ΦΙΛΟΙ ΤΟΥ ΘΙΒΕΤ

"FRIENDS OF TIBET",

We believe that with everybody's help we will be able to save many elements of an ancient civilization and culture, whose philosophy shares common grounds with ancient Greek philosophy. So, the idea for the 1st Pan-European Festival for Tibetan Culture was born, based on the presentation of the day-to-day life of Tibetans expressed through fine arts.

November 27, 2011

NEW BOOK RELEASE

Filed under: Uncategorized — marina @ 2:36 pm

Tibet: A Journey-Eine Reise (Volume 1)

by AMAZON.COM

You can order it online! NICE X-MAS PRESENT!!!

September 24, 2011

Statement of His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, on the Issue of His Reincarnation

Filed under: Uncategorized — marina @ 3:01 pm

24  September 2011

Introduction

My fellow Tibetans, both in and outside Tibet, all those who follow the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, and everyone who has a connection to Tibet and Tibetans: due to the foresight of our ancient kings, ministers and scholar-adepts, the complete teaching of the Buddha, comprising the scriptural and experiential teachings of the Three Vehicles and the Four Sets of Tantra and their related subjects and disciplines flourished widely in the Land of Snow. Tibet has served as a source of Buddhist and related cultural traditions for the world. In particular, it has contributed significantly to the happiness of countless beings in Asia, including those in China, Tibet and Mongolia.

In the course of upholding the Buddhist tradition in Tibet, we evolved a unique Tibetan tradition of recognizing the reincarnations of scholar-adepts that has been of immense help to both the Dharma and sentient beings, particularly to the monastic community.

Since the omniscient Gedun Gyatso was recognized and confirmed as the reincarnation of Gedun Drub in the fifteenth century and the Gaden Phodrang Labrang (the Dalai Lama’s institution) was established, successive reincarnations have been recognized. The third in the line, Sonam Gyatso, was given the title of the Dalai Lama. The Fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso, established the Gaden Phodrang Government in 1642, becoming the spiritual and political head of Tibet. For more than 600 years since Gedun Drub, a series of unmistaken reincarnations has been recognised in the lineage of the Dalai Lama.

The Dalai Lamas have functioned as both the political and spiritual leaders of Tibet for 369 years since 1642. I have now voluntarily brought this to an end, proud and satisfied that we can pursue the kind of democratic system of government flourishing elsewhere in the world. In fact, as far back as 1969, I made clear that concerned people should decide whether the Dalai Lama’s reincarnations should continue in the future. However, in the absence of clear guidelines, should the concerned public express a strong wish for the Dalai Lamas to continue, there is an obvious risk of vested political interests misusing the reincarnation system to fulfil their own political agenda. Therefore, while I remain physically and mentally fit, it seems important to me that we draw up clear guidelines to recognise the next Dalai Lama, so that there is no room for doubt or deception. For these guidelines to be fully comprehensible, it is essential to understand the system of Tulku recognition and the basic concepts behind it. Therefore, I shall briefly explain them below.

Past and future lives

In order to accept reincarnation or the reality of Tulkus, we need to accept the existence of past and future lives. Sentient beings come to this present life from their previous lives and take rebirth again after death. This kind of continuous rebirth is accepted by all the ancient Indian spiritual traditions and schools of philosophy, except the Charvakas, who were a materialist movement. Some modern thinkers deny past and future lives on the premise that we cannot see them. Others do not draw such clear cut conclusions on this basis. (more…)

August 24, 2011

GET TO KNOW TIBET

Filed under: Uncategorized — marina @ 8:58 am

www.tibetanwildyakadventures.com

recommended Guides

August 23, 2011

Please watch and share for the sake of Humanity

Filed under: Uncategorized — marina @ 12:42 pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDXZ-YZF6Jc

April 16, 2011

APPEAL BY HH THE DALAI LAMA

Filed under: News — marina @ 7:24 am

APPEAL

 

The current situation prevailing at Kirti Monastery in Ngaba in

northeastern Tibet is extremely grim because of the stand-off between the

Chinese military forces and the local Tibetans. The monastery, housing

approximately 2500 monks, is completely surrounded by Chinese armed

forces, who at one point prevented vital food and other supplies from

entering the monastic compound.

 

The local Tibetans fearing that this siege on Kirti Monastery is a prelude

to large scale detention of the monks have surrounded the soldiers

blockading the monastery and have filled the roads so as to prevent

Chinese trucks and vehicles either entering or leaving Kirti.

