Author Topic: No happy birthday for Dalai Lama in Nepal  (Read 12969 times)

christine V

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No happy birthday for Dalai Lama in Nepal
« on: July 09, 2019, 07:45:28 AM »
Nepal as i know have many pro-Dalai Lama supporters, it is up to the extend that if you told some Nepal people you are not pro Dalai Lama, they would even ban you from staying in their place. Thus, to me, this is really a shocking news that the Nepal government have rejected the celebration. Not only that, recently Nepal have held many conferences that is related to Dorje Shugden. Seem Nepal is no longer believe in CTA and have decided not to get involve in CTA affair.

Also from the news, one of the reason that Nepal rejected the celebration is because to prevent self-immolation. Over the years, CTA do not stop these peoples who die using self-immolations. They not only stop the self-immolation activities, in fact, they encourage it by praising the victims. Now, Nepal have use this as an excuses to stop the celebration of Dalai Lama's birthday.

Further, we can see the clear influent China towards Nepal is very strong. Nepal is one of the example that country that wanted China's help will not goes against China. And, with the strong economy power raising, more and more country will act like Nepal and thus ban Dalai Lama. As time goes by, will India do so? This is a matter of timing only. IF CTA, still think they are safe in India and can be refugees forever, it is a terrible mistake.

Below are the news
Nepal refuses permission for Dalai Lama's birthday celebrations

KATHMANDU: The Dalai Lama's birthday celebrations in Nepal were cancelled on Sunday (Jul 7) after the government refused permission for the event to go ahead, officials said, in another sign of the growing influence of China over its Himalayan neighbour.

Nepal is home to around 20,000 exiled Tibetans, but under pressure from Beijing the current communist government has taken an increasingly hardline stance on their activities.

"Permission was not issued because there might be a problem in peace and security," said Krishna Bahadur Katuwal, assistant chief district officer of Kathmandu.

"Nothing may happen, but we have to be cautious about chances of inappropriate activities or even self-immolations," he told AFP.

There was a heavier presence of security personnel on Saturday in areas with Tibetan communities - including near a monastery where a celebration of the Dalai Lama's 84th birthday had been planned.

"A lot of preparation was made but in the end we did not get permission. The government is becoming increasingly strict ... what can we do," a member of the organising committee said.

He said that families instead marked the birthday of their spiritual leader privately at home.

Thousands of Tibetan refugees fled over the border into Nepal after the March 10, 1959 uprising against Chinese rule, which forced the Dalai Lama into exile.

Once a safe haven for Tibetans, increased police crackdowns have discouraged protests and activities by the community, with Nepal repeatedly saying it is committed to one-China policy.


 Last month, an American citizen of Tibetan origin was mistaken for a Tibetan official and denied entry into the country.

Three journalists from Nepal's national news agency were investigated in May for translating and circulating a wire report about the Dalai Lama's discharge from a hospital.

China is among the top development partners for impoverished Nepal, pumping in nearly US$60 million in the last fiscal year into hydroelectricity, roads and other infrastructure projects.

In May 2017, Kathmandu signed up to Beijing's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative, a massive infrastructure drive that critics say is at the centre of the Asian giant's push to expand its global influence.

Source: AFP/de
Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/nepal-refuses-permission-for-dalai-lama-s-birthday-celebrations-11699444

Alex

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Re: No happy birthday for Dalai Lama in Nepal
« Reply #1 on: July 09, 2019, 09:26:28 AM »
Nepal as i know have many pro-Dalai Lama supporters, it is up to the extend that if you told some Nepal people you are not pro Dalai Lama, they would even ban you from staying in their place. Thus, to me, this is really a shocking news that the Nepal government have rejected the celebration. Not only that, recently Nepal have held many conferences that is related to Dorje Shugden. Seem Nepal is no longer believe in CTA and have decided not to get involve in CTA affair.

Also from the news, one of the reason that Nepal rejected the celebration is because to prevent self-immolation. Over the years, CTA do not stop these peoples who die using self-immolations. They not only stop the self-immolation activities, in fact, they encourage it by praising the victims. Now, Nepal have use this as an excuses to stop the celebration of Dalai Lama's birthday.

Further, we can see the clear influent China towards Nepal is very strong. Nepal is one of the example that country that wanted China's help will not goes against China. And, with the strong economy power raising, more and more country will act like Nepal and thus ban Dalai Lama. As time goes by, will India do so? This is a matter of timing only. IF CTA, still think they are safe in India and can be refugees forever, it is a terrible mistake.

