The Tibet Post International Newspaper

Hong Kong: - Google executive chairmanEric Schmidt Monday called on China to open up Internet access and voiced concern at its latest crackdown on online freedoms in an interview in Hong Kong. “I have a strong opinion and my opinion is there should be freedom of speech to pursue one’s goals for ideas,” he told the South China Morning Post.He said China would need to open up in order to grow and criticised the Beijing’s latest move against “online rumours”, which could mean prison for authors of defamatory messages re-posted 500 times. “Google believes very strongly in a free Internet. China just passed the law about the 500 reposts thing. Then you will definitely think about it before you write. It’s a problem, it means your voice is not fully heard,” said Schmidt. Google abandoned its Chinese-language search engine in China in 2011 and transferred it to Hong Kong. “China’s censorship regime has gotten significantly worse since we left, so something would have to change before we come back,” he told the Wall Street Journal.

to respect Tibetan culture and Tibetan people.”His Holiness seems relaxed and confident,insisting he can convince most Tibetans – even independence advocates – to accept Chinese rule if genuine autonomy is granted.

I n t e r n a t i o n a l

Bi-monthlyB o d - K y i - Cha-Trin Rs.10Vol. 02, Issue 98, Print Issue 22, 15 November 2013 www.thetibetpost.comA Voice For TibetP-8....

China alone could stop self-immolation protests in Tibet: His Holiness The 14th Dalai Lama

By Yeshe Choesang: 15 November 2013

Dharamshala: - The spiritual leader of Tibet His Holiness the Dalai Lama has recently said that the Chinese government alone could stop the ongoing wave of self-immolation protests inside Tibet.‘China alone could stop the self-immolations because it was their policies of repression which was driving them to this extreme form of protest,’ the spiritual leader of Tibet has said in an exclusive interview with the London based ‘Financial Times’ on November 9 in Dharmshala, India.“If I created this, then I have the right to say, ‘No, don’t do’,” he was quoted as saying forcefully. “This is their own creation: Tibetan people – inside Tibet. These people, I consider my boss. I am carrying their wish. I am not demanding, ‘you should do this, you should not do this’ ... The causes of these things are created by hard-line officials. They have the responsibility. They have to find ways to stop this.”The 78 year old Nobel peace laureate has also said it was very difficult for him to tell the Tibetans in Tibet to stop the self-immolations because he did not have any alternative to offer them, that he could not tell them to keep facing these unbearable difficulties.“Those self-burnings: these people, not drunk. Not family problems ... The overall situation is so tense, so desperate, so they choose a very sad way ... It is difficult to say, ‘You must live and face these unbearable difficulties.’ If I have some alternative to offer them, then I [can] say, ‘Don’t do that. Instead of shortening your life, please live long, and we can do this and this and that.’ But [I have] nothing – no alternative. Morally, [it’s] very difficult. There is no other choice but to remain silent, and prayer. Clear?” he was quoted as saying.His Holiness the Dalai Lama has also said that while Tibet was historically an independent nation, we must now “look forward and according to the reality,” and that “it is (in) our own interest to remain within the People’s Republic of China.”

“I am optimistic,” he says. “Whether they love me or not, the Tibetan problem is there.” He laughs. “It’s not only the Tibetan problem, but it’s the problem of the People’s Republic of China. They have to solve this. Using force failed. So they must now carry out a policy

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China to restrict tourists in Tibet

Beijing, November 13, 2013: - Weeks after opening a strategic highway to a remote county in Tibet close to the Arunachal Pradesh border, China has said it would restrict the number of tourists visiting the area to protect its fragile ecology.Officials of Medog County, the last county in Tibet to gain road access to the outside world early this month, said it would decrease the number of tourists to fewer than 15,000 annually by 2015, reported by Press Trust of India.

The Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, photographed at his home in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, India, August 2013. Photo: Financial Times

By Press Trust of India: 13 November 2013

Google boss calls for ‘freedom of speech’ in China


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Sikyong meets with U.S. Senate Majority Leader

Washington, DC, November 14, 2013: - Sikyong Dr. Lobsang Sangay met with US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid this afternoon at the Senator’s office in the U.S. Capitol Building. According to the Central Tibetan Administration, the two leaders discussed the current situation in Tibet and the next visit of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Washington. “I have met His Holiness the Dalai Lama several times. He is a remarkable figure. What is happening in Tibet is very sad,” said Senator Reid.

By CTA: 5 November 2013

China’s development brings more Chinese in Tibet


Berlin, 13 November: - A Tibetan delegation led by Mr. Penpa Tsering, speaker of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile said Tibetans are not against the Chinese development projects in Tibet but the projects are encouraging Chinese population to move into Tibet.According to the Central Tibetan Administration, the Tibetan Parliamentarian delegation from Dharamsala called on Mrs. Sabine Bätzing-Lichtenthäler MP, Chairperson of the Tibet-Group in German Parliament on arrival in Berlin, the capital city of Germany.

Oldest big cat fossil found in Tibet

By Thomas Jake: 29 October 2013

Dharamshala: - The earliest known big cat lived in what is now Tibet between 5.9 million and 4.1 million years ago, newfound fossils of the ancient prowler suggest.According to media reports, the fossils, which were discovered on the Tibetan plateau, belong to a sister species of the snow leopard that prowls the Himalayan region today, said study co-author Zhijie Jack Tseng, a paleontologist at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.The new study also reveals that all cats diverged about 16 million years ago, about 5 million years earlier than was previously thought.

Tibetan monk sets himself on fire in Tibet


Dharamshala: - Emerging reports coming out of Tibet say a Tibetan monk elf-immolated in Pema County, Tso-gnon, North-eastern Tibet on Monday, November 11, in protest against Chinese repressive rule in Tibet.“Tsering Gyal, aged 20, from Akyong Monastery in Golok Pema County, Tso-ngon (Ch: Qinghai Province) north-eastern Tibet set himself on fire in an apparent protest against Chinese repressive rule in Tibet.” Tseyang Gyatso from Dharamshala, India told The Tibet Post International.“Tsering Gyal burned himself on Monday evening, at approximately 5.40 pm locally and Chinese security forces took him to a hospital, although his condition remain unknown,” Tsewang added.The sources in exile said “the Chinese security personnel immediately arrived at the scene, quickly extinguished the flames and took him away.”“Currently, the Chinese security forces have surrounded the hospital where he is currently undergoing treatment,” the source further said, citing sources in the region.“Local Tibetans gathered to mourn and pray for him,” sources added. His father’s name is Sherphun Tashi and his mother’s name is Rindon. The next day, sources confirmed Tsering died on the same day from severe burn injuries.The burning protest by Tsering brought to 123, the verified number of self-immolations since the wave of burnings

began in 2009 in protest against Chinese repressive rule and of them 104 were reportedly passed-away from their severe burn injuries.The Tibetan self-immolators called for freedom for Tibetan people and the return of Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet.In 2013 alone, 24 Tibetans set themselves on fire to protest against China to end its government’s hardline policies against Tibet and the Tibetan people.In a letter left by Tsering, he said, “Today, I burned myself for the re-union of Tibetans. My only hope is the unity among Tibetans and the preservation of the Tibetan language and tradition. If we do that, all the Tibetans will be re-united, these are my final expectation and hope.”The self-immolation incident happened as a four-day Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee, which being held in Beijing from November 9th-12th.Shichung, a 41-year old Tibetan man died on September 28 this year, after setting himself ablaze. Prior to the self-immolation, Shichung has offered a lighted butter lamp in front of a portrait of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.The Central Tibetan Administration based in Dharamshala, Indian has repeatedly urged Tibetans in Tibet to refrain from resorting to drastic actions such as self-immolation. The Beijing officials however subsequently accused exile Tibetans of inciting the self-immolation protests.

Nov. 13, 2013: This artist rendering shows a reconstruction of an extinct big cat, Panthera blytheae, based on skull CT scan data. (AP Photo/Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Mauricio Anton)

Ven Tsering Gyal, a monk from Akyong Monastery, Golok Pema County, North-eastern Tibet. Photo: TPI

Indian secularism is relevant in

today’s world: His Holinesss

Widening the Bridge Between

Religion and Science

A Chinese Google user with a bouquet of flowers at the Google China headquarters in Beijing Photograph: JASON LEE/REUTERS

Sikyong Dr. Lobsang Sangay met with US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid at the Sena-tor’s office in the U.S. Capitol Building on 14 November 2013. Photo: DIIR/CTA

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Kongpo Nyingtri, Tibet. Photo: Media File

Speaker Penpa Tsering, Dr Kherab Gyatso, Mrs. Dolma Tsering, Ven. Atruk Tseten with Mrs. Sabine Bätzing Lichtenthäler,. Photo: Tibet Bureau Geneva

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TPI NEWS The Tibet Post International2 15 November 2013 OPINION

I n t e r n a t i o n a l Editorial: Tibet’s middle way and

modern democratic systems

By Tsering Wangchuk, DIIR Press Officer,6 November 2013

Dharamshala: - Our people in Tibet have kept their spirit high and alive to continue the non-violence into their struggle against a highly militarized Chinese rule as a powerful message of rejection and defiance.Feeling proud! Feeling high! Our defiant people in Tibet lifted our spirit high which had been bruised through the last five decades by the continuous entrapment in the besieged homeland, we must remember His Holiness the Dalai Lama for his tireless efforts in leading the Tibetan people. Tibetans in exile cannot also put into words how proud we feel of our people in the three traditional provinces of Tibet.Each and every day, we have unequivocal messages to the world from our brothers and sisters living in Tibet who make us feel very connected to the decades-long nonviolent struggle against Chinese rule. They described to us what happened and didn’t miss the major details. Thanks to them, we could see or read about our many towns and villages, including Lhasa City, the crackdowns and the demonstrations that happened there, the atmosphere, the spirits of the snowland, everything.In the last five decades, thousands of the Tibetans inside Tibet dedicated their lives refusing the repressive rule and demanded the regime to permit Tibetans to express their grievances freely, publicly, peacefully, and without fear of retribution.When we asked them about the situation in Tibet, we expected their voice to be filled with frustration and anger. Their positive reply inspired us always. ‘We managed to send a powerful message of rejection and defiance to the Chinese occupation and the Han settlers who repeatedly break into major towns, including Lhasa. The message that snowland is for the people who advocate fight for rights, freedom, justice, self-determination, and accountable government and we won’t be easily defeated.’It does make us feel regret or discourage to know that our people go through such brutality on a daily basis, and that we, the Tibetans in exile can only support them behind as our physical presence is impossible under the Chinese ‘Apartheid’ regime. But it makes us very proud because our people are still determined and defiant. They pay a huge price for living under China’s cultural Genocide and without freedom which is subjected to systematic ethnic cleansing policies but they pay the price happily and unitedly because they know that to love a land is to live and die for it.They tell us how all these non-violent movements

