangely enough, the first part of that last quote isn't a quote at all, though it reads like Xinhua (or one of the abundant "hard liners") speaking. Those are the words of Reuters itself, "reporting the news" (again, strangely enough, this article is available only on Reuters' China website, a couple of Malaysian reprints, and the Guardian). Lodi Gyari made a few observations to the media yesterday as the 5 man diplomatic team made their way back to Dharamsala. "Such baseless accusations make the Chinese government really look ridiculous in the eyes of the world," Gyari said. "This time they realized that labelling his Holiness being responsible for the present disturbances in Tibet and accusing him of sabotaging the Olympics is something that no one buys."
Gyari called the discussions "one of the most difficult sessions" the two sides have had, but said they agreed to meet again after the Olympics.
"I told my Chinese counterparts very candidly that if there is not seriousness on their part it is almost pointless for us to waste each other's time," Gyari told reporters at the New Delhi airport Friday before returning to Dharmsala, the base for Tibet's government-in-exile. The month of October has been mentioned as the time-frame for Round Eight. How many more Tibetans will have been tortured to death by that time? Tibetans are continuing to express their aspirations inside the country nearly four months after all this began in March, and they continue to die for those expressions (another round-up here of Tibet events is coming).  Tibetan Special Envoys Kelsang Gyaltsen and Lodi Gyari speak to the media in Dharamsala, India on July 5, 2008. Photo: AP / Ashwini Bhatia |
After briefing the elected Kalon Tripa (Prime Minister) Samdhong Rinpoche yesterday, as well as briefing His Holiness and the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament today, the two envoys spoke to the press and issued a statement on their trip. In this context, we had hoped that the Chinese leadership would reciprocate our efforts by taking tangible steps during this round. On the contrary, due to their excessive concern about legitimacy the Chinese side even failed to agree to our proposal of issuing a joint statement with the aim of committing both parties to the dialogue process. The Chinese did agree to more talks after the Olympics, but weren't even willing to sign a joint statement to that effect. They're often called "pragmatic," but often they just act like babies. The statement continues: While the Chinese side finally seems to have realized that their allegations against His Holiness for instigating the recent events in Tibet and in sabotaging the Olympics Games have become untenable, they are now urging His Holiness not to support violence, terrorism, and sabotaging the Olympics. We stated in the strongest possible terms that no one needs to urge us on this as His Holiness and the Tibetan struggle are universally acknowledged and appreciated for consistently rejecting and opposing such acts. While the Tibetan Youth Congress does not support the Middle Way Approach of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and stands for independence of Tibet, we categorically rejected the Chinese attempt to label it as a violent and terrorist organization. His Holiness has repeatedly and clearly stated publicly he is not seeking separation and independence of Tibet. As I wrote at the top, "talks" are only talks if the other side will actually listen. The Chinese authorities issue their concerns, the Tibetan authorities respond honestly that these concerns have been met. Autonomy not independence, support Beijing Olympics, no to violence, respect China and her people, all these are long on the record. The Tibetans issue some concerns, the Chinese say, "You must answer our concerns first. Dalai (Lama) must stop terrorist activites to split the motherland and turn Olympics into a bloodbath." It's almost like, "You must stop beating your wife. Why can't you stop beating her?" "But I don't beat my wife, I never beat my wife!" "Well, we're not going to get anywhere until you admit to your violent nature and stop doing it. You must stop beating your wife." That's not an argument, that's being hit on the head lessons. Or it's just the automatic gainsaying of anything the other person says. Whatever it is, it's not "talks." In the course of our discussions we were compelled to candidly convey to our counterparts that in the absence of serious and sincere commitment on their part the continuation of the present dialogue process would serve no purpose.
The Chinese side expressed the view that the dialogue process has been productive and that we need to keep in mind that a half-a-century-old issue of great complexity, cannot be resolved in a matter of years. Maybe it's been productive for the Chinese side, I can see that. They get something for nothing -- world off their back, the hyper-nationalist community praising their toughness with "Tibetan terrorists," and so on. They offer absolutely nothing in return. It's not so productive for Tibetans who are continuing to get beaten bloody in the streets, and behind closed doors. .
