November 8

Through My Eyes

Saturday November 8

(We continue to listen to Dalai Lama as he describes his early years as the leader of Tibet! )

"This turned out to be very useful when I received a gift, apparently from the British Royal Family, of a modern electrical projector with its own generator. It was delivered via the British Trade Mission, and Reginald Fox, the Merchant Trade Commissioner, came to show me how to use it.

Because of its altitude, many diseases common to other parts of the world are unknown in Tibet. However, there was one which was an ever-present danger: smallpox. When I was about ten years old, I was appointed a new, rather plump, doctor who, using imported medicine, vaccinated me against the disease. This was a very painful experience which, in addition to leaving me with four prominent scars on my arm, caused considerable pain and brought on a fever which lasted for about two weeks. I remember complaining a great deal about 'that fat doctor'.

My other personal physician at the time was nicknamed Doctor Lenin on account of his goatee beard. He was a small man with a large appetite and an excellent sense of humour. I particularly valued him for his skill at storytelling. Both of these men were trained according to the traditional Tibetan system of medicine, about which I shall speak more in a later chapter.

Also when I was ten, the world war which had been raging for the past five years ended. I knew very little about it save that when it was over my Government sent a mission bearing gifts and a message of congratulations to the British Government in India. The officials were received by Lord Wavell, the Viceroy. The following year, a delegation was again sent to India to represent Tibet at a conference on Asian relations.

Shortly afterwards, during the early spring of 1947, a very sad incident occurred which epitomises the way in which the selfish pursuit of personal interest amongst those in high office can have repercussions affecting the fate of a country.

One day, whilst I was watching a debate, I heard the sounds of shots being fired. The noise came from the north, in the direction of Sera monastery. I rushed outside, full of excitement at the prospect of doing some real work with my telescope. Yet, at the same time I was also very troubled as I realised that gunfire also meant killing. It turned out that Reting Rinpoche, who had announced his political retirement six years previously, had decided to claim the Regency back. He was supported in this by certain monks and lay officials who organised a plot against Tathag Rinpoche. This resulted in Reting Rinpoche's arrest and the death of a considerable number of his followers.

Reting Rinpoche was subsequently brought to the Potala, where he made a request that he be allowed to see me. Unfortunately, this was refused on my behalf and he died in prison not long afterwards. Naturally, as a minor, I had very little opportunity to become involved in judicial matters, but looking back, I sometimes wonder whether in this case I might not have been able to do something. Had I intervened in some way, it is possible that the destruction of Reting monastery, one of the oldest and most beautiful in Tibet, might have been prevented. All in all the whole affair was rather silly. Yet, despite his mistakes, I still retain a deep personal respect for Reting Rinpoche as my first tutor and guru. After his death, his names were dropped from mine until I restored them many years later on the instructions of the oracle.

Not long after these unhappy events, I went with Tathag Rinpoche to Drepung and Sera monasteries ( which lie respectively about five miles west and three and a half miles north of Lhasa). Drepung was at that time the largest monastery in the world, with over seven thousand monks. Serna was not much smaller, with five thousand. This visit marked my public debut as a dialectician. I was to debate with the abbots of each of Drepung's three colleges and of Sera's two colleges. Because of the recent disturbances, extra security precautions were taken, which made me feel uncomfortable. In addition, I was very nervous to be going to these great seats of learning for the first time during this lifetime. Yet somehow, they were both very familiar to me and I became convinced of some connection from my previous lives. The debates, which were conducted before audiences of hundreds of monks, went off well enough, despite my nervousness."