Below are the news
Nepal refuses permission for Dalai Lama's birthday celebrations

KATHMANDU: The Dalai Lama's birthday celebrations in Nepal were cancelled on Sunday (Jul 7) after the government refused permission for the event to go ahead, officials said, in another sign of the growing influence of China over its Himalayan neighbour.

Nepal is home to around 20,000 exiled Tibetans, but under pressure from Beijing the current communist government has taken an increasingly hardline stance on their activities.

"Permission was not issued because there might be a problem in peace and security," said Krishna Bahadur Katuwal, assistant chief district officer of Kathmandu.

"Nothing may happen, but we have to be cautious about chances of inappropriate activities or even self-immolations," he told AFP.

There was a heavier presence of security personnel on Saturday in areas with Tibetan communities - including near a monastery where a celebration of the Dalai Lama's 84th birthday had been planned.

"A lot of preparation was made but in the end we did not get permission. The government is becoming increasingly strict ... what can we do," a member of the organising committee said.

He said that families instead marked the birthday of their spiritual leader privately at home.

Thousands of Tibetan refugees fled over the border into Nepal after the March 10, 1959 uprising against Chinese rule, which forced the Dalai Lama into exile.

Once a safe haven for Tibetans, increased police crackdowns have discouraged protests and activities by the community, with Nepal repeatedly saying it is committed to one-China policy.


 Last month, an American citizen of Tibetan origin was mistaken for a Tibetan official and denied entry into the country.

Three journalists from Nepal's national news agency were investigated in May for translating and circulating a wire report about the Dalai Lama's discharge from a hospital.

China is among the top development partners for impoverished Nepal, pumping in nearly US$60 million in the last fiscal year into hydroelectricity, roads and other infrastructure projects.

In May 2017, Kathmandu signed up to Beijing's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative, a massive infrastructure drive that critics say is at the centre of the Asian giant's push to expand its global influence.

Source: AFP/de
Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/nepal-refuses-permission-for-dalai-lama-s-birthday-celebrations-11699444


Even Nepal is making a stand and telling the Tibetans that they are going to be on China's side. Tibetans are losing support from a lot of countries and sooner or later, they will be fighting against China alone. They are not getting the support that they used to get because everyone can see clearly that Tibetans are not going to get back their country anymore and whatever effort is just a waste of time.

With the decreasing numbers of Tibetans in the Tibetan settlements, the Tibetan government is losing support from inside as well as outside. Soon, they will be all alone playing their tricks on themselves and there will be no one there for them to govern. Then, they will need to dissolve themselves.

I think it is a good direction for the Tibetan government because whatever they do is just to harm everyone around them and get benefits for themselves. It is actually better for them to not be around and Tibetans can assimilate to society that they are in and live a happy life onwards.

Tenzin K

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Re: No happy birthday for Dalai Lama in Nepal
« Reply #2 on: July 10, 2019, 11:50:25 AM »
Dalai Lama popularity is getting dimmer. The rejection of Dalai Lama birthday in Nepal is really a shame. Self-immolation contributes as one of the reasons which are very valid to me. Look at how karma comes back. CTA keep promoting self- immolation and now the Dalai Lama can't celebrate his birthday in Nepal. Everything is in the circle. We may be going to see more and more restriction to Dalai Lama and the Tibetan from India, Nepa or any other country due to the relationship with China.

SabS

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Re: No happy birthday for Dalai Lama in Nepal
« Reply #3 on: July 11, 2019, 10:32:35 AM »
Even Nepal is making a stand and telling the Tibetans that they are going to be on China's side. Tibetans are losing support from a lot of countries and sooner or later, they will be fighting against China alone. They are not getting the support that they used to get because everyone can see clearly that Tibetans are not going to get back their country anymore and whatever effort is just a waste of time.

With the decreasing numbers of Tibetans in the Tibetan settlements, the Tibetan government is losing support from inside as well as outside. Soon, they will be all alone playing their tricks on themselves and there will be no one there for them to govern. Then, they will need to dissolve themselves.

I think it is a good direction for the Tibetan government because whatever they do is just to harm everyone around them and get benefits for themselves. It is actually better for them to not be around and Tibetans can assimilate to society that they are in and live a happy life onwards.

