July30

Through My Eyes

Saturday July 30

(We continue to listen to the Dalai Lama as he tells of changes in China and India!)

" This statement marked the start of an intensive propaganda campaign to try to entice people back. We began to hear more and more about the 'unprecedented happiness in Tibet today.' Soon afterwards, Hua Guofeng, Mao's designated successor, called for the full restoration of Tibetan customs and, for the first time in twenty years. elderly people were permitted to circumambulate the Jokhang once more and national dress was allowed. This seemed very promising, and it proved not to be the last hopeful sign.

On 25 February 1978, to my great joy and surprise, the Panchen Lama was suddenly released after almost a decade in jail. And soon afterwards, Hu Yaobang, then in the ascendant, revised President Li Xiannian's pronouncement on the Cultural Revolution and stated that it had been an entirely negative experience, which had not benefited China in any way.

This sounded like a remarkable advance. But still, I felt that if the Chinese really had a change of heart, this would best be signalled by genuine openness as regards Tibet. In my 10 March speech ( marking the nineteenth anniversary of the Tibetan people's national uprising), I therefore called on the Chinese authorities to allow unrestricted access to foreigners. I also suggested that they should permit Tibetans in occupied Tibet to visit their families in exile, and vice versa. I felt that if the six million Tibetans really were happy and prosperous as never before, as was now being suggested , we had no reason to argue otherwise. But it was only right that we should have the opportunity to find out the truth in these statements.

To my surprise, it seemed that my suggestions were taken note of. For, not long after, the first foreign visitors were admitted to Tibet. And, in accordance with my wishes, provision was made forTibetans both inside and outside Tibet to be able to make visits, although in neither case were these new permissions unrestricted.

The upheavals in China occurred at a time when India was going through important changes too. In 1977, Mrs Ghandi lost the election she called after a period of Emergency. She was followed in office by Mr Moraji Desai, whose Janata party succeeded in toppling the Congress party for the first time since Independence. It was not long before Mrs Ghandi regained power, but in the meantime I came to deepen my acquaintance with Mr Desai, whom I had first met in 1956 and already knew and liked.

At the time of this writing, he is still alive, though now a very old man, and I continue to regard him as a close friend. He is a remarkable person with a wonderful face, which is full of life and free from worries. By this, I do not mean he is without his faults. But as with Mahatma Gandhi, his daily life is very austere. He is a strict vegetarian; he does not touch alcohol or tobacco. He is also utterly straightforward in his dealings with others. I sometimes wonder if he is not too straightforward. However, if this is one of his failings, in my eyes it is more than made up for by his friendship towards the Tibetan people. He once wrote to me saying that Indian culture and Tibetan culture are different branches of the same Bodhi tree. This is quite true. As I have already made clear, the relationship between our two countries goes very deep. Many Indians consider Tibet to be a manifestation of Heaven on Earth- a land of gods and holy places. Both Mount Kailash and Lake Manansarova, in south and south-western Tibet respectively, are important places of pilgrimage to devout Indians. Similarly, we Tibetans consider India to be Aryabhumi, the Land of the Holy.

Towards the end of 1978, there was a further encouraging development when Deng Xiaoping emerged as a paramount authority in Peking. As a leader of a more moderate faction, his ascendancy seemed to signal real hope for the future. I had always felt that Deng might one day do great things for his country. When I was in China during 1954-5, I met him a number of times and had been very impressed by him. We never had any long conversations but I heard much about him- particularly that he was a man of great ability and very decisive too.

The last time I saw him I remember him sitting, a very small man in a large armchair, slowly and methodically peeling and orange. He did not talk much, but it was clear that he was listening intently to all that was being said. He struck me as a powerful man. Now it began to look as if, in addition to these qualities, he was also quite wise. He came up with a number of impressive catch phrases, such as 'It is important to seek truth from facts', 'So long as it catches mice, it doesn't matter if it's black or white' and 'If your face is ugly, there is no use trying to pretend otherwise'. Furthermore, as regards policy, he appeared more concerned with the economy and education than with political doctrine and the usual empty slogans."