 

The local Chinese blockade of Kirti Monastery began on 16 March 2011, when

a young Tibetan monk at the monastery tragically set himself on fire as a

way of observing the third anniversary of the widespread peaceful protests

that shook Tibet in 2008. Instead of putting out the flames, the police

beat the young monk which was one of the causes of his tragic death. This

act created huge resentment among the monks, which resulted in this

massive blockade of Kirti Monastery.

 

I am very concerned that this situation if allowed to go on may become

explosive with catastrophic consequences for the Tibetans in Ngaba.

 

In view of this I urge both the monks and the lay Tibetans of the area not

to do anything that might be used as a pretext by the local authorities to

massively crackdown on them.

 

I also strongly urge the international community, the governments around

the world, and the international non-governmental organizations, to

persuade the Chinese leadership to exercise restraint in handling this

situation.

 

For the past six decades, using force as the principle means in dealing

with the problems in Tibet has only deepened the grievances and resentment

of the Tibetan people. I, therefore, appeal to the Chinese leadership to

adopt a realistic approach and to address the genuine grievances of the

Tibetans with courage and wisdom and to restrain from using force in

handling this situation.

 

The Dalai Lama

 

April 15, 2011

March 30, 2011

EASTER MARKET

Filed under: Uncategorized — marina @ 9:43 am


 

Buy your presents on our EASTER MARKET.

We can help you find so many different original items

to make your beloved ones happy.

 

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March 22, 2011

His Holiness on His Retirement

Filed under: Uncategorized — marina @ 10:16 am
After coming into exile, I have made sincere efforts to establish a
democratic system of governance in the last more than 30 years. The
Tibetans in exile say “our democracy is a gift from His Holiness
the Dalai Lama.” Ten years ago, the system of electing Kalon Tripa
through democratic elections was introduced rather than nomination
of the candidate by the Dalai Lama, which was not correct. Since
the direct election of Kalon Tripa, the system of the institution
of Gaden Phodrang of the Dalai Lama as both the spiritual and
temporal authority has ended. Since then I described myself as in
semi-retired position. (more…)

March 13, 2011

THE BUDDHA AND HIS CHILDREN

Filed under: Uncategorized — marina @ 8:45 am
Times of India | Mar 13, 2011Tenzin Tsundue

Once, in the 1970s, when the Tibetan exile government in Dharamsala had only one telephone, a secretary called the Dalai Lama’s office which was two kilometers uphill on the ridge of McLeod Ganj. The secretary called the Dalai Lama’s PA, Lama Tara la. The voice on the other end said the PA was not in his office and asked if he could take a message. On enquiring who was on the line the voice said “Tenzin Gyatso”. No one of that name worked in that office. So the secretary asked “Tenzin Gyatso who?’’ It was then that the secretary’s tubelight blinked. He was talking to the Dalai Lama himself. He immediately hung up. Tibetans love making jokes about government officials. Over the years people spiced up the story by saying the secretary knelt down and offered three prostrations to the telephone.

When we meet Chinese activists and intellectuals, our debates are contradictory on almost all historical narratives. But about the origins of the Dalai Lama there are no two stories. In 1578, the grandson of Genghis Khan, Altan Khan, invited Tibet’s spiritual leader, the incarnate lama Sonam Gyatso, to Mongolia and gave him the title ‘Talé Lama’ meaning ‘Ocean of Wisdom’  – now anglicized as ‘Dalai Lama’. His two predecessors were posthumously named the First and Second ‘Talé Lamas’. The Fourth, Yonten Gyatso, was a Mongolian. And Altan Khan’s son, Gushri Khan, using his sweeping military might, helped the Great Fifth Lobsang Gyatso and installed him as the ruler over all Tibet. Since then the Dalai Lamas have been our spiritual and political leaders. (more…)

February 27, 2011

The Karmapa case: Lies, plants and damage control

Filed under: News — marina @ 12:39 pm

Sudip Mazumdar  | 2011-02-27 12:40:00

Now that Ogyen Trinley Dorje, better known as the 17th Karmapa, has been cleared of money-laundering charges by the Indian government, it is in order to take a look at the inept handling of a matter of great national importance and religious sensitivity.

But first a recap: A random police check on a car carrying Indian rupees worth a little over

$200,000 on Jan 26 led to a series of raids on the 25-year-old Karmapa’s shelter in exile. His modest living quarters in the Gyuto Tantric monastery in the sleepy village of Sidhbari in Himachal Pradesh yielded cash worth over $1 million in some 20 foreign currencies, including about 10 per cent of the total amount in Chinese yuan.