( Sera and Drepung still exist although on a much smaller scale. 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 went up to the Grove and used up the last bit of lime from the previous order. I've rented a truck and will pick up some of the right type tomorrow and return the other lime. Then I picked up around the Grove, bringing items I'd used back to our studio. I hope you liked the picture of me. It was actually from last weekend for our preparing for winter page but since I wasn't able to get to the Grove until late I thought you might like it instead. I returned to our studio and did some clearing around the shed that sits in front of our studio which I'm going to start fixing up a bit. Two as one we've gotten a lot done! I'm working now on our a Land of Tibet! 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 November 8 (We continue to listen to Dalai Lama as he describes his early years as the leader of Tibet! ) "This turned out to be very useful when I received a gift, apparently from the British Royal Family, of a modern electrical projector with its own generator. It was delivered via the British Trade Mission, and Reginald Fox, the Merchant Trade Commissioner, came to show me how to use it. Because of its altitude, many diseases common to other parts of the world are unknown in Tibet. However, there was one which was an ever-present danger: smallpox. When I was about ten years old, I was appointed a new, rather plump, doctor who, using imported medicine, vaccinated me against the disease. This was a very painful experience which, in addition to leaving me with four prominent scars on my arm, caused considerable pain and brought on a fever which lasted for about two weeks. I remember complaining a great deal about 'that fat doctor'. My other personal physician at the time was nicknamed Doctor Lenin on account of his goatee beard. He was a small man with a large appetite and an excellent sense of humour. I particularly valued him for his skill at storytelling. Both of these men were trained according to the traditional Tibetan system of medicine, about which I shall speak more in a later chapter. Also when I was ten, the world war which had been raging for the past five years ended. I knew very little about it save that when it was over my Government sent a mission bearing gifts and a message of congratulations to the British Government in India. The officials were received by Lord Wavell, the Viceroy. The following year, a delegation was again sent to India to represent Tibet at a conference on Asian relations. Shortly afterwards, during the early spring of 1947, a very sad incident occurred which epitomises the way in which the selfish pursuit of personal interest amongst those in high office can have repercussions affecting the fate of a country. One day, whilst I was watching a debate, I heard the sounds of shots being fired. The noise came from the north, in the direction of Sera monastery. I rushed outside, full of excitement at the prospect of doing some real work with my telescope. Yet, at the same time I was also very troubled as I realised that gunfire also meant killing. It turned out that Reting Rinpoche, who had announced his political retirement six years previously, had decided to claim the Regency back. He was supported in this by certain monks and lay officials who organised a plot against Tathag Rinpoche. This resulted in Reting Rinpoche's arrest and the death of a considerable number of his followers. Reting Rinpoche was subsequently brought to the Potala, where he made a request that he be allowed to see me. Unfortunately, this was refused on my behalf and he died in prison not long afterwards. Naturally, as a minor, I had very little opportunity to become involved in judicial matters, but looking back, I sometimes wonder whether in this case I might not have been able to do something. Had I intervened in some way, it is possible that the destruction of Reting monastery, one of the oldest and most beautiful in Tibet, might have been prevented. All in all the whole affair was rather silly. Yet, despite his mistakes, I still retain a deep personal respect for Reting Rinpoche as my first tutor and guru. After his death, his names were dropped from mine until I restored them many years later on the instructions of the oracle. Not long after these unhappy events, I went with Tathag Rinpoche to Drepung and Sera monasteries ( which lie respectively about five miles west and three and a half miles north of Lhasa). Drepung was at that time the largest monastery in the world, with over seven thousand monks. Serna was not much smaller, with five thousand. This visit marked my public debut as a dialectician. I was to debate with the abbots of each of Drepung's three colleges and of Sera's two colleges. Because of the recent disturbances, extra security precautions were taken, which made me feel uncomfortable. In addition, I was very nervous to be going to these great seats of learning for the first time during this lifetime. Yet somehow, they were both very familiar to me and I became convinced of some connection from my previous lives. The debates, which were conducted before audiences of hundreds of monks, went off well enough, despite my nervousness." ( Sera and Drepung still exist although on a much smaller scale. 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 went up to the Grove and used up the last bit of lime from the previous order. I've rented a truck and will pick up some of the right type tomorrow and return the other lime. Then I picked up around the Grove, bringing items I'd used back to our studio. I hope you liked the picture of me. It was actually from last weekend for our preparing for winter page but since I wasn't able to get to the Grove until late I thought you might like it instead. I returned to our studio and did some clearing around the shed that sits in front of our studio which I'm going to start fixing up a bit. Two as one we've gotten a lot done! I'm working now on our a Land of Tibet! 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!)