May 29

Through My Eyes

Saturday May 29

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

" This I could not agree with. I was also concerned at the methods used by the Chinese in the pursuit of their ideals. I received a strong impression of rigidity. But I expressed a wish to become a Party member all the same. I felt sure, as I still do, that it would be possible to work out a synthesis of Buddhist and pure Marxist doctrines that really would prove to be an effective way of conducting politics.

At the same time I started to learn Chinese and also at the suggestion of my new Chinese security officer - a delightful man and a veteran of the Korean War - began to do some physical exercises. He used to come and supervise me every morning. However, he was not at all used to getting up early and could not understand why I rose before five o'clock to pray. Often he would appear tousle-haired and unwashed. As for the regime, it did seem to have some effect. My chest,which up to then had been rather bony and narrow, began to flatten out considerably.

In all, I spent around ten weeks in Peking after our arrival. Much of the time was taken up by attending political meetings and conferences, not to mention innumerable banquets. The food at these enormous meals I found to be quite good on the whole, although I still shudder at the thought of the hundred-year-old eggs which are considered to be such a delicacy. Their smell was overpowering. It lingered too, so that when you had done with eating them you could not tell whether you were still tasting them in your mouth or whether it was simply the smell: they completely overwhelmed your senses. Some European cheeses have a similar effect, I have noticed. These banquets were considered to be very important by our hosts, who seemed to be of the opinion that genuine friendships could develop just by people sitting together at the dining table. This was quite wrong of course.

When the First Assembly of the Communist Party took place at around this time, I was made a Vice-President of the Steering committee of the People's Republic of China. This was a nominal appointment that carried some prestige, if not actually any political power. ( The Steering Committee discussed policy before it was put up to the Politburo, where the real power lay.)

The political meetings and conferences of the Steering Committee were a much more useful experience than the banquets, although they tended to go on forever. Sometimes the speaker would talk for five,six or even seven hours at a stretch, which was extremely boring. I spent the time sipping hot water and yearning for the end. However, the meetings that were attended by Mao where a different matter. He was spellbinding. Best of all, when he had done with speaking, he would canvass his audience for their opinions. He was always trying to sound out people's deepest feelings on any given matter and was open to anything that might be said. He even went so far as to criticise himself on a number of occasions and once, when he was not getting the results he wanted , he produced a letter that had been sent to him from his own village complaining about the behaviour of the local Party authorities. This was altogether impressive, but as time went on I began to realise how artificial the majority of these meetings were. People were afraid to speak their minds, especially the non-Party members, who were always desperate to please the Party members and be polite to them.

Gradually, it began to dawn on me that political life in China was full of contradictions, although I could not exactly decide on what was the cause of this. Every time I saw Mao, he inspired me again. I remember one occasion when he presented himself without warning at my residence. He wanted to speak to me privately on some matter, I forget what exactly, but during the course of our conversation he surprised me very much by speaking favourably of Lord Buddha. He praised him for being 'anti-caste, anti- corruption and anti-exploitation.' He also mentioned the goddess Tara, a well-known female Buddha. Suddenly he seemed quite pro-religion.

On another occasion I sat facing the Great Helmsman, as he was known, at a long table, at either end of which were two generals. He pointed both men out to me, saying that he was posting them to Tibet. Then he looked at me hard and said, 'I am sending these men to serve you. If they don't listen to what you tell them, you are to let me know and I shall recall them.' Yet at the same time as receiving these favourable impressions, I could see for myself the paranoia with which the great majority of Party officials went about their daily tasks. They were in constant fear of their jobs if not their lives."

( An inside look at the workings of the Communist Party in China! 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.

( Please see my spinning for you!)