Lower level police officials and unidentified sources quickly fed gullible reporters with charges ranging from the Karmapa being a Chinese ‘mole’ sent to India to spread Chinese influence in Himalayan border states to money-laundering to shady land deals. Few bothered to check with the Karmapa’s aides before repeating the serious charges. Some media outlets aired blatant lies such as Chinese SIM cards having been found in his monastery and that he had visited Hong Kong and met Chinese officials there. (more…)

February 1, 2011

Karmapa, Chinese spy!, music to the ears of Communist China.

Filed under: News — marina @ 10:10 am


By Jamyang Dorjee

The recent police raids conducted at Karmapa’s residence in Dharamsala with media that led to recovery of international currencies including Chinese currency and subsequent accusation by the media, particularly some television channels of him being a Chinese spy and money laundering is most unfortunate and seemed pre planned. As the spokesperson for  Karmapa Mr Karma Toden, former MP Rajya Sabha rightly said in his press conference” the very flight of Karmapa to India ten year back gained international media coverage and exposed China’s misrule in Tibet ,which could not have been work of Chinese spy”. Generally, malicious attacks on defaming the institution of spiritual masters like Shankracharya and Swami Ram Dev and others in India have been the modern day trend of so called secular media

His Holiness Karmapa, the Head of the Kagyupa sect of Tibetan Buddhism, has millions of followers around the world including those from the Chinese who come to visit him in hundreds every day. Ever since he came to India, every visitor who comes to meet him undergoes a strict security drill. Every one of the visitor is registered and frisked by the security officials and the itinerary of his tours outside Dharamsala is undertaken with prior approval of the external affairs ministry, Government of India. He has no freedom to move freely as he wishes and meet guests without the knowledge of the security agencies.

In accordance with Buddhist tradition, devotees  offer money in their own currency – be it an Indian, an American, European or a Chinese at any given time of the day. Hence it would be ridiculous to charge any religious head of being a spy simply because his disciples offer him Chinese currency. The offerings were made in the presence of security agencies and will continue to happen unless the Government of India opens a foreign exchange counter at his office and makes it mandatory for every disciple to exchange and offer in Indian currency. Yes, it is a fact that the staff should have acted according to the law of the land and promptly deposited the money to the trust account without accumulating. This was a total administrative failure and trying to link this to unfound issues and defame an institution is misleading and disinformation.

Karmapa left behind his monastery, one of the richest in Tibet, his dear parents and close disciples to come to the land of his Guru and not to be a subject of humiliation like this. Even after 11 years in India, he is not allowed to visit Rumtek, his main seat in Sikkim or buy land and built a new monastery to be called his own in Himachal Pradesh and is still staying in a monastery that does not belong to his sect. Yet even at this young age, he inherited a responsibly to logistically support thousands of his monks and nuns in various monasteries in India and Nepal including his main monastery in Sikkim. These monasteries neither have trees where money is grown nor received any kind of Central or state Government funds to meet daily expenses of for food, clothing and studies. They are dependent on their Lamas. Personally Karmapa does not have even a pocket on his saffron robe.

Ever since Tibetans came to exile 60 years back, with all the money and power, China could not win the heart of a single Tibetan who will spy for them with a design to hurt India’s security and that includes His Holiness Karmapa. On the almost all the of six million Tibetans in Tibet turn their heart towards India where their ultimate refuge (soul ) His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Karmapa and others live. Off course the Chinese have every reason to suspect Tibetans but why India? Many Tibetans who studied in India and returned back to Tibet are today languishing in Chinese jails for their crime of studying in India.  In India, many Tibetans have laid their life from the hills of Kargil to the plains of Bangladesh for the security of their adopted motherland, outside of the media glare for security reasons. Tibetan youths continue to serve in the Indian army with dedication.

 

When Over 50,000 people gathered on September 26, 2010 in the peaceful Himalayan state of Sikkim and organize rally to urge the Government of India to lift travel restrictions so the Karmapa can come home, why were the media not excited then as today to highlight the sentiments of his disciples?. The Karmapa  lineage’s relations with the Sikkimese people date back to the time of the 12th Karmapa, Changchub Dorji  (1703–1732). It is time that media understand the depth of the rich Buddhist Sangha tradition in general and particularly the true sentiments of the disciples instead of hurting them by throwing grossly speculative and baseless accusations.  Karmapa is neither a spy of any country nor a magician to perform tricks as challenged by one of the claimant of the Rumtek throne from time to time. He is an institution that embodies 900 years old legacy of Kagyu tradition of compassion and peace. Such accusations will be music to the ears of Communist Chinese authority and I wish our media be little mindful of playing such music.

The writer is an editorial consultant to Radio Free Asia, Washington DC and the Asia Regional Coordinator of the Conservancy of Tibetan Art and Culture, an international NGO.