DHARAMSHALA: The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), the oldest and largest human rights organisation based in France, adopted a resolution at its 38th World Congress in Istanbul, Turkey, urging the Chinese government to change its approach in dealing with the issue of Tibet.

Representatives of 178 non-governmental organisations from 117 countries, including the International Campaign for Tibet, attended the FIDH Congress from 22 to 27 May.

Taking cognisance of the tragic self-immolations by Tibetans inside Tibet, FIDH called on the Chinese government needs to take immediate steps such as lifting of security restrictions to address the current emergency in Tibetan areas. Since 2009, 118 Tibetans have set themselves on fire to protest against the Chinese rule, calling for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet and freedom for Tibetans. (View fact sheet)

It urged the international community to press the new Chinese leadership to end the military buildup and limit the dominance of the security apparatus in the Tibetan areas.

It encouraged diplomats, including representatives of multilateral organisations, and journalists, to continue seeking access to all Tibetan areas until it is granted, based on the principle of reciprocity by which Chinese diplomats and journalists presently enjoy relatively open access and unrestricted travel in the countries they are posted.

It called on the new Chinese leadership to resume dialogue with representatives of the Tibetan side to establish a broader and more substantive dialogue regarding the most serious current threats to Tibetan culture, including Chinese policies on religious practice and expression, education and language, in-migration of non-Tibetans, and economic development.

It urged the Chinese government to acknowledge the importance of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the Tibetan people and his critical role in Tibet’s future and to stop rhetorical attacks and other propaganda efforts directed against His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

(View full text of the resolution)

The teaching is being held at the request of Nalanda Shikhsha comprised a group of 16 Sangha organisations across India.

In his introductory address, His Holiness the Dalai Lama said, “even though the teacher today is a Tibetan, the place and the source of this rich religion is India. And I feel glad to be able to repay these ancient traditions back to the well-educated new generations of India.”

His Holiness also noted that every living being on this earth desires happiness and an escape from suffering. “But we, as human beings, have this special intellect to discern right from wrong. The seven billion human beings on this earth all share a common desire for happiness and an end to suffering,” he said.

The teaching began with a recitation of Heart Sutra (TIB: Sherab Nyingpo) in Sanskrit led by a female Indian devotee.

Over seven thousand people including local Tibetans, 1,900 foreigners and about 14 Chinese from Mainland China are attending the teaching. The teaching will be held till 4 June 2013.

The book is a collection of proses and poems derived from His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s life narratives, ideas from Buddhist philosophy and his leadership in the Tibetan cause. The author Som Ranchan is a retired professor from Himachal Pradesh University who has more than 70 books to his name.

The chief guest, Shri Jagat Singh Negi in his speech said that the Buddhist teaching of truth and non-violence is very important in one’s life. He thanked the Indo-Tibetan Friendship society for organising the function and urged them to continue their good work.

The day began by unfolding of big thousand-buddha Thanka painting amidst prayers in the morning. After that Tsering Tashi, Tibetan Settlement Officer Shimla cum Vice President of ITFS, Shimla gave welcome speech followed by introduction on twelve deeds of Buddha by Khen Rinpoche Sonam Tashi of Dorjee Dak Monastery. Prof. V.S. Negi, President ITFS Shimla, talked about the importance of the day and its celebration.

Other dignitaries present at the function were Gyan Sagar Negi SDM (R) Shimla,Prof. Ramesh Chand Negi from Central University of Tibetan Studies Sarnath, Shri P.S. Negi. an IAS officer and former Vice Chancellor of HP University,Prof. Pankaj Vasudev, Rajiv Gandhi Govt. College Shimla and Prof. Ranchan.

Cultural performances from CST Shimla, Cham dances from Dorjee Dak monastery and Jonang monastery, Lahaul Spiti dance from Lahaul-Spiti students of HP university were presented during the function.

Over two thousand people attended the function.The function was organised by the Indo-Tibetan Friendship Society (ITFS) Shimla.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s first meeting on his last day in Louisville was with a group of gentle Vietnamese Buddhists.

