High Peaks Pure Earth has updated the Summer 2011 reading list to create the Winter 2011 reading list!
With these reading lists, High Peaks Pure Earth suggests books for those interested in Tibet and particularly in Tibetan literature in translation. Click on the links below the photos to see the books on Amazon.
If you have read any of these books, leave a comment or short review... if you have any of your own recommendations, please let us know!
Showing posts with label translations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label translations. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
High Peaks Pure Earth Summer 2011 Reading List
High Peaks Pure Earth has updated the Winter 2010 reading list to create the Summer 2011 reading list!
With these reading lists, High Peaks Pure Earth suggests books for those interested in Tibet and particularly in Tibetan literature in translation. Click on the links below the photos to see the books on Amazon.
If you have read any of these books, leave a comment or short review... if you have any of your own recommendations, please let us know!
Read Full Post>>>
With these reading lists, High Peaks Pure Earth suggests books for those interested in Tibet and particularly in Tibetan literature in translation. Click on the links below the photos to see the books on Amazon.
If you have read any of these books, leave a comment or short review... if you have any of your own recommendations, please let us know!
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
High Peaks Pure Earth Winter 2010 Reading List
High Peaks Pure Earth has updated the Summer holiday reading list to create the Winter 2010 reading list! We first started this reading list last year and have received positive feedback and also some suggestions.
With these reading lists, High Peaks Pure Earth recommends books for those interested in Tibet and particularly in Tibetan literature in translation. Click on the links below to see the books on Amazon.
If you have read any of these books, leave a comment or short review...if you have any of your own recommendations, please let us know!
Read Full Post>>>
With these reading lists, High Peaks Pure Earth recommends books for those interested in Tibet and particularly in Tibetan literature in translation. Click on the links below to see the books on Amazon.
If you have read any of these books, leave a comment or short review...if you have any of your own recommendations, please let us know!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Harry Potter Returns to Tibet!
Back in October 2008, we here at High Peaks Pure Earth wrote a blogpost about the first Harry Potter book, "Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone" that had been translated into Tibetan (via Chinese) by Norkyil Buchung Gyal (ནོར་དཀྱིལ་བུཆུངརྒྱལ་ Nor dkyil Bu chung rgyal).
It's been over two years since we wrote that blogpost but we have constantly received emails enquiring after the book and how to get hold of it outside of Tibet and China. It has also remained a popular blogpost of ours, despite not being that new.
Read Full Post>>>
It's been over two years since we wrote that blogpost but we have constantly received emails enquiring after the book and how to get hold of it outside of Tibet and China. It has also remained a popular blogpost of ours, despite not being that new.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
High Peaks Pure Earth Summer 2010 Reading List
High Peaks Pure Earth has updated the Winter holiday reading list to create the Summer 2010 reading list!
With these reading lists, High Peaks Pure Earth recommends books for those interested in Tibet and particularly in Tibetan literature in translation. Click on the links below to see the books on Amazon.
If you have read any of these books, leave a comment or short review...if you have any of your own recommendations, please let us know!
Read Full Post>>>
With these reading lists, High Peaks Pure Earth recommends books for those interested in Tibet and particularly in Tibetan literature in translation. Click on the links below to see the books on Amazon.
If you have read any of these books, leave a comment or short review...if you have any of your own recommendations, please let us know!
Saturday, December 26, 2009
High Peaks Pure Earth Holiday Reading List
With our busy lives, the approaching holiday season is usually a good time to catch up on reading. In the cold winter months, High Peaks Pure Earth recommends some books for those interested in Tibet and particularly in Tibetan literature in translation. Click on the links to see the books on Amazon.
On Tibet and Tibetan literature:
The Struggle for Tibet by Wang Lixiong and Tsering Shakya
Published in November 2009 by Verso Books, "The Struggle for Tibet" features two leading Chinese and Tibetan intellectuals in a landmark exchange of views. Additionally, Wang and Shakya each offer their analyses of the 2008 events in Tibet.
Tibet's Last Stand?: The Tibetan Uprising of 2008 and China's Response by Warren W. Smith
Published in November 2009 by Rowman and Littlefield, "Tibet's Last Stand?" is the first book-length analysis of the 2008 Tibetan protests.
"Murder in the High Himalaya" by Jonathan Green
Published by Public Affairs in June 2010, "Murder in the High Himalaya" tells the true story of two young Tibetan women who decided in August 2006 to escape Chinese rule in Tibet and flee to Dharamsala, India. Through a secretive underground network of Tibetan guides, the two friends, along with four dozen other refugees, embarked on a perilous journey that would lead them to Nepal along a dangerous former trade route: the Nangpa La Path, through Cho Oyu Mountain. On September 30, 2006, after weeks of harrowing travel, as they were nearing the border of Nepal, the band of refugees was fired at by the Chinese Army Guards. Kelsang, sick, frost-bitten, and delirious in the high altitude was struck by a bullet from behind. This event was witnessed by a group of Western mountain climbers including Sergui Matei, a Romanian hiker, who captured Kelsang's murder on video.
The murder of a young Tibetan nun by the hands of Chinese border guards at the rooftop of the world offers a unique parable for the tale of modern Tibet. Read an extract that was published in the Daily Mail in the UK here.
Tibetan Poetry in Translation:
Tibet's True Heart: Selected Poems by Woeser, Translated by A.E Clark
Published in 2008 by Ragged Banner Press, "Tibet's True Heart" is the first collection of poetry in a single volume by Woeser in English. Sample poems from the volume can be read on the website of Ragged Banner and the High Peaks Pure Earth review of the volume can be read here.
In the Forest of Faded Wisdom: 104 Poems by Gendun Chopel, Translated by Donald S. Lopez Jr.
Published in November 2009 by University of Chicago Press, "In the Forest of Faded Wisdom" is a collection of new translations of poetry by Gendun Chopel from Tibetan into English. Gendun Chopel wrote poetry throughout his life and this volume is a good introduction to one of Tibet's foremost twentieth-century cultural figures.
Tales of Tibet: Sky Burials, Wind Horses and Prayer Wheels by Herbert Batt (ed.)
Published in July 2001 by Rowman And Littlefield, "Tales of Tibet" brings together fiction on Tibet in translation by Tibetan and Chinese writers such as Tashi Dawa and Alai.
Song of the Snow Lion: New Writing from Tibet (Manoa 12:2) by Frank Stewart (ed.)
Published in October 2000 by University of Hawaii Press, "Song of the Snow Lion" features fiction, poetry and essays from Tibet and an overview essay by guest co-editor Tsering Shakya.
Biography / Autobiography:
Jesuit on the Roof of the World: Ippolito Desideri's Mission to Tibet by Trent Pomplin
Published in October 2009 in USA and to be published in January 2010 in UK by Oxford University Press, "Jesuit on the Roof of the World" is the first full-length study in any language of Ippolito Desideri (1684-1733), a Jesuit explorer and missionary who travelled in Tibet from 1715 to 1721.
Although not a work of translation, High Peaks Pure Earth recommends this first piece of fiction by Thubten Samphel (born in Tibet, educated in India) that was published in early 2009 by Rupa & Co and focuses on a group of Tibetan students at Delhi University. Following on from Tsewang Pemba's 1966 work Idols on the Path
and Jamyang Norbu's The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes: The Missing Years
published in 2002, Samphel is the third exile Tibetan to tackle the novel form in English. Read a review of "Falling Through the Roof" from Himal magazine on the website TibetWrites.
Read Full Post>>>
On Tibet and Tibetan literature:
Published in June 2008 by Duke University Press, "Modern Tibetan Literature and Social Change" provides an overview of modern Tibetan literature (literature from the last 30 years). This collection of essays brings together fourteen Tibetan literary scholars who examine the literary output of Tibetan authors writing in Tibetan, Chinese, and English, both inside and outside Tibet.
