May 15

Through My Eyes

Saturday May 15

(We continue to listen to the Dalai Lama as he tells of his trip to Peking.)

"When at last we arrived at the Peking railway station, I felt extremely nervous, though this abated a little when I saw huge crowds of young people gathered to welcome us. But it did not take long for me to realise their smiles and cheers were entirely false, and that they were acting under orders, whereupon my anxiety returned.

As we stepped off the train, we were greeted by Chou En-lai, the Prime Minister, and Chu Te, Vice-Chairman of the People's Republic, both of whom seemed quite friendly. With them was the same middle-aged Tibetan I had seen with General Tan Kuan-sen at Lhasa. After courtesies had been exchanged, this man, whose name was Phuntsog Wangyal, accompanied me to my quarters, which was a bungalow with a beautiful garden that had previously belonged to the Japanese diplomatic mission, where he explained the agenda for the next few days.

In due course I became firm friends with Phuntsog Wangyal. He had been converted to the Communist cause many years back. Before coming to China, he had acted as an agent for the Communists whilst teaching at a school run by Chinese mission in Lhasa. When the Mission was closed down following the expulsion of its members in 1949, he and his wife, who happened to be a Tibetan Muslim, left too. He himself was from Kham. As a child he had attended a Christian Missionary School at Bathang, his home town, where he learned some English. By the time of our acquaintance he had acquired an excellent command of Chinese too and made a brilliant interpreter between Chairman Mao and myself.

Phuntsog Wangyal turned out to be a very able man, calm and wise; a good thinker too. He was also very sincere and honest, and I enjoyed his company a great deal. Evidently , he felt very happy in his assignment as my official interpreter, not least because of the access it gave him to Chairman Mao, whom he idolized. However, his feelings toward me were equally strong. Once, when we were talking about Tibet, he said he was full of optimism for the future as he considered that I was very open minded. He told me how many years ago he had been to a public audience at the Norbulingka and seen a small boy on the throne. 'And now you are a small boy no longer, here with me in Peking.' This thought moved him very much and he wept openly. After several minutes he continued, now speaking as a true Communist. He told me that the Dalai Lama should not rely on astrology as a tool with which to govern the country. He also said that religion was not a reliable thing to base one's life on. Because of his obvious sincerity, I listened carefully. On the subject of what he called superstitious practices, I explained the Buddha's own emphasis on the need for a thorough investigation before accepting something as true or false. I also told him that I was convinced that religion is essential, especially for those engaged in politics. At the end of our conversation I felt that we had a high regard for one another. Such differences as we had were personal matters, so there was no basis for conflict. In the final analysis, we were both Tibetans thinking deeply about the future of our country.

A day or two after our arrival, I was told that all members of the Tibetan delegations were invited to a banquet. That afternoon we were taken through a dress rehearsal of the evening's activities. It turned out our hosts were very particular about protocol (which I later discovered to be a general characteristic of the officials of the People's Republic) and our liaison officers worked themselves up into a frantic pitch of anxiety. They were terrified that we would bungle the affair and make them look foolish, so they gave us all strict and detailed instructions about what to do, even down to the number of paces to take and after how many to turn left or right. It was like a military parade. There was a precise order in which everyone was to appear. I was to go first , followed by the Panchen Lama, then my two tutors, the Kalons ( the four members of the Kashag), each in order of seniority, and then everyone else, according to rank. All of us were to bear gifts and again these had to match the status of the person carrying them. The whole procedure seemed very complicated , even to us Tibetans whose aristocracy is also known for it's love of etiquette. But the trepidation of our hosts was infectious and soon we were all in a dither , save for LIng Ringpoche, who disliked all formality. He would have nothing to do with it.

Next day, so far as I can remember, I had my inaugural encounter with Chairman Mao. This was at a public meeting, with a format similar to the banquet, all of us filing in according to rank. As we entered the hall, the first thing I noticed was an array of spotlights that had been erected for the whole army of official photographers. Beneath these stood Mao himself, looking very calm and relaxed. He did not have the aura of a particularly intelligent man. However, as we shook hands I felt as if I were in the presence of a strong magnetic force. He came across as being very friendly and spontaneous, despite the formality of the occasion. It began to look as if the apprehension I had felt was unfounded."

( There certainly was a great deal of reason for the Dalai Lama's apprehension! I promise to add more tomorrow...)

*( please click here to read of the day with me )

* This is from the book Freedom in Exile The Autobiography of the Dalai Lama by Tenzin Gyatso, the fourteenth

Dalai Lama of Tibet.

Through my eyes

( Please see my spinning for you!)

( Tahshi Deleh gentle one! Kehrahng kusu debo yinpeh? I began the day in our studio spinning for you then headed up to the Grove to spray. The water pump kept conking out on me; I've ordered another and will send this one out for repair. I ended up filling some garbage cans so that I would have enough to spray. In between trips up and down the hill I scythed some more and took pictures. Your Medlar tree is flowering! I'll bring us a picture tomorrow. The Grove is looking fabulous overall, the energy work and the tree food continue to work.Two as one we've gotten a lot done in spite of troubles! It wasn't our warm and bright future day of course but it was beautiful up there. Also very hot! There's still more spraying to be done; we'll complete it tomorrow. Two as one we've fixed a few mistakes on the pages from our sacred place as usual. We continue firmly on together despite my stumblings beautiful one! I'm going to put the pages on our infosite;I'll put this up so we can rest.

And so, as always we'll continue two as one on to tomorrow

my one gentle beautiful patient swift dream bright

long dark mane in sunlight

so for now I bid goodnight...Simjah Nahngo!)