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Agam's Gecko
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Jul 05
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he issue at hand is the welfare of the Tibetan people and is not about the personal status"
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The Secret Tibet
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Jul 05
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China Inspired Interrogations at Guantanamo
By SCOTT SHANE
Published: July 2, 2008
WASHINGTON ? The military trainers who came to Guantánamo Bay in December 2002 based an entire interrogation class on a chart showing the effects of ?coercive management techniques? for possible use on prisoners, including ?sleep deprivation,? ?prolonged constraint,? and ?exposure.?
(more…)
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Human Rights Torch Relay
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Jul 05
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Statement by Special Envoy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Kasur Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari
Special Envoy Lodi Gyari making a point during his meeting on July 1st with Du Qinglin, Vice Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and Minister of the Central United Front Work Department. To his right is Envoy Kelsang Gyaltsen while to the left of Du Qinglin is Executive Vice Minister Zhu Weiqun of the Central United Front Work Department. Photos/Central Tibetan Administration
Envoy Kelsang Gyaltsen and I accompanied by senior aides Sonam N. Dagpo, Bhuchung K. Tsering, both members of the Task Force on Sino-Tibetan Negotiations, and Jigmey Passang from the Secretariat of the Tibetan Task Force, visited Beijing from June 30 to July 3, 2008.
We met with Du Qinglin, Vice Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and Minister of the Central United Front Work Department, on July 1, 2008. This was our first meeting with Minister Du who had taken over the present post after the 17th Party Congress. He gave us a brief overview of China’s domestic and international situation as well as on China’s policy on Tibet. We took the opportunity to explain His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s basic approach in resolving the issue of Tibet and also expressed our heartfelt condolences to the victims of the earthquake in Sichuan.
We visited the China’s Centre for Tibetan Studies and were received by Director Lhakpa Phuntsok and Deputy Director Zhu Xiaoming. We had a good discussion with the scholars who briefed us about their research projects. We appreciated the work of the scholars in various fields and had the opportunity to emphasize the importance of scholars engaging in unbiased and independent research on issues such as the history of Tibet, which will contribute to a better understanding of the different perceptions.
We had a day-long discussion with Executive Vice Minister Zhu Weiqun and Vice Minister Sithar on July 2, 2008.
This meeting took place at a crucial time in our relationship. The recent events in Tibet clearly demonstrated the Tibetan people’s genuine and deep-rooted discontentment with the People’s Republic of China’s policies. The urgent need for serious and sincere efforts to address this issue with courage and vision in the interest of stability, unity and harmony of all nationalities of the PRC is obvious. In addition even though His Holiness the Dalai Lama is seeking a solution to the issue of Tibet within the PRC, it is a fact that it has become an issue of great international concern. In this context, we had hoped that the Chinese leadership would reciprocate our efforts by taking tangible steps during this round. On the contrary, due to their excessive concern about legitimacy the Chinese side even failed to agree to our proposal of issuing a joint statement with the aim of committing both parties to the dialogue process.
The Dalai Lama’s Envoys Lodi Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen and their team in discussion with Executive Vice Minister Zhu Weiqun and Vice Minister Sithar with their team on July 2, 2008 in Beijing
While the Chinese side finally seems to have realized that their allegations against His Holiness for instigating the recent events in Tibet and in sabotaging the Olympics Games have become untenable, they are now urging His Holiness not to support violence, terrorism, and sabotaging the Olympics. We stated in the strongest possible terms that no one needs to urge us on this as His Holiness and the Tibetan struggle are universally acknowledged and appreciated for consistently rejecting and opposing such acts. While the Tibetan Youth Congress does not support the Middle Way Approach of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and stands for independence of Tibet, we categorically rejected the Chinese attempt to label it as a violent and terrorist organization. His Holiness has repeatedly and clearly stated publicly he is not seeking separation and independence of Tibet.
Throughout our talks we have reiterated to our counterparts that the issue at hand is the welfare of the Tibetan people and is not about the personal status and affairs of His Holiness the Dalai Lama or that of the Tibetans in exile.
In the course of our discussions we were compelled to candidly convey to our counterparts that in the absence of serious and sincere commitment on their part the continuation of the present dialogue process would serve no purpose.
The Chinese side expressed the view that the dialogue process has been productive and that we need to keep in mind that a half-a-century-old issue of great complexity, cannot be resolved in a matter of years.
Guided by the Tibetan leadership’s policy of engagement, we agreed with our counterparts to have the next round of discussions in October and discussed some points that could serve as the basis of the agenda.
