Tibet Information Office Australia

His Holiness the Dalai Lama giving a brief talk on Buddhism to a gathering of 300 devotees at the Saihoji Temple in Nagano, Japan, on 21 June 2010/Photo by Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL

Nagano, Japan: His Holiness the Dalai Lama told a crowd of over 300 Japanese Buddhists that all human beings have the same potential to achieve Buddhahood if they realise the source of all sufferings is ignorance and delusion about one’s true nature.

“Awareness of one’s innate Buddha nature will give self-confidence and provide a key to happy life,” said His Holiness in his teaching of the Four Noble Truth today at Saihoji Temple in Nagano.

The teaching was part of an event organised by Saihoji Temple, where His Holiness consecrated a three-dimensional Mandala and a gilded statue of the Amitabha Buddha, both housed in a new Mandala Hall located on the temple compound. The walls of the new hall depict paintings of 8 Boddhisattavas and 30 auspicious symbols.

Eiichi Kaneko, the head priest of the temple said the inspiration for the new Mandala Hall came from the 300-yr-old Kangyo-Mandala Thangka, a treasured temple scroll depicting Buddhist heaven. In a statement issued today, he said the architecture of the Mandala and the Amitabha statue reflects the synthesis of Tibetan and Japanese Buddhism. Read the rest »

His Holiness the Dalai Lama arriving at the Zenkoji Temple in Nagano, Japan, on 19 June 2010/Photo by Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL

Nagano, Japan: His Holiness the Dalai Lama this afternoon consecrated a sand mandala made by Tibetan monks at Zenkoji Temple.

The creation of Gonpo O-pa-me (Amitabha Buddha or Buddha of Infinite Light) mandala marks the first visit of His Holiness to Zenkoji, a 7th century non-sectarian Buddhist temple, located in the Honshu island. Amitabha is the principal buddha enshrined and worshipped at Zenkoji.

Ten Tibetan monks from the India-based Tashi Lhunpo monastery constructed the mandala which took 16 days to complete. Traditionally, sand mandalas are created in exquisite geometric designs to generate compassion, realize the impermanence of reality, and the cosmic healing of the environment, and then destroyed to symbolize the impermanence of all existence.

But the mandala at Zenkoji will be preserved for posterity so that visitors and devotees could visit it anytime in future. Sand Mandala is an ancient Tibetan art form not common among Japanese Buddhists. The Avalokiteswara mandala is the first sand mandala ever created in the centuries-old history of Zenkoji temple. Read the rest »

Chief Election Commissioner Mr. Jamphel Choesang (C) with two new Additional Election Commissioners, Ven. Geshe Rigzin Choedak (R) and Mr. Chutpar Yangkho Gyal (L) addressing media at DIIR, Lhakpa Tsering Hall, Thursday, 10th June 2010. Photo by Jigme Tsering /Tibet.Net

Dharamshala: Election Commissioner of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) declared the dates for voting the next members of the Tibetan Parliament and Kalon Tripa (Chairman of the cabinet) to be on the same day in a press conference held in Dharamsala on Thursday.

Next Tibetan Parliament is the 15th term Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile since the first Tibetan parliament-in-exile was formed in 1960.

The next Kalon Tripa is the third term Kalon Tripa who will be elected by the exile Tibetans after the present Kalon Tripa Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche who have served for the two terms from September 2001.

Election Commissioner Mr. Jamphel Choesang said, office of the election commission have already sent first announcement regarding the next election and will send another soon for registration of the voters.

The dates for registration of the said election will begin from 18th June to 18th August 2010. Mr. Jamphel Choesang said, “ By 18th August all the registered list of the voters should reach the office of the Election Commission”. He also said that the registration date may extend beyond 18th August. A person can vote at any location of voting if he or she has already registered and carries the registered requirements where the person is voting at, added the election commissioner.

The preliminary date for voting will be on 3rd October 2010 and the final date for voting for the next Members of Tibetan Parliament-in-exile and the Kalon Tripa will be on 20th March 2011.

Mr. Jamphel Choesang further said, because of the importance of the next election, Tibetans voluntarily made efforts to make the Tibetan people well informed for electing the next Kalon Tripa by launching the website www.kalontripa.org. The election commissioner made it clear that this website is a private initiative and is not a CTA’s website. Read the rest »

Speaker Penpa Tsering (right) with Mrs.Chungdak Koren at NUPI in Oslo. Photo by Oystein Alme of Voice of Tibet

Dharamshala: Chinese Vice Foreign Minister , H. E. Fu Ying said, doors to talk for the Sino-Tibetan dialogue always open during a lecture at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) in Oslo on Monday, 7 June.

Fu, is the second female vice foreign minister of China, and was appointed on the position in January this year. She holds responsibilities over the areas covering Europe, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan-related foreign affairs, translation and interpretation. Fu, born in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China has previously held positions like Director-General of Department of Asian Affairs at Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of China to Australia, to UK and Northern Ireland.

Fu said, “The door for talks is always open, it has been open for years – for decades, and there are difficulties and there sincerity from the Chinese side to continue the dialogue.” when asked for the Tibet issue.

“Tibet is a very remote region and it is important for Tibet to find its unique way of making economic progress, and at the same time preserve its culture and traditions. It’s a difficult process,” she said. Read the rest »

Task Force members attend a two-day meeting in Dharamsala, India, on 8 June 2010/ Photo by Namgyal Tsewang/TibetNet

Dharamshala: The 22nd meeting of the Task Force on Sino-Tibetan dialogue process commenced this morning in Dharamsala.

Kalon Tripa Prof Samdhong Rinpoche is presiding over the two-day meeting attended by Task Force members, which include His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s special envoy Kasur Lodi Gyari and envoy Kelsang Gyaltsen.

The last meeting was held in March this year following the ninth round of dialogue between the envoys of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Chinese leadership in Beijing from 26 – 31 January 2010. During the ninth round the envoys presented a seven-point note to the Chinese leadership to clarify their core concerns and objections on the Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for the Tibetan People.

The Task Force was established in 1999 under the supervision of Kashag to assist the envoys of His Holiness and members of the Tibetan delegation in the dialogue process with the Chinese government.