Published in June 2009 by Columbia University Press, "The Culture of the Book in Tibet" is the first volume to trace the singular history of the book in Tibetan culture as material, intellectual and symbolic object.
The Struggle for Tibet by Wang Lixiong and Tsering Shakya
Published in November 2009 by Verso Books, "The Struggle for Tibet" features two leading Chinese and Tibetan intellectuals in a landmark exchange of views. Additionally, Wang and Shakya each offer their analyses of the 2008 events in Tibet.
Tibet's Last Stand?: The Tibetan Uprising of 2008 and China's Response by Warren W. Smith
Published in November 2009 by Rowman and Littlefield, "Tibet's Last Stand?" is the first book-length analysis of the 2008 Tibetan protests.
One Hundred Thousand Moons: An Advanced Political History of Tibet by Tsepon Wangchuk Deden Shakabpa
Published by Brill's Tibetan Studies Library in November 2009, this is the much awaited English edition of Shakabpa's two volume history book originally written in Tibetan and translated and annotated by Derek F. Maher.
Published in October 2009 by University of Washington Press, "Sky Train: Tibetan Women on the Edge of History" combines personal narrative with modern Tibetan history based on the perspective of Tibetan women. The author travelled in Tibet in 2007 and interviewed Tibetan women from all walks of life both inside and outside Tibet.
Authenticating Tibet: Answers to China's 100 Questions by Anne-Marie Blondeau and Katia Buffetrille
Published in March 2008 by University of California Press, "Authenticating Tibet" collects balanced responses by international scholars to 100 Questions about Tibet and the Dalai Lama that provide an accurate, historically based assessment of Tibet's past and present.
Authenticating Tibet: Answers to China's 100 Questions by Anne-Marie Blondeau and Katia Buffetrille
Published in March 2008 by University of California Press, "Authenticating Tibet" collects balanced responses by international scholars to 100 Questions about Tibet and the Dalai Lama that provide an accurate, historically based assessment of Tibet's past and present.
Published by International Campaign for Tibet and launched in October 2009 at the Frankfurt International Book Fair, "Like Gold that Fears no Fire" is a new collection of writings by Tibetans inside Tibet and opens with an original article by Woeser. The publication can be downloaded from this page on the ICT website.
Published by Public Affairs in June 2010, "Murder in the High Himalaya" tells the true story of two young Tibetan women who decided in August 2006 to escape Chinese rule in Tibet and flee to Dharamsala, India. Through a secretive underground network of Tibetan guides, the two friends, along with four dozen other refugees, embarked on a perilous journey that would lead them to Nepal along a dangerous former trade route: the Nangpa La Path, through Cho Oyu Mountain. On September 30, 2006, after weeks of harrowing travel, as they were nearing the border of Nepal, the band of refugees was fired at by the Chinese Army Guards. Kelsang, sick, frost-bitten, and delirious in the high altitude was struck by a bullet from behind. This event was witnessed by a group of Western mountain climbers including Sergui Matei, a Romanian hiker, who captured Kelsang's murder on video.
The murder of a young Tibetan nun by the hands of Chinese border guards at the rooftop of the world offers a unique parable for the tale of modern Tibet. Read an extract that was published in the Daily Mail in the UK here.
Tibetan Poetry in Translation:
Tibet's True Heart: Selected Poems by Woeser, Translated by A.E Clark
Published in 2008 by Ragged Banner Press, "Tibet's True Heart" is the first collection of poetry in a single volume by Woeser in English. Sample poems from the volume can be read on the website of Ragged Banner and the High Peaks Pure Earth review of the volume can be read here.
In the Forest of Faded Wisdom: 104 Poems by Gendun Chopel, Translated by Donald S. Lopez Jr.
Published in November 2009 by University of Chicago Press, "In the Forest of Faded Wisdom" is a collection of new translations of poetry by Gendun Chopel from Tibetan into English. Gendun Chopel wrote poetry throughout his life and this volume is a good introduction to one of Tibet's foremost twentieth-century cultural figures.
Tibetan Literature in Translation:
Tales of Tibet: Sky Burials, Wind Horses and Prayer Wheels by Herbert Batt (ed.)
Published in July 2001 by Rowman And Littlefield, "Tales of Tibet" brings together fiction on Tibet in translation by Tibetan and Chinese writers such as Tashi Dawa and Alai.
Published in November 2000 by Paljor Publications, this volume of short stories is still one of the few publications that offer English translations of work by Tibetan writers such as Dhondup Gyal, Tenpa Yargya and Tashi Palden.
Song of the Snow Lion: New Writing from Tibet (Manoa 12:2) by Frank Stewart (ed.)
Published in October 2000 by University of Hawaii Press, "Song of the Snow Lion" features fiction, poetry and essays from Tibet and an overview essay by guest co-editor Tsering Shakya.
Biography / Autobiography:
Jesuit on the Roof of the World: Ippolito Desideri's Mission to Tibet by Trent Pomplin
Published in October 2009 in USA and to be published in January 2010 in UK by Oxford University Press, "Jesuit on the Roof of the World" is the first full-length study in any language of Ippolito Desideri (1684-1733), a Jesuit explorer and missionary who travelled in Tibet from 1715 to 1721.
Published in February 2008 by Columbia University Press, Khetsun's autobiography was translated into English by Matthew Akester. In his book, Khetsun describes everyday life in Lhasa after 1959 based on his personal experiences firstly in prison and labour camps and then later during the launch of the Cultural Revolution. The book also contains several photographs taken by Woeser's father, Tsering Dorjee, during the Cultural Revolution in Tibet.
Surviving the Dragon: A Tibetan Lama's Account of 40 Years Under Chinese Rule by Arjia Rinpoche
Published in March 2010 by Rodale Books, Surviving the Dragon is the life story of Arjia Rinpoche. At age two, Arjia Rinpoche was recognised as the incarnation of the founder of the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism and was made the abbot of Kumbum Monastery. He relates witnessing the torture and arrest of his monastic family as a young boy. In the years to come he managed to survive under harsh Communist rule, as he was forced into hard labour and had to endure public humiliation as part of Mao's Communist "reeducation".
After the death of Mao he rose to prominence within the Chinese Buddhist bureaucracy with the help of the Panchen Lama. In doing so, he was coerced into publically supporting China's increasingly anti-Tibet agenda, including taking part in carefully orchestrated rituals engineered to undermine the authority of the Dalai Lama. Spiritually and morally depleted, Rinpoche eventually escaped and now lives in America. Read an extract from the book here.
Tibetan Fiction in English:
Falling Through the Roof by Thubten Samphel
Surviving the Dragon: A Tibetan Lama's Account of 40 Years Under Chinese Rule by Arjia Rinpoche
Published in March 2010 by Rodale Books, Surviving the Dragon is the life story of Arjia Rinpoche. At age two, Arjia Rinpoche was recognised as the incarnation of the founder of the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism and was made the abbot of Kumbum Monastery. He relates witnessing the torture and arrest of his monastic family as a young boy. In the years to come he managed to survive under harsh Communist rule, as he was forced into hard labour and had to endure public humiliation as part of Mao's Communist "reeducation".
After the death of Mao he rose to prominence within the Chinese Buddhist bureaucracy with the help of the Panchen Lama. In doing so, he was coerced into publically supporting China's increasingly anti-Tibet agenda, including taking part in carefully orchestrated rituals engineered to undermine the authority of the Dalai Lama. Spiritually and morally depleted, Rinpoche eventually escaped and now lives in America. Read an extract from the book here.
Tibetan Fiction in English:
Although not a work of translation, High Peaks Pure Earth recommends this first piece of fiction by Thubten Samphel (born in Tibet, educated in India) that was published in early 2009 by Rupa & Co and focuses on a group of Tibetan students at Delhi University. Following on from Tsewang Pemba's 1966 work Idols on the Path
and Jamyang Norbu's The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes: The Missing Years published in 2002, Samphel is the third exile Tibetan to tackle the novel form in English. Read a review of "Falling Through the Roof" from Himal magazine on the website TibetWrites.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Curb on Tibetan Language Blogposts?
