Saturday, July 6, 2013

BBC: Tibet Before the Chinese Invasion (video)

Ashley Wells, Chance Love, Wisdom Quarterly; Samsara Exit  (video)

Spanish subtitles accompany this English BBC documentary, Tibeto antes de la invasion

Free Tibet, prayer flags (Joe Komodo)
We can pray and we can protest that Tibetans regain their country one day, that Chinese occupiers leave. Having seen the great harm to Buddhist culture initiated by Mao, communists, and now the new capitalists, the only solution is self-rule. Instead, in outrage, we see self-immolation. 
 
Can Han-free Himalayan culture again flourish and become part of the life of ordinary Tibetans? A noble people, with courage in the face of overwhelming force and horrific persecution, are bound to find out. We must speak out even as we begin to face the same fate. A call for a "Free Tibet" is a call to free humanity.

Tibet (ieatstars/flickr.com)
The Chinese occupation is in full swing in spite of US assurances to deal with China, not as a business partner, but as a fellow nation, the next superpower. Is the 14th Dalai Lama still effective or more a figurehead? He and key lamas live abroad "in exile," mingling with celebrities, meeting with heads of state, and yet the atrocities continue. 
 
Yet, one good result from this is the spread of Vajrayana philosophy and tantric teachings around the world in line with prophecy popularized by the German-Theravada Buddhist nun Ayya Khema in the West. Perhaps our own peace meditations in support of the lamas and anis (nuns) would help to spread blessings and the world's prayers for peace.
  
How else can we continence a billion silent voices in mainland China, kept in the dark, shown propaganda, and led to believe that somehow pictures lie rather than Chinese authorities.

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