The climate and the economy

Over the past week and a half, items making the news in relation to Tibet have mostly centered on the worsening conditions of the country's climate and the Dalai Lama's discussion regarding the global monetary problems. The global warming problems of melting glaciers are not contained within the Artic and Antarctic regions; Tibet too is suffering, according to the Chinese Meteorological Administration.

The increasing likelihood of floods and drought is stemming from the rising temperatures that are resulting in melting glacial formations and the consequential swelling of lakes upon the Tibetan Plateau. With the localized temperature rising 0.32 degrees per decade over the past 4-5 decades, the district is one of the worst affected worldwide.

Both the Chinese Meteorological Administration and the Tibetan Regional Meteorological Bureau are in agreement that another cause for concern is the retreating permafrost in the vicinity of the railway link between the Tibetan Plateau and Qinghai Province. If neither problem is addressed in time, the loss of millions of lives and the railway link could easily lie ahead. Hopefully, this joint recognition will bring a joint response.

Meanwhile, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has been offering his Tibetan advice concerning another global problem - the economy - with Steve Hamm. Amongst his comments, the Dalai Lama offered the following Tibetan saying - "Nine times failure, nine times effort, without discouraging oneself." - and suggested that those hit hard by the economic crisis try to refrain from further anger and frustration. His Holiness puts the worldwide monetary crisis down to greed, and the lack of morals and ethics. He suggests that we focus less on money and more on alternative values, such as family and compassion

(Sources of information: www.tibet.net & Business Week.)

Investigation, promotion of peace, and the future leadership of Tibet

Over the past week or so, much news is pouring in concerning Tibet. The excess official chaperoning so often reported from Chinese hosts within Tibet has once again been mentioned. This time, a four-person delegation of human rights experts from Germany were left with unanswered questions, after a force-fed one-sided portrayal that everything was fine within Tibet.

Noticing a large and continual presence from the Chinese army, the quartet was forbidden the right to visit a jail whilst investigating the city of Lhasa. They noted that monks were being forced to attend 'voluntary' education campaigns aimed at Chinese patriotism. The German delegation has also discovered that there has been no accusatory evidence presented at the trials involving four Tibetans held under the sentence of death for recent fatal arson attacks. A second deputation investigated another area of Tibet, and discovered complaints of oppression due to the Chinese government.

In more harmonious and hopeful news, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has been promoting peace. Last Saturday, the Dalai Lama issued a gift to Archbishop Desmond Tutu on the occasion of his receiving a spiritual leadership award from Humanity's Team in Freedom Park, Pretoria. Although proffered by his representative rather than in person, the Dalia Lama's traditional Tibetan gift of respect of a white scarf was symbolic of both peace and respect. This closely follows another recent event, where Archbishop Tutu and FW De Klerk opted out of a peace conference when the South African government refused to issue His Holiness the Dalai Lama with a visa. The peace conference was subsequently canceled.

Since January 2000, the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa has also been in exile from Tibet. He recently spoke with Jaideep Sarin from the Indo-Asian News Service, stating his wish to return to Tibet someday, providing there was sufficient freedom. The question of his possible leadership of the Tibetan community pursuant to the eventual passing of His Holiness leads supporters and Tibetans alike to take another look at Ogyen Trinley Dorje, who confirmed the previous system of choosing reincarnations was in need of an upgrade to address the current situation of Tibetans living both within and without of Tibet and showing his acceptance of a recently made decision that high profile lama reincarnations might only be taken from the exiled population.

Information source: http://www.tibet.net

Thank You, India

For fifty years, India has been home not only to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, but also to many thousand of the Tibetan exiles. At the end of March, the Dalai Lama offered 'Thank You India Address on the Occasion of 50 Years in Exile', posted in full at http://www.tibet.net/. Within his speech, His Holiness offered his own thank you message to India, (Quote) 'On behalf of all Tibetans, both those inside and those outside Tibet, I fervently wish to express our profound gratitude by saying “Thank You” over and over again to you, the people and government of India.'