“Let’s begin with your reciting the Heart Sutra in Vietnamese,” he said. “While you do that visualize the Buddha in the space in front of you surrounded by Indian teachers like Nagarjuna and Asanga, and those who brought Buddhism to Vietnam. And remember how the Buddha practised for aeons to show us that through a combination of the awakening mind of bodhichitta and the wisdom understanding emptiness, we too can attain enlightenment.

“First of all, as I mentioned yesterday we Tibetans are historically junior to you as students of Buddha Shakyamuni. In today’s world, material development is much advanced. It’s useful, no doubt, but at the same time doesn’t necessarily bring inner peace; it tends instead to bring greed and competitiveness. On the other hand, the Buddha’s teachings do provide inner peace, which we can check, because the Buddha encouraged his followers not to take what he said on trust but to examine and investigate it.

“In the Sanskrit tradition of Buddhism it is explained that all sentient beings have Buddha nature, the potential to become a Buddha, and we extend our compassion to all of them.”

His Holiness clarified that it is a feature of the Buddha’s teachings that they appear to be inconsistent because he taught according to the dispositions of his listeners at different times and places. He suggested that it is possible to view other religious traditions as similarly suited to the needs of particular people, times and places and therefore deserving of our respect.

He mentioned meeting groups of Vietnamese in other parts of the world and that he is impressed by the way they keep up their language, Buddhist traditions and monastic robes. He remarked that Tibetans too are trying to preserve their culture and religion in the face of adversity. A question was asked about how His Holiness imagines freedom coming about in Tibet and he replied that although they don’t seek outright independence, Tibetans have their own language and culture, as well as a fragile environment, to protect, something best done by Tibetans themselves. And for that they need genuine autonomy.

Elsewhere in the Kentucky Center, His Holiness next met with middle and high school students from the Louisville area. He began by noting that some people are under the misapprehension that love and compassion are values that belong to religion, whereas he believes they are a natural part of human life, with a biological source. He pointed out that we are all born from our mothers and we have to depend on others to survive. He conceded that there are cases of children being neglected or abused which leads to their insecurity and unhappiness later in life.

“Not only should we not think that human values are confined to religious practice, it would be a mistake to think that compassion only benefits other people, but brings us no reward. My mother was consistently kind and compassionate to others, despite being illiterate and uneducated, and she was also consistently happy. Later, when I came to engage in Buddhist training in compassion, I found it easier because of the seeds of compassion my mother had sown in me.”

see how they worked. In a similar spirit, I looked at the moon through my telescope and seeing the shadows of the mountains r

His Holiness affirmed that as far as he is concerned all 7 billion human beings are like brothers and sisters. He said that when he meets someone he thinks, “Here’s another human being.” A person who practises compassion and forgiveness has great inner strength, whereas aggression is usually a sign of weakness. Similarly, when two people have an argument, it tends to be the one who has reason on her side who is less inclined to become angry. We can reinforce our sense of compassion by using our intelligence.

“If someone behaves negatively towards you, it can be very helpful to remember that they are human beings like you. It’s also helpful to remember to distinguish between an action and the person who does it. If you need to take counter measures to prevent someone doing harm, it is always better to do it with a calm rather than an agitated mind. If we act out of anger, the best part of our brain fails to function properly. Remember, compassion is not a sign of weakness.”

The students had prepared questions and the first asked looking back what advice he would give his 13 year old self, while a second wondered what he enjoys doing that might surprise some people. His Holiness replied:

“I have some regret that at an age that was an ideal time to study I played instead. That time is gone and I regret losing it. When I was younger I loved gardening. I also used to love toys that moved. I’d play with them for a while and then would open them up to ealised they were caused by sunlight and that the moon had no light of its own. This was the beginning of my interest in science, which I have encouraged Tibetans to share. Last year, our Tibetan monasteries in India formally decided to incorporate science into their study programs.”

