August21

Through My Eyes

Saturday August 21

(We continue to listen to the Dalai Lama as he tells of his meeting with Nehru!)

" Somehow India seemed much more open and at ease with herself.

This impression was reinforced when we landed at the Indian capital. A large guard of honour awaited us, along with Mr. Nehru, the Prime Minister, and Dr. Radhakrishnan, the Vice-President. There was more show and ceremony than anything I had seen in China but, at the same time, every word that was spoken, whether in greeting by the Prime Minister or in private by a minor official, had an undertone of sincerity. People expressed their real feelings and did not say just what they ought to say. There was no artifice.

From the airport I was taken directly to Rashtrapathi Bhavan to meet the President of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad. I found him to be quite an old man, slow and very humble. He contrasted hugely with his aide-de-camp, a tall, splendid man in an impressive uniform, and with his very grand, ceremonial bodyguards.

The following day, I made a pilgrimage to Rajghat on the banks of the Jamuna river, where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated. It was a calm and beautiful spot and I felt very grateful to be there, the guest of people who, like mine, had endured foreign domination; grateful also to be in the country that had adopted Ahimsa, the Mahatma's doctrine of non-violence. As I stood praying, I experienced simultaneously great sadness at not being able to meet Gandhi in person and great joy at the magnificent example of his life. To me, he was-and is- the consummate politician, a man who put his belief in altruism above any personal considerations. I was convinced too that his devotion to the cause of nonviolence was the only way to conduct politics.

The next few days were taken up with the Buddha Jyanti celebrations. During these, I spoke of my belief that the teachings of Lord Buddha could lead not only to peace in the lives of individuals, but also to peace between nations. I also took the opportunity to have discussions with many Gandhians about how India had achieved independence through nonviolence.

One of my main discoveries about India at this point was that although the banquets and receptions to which I was frequently invited were considerably less elaborate than those I had attended in China, the prevailing atmosphere of sincerity meant that there was an opportunity for genuine friendship to develop. This was in direct contrast to my experience in the People's Republic, where the received opinion was that you can change people's minds by bullying them. I could now make comparisons and see for myself that this was faulty thinking. Only through the development of mutual respect, and in a spirit of truth, can friendship come about. By these means it is possible to move human minds, but never by force.

As a result of these observations, and mindful of an old Tibetan saying that a prisoner who once manages to escape should not go back, I began to consider remaining in India. I made up my mind to explore the possibility of seeking political asylum when I met with Pandit Nehru, which I did soon after.

In fact, I met with the Prime Minister on several occasions. He was a tall, good-looking man, whose Nordic features were emphasised by his small Gandhi cap. Compared with Mao, he appeared to have less self-assurance, but then there was nothing dictatorial about him either. He seemed honest-which was why he was later deceived by Chou-En-lai. The first time we met, I took the opportunity to explain in detail the full story of how the Chinese had invaded our peaceful land, of how unprepared we were to meet an enemy and of how hard I had tried to accommodate the Chinese as soon as I was aware that no one on the outside world was prepared to acknowledge our rightful claim to independence.

At first he listened and nodded politely. But I suppose that my passionate speech must have seemed to long for him and after awhile he appeared to lose concentration, as if he was about to nod off. Finally, he looked up at me and said that he understood what I was saying. 'But you must realise,' he went on somewhat impatiently, 'that India cannot support you.' As he spoke in clear, beautiful English, his long lower lip quivered as if vibrating in sympathy with the sound of his voice.

This was bad, but not entirely unexpected news. And although Nehru had now made his position clear, I continued by saying that I was considering exile in India. Again he demurred. ' You must go back to your country and try to work with the Chinese on the basis of the seventeen point "Agreement".' I protested that I had already tried my utmost to do so, adding that every time I thought I had reached an understanding with the Chinese authorities, they broke my trust. And now the situation in eastern Tibet was so bad that I feared a massive, violent reprisal which could end up destroying the whole nation. How could I possibly believe that the Seventeen-Point 'Agreement' was workable any longer? Finally, Nehru said that he would speak on the subject personally with Chou En-lai, who was in Delhi the very next day enroute to Europe."