We briefed His Holiness the Dalai Lama today. We also briefed Speaker Karma Chophel and the Deputy Speaker Dolma Gyari this morning. On our arrival in Dharamsala on July 4 we briefed Kalon Tripa Samdhong Rinpoche.
We thank our host the Central United Front Work Department of the Chinese Communist Party for its hospitality and assistance.
Dharamsala, July 5, 2008
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Tibet Information Office - Australia
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Jul 04
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Go Green Death Metal Style!
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Precious Metal
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Jul 04
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Help Raise $51,000 for Athlete Wanted Ad!
Raised to date: $8,067
(As of 6:00pm Thursday 7/3/08)
Along with a coalition of Tibet supporters worldwide, SFT has launched the Athlete Wanted campaign, appealing to Olympic athletes to stand in solidarity with Tibetans during the Beijing Olympics. As part of the campaign, we are raising funds to place a full-page ad (left) in the New York Times and other publications around the world. The New York Times ad alone will cost $51,000.
DONATE NOW to help get this ad published in the NY Times.
Please send this link to all your friends and family and ask them to help Tibet at this critical time.
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Tibet will be free
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Jul 03
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Expressions of Emptiness
When we think about emptiness, there is usually an intimation of absence. That is, a lack of presence is implied. However, in zhentong contemplative thinking, the recognition of the ultimate real implies an acknowledgment of presence, a constant luminous presence.
Perhaps one of the most interesting twists in this paradox of absence and presence is what I referred to in an earlier post as, "expressions of emptiness."[1] The technical term that I'm translating here is ??nyat?-bi?ba in Sanskrit or stong pa nyid kyi gzugs brnyan in Tibetan (commonly abbreviated as, stong gzugs and translated, "empty form"). Since this is such a key term and prevalent notion in the vajrayoga process of the K?lachakra and tantric zhentong worldview, and since my earlier mentioning of it elicited such excitement, I thought to sketch a few notes on the idea here.
read more
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Jonangpa
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Jul 03
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World Tibet Day,July 6th Sunday
Sunday, July 6, 2008 is World Tibet Day,Birthday of His Holiness The 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet. Tibetan poet activist Tenzin Tsundue, who is recently back from The March to Tibet, is in Delhi. On Sunday, we have organised a meeting to commemorate the day. Please do take some time out to understand what Tibetans have planned for now, the future of the issue, especially after the Beijing Olympics. Venue: India Habitat Centre, Open Air Auditorium Time: 5.30 pm
Conatct:friendsoftibet.delhi@gmail.com
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SFT, Delhi
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Jul 03
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Teachers, Students, and Notes
Manuscripts are interesting things. Well, I think so, and over the last year one of the main purposes of this website has been to make this point. Printed books can be objects of beauty, but more often they are just the means by which we get the text itself. And we know that a printed book is one of several hundred, or thousand, or ten thousand almost identical copies. Every manuscript, by contrast, is unique. A manuscript can contain anything from hastily scribbled notes to a fine copy of a revered scriptural text. Every manuscript is different from every other, differing in the circumstances of its creation and in the idiosyncrasies of its creator.
Although each of the Tibetan Dunhuang manuscripts is unique, we can put them in some sort of order, arranging them so that at one end of the scale we have the thousands of carefully copied and corrected s?tras which were the products of organized scriptoria working during the Tibetan imperial period. Here variations are at a minimum and have been eradicated as much as possible in the editorial process…

In the middle of the scale are the manuscripts that have been copied carefully, but outside of the scriptorium and usually without revisions. Most of these would have been for personal use, and contain texts like short treatises, prayers and rituals. Handwritings are individual and sometimes quite stylish….

At the other end of the scale there are manuscripts that are much more scruffy. The individual letters are poorly formed, as if by children, and the spelling varies quite noticeably more than in most of the Tibetan Dunhuang manuscripts….

The initial temptation is to leave this last type of manuscript well alone, and spend one?s time with more beautiful specimens. However, forced to confront them in my cataloguing work, I had to think about why these people wrote Tibetan so very badly. One possibility is that these weren’t Tibetans, that they had only just learned Tibetan in order to be able to write and understand Tibetan Buddhist prayers and practices.