started while the crackdown has been very brutal. With the unflinching spirit of the Tibetan people, they might say: “Many people gathered at a Chinese government building to protest against the repetitive provocative arrest, detention or imprisonment carried out by the regime. The angry Chinese forces broke into the demonstration with guns waiving them amongst the peaceful protesters”.The motivation and action gives an extensive difference between the Tibetans and the Chinese? When our protesters in Tibet wave their hands and hold banners in-front of the faces of the Chinese forces and radical settlers, they were attacked with tear gas bombs and batons. You cannot compare our people’s harmless protests to the murderous weapons the Chinese police and forces used to suppress our people. But our people’s faith in our just cause empowers them with strength, poise and determination to stand firm in the face of China’s brutality and to keep resisting.The Chinese authorities remained savage and aggressive but they failed to make our people “Surrender and Silence.” The regime’s brutality inspires our determination to keep up the fight for freedom. Every time they tried violently to disperse the crowds, they gathered again in different locations. The Chinese police and forces kept chasing them wherever they went or whatever they follow. The world however is seeing clearly their stories of struggle for freedom in Tibet, no matter how much China censor it. Of-course, we know today is very difficult time for Tibet. But we must Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow, because the history has taught us over and over again that freedom is not free that Tibetans will never give up on there wish for freedom and a return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet.Keep an eye on Tibet. Our people in Tibet face such challenges and risks on a daily basis. These vicious practices by the Chinese government have only one goal: to continue the systematic ethnic cleansing of our people.We don’t wish for anything more than for us to be in Tibet! This post is dedicated to friends from all over the world and strong people in Tibet. We would like them to know that we feel for you. Even if China impose a thousand more repressive policies to divide our people, we will stay united and feel for each other’s suffering. Keep your chins up you fighters of Tibet! They will not manage to continue their frantic efforts to reinforce colonialism in our soil. Free Tibetan people from the rivers to the snows!

Our people in Tibet kept theirindomitable spirit high as a powerful

message of rejection and defiance15 November 2013

Whatever is dependent arisingWe declared that to be emptiness.That is dependent designation,And is itself the middle way.—N?g?rjuna, M?lamadhyamakak?rik?In early 2011, I had the rare opportunity to attend a commentary session by His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Mulamadhyamakakarika (Verses on the Fundamentals of the Middle Way). This opportunity effectively gave me an insight into my identity and consciousness which was otherwise unsettled due to being uprooted like many of my fellow young Tibetans worldwide. This introspection led me to an insightful view of a past when Buddhism was widely accepted as way of life in Tibet and the present where its existence is threatened.Madhyamaka, as foundational discourse of Mahayana tradition and Buddhist philosophy, was adopted by Tibetans in the 7th century. Since then, Tibet has transformed, nurtured and sustained a formidable culture in the eastern world, reverberating its values world over in the last few

decades. This culture of non-violence, compassion and a sustainable world-view has been weaved by a core Mahayana ideology known as Madhyamaka in Sanskrit (Middle Way), which is now an official policy of the Central Tibetan Administration established by Tibetans through modern democratic means in the late 20th century.During the early 20th century another philosophy, which had strong “religious” connotations during that time was put into practice in an attempt to find a solution to political unrest. The great Mahatma Gandhi, an apostle of Shanti (Peace), during whose time ‘peaceful’ was an individual ethical conduct of a religious person, was effectively transformed into an active political movement and policy worldwide.One of the earliest examples of this type of genesis is the Athenian philosophy and their sense of ethical practices, which have moulded modern democratic systems, widely recognized as the crème de la crème of western philosophy.These phenomena have brought great relief and tranquillity to many millions, albeit temporarily. Humankind has evolved from caves through to huts, settlements, kingdoms, empires, and nations to states and now, we are at the transitional stage of a collective global conscience. However, history has witnessed conflicts between differing values, belief system and interests, which are still widely prevalent in numerous flashpoints around the globe. Active non-violence advocacies and policies have brought considerable peace, but what it may lack is a secularly ethical and logical explanation for the benefit of every individual. Middle Way, with one of its core value as interdependence, may have the potential to substantiate the peace theory. A philosophy introduced by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and one that he “practices as he preaches”, may allow us to find a political solution to the Tibet issue.The Madhyamika method does not deal with dualities by attempting to arrive at a compromise between the two sides or by formulating a position that lies between the two. Rather, it attempts to supersede the sphere of conceptual thinking and its attendant dualistic modes. —N?g?rjuna,

M?lamadhyamakak?rik?For the past four decades His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people have actively sought to find a political solution to Tibet, which has been under the occupation of China since 1949, through a Middle Way approach. Under this institutionalized policy Tibetans were able to redefine their immediate and core interest as ‘Tibetan culture’ that was under imminent threat as China, including Tibet, barely limped out of a devastating Cultural Revolution at that time. Instead of reclaiming historical sovereignty of Tibet, which directly stands in conflict with the core interests of China, Tibetans proposed a single autonomous area for all Tibetans, which could safeguard its cultural values and individual freedoms, that is mutually beneficial for both sides.“Tibet is a litmus test for China and the world” –Sikyong Dr. Lobsang SangaySince then, Tibetan culture and especially the knowledge of Tibetan Buddhism has grown to an extent of commanding respect and awe from people worldwide. In these past four decades, this approach entailed exchanges of knowledge and wisdom back and forth from Tibet that has seen young Tibetans inside and outside Tibet reclaiming their identity and values under harsh political environment. His Holiness the Dalai Lama has been invited to speak at ever expanding audience in various countries where governments were earlier reluctant to receive him before 1979.A Tibetan culture that has its roots in Buddhist teachings of interdependence and compassion has been put to the greatest test during these times in the form of the Middle Way policy vis-a-vis China to pave a lasting peaceful solution. This story of Tibetans led by His Holiness the Dalai Lama can be the beacon and the recourse for the world strewn with war and sufferings and usher a new era of dialogue and peace for the future. As contemporary American leader Nancy Pelosi finely puts it, “Tibet is the challenge to the conscience of the world”.The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and does not necessarily reflects the editorial policy of The Tibet Post International.

The Middle Way Approach is the most effective solution for Tibet issue in the modern world

By Nadya Berkengeym: 11 November 2013

Moscow: - The Middle Way Approach is the only and the most effective solution for Tibet issue in the modern world. In the past century such approach seemed to be not effective enough, but toady in the face of the problem of international terrorism involving weapons of mass destruction, only this way of non-violence and dialogue ensures preservation of human lives and progress in the Tibetan community.His Holiness the Dalai Lama introduced humanist ideas of Buddhist philosophy and forward-looking strategy of autonomy for Tibet within the territory of the People’s Republic of China into the Middle Way Approach. This policy is aimed not only to comply with national interests of the Tibetan people but preserve peace, mutual respect and stability throughout the region as well.The urgency of the Middle Way is becoming more apparent in our times of conflicts on the faults of civilizations when each large or small state tries to preserve its territorial integrity. More and more ethnic and religious conflicts are arising. Each community pursues competitive battle of “soft power” through free and available media resources. But we can see that such “soft” battle often turns into violence and suffering of civilian population.

Oliver Wendell Holmes, the US Supreme Court judge, uttered the golden phrase showing that in certain circumstances free speech should be limited, although he greatly supported free speech:“The most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man in falsely shouting fire in a theater and causing a panic.”These words are directly related to the interests of the Tibetan nation both in Tibet and in exile. The Tibetan community in exile, having no their own statehood in India or Nepal but only the status of refugees, has preserved their national identity for more than 60 years. The whole system of the Tibetan community in exile is developed due to tremendous work of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Administration.This system has provided many thousands of the Tibetans - children, young people and monks, with free education, shelter and refuge and brought social support to constantly arriving refugees and old people from Tibet. If it were not for this system, the young Tibetan activists from non-governmental organizations could not even write their proclamations in native Tibetan language.His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s wise separation of religious and secular power in 2011 became a shock for the whole control system. However, such event as any other changes in legislative and other government

systems is a usual practice in global and regional policies. No one can say that it is an easy way. Perhaps the way of the Tibetan people and the Government in exile is one of the most complicated in the world.The situation in Tibet is exceptional. It is exceptional in its idea, a dream, courage and loneliness in the political arena. It is exceptional in its adherence to principles of non-violence and justice. In fact, it is a way between a rock and a hard place. It is a piece of luck that the Central Tibetan Administration guarantees not only movement towards the great goal but bears responsibility as well. Not many politicians, MPs and public figures could selflessly work for the benefit of their people in such conditions.All of us became witnesses of tragic self-immolations in 2009-2013 and we honor the deeds of young heroes. Their actions clearly demonstrated that the Tibetans adhere to principles of non-violence and they are willing to sacrifice their own lives. The immediate reaction of the Tibetan community’s representatives at the meeting in Dharamsala in September 2012 clearly showed loyalty to national interests set forth in the Middle Way Approach.Today there are trends among some young activists who call for lapse from the Middle-Way policy pursued by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Central Tibetan Administration. Instead of constructive work for the sake of solidarity with their people, they propose to start spreading gossips, scandal sheets or deal with self-promotion. It is obvious that such young activists speaking out against solidarity of the Tibetans have nothing to propose to the Tibetan society.Such faulty words and actions scarify the Tibetan people who struggle to survive in exile and have need of maximum assistance in the face of ethnic and cultural genocide. The representatives of social organizations and activists should control their emotions realizing responsibility for the future. Neither severe suppression or connivance can be a cure for “nervous diseases” or provocation; only our humanism, awareness and professionalism may become such remedy.The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and does not necessarily reflects the editorial policy of The Tibet Post International.

