September 3

Through My Eyes

Saturday September 3

(We continue to listen to the Dalai Lama as he tells the incarceration of the Panchen Lama.)

" Subsequently, he was stripped of office ( although Mao shamelessly assured him that his observations would be heeded), and the handful of elderly caretaker monks that had found their way back to Tashilhunpo were arrested, accused of criminal activities and subjected to abuse in front of the people of Shigatse.

At the beginning of 1964, the Panchen Lama was given the opportunity of rehabilitation. He was invited to make a speech to the people of Lhasa during the Monlam festival, which was to be revived for a single day. He agreed to do so. However, to the amazement of the Chinese authorities, he announced to the assembled crowd that the Dalai Lama was indeed the true leader of the Tibetan people. he ended his speech with a rousing cry of ' Long Live the Dalai Lama!' He was duly arrested and, after a secret trial lasting seventeen days, he disappeared from view. Many people feared that he too had been killed. But now it turned out that he had at first been put under house arrest before eventually being imprisoned in China's maximum security jail, where he was subjected to intensive torture and ' political reeducation'. Conditions there were so harsh that he attempted suicide more than once.

So, the Panchen Lama was alive and comparatively well. But the delegates saw that the health of Tibet itself was very poor. True, the country's economy had been transformed and there was more of everything. yet this was of zero benefit to Tibetans as all commodities were in the hands of the occupying Chinese. For example, there were now factories where there had been none before, but all that they produced went to China. And the factories themselves were sited with no regard to anything other than utility, with predictably detrimental results to the environment. The same was true of the hydro-electric power stations. Furthermore, the Chinese quarter of every town and city was flooded with light but, even in Lhasa,in the Tibetan district one bulb of 15 to 20 watts was the most that could be found in any room. These often failed, especially in winter when electric power resources were diverted to accommodate heavier use throughout the rest of the city.

As to agriculture, the Chinese had insisted that winter wheat be sown in place of the traditional barley crop. This was because the Chinese eat wheat rather than barley. Consequently, thanks to new intensive farming methods, one or two bumper crops were produced- followed by years of famine. The changes had caused the rapid erosion of Tibet's thin, fragile layer of fertile topsoil, leaving miles of desert.

Other land resources, such as forestry, had been similarly exploited. Since 1955, it was estimated that nearly fifty million trees had been felled and many millions of acres all but cleared of vegetation. Animal husbandry had improved dramatically; in some places there were ten times the number of animals feeding off the same amount of pasture as in former times. But in other places, over exploitation meant the environment could no longer support any kind of grazing. As a result, whole ecologies have been lost. The once ubiquitous herds of deer, kyang and drong have now all but disappeared and the huge flocks of ducks and geese that were such a familiar sight are no longer to be seen.

Regarding health care,it now became clear that there were indeed a considerable number of hospitals, just as the Chinese had said. But these practised open discrimination on behalf of the immigrant population. And whenever a Chinese required blood in a transfusion, this would be taken from Tibetan 'volunteers'.

There were also far more schools than there had ever been. But again, the education programme had been perverted to benefit the Chinese. For example, the first delegation heard stories of how,in order to obtain funds from the central administration, the local Chinese authorities claimed that they were improving facilities for the Tibetans. The money was then used to benefit their own children. As to the education the Chinese provided for Tibetans, most of it was conducted in Chinese. It had been promised that the Tibetan language itself would be eradicated 'within fifteen years' . In reality, many of the schools were nothing more than labour camps for children. The only ones who really received proper schooling were the fifteen hundred or so most intellectually promising ones, who were forcibly sent to establishments in China, on the grounds that it would foster 'unity'.

The delegates also found that communications throughout Tibet had been transformed dramatically. There were roads criss-crossing it and linking almost every settlement. There were thousands of vehicles too, mainly heavy trucks- but all belonging to the Chinese Government. For ordinary Tibetans, however, movement was impossible without permission. Granted, the rules had recently been relaxed somewhat, but very few could afford to take advantage of this.

Similarly, although some consumer goods were certainly made available, none but a tiny handful of Tibetans could afford them. The great majority lived in a state of abject and pitiful poverty. The delegates heard how until only recently food rationing had been so tight that the quota for thirty days could only be eked out for twenty."