Asked what techniques American youth might adopt to calm down and avoid anger, His Holiness said that what they need to do is tackle their disturbing emotions, adding that if their basic mental state is calm it’s easier to deal with eruptions of anger. He recommended that corresponding to physical hygiene we should encourage the adoption of mental or emotional hygiene. When we have a calm mind we have less fear, anger and suspicion. One way to achieve this is to pay attention to our breath, by mindfully counting 20 inhalations and exhalations. That will reduce our tendency to anger.

To a question about how to deal with prevailing violence, His Holiness observed that this is not only a problem here but in many other places. He said it is another symptom of our need to reintroduce a sense of human values, which he likes to refer to as secular ethics, into our modern education system.

Another student wanted to know if His Holiness has any sense of fear and he recounted being bitten by a dog and then being told that it was a mad dog. He also mentioned visiting the sites of the Holocaust concentration camps in Poland, seeing the ovens and shower blocks and having a strong sense of fear there. This was similar to his response to the two places in Japan, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, where nuclear weapons were used.

“On the other hand, the news that CO2 emissions have now passed the dangerous threshold of 400ppm is cause for another kind of fear.”

Students and teachers expressed their gratitude to His Holiness for coming, one of them telling him, “You remind us of the goodness within us.”

Meeting with Mayor Gary Fischer and his team, His Holiness stressed that whatever you do it is your motivation that is really important. He commended him for his initiatives towards compassion for the city and suggested that under his leadership it should be possible to promote human values under the banner of secular ethics.

Last of all, the organizers and volunteers who had worked hard to make the events in Louisville a success wanted to have a photograph taken with His Holiness. He posed with them, thanked them for all they had done, and, praising the great merit they had created during their work, told them that he always dedicates his merit to the awakening of all sentient beings and recommended they do the same.

Leaving Louisville for Chicago, His Holiness will later today fly across the Atlantic, and with a short stop Europe, travel on to India.

The White Paper titled ‘Why Tibet is Burning..’ explains the fundamental reasons behind the ongoing wave of self-immolations inside Tibet and the alarming escalation in the protests witnessed in the past few months.

The revised version is available in English, Chinese and Tibetan, Russian, Czech, German, Hungarian, and Italian languages. All the translations are facilitated by the Department of Information & International Relations and concerned Offices of Tibet (OoT), especially OoTs in Geneva, Taiwan and Moscow.

“We issue this report to illuminate the deeper layers of the current crisis in Tibet. It is our hope it will motivate and assist members of the international community to urge the new leadership, led by Xi Jinping, to initiate wise new policies in regard to the Tibetan people. As we have repeatedly said, the blame for and the solution to the crisis in Tibet lies in the hands of the Chinese leadership” Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay stated in the foreword of the book.

Despite the Kashag’s repeated appeals to the Tibetan people not to resort to drastic actions such as self-immolation, over 117 Tibetans have set themselves on fire in Tibet to protest against the continued occupation and repression of the Chinese government. The self-immolators have called for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet and freedom for Tibetans.

Blog by Amy Li in South China Morning Post

When Tibetan writer Tsering Woeser protested online this week against a commercial development in her hometown of Lhasa, thousands supported her by reposting her message and sharing their own thoughts on Tibet.

Most of the supporters said they had visited Tibet as tourists. Others said they had seen it only in pictures and movies. But few probably knew how difficult it has become for Woeser and other relocated Tibetans to go home to the autonomous region in western China.