Paris, 23 October 2013_For the first time, the famous photobook 100 Photos for Press Freedom by Reporters Without Borders is distributed all around the world in an enriched digital version, in French and in English. It is available on the Apple Store from September 23rd for 7,99 euros and 7,99 dollars.The Fall publication of this collection entirely contributes to the funding of Reporters Without Borders’ actions and is featuring Ai Weiwei,

Chinese artist and dissident of international renown.While the repression by the Chinese authorities intensified these last weeks, “State Power, Secret Police” gathers more than 100 exclusive pictures which report the oppressive surveillance the artist is subjected to. “We are proud to publish this album of protest with this tireless resistant fighter, who became our ambassador a few months ago. By revealing to the whole world the daily violations of the freedom to inform by the Chinese state power, he breaks the law of silence and points out the absurdity of an entire system. As proof of the universal impact of his message, leading figures as Lech Walesa, Nobel Peace Price, agreed to contribute to this exceptional album”, explains Christophe Deloire, Secretary-general of Reporters Without Borders.“This irreverent work is the result of an exclusive collaboration with an artist kept under surveillance, prevented from leaving his country, and who has reinvented activism as art”, explains Judith Benyayer, Publishing and marketing manager of Reporters Without Borders.Published in an edition of 110.000 copies, the album 100 Photos by Ai Weiwei for Press Freedom, has just been released in France, in newstands and bookstores, since last September 12th.

Reporters Without Borders and Ai Weiwei reveal what Beijing wants to hide


TPI NEWSThe Tibet Post International 315 November 2013Exile News

Dharamshala: - Gu-Chu-Sum Movement of Tibet, an association of former political prisoners organised a ‘Signature Appeal Campaign’ from 3rd November, 2013 and a response proposal to the white paper issued by China recently.“Our objective behind this campaign is to defy the Chinese government’s move to regain the seat in United Nation’s eighth Human Rights Council on the 12th November, 2013,” the group said during press conference held in Dharamshala on October 6.Mr Passang Tsering, president of Gu-Chu-Sum said, “During the tenure of their membership in the Human Rights Council, the human rights condition in China has deteriorated dramatically. The Communist authoritarian rule in China has repressed, tortured and intimidated the freedom and rights of its people and the Tibetans, Uyghur and the Mongolians.”“This campaign is to demonstrate and highlight the unvarying deprivation of basic human rights and freedom that the minority ethnic groups like Tibetans and Uyghur occupied under the Chinese brutal regime and its hardline policies are undergoing,” the group said.“The White Paper submitted by the Chinese Authority on the 26th October, 2013 on the international platform asserting the economic development explains their attempt in concealing the tyrannical and discriminatory policies executed on the minority ethnic groups,” it stated.“During the sixty years of occupation, the rights and the freedom of the people and the country was on a state of complete defiance which sparked the shocking numbers of non-violent protest of self-immolation and other

Ex-political prisoners carry out signature campaign for Tibet


diverse peaceful campaigns in and outside Tibet,” the group added.The group ot Tibetan former political prisoners declares its response through a ‘Signature Appeal Campaign’ objecting the re-election of Chinese government in the Human Rights Council beginning from 3rd November morning till 6th November 2013 afternoon at the main square of McLeod Ganj.That is followed by a press conference on response proposal to the White Paper released by the Chinese government at the exhibition hall of Gu-Chu-Sum Movement of Tibet at 3pm on Tuesday, 6th November, 2013.Established in 1991, the Gu-Chu-Sum Movement of Tibet is is a former political prisoners association and aim to provide food, shelter, financial help, medical attention, education, job and psychological support to former prisoners of conscience.According to the organisation, ‘many ex-political prisoners arrive in India with nowhere to stay, no job and very little education. Some have long-standing health problems as a result of severe abuse while in custody. Currently, GuChuSum has more than 500 members.’

Pasang Tsering, president of Guchusum speaking at the press conference, on November 6, 2013, Dharamshala,

India. Photo: TPI/Choneyi Sangpo


Dharamshala: - Over one million people stand with Tibet to ‘Say NO’ to China’s Election to the United Nations Human Rights Council in just one week. The five Tibetan NGOs said the ‘council vote is a critical test for every nation’s commitment to human rights and Tibetan Political Review.’“Tibetans, Tibet supporters and over one million global citizens are urging United Nations Member States to show their commitment to human rights and to Tibet by voting “No” to China’s bid for re-election to the UN Human Rights Council on November 12,” the groups said in a joint statement.Their efforts received a boost, with a petition by online advocacy giant Avaaz that has attracted over one million signers in just one week. On November 12, Tibetan Youth Congress, Tibetan Women’s Association, Gu Chu Sum Movement of Tibet, National Democratic Party of Tibet and Students for a Free Tibet-India, staged a protest at McLeod Ganj in Dharamshala as a part of the global campaign to urge the 193 UN missions and the Foreign Ministries worldwide to vote “No” to China’s bid for re-election to the UN Human Rights Council.“The worsening situation in Tibet where there has been more than 120 self-immolations clearly highlights China’s continuous violation of human rights. Despite China’s limitless Human rights violation in Tibet, the World Report 2013 produced by the New York based Human Rights Watch underlines the reasons why China does not deserve to be re-elected to the Human Rights Council. The report states China still executes more prisoners

Five major Tibetans NGOs’ campaign to keep China off UN HRC, November 12, 2013, Dharamshala, India. Photo: TPI/Choneyi Sangpo

than the rest of the world combined,” said Tashi Dolma, president of Tibetan Women’s Association.Joint Statement by Tibetan NGOs stated that the ‘members of the Human Rights Council are expected to ‘uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights’ and voting nations are urged to take into account the contribution of candidates to the promotion and protection of human rights.’“Re-electing China as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council is a shame to what this institution stands for. All indications from Human Rights organizations have shown that China has failed to improve its Human Rights record. Until China proves that they are serious and respect human values, social justice and equality for all including Tibetans, the United Nations should hold them accountable and keep them off the Human Rights Council,” says Tenzing Jigme, President of Tibetan Youth Congress.On October 22, during China’s 2nd Universal Periodic Review in Geneva, 13 UN member states expressed concern about Tibet, with Switzerland specifically linking the Human Rights Council elections with China’s failure to arrange a visit for High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay. In response, China’s diplomats verbally attacked the Dalai Lama and blamed the “Dalai clique” for the self-immolations in Tibet. As China’s UPR report was adopted, Ambassador Wu Haitao referenced President Xi Jinping’s vision of the “Chinese Dream” saying “We are working hard for the realisation of the Chinese dream, which is also

Five major Tibetan NGOs’ campaign to keep China off UNHCR a Human Rights dream.”“The Chinese dream is a Tibetan nightmare. UN member states must use this opportunity to secure commitments on human rights improvements in Tibet, including granting immediate access to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights,” said Tenzin Jigdal, Program Director, Students for a Free Tibet, India, “given China’s failure to uphold even the most basic human rights in Tibet, it is unfathomable that any nation would vote in its favor.”“During the tenure of their membership in the Human Rights Council, the human rights condition in China has deteriorated dramatically. The Communist authoritarian rule in China has repressed, tortured and intimidated the freedom and rights of its people and the Tibetans, Uyghur and the Mongolians. Their presence in the UN Human Rights Council is a true humiliation and insult to the significance of freedom and human rights that it propagates,” said Passang Tsering, President of Gu-Chu-Sum Movement of Tibet.The statement also added: “Tibetans, Tibet activists and Avaaz members will coordinate a high profile delivery of the million-signature petition to the United Nations headquarters in New York, Colorful demonstrations highlighting China’s abuses in Tibet and urging governments to cast a ‘No’ vote on China were also planned in the lead up to and during the UNHRC election. Further Solidarity rallies will be taking outside of Foreign Ministries around the world.”Tibetan rights groups and online advocacy organization Avaaz held a colorful demonstration with giant “Tibetan skeleton” puppets and a massive “Xi Jinping caricature” in front of the UN headquarters In New York, on November 11. They have submitted the petition to the 193 UN missions in New York and to Foreign Ministries worldwide, as follow up to extensive lobbying in capitals and at UN.

Concerns voiced over new UN Human Rights Council members

Dharamshala: - On 12 November 2013, China was elected as a member of the UN Human Rights Council. The Human Rights Council (HRC) was created in 2006 and replaced the former UN Commission on Human Rights; it is the UN’s top human rights body and is made up of 47 Member

States, elected by the UN General Assembly. The HRC has the mandate to strengthen the promotion and the protection of human rights worldwide as well as to address situations of human rights violations. One of its most important mechanisms is the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), which assesses the compliance to human rights norms and standards

The 17th session of the Universal Periodic Review Working Group held from 21 October to 1 November in geneva. Photo: Media File

Report filed by TCHRD: 17 October 2013

by all UN Member States.For the past months, there has been a great concern in the international community regarding China’s candidature to become part of the HRC. The UN Resolution 60/251 which created the HRC establishes in its article 8 that “when electing members of the Council, Member States shall take into account the contribution of candidates to the promotion and the protection of human rights and their voluntary pledges and commitments made thereto”. China has succeeded to win a seat at the Council, despite its poor human rights record and the calls from many civil society organizations to exclude China from becoming a member.Nevertheless, China’s membership to the Council does not prevent the government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) from being held accountable for human rights violations. The UN Resolution 60/251 also states that “the General Assembly, by a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting, may suspend the rights of membership in the Council of a member of the Council that commits gross and systematic violations of human rights” (art.8).The election of China as a member of the HRC also implies that from now onwards China will have to take concrete, credible steps and real commitments to fully guarantee the protection and promotion of human rights according to international law. For the elected Member States to the Council “shall uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights, shall fully cooperate with the Council and be reviewed under the universal periodic review mechanism during the term of their membership” (art.9).As the HRC begins afresh with its newly elected members, the credibility and the effectiveness of this body will greatly depend on complying with its mandate to the maximum of its possibilities, and therefore it should not turn a blind eye to its members’ human rights records, but to implement effective accountability mechanisms to safeguard its mission as the global protector and promoter of human rights.“China’s election to the HRC has made our resolve stronger than ever to protect and promote human rights in Tibet. By electing China to the HRC, we hope the UN member states seek to engage China and make its government more accountable to long-standing human rights issues in Tibet. China’s membership to the HRC should be linked to its serious commitment to uphold and protect human rights, and in case it fails to do so, it should eventually be expelled from the Council,” said Tsering Tsomo, executive director of TCHRD.