Yes, it is a matter of fact that CTA will dissolve. Just sooner or later. Which is why Lobsang Sangay is desperately doing his rounds begging from sponsors so that he has a fat retirement sum. Now some monks in Nepal are even visiting Dorje Shugden related websites frequently so all the more they will learn of the truth and will always doubt CTA's words. Soon no one will believe CTA anymore.

PrajNa

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Re: No happy birthday for Dalai Lama in Nepal
« Reply #4 on: July 11, 2019, 12:43:53 PM »
Nepal will be proud of its crackdown on the Tibetans. By the way, another news report gave a far better reason why.

Below is the extract of the news from Reuters:

Krishna Bahadur Katuwal, assistant district administrator of Kathmandu, said the government refused permission for Tibetans to mark the Dalai Lama’s birthday because “infiltrators” could create trouble.

“There could be a law and order problem as infiltrators could organize demonstrations or try to self-immolate,” Katuwal told Reuters.

Tibetan news portal Phayul.com said celebration plans were then withdrawn.

From: Nepal denies Tibetans' request to hold Dalai Lama birthday celebration,
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nepal-china-dalailama/nepal-denies-tibetans-request-to-hold-dalai-lama-birthday-celebration-idUSKCN1U2074

Rowntree

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Re: No happy birthday for Dalai Lama in Nepal
« Reply #5 on: July 11, 2019, 05:42:58 PM »
This news is a clear sign that the Dalai Lama's fame is fading. For all the hard work he has done, it is a very sad ending. If the CTA is not useless, this will not be the Dalai Lama's faith. With billions of followers, the Dalai Lama shouldn't face this kind of treatment if the CTA does what they are supposed to do. Shame on the CTA!

Alex

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Re: No happy birthday for Dalai Lama in Nepal
« Reply #6 on: July 12, 2019, 11:25:37 AM »
Nepal will be proud of its crackdown on the Tibetans. By the way, another news report gave a far better reason why.

Below is the extract of the news from Reuters:

Krishna Bahadur Katuwal, assistant district administrator of Kathmandu, said the government refused permission for Tibetans to mark the Dalai Lama’s birthday because “infiltrators” could create trouble.

“There could be a law and order problem as infiltrators could organize demonstrations or try to self-immolate,” Katuwal told Reuters.

Tibetan news portal Phayul.com said celebration plans were then withdrawn.

From: Nepal denies Tibetans' request to hold Dalai Lama birthday celebration,
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nepal-china-dalailama/nepal-denies-tibetans-request-to-hold-dalai-lama-birthday-celebration-idUSKCN1U2074

The Tibetan government can do anything just to have things in their way. That includes encouraging their own people to burn themselves to death just to raise awareness for a dead cause. There is nothing to fight for regarding the Tibetan cause. Tibet will never be an independent country again thanks to the incompetence of the Tibetan government to protect their own land.

They are just using the cause to milk donations out of sponsors and those who are fooled by their act. The Tibetan government is not sincere in getting back Tibet. They wish their current situation will remain status quo forever for they have a reason to get free money from the sponsors.

If they are sincere in getting back to Tibet, then what is the reason for most of the Tibetan leaders to have a passport from another country? If they are already planning to go back Tibet, what is the use and intention for the passport? Is that a backup plan for them in case the Tibetan cause did not come true in the end?

phyag na rlangs pa

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Re: No happy birthday for Dalai Lama in Nepal
« Reply #7 on: July 12, 2019, 07:58:21 PM »
Why keep saying sorry but making the same mistake and offending people? The Dalai Lama keeps making the news for all the wrong reasons!

Dalai Lama 'deeply sorry' for saying female successor should be attractive

The Dalai Lama apologized Tuesday for saying in an interview last week than any female successor should be attractive.

"In responding to a question about whether his own reincarnation could be a woman, and suggesting that if she were she should be attractive, His Holiness genuinely meant no offence. He is deeply sorry that people have been hurt by what he said and offers his sincere apologies," the Dalai Lama's office said in a statement.


"His Holiness consistently emphasizes the need for people to connect with each other on a deeper human level, rather than getting caught up in preconceptions based on superficial appearances," the statement continued.

The 83-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader was pressed by the BBC on a comment he made in 2015 that if he were followed by a female Dalai Lama, she would need to be physically appealing.

"If a female Dalai Lama comes, she should be more attractive," he reportedly responded while laughing.