When Woeser, who lives in Beijing, went back to visit her mother in October, she had to go to Jilin – where her hukou, or residential permit – is registered to get a travel document from local police. Only after police issued a letter stating Woeser had no crime history and a form was signed by an authority and stamped by the local precinct could she set off. (View full report)

The Sikyong was received at the airport by members of the Capital Area Tibetan Association. The visit got off to an auspicious start with the Sikyong paying his respects to His Holiness the Dalai Lama on May 6 who was in the neighboring state of Maryland on May 6 and 7.  During the weeklong visit, the Sikyong was able to reach out to new and important audiences for Tibet, and actively promote his agenda. Visit highlights included:

Senator Ben Cardin, a democrat from Maryland, and Chairman of the East Asian & Pacific Affairs Subcommittee, hosted a working coffee for the Sikyong on behalf of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on May 7.  Senator Tim Kain, a democrat from Virginia, was also present. The two Senators and the Sikyong met for over an hour and discussed a range of issues related to Tibet.  Another important meeting in the Senate was with Senator McCain who warmly received the Sikyong and reiterated his support. There were also important meetings with key aides of Senators Leahy and Feinstein and senior staff at the Senate Appropriations Committee.

In the House of Representatives, the Sikyong met with Leader Nancy Pelosi and Congressmen Jim McGovern and George Miller. He, also, had a lunch meeting with 35 Congressional staffers in the U.S. House of Representatives. This meeting was organized by the American Enterprise Institute. The staffers were able to ask questions and the Sikyong made a case for why Tibet is important and requested for support from the Congress.

Think Tank and NGO Community

The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) hosted “A Conversation with Sikyong Lobsang Sangay”on May 8^th.  Professor Jerome Cohen, a Senior Fellow at CFR, introduced the Sikyong and presided overthe evening.  Speaking to a standing room only audience, the Sikyong spoke on his election,responsibilities, devolution of political power from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tibetan democracy and most importantly the current critical situation inside Tibet.  Professor Cohen and the audience asked numerous questions. The audience was comprised of people in the government (both American and foreign), think tanks, media, universities, private and the NGO sectors. A complete video of the event is available at:

http://www.cfr.org/tibet/conversation-sikyong-lobsang-sangay/p30632

The Foreign Policy Initiative (FPI), a non-profit, non-partisan organization, that has promotion of human rights of those oppressed by their governments as one of its objectives, hosted a private dinner for the Sikyong on May 6. The event brought together a select and high-level group of human rights and foreign policy experts in DC.

The Sikyong also met with representatives of various human rights organizations at the office of the International Campaign for Tibet on May 8.  Leaders from Amnesty International,Reporters without Border, Project 2049 and Freedom House attended the meeting.  The Sikyong earlier met with leaders of Human Rights Watch in a separate meeting.

The Sikyong met with the senior leadership of the National Endowment for Democracy on May 10^th.

Media

The Hill, a widely read publication in DC, published an Op-Ed by the Sikyong on May 6.https://www.facebook.com/notes/sikyong-lobsang-sangay/report-on-sikyongs-first-two-days-in-washington-dc-may-67-2013/305278486270877http://thehill.com/blogs/global-affairs/guest-commentary/297903-tibetan-leader-lobsang-sangay-congress-needs-to-hold-china-to-account-on-tibet

C-SPAN, aprivate, non-profit American cable television network, did a live 40-minuteinterview and call-in show on May 10 as part of their C-SPAN Washington Journal program.  Here’s a link:

http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/PML

Josh Rogin,a well-known foreign policy journalist in Washington, DC interviewed the Sikyong for an upcoming article in Newsweek.

The Sikyong also spoke with Sadanand Dhume of the American Enterprise Institute and he will be writing a piece on Tibet in his column on the Wall Street Journal.

The Sikyong did a live interview with VOA Mandarin service on May 8. He did a recorded interview for VOA Tibetan Service on May 10, which will appear on Kunleng on May 15^th.  He also did a recording for VOA Mandarin Service’s History’s Mysteries show

In addition to the US Congress, think tanks and media, the Sikyong and his delegation also had meetings with officials in the current President Obama administration.

Tibetan Community

Lastly, over a hundred Tibetans came together the evening of May 9 to meet the Sikyong and hear him provide an update on the work of the Kashag, and the purpose and accomplishments of his third visit to Washington, DC.

The Sikyong left for India via a stopover in Europe on May 10.