Activists protest against InterContinental Hotels’ plans in Tibet isolation: Media watchdog

Toronto: - Students for a free Tibet members and Tibet supporters on November 5th, 2013 protested against Intercontinental Hotel Group’s plan to partner with China in building luxury hotels in Lhasa, Tibet’s capital city.Activists staged a mock die-in in front of

InterContinental Centre in Downtown Toronto, with the image of a dead body under the InterContinental building to portray the human rights crisis in Tibet.“Intercontinental is putting at risk it’s reputation by building on a militarily occupied land, where gross human rights abuses occur on the daily,” said Urgyen Badheytsang, National Director of Students for a Free Tibet.He added, “More than 120 Tibetans have self-immolated in recent years in protest of the occupation of Tibet. The city of Lhasa is dominated by migrated Chinese and adding a luxury hotel in the city will only benefit Chinese where Tibetans are marginalized within their own country. Building this luxury hotel in Lhasa will be added insult to injury for many Tibetans.”Urgyen Badheytsang and Lhamo Kyi from SFT Canada delivered a letter addressed to Alexi Hakim, Manager of InterContinental Centre Toronto through the head of security at InterContinental hotels.

Activists stage a mock die-in in front of InterContinental Centre in Downtown Toronto. Photo: TPI


Dharamshala: - A Tibetan man has been detained and disappeared in Sog (Ch: Suo) County, which neighbours the restive Diru County in Nagchu Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region.“Thupten Gyaltsen aka Thupgyal, 27, was detained by Chinese police on 11 November from his home at Village in Gyalchen in Sog County, eastern Tibet,” Ngawang Tharpa told The Tibet Post International.Gyaltsen was a businessman. There is no confirmed information on the charges filed against him although some local Tibetans believe that he might have been arrested on charges of “maintaining contacts with exiled Tibetans”, he further added.Thupgyal is the son of Tenpai Gyaltsen and Thupten Choezin. his whereabouts and health condition remain unknown. In early October 2013, local authorities in Lhasa issued a notification that requires all “convenience police station” officers to surveil Nagchu Tibetans visiting Lhasa city. According to the TCHRD, “the notication directed the police officers to put extra surveillance on Tibetans belonging to three counties: Diru, Drachen (Ch: Baqin) and Sog county.”

Man disappeared amid heavy surveillance in Sog County, Tibet

Undated photo of Thupten Gyaltsen. Photo: TPI


As 15 November 2013 marks PEN International’s Day of the Imprisoned Writer, Around 30 exiled Tibetan writers and intellectuals gathered here in Dharamshala, India on Friday to commemorate the special occasion.The Day of the Imprisoned Writer is an annual, international day intended to recognize and support writers who resist repression of the basic human right to freedom of expression and who stand up to attacks made against their right to impart information. Photo: TPI/Choneyi

4 TIBET NEWS The Tibet Post InternationalTPI NEWS15 November 2013

Dharamshala: - Latest sources coming out Tibet on November 7 stated that Chinese authorities have arrested 17 more Tibetans, including three women in an ongoing crackdown in Driru County in eastern Tibet.Chinese police have detained Tsultrim Gyaltsen, a 27-year old Tibetan writer in Driru County on October 11, 2013. His current condition and whereabouts still remain unknown.However, his arrest has sparked crowd gatherings outside a township government office and district office in Driru county, Nagchu Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, following which at least 17 Tibetans were arrested on Sunday and Monday (3-4 November) and others were given stern warning.Those arrested include three women and twelve men- Sarkyi, 49, Tsophen, 47, Yangkyi, 25, Tsering, 22 Tsering Phuntsok, 21, Tador, 21, Kundak, 17, Gabhuk, 41, Tenpa, 22, Thupchen, 27, Sota, 25,

Tsering Jangchup, 21, Jigme Phuntsok, 23, Lamsang, 24, and Tsewang Lhagyal, 19.“Tibetans appealed to the local authorities calling for the release of Tsultrim Gyaltsen which was subsequently denied,” sources said.“The authorities later have instructed them to submit a written letter of appeal and asked them not to gather in front of any Chinese government office, even a five people gathering is now considered political,” sources coming out Tibet said.“Local Tibetans have submitted petitions requesting for the release of Tsultrim, unfortunately, there has been no response,” said a source quoting the demands of the Tibetan petitioners.“Konchok Jinpa and Dhargye also found detained in the restive Driru County, neary 20 days after their disappearance. The two were detained for allegedly involving in recent protests in the county,” sources said. However, their current condition and whereabouts also remain unknown.

Driru County of Eastern Tibet remains tense: 17 more arrested


Five Tibetans from the 17 arrested in Driru county, eastern Tibet. Photo: TPI

Tibet Autonomous Region cut off from the rest of the world

Dharamshala: - China has launched a new campaign in Tibet against the spiritual leader of Tibet His Holiness the Dalai Lama by tightening media controls to ensure his voice is not accessed by Tibetans on the internet, television or by any other means, a top official has announced.The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) has condemned the Chinese government’s crackdown on rights of Tibetan people, including the freedoms of speech, assembly, and peaceful protest in the Himalaya region.Dicki Chhoyang, the Minister for Information and International Relations of the CTA, says such counter-productive measures by the Chinese government to undermine the free flow of information in Tibet will only increase the resentment of Tibetans inside Tibet. It is feared such measures will give the Chinese authorities a free hand to intensify a crackdown on Tibetans.“We are deeply concerned that such measures will give Chinese authorities free hand to intensify crackdown on Tibetans,” said Kalon Dicki Chhoyang.‘In light of the recently concluded Universal Periodic Review of China’s human rights record by the United Nation Human Rights Council and China’s upcoming election to the seat of UNHRC, the Central Tibetan Administration deplores the China’s recent hardline stance vis-à-vis His Holiness the Dalai Lama,’ she said in a statement.In an editorial published in China’s Communist Party’s journal Qiushi on 1 November, Chen Quanguo, the Party Secretary of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) stated plans to

reinforce information blackout about His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Tibet by censoring all means of communication in the region.Writing in the ruling Communist Party’s influential journal Qiushi, top party chief of TAR Chen further stated that the government would fight to ensure only its voice is heard and the Dalai Lama’s is quashed.In order to ensure that only the official voice is heard in the region, the government must “Strike hard against the reactionary propaganda of the splittists from entering Tibet,” said Chen , the top party chief of TAR.Officials would “make sure that the voice of the party is heard and seen everywhere in this vast 120 million-square-kilometre region”, Chen claimed.As China seeks to defend its human rights record, such statement clearly contradicts the spirit of the UN Human Rights Council for which China is seeking membership.His Holiness the Dalai Lama has been a staunch supporter of the Middle-Way Approach, which seeks to resolve the long-standing problems in Tibet by remaining a part of China. This position is also shared by the Central Tibetan Administration based in India.China has long tried to prevent Tibetans from accessing radio, TV, newspapers, and websites from outside the country and gathering any information about His Holiness Dalai Lama.Reporters Without Borders (RSF) recently condemned China over the on-going crackdown on Tibetans’ freedoms of expression, assembly and association and urged the regime to allow Tibetans to express their grievances freely.“Instead of trying to turn Tibet into an information black hole, the Chinese authorities must put an immediate stop to these arbitrary arrests and release those detained without delay. We urge the international community to forcefully condemn their detention.”“There can be no justification for remaining silent in the face of these flagrant violations of freedom of information, not even the ‘respect for sovereignty’ that the Chinese government repeatedly cites in response to criticism of its repressive and discriminatory policies towards Tibetans,” RSF added.

TAR Party Secretary Chen Quanguo visits a “convenience police-post” in Lhasa, TAR, during a festival in 2012. Source:

China Tibet News


Tenzin Rangdol, a 34-year old Tibetan man was arrested in Driru. Following his arrest, around 40 Tibetans from Gochu village gathered in front of the local administrative office in Shakchu Township on 19 October, demanding his release. They were later joined by hundreds of Tibetans from nearby villages.The next day, some officials from the local administrative office threatened the Tibetans of dire consequences and they warned the Tibetans that they would face more repression. sources said 10 people were detained, some of whom were later released after taking their finger prints.Lhundup, 19 and Jampa, a 20 year-old nun were arrested by authorities on October 15 for allegedly sending out information about the recent crackdown in the county. Two just days later, the authorities have detained Jampa Lekshay, 20 and Kalnam, 25 from Lhasa, capital city of Tibet. Sources stated that they were also arrested for the same reason. Their current whereabouts and well-being are also unknown.A Tibetan woman, Kalsang from same county was also arrested by police on October 11, 2013. authorities allege that she had expressed ‘anti China’ sentiments in Chinese-made messenger app “WeChat” and kept “banned pictures of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and political Tibetan songs in her cellular phone.Some images show the increasingly tense situation in the region on October 8 and many large military trucks loaded with full of Chinese security forces are arriving in.The sounds of distance gun firing can be heard on a video footage captured at the scene on the same day. Sources said at least four Tibetans have been shot dead after Chinese security forces fired into a crowd of Tibetans.Tensions escalated after Chinese authorities in the area forced Tibetans in several villages to fly the Chinese national flag atop their houses days before China’s national day on October 1, 2013.

Warsaw: - Two staff from the Environment and Development Desk, Department of Information and International Relations (DIIR) are currently attending the COP19 conference in Warsaw to emphasise the importance of Tibetan environmental conservation.According to the Central Tibetan Administration, the two staff, Jigme Norbu and Zamlha Tempa Gyaltsen will raise the issue of forceful removal of Tibetan pastoral nomads from their traditional way life, mining and destruction of Tibet’s fragile ecosystem,

the global significance of Tibet’s rivers and the drastic impact of climate change on the Tibetan Plateau at the conference.The 19th session of the Conference of Parties (COP19), a United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is currently being held at the National Stadium in Warsaw, Poland. The two-week conference (11-22 Nov) will discuss issues of global climatic changes and review the implementation of policies adopted in earlier summits.This year’s conference was inaugurated by Mr. Marcin Korolec, the Polish minister for environment and the new president of the Conference. He emphatically called for a collective effort to work towards an agreement to combat the menace of climate change.The COP19 is one of the most important global climate conference organized by United Nations since 1995 in Berlin (COP1). Tibetan representatives have been able to actively participate in previous conferences such as 2009 COP15 in Copenhagen, 2012 COP18 in Doha.