Another possibility - one that doesn’t exclude the first - is that these manuscripts came out of teaching situations. Most of us will be familiar with taking down notes from some kind of lecture or talk, and with the fact that some people are better note-takers than others. A student might be particulary quick with a pen, and copy nearly every word, or only manage only the most general sort of summary. Taking notes is still important in a variety of teaching situations, including Buddhist ones. But it was even more important before the widespread use of printing made textbooks available. In a manuscript culture, the only textbooks students would own were the ones they wrote themselves.
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Dunhuang, the source of our manuscripts, was in its heyday one of the great centres of Buddhist practice, art, scholarship and translation. Situated on the edges of the Chinese and Tibetan cultural spheres, and at the eastern end of the Silk Route, it received a huge cultural input. From the eighth to the tenth centuries, Dunhuang was home to Buddhist communities of Chinese, Tibetan, Khotanese and Turkic monks. There was also a steady flow of eminent teachers passing through Dunhuang. Chinese Buddhists would stay awhile as they began their pilgrimages to India, and Indians and Tibetans would stop off on their way into China.
For example, in the Stein collection we have a kind of passport (IOL Tib J 754) for a Chinese monk who was on a pilgrimage to visit N?land? in India. The manuscript contains a series of letters of introduction written in Tibetan, apparently in the tenth century. The Chinese monk passed through the Tibetan areas southeast of Dunhuang before arriving there. We also have a long scroll (Pelliot tibétain 849) that ends with an account of the journey from India to China - via Tibet - of an Indian teacher called Devaputra. The scroll also contains some written notes perhaps taken by a Tibetan student of this Devaputra.
Another fascinating manuscript is a phrasebook with a series of bilingual conversations in Khotanese and Sanskrit (Pelliot 5386). Among these conversations are some that speak of pilgrims coming from Khotan and India to see the bodhisattva Mañju?r? in China. Another conversation mentions the arrival of a travelling Tibetan teacher. Most interestingly, one of the phrasebook’s dialogues contains a series of questions that goes something like this:
Student: “What kind of books do you have?”
Teacher: “S?tra, Abhidharma, Vinaya, Vajray?na. Which would you like?”
Student: “I’d like Vajray?na. Please teach it!”
This little dialogue, as well as others from the phrasebook, give us a sense of a place where Buddhist texts and teachings are frequently passed back and forth. The scruffier Dunhuang manuscripts mentioned above might just be some of the notes of the students who received these teachings.
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References
Sam van Schaik. 2007. ?Oral Teachings and Written Texts: Transmission and Transformation in Dunhuang? in Contributions to the Cultural History of Early Tibet, ed. Matthew T. Kapstein & Brandon Dotson. Leiden: EJ Brill. 183?208.

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Early Tibet
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Jul 02
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Behind the ?apolitical? veil
Taipei Times: Wednesday, Jul 02, 2008, Page 8 Last Wednesday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) finally found its voice and admonished China for violating the spirit of the Olympic Games. In response to comments by two top Chinese Communist Party officials in Tibet, the IOC issued a stern reminder to China that sports and politics don?t mix. Beijing predictably defended statements that authorities should crush Tibetan dissidents to ?bring more glory? to the Olympics. There?s nothing political about creating a ?harmonious environment,? the Chinese foreign ministry replied. While Beijing has repeatedly rebuked governments and organizations that mention human rights in the context of the Olympics, the reality is that no one has politicized the Games more profoundly than China. China tied the Olympics to government reform when it promised the IOC in 2001 that the Games would make it loosen its reins on the press and freedom of speech. It has also used the Olympic torch relay as a symbol of its glory and rising prestige, sending the flame on the most ambitious tour in its history, escorted by paramilitary officers. The route included Tibet and Xinjiang, where authorities did everything within their power to portray stability in these hot spots of discontent. Police reportedly launched a campaign of intimidation, detaining thousands of Uighurs deemed to be potential protesters ahead of the relay. China has also politicized the Games by attempting to include Taiwan in its domestic torch route while preventing the nation?s medal-winning taekwondo team from training there ahead of competition (more) .

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Boycott 2008 Games
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Jul 01
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Vote, vote, vote: democracy in action
Did you know you decide who runs SFT UK? Whatever the answer now is the time to vote! Five new candidates are standing for three positions on the board, cast your vote today and you will help shape the future of SFT UK.
Read the candidate interviews and find out how to vote HERE.