High Peaks Pure Earth has noticed that the main Tibetan language blog sites haven’t been updated since 30th January 2009, including the blog site www.tibetabc.cn which hosts blogs from many well-known writers and artists from Tibet. It can’t be a coincidence that none of them have updated since the same day.
The Tibetan language forum Tibet Youth is still active, as is the blog site mchod me, but both sites carry a notice from the webmaster urging netizens not to post any illegal or political messages.
However, High Peaks Pure Earth has found and translated this post from someone calling himself, Red Face, Youth of Snowland (gDong dmar gang ri gzhon nu) that was posted on 9th Febuary 2009.
Tibet, our land of snows
Chain around the neck,
Hands cuffed with iron rope
Death and Suffering,
Tibet, our land of snows
Door of death opened,
Submerged in an ocean of blood
Hell on earth.
Tibet, our land of snows
For happiness,
People sacrificed
Compassion to the dead
Compassion to the dead
ངེད་ཅག་གངས་ཅན་བོད་ལ་།
སྐེ་ལ་ལྕམས་ཐག་སྐོན་ཐེན་་།
ལག་ལ་ལྕག་སྒྲིག་རྒྱབ་ཐེལ་་།
ཤི་བའི་་སྡུག་སངལ་ཤལ་ཐེར་་
་ངེད་ཅག་གངས་ཅན་བོད་ལ་།
ཁྲ་ག་གི་མཚོ་མོ་མཁྱིས་ཐེར་་།
ཤི་གསོན་ཕིད་སྒོ་བྱས་ཐེལ་་།
དམྱར་བའི་ལས་ཀ་ལས་ཐེར་་།།
ངེད་ཅག་གངས་ཅན་བོད་ལ་།
སྡེ་སྡུག་ཐོ་བ་པའི་ཁྱེད་དུ་
Thursday, October 30, 2008
A Sera Monk's Petition to Hu Jintao
In the mid-1980s, unsuspecting tourists to Lhasa suddenly found Tibetans thrusting crumpled pieces of paper into their hands requesting them to pass them onto the United Nations. Sometimes these documents contained names of prisoners and others, written in florid style, detailed human rights abuses and appealed for the UN’s intervention. Such appeals barely made the news and were often seen as no more than naive and misplaced hope on the UN.
High Peaks Pure Earth received a copy of a petition submitted to President Hu Jintao by a monk from Sera Monastery in Lhasa. The petition is the first detailed account of the incident of 10th March at Sera Monastery and refutes Chinese media coverage of the protest. The Tibetan version of the petition can be found on the Tibetan language website Khabdha. More information on Sera Monastery can be found here: http://www.thlib.org/places/monasteries/sera/
I am a very ordinary student of the central seats of Sera and Drepung [monasteries], a centre for traditional Tibetan education that has become a blissful realm for the core psyche of all Tibetans. I have the desire to honestly express some of the present problems faced by the Tibetan monasteries that I have seen, heard and experienced. That is because I am a citizen of the nation and you people are the leaders who work for the welfare of the citizens.
Are we entirely responsible for the events of March 14th?
This year in March, trouble arose everywhere in Tibetan areas, principally starting in Lhasa and, through a series of tragic events, caused great loss of life as well as property for both the protestors and those protested against. I believe that the statement by the authorities that the cause of the incident is solely due to the instigations of the ‘separatists’ is an incomplete one. That is because such an approach of stubbornly laying all blame upon the Tibetan people is widely seen as being irresponsible among the intellectuals within the country as well as among the international community.
Otherwise, it may be asked why is it that the so-called ‘Splittists’, for their own selfish ends, disregarding the actual fate of the Tibetan people, were able to orchestrate the Tibetans both in and outside Tibet with such ease; and why were the Tibetan people who, according to the central government, are supposed to be enjoying a happy and enriched life that is akin to a change of heaven and earth, thought nothing of risking their very lives to be so ready and receptive to such separatist activities being promoted. Moreover, even though the government claims that under the instigation of the Dalai Lama, the leaders of the present protests were the monks of Tibetan monasteries led by Sera, Drepung and Ganden, yet in reality the real cause is the desperation we experience in our daily life, on account of oppression, fear and restrictions. It is a cry for freedom.
In the minds of senior monks who have been long term residents of monasteries studying the scriptures, and particularly the bulk of monk students, the causes and conditions of the current or the past and presently unfolding events need to be looked at from two perspectives.
The bullying and forcible expulsion of students:
For a monk to study Buddhism is the only way to seek one's ultimate goal. As it is clear from many hundred years of history, for us the large monasteries, with deep foundations in traditional education, like Sera, Drepung and Ganden, are the best educational institutions even in the present time. But for any monk, whether coming from far away or living nearby, the opportunity to study in these large monasteries is very rare because of governmental restrictions. Even for the small number of monk students in these monasteries they have been facing restrictions on their stay and experiencing expulsion campaigns even to the extent of their beddings being thrown out of their quarters by the officials. Such incidents are not a one-time matter. For example there have been many such incidents in the central seats of Sera, Drepung and Ganden monasteries, Serta Larung monastery in Kham (Sichuan), and Ngaba Kirti monastery in Amdo (Qinghai). Likewise the monastery management officials, assigned specifically by the government, randomly enter the monks' quarters for inspection. They not only whimsically search the quarters, but also indulge in countless acts that are irritating and insulting to us, such as stepping on beds and even beddings with their shoes on.
The spiritual relationship between a teacher and his disciples and forcing one to protest against one's teacher:
One of the many campaigns like this is the so-called "patriotic re-education campaign". In general, even though it is a very common phenomenon of life for a country’s citizen and a religious practitioner to cherish one's nation and love one's religion, the government, rather than protecting our faith, do not even have respect and forcefully order us to attack His Holiness the Dalai Lama, thus creating disturbances in the minds of the monk community. Consequently there have been many cases of quite a few monks being expelled from monasteries when they refused to write denunciations [against His Holiness]. For a religious community, such pressure is seen as the deliberate destruction of our educational opportunity and faith by the concerned authorities of our nation. What is His Holiness the Dalai Lama or what is our relationship with him? He is the human manifestation of Arya Avalokiteshvara in the form of a monk. He is the wish fulfilling jewel who in every life comes in the form of a human that bestows the elixir of compassion and wisdom in the clean clear hearts of all sentient beings in general, and feeble Tibetans in particular. The Tibetan saying, "If one possesses a wish fulfilling jewel then depending on it all of ones wishes will be fulfilled spontaneously" is quite true. He is truly the victorious wish fulfilling jewel or the Dalai Lama. Why does the government persist in forcefully making us attack His Holiness the Dalai Lama? For what reason is our faith and devotion being trampled like this? Why are obstacles being placed directly or indirectly to our educational facilities?
The Condition of Sera, Drepung and Ganden monasteries before the Cultural Revolution:
The education system of Tibetan monasteries that has at least more than one thousand four hundred years of history is the heart of Tibetan religion and literature (culture). Through a long history of ups and downs it has continued to the present. It has become like a heart jewel of this nationality which is quite backward in terms of material civilization. Moreover, due to the influence of Je Tsongkhapa, who was born in Amdo and studied in central Tibet, the development of Tibetan religion and literature received unprecedented encouragement and inspiration. This doctrine of Lobsang Dakpa or Gelugpa tradition refers to the attainment of extraordinary experience by him who, devoted to his teacher and much more devoted to the meaning of reality than to his teacher, through his profound analytical investigation and in-depth evaluation of this more than seven hundred year old Tibetan Buddhist culture by keeping the profound teachings of the Buddha and the Indian scholars as the base or reference point. He who had accomplished the path of scholars and siddhas, along with his immediate disciples, had newly established the monasteries of Sera, Drepung, Ganden, Tashi Lhunpo etc., which had a huge impact on Tibetan culture. Even at present the popularity of Sera, Drepung and Ganden monasteries is well known not only in Tibet but also nationally and internationally.
