http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=83285&videoChannel=79

Tsering, a monk living in exile in Dharamsala, India, received a static-filled call from Tibet at 10:30 at night on May 15th. On the other end was a monk from Kirti Monastery in Sichuan, the province where the recent devastating earthquake has taken tens of thousands of lives.The monk told Tsering that the monastic community had requested the Chinese authorities to allow them to perform prayers for the Chinese people affected by the disaster.Since March 6th, Kirti monastery in Tibet has been surrounded by Chinese security forces. The local community have not been allowed access, after large public demonstrations were held there that resulted in mass arrests. For a few days, Kirti became a temporary morgue for fifteen Tibetans who eye witnesses claim were shot and killed by Chinese police while protesting non-violently.Since that time, the monks of Kirti have not been allowed to conduct their usual Buddhist rituals, but on May 15th, they received special permission from the local Chinese authorities to make an exception. The monks began the day with a prayer offering ceremony for the Chinese quake victims, and collected cash donations from the monks. They also wrote letters of condolences to the bereaved families.

The monks of Kirti Monastery, located in the Amdo region of the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, conveyed the following message to the Chinese people.

–As monks of a Buddhist Monastery, we unwaveringly follow the nonviolent path shown by Buddha and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. We practice the Buddhist teachings of loving compassion to all sentient beings. We are all one human family. Therefore the monks of Kirti monastery offer their prayers to the Chinese victims of this disaster.

–We want our Chinese brothers and sisters to know that we Tibetans are not against them as the Government has tried to claim through the state run television after the March 14 unrest in Lhasa. This has been creating a rift and hostility between Tibetans and Chinese. The monks from Kirti monastery confidently represent the Tibetans by clarifying that the Tibetans are against the unjust policies of the People’s Republic of China and not against the Chinese people themselves.

–We wish to express to the Chinese people that we have never harbored any anger towards them. Our only wish is to find a solution to the Tibet issue. Tibetans and Chinese have a deep history of cultural relationships, and it’s a fact that Tibetans and Chinese have to live side by side. Therefore, we urge the Chinese people to join us to try to find a solution that will allow us to remain friends rather than enemies.

That solution may seem presently out of reach, but it’s sentiments like these that could bring it closer.

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