( Nehru's hope for peaceful settlement with China proved to be ill founded. 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 working on the weaving. I hope you liked the picture of me from our sacred place. It was a bit tough to set up as the weaving of the backstrap is longer than that for a prayer flag. I've taken some other pictures of the weaving to bring to us later. The stringing is almost wide enough to begin weaving! It was raining a lot so I spent most of the day in our studio although I did go out after the rain to wander about and take a few pictures. then I returned to our studio to work on the monthly pages.Two as one we've fixed a few more mistake on the pages; be not concerned beautiful one for we continue firmly on despite my stumbling! 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 August 21 (We continue to listen to the Dalai Lama as he tells of his meeting with Nehru!) " Somehow India seemed much more open and at ease with herself. This impression was reinforced when we landed at the Indian capital. A large guard of honour awaited us, along with Mr. Nehru, the Prime Minister, and Dr. Radhakrishnan, the Vice-President. There was more show and ceremony than anything I had seen in China but, at the same time, every word that was spoken, whether in greeting by the Prime Minister or in private by a minor official, had an undertone of sincerity. People expressed their real feelings and did not say just what they ought to say. There was no artifice. From the airport I was taken directly to Rashtrapathi Bhavan to meet the President of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad. I found him to be quite an old man, slow and very humble. He contrasted hugely with his aide-de-camp, a tall, splendid man in an impressive uniform, and with his very grand, ceremonial bodyguards. The following day, I made a pilgrimage to Rajghat on the banks of the Jamuna river, where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated. It was a calm and beautiful spot and I felt very grateful to be there, the guest of people who, like mine, had endured foreign domination; grateful also to be in the country that had adopted Ahimsa, the Mahatma's doctrine of non-violence. As I stood praying, I experienced simultaneously great sadness at not being able to meet Gandhi in person and great joy at the magnificent example of his life. To me, he was-and is- the consummate politician, a man who put his belief in altruism above any personal considerations. I was convinced too that his devotion to the cause of nonviolence was the only way to conduct politics. The next few days were taken up with the Buddha Jyanti celebrations. During these, I spoke of my belief that the teachings of Lord Buddha could lead not only to peace in the lives of individuals, but also to peace between nations. I also took the opportunity to have discussions with many Gandhians about how India had achieved independence through nonviolence. One of my main discoveries about India at this point was that although the banquets and receptions to which I was frequently invited were considerably less elaborate than those I had attended in China, the prevailing atmosphere of sincerity meant that there was an opportunity for genuine friendship to develop. This was in direct contrast to my experience in the People's Republic, where the received opinion was that you can change people's minds by bullying them. I could now make comparisons and see for myself that this was faulty thinking. Only through the development of mutual respect, and in a spirit of truth, can friendship come about. By these means it is possible to move human minds, but never by force. As a result of these observations, and mindful of an old Tibetan saying that a prisoner who once manages to escape should not go back, I began to consider remaining in India. I made up my mind to explore the possibility of seeking political asylum when I met with Pandit Nehru, which I did soon after. In fact, I met with the Prime Minister on several occasions. He was a tall, good-looking man, whose Nordic features were emphasised by his small Gandhi cap. Compared with Mao, he appeared to have less self-assurance, but then there was nothing dictatorial about him either. He seemed honest-which was why he was later deceived by Chou-En-lai. The first time we met, I took the opportunity to explain in detail the full story of how the Chinese had invaded our peaceful land, of how unprepared we were to meet an enemy and of how hard I had tried to accommodate the Chinese as soon as I was aware that no one on the outside world was prepared to acknowledge our rightful claim to independence. At first he listened and nodded politely. But I suppose that my passionate speech must have seemed to long for him and after awhile he appeared to lose concentration, as if he was about to nod off. Finally, he looked up at me and said that he understood what I was saying. 'But you must realise,' he went on somewhat impatiently, 'that India cannot support you.' As he spoke in clear, beautiful English, his long lower lip quivered as if vibrating in sympathy with the sound of his voice. This was bad, but not entirely unexpected news. And although Nehru had now made his position clear, I continued by saying that I was considering exile in India. Again he demurred. ' You must go back to your country and try to work with the Chinese on the basis of the seventeen point "Agreement".' I protested that I had already tried my utmost to do so, adding that every time I thought I had reached an understanding with the Chinese authorities, they broke my trust. And now the situation in eastern Tibet was so bad that I feared a massive, violent reprisal which could end up destroying the whole nation. How could I possibly believe that the Seventeen-Point 'Agreement' was workable any longer? Finally, Nehru said that he would speak on the subject personally with Chou En-lai, who was in Delhi the very next day enroute to Europe." ( Nehru's hope for peaceful settlement with China proved to be ill founded. 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 working on the weaving. I hope you liked the picture of me from our sacred place. It was a bit tough to set up as the weaving of the backstrap is longer than that for a prayer flag. I've taken some other pictures of the weaving to bring to us later. The stringing is almost wide enough to begin weaving! It was raining a lot so I spent most of the day in our studio although I did go out after the rain to wander about and take a few pictures. then I returned to our studio to work on the monthly pages.Two as one we've fixed a few more mistake on the pages; be not concerned beautiful one for we continue firmly on despite my stumbling! 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!)