3 Quick Facts about SFT UK that you might not know
1. SFT UK is a network of groups across the UK and is run by an elected board of 10 activists.
2. SFT has no staff in the UK! It's all volunteer run over here but there are staff members in the US, Canada and India.
3. We're not boycotting the sporting bit of the Olympics but we are calling for No Torch in Tibet and a political boycott by world leaders.
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SFT UK - From London to Lhasa
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Jul 01
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Athlete?s for Tibet ? Stand Up, Be Proud!
As the 2008 Olympic Games fast approaches the reality of Tibet and its plight deepens and I am left feeling increasingly ashamed of the muted response that the Tibetan cause has received from the leaders of government, political organisations and other sectors in my country, South Africa.
It really irks me as a young South African to note that after more than a decade into our new democracy so many South Africans have forgotten or conviniently ignore our nation's past, a past that will forever be stained by the tyranny and abomination of apartheid that dispicable system that at it's core sought to dehumanise our fellow countrymen simply because of the colour of their skins by denying their person, heritage and inherent rights.
I find it a disgrace that as a nation we can simply ignore the plight of people of suffer as we did, if not worse, and I am left wondering whether there is one athelete in South Africa with the courage and conviction to stand up, be proud and to raise his or her voice for another nation, one that has no voice, once that is crushed and oppressed.
During the height of apartheid our country could not participate in sport due to sanctions sadly the strength of China as an economic partner will never see this country experience the same international segregation that our nation, I therefore call on all the South African athlete's especially those who will go to the Olympic Games to carry with them an appreciation for our own liberation as a nation, to remember the strength that sports holds in our country and in the rest of the world, and for them to stand up, be proud and make a difference.
PLEASE SUPPORT TIBET, PLEASE BE BRAVE - STAND UP, BE PROUD!
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Voice for Tibet
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Jul 01
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China: Earthquake Parents Beaten and Arrested for Pleading for Investigation
By Din Xiao, Radio Free Asia (RFA), Jun 26, 2008-
Parents of deceased students from XinJian Elementary in Dujiangyan gathered again last Saturday to demand an answer about the collapsed school buildings that caused severe casualties during the Sichuan earthquake, but they were beaten by the police and at least three of them were arrested.
The collapsed buildings claimed the lives of over 300 students and teachers.
Around 200 victims’ parents protested in front of the local court on Saturday. The local authorities mobilized large numbers of special police. The police pushed and attacked the parents, and several parents were injured.
According to a witness, Mrs. Xiao, one parent was sent to hospital and at least three parents were arrested.
“Yesterday, there were around 200 parents at the Court. For some reason, the special police arrived, many of them. They attacked one parent, and then made her fall on the ground by pulling her hair. Her husband went to help her up. Other parents also went over to help. The special police forced the parents into the police car. A man was injured and sent to the hospital. There were three or four parents arrested right away.”
The parents are discontented that the local regime leader has refused to meet with them. Mrs Xiao indicated, “The Government has refused to see us,” instead passing the bucket to the Municipal Party Committee of the Petition Department.
Meanwhile, another parent, Mr. He, also indicated some parents seemed to be arrested during the petition for the investigation of the collapsed buildings.
Sunday the RFA reporter called Dujiangyan Public Security Headquarter to identify whether or not the arrested parents have been released. No one answered the phone.
According to an official at the Dujiangyan Earthquake Relief Press Room, there is no report about the arrest. She denied any information blockade towards the issues of school building quality, but saying they were waiting for central official’s decision on the solution.
Another local school, the JunYuan Middle School, where nearly 300 students are buried, has been listed as one of the restricted areas under the surveillance of the police. The provincial government has stationed police officers at the school. The police forcibly stopped the memorial activity held by the parents at the school on the day one month after the earthquake, and arrested three parents during three days. After that, the parents’ petition activity was suspended.
According to a parent, Mrs. Dong, “No one is allowed to go near the school. There are many police. No one would go there now. Didn’t they arrest three parents last time? They were released three days later. No one would dare to go there now.”
Earlier, the court also rejected the civil action initiated by the victims’ parents at JunYuan Middle School regarding the collapsed school buildings. No lawyer would dare to provide legal support. Some parents believe the suppression is related to the pro-stable policy during the Olympic Games. Mrs. Dong mentioned that if the problem could not get resolved, the parents would not rule out a petition to Beijing after the Olympics.
She said, “Now we know any activity during the Olympics is not going to work, but only leads to arrest. It doesn’t mean we won’t fight for it. We will, after the Olympics. Some parents claim that if the lawsuit is not granted, we will walk to Beijing to complain.”
