Tashi Delek.
With much time and anticipation that has passed, President Obama will finally meet with internationally respected His Holiness the Dalai Lama. As a Noble Peace Laureate the time has finally come when President Obama will show respect to a fellow recipient, and a highly respected figure not only as a religious leader but as a leader of nonviolence. The Dalai Lama continues to bring awareness to the world the teachings of compassion and Buddhist philosophy. In the forefront of a fifty year nonviolent struggle for basic human rights inside Chinese occupied Tibet, the Dalai Lama continues to teach ethics of nonviolence from not only a level of social action but also with the concepts of the nonviolent mind. The Tibetan nonviolent persistence for freedom of religion, freedom of speech and freedom of expression are rights that have been denied often with severe consequences. The Tibetan movement is similar to that of other nonviolent movements in history, as seen with Gandhi’s India Independence and Martin Luther King, Jr.s Civil Rights Movement. The nonviolent perseverance of the movements in the past were a way to challenge oppressive regimes who deliberately supressed and discriminated against particular populations. Please take a moment to watch the video link attached.
When I left India nearly 8 months ago I made reference to a book that was published which included parts of the initial interviews I conducted while in Dharamsala India working with the Tibetan Women’s Association. The book is called Light in the Abyss which contains stories of the brutal torture and consequences of 14 Buddhist nuns who were imprisoned for speaking out for freedom. I have copies of the book for anyone interested in purchasing, it is a donation of no less than $5.00 plus the minimal cost of postage to mail it to you. All (100%) donations will be sent to Tibetan Women’s Association. In addition to the Light in the Abyss other recent publications are available. Just send an e-mail to me:
1lhdawg@gmail.com
In the link provided is an interview with one of the nuns who was granted asylum here in the U.S. She was the youngest of the Drapchi Fourteen and was first arrested at the age of 13. Please click on the link to watch the short interview.
I hope this video link works. Please post a comment and let me know.
Please keep your thoughts on the positive aspects of President Obama meeting with the Dalai Lama as the Chinese attempt to bully U.S. decisions. We as a nation of freedoms need to stand firm that they cannot continue to make such demands in order to keep awareness from filtering into the world. Thanks for reading and for sending the positive mindset.
Thank you,
Leann
“Human beings by nature want happiness and do not want suffering. With that feeling everyone tries to achieve happiness and tries to get rid of suffering, and everyone has the basic right to do this. In this way, all here are the same, whether rich or poor, educated or uneducated, Easterner or Westerner, believer or non-believer, and within believers whether Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and so on. Basically, from the viewpoint of real human value we are all the same.”— His Holiness the Dalai Lama, from “Kindness, Clarity, and Insight.”
India-Tibetan Social Work 