 |
|
Readers' comments
Please send comments to:
* * *
Regarding Bush and the Dalai Lama: On the morning following the gold medal ceremony, I went to a talk that His Holiness gave at the Park Hyatt Hotel in Washington. In his talk, His Holiness discussed the phenomenon of Bush-bashing: the fact that so many people seem to just reflexively hate the guy, no matter what he does. His Holiness described Bush as a "direct" and "sincere" man and said, "Actually, I love him!"
Of course, bodhisattvas "love" everybody, but this seemed to me to be a particular and deliberate statement of respect.
More and more, I find myself questioning whether partisan political point-scoring, whether from the left or the right, is anything more than the play of the eight worldly dharmas.
- Rick Finney
* * *
Dear Mr. Finney,
One thing is Tibetan realpolitik and another thing is to call a war criminal a war criminal. That does not necessarily imply hatred
for that person.
sincerely,
Josef Ortner
|
His Holiness the Dalai Lama
receives the US Congressional Gold Medal
A View from Kathmandu
by Clarke Warren
October 17 was a remarkable day for Tibetans around the world, and marked a decisive victory for Basic Goodness in a turbulent world. No doubt in Tibet, the sheer joy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama being presented with the US Congressional Gold Medal was kept strictly internal and hushed in the shadow of continuing brutal repression by the Chinese. But in the refugee world of Tibet, where I live, there was unbridled celebration and joy.
My wife Penpa Dolma and I were in Kathmandu for the event. We viewed the presentation of the Gold Medal live via satellite TV on a huge outdoor screen, at a celebratory party at Norling, a Tibetan resort on the fringe of Kathmandu. Hundreds of Tibetans were in attendance. That day and the next, there were also dozens of other major cultural events and celebrations occurring all over Nepal and India, and the world I am sure. In Dharamsala alone, there were 59 celebrations. Where we were at the Norling Resort, the earlier evening was given over to speeches, traditional cultural dances and performances, and more contemporary pop performances by Tibetan musicians. Then around 10 or 11 PM, the live broadcast flashed on. There was a great hush when the broadcast began, all hands were folded in devotion toward the image of the His Holiness there in the US capitol, then people began tossing white scarves forward into the air over the crowds toward to screen. Most of the crowd was crying at one point or another. My wife was clutching my hand and weeping. As the speeches and tributes proceeded, people hung on every word. (Ironically perhaps, His Holiness' and all other speeches were translated from English into Tibetan). Then when the actual presentation of the medal took place, there were unbridled great shouts of joy. Ki ki So So, Lha GyaL Lo!!
It's hard to convey what this event meant for Tibetans. It was on the personal and social levels deeply and viscerally emotional, and it was historically potent, spiritually stirring, and culturally triumphant. To say the least, it was not only a deeply moving international tribute to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, but also a fundamental affirmation of Tibetan culture and identity, and of human decency as a whole.
The presentation and event were also, of course, a decisive counter to the arrogance and massive denial of the Chinese Govt. with regard to their invasion, genocide and colonization of Tibet. And of course, the presentation included a strong call for the Chinese Govt. to invite His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Beijing for substantive discussions toward resolving the "question of Tibet". It will be hard to regard the Beijing Olympics as anything less than absurdly inappropriate after this. Unless the Chinese Govt. can overcome their pathological fear of one simple man dedicated to peace and Tibetan/Buddhist culture, and take a different approach to the matter.
(Now, of course, if the US Govt. can, in turn, pay like tribute, acknowledgement of massive human rights abuses, and promises of aide to Native Americans, they may gain more internal credibility!)
Some young Americans here in Nepal thought it was unfortunate His Holiness the Dalai Lama received the Congressional Gold Medal in the company of George Bush...the two sitting together, one man firmly dedicated to peace, the other to war. But I regarded it as monumentally great! As did all Tibetans here. There are many times in history when powerful and savage warmongers converted to peaceful approaches and polity after meeting and being profoundly affected by great Buddhist teachers. These events affected human and Buddhist history in a seminal way. Starting with Ashoka in 250BC India, then again with Songtsen Gampo in Tibet in the 7th century, such conversions were crucial turnings in human events and history, and there are many more examples. What would have happened if these Buddhist figures had declined to meet and work with these powerful leaders due to some distorted, self-serving ideal of political correctness? What do these few American people think, that the Dalai Lama should only hang around parties with peaceniks? Polarization will not help anyone, and certainly His Holiness is acting as a great Bodhisattva, not a political partisan.
Even if President Bush does not convert to Buddhism, which of course is almost totally improbable (never give up a modicum of possibility!), the exposure can only be helpful, and perhaps extensively helpful. The compassion of the Dalai Lama has penetrated somewhere into President Bush's being. Who can read the more profound and subtle implications of such a meeting? If we regard the past, there could well be powerful ripples stemming from this event, which have the potential to alter history in the short or long run. At the very least, the event was a tidal wave of Lungta and a very significant encouragement for Tibetans and the world-at-large!
His own Christian Right cannot be too happy with Bush and the US Congress! After all, not even Billy Graham received the Congressional Gold Medal...or the Nobel Peace Prize for that matter! And there he was, the idol of the Christian Right, paying homage and obeisance to a Buddhist monk! For the more open-minded, perhaps this was an incitement toward future non-sectarian cooperation. Now many more Americans know who the Dalai Lama is, and how living Buddhism can be embodied.
This event was a remarkable feat of auspiciousness and goodness, and an event of superlative dignity and fearlessness. Not only was I deeply affected as a Buddhist and as a close associate with Tibetan culture, but I was even proud of my own country, the USA...something I have not felt in a very long time!
Clarke Warren
Kathmandu, Nepal
November 6, 2007
Comments
Please send comments to:
|