Along with the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people, supporters of Tibet around the world can offer their own thank you to India in a number of ways. India has given long-term support to Tibetan exiles, and anybody with an interest in the Tibetan situation can offer their ongoing support to India as a thank you. Here are a few suggestions that you might wish to consider:

* On one night of each week, have an Indian meal for dinner. This can be done by purchasing 'made in India' groceries or ready-made meals from an Indian or Asian supermarket. If the food has been made in India that is where some of the money will end up, further supporting the Indian Government for their decision to assist the Tibetans.

* Whether purchased at a store or online, many items that are made in India come directly from India. Purchasing such items will increase the Indian economy and show your thanks to India for their having given so much to Tibet. Items such as clothing, incense, Yoga accessories, spices, movies, and books are examples of products that can be bought directly from India to show your gratitude to India.

* Visit India for your next overseas vacation. This is a great way to give direct financial assistance and tourist support to a country that has shown its continued assistance to Tibetan refugees. Not only can you thank India for its humane stance, but also you can learn more about the country, and perhaps additionally meet with some of the Tibetan population now living there.

* Letters to your government and local council showing your support for trade deals with India and an interest in making purchases from India are a cheaper way to say 'thank you' to India. Many of these can be sent by email, making them a free offering on the part of an individual, leading towards financial and political benefit for a country that has given to Tibet when its very own were in need.

Dalai Lama preaches compassion, responsibility

by Jonathan Bastian, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer

Sunday, July 27, 2008




To the Dalai Lama, they are inextricably bound to his life, his religion and his future legacy.

Consider this: Every morning at 4 a.m., the Dalai Lama rises in the pitch black and sits inside a sacred room to practice between four and five hours of meditation. Clothed only in humble red robes, he is completely alone, sitting cross-legged on the ground, contemplating the teaching and texts of Tibetan Buddhist masters.

For years, people have asked him exactly what he is meditating on. And for years, he has given them a one-word answer that is a primary tenet of Tibetan Buddhism: compassion

Yet the word “compassion” for the Dalai Lama has come to symbolize something more than mere altruism on a local scale, but rather, on a global scale.

After watching his country invaded, his monasteries destroyed and his culture dismantled by the Chinese, the Dalai Lama was forced to leave Tibet and enter the worldwide community, infusing the globe with his idealistic messages and Tibetan Buddhist ethics. This situation was summed up perfectly by famed journalist Pico Iyer, who said earlier this week at the Aspen Institute, “That Dalai Lama would always tell me, ‘I’ve lost my country, but I’ve gained the world.’”

And so it was only fitting that the Dalai Lama discussed his concept of global responsibility and compassion on Saturday morning at the Benedict Music Tent as the keynote address for the Aspen Institute’s symposium on Tibetan culture.

A century of dialogue

Capping off a week that included lectures by Tibetan scholars and practitioners, such as Bob Thurman and Sogyal Rinpoche, Saturday’s lecture began with a performance of traditional Tibetan chant and dance by Tibetan monks from the Drepung Monastery. The stage was decorated with colorful prayers flags designed by local children at the Anderson Ranch.

When the Dalai Lama walked onto the stage amid a booming standing ovation, he wore white Tibetan katak (scarf) that was also decorated by local children with red peace signs.

“I was very touched by this,” said the Dalai Lama, pointing to the scarf. “Young children’s minds are not yet spoiled. They still have a feeling of humanity.”

He then began to speak about his idea of global responsibility, which, he believes, begins not with laws or legislation, but with changing our fundamental view of the world.

“Our basic feeling of self and desire for happiness is the same,” he said. “If you look at the world from space, you see one globe. There are no real boundaries. There is too much emphasis on secondary differences — religion, nationality, ethnicity. On a basic level, we are the same. We forget basic humanity.”

This concept of universal similarities among humans, according to the Dalai Lama, must guide how we act on a global level. For example, he proposed the idea of the Americas joining together with a sense of unity, and the same for Europe.

“You have to consider your neighbor not foreign, but part of yourself,” he explained.

Moreover, the Dalai consistently harped on the importance of dialogue in terms of solving international disputes. This, of course, is a message that he has been preaching to Chinese for more than 50 years in terms of opening a discussion about the future of Tibet.