The Tibetan monastic educational impact from these three monasteries is not only great in the central U-Tsang area of Tibet. For instance, the all-knowing Ven. Jamyang Shepa Ngawang Tsundue, who established Labrang Tashi Kyil monastry which is famous in Amdo area, had studied at Lhasa's Drepung monastery. Similarly Kirti Khabgon, who established Ngaba Kirti monastry which now stands in Amdo Ngaba in Sichuan province, had also studied at Drepung monastry. Likewise Shar Kalden Gyatso, who established Rebgong Rongpo monastery in Qinghai province, had studied at Ganden monastery in central Tibet. In brief, for almost all of the famous Lamas and intellectuals of the Gelug sect in all three provinces of Tibet, namely Kham, Amdo and U-Tsang, their main alma maters have been Sera, Ganden and Drepung. Furthermore, even speaking in terms of schools of thought, those who have enrolled in these monasteries for study were not only Gelug tradition holders but also reincarnate lamas and monks from all other traditions such as Sakya, Kagyud, Nyingma, Jonang and Bon. (As I have lived and studied for many years in these monasteries, I am only mentioning Sera, Drepung and Ganden as examples here. Otherwise almost all other monasteries in all three provinces of Tibet, irrespective of their traditions, face similar problems).
The need to implement the policy of real freedom of religion:
To ignore a cultural tradition that accords with the actual interests of Tibetan people, who are spiritually devoted and culturally rich, while limiting the number and expelling the monks and nuns in general, and monk and nun students in particular, are practical evidence that the policy of religious freedom remains just rhetoric and not being put into actual practice.
Following the March 14th incident more than a thousand monks from Sera, Drepung and Ganden monasteries - centres of Tibetan Buddhist learning - were forcibly evicted and individual quarters ransacked at night by the hundreds of thousands of military men who forcibly entered into the monasteries by breaking all the doors of colleges and monks' quarters with weapons such as guns etc. in their hands. There were apparently many instances where pictures of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, cell phones, electronic calculators and money were lost or stolen. I was told that in some other areas of Tibet the military confiscated all the pictures of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, spread them out on a ground near the monastery, trampled them with their feet and then went away. Another surprising thing I heard was that vegetable-knives in the kitchen of some monks were also taken away. Later on we realized that those were taken as evidence to prove us as violent. In this way the monks were beaten, arrested and detained for more than six months. Even after their release they were not allowed to return back to their monasteries. While in the prison the monks made several verbal and written requests stating that they don't mind staying there as long as needed, but later send them back to their monastery where they study. But all their requests fell on deaf ears like stones thrown in the water. How true is the Tibetan proverb that says, "Tibetans are betrayed by hope and Chinese are betrayed by suspicion." In this manner more than thousands of ordinary monks, without protection and livelihood, suddenly had to stop treading on their chosen-path of life in, on account of fear, hardship and sorrow. Now, where will these monks, who, leave aside other things, were not even able to put their shoes on and just went out with their slippers during the time of their arrest by the military policemen from Sera, Drepung and Ganden, go? There is no monastery in one's native locality. Even if there is one, there is no facility to study. Where does such an ordinary monk – who has no monastery or individuals to depend on as his family members and relatives have died - go?
The law must not create obstacles but should instead suppport the survival and development of this Tibetan Buddhist tradition:
In this age of information, Tibetan monks also should be provided by our country a universal educational facility (opportunity), according to their choice, and not create obstacles to receive an education. Largely some of these depend very much on the services and opportunities provided and created by the government.
Firstly, the one child family planning policy has not only put the Tibetan nationality, which is small in population and large in area, in danger in terms of numbers, but it has also automatically limited the number of ordained population as well.
Secondly, the law that restricts anyone becoming ordained before eighteen years of age has closed one of the doors for a religious community.
Thirdly, because of the restriction imposed on the number of monks in many of popular monasteries with excellent Buddhist studies environment the opportunity to study has been curtailed for many monks who yearn for learning, just as a thirsty person yearns for water. On the contrary, I believe that counting people permitted to prostrate, to go for circumambulation, and to erect prayer flags as the representation of the enjoyment of freedom of religion (from the disk entitled "Tibet from its Historical Perspective" produced by the government) is a mere external gesture to deceive others but it displays one's real face rather than help benefit the actual work of our country and nationalities. Even while the path of the foundation of religious activities is becoming smaller and smaller every day as the younger Buddhist followers face problems entering the monasteries and face difficulty in getting opportunity to study even after entering the monasteries, reconstructing a few temples and giving Geshe Lharampa degrees etc., including many other activities, conducted by the authorities in the name of restoration of monasteries, are merely external displays. There is absolutely no definitive guarantee that such activities help sustain and develop this rich and profound Tibetan Buddhist cultural heritage. Compared to the period before the Cultural Revolution the Tibetan monastic population has fallen ten times: Sera had 9900 monks before but has merely 850 monks at present, Drepung had more than 10000 monks before but fewer than 1400 monks at present, Ganden had 5400 monks before but has less than 400 at present. According to the government, the present total number of the ordained population is about 74500 and there are more 1700 religious establishments. This is the figure only for the Tibet Autonomous Region. Compared to the monk population of the region, since not more than only ten percent of the monks are able to receive the opportunity to study, how is it possible for the monks who are ignorant about the philosophical tenets of the Dharma be able to preserve and develop this Buddhist tradition? How can we make this religious tradition in accordance with socialist society?
The Tibetan monasteries are the centres for the practice of Buddha Dharma:
It is a matter of great joy that the government has spent and is still spending a huge amount of money to restore the monasteries. Far more important than that is to help create an effective education facility in the monasteries and not create obstacles, and I will keep waiting with much hope and evidence that the bright rays of the Party’s policy of freedom of religion will shine on the actual life of the common people.
To look at Tibetan monasteries as mere museums is to set the standard too low. If that remains the case, then not only does it betray the conditions for the survival of the monasteries but it also goes against the need of establishing them in the first place. Why is there a need to establish a monastery? Because it is a traditional school or a spiritual practice centre where Lord Buddha's profound and sublime teachings - brightened by the works of many standard Indian Buddhist scholars and adepts led by the Six Ornaments and Two Supremes and further enriched by a unique Tibetan way of life known as Tibetan Buddhism whose fundamental essence is based on the view of interdependent origination and the conduct of non-violence - are studied. It is also a place where the genuine practitioners of this profound doctrine are nurtured. The external cosmetic displays, such as flying prayer flags, doing prostrations, circumambulating a temple, painting deities and constructing temples that are the outer expressions of some parts of the culture, cannot represent the survival and development of Tibetan Buddhism. Hence if the monasteries remain merely as tourist spots and museums, then there is no need for monasteries as there is no reason why the museums run by the government cannot serve the same purpose?
Distortion and the accusations of splitting nationalities:
We were really greatly hurt and disappointed by the fact that during the March 14th incident the official news media, based on a few people who appeared in the scene wearing monk-robes, propagated, not only nationally but internationally as well, by stating that Tibetan monks had beaten, broken into places, robbed and burned. For example, during the peaceful demonstrations by the monks from Sera, Drepung and Ganden on March 10th, 11th, and 12th,etc. thousands of military men, with lethal weapons, surrounded the monks who were tear-gassed and beaten. Such photos were nowhere to be seen. On the contrary, when the police sprayed tear-gas on the assembly of monks the monks tried to throw water on themselves to wash away the effects of tear-gas, but a distorted photo was shown saying that the monks threw water on the policemen. Similarly a couple of people, getting desperate and threatened by the overwhelming power of weapons, with rocks in their hands, were described as violent and aggressive. Likewise many incidents of March 14th have been distorted and propagated nationally and internationally. Even though such deceptive and short-sighted actions are a matter of real surprise and disappointment, this will be a temporary phenomenon as history will definitely clear everything. What I have heard is that presently whenever Han travelers see monks or even Tibetans traveling in buses in the cities around the country, the Han Chinese get off the buses. Alas, what strong distortion is being created by the government or its propaganda agents whose eyes of wisdom to see the effects of causality are blinded! More than a billion honest and diligent people of China have been deceived in such a way at once! As this ever present talk of national harmony and protection of the motherland continues what purpose is there, while talking of national unity, to spread such rumours and create dissension between the nationalities? Isn't this the real separatism?