“The Kashag would like to extend its hearty congratulations to Kalon Trisur Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche. It is a honour bestowed on you, and a highest recognition of Tibetan scholars in general and the remarkable and invaluable Tibetan Buddhist tradition in particular,” the Kashag wrote in its congratulatory message.

Venerable Prof. Samdhong Lobsang Tenzin, the 5th Samdhong Rinpoche, was the first directly elected Kalon Tripa of Central Tibetan Administration from 2001- 2011. He was born on 5th November, 1939 in Jol, Eastern Tibet. At the age of five, he was recognised as the reincarnation of 4th Samdhong Rinpoche and enthroned in Gaden Dechenling Monastery at Jol. At seven years he took the Getsul vows from Khenchen Dorjichang Kyabje Sangbhum Rinpoche. He received his primary teaching from scholar Ngawang Jinpa when he was nine. He started his religious training at Drepung Monastery in Lhasa and completed his (Uma Nyinpa)- middle school of the Madhyamika School of Buddhism at the age of 12. He came to exile in the year 1959 after the Chinese invasion of Tibet.

In the year 1960, he started his service in the Tibetan Community by beginning as a teacher to monks from the Sera, Drepung, and Gaden monasteries. From October 1961, he served as the religious teacher of Tibetan School in Shimla, and later becoming the acting principal of Shimla Tibetan School in 1963. Then again he worked as religious teacher of Darjeeling Tibetan school in 1964.

From 1965 to 1970 Samdhong Rinpoche was the Principal of Dalhousie Tibetan School. He received his Lharampa Degree in the year 1968 and Ngagrimpa Degree in 1969. From 1971 to 1988 he was the Principal of Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies (CIHTS, Varanasi). From 1988 to 2001 he worked as the Director CIHTS. In 1990, he was a member of the Drafting Committee Constitution of the Future Polity of Tibet and Law for the exiled Tibetans. From 1991 to 1995 he was specially appointed by His Holiness as one of the deputies of ATPD and later was unanimously elected as its Chairman. From 1996 to 2001 he was elected member of the Parliament from Kham province and also its Chairman.

He was released from the Chushul prison near Tibet’s capital Lhasa on 2 May and handed over to police in his native Sog Dzong region in Nagchu in eastern Tibet’s Kham province.  He is currently suffering kidney and stomach ailments caused by years of torture and malnutrition in the prison.

Lodroe was first sentenced to 15 years in prison on 20 April 1994 for his alleged role in the killing of a man. A year earlier, Lodroe had a scuffle with that man after he lost a court case against the latter in the death of his sister.

While serving his jail term in Drapchi prison near Lhasa, on 4 March 1995, he shouted slogans calling for Tibetan independence, long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and the Chinese people to quit Tibet. Moreover, pamphlets containing these slogans were distributed in other prison cells.

Following the protest, Lodroe was repeatedly and severely tortured and beaten in solidarity confinement for over a month.

Fearing death sentence for Lodroe as recommended by the prison authorities, Tibetans inside Tibet appealed to the international community for his release. Following repeated appeals from the international community, including the United Nations Human Rights Council, a Chinese court in Lhasa extended his sentence by 6 years.

He became mentally unstable after hearing reports about deaths of fellow prisoners in Drapchi prison in 1998.

DHARAMSHALA: Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay left Dharamsala yesterday for visits to the United States and Europe.

Sikyong is scheduled to visit Washington from 5-9 May, during which he will meet some key officials and inspect the ongoing process of shifting of the Office of Tibet from New York to Washington.

Sikyong will visit Norway to attend the fifth annual Oslo Freedom Forum on 13 – 14 May.  He will give a keynote speech on democracy in exile. “The event brings together hundreds of world’s most influential dissidents, innovators, journalists, philanthropists, and policymakers to discuss how best to challenge authoritarianism and promote free and open societies,” the organisers said.

Sikyong will visit Sweden from 16-17 May. He will meet some members of Swedish Parliament and speak to students at a university in Stockholm.

He is expected to return to Dharamsala on 20 May.