	Through My Eyes Saturday May 15 (We continue to listen to the Dalai Lama as he tells of his trip to Peking.) "When at last we arrived at the Peking railway station, I felt extremely nervous, though this abated a little when I saw huge crowds of young people gathered to welcome us. But it did not take long for me to realise their smiles and cheers were entirely false, and that they were acting under orders, whereupon my anxiety returned. As we stepped off the train, we were greeted by Chou En-lai, the Prime Minister, and Chu Te, Vice-Chairman of the People's Republic, both of whom seemed quite friendly. With them was the same middle-aged Tibetan I had seen with General Tan Kuan-sen at Lhasa. After courtesies had been exchanged, this man, whose name was Phuntsog Wangyal, accompanied me to my quarters, which was a bungalow with a beautiful garden that had previously belonged to the Japanese diplomatic mission, where he explained the agenda for the next few days. In due course I became firm friends with Phuntsog Wangyal. He had been converted to the Communist cause many years back. Before coming to China, he had acted as an agent for the Communists whilst teaching at a school run by Chinese mission in Lhasa. When the Mission was closed down following the expulsion of its members in 1949, he and his wife, who happened to be a Tibetan Muslim, left too. He himself was from Kham. As a child he had attended a Christian Missionary School at Bathang, his home town, where he learned some English. By the time of our acquaintance he had acquired an excellent command of Chinese too and made a brilliant interpreter between Chairman Mao and myself. Phuntsog Wangyal turned out to be a very able man, calm and wise; a good thinker too. He was also very sincere and honest, and I enjoyed his company a great deal. Evidently , he felt very happy in his assignment as my official interpreter, not least because of the access it gave him to Chairman Mao, whom he idolized. However, his feelings toward me were equally strong. Once, when we were talking about Tibet, he said he was full of optimism for the future as he considered that I was very open minded. He told me how many years ago he had been to a public audience at the Norbulingka and seen a small boy on the throne. 'And now you are a small boy no longer, here with me in Peking.' This thought moved him very much and he wept openly. After several minutes he continued, now speaking as a true Communist. He told me that the Dalai Lama should not rely on astrology as a tool with which to govern the country. He also said that religion was not a reliable thing to base one's life on. Because of his obvious sincerity, I listened carefully. On the subject of what he called superstitious practices, I explained the Buddha's own emphasis on the need for a thorough investigation before accepting something as true or false. I also told him that I was convinced that religion is essential, especially for those engaged in politics. At the end of our conversation I felt that we had a high regard for one another. Such differences as we had were personal matters, so there was no basis for conflict. In the final analysis, we were both Tibetans thinking deeply about the future of our country. A day or two after our arrival, I was told that all members of the Tibetan delegations were invited to a banquet. That afternoon we were taken through a dress rehearsal of the evening's activities. It turned out our hosts were very particular about protocol (which I later discovered to be a general characteristic of the officials of the People's Republic) and our liaison officers worked themselves up into a frantic pitch of anxiety. They were terrified that we would bungle the affair and make them look foolish, so they gave us all strict and detailed instructions about what to do, even down to the number of paces to take and after how many to turn left or right. It was like a military parade. There was a precise order in which everyone was to appear. I was to go first , followed by the Panchen Lama, then my two tutors, the Kalons ( the four members of the Kashag), each in order of seniority, and then everyone else, according to rank. All of us were to bear gifts and again these had to match the status of the person carrying them. The whole procedure seemed very complicated , even to us Tibetans whose aristocracy is also known for it's love of etiquette. But the trepidation of our hosts was infectious and soon we were all in a dither , save for LIng Ringpoche, who disliked all formality. He would have nothing to do with it. Next day, so far as I can remember, I had my inaugural encounter with Chairman Mao. This was at a public meeting, with a format similar to the banquet, all of us filing in according to rank. As we entered the hall, the first thing I noticed was an array of spotlights that had been erected for the whole army of official photographers. Beneath these stood Mao himself, looking very calm and relaxed. He did not have the aura of a particularly intelligent man. However, as we shook hands I felt as if I were in the presence of a strong magnetic force. He came across as being very friendly and spontaneous, despite the formality of the occasion. It began to look as if the apprehension I had felt was unfounded." ( There certainly was a great deal of reason for the Dalai Lama's apprehension! I promise to add more tomorrow...) ( please click here to read of the day with me ) This is from the book Freedom in Exile The Autobiography of the Dalai Lama by Tenzin Gyatso, the fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet. Through my eyes ( Please see my spinning for you!) ( Tahshi Deleh gentle one! Kehrahng kusu debo yinpeh? I began the day in our studio spinning for you then headed up to the Grove to spray. The water pump kept conking out on me; I've ordered another and will send this one out for repair. I ended up filling some garbage cans so that I would have enough to spray. In between trips up and down the hill I scythed some more and took pictures. Your Medlar tree is flowering! I'll bring us a picture tomorrow. The Grove is looking fabulous overall, the energy work and the tree food continue to work.Two as one we've gotten a lot done in spite of troubles! It wasn't our warm and bright future day of course but it was beautiful up there. Also very hot! There's still more spraying to be done; we'll complete it tomorrow. Two as one we've fixed a few mistakes on the pages from our sacred place as usual. We continue firmly on together despite my stumblings beautiful one! I'm going to put the pages on our infosite;I'll put this up so we can rest. And so, as always we'll continue two as one on to tomorrow my one gentle beautiful patient swift dream bright long dark mane in sunlight so for now I bid goodnight...Simjah Nahngo!)