The government must support in practice to fulfill the expectations of the people rather than merely talk about people's expectations:
In recent times what the government repeatedly expects from religious institutions is that this religion should be in accordance with socialist society. I believe that this is a really good idea. Any culture that remains separate from the service of society becomes devoid of essence. Likewise, religion also survives and develops for the benefit of society, and to adapt to the changing time and society not only has a strong connection with the prospects of religious activities themselves but also relates to the benefit of the general devotees. But it is not enough merely to say that religion needs to be in accordance with socialism. Rather, providing the devotees a meaningful freedom of religion or opportunity to study remains the crucial question of whether the above rhetoric will materialize into concrete action. Therefore, we hopefully await the time when through the farsighted wisdom and pragmatism of the concerned leaders, in the twenty first century bright rays of the central government’s policy of openness and liberalization will immediately fall on our actual cold life.
Finally, I pray that the stability of the Peoples Republic of China and the unity of the different nationalities may sustain without degeneration and the warm sunlight of freedom shines on all of China.
I have honestly and openly submitted the above mentioned problems, practically being faced by thousands and thousands of people like myself, to the higher authorities, working for the benefit of the people, for your reference and consideration. I hope this appeal will enable [the authorities] to see some of our fundamental problems in our actual day to day life. Nevertheless, since I was unable to receive an opportunity to study until I was seventeen years of age and on top of that due to my little knowledge and lack of inherent wisdom I might have been unable to express myself or I might have been unable to put into writing what I intended to write. In brief since this is merely an opinion of an ordinary citizen, please feel free to advise me if the higher authorities deem this an overstatement or if there are any conflicts with the views of the authorities.
Submitted by Ven. Gedun on October 7, 2008. Tashi Delek
Rendered into English by Pema Tsewang Shastri from the Tibetan original.
Read Full Post>>>
High Peaks Pure Earth received a copy of a petition submitted to President Hu Jintao by a monk from Sera Monastery in Lhasa. The petition is the first detailed account of the incident of 10th March at Sera Monastery and refutes Chinese media coverage of the protest. The Tibetan version of the petition can be found on the Tibetan language website Khabdha. More information on Sera Monastery can be found here: http://www.thlib.org/places/monasteries/sera/
An Appeal Made to President Hu Jintao and Concerned Leaders Based on my Personal Experience of Suffering
I am a very ordinary student of the central seats of Sera and Drepung [monasteries], a centre for traditional Tibetan education that has become a blissful realm for the core psyche of all Tibetans. I have the desire to honestly express some of the present problems faced by the Tibetan monasteries that I have seen, heard and experienced. That is because I am a citizen of the nation and you people are the leaders who work for the welfare of the citizens.
Are we entirely responsible for the events of March 14th?
This year in March, trouble arose everywhere in Tibetan areas, principally starting in Lhasa and, through a series of tragic events, caused great loss of life as well as property for both the protestors and those protested against. I believe that the statement by the authorities that the cause of the incident is solely due to the instigations of the ‘separatists’ is an incomplete one. That is because such an approach of stubbornly laying all blame upon the Tibetan people is widely seen as being irresponsible among the intellectuals within the country as well as among the international community.
Otherwise, it may be asked why is it that the so-called ‘Splittists’, for their own selfish ends, disregarding the actual fate of the Tibetan people, were able to orchestrate the Tibetans both in and outside Tibet with such ease; and why were the Tibetan people who, according to the central government, are supposed to be enjoying a happy and enriched life that is akin to a change of heaven and earth, thought nothing of risking their very lives to be so ready and receptive to such separatist activities being promoted. Moreover, even though the government claims that under the instigation of the Dalai Lama, the leaders of the present protests were the monks of Tibetan monasteries led by Sera, Drepung and Ganden, yet in reality the real cause is the desperation we experience in our daily life, on account of oppression, fear and restrictions. It is a cry for freedom.
In the minds of senior monks who have been long term residents of monasteries studying the scriptures, and particularly the bulk of monk students, the causes and conditions of the current or the past and presently unfolding events need to be looked at from two perspectives.
The bullying and forcible expulsion of students:
For a monk to study Buddhism is the only way to seek one's ultimate goal. As it is clear from many hundred years of history, for us the large monasteries, with deep foundations in traditional education, like Sera, Drepung and Ganden, are the best educational institutions even in the present time. But for any monk, whether coming from far away or living nearby, the opportunity to study in these large monasteries is very rare because of governmental restrictions. Even for the small number of monk students in these monasteries they have been facing restrictions on their stay and experiencing expulsion campaigns even to the extent of their beddings being thrown out of their quarters by the officials. Such incidents are not a one-time matter. For example there have been many such incidents in the central seats of Sera, Drepung and Ganden monasteries, Serta Larung monastery in Kham (Sichuan), and Ngaba Kirti monastery in Amdo (Qinghai). Likewise the monastery management officials, assigned specifically by the government, randomly enter the monks' quarters for inspection. They not only whimsically search the quarters, but also indulge in countless acts that are irritating and insulting to us, such as stepping on beds and even beddings with their shoes on.
The spiritual relationship between a teacher and his disciples and forcing one to protest against one's teacher:
One of the many campaigns like this is the so-called "patriotic re-education campaign". In general, even though it is a very common phenomenon of life for a country’s citizen and a religious practitioner to cherish one's nation and love one's religion, the government, rather than protecting our faith, do not even have respect and forcefully order us to attack His Holiness the Dalai Lama, thus creating disturbances in the minds of the monk community. Consequently there have been many cases of quite a few monks being expelled from monasteries when they refused to write denunciations [against His Holiness]. For a religious community, such pressure is seen as the deliberate destruction of our educational opportunity and faith by the concerned authorities of our nation. What is His Holiness the Dalai Lama or what is our relationship with him? He is the human manifestation of Arya Avalokiteshvara in the form of a monk. He is the wish fulfilling jewel who in every life comes in the form of a human that bestows the elixir of compassion and wisdom in the clean clear hearts of all sentient beings in general, and feeble Tibetans in particular. The Tibetan saying, "If one possesses a wish fulfilling jewel then depending on it all of ones wishes will be fulfilled spontaneously" is quite true. He is truly the victorious wish fulfilling jewel or the Dalai Lama. Why does the government persist in forcefully making us attack His Holiness the Dalai Lama? For what reason is our faith and devotion being trampled like this? Why are obstacles being placed directly or indirectly to our educational facilities?
The Condition of Sera, Drepung and Ganden monasteries before the Cultural Revolution:
The education system of Tibetan monasteries that has at least more than one thousand four hundred years of history is the heart of Tibetan religion and literature (culture). Through a long history of ups and downs it has continued to the present. It has become like a heart jewel of this nationality which is quite backward in terms of material civilization. Moreover, due to the influence of Je Tsongkhapa, who was born in Amdo and studied in central Tibet, the development of Tibetan religion and literature received unprecedented encouragement and inspiration. This doctrine of Lobsang Dakpa or Gelugpa tradition refers to the attainment of extraordinary experience by him who, devoted to his teacher and much more devoted to the meaning of reality than to his teacher, through his profound analytical investigation and in-depth evaluation of this more than seven hundred year old Tibetan Buddhist culture by keeping the profound teachings of the Buddha and the Indian scholars as the base or reference point. He who had accomplished the path of scholars and siddhas, along with his immediate disciples, had newly established the monasteries of Sera, Drepung, Ganden, Tashi Lhunpo etc., which had a huge impact on Tibetan culture. Even at present the popularity of Sera, Drepung and Ganden monasteries is well known not only in Tibet but also nationally and internationally.