The Tuesday statement emphasized that the Dalai Lama opposes the objectification of women and supports gender equality; under his leadership, Tibetan nuns in exile have earned Geshe-ma degrees — a high level of scholarship previously reserved for male monks.

https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/451404-dalai-lama-deeply-sorry-for-saying-female-successor-should-be

phyag na rlangs pa

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Re: No happy birthday for Dalai Lama in Nepal
« Reply #8 on: July 12, 2019, 08:13:52 PM »
As this article says it, "But as a Tibetan, I think elevating him to a pedestal so lofty that he is essentially disconnected from the complexities of the world’s injustices is an injustice unto itself. I don’t think it’s right for us to treat Kundun that way."

Whether it's having an outdated view of women and their standing or how Tibetans in the world are today, one thing is clear, the Dalai Lama could have done so much more for people and in his twilight years, instead of making every minute count, he seems to be moving farther away from achieving realistic goals for improving the Tibetan situation.

Commentary: Admiring & Admonishing the Dalai Lama
His Holiness the Dalai Lama can be wrong sometimes, says Gelek Badheytsang. And that’s okay.

After the Dalai Lama’s recent interview with the BBC’s Rajini Vaidyanathan, his various pronouncements about Brexit, Trump, the migrant crisis in Europe, relations with China, etc. made the rounds on media and social media. One exchange that caused much anguish and ire was his comment — which some have seen as a joke — about how the next Dalai Lama, should they be a woman, must be physically attractive.

The indignation was instant. Many perceived and called out overt sexism in that remark, and proceeded to “cancel” His Holiness. Others expressed disappointment: if a celibate and renowned monk could say such a thing, and in front of a female journalist, then what are we to expect from regular men?

There were also admirers, Tibetans and non-Tibetans, who rose up to clarify and contextualize his words on his behalf. “If you watch the full BBC video interview you can see how the blog article by Rajini Vaidyanathan adds spin, removing the actual context and laughter,” tweeted Buddhist teacher Robert Thurman, a student and friend of His Holiness.

Quote
This is the milieu we find ourselves in: people rushing to defend the honor of a champion of non-violence, but with aggression or even violence in their minds.

Tenzin Mingyur Paldron, a PhD candidate, was more poetic (and pained) in his essay: “[…] when I look at him I don’t see a Nobel Peace Prize laureate or a celebrity. I see someone who, as an adolescent, was given the responsibility to lead his people through foreign invasion and decades of ongoing colonialism.”

Some were pronounced in their anger towards the backlash, questioning Vaidyanathan’s journalistic integrity (not unlike what professor Thurman did). They even went as far as to target Tibetan women and groups like the Tibetan Feminist Collective, who posted a thoughtful critique of His Holiness on Instagram following the interview and had to subsequently delete it when they were flooded with comments punctuated with rape and death threats. There were messages like the one below from a monk who defended those comments condoning sexual assaults on Tibetan women who dared to question the Dalai Lama’s feminist credentials:



This is the milieu we find ourselves in: people rushing to defend the honor of a champion of non-violence, but with aggression or even violence in their minds.

Maybe this was all a big misunderstanding. Maybe it was a lesson for us in being more cognizant about the limits of gender and political discourse with someone of a different language and times. A tempest in a social-media teacup.

The Dalai Lama’s office has since then posted an official mea culpa. His Holiness meant no offense, the statement assured. It even referred to a Vogue magazine interview that took place almost 30 years ago as a way to contextualize his remarks.

I personally thought the conversation was fair and Vaidyanathan’s questions incisive. Yes, His Holiness’s remarks about the physical appearance of a female Dalai Lama or refugees in Europe were problematic. The fact that he espoused those sentiments to a woman and daughter of immigrants in the U.K. belies this notion that he was somehow being extra thoughtful about his interlocutor.

Beyond His Holiness’s prognostications about female Dalai Lamas, I wish Vaidyanthan had the time to pick apart the inconsistencies and contradictions inherent in other parts of her interview. Why would someone like him, who constantly emphasizes the oneness of humanity and reminds us that he is a global citizen, be fixated on European state borders? It shouldn’t matter if an impoverished refugee is a Muslim or African, and whether they choose to stay in their host country, just as it shouldn’t matter if a female Dalai Lama is physically attractive or not.

The Dalai Lama tweeted on April 19, 2019, “Because anger and hostility destroy our peace of mind, it is they that are our real enemy. Anger ruins our health; a compassionate attitude restores it. If it were basic human nature to be angry, there’d be no hope, but since it is our nature to be compassionate, there is.”