By Thomas Jake: 13 November 2013

Tibetan officials attend UN Climate Change Conference in Warsaw, Poland

Jigme Norbu (left) with Zamlha Tempa Gyaltsen at the COP19 climate conference in Warsaw, Poland. Photo: DIIR/CTA

Dharamshala: - A group of 16 elderly Tibetans has been forced to end a month-long sit-in demonstration against appropriation of their land following intimidation by local police in Village No. 1 in Ngaba (Ch: Aba) County in Ngaba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province.According to information received by TCHRD, the group of demonstrators represents 16 families in Village No. 1 whose land, spanning 40 mu (one mu equals 67 square meters of land), had been seized in 1986 after local government promised to provide government jobs to the affected families. The promises made by the government never materialised leaving the families more impoverished than before.On 14 September 2013, the affected families submitted a petition to local authorities making three key demands. The petition was written in Chinese language and bore the thumbprints of the 16 elderly Tibetans whose names are Chindrong, Pugo, Zonpo, Detso Kyi, Muney, Tsekyi, Peltse, Tenpa Gyaltsen, Phulkyi, Nak Dhonkho, Jhakho, Dhonkho, Norkho, Choedup, Kelsang Sonam, Kundup (names transliterated

from their Chinese versions).Fi rs t , the pet i t ion ca l ls on the Chinese government to provide employment to one family member from each affected family as had been promised, and to compensate the affected family members for denying them employment in the past 27 years. Second, the affected families must have ownership over the roads and premises surrounding the newly-built multi-storey structures on the appropriated land. The last point in the petition demands that the government return 6 mu of unused land since 34 mu of land are already being used to built multi-storey for real estate purposes.On 17 September 2013, three days after submitting the petition, the 16 elderly Tibetans launched a sit-in demonstration at the site of appropriated land which is located near the Ngachu River. For more than a month, the group of demonstrators had been sleeping and eating in makeshift tents erected on the site.On 20 October 2013, the elderly demonstrators were forced to vacate the site after local police threatened them with imprisonment. The Tibetans were told that their sit-in demonstration had brought the ongoing construction work on

China forces elderly Tibetans to end sit-in demonstration against land grab

Report filed by TCHRD: 31 October 2013

Some of the demonstrators are seen sitting in the premises of the appropriated land. Photo: TCHRD

the land to a halt. Sources with contacts in Ngaba said the police had lied to the elderly Tibetans that they were responsible for obstructing the construction work because construction work normally stops when the climate gets colder.Since the late 1980s, the affected families have petitioned local authorities 50 times demanding that the government deliver on its promises. Local authorities had seized 40 mu of land in June 1986 saying they wanted to build a cattle slaughterhouse and a cold storage facility. At the time, the local government had paid 350 yuan per mu as compensation and also promised to provide employment to the affected families.Between 1988 and 1990, as the local government kept dragging its feet on the issue, local Tibetans submitted two petitions but were told by the then County head Orgyen Kyap that the authorities were doing a trial run of the slaughterhouse and the cold storage facility and that the matter would be addressed by the County government at an appropriate time. Over the next few years, the then County head died and the matter remained unresolved.Again in 2006, representatives of the 16 affected families approached the members of the Villagers’ Committee and apprised them of the situation. But the then Village party secretary Chen Bao and Village leader Sonam came up with the excuse that they were trying to get loans from the local government to renovate the village parking area and raising the land issue would harm their chances of getting the loan.For the next few years since 2008, the affected families stopped petitioning thinking that the local government would misconstrue their activities as political in light of widespread protests and self-immolations in Ngaba County.Sources told TCHRD that after the failure of the original project, local authorities sold the slaughterhouse and the cold storage facility, and used the money to engage in other profit-making ventures such as the ongoing construction work on the appropriated land where new buildings have come up apparently for real estate purposes.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama departing from Naritia Airport in Tokyo, Japan at the start of a 12 day visit to the country on November 15, 2013. Photo: OHHDL

515 November 2013The Tibet Post International TPI NEWS H.H THE DALAI LAMA

Dharamshala: - The spiritual leader of Tibet, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, on November 11 expressed his sadness and concern over the great loss of lives and damage to property caused by the Typhoon Haiyan in Philippine.“In a letter to the President of the Philippines, His Excellency Benigno Aquino III, His Holiness the Dalai Lama expressed his sadness by the loss of so many lives and the extensive damage caused as a result of Typhoon Haiyan that struck the Philippines on Friday,” the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama said in the condolence statement which issued on November 11 2013.“His Holiness offered his condolences and prayers to the families that have lost loved ones and been affected by this catastrophic natural disaster,” the condolence statement said.The statemen added: “As a token of sympathy and concern, a donation is being made from The Dalai Lama Trust to support the relief work.”Four days after the typhoon struck, only a trickle of assistance has made it to affected

communities along the eastern seaboard, which bore the brunt of Typhoon Haiyan. Authorities estimate it killed 10,000 or more. Millions are without shelter or food.The typhoon that destroyed entire towns across the Philippines is believed to have killed more than 10,000 people and displaced more than 600,000, authorities said on Sunday, which would make it the country’s deadliest recorded natural disaster.Authorities said at least 9.7 million people in 41 provinces were affected by the typhoon, known as Haiyan elsewhere in Asia but called Yolanda in the Philippines. It was likely the deadliest natural disaster to beset this Southeast Asian nation.The Philippines, an archipelago nation of more than 7,000 islands, is annually buffeted by tropical storms and typhoons, which are called hurricanes and cyclones elsewhere.The impoverished and densely populated nation of 96 million people is in the northwestern Pacific, right in the path of the world’s No. 1 typhoon generator, according to meteorologists. The archipelago’s exposed eastern seaboard often bears the brunt.

His Holiness The Dalai Lama con-cerned over impact of Typhoon Haiyan


New Delhi: - ‘The Indian secularism a realistic approach and also relevant in today’s world,’ the spiritual leader of Tibet His Holiness the Dalai Lama said during the opening ceremony of the two-day National Seminar on, ‘Nalanda Tradition of Buddhism in Asia’ held New Delhi, on November 13, 2013.Shortly after his arrival in the Indian capital New Delhi from Dharamshala Wednesday, Nov. 13, His Holiness the Dalai Lama drove to the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) where he had been invited to inaugurate a two day national seminar on the Nalanda Tradition of Buddhism in Asia.His Holiness then was received by Geshe Dorji Damdul, Director of Tibet House, and escorted through the IGNCA grounds by the convenor of the event Benoy K Behl and his old friend Dr Kapila Vatsyayan.President of the IGNCA, Chinmaya Gharekhan in his welcoming address praised His Holiness as a “guide for humankind”, as a living example of the Nalanda tradition that had spread across Asia.In his address, Geshe Dorji Damdul, asked, “How is it that Nalanda is so widely spoken of today? It is because of His Holiness’s proclaiming its qualities and its having been a thriving centre of knowledge.”Inaugurating the national seminar on, ‘Nalanda Tradition of Buddhism in Asia’, he called for universities and colleges in the country to pay more attention to ancient Indian Buddhist teachings and view these as academic topics and not just religious teachings.His Holiness congratulated the Indira Gandhi

National Centre for the Arts and Tibet House for organising this event focussed on Nalanda. He recalled that when he first had the opportunity to come to India in 1956, he made a pilgrimage to various sites including Nalanda.“The name Nalanda was very familiar to me as the source of the tradition we follow in Tibet. First we memorize the root text, then study it word by word and then debate it with our fellow students to penetrate the depths of its meaning. I began this process myself as a child of 6 or 7 years old, reluctantly to begin with. However, in due course, I became more interested and developed a great admiration for the works of the Indian masters who are part of this tradition,” His Holiness said.“Modern Indians are westernised. Science and technology is important, and you must catch up. Look at China, it is rapidly catching up with the world... but you should not neglect your thousand years of ancient knowledge,” he said. The Nalanda school of thought, which stresses on the need for reasoning before accepting, might be ancient but was still relevant in the 21st century, His Holiness added.“Buildings of the Nalanda University might be in ruins but the knowledge is still alive in the 21st century. We Tibetans for 1,000 years have preserved Nalanda knowledge, through memorising, reading and debate,” he further said.“The great Buddhist institution of Nalanda now lies in ruins, yet the knowledge it fostered, based on the Buddha’s teachings, contributed immensely to Buddhist understanding, particularly in its Sanskrit tradition,” he added.The 78 year old Nobel peace laureate has also said that “this was the tradition that

The Indian secularism is relevant intoday’s world: Spiritual leader of Tibet


His Holiness the Dalai Lama addressing the inaugural meeting of a two day national seminar on the Nalanda Tradition of Buddhism in Asia in New Delhi, India on November 13, 2013. Photo/Jeremy Russell/OHHDL

Dharamshala, India - 7 November 2013: - The spiritual leader of Tibet His Holiness the Dalai Lama met with 71 Vietnamese CEO’s, artists and intellectuals. Mostly women, he began by emphasising his and their common humanity.His Holiness said that neurologists will tell you that Tibetan and Vietnamese brains are the same, along with emotions and intelligence. “Therefore, we have the same potential to think more deeply about the situation we find ourselves in.”He remarked that society and our education system is oriented toward material development and values, which results in a general lack of moral principles. He discovered from his guests that the Vietnamese economy has grown immensely over the last 30-40 years, that literacy is about 95% and there are probably only 2 billionaires in the country.He commented that corruption has become like a cancer in the world and it is mostly the poor who suffer. This and climate change are among the major challenges today. Corruption takes place because of a lack of ethics. His Holiness suggested that ways must be found to instil basic values like honesty into the younger generation - otherwise corruption will continue to fester. This is why he believes so strongly in fostering secular ethics in the education system, giving a basis to resolve the majority of today’s problems.Inviting questions from the audience one woman said she was a Buddhist and when her friends ask for help and advice she tells them to ask the monks. They insist they are more interested in what she has

to say, so what should she do? His Holiness replied that in a world increasingly interdependent it is time to develop global responsibility and help each other and promote human values.Another questioner said that she knew people who didn’t find prayers and ritual helpful and His Holiness replied that if this was the answer to overcoming suffering the Bodhisattvas would already have done it. The Buddha, he said, shows us the path to truth and reality and it is up to us to follow it.His Holiness observed that at an inter-religious conference in India, all religions tended to address