( Racism and exploitation, the usual colonialism scenario. 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 in our studio spinning for you then worked on the printing block which with we two working as one pulling strongly and patiently together is going quite well! After that I did some drawing and worked with the clay for awhile. The sculpture has transformed a fair amount since I showed you it last! After that I headed up gang rinpoche ngah tso gi to tidy up a bit and bring down much of the equipment we've been using this season to the studio. This took awhile! After that I rested by your Medlar tree before returning to our studio to work on our a land of Tibet. Your Medlar certainly has a lot of fruit! I'll be certain to save some of them. I'm pretty sure they can be kept in the freezer. In any case, your Medlar will have even more next year! Two as one we've fixed a few more mistakes on the pages as usual. I'm going to put the pages up on our infosite; I'll put this up a bit early 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 September 3 (We continue to listen to the Dalai Lama as he tells the incarceration of the Panchen Lama.) " Subsequently, he was stripped of office ( although Mao shamelessly assured him that his observations would be heeded), and the handful of elderly caretaker monks that had found their way back to Tashilhunpo were arrested, accused of criminal activities and subjected to abuse in front of the people of Shigatse. At the beginning of 1964, the Panchen Lama was given the opportunity of rehabilitation. He was invited to make a speech to the people of Lhasa during the Monlam festival, which was to be revived for a single day. He agreed to do so. However, to the amazement of the Chinese authorities, he announced to the assembled crowd that the Dalai Lama was indeed the true leader of the Tibetan people. he ended his speech with a rousing cry of ' Long Live the Dalai Lama!' He was duly arrested and, after a secret trial lasting seventeen days, he disappeared from view. Many people feared that he too had been killed. But now it turned out that he had at first been put under house arrest before eventually being imprisoned in China's maximum security jail, where he was subjected to intensive torture and ' political reeducation'. Conditions there were so harsh that he attempted suicide more than once. So, the Panchen Lama was alive and comparatively well. But the delegates saw that the health of Tibet itself was very poor. True, the country's economy had been transformed and there was more of everything. yet this was of zero benefit to Tibetans as all commodities were in the hands of the occupying Chinese. For example, there were now factories where there had been none before, but all that they produced went to China. And the factories themselves were sited with no regard to anything other than utility, with predictably detrimental results to the environment. The same was true of the hydro-electric power stations. Furthermore, the Chinese quarter of every town and city was flooded with light but, even in Lhasa,in the Tibetan district one bulb of 15 to 20 watts was the most that could be found in any room. These often failed, especially in winter when electric power resources were diverted to accommodate heavier use throughout the rest of the city. As to agriculture, the Chinese had insisted that winter wheat be sown in place of the traditional barley crop. This was because the Chinese eat wheat rather than barley. Consequently, thanks to new intensive farming methods, one or two bumper crops were produced- followed by years of famine. The changes had caused the rapid erosion of Tibet's thin, fragile layer of fertile topsoil, leaving miles of desert. Other land resources, such as forestry, had been similarly exploited. Since 1955, it was estimated that nearly fifty million trees had been felled and many millions of acres all but cleared of vegetation. Animal husbandry had improved dramatically; in some places there were ten times the number of animals feeding off the same amount of pasture as in former times. But in other places, over exploitation meant the environment could no longer support any kind of grazing. As a result, whole ecologies have been lost. The once ubiquitous herds of deer, kyang and drong have now all but disappeared and the huge flocks of ducks and geese that were such a familiar sight are no longer to be seen. Regarding health care,it now became clear that there were indeed a considerable number of hospitals, just as the Chinese had said. But these practised open discrimination on behalf of the immigrant population. And whenever a Chinese required blood in a transfusion, this would be taken from Tibetan 'volunteers'. There were also far more schools than there had ever been. But again, the education programme had been perverted to benefit the Chinese. For example, the first delegation heard stories of how,in order to obtain funds from the central administration, the local Chinese authorities claimed that they were improving facilities for the Tibetans. The money was then used to benefit their own children. As to the education the Chinese provided for Tibetans, most of it was conducted in Chinese. It had been promised that the Tibetan language itself would be eradicated 'within fifteen years' . In reality, many of the schools were nothing more than labour camps for children. The only ones who really received proper schooling were the fifteen hundred or so most intellectually promising ones, who were forcibly sent to establishments in China, on the grounds that it would foster 'unity'. The delegates also found that communications throughout Tibet had been transformed dramatically. There were roads criss-crossing it and linking almost every settlement. There were thousands of vehicles too, mainly heavy trucks- but all belonging to the Chinese Government. For ordinary Tibetans, however, movement was impossible without permission. Granted, the rules had recently been relaxed somewhat, but very few could afford to take advantage of this. Similarly, although some consumer goods were certainly made available, none but a tiny handful of Tibetans could afford them. The great majority lived in a state of abject and pitiful poverty. The delegates heard how until only recently food rationing had been so tight that the quota for thirty days could only be eked out for twenty." ( Racism and exploitation, the usual colonialism scenario. 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 in our studio spinning for you then worked on the printing block which with we two working as one pulling strongly and patiently together is going quite well! After that I did some drawing and worked with the clay for awhile. The sculpture has transformed a fair amount since I showed you it last! After that I headed up gang rinpoche ngah tso gi to tidy up a bit and bring down much of the equipment we've been using this season to the studio. This took awhile! After that I rested by your Medlar tree before returning to our studio to work on our a land of Tibet. Your Medlar certainly has a lot of fruit! I'll be certain to save some of them. I'm pretty sure they can be kept in the freezer. In any case, your Medlar will have even more next year! Two as one we've fixed a few more mistakes on the pages as usual. I'm going to put the pages up on our infosite; I'll put this up a bit early 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!)