But how can someone compassionate reconcile that kind of belief with the fact that there are infants currently locked up in overcrowded cages on the U.S. southern border? How is it the fault of the Pacific Islanders that their homelands are disappearing before their eyes due to rising sea levels from climate change that is disproportionately driven by first-world countries? Are Uighurs’ and Tibetans’ detentions in concentration camps by China a problem that they created themselves? Is the onus on the Indigenous peoples here on the American continents to not get angry about the colonization of their lands?

And so on, and so on.

Tibetans have a raft of titles for His Holiness: tsawey lama (root teacher), chinor ghongsa kaybgoen chenpo (jewel for all), gyelwa rinpoche (victorious jewel), gongsachog (supreme being), yeshey norbu (jewel of wisdom), etc. The most commonly used designation (this is true for me at least), might be Kundun, which roughly translates into “a god in front of us; an idol in flesh.”

On the eve of his 84th birthday, it would be ludicrous for someone like me to tell someone like Kundun how he should think and speak. But as a Tibetan, I think elevating him to a pedestal so lofty that he is essentially disconnected from the complexities of the world’s injustices is an injustice unto itself. I don’t think it’s right for us to treat Kundun that way.

Perhaps what Kundun needs to do is not speak less, since his voice is as urgent as when he won the Nobel Peace Prize 30 years ago, but speak in a way that’s more attuned towards the plight of the subaltern today. I do wish that Kundun would speak more forcefully about the insidious impacts of colonialism and racism, and about how Buddhism as a way of life and philosophy is fundamentally incompatible with capitalism and neoliberalism.

Toward the end of the interview, Kundun talks about how he always admired the BBC. “One reason I am convinced [I like] BBC, is [because] BBC is critical of your own government, and report in a very balanced way. Not like Chinese media, [which is] 100 percent pro [government].”

It would behoove those of Kundun’s defenders to actually listen to this interview in full and contemplate what was said. It’s okay to say Kundun is wrong sometimes. It is actually, for the sake of Tibetan Buddhism and our freedom, necessary.

https://www.lionsroar.com/commentary-admiring-admonishing-the-dalai-lama/


Tracy

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Re: No happy birthday for Dalai Lama in Nepal
« Reply #9 on: July 13, 2019, 09:52:16 AM »
As a developing country, Nepal needs help to develop its economy, infrastructure in order to be more competitive in the international arena. By supporting the Tibetans, Nepal gets nothing. If Nepal supports the Tibetans, it will cost them money which Nepal doesn't really have.

Neighbouring China is getting more powerful each day, its domestic economy and its trading bargaining power is at its height. Working closely with China will definitely bring a lot of benefits to the country especially economically. Nepal will sure choose to be friendly with China than to be friendly with Tibetans.

The Dalai Lama is seen as a separatist by China. In order to protect its relationship with China, Nepal definitely will enforce the 'no birthday celebration for the Dalai Lama'. Tibetans are losing more support every day, they should really think about having a dialogue with China and not be arrogant anymore.

SabS

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Re: No happy birthday for Dalai Lama in Nepal
« Reply #10 on: July 13, 2019, 11:21:15 AM »
As this article says it, "But as a Tibetan, I think elevating him to a pedestal so lofty that he is essentially disconnected from the complexities of the world’s injustices is an injustice unto itself. I don’t think it’s right for us to treat Kundun that way."

Whether it's having an outdated view of women and their standing or how Tibetans in the world are today, one thing is clear, the Dalai Lama could have done so much more for people and in his twilight years, instead of making every minute count, he seems to be moving farther away from achieving realistic goals for improving the Tibetan situation.

Commentary: Admiring & Admonishing the Dalai Lama
His Holiness the Dalai Lama can be wrong sometimes, says Gelek Badheytsang. And that’s okay.

After the Dalai Lama’s recent interview with the BBC’s Rajini Vaidyanathan, his various pronouncements about Brexit, Trump, the migrant crisis in Europe, relations with China, etc. made the rounds on media and social media. One exchange that caused much anguish and ire was his comment — which some have seen as a joke — about how the next Dalai Lama, should they be a woman, must be physically attractive.

The indignation was instant. Many perceived and called out overt sexism in that remark, and proceeded to “cancel” His Holiness. Others expressed disappointment: if a celibate and renowned monk could say such a thing, and in front of a female journalist, then what are we to expect from regular men?