His Holiness the Dalai Lama introduces ‘Secular Ethics’ to Vietnamese By Jane Cook: 8 November 2013

three questions: What is the self? Does it have a beginning? and Does it have an end? “He explained that only Buddhism teaches that the self is not something that has a solid, independent existence, but is designated on the basis of body and mind.”Referring to the four Noble Truths he highlighted two patterns of casualty: suffering and its cause as described by the first two truths and cessation and the path to it outlined in the third and fourth truths. Cessation of suffering, he said, is brought about by practicing the path and that the path consists of three trainings in concentration and wisdom based on ethics.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama speaking to a group from Vietnam at his residence in Dharamsala, India on November 7, 2013.

spread to China and later to Tibet. Only insects and pigeons live in the ruins today, but the knowledge that flowed from this place survives. Through rigorous study and practice, the Nalanda tradition was kept alive in Tibet.”The spiritual leader of Tibet also praised the Indian concept of secularism, which he said was based on the practice of respect for not only other religions but for non-believers as well.“My friends in the West have some sort of reservation with the word secularism, for them secularism means distance from religion. “But the Indian understanding is respect to all religions and also the non-believers. This is a realistic approach and also relevant in today’s world,” His Holiness said.“We Tibetans regard ourselves as chelas of Indian gurus, ancient Indian gurus. And although much of the knowledge I speak of is to be found in Buddhist literature, it is not strictly Buddhist, but has a secular basis. India is multi-religious society and has long maintained a profound respect for different religious traditions,” he added.“As an extension of this we should pay more attention to our inner values; if we are slaves to money, for example, we’ll have no peace of mind. As human beings, we have to look after one another. We have to think and analyse, which gives rise to self-confidence and overcomes fear. I’m not talking about the next life, but about ensuring our minds are healthy now. In trying to create a better world, we need to have less emphasis on ‘them’ and ‘us’ and more sense that everyone is part of ‘us’,” he added.Relating an anecdote, His Holiness said that even Chinese leader Mao-Tse Tung had praised his scientific approach to teaching.“In 1954, when I was in Beijing, Mao told me ‘your thinking is very scientific’. “But, then, he said ‘Religion is poison’”, His Holiness the Dalai Lama revealed. He said he felt that had Mao-Tse Tung got a chance to learn about the Indian masters of thought, he would have followed their teachings.“I’m proud to be a chela of those great ancient India thinkers,” His Holiness reiterated. “I call myself a son of India because while my brain has been filled with ancient Indian thought, my body has been nourished for decades by Indian rice, dal and chapattis,” he added.“I hope meetings like this will serve to remind us of the value of what Nalanda represented. Some scientists have asked me if we can apply Nalanda’s logical approach to study in other fields, and I can’t see why not. We need analysis, taking a broad view of whatever it is we’re investigating, looking at it from many angles.” he said.

Dharamsala, India 11 November 2013: - The spiritual leader of Tibet His Holiness the Dalai Lama gave a teaching in public which had been requested by a group of Malaysians. His Holiness also conducted the White Tara long life empowerment to all those gathered in the temple.“You won’t achieve your goals just by reciting mantras,” he said. It is only by revealing reality that the Buddha’s indicate the way to liberation. Through teaching we transform ourselves and this makes us use our intelligence.He explained the verse about taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha and generating the awakening mind of bodhichitta by saying “the subject of these actions is ‘I’ and we have to think about who is the ‘I’ who becomes Buddha. Nagarjuna said “The self is neither in the aggregates nor separate from them. The Tathagata does not possess the aggregates; what then is the Tathagata.His Holiness added that selflessness is

explained in the works of Nagarjuna. The coming of Buddhism to Tibet was brought about by Emperor Songtsen Gampo who married a Chinese and a Nepalese princess. Emperor Trisong Detsen’s father was Tibetan and his mother Chinese but he chose India as source of Buddhist teaching. He invited Shantarakshita and Padmasambhava to come to Tibet where they firmly established Buddhism.They followed the Nalanda traition, His Holiness continued, memorizing and studying texts composed by Nalanda masters, which gives a broad view of the Buddhist path. Buddhism is something relevant to today, a teaching to study, learn and understand.There are traditionally three masters in Tibet recognised as emanations of Manjushri. His Holiness proposed to explain the ‘Three Principal Aspects of the Path’ by giving a concise explanation of setting the determination to be free by cultivating renunciation of the attractions of this and future lives; cultivating the awakening mind of bodhichitta and generating the profound wisdom to overcome ignorance. He ended with Je Rinpoche’s exhortation to Ngawang Drakpa“Depend on solitude and strong effort And quickly reach the final goal.”The Permission of White Tara was taken from the Secret Visions of the Fifth Dalai Lama which His Holiness received in Tibet from Tagdrag Rinpoche. His final words of advice were that the purpose of the teaching is practice. He urged his audience to listen and read, then think about what you’ve learned and meditate on it.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama teaches the Three Principles of The Path

By Jane Cook: 11 November 2013

His Holiness’ one day teaching on “Three Principal Aspects of the Path” and a White Tara Permission given at the request of a group from Malaysia at the Main Tibetan Temple in Dharam-

shala, India on Nov 11, 2013. Photo: TPI

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TPI NEWSThe Tibet Post International 7International 15 November 2013

continued from Front-Page......

Sikyong meets with U.S. Senate Majority Leader......


China to restrict tourists in Tibet......

The 117-kilometre highway linking Zhamog Township, the county seat of Bome County, and Medog in Nyingchi Prefecture in Tibet opened in October, putting an end to the isolation of a region once dubbed the “secret lotus”.The county is located close to Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims as part of Southern Tibet.The county government of Medog published a statement to establish a better tourism industry as opening of the highway has attracted interest of tourists worldwide, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.According to Chinese official figures, about 29,900 tourists visited the area from January to July, bringing total revenues of 6.57 million yuan ( USD 1.08 lakh).Lhagpa, director of Medog County’s tourism bureau, said the number of tourists annually will be restricted to under 15,000 by 2015 in order to better protect the region’s ecological environment.The government will preserve the nature and cultural landscape as well as explore a new route for hikers, according to the statement. Meanwhile, more than 100 local families will be involved in the tourism industry and infrastructure will be greatly improved by the end of 2015, the statement said.

continued from Front-Page......China alone could stop self-immolation protests in Tibet......

“I have some moral authority among Tibetans. I can use it to persuade those Tibetans who want to separate,” His Holiness said. He suggests China’s leaders have far greater need of him than he of them.“Talk with Chinese government for my interest? No,” he says. “I am just a monk. Major portion of my life already gone. Remaining 10, perhaps 15 years, I can manage. I have a lot of friends in Europe, America, Canada.” Again, he laughs. “I consider myself a citizen of the world.”“Many messages from Tibet – verbal messages, written messages, some old people, ask me, ‘Please come back, the sooner the better,’” the Dalai Lama says. “But sensible people – writers, students, some retired officials – express that they prefer I should live in a free country. They feel, ‘We have one representative in a free country.’ That is their message.“Many Chinese, particularly Chinese Buddhists, every week are now coming here. Many ask, ‘Please don’t forget us and please come back.’ I tell them, ‘Up to

now, Chinese government considers me as a demon. So if a demon returns at airport, demon may well be put in handcuffs and bring to demon’s palace – prison.’”“Tibet is backward ... and also wants to modernise... His Holiness said. ‘A number of Tibetans illegally went to America and Canada, not to seek spirituality but to seek dollars. Tibetans also love money. For that reason, remain in People’s Republic of China. Plenty of money.’“Our main concern is preservation of Tibetan culture – culture of peace, non-violence, ultimately a culture of love, compassion. That is really relevant in today’s world,” he says. “Millions of Chinese also need culture of love. Once there is a culture of love, honesty and transparency [will] come. Police and death sentence will not solve these things. Only if things change here,” he says, pointing to his heart.“The very meaning of autonomy is look after your own culture,” he says. “Once that is fully implemented, we are very much willing to remain within People’s Republic of China ... We Tibetans are historically separate. Doesn’t matter. We can live together.”


China’s development projects bring more Chinese in Tibet......

During the hour-long meeting, Speaker Mr. Penpa Tsering of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile briefed Mrs. Bätzing-Lichtenthäler of the current situation in Tibet as well as their meetings in Belgium, France and Holland.A Tibetan Parliamentarian delegation is on a five nations tour of Europe. They will travel to United Kingdom after the German visit.“China has further intensified their propaganda and restriction of independent news from outside,” said Mr. Penpa Tsering.The biggest threat in Tibet is the demographic aggressive – the movements of Chinese into Tibet, said the Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile. Tibetans are not against development. The development projects in Tibet are not helping the Tibetans but are encouraging Chinese to move into Tibet. He said in Lhasa for every 1 Tibetan there are 3 Chinese.Mr. Penpa Tsering said on 11 November, a 20-year-old Tibetan monk from Akyong monastery in Golog in Eastern Tibet self-immolated. “We don’t encourage self-immolation,” said Mr. Penpa Tsering. He said the Chinese authority in Tibet continues to deny the basic rights of the Tibetan people.The speaker said that the Tibetan Parliament in Exile is committed to the Middle Way Approach.“Non-violence and dialogue are the way forward to resolve the Tibetan struggle”, said Mr. Penpa Tsering.The Chinese government’s extensive economic development programs in Tibet have

disproportionately benefited only Chinese and increased Chinese migration to the region, stoking Tibetan fears of cultural assimilation.According to a 1990s census, outside of the traditional Tibetan “Bharkor” market there are around 3,500 to 4,000 shops and restaurants in Lhasa, but Tibetans own only 400-450 of them, leaving the remaining 85% under non-Tibetan (usually Chinese) ownership.As a result, Tibetans have been economically marginalized and deprived of their own fair share.Chinese officials have claimed “Tibetans make up more than 95 percent of the region’s 2.9 million people,” but refuse to give estimates on Chinese migrants, who are not registered residents.According to Nyima T.J, a Tibetan political analyst in exile, like other towns, the city of Lhasa has expanded and the population has increased from 30,000 in 1950s to 200,000 in 1998.It is estimated that as much as 60-70% of the population in Lhasa is now Chinese. Not only do they dominate private businesses, but they also occupy most government-related employment. “Approximately 95 percent of official Chinese immigrants are employed” he added.Mrs. Bätzing-Lichtenthäler, a member of Parliament from the Social Democratic Party informed the Tibetan Parliamentarians of the work done by the Tibet-Group in German Parliament. She thanked the Tibetan Parliamentarians for their visit and the updating her on the situation in Tibet.

