These Days in Dharamsala
Rebecca Novick - March 2008
These days, Dharamsala feels alternately like a
temple and the seat of revolution. At times it feels like both. Every morning,
thousands of Tibetans, young and old, those born in Tibet and those born in
exile, march down
the hill from the market of McLoed Ganj, shouting in English for justice
and human rights, for the help of the UN, for the long life of the
Dalai Lama. Today, their shouts are mingled with the moan of long horns
blasting out from a nearby monastery.
They have been marching every day since March 10th and they never seem to tire.
Each evening around dusk, thousands more walk through McLeod all carrying
candles and chanting the bodhisattva prayer-- “May
I become enlightened to end the suffering of all sentient beings”--in
Tibetan over and over again. This prayer has become the anthem of Dharamsala.
You hear it muttered from old women, belted out by toddlers, and chanted by
monks through loud speakers: “May I become
enlightened to end the suffering of all sentient beings.”
The evening marchers end up at the Tsuglakhang; the temple located right in
front of the
Dalai Lama's private residence, to assemble in what is essentially the
Dalai Lama’s front yard. They shout freedom slogans and “Bod Gyalo!!!”
(Victory to Tibet) at the top of their lungs for twenty minutes, while young
boisterous monks with Free Tibet
scrawled across their foreheads in red paint, wave giant Tibetan flags to rally
the crowd. The red, yellow and blue of Tibetan flags are everywhere, and a
feeling that must accompany all revolutions of past times--a feeling of passion,
resolve, and the sting of injustice--stirs the air.
And then, suddenly, all you can hear is the sound of a baby crying as the crowd
sit and perform silent prayers for their countrymen. The evening ends with
everyone singing a song that was composed after the 1959 uprising in Lhasa
against the Chinese occupation. It’s stirring and evocative, and even if you
don’t speak the language, its hard not to feel moved.
One evening at the temple, the monks of Kirti monastery in Amdo, Tibet, the site
of huge demonstrations in recent days, brought a CD of photos of the bodies of
Tibetans who eyewitnesses say had been shot by Chinese police. The photos were
displayed on a large plasma television on the steps in front of the temple. A
more placid group of seven robed monks sat in front of the screen and prayed.
With hands folded at their chests, the images of bloodied and mangled bodies
filled with bullet holes flashing before their eyes, many now wet with tears,
5,000 people joined in. One young monk told me later that he saw the dead body
of his cousin on the screen. He hadn’t known that he’d been killed.
Now these photos and other images coming out of Tibet have been put up on flyers
on the outside of the temple wall, directly opposite a tent filled with hunger
strikers. On their way back home, people pass candles over the photos of the
disfigured and bloody bodies and speak in hushed voices. Opposite, the hunger
strikers continue to chant prayers and mantras all day and all through the
night.
Tibetans seem to be able to hold, without contradiction, many different ways of
expressing their grief, and their concern for and solidarity with the people in
Tibet; to wave banners and shout until their throats are sore, and to sit and
pray with heartfelt devotion to the Buddhas that, one day, may they become like
them for the sake of all.
Yesterday, I heard about a different kind of demonstration organized by the
monks of the Buddhist Dialectic School. No face paint, no red bandanas, no
hand-made placards reading Shame on
China. They shaved their heads clean, put on the outer yellow robe
normally only worn for religious teachings, and walked slowly, heads down,
single file through the town, chanting the refuge prayer in Pali.
Buddham sharanam ghachamay/dhammam sharanam
gacchami/sangham sharanan gachhani/ahimsa ahimsa….
A reporter asked the monks why they were wearing the yellow robe. The monk
replied, "We are monks but we are also human beings. We are not immune to anger.
Wearing the yellow robe reminds us to subdue our negative emotions."
At an intersection, the monks met up with a few thousand demonstrators led by
angry young men with Tibetan flags draped around their shoulders, shouting
anti-Chinese slogans and punching their fists into the air. The monks kept
walking and chanting. At the point where the two groups met, the demonstrators
fell silent and stood aside to let the monks pass, forming two lines on either
side of the street. They brought their palms together at their hearts and bowed
their heads. Many began to cry. The monks kept walking and chanting.
Buddham sharanam ghachamay… After the
monks had passed, the demonstrators picked up their flags and placards and fell
in behind them chanting another slogan; “May I
become enlightened to end the suffering of all sentient beings.”
-Rebecca Novick, Executive Producer of The Tibet Connection
|
Photographs of 31 March 2008 Global Day of Action, Los Angeles The following photos were taken for The Tibet Connection, a monthly English language radio show about Tibet on the air and on the web, in front of the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles. Several representatives spoke out against the China's injustices against Tibetans, calling for investigations and for Doctors Without Borders and international media to be allowed into Tibet. |
 The
Chinese stand in solidarity with the Tibetans in demanding human rights in
Tibet. Chinese Consulate, Los Angeles, 31 March 2008, on a Global Day
for Justice, a day in which protesters around the world gathered to allow
their voices to be heard in a cry against injustice. |
 Tibetan
supporters protesting in front of the Chinese Consulate, 31 March 2008, a
Global Day for Action. |
 |
 |
 The
President of Los Angeles Friends of Tibet demands basic human rights for
Tibetans, as the Vietnamese stand in solidarity. The Vietnamese
demanded that China stop targeting their fishermen and invading their
waters. |
 Honoring
Tibetans who gave their lives by conducting a "die-in", with supporters
representing those who have been killed. |
 A
prayer for those who have died in Tibet during the "die-in" in front of the
Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles. |
 Honoring
Tibetans who gave their lives by conducting a "die-in", with supporters
representing those who have been killed. |
 Honoring
Tibetans who gave their lives by conducting a "die-in", with supporters
representing those who have been killed. |
 Armed
with only bullhorns while marching in front of the Chinese Consulate,
Tibetan supporters hope that their voices can be heard above the sound of
money and bureaucracy. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 Voices
of Tibetans echo against the walls of the Chinese Consulate, 31 March 31,
the Global Day for Action as protesters from all around the world gather to
demand human rights and justice. |
| See more photos of the historic April 2008 San Francisco Olympic torch protests in the Travels Section. |
|
INTERVIEW WITH AMERICAN WRITER WHO JOINED THE MARCH TO TIBET, PART 1
We hear from LEX PELGER an American on the March to Tibet immediately after the marchers were arrested.
