India-Tibetan Social Work

Tashi Delek.

I write today with sadness and concern for the many Tibetans who have lost their lives,  loved ones and homes in the earthquake which occurred yesterday in the Kham region of Tibet. The disaster has devastated the region and the death toll is currently at 617 as the rescue continues. Phayul reports that “many people are still buried in the debris as more than 85 percent of houses in Gyegu, mostly made of mudbrick and wood, had collapsed”. There is video posted on the website which can be accessed by using the link provided and scroll down the page to find the video insert at the bottom.

http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?article=Tibet+earthquake+death+toll+rises+to+589+-+updated&id=27116

This is a time of mourning for the Tibetan population who have already faced years of struggle with strict laws and regulations implemented by Chinese rule. We can only pray that this situation will bring relief efforts from the Chinese government to assist the thousands of displaced Tibetans. I also pray the media will continue to cover this story so we are abreast of the efforts offered to this already marginalized population.

OM MANI PEDME HUM.

 Please pray for all those who are suffereing.

Tashi Delek and kudoos to Google for their support in Human Rights.

Associated Press and other media have been noting the position taken by Google to address the censorship in Communist China. Recently as reported by the Associated Press, Google moved their server to Hong Kong where the censorship of information is now the duty of the Chinese government. The system now has a slow delay in providing the information to those searching sensitive information on mainland China due to the communist control and censored information. There is hope that this delay will bring more emphasis upon the Chinese people to demand an uncensored internet.

As a player in the global community is it acceptable to have censorship preventing individuals their right to freedom of information, knowledge, choice, and all the freedoms that come from the ability to makes ones’ own determination. This might be referred to as self-determination which is to be available to all people through the Declaration of Human Rights.

Recently on March 10th there were two young Chinese men that stopped by the table where we were distributing information about the Tibetan cause. One of the young men who stated he had been in the United States for 5 months indicated he knew there was something about the situation in Tibet but he had never seen the Tibetan flag or been able to read anything about the situation. He discussed the censorship of information and indicated that he was curious because he really wanted to know the truth. He indicated he thought there was information he did not have due to the censorship and was interested in learning more.

This story is important because the people within mainland China do not have freedom to information to know of human rights violations and other concerns among the people. This is important to note because without adequate access to knowledge and information then we must ask What and Why is information being hidden from the populace?

Thanks to Google for taking an ethical position to stand against censorship and to stand for human rights. It is a bold move to take this position and it proves that Google has ethics beyond just a capitalistic mission.

Thank you Google and may your efforts bring about change within the people in mainland China to take a firm stand for their freedom to information and knowledge.

Please let me know your thoughts if you think this is important and if you have anything to add by commenting to this blog.

Thanks,

Leann

March 10th marks the 51st year of Tibetan Uprising Day and is a very important day in the Tibetan culture. I ask that you do something today to join in solidarity with the Tibetan people to remember those who have lost their lives in the fight for basic human rights of freedom.

I sit as I write this while I watch our Tibetan brothers and sisters in Dharamsala India and reflect back to a year ago when I was able to join them physically on this day of solidarity. I am reminded of the stories they have told me of their struggles in Tibet as well as their struggles in India. I am saddened to think that their struggle continues. They are separated from their families and their homeland. Many live in fear as in Tibet at this time the strikehard campaign is in full effect. This means that their brothers and sisters encounter numerous amounts of military force instilling fear in them which prevents them from enjoying their cultural norms.

As I sit here and listen to them say their national anthem and sing a prayer I think what it would be like if we were not allowed to sing our national anthem or say our prayers and how empty our world would be without those important feelings of pride in your country and strength in your faith.

I ask that today you take  a moment and do something to support the Tibetan cause. Maybe you will say a prayer for those who suffer from the difficulties endured under the hardline regulations inside Tibet due to the Chinese strict regulations or a prayer for those who suffer from separation from families, and homeland. If you can tell someone about the Tibetan cause the fact that March 10th is an important day to join in solidarity maybe they will become aware of their plight. You might even join in a Tibetan awareness campaign in your community by joining a march. Or the easiest thing you might do is ready something on the Tibetan issues found in the left side bar at www.Phayul.com or visit one of the many Tibetan NGO’s website and contribute in someway.

Please I ask you take a moment to join me and thousands of people around the world who join together to show our support for the Tibetan cause for basic human rights.

Thank you for your efforts and remember it is the smallest efforts that make a difference as we have seen from the Pennies for Partnerships donations that started programs fro children’s education, clothing donated to Lha for children living in exile in India and literature published by TWA that tell the horrific stories of a tortured life. Now I ask that you keep your contributions going but this time it does not have to include any material contributions but your kindness and ability to spread the word. You might just choose to forward this link to a friend and make them aware of the Tibetan cause and the many links available on the leftside bar to information and news.

