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Sunday, 24 June 2012

Happy Birthday your Holiness Karmapa


On the 24th of June His Holiness Karmapa celebrated his 27th birthday.

Long life your Holiness.


Monday, 11 June 2012

Tibet is closed

News has just come to hand that Tibet is closed for an indefinite period to western tourists.

Why?  Because the Chinese don't want westerners to see the truth and are afraid an immolation will take place in front of their eyes.

For more information, please visit this link.

Tibet is closed.


Thursday, 24 May 2012

Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche


I haven't posted in a very long time so I'm sorry for my lack of content to anyone out there who actually reads this.

It's been a big year for Tibet,  so many self-immolation's, so many lives taken for the Tibetan cause.

Now the authorities are only issuing permits for six or more people per group and all passengers must come from the same country, otherwise, no permit.  

But the good news is that the Kalon Tripa, Dr Lobsang Sangay, is coming to Australia!  If you are interested in hearing him speak, visit the Australia Tibet Council website for more information.

Anyway, in my return to blogging, I have decided to share a wonderful image of the great Chogyam Trungpa.  I saw a film about him recently titled "Crazy Wisdom".  If you have the opportunity to see it, please do so, it's amazing.

May Tibet be free again one day soon.


Monday, 5 March 2012

Tibet on fire


It is with great sadness to report that there have been three more self-immolation's in the past three days.

The latest immolation occurred yesterday by a 18 year old man in the nomadic area of Ngaba.  Earlier, a middle aged Tibetan woman and a young Tibetan girl had both succumbed to their injuries incurred after setting themselves alight.

For more details on this story, please visit this link from Radio Free Asia.

Such radical political action is a cause for great sadness to those who sacrifice their lives and to their families and friends they leave behind, yet at the same time, it sends a powerful message the Chinese government and the international community that Tibetans demand their political, cultural and spiritual freedom.

To those who have died for the Tibetan cause, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your families and to you I say, Om Mani Padme Hung.





Sunday, 19 February 2012

Things to ponder when contemplating travel in Tibet



Losar Delek!

This is the greeting Tibetans give at the time of Losar or Tibetan New Year.  Sadly, this year Tibetan New Year has been marred by a spate of immolations by monks, nuns and lay people resulting in an intense crack-down by Chinese authorities and the subsequent deaths of Tibetan protestors.

I have just read an article by Bhaskar Roy from the Eurasia Review website on Chinese policy in Tibet.  It is sobering but worth reading.

If you are contemplating travel to beautiful Tibet, be mindful of what is really going on there for Tibetans in their own country.

Here is a link to the article:

Can China Eradicate Faith of Tibetans?


Thursday, 16 February 2012

Some images from my last trip in 2011

 Going through my photos recently I was struck at the beauty of Tibet, the colours, the light, the textures. 

While away, I'm never happy with the images I take on my small digital camera, they always seem to miss something of what it is I'm seeing and experiencing.  So I get home, show them to friends who are interested and then forget about them. 

 A lot of the 'not being happy' with my images is trying to look at them in the camera's small view finder but with the strong glare of the Tibetan sun, I can never really tell if they are over-exposed or blurred.  But I have re-visited my photos this week and am pleasantly surprised by what I see so I wanted to share some of them with you.


 The murals you see above and below are painted on the walls of Ronghpu Monastery which is near the base of Mount Everest.  Many mountain climbers visited the monastery during the 1920's and it was the Lama of Ronghpu who gave Tenzing Norgay his name as a young child.


Wednesday, 8 February 2012

His Holiness Karmapa: Statement on the situation in Tibet

Statement from the Gyalwang Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje

(6 February, 2012, Bodh Gaya)

Reports have just emerged that three more Tibetans set themselves ablaze within a single day in eastern Tibet. This comes shortly after four Tibetans immolated themselves and others died in demonstrations in Tibet during the month of January. As tensions escalate, instead of showing concern and trying to understand the causes of the situation, the Chinese authorities respond with increasing force and oppression. Each new report of a Tibetan death brings me immense pain and sadness; three in a single day is more than the heart can bear. I pray that these sacrifices have not been in vain, but will yield a change in policy that will bring our Tibetan brothers and sisters relief.
 
Having been given the name Karmapa, I belong to a 900 year old reincarnation lineage that has historically avoided any political engagement, a tradition I have no intention of changing. And yet as a Tibetan, I have great sympathy and affection for the Tibetan people and I have great misgivings about remaining silent while they are in pain. Their welfare is my greatest concern.
 
Tibetan demonstrations and self-immolations are a symptom of deep but unacknowledged dissatisfaction. If Tibetans were given a genuine opportunity to lead their lives as they wished, preserving their language, religion and culture, they would neither be demonstrating nor sacrificing their lives.

Since 1959, we Tibetans have faced unimaginable loss, yet we have found benefit in adversity. Many of us rediscovered our true identity as Tibetans. We rediscovered a sense of national unity among the people of the three provinces of Tibet. And we came to value a unifying leader, in the person of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. These factors have given us all great grounds for hope.