The Tibetan monastic educational impact from these three monasteries is not only great in the central U-Tsang area of Tibet. For instance, the all-knowing Ven. Jamyang Shepa Ngawang Tsundue, who established Labrang Tashi Kyil monastry which is famous in Amdo area, had studied at Lhasa's Drepung monastery. Similarly Kirti Khabgon, who established Ngaba Kirti monastry which now stands in Amdo Ngaba in Sichuan province, had also studied at Drepung monastry. Likewise Shar Kalden Gyatso, who established Rebgong Rongpo monastery in Qinghai province, had studied at Ganden monastery in central Tibet. In brief, for almost all of the famous Lamas and intellectuals of the Gelug sect in all three provinces of Tibet, namely Kham, Amdo and U-Tsang, their main alma maters have been Sera, Ganden and Drepung. Furthermore, even speaking in terms of schools of thought, those who have enrolled in these monasteries for study were not only Gelug tradition holders but also reincarnate lamas and monks from all other traditions such as Sakya, Kagyud, Nyingma, Jonang and Bon. (As I have lived and studied for many years in these monasteries, I am only mentioning Sera, Drepung and Ganden as examples here. Otherwise almost all other monasteries in all three provinces of Tibet, irrespective of their traditions, face similar problems).
The need to implement the policy of real freedom of religion:
To ignore a cultural tradition that accords with the actual interests of Tibetan people, who are spiritually devoted and culturally rich, while limiting the number and expelling the monks and nuns in general, and monk and nun students in particular, are practical evidence that the policy of religious freedom remains just rhetoric and not being put into actual practice.
Following the March 14th incident more than a thousand monks from Sera, Drepung and Ganden monasteries - centres of Tibetan Buddhist learning - were forcibly evicted and individual quarters ransacked at night by the hundreds of thousands of military men who forcibly entered into the monasteries by breaking all the doors of colleges and monks' quarters with weapons such as guns etc. in their hands. There were apparently many instances where pictures of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, cell phones, electronic calculators and money were lost or stolen. I was told that in some other areas of Tibet the military confiscated all the pictures of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, spread them out on a ground near the monastery, trampled them with their feet and then went away. Another surprising thing I heard was that vegetable-knives in the kitchen of some monks were also taken away. Later on we realized that those were taken as evidence to prove us as violent. In this way the monks were beaten, arrested and detained for more than six months. Even after their release they were not allowed to return back to their monasteries. While in the prison the monks made several verbal and written requests stating that they don't mind staying there as long as needed, but later send them back to their monastery where they study. But all their requests fell on deaf ears like stones thrown in the water. How true is the Tibetan proverb that says, "Tibetans are betrayed by hope and Chinese are betrayed by suspicion." In this manner more than thousands of ordinary monks, without protection and livelihood, suddenly had to stop treading on their chosen-path of life in, on account of fear, hardship and sorrow. Now, where will these monks, who, leave aside other things, were not even able to put their shoes on and just went out with their slippers during the time of their arrest by the military policemen from Sera, Drepung and Ganden, go? There is no monastery in one's native locality. Even if there is one, there is no facility to study. Where does such an ordinary monk – who has no monastery or individuals to depend on as his family members and relatives have died - go?
The law must not create obstacles but should instead suppport the survival and development of this Tibetan Buddhist tradition:
In this age of information, Tibetan monks also should be provided by our country a universal educational facility (opportunity), according to their choice, and not create obstacles to receive an education. Largely some of these depend very much on the services and opportunities provided and created by the government.
Firstly, the one child family planning policy has not only put the Tibetan nationality, which is small in population and large in area, in danger in terms of numbers, but it has also automatically limited the number of ordained population as well.
Secondly, the law that restricts anyone becoming ordained before eighteen years of age has closed one of the doors for a religious community.
Thirdly, because of the restriction imposed on the number of monks in many of popular monasteries with excellent Buddhist studies environment the opportunity to study has been curtailed for many monks who yearn for learning, just as a thirsty person yearns for water. On the contrary, I believe that counting people permitted to prostrate, to go for circumambulation, and to erect prayer flags as the representation of the enjoyment of freedom of religion (from the disk entitled "Tibet from its Historical Perspective" produced by the government) is a mere external gesture to deceive others but it displays one's real face rather than help benefit the actual work of our country and nationalities. Even while the path of the foundation of religious activities is becoming smaller and smaller every day as the younger Buddhist followers face problems entering the monasteries and face difficulty in getting opportunity to study even after entering the monasteries, reconstructing a few temples and giving Geshe Lharampa degrees etc., including many other activities, conducted by the authorities in the name of restoration of monasteries, are merely external displays. There is absolutely no definitive guarantee that such activities help sustain and develop this rich and profound Tibetan Buddhist cultural heritage. Compared to the period before the Cultural Revolution the Tibetan monastic population has fallen ten times: Sera had 9900 monks before but has merely 850 monks at present, Drepung had more than 10000 monks before but fewer than 1400 monks at present, Ganden had 5400 monks before but has less than 400 at present. According to the government, the present total number of the ordained population is about 74500 and there are more 1700 religious establishments. This is the figure only for the Tibet Autonomous Region. Compared to the monk population of the region, since not more than only ten percent of the monks are able to receive the opportunity to study, how is it possible for the monks who are ignorant about the philosophical tenets of the Dharma be able to preserve and develop this Buddhist tradition? How can we make this religious tradition in accordance with socialist society?
The Tibetan monasteries are the centres for the practice of Buddha Dharma:
It is a matter of great joy that the government has spent and is still spending a huge amount of money to restore the monasteries. Far more important than that is to help create an effective education facility in the monasteries and not create obstacles, and I will keep waiting with much hope and evidence that the bright rays of the Party’s policy of freedom of religion will shine on the actual life of the common people.
To look at Tibetan monasteries as mere museums is to set the standard too low. If that remains the case, then not only does it betray the conditions for the survival of the monasteries but it also goes against the need of establishing them in the first place. Why is there a need to establish a monastery? Because it is a traditional school or a spiritual practice centre where Lord Buddha's profound and sublime teachings - brightened by the works of many standard Indian Buddhist scholars and adepts led by the Six Ornaments and Two Supremes and further enriched by a unique Tibetan way of life known as Tibetan Buddhism whose fundamental essence is based on the view of interdependent origination and the conduct of non-violence - are studied. It is also a place where the genuine practitioners of this profound doctrine are nurtured. The external cosmetic displays, such as flying prayer flags, doing prostrations, circumambulating a temple, painting deities and constructing temples that are the outer expressions of some parts of the culture, cannot represent the survival and development of Tibetan Buddhism. Hence if the monasteries remain merely as tourist spots and museums, then there is no need for monasteries as there is no reason why the museums run by the government cannot serve the same purpose?
Distortion and the accusations of splitting nationalities:
We were really greatly hurt and disappointed by the fact that during the March 14th incident the official news media, based on a few people who appeared in the scene wearing monk-robes, propagated, not only nationally but internationally as well, by stating that Tibetan monks had beaten, broken into places, robbed and burned. For example, during the peaceful demonstrations by the monks from Sera, Drepung and Ganden on March 10th, 11th, and 12th,etc. thousands of military men, with lethal weapons, surrounded the monks who were tear-gassed and beaten. Such photos were nowhere to be seen. On the contrary, when the police sprayed tear-gas on the assembly of monks the monks tried to throw water on themselves to wash away the effects of tear-gas, but a distorted photo was shown saying that the monks threw water on the policemen. Similarly a couple of people, getting desperate and threatened by the overwhelming power of weapons, with rocks in their hands, were described as violent and aggressive. Likewise many incidents of March 14th have been distorted and propagated nationally and internationally. Even though such deceptive and short-sighted actions are a matter of real surprise and disappointment, this will be a temporary phenomenon as history will definitely clear everything. What I have heard is that presently whenever Han travelers see monks or even Tibetans traveling in buses in the cities around the country, the Han Chinese get off the buses. Alas, what strong distortion is being created by the government or its propaganda agents whose eyes of wisdom to see the effects of causality are blinded! More than a billion honest and diligent people of China have been deceived in such a way at once! As this ever present talk of national harmony and protection of the motherland continues what purpose is there, while talking of national unity, to spread such rumours and create dissension between the nationalities? Isn't this the real separatism?