( Tahshi Deleh gentle one! Kehrahng kusu debo yinpeh? I began the day working up in the Grove scything and cultivating around the trees and native plants. I've been using a heavy iron hoe like those that native peoples have used . It's modified somewhat from original designs but works similarly and is quite useful. I'm not wild about harming the grass there but it's hard for the trees and native plants to survive when the rain is heavy like this because they don't grow quickly enough to use the food we two as one brought to them before the grass does. Ideally I'd like just to bring up enough for plants and the grass but it's impossible to manage. It's remarkable how quickly those thousands of pounds of tree food disappear. With us working two as one together things continue to go quite well! I haven't been spraying as the stream water has too much sediment in it as a result of all the rain. This makes it hard on the pump. I may have mentioned this. Anyway, the trees and plants continue to grow fabulously and many of the trees that were winter injured are showing strong recovery! After that I returned to our studio to spin for you and work on our a land of Tibet. I hope you liked the picture of me from our sacred place. I'd been out in that soaking rain and my hair was quite a mess! I'm going to put the pages up 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 29 (We continue to listen to the Dalai Lama as he tells of his trip to Peking.) " This I could not agree with. I was also concerned at the methods used by the Chinese in the pursuit of their ideals. I received a strong impression of rigidity. But I expressed a wish to become a Party member all the same. I felt sure, as I still do, that it would be possible to work out a synthesis of Buddhist and pure Marxist doctrines that really would prove to be an effective way of conducting politics. At the same time I started to learn Chinese and also at the suggestion of my new Chinese security officer - a delightful man and a veteran of the Korean War - began to do some physical exercises. He used to come and supervise me every morning. However, he was not at all used to getting up early and could not understand why I rose before five o'clock to pray. Often he would appear tousle-haired and unwashed. As for the regime, it did seem to have some effect. My chest,which up to then had been rather bony and narrow, began to flatten out considerably. In all, I spent around ten weeks in Peking after our arrival. Much of the time was taken up by attending political meetings and conferences, not to mention innumerable banquets. The food at these enormous meals I found to be quite good on the whole, although I still shudder at the thought of the hundred-year-old eggs which are considered to be such a delicacy. Their smell was overpowering. It lingered too, so that when you had done with eating them you could not tell whether you were still tasting them in your mouth or whether it was simply the smell: they completely overwhelmed your senses. Some European cheeses have a similar effect, I have noticed. These banquets were considered to be very important by our hosts, who seemed to be of the opinion that genuine friendships could develop just by people sitting together at the dining table. This was quite wrong of course. When the First Assembly of the Communist Party took place at around this time, I was made a Vice-President of the Steering committee of the People's Republic of China. This was a nominal appointment that carried some prestige, if not actually any political power. ( The Steering Committee discussed policy before it was put up to the Politburo, where the real power lay.) The political meetings and conferences of the Steering Committee were a much more useful experience than the banquets, although they tended to go on forever. Sometimes the speaker would talk for five,six or even seven hours at a stretch, which was extremely boring. I spent the time sipping hot water and yearning for the end. However, the meetings that were attended by Mao where a different matter. He was spellbinding. Best of all, when he had done with speaking, he would canvass his audience for their opinions. He was always trying to sound out people's deepest feelings on any given matter and was open to anything that might be said. He even went so far as to criticise himself on a number of occasions and once, when he was not getting the results he wanted , he produced a letter that had been sent to him from his own village complaining about the behaviour of the local Party authorities. This was altogether impressive, but as time went on I began to realise how artificial the majority of these meetings were. People were afraid to speak their minds, especially the non-Party members, who were always desperate to please the Party members and be polite to them. Gradually, it began to dawn on me that political life in China was full of contradictions, although I could not exactly decide on what was the cause of this. Every time I saw Mao, he inspired me again. I remember one occasion when he presented himself without warning at my residence. He wanted to speak to me privately on some matter, I forget what exactly, but during the course of our conversation he surprised me very much by speaking favourably of Lord Buddha. He praised him for being 'anti-caste, anti- corruption and anti-exploitation.' He also mentioned the goddess Tara, a well-known female Buddha. Suddenly he seemed quite pro-religion. On another occasion I sat facing the Great Helmsman, as he was known, at a long table, at either end of which were two generals. He pointed both men out to me, saying that he was posting them to Tibet. Then he looked at me hard and said, 'I am sending these men to serve you. If they don't listen to what you tell them, you are to let me know and I shall recall them.' Yet at the same time as receiving these favourable impressions, I could see for myself the paranoia with which the great majority of Party officials went about their daily tasks. They were in constant fear of their jobs if not their lives." ( An inside look at the workings of the Communist Party in China! 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. ( Please see my spinning for you!) ( Tahshi Deleh gentle one! Kehrahng kusu debo yinpeh? I began the day working up in the Grove scything and cultivating around the trees and native plants. I've been using a heavy iron hoe like those that native peoples have used . It's modified somewhat from original designs but works similarly and is quite useful. I'm not wild about harming the grass there but it's hard for the trees and native plants to survive when the rain is heavy like this because they don't grow quickly enough to use the food we two as one brought to them before the grass does. Ideally I'd like just to bring up enough for plants and the grass but it's impossible to manage. It's remarkable how quickly those thousands of pounds of tree food disappear. With us working two as one together things continue to go quite well! I haven't been spraying as the stream water has too much sediment in it as a result of all the rain. This makes it hard on the pump. I may have mentioned this. Anyway, the trees and plants continue to grow fabulously and many of the trees that were winter injured are showing strong recovery! After that I returned to our studio to spin for you and work on our a land of Tibet. I hope you liked the picture of me from our sacred place. I'd been out in that soaking rain and my hair was quite a mess! I'm going to put the pages up 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!)