There were also admirers, Tibetans and non-Tibetans, who rose up to clarify and contextualize his words on his behalf. “If you watch the full BBC video interview you can see how the blog article by Rajini Vaidyanathan adds spin, removing the actual context and laughter,” tweeted Buddhist teacher Robert Thurman, a student and friend of His Holiness.

Quote
This is the milieu we find ourselves in: people rushing to defend the honor of a champion of non-violence, but with aggression or even violence in their minds.

Tenzin Mingyur Paldron, a PhD candidate, was more poetic (and pained) in his essay: “[…] when I look at him I don’t see a Nobel Peace Prize laureate or a celebrity. I see someone who, as an adolescent, was given the responsibility to lead his people through foreign invasion and decades of ongoing colonialism.”

Some were pronounced in their anger towards the backlash, questioning Vaidyanathan’s journalistic integrity (not unlike what professor Thurman did). They even went as far as to target Tibetan women and groups like the Tibetan Feminist Collective, who posted a thoughtful critique of His Holiness on Instagram following the interview and had to subsequently delete it when they were flooded with comments punctuated with rape and death threats. There were messages like the one below from a monk who defended those comments condoning sexual assaults on Tibetan women who dared to question the Dalai Lama’s feminist credentials:



This is the milieu we find ourselves in: people rushing to defend the honor of a champion of non-violence, but with aggression or even violence in their minds.

Maybe this was all a big misunderstanding. Maybe it was a lesson for us in being more cognizant about the limits of gender and political discourse with someone of a different language and times. A tempest in a social-media teacup.

The Dalai Lama’s office has since then posted an official mea culpa. His Holiness meant no offense, the statement assured. It even referred to a Vogue magazine interview that took place almost 30 years ago as a way to contextualize his remarks.

I personally thought the conversation was fair and Vaidyanathan’s questions incisive. Yes, His Holiness’s remarks about the physical appearance of a female Dalai Lama or refugees in Europe were problematic. The fact that he espoused those sentiments to a woman and daughter of immigrants in the U.K. belies this notion that he was somehow being extra thoughtful about his interlocutor.

Beyond His Holiness’s prognostications about female Dalai Lamas, I wish Vaidyanthan had the time to pick apart the inconsistencies and contradictions inherent in other parts of her interview. Why would someone like him, who constantly emphasizes the oneness of humanity and reminds us that he is a global citizen, be fixated on European state borders? It shouldn’t matter if an impoverished refugee is a Muslim or African, and whether they choose to stay in their host country, just as it shouldn’t matter if a female Dalai Lama is physically attractive or not.

The Dalai Lama tweeted on April 19, 2019, “Because anger and hostility destroy our peace of mind, it is they that are our real enemy. Anger ruins our health; a compassionate attitude restores it. If it were basic human nature to be angry, there’d be no hope, but since it is our nature to be compassionate, there is.”

But how can someone compassionate reconcile that kind of belief with the fact that there are infants currently locked up in overcrowded cages on the U.S. southern border? How is it the fault of the Pacific Islanders that their homelands are disappearing before their eyes due to rising sea levels from climate change that is disproportionately driven by first-world countries? Are Uighurs’ and Tibetans’ detentions in concentration camps by China a problem that they created themselves? Is the onus on the Indigenous peoples here on the American continents to not get angry about the colonization of their lands?

And so on, and so on.

Tibetans have a raft of titles for His Holiness: tsawey lama (root teacher), chinor ghongsa kaybgoen chenpo (jewel for all), gyelwa rinpoche (victorious jewel), gongsachog (supreme being), yeshey norbu (jewel of wisdom), etc. The most commonly used designation (this is true for me at least), might be Kundun, which roughly translates into “a god in front of us; an idol in flesh.”

On the eve of his 84th birthday, it would be ludicrous for someone like me to tell someone like Kundun how he should think and speak. But as a Tibetan, I think elevating him to a pedestal so lofty that he is essentially disconnected from the complexities of the world’s injustices is an injustice unto itself. I don’t think it’s right for us to treat Kundun that way.

Perhaps what Kundun needs to do is not speak less, since his voice is as urgent as when he won the Nobel Peace Prize 30 years ago, but speak in a way that’s more attuned towards the plight of the subaltern today. I do wish that Kundun would speak more forcefully about the insidious impacts of colonialism and racism, and about how Buddhism as a way of life and philosophy is fundamentally incompatible with capitalism and neoliberalism.