“The 21st century is a century of bloodshed,” he said. “This should be a century of dialogue.”

In terms of government, the Dalai Lama made it perfectly clear that he is a proponent of Marxism versus a totalitarian leadership or a capitalist system.

“I am attracted to the Marxist sense of lifting the lower classes,” he continued. “It is about the well being of working-class people that are normally exploited by the richer classes.”


The Dalai Lama’s discussion of Marxism, however, was not a completely extraneous or hypothetical topic.

Throughout his lecture, he repeatedly pointed to and spoke to a group of Chinese professors sitting near the front of the music tent, at times castigating the current Chinese administration, which claims to rule with socialist principles.

In essence, the Dalai Lama opined that the original precepts of the Chinese communist regime had merit in the sense that they were designed to help the lower classes. However, he claimed that this original sense of political integrity has degenerated.

“The Chinese leaders have become corrupt,” he argued. “They only think of profit, and have lost a sense of purity in the original movement.” At one point, he also referred to the Chinese government as, “totalitarian and capitalist.”

The Dalai Lama expressed concern over human rights and their standing in the Chinese constitution, which are not provided for in reality. In the case of Tibet, he claimed there is both “human rights violation and violation of religious freedom.”

As such, the Dalai Lama pleaded that the media have a “long nose,” in order to smell the truth of what exists both in front of them and behind them.

“They must inform the public clearly and openly,” he said. “Transparency is very important.”

The issue of transparency within the media has been a central in discussions about Tibet.

During last spring’s uprisings on the Tibetan plateau, foreign journalists were expelled from the country and only state-sponsored media were allowed. The government also set up a series of media tours in which they hand selected Western journalists and gave them limited access to Tibet.

Most recently, many western media outlets, such as NBC, are beginning worry about having autonomy at the Beijing summer Olympics to cover projected demonstrations that the Chinese government would rather not be televised internationally.

The essence of compassion

Towards the end of his lecture, the Dalai Lama returned to the theme that he has spent his life preaching — compassion.

According the Dalai Lama, compassion exists on two levels.

The first is on the biological level, which he said was necessary for survival, like the way a mother cares for her children.

The second level relates to training and reason, which is something that needs to be habituated, practiced and extended to on a universal level, instead just to one’s own family.

“According to science [practicing compassion] makes the body better and the immune system stronger. So many people spend their money on medicine and sleeping pills. People that have compassion don’t need these.”

The Dalai Lama’s scientific arguments in this passage are not unfounded. Throughout the week, a world-renowned professor from Stanford University spoke about a new project, “Project Compassion,” in which scientists are currently measuring the direct correlation between a compassionate mind and its positive effects on the body.

It is also important to note that in the past decade, the Dalai Lama has taken a serious interest in the connection between Buddhism and science, even saying that if certain Buddhist principles are overturned by scientific truths, they should be discarded.


Returning again to this topic of compassion, at the end of his lecture, the Dalai Lama was asked by an audience member how it can be that in such a beautiful place like Aspen, people can be so rude and cantankerous. And moreover, can the Dalai Lama teach how to resolve this issue?

Fittingly, the Dalai Lama reminded the audience that change, compassion and global responsibility begin with individuals, not just with the Dalai Lama.

“I don’t know,” he laughed. “This is your responsibility, not mine.”

Isabel Losada's top 10 books about the Dalai Lama and Tibet

Isabel Losada is the author of the The Battersea Park Road to Enlightenment and For Tibet, With Love: A Beginner's Guide to Changing the World. For Tibet, With Love is an exploration of the old question 'What can one person do to make a difference?' as applied to the Chinese government's policy on Tibet. Here Isabel Losada chooses her top 10 books on the subject of non-violence, the Dalai Lama and the Tibet.
Isabel Losada's website
Act for Tibet website

1. The Story of My Experiments with Truth: An Autobiography by Mahatma Gandhi

We have to start here as even the Dalai Lama admits that Bapu has been an inspiration to him. As a young man, when Tibetans came to him demanding to be allowed to take up arms to protect Tibet the young Dalai Lama would imagine what Gandhi would have said to them. If you are weary of the war on terror, reading the life of Gandhi will restore your faith in mankind.