- Radio Free Asia via The Epochtimes: Earthquake Parents Beaten and Arrested for Pleading for Investigation

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China View
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Jun 30
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More from The Stream of Nectar
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Lotsawa House
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Jun 29
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#54 The Bob Thurman Podcast
Bob explains how Buddhism is more akin to realism than a religion; and how doubting everything is the key to understanding.
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The Bob Thurman Podcast
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Jun 29
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The Tibet Connection for June 29, 2008
FROM THE NEWS DESK: An Interview with Bob Thurman about his latest book 'WHY THE DALAI LAMA MATTERS: His Act of Truth as the Solution for China, Tibet, and the World.?...WHEN WORDS ARE NOT ENOUGH: How a unique program ART REFUGE UK is helping Tibetan kids in exile to express their experiences... INTERVIEW WITH MUSICIAN KEN LEE on his experience as a Chinese-American in the Tibetan exiled communities of India... KARMAPA IN AMERICA: Special Report on the first visit to the West of His Holiness 17th Karmapa... ASK TENZIN: The Tibet Connection's Answer Man tells us how Buddhism came to Tibet...  Listen to Entire Program
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The Tibet Connection
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Jun 29
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Press Release: March to Tibet Concludes
For Immediate Release
June 29, 2008
Contact:
Tsewang Rigzin: +91 9805247259
Dr. B Tsering: +91 9418792810
Ngawang Woebar: +91 9418102483
Chime Youngdung: +91 9418069179
Tenzin Choeying: +91 9816368335
MARCH TO TIBET CONCLUDES AS JAILED MARCHERS RELEASED
Tibetans prepare for actions during the Beijing Olympics in August
Dharamsala - After 110 days, the March to Tibet was officially brought to an end on Friday morning with a closing ceremony held at the Tibetan refugee camp in Paonta Sahib. The presidents of the five participating NGOs told the marchers to return to their settlements to enlist and energize their friends and family members to prepare for larger initiatives in August, during the Beijing Olympic Games. (more…)
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Tibetan Uprising
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Jun 28
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The Five Fuwa of the Apocalypse?
Who, exactly, are the Five Fuwa? and more importantly do they spell doom for China?
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Angry Chinese Blogger
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Jun 27
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Hillary, Tibet and LA
Going to hit on all the things I have ever blogged about in one post today.
First, super belated props to HRC. Her concession speech earlier this month was fantastic and I agree with many observers that it was her "finest moment" in the campaign. I'm looking forward to Barack and Hillary's joint appearance in New Hampshire today and I think she will be a superb asset to the Obama campaign (she excels precisely where he is weak, for example with working class voters and women). Now if only the 42nd President would also jump on board.
Second, Tibet was reopened to foreign travellers on Wednesday. It is many weeks later than expected, but better late than never. I am curious as to what tourists will find there now, over three months after the unrest, and I wonder how the lives of ordinary Tibetans have changed in that time.
Third, I visited Los Angeles earlier this month for my cousin's graduation from UCLA. My only real comment about LA is that it is such a shame that a city blessed with such an amazing climate has been ruined by human mismanagement. It's not just a myth: you literally have to drive everywhere you go and every drive takes an inordinate amount of time because of traffic and urban sprawl. I remember reading this article a few weeks ago that suggested that LA is actually one of America's greenest cities: it seemed totally counter-intuitive to me then and is doubly so now.
All this said, the city is very photogenic because of the agreeable weather:

Looking forward to the weekend,
K
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Kadfly
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Jun 26
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Lhasa Tibet Tours
After closing in March, Lhasa finally is reopen to foreign tourists. If you are planning a trip to Tibet this year, consider having Tibetan Connections make your travel arrangements. Here are some of the services we provide:
Train tickets from Xining to Lhasa
All necessary permits to travel to Tibet
Tours to everywhere in Tibet including Mt. Everest, Shigatse, Nam Tso and to the Nepal border
Trekking around the holy mountains of Kailash and Amnye Machen
Camping with Tibetan nomads
Tours through the Amdo and Kham regions
The government is requiring all foreigners to arrange a complete tour of Tibet in order to travel there. Contact us to get more information about your tour of "the roof of the world". Send an email to info@tibetanconnections.com
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Life on the Tibetan Plateau
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Jun 24
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Back from many different places!