( We know something of Mt Kailash and Lake Manansarovar! 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 printing block which with we two working as one pulling strongly and patiently together is going quite well! After that I headed up gang rinpoche ngah tso gi to continue trimming. I hope you like the picture of me from our sacred place. I thought I'd show you how your Medlar tree is doing and what the electric mower looks like. It still seems light although somewhat heavier after a few hours of trimming on the steep sections! The big thing with the electric equipment is the weight of the batteries. The more power it has and the longer it can go the heavier the battery is. We've certainly made a lot of use the backpack this season carrying those batteries about! Two as one we've completed the trimming for the week! After that I rested by your Medlar tree as usual before returning to our studio to work on our a land of Tibet.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 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 July 30 (We continue to listen to the Dalai Lama as he tells of changes in China and India!) " This statement marked the start of an intensive propaganda campaign to try to entice people back. We began to hear more and more about the 'unprecedented happiness in Tibet today.' Soon afterwards, Hua Guofeng, Mao's designated successor, called for the full restoration of Tibetan customs and, for the first time in twenty years. elderly people were permitted to circumambulate the Jokhang once more and national dress was allowed. This seemed very promising, and it proved not to be the last hopeful sign. On 25 February 1978, to my great joy and surprise, the Panchen Lama was suddenly released after almost a decade in jail. And soon afterwards, Hu Yaobang, then in the ascendant, revised President Li Xiannian's pronouncement on the Cultural Revolution and stated that it had been an entirely negative experience, which had not benefited China in any way. This sounded like a remarkable advance. But still, I felt that if the Chinese really had a change of heart, this would best be signalled by genuine openness as regards Tibet. In my 10 March speech ( marking the nineteenth anniversary of the Tibetan people's national uprising), I therefore called on the Chinese authorities to allow unrestricted access to foreigners. I also suggested that they should permit Tibetans in occupied Tibet to visit their families in exile, and vice versa. I felt that if the six million Tibetans really were happy and prosperous as never before, as was now being suggested , we had no reason to argue otherwise. But it was only right that we should have the opportunity to find out the truth in these statements. To my surprise, it seemed that my suggestions were taken note of. For, not long after, the first foreign visitors were admitted to Tibet. And, in accordance with my wishes, provision was made forTibetans both inside and outside Tibet to be able to make visits, although in neither case were these new permissions unrestricted. The upheavals in China occurred at a time when India was going through important changes too. In 1977, Mrs Ghandi lost the election she called after a period of Emergency. She was followed in office by Mr Moraji Desai, whose Janata party succeeded in toppling the Congress party for the first time since Independence. It was not long before Mrs Ghandi regained power, but in the meantime I came to deepen my acquaintance with Mr Desai, whom I had first met in 1956 and already knew and liked. At the time of this writing, he is still alive, though now a very old man, and I continue to regard him as a close friend. He is a remarkable person with a wonderful face, which is full of life and free from worries. By this, I do not mean he is without his faults. But as with Mahatma Gandhi, his daily life is very austere. He is a strict vegetarian; he does not touch alcohol or tobacco. He is also utterly straightforward in his dealings with others. I sometimes wonder if he is not too straightforward. However, if this is one of his failings, in my eyes it is more than made up for by his friendship towards the Tibetan people. He once wrote to me saying that Indian culture and Tibetan culture are different branches of the same Bodhi tree. This is quite true. As I have already made clear, the relationship between our two countries goes very deep. Many Indians consider Tibet to be a manifestation of Heaven on Earth- a land of gods and holy places. Both Mount Kailash and Lake Manansarova, in south and south-western Tibet respectively, are important places of pilgrimage to devout Indians. Similarly, we Tibetans consider India to be Aryabhumi, the Land of the Holy. Towards the end of 1978, there was a further encouraging development when Deng Xiaoping emerged as a paramount authority in Peking. As a leader of a more moderate faction, his ascendancy seemed to signal real hope for the future. I had always felt that Deng might one day do great things for his country. When I was in China during 1954-5, I met him a number of times and had been very impressed by him. We never had any long conversations but I heard much about him- particularly that he was a man of great ability and very decisive too. The last time I saw him I remember him sitting, a very small man in a large armchair, slowly and methodically peeling and orange. He did not talk much, but it was clear that he was listening intently to all that was being said. He struck me as a powerful man. Now it began to look as if, in addition to these qualities, he was also quite wise. He came up with a number of impressive catch phrases, such as 'It is important to seek truth from facts', 'So long as it catches mice, it doesn't matter if it's black or white' and 'If your face is ugly, there is no use trying to pretend otherwise'. Furthermore, as regards policy, he appeared more concerned with the economy and education than with political doctrine and the usual empty slogans." ( We know something of Mt Kailash and Lake Manansarovar! 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 printing block which with we two working as one pulling strongly and patiently together is going quite well! After that I headed up gang rinpoche ngah tso gi to continue trimming. I hope you like the picture of me from our sacred place. I thought I'd show you how your Medlar tree is doing and what the electric mower looks like. It still seems light although somewhat heavier after a few hours of trimming on the steep sections! The big thing with the electric equipment is the weight of the batteries. The more power it has and the longer it can go the heavier the battery is. We've certainly made a lot of use the backpack this season carrying those batteries about! Two as one we've completed the trimming for the week! After that I rested by your Medlar tree as usual before returning to our studio to work on our a land of Tibet.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 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!)