2. The Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela

I wanted this on the list because of the common misconception that Mandela was violent. His fight against apartheid was non-violent for many years. They did eventually resort to bombing empty buildings - but never people. If you haven't read this astoundingly inspiring autobiography - where have you been?

3. Freedom in Exile by the Dalai Lama

The first autobiography of the Dalai Lama, written when he was a young man who had recently been driven into exile. Full of passion and, rather ironically as it turned out, hope. What I love about this book is the way it weaves the recent history of Tibet (since about 1945) with the Dalai Lama's personal story so I learned about Tibetan history but was gripped by the personal details. Like Mandela - an inspiring life. It's amazing how many people read 'little books of Buddhist sayings' that have the Dalai Lama's name on the cover and yet have no idea of the story of his life.

4. The Art of Happiness by the Dalai Lama with Howard Cutler

This has been compiled by a western psychiatrist Howard C Cutler in a series of long conversations with the Dalai Lama. I found Mr Cutler rather rambling but we all need to be reminded by His Holiness that peace has to be inside us before we can help anyone or anything. Happiness, personal responsibility, peace, empathy, compassion - wouldn't it be good if these were on the curriculum in our schools as they are in the Tibetan monasteries?

5. The Dragon in the Land of Snows: The History of Modern Tibet since 1947 by Tsering Shakya

If you've ever wondered why the world stood by and let the Chinese communist party walk into Tibet and destroy this ancient and unique culture - read and be horrified. The British come off as particularly culpable as we had diplomatic representation in independent Tibet. We decided to ignore that fact as it was inconvenient for us. We are still ignoring it.

6. Eighteen Layers of Hell: Stories from the Chinese Gulag by Kate Saunders

It is hard to believe that institutionalised torture goes on today in China. But reading this book, which includes firsthand accounts of life in the Laogai (Chinese labour camps) and details of medieval forms of torture, will leave you in no doubt. A hard read but certainly one of the most important books that I've ever read. You will never again want to buy a single item that says 'Made in China.'

7. The Hotel on the Roof of the World by Alec le Sueur

Very different from the book above, this is the light-hearted true story of the author's five years running a hotel in Lhasa. It makes Fawlty Towers seem an oasis of calm. He unfolds his tale with genuine wit and compassion for all points of view.

8. The Search for the Panchen Lama by Dr Isabel Hilton

You may be amused to know that the atheist Chinese government apparently knows more about the recognition of reincarnations than the Dalai Lama. This is the tale of how a young boy believed by Tibetans to be an incarnation of wisdom was arrested at the age of six and hasn't been seen since. He was detained because he was supposed to be the person responsible for identifying the next Dalai Lama. Instead there will now just be a mess, as the book explains.

9. The Dance of 17 Lives by Mick Brown

This is the story of the boy who got away. The other leading figure of Tibetan Buddhism, brought up under Chinese eyes to be loyal to the Chinese government, escaped over the mountains as a teenager and now lives in India. If you are sceptical about reincarnation, read journalist Mick Brown's extraordinary book.

10. The Bradt Travel Guide to Tibet by Michael Buckley

If, like me, you decide that you want to travel to Tibet then you need the help of a really travel guide. Tibet is a very dangerous place to travel - if the altitude sickness doesn't kill you then the roads probably will. This guide has all the usual things that you'd expect of a travel guide. It includes places to stay, cultural and historic information, maps and the best routes to take but the author of this guide has travelled in Tibet for over 10 years and knows his subject really well. Buying this guide may just save your life.

TIME interview with THE DALAI LAMA

San Francisco, USA, 16 April 2006 (By Amanda Bower, Time Magazine)

Dalai Lama: Tibet Wants Autonomy, Not Independence

Tibet's spiritual leader speaks.

The Dalai Lama's schedule is usually set seven years in advance, but the Tibetan spiritual leader made a rare change to his plans in order to attend a San Francisco conference convened by Muslim leaders to discuss religious tolerance. His Holiness, as Tibetans call him, spoke with Time's Amanda Bower about Islam, his hopes to return to his homeland after 47 years in exile, and his hobby of tinkering with timepieces.