By Yeshe Choesang : 14 November 2013

Berlin, 13 November: - A Tibetan delegation led by Mr. Penpa Tsering, speaker of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile said Tibetans are not against the Chinese development projects in Tibet but the projects are encouraging Chinese population to move into Tibet.According to the Central Tibetan Administration, the Tibetan Parliamentarian delegation from Dharamsala called on Mrs. Sabine Bätzing-Lichtenthäler MP, Chairperson of the Tibet-Group in German Parliament on arrival in Berlin, the capital city of Germany.During the hour-long meeting, Speaker Mr. Penpa Tsering of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile briefed Mrs. Bätzing-Lichtenthäler of the current situation in Tibet as well as their meetings in Belgium, France and Holland.A Tibetan Parliamentarian delegation is on a five nations tour of Europe. They will travel to United Kingdom after the German visit.“China has further intensified their propaganda and restriction of independent news from outside,” said Mr. Penpa Tsering.The biggest threat in Tibet is the demographic aggressive – the movements of Chinese into Tibet, said the Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile. Tibetans are not against development. The development projects in Tibet are not helping the Tibetans but are encouraging Chinese to move into Tibet. He said in Lhasa for every 1 Tibetan there are 3 Chinese.Mr. Penpa Tsering said on 11 November, a 20-year-old Tibetan monk from Akyong monastery in Golog in Eastern Tibet self-immolated. “We don’t encourage self-immolation,” said Mr. Penpa Tsering. He said the Chinese authority in Tibet continues to deny the basic rights of the Tibetan people.The speaker said that the Tibetan Parliament in Exile is committed to the Middle Way Approach.

“Non-violence and dialogue are the way forward to resolve the Tibetan struggle”, said Mr. Penpa Tsering.T h e C h i n e s e g o v e r n m e n t ’s e x t e n s i v e economic development programs in Tibet have disproportionately benefited only Chinese and increased Chinese migration to the region, stoking Tibetan fears of cultural assimilation.According to a 1990s census, outside of the traditional Tibetan “Bharkor” market there are around 3,500 to 4,000 shops and restaurants in Lhasa, but Tibetans own only 400-450 of them, leaving the remaining 85% under non-Tibetan (usually Chinese) ownership.As a result, Tibetans have been economically marginalized and deprived of their own fair share.Chinese officials have claimed “Tibetans make up more than 95 percent of the region’s 2.9 million people,” but refuse to give estimates on Chinese

migrants, who are not registered residents.According to Nyima T.J, a Tibetan political analyst in exile, like other towns, the city of Lhasa has expanded and the population has increased from 30,000 in 1950s to 200,000 in 1998.It is estimated that as much as 60-70% of the population in Lhasa is now Chinese. Not only do they dominate private businesses, but they also occupy most government-related employment. “Approximately 95 percent of official Chinese immigrants are employed” he added.Mrs. Bätzing-Lichtenthäler, a member of Parliament from the Social Democratic Party informed the Tibetan Parliamentarians of the work done by the Tibet-Group in German Parliament. She thanked the Tibetan Parliamentarians for their visit and the updating her on the situation in Tibet.

United Nations Human Rights Council. Photo: Media File

Development projects in Tibet are not helping the Tibetans but are encouraging Chinese to move into Tibet

Karmapa calls on India, China take responsibility for Tibet’s environment

New Delhi, India International Centre, 12 November, 2013: - His Holiness the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorjee Tuesday called on the 60 monks and nuns attending the conference to lead water conservation initiatives in their local Himalayan communities.At the close of a five-day environmental conference he convened in Delhi called on China to take responsibility for the environmental emergency on the Tibetan plateau, and for India to assume a greater role in protecting Tibet’s environment as well.The 5th Khoryug Conference on Environmental Protection for Tibetan Buddhist Monasteries and Nunneries was dedicated to conservation of freshwater resources in the Himalayas, and brought together monks and nuns from 55 communities across the Himalayan region for education, problem-solving workshops and to formulate specific water conservation projects to implement in their local communities.The conference included a trip to the bank of the Yamuna River, where His Holiness the Karmapa led prayers for the restoration of the sacred, yet highly polluted Yamuna, accompanied by the Khoryug monks and nuns and local residents, as well as Dr. Manoj Misra, Director of the Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan organization that is dedicated to restoring the river.Speaking at the close of the conference, the 17th Karmapa said: “Some people think the Tibetan cause is a political issue, but it is much more than that. The Tibetan plateau is of such great environmental importance that we call it the Third Pole and the water tower of Asia. Therefore, most importantly, Tibet is an environmental issue that affects all of Asia.”The Karmapa also commented: “Just because China has had control over Tibet for the past 50 years does not mean it can do whatever it likes. China has responsibilities to protect the Tibetan environment. Historically, the Tibetan way of life was in harmony with the land, spiritually and environmentally, with no negative impact on Tibet’s fragile ecosystems.This way of life must at all costs be preserved, because of the central importance of the Tibetan plateau as a source of most of Asia’s freshwater. It is in India’s best interest to take a more active role in ensuring that China meets those responsibilities. Indeed the Tibetan plateau is the world’s Third Pole and thus its environmental well-being is of great concern to the entire world.”“However, we cannot wait for governments to act. The environmental emergency is too urgent a crisis for us to wait for someone else to do something. Every single individual must act to protect the environment, and immediately. Each of us has a responsibility to act so we can leave a lasting home for future generations,” His Holiness the Karmapa said.“As spiritual practitioners and certainly as Mahayana Buddhists, our greatest aspiration is to bring about the happiness of all beings. The conservation of our environment, which is the very ground of the existence of many billions of beings, must be our primary concern. Conservation must be the very essence of our spiritual practice.”The Karmapa asked his followers to act on two areas – modifying their personal consumption of water directly, as well as indirectly. Pointing

out that although much of the earth’s surface is covered with water, less than 3% is freshwater, and within that tiny percentage a mere 1% is available for our usage. Along with checking our direct consumption of water, the Karmapa called on the gathering to consider also their indirect consumption, since the production of consumer goods also entails intensive consumption of water.Noting that the bulk of our water is used in agriculture, the Karmapa presented the scientific figures showing that meat consumes exponentially more water than vegetarian foodstuffs, and reiterated his longstanding appeal for vegetarianism as an environmental as well as ethical issue.Under the auspices of His Holiness the 17th Karmapa, Khoryug is a network of 55 Buddhist monasteries, nunneries and centres working together on environmental protection of the Himalayan region, with the aim of practically applying the values of compassion and interdependence towards the earth and all living beings that dwell here.In association with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Sacred Earth program, which provides technical expertise and support, as well as ATREE (Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment), CSE (Centre for Science and the Environment), and the Director of the Environment and Development Desk within the Central Tibetan Administration.The conference opened with an address by Union Minister of Rural Development Shri Jairam Ramesh, who urged the Khoryug association to “bring together institutions in these different countries in our region to launch a cohesive and unified challenge” to the environmental threat.Since an important aim of the conference was for Himalayan monks and nuns to identify freshwater threats in their communities and create specific projects to counter those threats and conserve freshwater, the conference closed with monks and nuns presenting their plans for environmental initiatives for the upcoming year.

By Yeshe Choesang: 29 October 2013

The 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorjee during the conference held in New Delhi, the capital of India. Photo: TPI

The Sikyong also spoke about his assumption of political leadership of the Tibetan people and the efforts of his Administration to draw attention and resolve the Tibet issue. Representative Kaydor Aukatsang and the Senator’s Senior Foreign Policy Advisor were also present at the meeting.With this important meeting and an earlier meeting with Congressman Ed Royce – Chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee, the Sikyong has now met with most of the top US Congressional leaders. In his earlier visits to Washington, he met with House Speaker John Boehner, Leader Nancy Pelosi, and Senator John Kerry then Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.The Sikyong stopped in New York on November 11 before arriving in Washington for his fourth official on November 12. In New York he met with two senior editorial board members of The Wall Street Journal, former Senator Joe Lieberman and Nicholas Kristoff, the Pulitzer Prize winner columnist for The New York Times. “Great chat today with Lobsang Sangay, Tibetan leader, about escalating repression in Tibet. Sad to see the oppression there,” Kristoff tweeted after the

meeting to his close to 1.5 million followers.Upon arriving in Washington, the Sikyong and his delegation consisting of Representative Kaydor Aukatsang and Private Secretary Jigmey Namgyal were received at the Washington train station by leaders and members of the Capital Area Tibetan Association.In addition to the meetings with Senator Reid and Chairman Royce, the Sikyong has also met with the Washington bureau chief for The Huffington Post, Maria Otero and Paula Dobriansky – the two former US Under Secretaries and Special Coordinators for Tibetan Issues, key staffers of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren with whom he discussed immigration-related issues.In all his meetings, the Sikyong has been speaking of CAN, his Administration’s commitment to the Middle Way Approach, and requesting more support for Tibet and Tibetans. CAN is the three-phased integrated approach of Consolidation, Action and Negotiations (or dialogue) that serves as a broad strategic policy road map for the current Tibetan Administration in Dharamsala.

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15 November 2013

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Dehradun, India: - In a small room at the Songtsen Library outside Dehradun, India, 28 Tibetan monks and nuns are looking through a small black tube that splits the sun’s rays into the colors of the rainbow. This is no ritual object, but a home-made diffraction device, brought here by science educators from San Francisco’s Exploratorium science museum.When atoms of different materials are excited they glow with a unique spectrum. The diffraction grating acts like a prism, spreading light into its component colors, fingerprinting the ingredients of stars, galaxies, and the building blocks of the universe. Gasps of ‘I see it too’ erupt from the maroon-clad scholars suggest that the gap between Buddhist philosophy and science might not be as great as it seems.Tibetan monastics from all over India and Nepal have gathered at similar workshops since 2001 as part of the Science for Monks program, a program instigated by the His Holiness the Dalai Lama and implemented by the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives in Dharamsala. In total, more 30 Western scientists and educators have helped engage more than 300 Buddhist scholars with science in 18 two- to four-week worskshops.“It is not only the vision of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, but the need of the time for Tibetan Buddhist monastics to become conversant with modern science,” says Geshe Lhakdor, a Buddhist monk and Director of the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives. “Monastics engaging modern science is a historic step in the history of Tibetan Buddhism.”The time may be right to rethink how we approach science and our conceptions of the natural world.