INTERVIEW WITH AMERICAN WRITER WHO JOINED THE MARCH TO TIBET, PART 2 Lex Pelger on what happens when you put 85 Tibetan monks in an Indian jail... An interview about courage, international friendship, and how to break INTO an Indian jail...
Transcript of interview (Word
Document) Latest news: The Tibetan monks will be held in a
government hostel for two weeks and then be released. The hunger strike is
over. All the foreigners have returned to
Dharamsala, India. |
14 March 2008: Despite an information blackout,
photos of the demonstrations in Lhasa which have left numerous monks dead
still manage to make it through. Photo courtesy of France 24.
Update on a series of previous posts here on BB
about pro-Tibetan-independence protests in Lhasa: violence grew dramatically
today. Snip from report issued today by the US-government-funded news agency
RFA, which has correspondents on the ground in Tibet:
"We saw two dead at Ramoche temple, two in the garden, two at the Ganden
printing house, and those Tibetans who went to take food to prisoners in
Drapchi prison saw 26 Tibetans shot after they were brought in on a black
vehicle," one Tibetan witness said. "There could be about 80 dead, or more,
but there is too much commotion here to give an exact number."
"Several buildings owned by Chinese immigrants and Chinese Muslim immigrants
were set on fire," the witness said. "All those shops owned by Chinese were
ransacked and burned. Tibetan shop owners were told to mark their shops with
scarves."
Another source said Ramoche monastery, which has about 110 resident monks,
was badly damaged after Tibetans were found running in the area carrying
photos of the Dalai Lama and shouting "Independence for Tibet.'" - courtesy
of
BoingBoing
Buddhist monks and local people revolt to Chinese occupation and abuses of human rights.
March 10 Demonstrations, Chinese Embassy, New Delhi
The Tibet Connection team in India has filmed exclusive video footage of the
"illegal" March 10th 2007 demonstration and ensuing arrests of monks and Tibetan
Youth Congress members at the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi.
Statement
of Senator Barack Obama on the situation in Tibet
Chicago, IL | March 14, 2008
Chicago, IL -- "I am deeply disturbed by reports of a
crackdown and arrests ordered by Chinese authorities in
the wake of peaceful protests by Tibetan Buddhist monks.
I condemn the use of violence to put down peaceful
protests, and call on the Chinese government to respect
the basic human rights of the people of Tibet, and to
account for the whereabouts of detained Buddhist monks.
These events come on the 49th anniversary of the exile
of the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, the Dalai
Lama. They demonstrate the continuing frustration of the
Tibetan people at the way in which Beijing has ruled
Tibet. There has been an informal dialogue between
Chinese leaders and the Dalai Lama's representatives
over the past six years. It is good that they have been
talking, but China has thus far shown no flexibility on
the substance of those discussions. Indeed, it has
delayed in scheduling the latest round, despite the
willingness of the Tibetans to continue dialogue.
If Tibetans are to live in harmony with the rest of
China's people, their religion and culture must be
respected and protected. Tibet should enjoy genuine and
meaningful autonomy. The Dalai Lama should be invited to
visit China, as part of a process leading to his return.
This is the year of the Beijing Olympics. It represents
an opportunity for China to show the world what it has
accomplished in the last several decades. Those
accomplishments have been extraordinary and China's
people have a right to be proud of them, but the events
in Tibet these last few days unfortunately show a
different face of China. Now is the time for Beijing to
take steps that would change the image people have of
China later this year by changing the reality of how
they treat Tibet and Tibetans. Now is the time to
respect the human rights and religious freedom of the
people of Tibet."
IOC: Speak Up About the Tibet
Crisis!
The crackdown by Chinese authorities this week on peaceful protests by hundreds
of Tibetan monks and nuns has demonstrated China's complete disregard for
international human rights norms. After years of repressive policies and
repeated denunciations of the Dalai Lama, China's violent response has triggered
the desperation felt by Tibetans and led to widespread protests in Lhasa and
throughout Amdo province (present-day Qinghai and Gansu provinces). In Lhasa on
Friday, police fired live ammunition into the crowd of protesters and
unconfirmed reports place the number of dead at at least 100.
These are not the actions of a responsible Olympic host country.
The International Olympic Committee's continued silence about Tibet will only
embolden China to crack down harder on Tibetans. Urge the IOC to remove Tibet
from the Olympic Torch Relay route now and to speak up publicly about the
situation in Tibet.
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/tibet_IOC
| See more photos of the historic April 2008 San Francisco Olympic torch protests in the Travels Section. |
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