TIME: What was so important about this conference that you changed your schedule to attend?

THE DALAI LAMA: I have two major commitments. Number one is the promotion of human values � not because of religious belief, but because of biological reasoning. We need peace of mind. Peace of mind is good for health, good for community, good for family, and also for physical growth. A peaceful mind is more proper. A disturbed mind, harmful. My number two commitment, as a believer, is for harmony among the different religious traditions. In the last 20, 30 years, I made these two commitments whenever I had the opportunity. As far as the promotion of religious harmony is concerned, I think I made some contribution, at least between the Tibetan Buddhist community and our Christian brothers and sisters. I think we have very good, close understanding. For example, there are many Christian practitioners now showing their respect and understanding about Buddhist concepts, as there is among Buddhists now an appreciation of Christian contribution for the betterment of the world and humanity.

Personally, from my childhood, there is a Muslim community in Lhasa [Tibet's capital] for the last four centuries. Very peaceful. Very gentle. No quarrels. Nowadays, in the outside world, sometimes people get the impression Muslims are more militant. I think that is wrong. I think these wrong impressions must be eliminated. They are no good for the world. [Islam] is one of the important world religious traditions that we must respect.

But everyone gathered here is a moderate. Do you think the extremists who have been giving Islam a bad name will listen to what you have to say?

[Laughs] I don't think they will listen. In my Buddhist community, the radicals don't listen... But our attempt is to try to explore the same values, send messages, and make them known to other people. Some mischievous people always remain. Doesn't matter. It's a mistake to generalize the behavior of a few individuals to the whole tradition. Since 11th of September, some Muslims really carry some violence, including terrorism. This should not be considered representative of the whole Muslim faith. A few mischievous individuals are everywhere, among the Hindus, among the Christians, among the Muslims, among the Buddhists.

China's President Hu Jintao is visiting the U.S. at the same time as you are, and you have urged your supporters here not to demonstrate against him. Why?

Since we already have some official contact with the Chinese, we believe it is very important to create impressions that we are very sincere, we are fully committed.

Two weeks ago, the Chinese government said it would allow you to visit your homeland, which you fled in 1959, if you abandoned your pursuit of independence for Tibet. But haven't you long said that you want autonomy, not independence, for Tibet?

Oh yes. The world knows the Dalai Lama is not seeking independence. The world knows. Still the Chinese do not know. [Laughs]

Do you have any heaviness of heart about giving up hope for Tibetan independence?

No. It's not necessary. Of course the present situation, in reality, I think that 99% of the Tibetan population is very, very unhappy. Every year, I think more than 10,000 Tibetans come to India. Some escape, some with permission. Every single Tibetan, when you meet them, is crying, complaining, including some Tibetans who have high level positions and are party members. I think many foreigners who visit Tibet and who have some close contact with local Tibetans also get the same impression. There are a large number of police forces there. Why? Too much suspicion, too much fear. If what the Chinese government claims is true, there's no need for security like that. This is very bad, not only bad for Tibetans, but also for the People's Republic of China as a whole.

As far as the future is concerned, look at the European Union. In the past centuries, those nations talked most about their sovereignty. Now, today, the common interest is more important than each individual nation's sovereignty. Tibet is a landlocked country, a large area, small population, very, very backward. We Tibetans want modernization. Therefore, in order to develop Tibet materially as a modern nation, Tibet must remain within the People's Republic of China. Provided Chinese give us a full guarantee of preservation of Tibetan culture, Tibetan environment, Tibetan spirituality, then it is of mutual benefit. [Besides] foreign affairs [and] defense [are] all the things which Tibetans can manage by themselves. Tibetans should have the full autonomy.

As a hobby, you like to collect and repair watches. It seems an unusual thing for a Tibetan monk to do.

Many Tibetans, including many monks, like wristwatches. I think monks are more fond of watches than lay people. Lay people have a lot of other things. [Laughs] I don't buy them for myself, they are all presented by other people.