You generosity and compassion is always appreciated by the Tibetan people.

Thank you,

Leann

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.

http://www.3generations.org/stories/stories-details/articletype/articleview/articleid/28/ngawang-sangdrol.aspx

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.”

Note from Geshe Dorjee and news of the developments of the educational support for Tibetan Children….

Tashi Delek to everyone,
Last year was a wonderful year for everything we were able to achieve through all of your generous help.  I gave a lecture at the University of Northwest Community Center. I also visited a 4th grade class where I taught about Tibetan sand mandalas. Over 120 students attended. The principle has written me and asked that I return this year to continue their education. I also lectured at five classes at U of A, and I taught Mental Health for 1 hour credit. In addition, I taught two courses: Introduction to Buddhism and Tibetan Culture and Philosophy.  Last summer, we made a successful second trip to India for our study abroad program – TEXT (Tibetans in Exile Today http://www.textproject. wordpress.com). I am very thankful that the public high school in Fayetteville is helping us to organize the footage, which I believe is a good opportunity for these high school students.

It was good to return to Alabama to see all of my friends. I had a wonderful visit with Father Viscardi from Springhill College in Mobile, Alabama.  He would like for me to design online courses about Tibetan Buddhist Philosophy for next fall semester.

I hope this year will be as fulfilling as the last. As you know, I will be busy teaching two classes at University of Arkansas, where I will teach a second semester course on Karma and Causality.  I will teach a class at the University of Iowa (once per month until May).  We will be busy preparing for His Holiness’ visit to northern Iowa. If any of you would like to attend you can visit:www.uni.edu/dalailama/ or by calling (319) 273-4849. Tickets go on sale tomorrow (Friday) and can be bought directly from the website.

Once again I would like to remind you that we will have a fundraising dinner for our organization, Tutors for Tibetan Children, on February 12th. We will serve delicious Tibetan food. The last fundraising dinner was a great success, and I hope this one will be no different. Camp 3 students recently sent us a package expressing their thanks and showing the progress they’ve made with our support. I will let you know more details later, but you can visit our new website at http://web.me.com/minyak/tft/Home.html. (This is the site where you will see the developments from the initial Pennies for Partnerships contributions to the program which was originally called Tibetan Children’s Heritage Fund. Thanks to your contributions the pilot program was started and the program continues to develop with the continued efforts of Dr. Burris and Geshe Dorjee).

I also plan to visit California and Utah in May for teachings and to attend a conference.  I am also excited about the opportunity to give additional lectures atcommunity colleges across northwest Arkansas.

Lastly, I would like to mention that none of these things could happen without the support from the Tibetan Cultural Institute of Arkansas, which I would like to say a special thank you to Sidney, James, and Barbara.

So, Happy New Year to all of you my best wishes for a year full of laughter and joy.

Sincerely,

Geshe Thupten Dorjee

Ven. Geshe Thupten Dorjee, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, University of Arkansas

Fulbright College of Arts & Sciences

Tibetan Cultural Institute of Arkansas

http://artibet.com/

TEXT Project

www.textproject.wordpress.com

Tutors for Tibetan (originally Tibetan Children’s Heritage Fund)

http://web.me.com/minyak/tft/Home.html

(479) 575-2509 (office)

Tashi Delek and Happy New Year.

I apologize for the long delay in posting. I was completing my undergraduate work and diligently working on the research of Nonviolence as an Empowerment Mechanism for Social Work. The project was conducted while in India last spring and I am happy to say 621 Tibetans participated by filling out the survey questionnaire.

I truly appreciate all the participation and involvement of the community and I apologize for the delay in following up. At this time I have moved on to a graduate program in which I am looking for the expertise and guidance of my previous professors and my new professors to direct me accordingly as to how to pursue the continued efforts of the research. The data set did show a correlation that those who participated in nonviolent action had increased feelings of empowerment. Since this is my first research project of obtaining data it is important that I continue the exploration of how to best address the findings. I hope to return to India to work with the Tibetan population within the next year but that is yet to be determined. If possible I hope to further the research in hopes of publishing the research for the purpose of the Tibetan voice being heard.

Again I apologize to all the Tibetans and those who have assisted me in India with the project and I have not forgotten about you. In time I hope to deliver the findings to Contact Magazine for release as I know I had indicated to the participants that I would do so. I hope to be working with Lha in New Orleans as a volunteer in the months to come.

This is an exciting time for me and I hope to further this blog with new information generated from continued involvement with a community of folks interested in the Tibetan cause.

Happy New Year to you all and may you have a blessed year.

Leann

Please see the comment from Geshe Dorjee.