What a roller-coaster the last 3 weeks have been! I have been home for a week and this is the very first chance I have had to sit down and put some thoughts out there.
Forwards or backwards? I'd like to start where I finish with the Dalai Lamas' five days of teaching in Sydney, but once I get started on him, it is hard to stop.
So start at the start.
Seven day retreat with my Tibetan Medicine teacher, Dr. Nida. We were at a beautiful retreat centre in Healesville - Maitripa, it belongs to the Kaygu Evam group from Melbourne. Is always lovely to stay here, we are fed and looked after so well by the lovely Sue Ellen and it is a comfortable funny old building with little rooms everywhere in a beautiful bushland setting, wombats and lyrebirds everywhere.
The retreat itself was a profound and amazing week. We were embarked on the Yuthok Nyingthik Ngondro, a seven day preliminary practice taught by Yuthok Yonten Gonpo (the father of Tibetan Medicine). It is the spiritual side of Tibetan medicine and is a wonderful purification practice for any one who works as a healer. And it is a complete ngondro done in 7 days - that is unbelievable! Most other forms of ngondro take at least 4 to 6 months as a full time retreat, or 3 years plus fitting it around your normal life. There is more information here if you are interested: Yuthok practices.
Yuthok Yonten Gonpo - The Younger - lived in the 12th Century, and is known as the Father of Tibetan Medicine. It is said that Yuthok The Younger left a legacy of ?two jewels?, namely the Four Tantras (the Classic text on Tibetan Medicine) and Yuthok Nyingthig (a very important - and the most compact - spiritual practice for practitioners of Tibetan Medicine).
Yuthok The Younger predicted that ?in the future, doctors would be so busy that they would have no time for spiritual practice?. So saying, he composed a very concise practice - the practice known as Yuthok Nyingthig, taught it to his one best student, and also passed onto him the transmission. This practice has subsequently been passed down from one generation of Tibetan doctors to the next, in an unbroken lineage.
Now, Dr. Nida was off to Sydney after this week to teach Ku Nye level 1, Tibetan massage. I had been going to study this last year, but the course was cancelled and after finding out that it was part of the fourth year module of TTM - Traditional Tibetan Medicine - I had decided not to take it further. During a conversation we were having after diner one night when I when I was doing some work on the computer for him he made some comment about oh we can do that next week in Sydney. Well, we could if I were going! But of course Dr. Nida is hard to say "no" to and I got home late that Saturday; on Sunday washed my knickers, re-acquainted myself with the faces of my family and was on a plane to Sydney early Monday morning!
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Travels in Tibet
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Jun 24
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Leave Your Thoughts for Yale Society for Free Tibet!
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Yale Free Tibet Society
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Jun 24
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Thoughts on the eve of the torch relay in Tibet
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Beijing Wide Open
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Jun 24
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Free Tibet-A Tribute to Tibet and it people
When I decided to write this blog, I am prepared to receive
criticism or even slamming by those who are anti-Tibet. Of course, as a person who
don?t have any political stand, or any professional knowledge about politics,
or profound knowledge history about Tibet, what I am writing here are just my
thoughts, nothing more, nothing less.
On the day of 10 Mar, Tibetan whose under severe repression
in Tibet have a peaceful demonstration of 49th Tibetan National
Uprising Day in Lhasa, but this peaceful demonstration have broke out as a
riots due to the force of Chinese
soldier has used to crackdown the riots.
Due to these riots, I believed not only many Tibetan were hurt, but even
Chinese were hurt.
Internationally, many political leaders had been condemned
by the force of China
government that had used on the crackdown for the riots in Lhasa, and had abused the human rights in
these cruel crackdowns. However, China
blamed it on Dalai Lama, accused him as the mastermind whose behind these riots
which are ahead of the 2008 Olympic Game, they even have shown the ?proof? from
one side on their official press to accused Dalai Lama evil act, slammed him as
a separatist to ?split? China.
Personally, I don?t know how do China investigated the issue one sided and got the
conclusion that Dalai Lama is a mastermind mind of the riots, read http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-03/30/content_7889154.htm,
so I read the ?outcome? of their investigation with the ?benefit of doubts?,
but anyone who knew Dalai Lama will know his the one who opposed violet, his
even so upset about the riots and even he threatened he would stepped down as a
politician leader if the riots didn?t stop.
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