Toward the end of the interview, Kundun talks about how he always admired the BBC. “One reason I am convinced [I like] BBC, is [because] BBC is critical of your own government, and report in a very balanced way. Not like Chinese media, [which is] 100 percent pro [government].”

It would behoove those of Kundun’s defenders to actually listen to this interview in full and contemplate what was said. It’s okay to say Kundun is wrong sometimes. It is actually, for the sake of Tibetan Buddhism and our freedom, necessary.

https://www.lionsroar.com/commentary-admiring-admonishing-the-dalai-lama/

Your piece is interesting. It is true that those defending the Dalai Lama is only showing their ugly side in attacking with ugly words. This is a total contrast to the very person that they profess to be kind, gentle and compassionate. Such a slap in the Dalai Lama's face as his followers certainly do not show there are any changes due to his teachings. What are they defending, actually?

I do feel that what the Dalai Lama had jested of was taken out of context and he had actually espoused what most every men in the world thinks and behave. Can you imagine the great changes that will occur should the Dalai Lama be incarnated into a beautiful woman's body. He/She will teach the whole world how to treat a beautiful woman. Could inspire that beauty does not stop spirituality. Could inspire that beauty can have wisdom. Could inspire that woman is just capable. So many transformation that the Dalai Lama could teach in his woman form. Who are we to judge the form an enlightened being takes to benefit others?

Tenzin K

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Re: No happy birthday for Dalai Lama in Nepal
« Reply #11 on: July 16, 2019, 05:04:36 AM »
Thanks to CTA for keeping encouraging self-immolation and resulted in no celebration for Dalai Lama. Soon more things they can't or allow to do. This is so scary and this will be Tibetan faith. They really need to face the Chinese and work out something. No one can really help them but just themselves. If they think to go around the world and rally for it is still the way, then they really still on the ignorance mind. SAD!

Pema8

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Re: No happy birthday for Dalai Lama in Nepal
« Reply #12 on: July 17, 2019, 02:10:32 AM »
Well, what to expect... The Tibetans don't give much to Nepal and Nepal is a poor country. It is very understandable that they connect with China.

The CTA should protect the Tibetans and stop them from harming themselves instead of even encouraging them and glorify self-immolation. This is really bad and Nepal therefore protects the Tibetans and makes sure they don't harm themselves.

When does the CTA wake up? Their support is diminishing so much... when do they befriend China for a better future for the Tibetans???

Alex

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Re: No happy birthday for Dalai Lama in Nepal
« Reply #13 on: July 17, 2019, 04:38:51 AM »
Well, what to expect... The Tibetans don't give much to Nepal and Nepal is a poor country. It is very understandable that they connect with China.

The CTA should protect the Tibetans and stop them from harming themselves instead of even encouraging them and glorify self-immolation. This is really bad and Nepal therefore protects the Tibetans and makes sure they don't harm themselves.

When does the CTA wake up? Their support is diminishing so much... when do they befriend China for a better future for the Tibetans???

CTA has been using the people around them to fulfil their selfish needs and at the same time, CTA is destroying them. They are that those people that never benefit anyone around them and they just take and take and take. They have been living in India for 60 years and it is still not enough for them. India gave them a lot of resources and aids and they did not get anything back.

Tibetans repaid India's kindness with all the problems that they created. Until now, the Tibetans are still creating problems for India. India is very kind to let the Tibetans stay in their country for 60 years.

The Tibetans should not waste time creating schism and problems among their own people in the power game and focus on their real goal which is the Tibetan cause. A lot of precious resources and manpower goes into petty conflicts such as the Dorje Shugden ban and the 2 Karmapas. If they focus all those resources and attention into the Tibetan cause, maybe they would have achieved something already.


Tenzin K

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Re: No happy birthday for Dalai Lama in Nepal
« Reply #14 on: July 30, 2019, 04:51:50 AM »
Due to CTA action that encourages protest and self-immolation, Nepal is saying a 'big' now for Dalai Lama birthday celebration. It's valid for Nepal to do so to be in control of their public safety and the most important thing us the relationship with China. Now no one will open their door for Dalai Lama and due to the relationship with China. CTA still doesn't want to do something new here and keep acting like before. This will not bring CTA anywhere but just the matter of time CTA will be dissolved.