Religion and science are typically positioned as disjoint approaches to understanding the fundamental nature of reality.“Americans tired of the skirmishes between science and religion would have been pleasantly surprised by the free and easy exchanges with the monastics,” says Chris Impey, Professor of Astronomy at the University of Arizona. “The monastics shine a light on the areas where science is incomplete or its methodologies are lacking. From brains to the cosmos that contains them, the monastics show the value of synthesizing eastern and western perspectives.”Buddhism lies at the heart of the education for more then 20,000 Tibetan monastics living in exile in India and Nepal. Their open-minded curiosity about the inner and outer worlds can lead them to think creatively, unbounded by Western traditions, to posit new questions about science, its role in daily life, and its connection to spirituality. For 25 years, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has engaged with scientists worldwide, and has promoted scientific research into contemplative practice. But until recently, the larger community of Tibetan monks and nuns has stayed on the sidelines.A three-day meeting from November 15 to 17, 2013, titled ‘Cosmology and Consciousness – Knowing and Action’, took a big step towards engaging the Tibetan monastic community with science. The conference saw presentations from top Indian and Western scientists and senior Tibetan Buddhist scholars, and dialogues included 28 monastic graduates from the intensive training program representing 13 different monasteries and nunneries. The sessions addressed some big questions: How do we know, how do we extend our knowing, and how do we know how to act?

Widening the Bridge Between Religion and Science

By Bryce Johnson: 14 November 2013

The conference is an exploration of how science, technology and wisdom come together to address the challenges of our time, and is the second conference in a four part series. The first conference: “Cosmology and Consciousness – a Dialogue a Dialogue between Buddhist Scholars and Scientists on Mind and Matter” was held in Dharamsala, India in December, 2011, and was inaugurated by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The series is positioning a new cadre of monastics to support and grow the cross-fertilization of ideas between Buddhism and modern science.“Science can move at an incredible speed,” says Eric Chudler, Executive Director, Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering, University of Washington, who delivered a paper titled ‘Neurotechnology: Promises and Perils’. “Sometimes our technical ability to do something progresses without asking questions about how or even should we proceed down a particular scientific pathway.”“Scientific and technological progress is changing what it means to be human, a topic that traditionally belongs to the world of contemplative inquiry.” say Rajesh Kasturirangan, Professor at National Institute for Advanced Studies, who delivered a paper titled ‘Dharmanauts: Contemplation and Science in the 21st Century’. “In the next few decades, contemplative questions will become mainstream.”Although some scientists and religious practitioners express great skepticism, science is positioned as an avenue for strengthening indigenous philosophical traditions, and even perhaps helping science with its unsolved problems. It’s a win-win. For those in the West, there are lessons to be learned in looking to the east.“Science is a powerful way of knowing about the natural world, but the scientific perspective is enriched by insights from the Buddhist tradition,” says Dr Chris Impey who will deliver a paper titled ‘How We Know What We Know’.The conference and preceding workshop is part of the Science for Monk’s Monastic Graduates and Dialogue project funded by Templeton and also is part of a larger set of initiatives spearheaded by the Library that include the Sager Science Leadership Institute (also part of the Science for Monks program), and the Emory-Tibet Science Initiative a partnership between the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives and Emory University.“I trust that the purpose of both science and Buddhism is to enrich and ennoble life,” says Geshe Lhakdor, Directory of the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives. “This is possible only if the truth and wisdom obtained from them are lived and practiced. How can we do this is the real issue at hand. This is much more then something to just talk about.”

Google still sleeping? 500 additional villages recorded

Dharamshala, – “Tibetan towns should also be recorded in Tibetan on Google Maps,” the Tibetan Youth Association in Europe (TYAE) strongly urged Google, the most popular search engine in the world.“All the most popular NGO’s supporting Tibet have made this demand on February,” the youth group said in a press statement issued on 8th November 2013.The TYAE s ta tement added: “Al though nearly 5,5 million people encourage this issue on http://www.tibetonthemap.com and other social medias, they are still waiting for Google’s move. With additional 500 villages captured, TYAE tries to wake up the sleeping online giant.”

The TYAE insists on their demand “Put Tibet back on the map” with additional 500 Tibetan villages captured. There are already more than 1000 Tibetan villages recorded on the webpage.“All the pins have been set by the TYAE. Their goal is that Google should name the official maps not only by English and Chinese, but also in Tibetan,” it further stated.The group urged the Google , as saying “Currently, there is not one existing usable Tibetan map on the Internet.” Google can change this. There are already maps in Chinese or even in Cyrillic. Why not in Tibetan?You can reach Tenzin Chöyang Pangring of the TYAE via-email [email protected] or via +41(0)79 936 36 78

Tibetan Youth Association in Europe. Photo: TPI


Put Tibet Back on the Map

London: - Tibet’s enduring myth, animated by the tales of Himalayan adventurers, British military expeditions, and the novel, Lost Horizon, remains an inspirational fantasy, a modern morality play about the failure of brutality to subdue the human spirit. Tibet also exercises immense ‘soft power’ as one of the lenses through which the world views China.This book traces the origins and manifestations of the Tibetan myth, as propagated by Younghusband, Madam Blavatsky, Himmler, Acheson and Roosevelt. The authors discuss how, after WW2, Tibet — isolated, misunderstood and with a tiny elite unschooled in political–military realities –– misread the diplomacy between its two giant neighbours, India and China, forlornly hoping London or Washington might intervene. The PLA sought nothing less than to deconstruct traditional Tibet, unseat the Dalai Lama and ‘absorb’ this vast region into the People’s Republic, and Lhasa succumbed to China’s invasion in 1950.Drawing on declassified CIA and Chinese documents, the authors reveal Mao’s collusion with Stalin to subdue Tibet, double-dealing by Nehru, the brilliant diplomacy of Chou En-lai and how Washington see-sawed between the China lobby, who insisted there be no backing for an independent Tibet, and Presidents Truman and later Eisenhower, who initiated a covert CIA programme to support the Dalai Lama and resist Chinese occupation. It is an ignoble saga with few, if any, heroes, other than ordinary Tibetans. ‘Since World War II few peoples have been more badly served than the Tibetans — abandoned to their fate at the hands of the Han Chinese by their so-called friends and admirers. Yet the Tibetan myth, a cultural state of mind and belief, lives on. This excellent book explains its fate and its extraordinary durability, and suggests that the myth may yet prove to have more soft power and greater longevity than the Chinese Communist Party itself – a wonderfully seditious idea which should set alarms ringing in Beijing.’ — Sir Richard Dearlove KCMG OBE, formerly Chief of

the British Secret Intelligence Service.‘The West is – understandably – deeply impressed with the spiritual energy and depth of the Dalai Lama; but we have long needed a judicious and comprehensive overview of how the current indefensible situation in Tibet arose that will take us beyond vague sympathy. This book offers just such an overview, spelling out how short-term needs of the Cold War and the tunnel-vision of pro-Taiwanese lobbyists in the USA combined with the political and moral radar of the world. It is a tragic and shameful story, told here with clarity and challenge.’ — Lord Rowan Williams, Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge and former Archbishop of Canterbury.‘Lezlee and Stefan Halper are unique; a literary partnership at home in the rigorous disciplines of research and scholarship, with deep experience in high level public service, yet able to enthral the reader with a thrilling story. In Tibet, they have drawn on all these talents to illuminate the adventure, mythology, violence and geopolitics of Tibet in a way never before achieved. They have unearthed new secrets through diligent research and unique access while never losing a grasp of the arc of the romantic tragedy that is the fabled “Shangri-la.”’ — John Lehman, former Secretary of the Navy, member of the 9/11 Commission and the author of Command of the Seas.‘This book reshapes the way we look at Tibet. A challenging, fascinating and provocative work that anyone interested in the society and its fate should buy.’ — Christopher Coker, Professor of International Relations, London School of Economics.‘In Tibet: An Unfinished Story, Lezlee and Stefan Halper provide the most readable and insightful account of Tibet’s history during the Cold War to date. This is the remarkable story of how Tibet, weak militarily, without genuine allies, and surrounded by powerful states, was frequently traduced. It was unable to gain the independence it wanted at a time of decolonization across Asia. But the book is also the story of the emergence of a Tibetan myth that has become fundamental to its unique position in

By Georgie Williams, 15 November 2013 the world today. Anyone who wants to to understand the Cold War in East Asia, the problem that Tibet will pose for the People’s Republic of China as it progresses on its ‘peaceful rise’, and the continuing sympathy for Tibet in the West must read this book. Written in a lively and accessible style by authors who care about the subject and know it inside out, this book is a genuine achievement.’ — Hans van de Ven, Professor of Modern Chinese History, Cambridge University.‘This book evokes a romantic yet informative vision of Tibet based on extensive research into the official record. Many episodes and details will be new and surprising even to veteran scholars of modern Tibetan history, let alone the general reader.’–– Krishnan Srinivasan, former Indian foreign secretary.‘This is a powerful account of the West’s fascination with Tibet and the hard truths of realpolitik that have shaped policy towards the country, from the advent of Cold War to the present day. Based on personal interviews with some of the key players and on archival sources, the authors uncover the dilemma faced by the Western powers in their need to accommodate China at the expense of Tibet’s desire for independence. An important book.’ — Tsering Shakya, Canadian Research Chair in Religion and Contemporary Society in Asia, University of British Columbia, and author of The Dragon in the Land of Snows: A History of Modern Tibet Since 1947.‘A brilliantly researched and written tour de force with many, sometimes surprising, insights. The Halpers’ ability to put today’s Tibetan tragedy into long-term perspective makes it possible to imagine a happier future for an autonomous Tibet after the demise of the present regime in Beijing, which may yet prove to be no more permanent than the former Soviet regime in Moscow.’ — Christopher Andrew, Professor Emeritus of Modern and Contemporary History, University of Cambridge, and author of The Defence of the Realm: The Authorized History of MI5.You can reach Georgie Williams via email [email protected] or via +44 (0)20 7255 2201.

A series of English/Tibetan textbooks developed by Emory will help build a sustainable science education program for monastics. Photo: Amory Magazine

Tibet: an unfinished story, by Lezlee Brown Halper and Stefan Halper

Documents

The Tibet Post International Newspaper