The government must support in practice to fulfill the expectations of the people rather than merely talk about people's expectations:
In recent times what the government repeatedly expects from religious institutions is that this religion should be in accordance with socialist society. I believe that this is a really good idea. Any culture that remains separate from the service of society becomes devoid of essence. Likewise, religion also survives and develops for the benefit of society, and to adapt to the changing time and society not only has a strong connection with the prospects of religious activities themselves but also relates to the benefit of the general devotees. But it is not enough merely to say that religion needs to be in accordance with socialism. Rather, providing the devotees a meaningful freedom of religion or opportunity to study remains the crucial question of whether the above rhetoric will materialize into concrete action. Therefore, we hopefully await the time when through the farsighted wisdom and pragmatism of the concerned leaders, in the twenty first century bright rays of the central government’s policy of openness and liberalization will immediately fall on our actual cold life.
Finally, I pray that the stability of the Peoples Republic of China and the unity of the different nationalities may sustain without degeneration and the warm sunlight of freedom shines on all of China.
I have honestly and openly submitted the above mentioned problems, practically being faced by thousands and thousands of people like myself, to the higher authorities, working for the benefit of the people, for your reference and consideration. I hope this appeal will enable [the authorities] to see some of our fundamental problems in our actual day to day life. Nevertheless, since I was unable to receive an opportunity to study until I was seventeen years of age and on top of that due to my little knowledge and lack of inherent wisdom I might have been unable to express myself or I might have been unable to put into writing what I intended to write. In brief since this is merely an opinion of an ordinary citizen, please feel free to advise me if the higher authorities deem this an overstatement or if there are any conflicts with the views of the authorities.
Submitted by Ven. Gedun on October 7, 2008. Tashi Delek
Rendered into English by Pema Tsewang Shastri from the Tibetan original.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
China and the Recurring Genitive
There must be a psychological condition that describes an anxiety so acute that there is an overwhelming need to constantly state and re-state that something belongs to you - that you own something. Where does this need come from? How does it start? How can it be cured?
First a little fun exercise, see if our readers can spot the difference here:
Reading the wonderful 丁丁在西藏 (photo on the left, pinyin: Ding Ding zai Xizang, English: Tintin in Tibet) seems an unlikely starting point for such musings until you remember that - until the Herge Foundation complained - in China it was published as 丁丁在中国西藏 (photo on the right, pinyin: Ding Ding zai Zhongguo Xizang, English: Tintin in China's Tibet).
Which brings us to the interesting phenomenon of China and the recurring genitive. Isn't this something that children are prone to do, we all have our schoolbooks from primary school where we add a possessive article after our names like Tenzin's textbook. It looks like Tintin has fallen victim to China's rather childish and possessive nature!
Have any readers seen the Chinese government website devoted to all things Tibet? It's called China Tibet Information Center. Do readers know what the Chinese government's centre for Tibetology is called? That would be the China Tibetology Research Center. There was a fun exhibition held this year at Beijing's Cultural Palace of Nationalities all about Tibet and it was called "Tibet of China: Past and Present". At least this one was called Tibet of China and not the same old boring China's Tibet, they are getting imaginative!
Speaking of China's Tibet, take a look at this magazine published regularly in Chinese, Tibetan and English from Beijing:
International readers will recognise it as the glossy magazine that you flick through when you wait for your visa at your local Chinese Embasy or Consulate. Other readers and intrepid travellers (like Tintin!) may have picked up a free copy on the train when travelling from China's Beijing to China's Lhasa, tens of thousands of extra copies were printed expressly for this journey. When you look at who publishes this magazine it's no wonder really, China's Tibet is proudly produced by the United Front Work Department of the CCP.
If any High Peaks readers have any idea any insights into this phenomenon please feel free to share, meanwhile learn about China's other anxieties here and here.
Read Full Post>>>
First a little fun exercise, see if our readers can spot the difference here:
Reading the wonderful 丁丁在西藏 (photo on the left, pinyin: Ding Ding zai Xizang, English: Tintin in Tibet) seems an unlikely starting point for such musings until you remember that - until the Herge Foundation complained - in China it was published as 丁丁在中国西藏 (photo on the right, pinyin: Ding Ding zai Zhongguo Xizang, English: Tintin in China's Tibet).
Which brings us to the interesting phenomenon of China and the recurring genitive. Isn't this something that children are prone to do, we all have our schoolbooks from primary school where we add a possessive article after our names like Tenzin's textbook. It looks like Tintin has fallen victim to China's rather childish and possessive nature!
Have any readers seen the Chinese government website devoted to all things Tibet? It's called China Tibet Information Center. Do readers know what the Chinese government's centre for Tibetology is called? That would be the China Tibetology Research Center. There was a fun exhibition held this year at Beijing's Cultural Palace of Nationalities all about Tibet and it was called "Tibet of China: Past and Present". At least this one was called Tibet of China and not the same old boring China's Tibet, they are getting imaginative!
Speaking of China's Tibet, take a look at this magazine published regularly in Chinese, Tibetan and English from Beijing:
International readers will recognise it as the glossy magazine that you flick through when you wait for your visa at your local Chinese Embasy or Consulate. Other readers and intrepid travellers (like Tintin!) may have picked up a free copy on the train when travelling from China's Beijing to China's Lhasa, tens of thousands of extra copies were printed expressly for this journey. When you look at who publishes this magazine it's no wonder really, China's Tibet is proudly produced by the United Front Work Department of the CCP.
If any High Peaks readers have any idea any insights into this phenomenon please feel free to share, meanwhile learn about China's other anxieties here and here.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Romance, Revelations and Revolutions - A review of “Tibet’s True Heart – Selected Poems by Woeser”
Newspaper headlines describe Woeser as Tibet’s most famous woman writer and blogger and a lone Tibetan voice, intent on speaking out. Until now, Woeser has perhaps been best known as a Tibetan dissident writer whose blogs are banned and have either been repeatedly shut down in China or hacked by Chinese nationalists. Her collection of poems, short stories and essays published in 2003 by a renowned publishing house in southern China entitled “Notes on Tibet” was subsequently banned and, refusing to be subjected to political re-education, she left her prestigious job as editor of a literary journal in Lhasa, as well as all the security such a job brought, and went to live in Beijing, where she still continues to live today.
In March 2008 she was briefly placed under house arrest, during which time she became the main source of information regarding the wave of protests and demonstrations that swept Tibet, as chronicled in the daily Tibet Updates on her blog. The threats to her personal safety have been well documented and translations into English of her Tibet Updates, published online on China Digital Times, have brought Woeser and her work to a wider audience. In July 2008, her decision to sue the Chinese government for their continued refusal to grant her a passport was a brave, audacious move, testing China’s legal system and bringing the plight of Tibetans as second-class citizens within China to the world’s attention.
Now a new volume of translations of Woeser’s poetry is available to English readers thanks to the efforts of scholar and translator A.E. Clark. “Tibet’s True Heart”, published by Ragged Banner Press, brings together original translations of 42 poems written by Woeser spanning a period of 20 years. It is a remarkable volume of poetry with translations that not only do justice to an eloquent, moving literary voice but also enlighten and educate with the copious notes, explanations and maps included in appendix.