China speaks of having brought development to Tibet, and when I lived there it was materially comfortable. Yet prosperity and development have not benefited Tibetans in the ways that they consider most valuable. Material comfort counts for little without inner contentment. Tibetans live with the constant suspicion that they will be forced to act against their conscience and denounce His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The Chinese authorities persistently portray His Holiness as the enemy. They have rebuffed his repeated efforts to find a peaceful and negotiated solution to the Tibetan-Chinese problem. They dismiss the heartfelt faith and loyalty with which the Tibetan people universally regard His Holiness. Even Tibetans born in Tibet decades after His Holiness the Dalai Lama had gone into exile still regard him as their guide and refuge not only for this life, but for life after life. Therefore, constantly depicting His Holiness the Dalai Lama in hostile terms is an affront that benefits no one. In fact, striking at the heart of Tibetan faith damages the prospect of winning Tibetans' trust. This is neither effective nor wise.

I call on the authorities in Beijing to see past the veneer of wellbeing that local officials present. Acknowledging the real human distress of Tibetans in Tibet and taking full responsibility for what is happening there would lay a wise basis for building mutual trust between Tibetans and the Chinese government. Rather than treating this as an issue of political opposition, it would be far more effective for Chinese authorities to treat this as a matter of basic human welfare.

In these difficult times, I urge Tibetans in Tibet: Stay true to yourselves, keep your equanimity in the face of hardship and remain focused on the long term. Always bear in mind that your lives have great value, as human beings and as Tibetans.

With the prospect of the Tibetan New Year in sight, I offer my prayers that Tibetans, our Chinese brothers and sisters, and our friends and supporters across India and around the world may find lasting happiness and true peace. May the New Year usher in an era of harmony, characterized by love and respect for each other and for the earth that is our common home.


Ogyen Trinley Dorje,
17th Gyalwang Karmapa

Wednesday, 1 February 2012

His Holiness the Karmapa teaching in Bodh Gaya

Tashidelek,

For those of you familiar with my blog you will know that I am a student of His Holiness the Karmapa and so from time to time I will announce events relating to His Holiness.

Today he is to be giving the first of a series of Dharma talks to the Kagyu Gunchoe Sangha in Bodh Gaya, India.

If you are interested in viewing these talks live, please click on this link: Live Webcast

 To those of you perhaps unfamiliar to Buddhism, the word Sangha is a Pali term which translates roughly as 'community' or 'assembly'.  The Sangha in this context refers to the annual gathering of monks for the Kagyu Gunchoe, or winter debates.  Each year monks from the various Kagyu philosophical disciplines meet for three weeks of rigorous and often lively debates.

Traditionally the debates are overseen by His Holiness the Karmapa who listens in on random debates and provides opinions, suggestions and corrections where needed.

Monastic debates are fascinating, I first saw debating on a television documentary and was captivated by the zeal and passion displayed by the monks.  I have since witnessed it at Sera Monastery in Lhasa, see my post from the 28th November 2011 and the image of a Sera monk engaged in a debate. I also saw debating at His Holiness the Dalia Lama's Temple in Dharamsala though I enjoyed the Sera Monastery atmosphere more.  If you've not seen debating before, watch the video below, these monks are from Sera Monastery.  The monks who are standing and clapping are presenting the monks sitting with a philosophical question and when he claps his hand, it is to accentuate the point he is making.  I have seen very 'heated' debates and those monks who are presenting a good argument can often attract many monks into the debate.




Monday, 30 January 2012

I have been remiss

My blog has been left unattended and unloved for far too long; the Christmas summer break, a pile of books and DVDs saw this blog go to the bottom of my pile.  However, Tibet is always on my mind more so now than ever given the recent escalation of violence in Ganze in the eastern regions of the land.  I hear that it is most likely that the region will be closed to visitors again this year until the end of March.

If you are contemplating a trip to Tibet this year, I strongly urge you to speak to your travel agent or visit the Lonely Planet website for updated information.

Visiting Tibet is like that, you can never be sure the date you planned your trip will actually go ahead given the volatility of the political situation there.  Only last year while I was readying myself to leave Kathmandu, the hotel owner assured me I would not make it over the border as it had been closed.  After some conversation and clarification it turned out it was the Nepali-Tibetan border that was closed but entry via Lhasa airport was fine.  So always be ready for possible last minute changes to plans.

At this stage I am planning a trip in August this year and am looking for clients to join me.  I have not mentioned it yet on this blog but I work with a travel company based in Lhasa who have been operating since the mid-80's.  They are a good travel company who really care about their clients, their guides are very experienced and the guide I work with speaks five languages very fluently.  I joined forces with the company last year bringing travellers with me to Tibet for the south-eastern route and Everest Base Camp trip, this year our destination depends upon the group but I hope to do a trek from Ganden to Samye Monasteries.

I am most interested in ethical and sustainable travel in Tibet, as visitors to the country I aim the small groups I take with me to have as minimal impact upon the environment as possible through the responsible disposal of waste through to respecting cultural practices.  By bringing travellers to Tibet I hope to support and encourage employment opportunities for Tibetans in the travel, hospitality and other related industries.

Anyway, that's it for now.  I hope you enjoy reading my blog.

Wednesday, 11 January 2012

His Holiness the Karmapa



Tashidelek to those of you who might happen to stop by.  

I am currently listening to talks given by His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmpa given in late December 2011, the image to the right is His Holiness.

If you would like to hear these talks or find out more about him, visit this excellent website: http://www.kagyu.org/index.php

I had the great fortune late last year to have both a public and private audience with him and I now consdier him as my teacher and guru.



Tuesday, 3 January 2012

Happy 2012

Still on break from work and blogging but will be back soon to share some more of my Tibetan experiences.

Happy 2012 to you all.