The earliest poems contained in this volume were written in the late '80s during Woeser’s days as a student of Chinese literature in Chengdu’s South West University for Nationalities. Although born in Lhasa during the Cultural Revolution and spending her first four years there, her family moved to Kham and she spent most of her childhood in Tibetan areas of Sichuan province, Chengdu being the provincial capital. Woeser candidly writes about growing up Sinicised – her father was a high-ranking officer in the People’s Liberation Army and she grew up very much in a Chinese-speaking environment. In her 2004 poem “Tibet’s Secret” she writes “From birth I grew up to the bugle calls of the PLA / A worthy heir of Communism".
Through the poems included in “Tibet’s True Heart”, the journey of this girl, born into a privileged cadre family in Lhasa to school girl and student in Kham, back to Lhasa as a government employee and ultimately to Beijing in self-imposed exile, is mapped out not only in these places but also in the personal geography of several parallel journeys, the most remarkable being the journey of self-discovery and spirituality conveyed in the text through memories, people and heavy doses of personal experience. The year the poem was written along with the place is documented by Woeser and has been diligently translated by Clark with good reason, these details are crucial to the reader’s understanding of the context of the journeys. “Remembering A Battered Buddha” begins with: ‘Twenty days since I left Lhasa…” whilst “Return to Lhasa” begins by stating "It’s been a year. I was somewhat excited about going home". In addition to being useful markers for the reader, places in Woeser’s poetry are imbued with significance for personal reasons. Derge, in Kham, for example, is evoked more than once in painful memories:
“Derge, ancestral home!
Would that it meant nothing,
Would that no road led there!”
As Clark writes in his notes, "Derge was the birthplace of her father and was associated, in her mind, with his death".
Travelling is a recurring theme associated with pilgrimage, escape, voyages of discovery. Woeser is sketching the inner and outer contours of Tibet and Tibetan landscapes are a source of inspiration in themselves. In the achingly moving 1994 poem “A Mala That Was Meant to Be”, although written in the third person, Woeser’s physical journey to Amdo is internalized with memories of her father’s death three years earlier, personal struggles with identity and a re-discovering not only of her father’s past but also of her own – all interwoven with Tibetan Buddhist imagery symbolically evoked in the poem. She describes the woman at the beginning of the journey:
“She lacks the root of wisdom.
She finds it hard to visualize
An image of the Buddha or
A letter of Tibetan
On a leaf.”
By the end of the poem, the personal revelations and discovery of spirituality stemming from grief and a deep sense of loss have made their mark:
“Inside the gem-encrusted tower, a transformation:
A hundred thousand Buddha-images,
Or one hundred thousand letters of Tibetan,
Morph into as many leaves upon a tree”
A hundred thousand Buddha-images,
Or one hundred thousand letters of Tibetan,
Morph into as many leaves upon a tree”
These epiphanies are also to be found elsewhere in the poetry, the personal and the political slowly merging as the poet develops and forges her new identity. Subtle allusions to the Dalai Lama appear in the poetry from the late 1980s but clearly the growing discovery of faith runs parallel to the political awakening. Thus the overtly political subject matters gradually start to appear, for example the episode of the two Panchen Lamas that was both religious and political. They are metaphorically alluded to in the 1995 poem “December”, written in Lhasa, as “Two sparrows in the woods” but ten years later in the 2005 poem, written in Beijing, boldly and directly titled “The Panchen Lama”:
“If time can cover up a lie / Is ten years enough? [...] The other child, where is he?”
As mentioned previously, it was in 2004, again in Beijing, that Woeser wrote the poem “Tibet’s Secret” dedicated to Tibet’s political prisoners, some of whom she knew personally. She poses the question: “of the people in prison, why are so many more wearing the red robe than not? [...] we’re glad to leave the suffering to our monks and nuns […] With shame I count down their practically endless prison terms. / Tibet’s true hearts beat steadfast in a Hell that’s all too real.” Realising that due to her background she could easily have never heard about their fate, (“what’s the connection between them and me?”) she reflects on what they represent and compares her upbringing with theirs ending with their shared fates of exile and isolation, “Far from home, enmeshed in a race forever alien, [...] Considering it carefully, how can there not be a connection between them and me?”.
The lines connecting the disparate true hearts of Tibet are as much virtual as psychological or emotional – technology has played a crucial role and undoubtedly created new space for reflection and self-education. Woeser’s knowledge of a political prisoner’s plight comes from “a biography I downloaded in Lhasa” and “It was only on the Web I saw, spread out before an old lama, An array of handcuffs, leg-irons, daggers…”. In “Remembering A Battered Buddha” her memory of that Buddha is kept alive digitally, “I only took some pictures, So when I miss it I can turn on my computer and have a look.” The contemporary feel is refreshing and at times provides relief from the overwhelmingly melancholy tone of the poetry. In “Spinning Wheels”, the wheel metaphor is not only the classically Buddhist circle, or Kora, or Mani wheel but also “Mitsubishi tracker wheels, Beijing jeep wheels, Dongfang truck wheels, long-distance bus wheels, Minivan wheels, red taxi wheels, Walking tractor wheels.” These observations also give the reader an accurate impression of life in Tibet today where wheels symbolise the development and changes taking place as much as the religion. Woeser’s details also identify the greatest changes taking place in Tibet today, the poem “Return to Lhasa” mentions “little fake zebras [...] a pink fake lotus [...] I saw the celebrated Qinghai-Tibet railway on a concrete overpass”, even noting that the taxi drivers speak in Sichuanese dialect portrays Lhasa today exactly.
Leaving aside the Tibetan themes and subject matter, there are universal themes of love, loss, grief and struggling for identity and meaning in the poems. A highly literate poet, Woeser’s points of reference are very accessible for English-speaking audiences as she keenly cites Allen Ginsberg, T.S Eliot, Gabriel García Márquez and at least one poem owes a great debt to Jack Kerouac. It is also rare that a translator can disappear to leave the poet’s own voice resounding and A.E. Clark’s translations, sensitive and true to the originals, must be commended for their elegance. Woeser is a prolific writer, blogger and poet who has given up a great deal in pursuit of the truth in her own time and on her own terms. Overcoming both prescriptive and prohibitive censorship to ironically become a truly free thinker, Woeser is a unique and much needed Tibetan voice. In the burning house of the People’s Republic of China, Woeser has so far managed to find and make use of every fire exit and trap door in order to be heard. “Tibet’s True Heart” goes some way in ensuring that these remain open for a while longer.
Review by High Peaks Pure Earth
"Tibet’s True Heart" – Selected Poems by Woeser
Translated by A.E. Clark
Published by Ragged Banner Press, 2008
Available for purchase online at:
http://www.raggedbanner.com/orders.html
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Harry Potter Goes to Tibet
Last week Forbes magazine announced that J.K Rowling, the author of Harry Potter, a story about a boy Wizard is the highest earning author and number one celebrity author in the world. Did we Tibetans contribute anything to this? It seems that the Tibetans will be making a modest contribution to her monthly income of three million dollars.
I always look forward to the arrival of a neatly packed box of books from Tibet; this has been rudely interrupted since March. Last week, to my surprise, the supply resumed and I excitedly opened the box. On the top of the pile of books was a Tibetan translation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, (published in the United States as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone). Actually, don’t you think this is a bit of an insult to the Yanks? The publisher may have assumed the word “philosopher” could confuse American readers. Anyway, the Tibetan translation retains the original title. The photo above is the Tibetan cover of the book.
At quick glance it is clear the book has not been translated from English but from Chinese. This often happens these days. The rendering title sounds like “Haru’s Potter” in Tibetan. The translator Norkyil Buchung Gyal (ནོར་དཀྱིལ་བུཆུངརྒྱལ་) in his preface writes that the chief motive for translating is to provide Tibetan language reading materials for junior middle school age groups. Certainly, there is a total lack of reading materials in Tibetans for young people. I for one welcome the publication.
Hopefully, there are many more to come!
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