For the last sixty-eight years, India is facing security threats all along the Himalayan Frontier following Communist China’s invasion of Tibet. India has no border with China. The border disputes between India and China simply describe the fact of Chinese Aggression in Tibet.
Rudranarasimham Rebbapragada
SPECIAL FRONTIER FORCE
ARMY INCREASES STRENGTH AT INDIA-CHINA-MYANMAR TRIJUNCTION NEAR TIBET TO PREVENT REPEAT OF A DOKLAM-LIKE STANDOFF
Indian troops deployed along the disputed Sino-India border in the Himalayan range of the Arunachal sector have increased their patrolling at a tri-junction of India, China and Myanmar to prevent a repeat of a Doklam-like standoff.
Top Army officials told PTI that the tri-junction, located around 50km from Walong, the easternmost town of India near the Tibet region, is extremely important for India to help it maintain its dominance in the nearby mountain passes and other areas.
"After the Doklam standoff, we have increased our presence on India’s side of the tri-junction as it is very important for us from the strategic dimension," a senior Army official said.
He said Chinese troops did not enter the Tri-junction too frequently but had developed a road infrastructure near the area which could be advantageous for the mobilization of army personnel.
Walong, situated on the bank of Lohit river, had witnessed the bravery of Indian troops against Chinese aggression during the 1962 war between the two countries.
The deepening of military engagement between China and Myanmar was another reason for India ramping up its presence at the tri-junction with thick rainforests on the Himalayan ranges.
The official said Myanmar’s border guarding forces did not patrol the tri-junction.
"After the tri-junction in Doklam in the Sikkim sector, this is the most important tri-junction along the Sino-India border," he said.
Troops of India and China were locked in a 73-day-long standoff in Doklam from June 16 last year after the Indian side stopped the building of a road in the disputed area by the Chinese Army. The face-off ended on August 28.
The area in Doklam where China tried to construct a road is a disputed territory claimed by both China and Bhutan. India sent its troops to stop the Chinese construction activity, saying it could be a threat to its strategic interests in the region.
Since the Doklam standoff, India has deployed more troops and increased patrolling along the borders with China in the Tibetan region.
Another official said Indian troops have also enhanced their presence in all the areas in the Lohit Valley near the tri-junction.
"There are 18 mountain passes in the region and we have been carrying out long-range patrols to all these passes regularly," he said.
He further said," We have been carrying out war rehearsals regularly. You have to be in an offensive mode to remain in an advantageous position."
China has been laying new roads and improving its overall infrastructure along the nearly 4,000km-long border with India.
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said last month that China had undertaken the construction of helipads, sentry posts and trenches for its army personnel near Doklam.
Sources said China has been keeping its troops in north Doklam and significantly ramping up its infrastructure in the disputed area.
In January, Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat had said the time had come for India to shift its focus from its borders with Pakistan to the frontier with China, indicating the seriousness of the situation.
Tibet declared full independence on February 13, 1913. But, Tibetans chose to keep their external relations only with immediate neighbors such as China, Mongolia, India, and Nepal. United States desired formal diplomatic relations with Tibet while Tibet was unwilling to enter the global stage. For that reason, India took responsibility to represent Tibetan interests in diplomatic talks and negotiations. Communist China’s belligerence compelled Tibet and India to formulate Tibetan Resistance Movement since 1949.
Tibetans are preparing to mark the 60th anniversary of the Dalai Lama’s exile in India. Indian officials stoked controversy by spurning celebrations to avoid angering China. Sonia Phalnikar reports from Dharamshala.
The Dalai Lama, the revered spiritual leader of Tibetans and an international icon, fled Tibet in 1959 following a failed anti-China uprising. He arrived in India and set up a government in exile in the northern Indian town of Dharamshala.
India has continued to host the Dalai Lama and his fellow Tibetan Buddhist exiles even though China condemns them as dangerous separatists. India’s public embrace of the Dalai Lama has periodically aggravated border tensions and inflamed diplomatic spats between Delhi and Beijing.
Earlier this month, India’s 100,000-strong Tibetan community had planned a celebratory "Thank you, India" event in Delhi as a gesture of gratitude from the Dalai Lama and his followers for India’s role in sheltering them 60 years ago.
But a directive from India’s foreign secretary urged officials to stay away from the events, saying they coincided with a "sensitive time" for Delhi’s relations with Beijing. Invitations to top officials were withdrawn and the event was moved from Delhi to Dharamshala.
DW spoke with 36-year-old Dhardon Sharling, Information Secretary at the Tibetan Government-in-Exile in Dharamshala, about the deep bonds between India and Tibet, the rise of China and what it means for the Tibet cause, and life after the Dalai Lama.
Dhardon Sharling: ‘The Tibetan struggle is made in India’
DW: Are you upset that India has disregarded the Tibetan community’s interests to avoid angering China?
Dhardon Sharling: Not at all. China is always offended at anything the Dalai Lama does or says. That is the norm. But it was our own decision to shift the "Thank you, India" event to Dharamshala and not do it in Delhi, and respect what India deems fit for their diplomacy or diplomatic dealings with China.
We’ve been here for the past 60 years, so a small political decision, which I call a temporary phase in political diplomacy, will not undo six decades of deeply rooted bonds and ties. If the Tibet cause is at all alive, if the Dalai Lama is a flourishing icon, it’s thanks to India. We have even gone on record to say the Tibetan freedom struggle is made in India. It’s built on the foundations that India provided us with – education, health, housing etc.
This relationship dates back thousands of years, right from the start of Buddhism. Our language and our script come from India.
India is the only country [Tibetans live in 27 different countries] that allows you to write "Tibetan" as your nationality. Some countries require you to write China.
There’s no denying that India is keen to build good ties with China, which is growing increasingly assertive in the region. The presence of the Dalai Lama in India remains a sticking point between the two Asian giants. Aren’t you threatened by that?
Not really. What seems assertive to you is actually [China’s] insecurity. I’ll give you an example. Two months ago, German car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz posted an Instagram feed as part of their Monday motivation campaign. It was a picture of a car and a quote by the Dalai Lama saying "Have an open mind and heart and things will be easy." China lodged a complaint and Mercedes-Benz had to remove that post. Does that look like dominance or insecurity? If someone is really powerful, they won’t be affected by the simple things the Dalai Lama does.
But I agree that China’s dominance is growing in the Asian region and across the globe. We do understand that China will extend its tentacles and try to strangle India. That’s when we’d like India to be more assertive, to stand its ground, look into the eyes of their counterparts and not bow or kowtow, because that’s not in the Indian spirit.
Better ties between India and China don’t necessarily have to lead to India putting pressure on us. That’s because we ourselves are looking for reconciliation, for better relations with China, for engagement with China. I don’t think we’d apply a double standard and say India cannot do that. But that does not mean to abandon or disregard the Tibetan interest as well.
There have been no formal talks between China and the Dalai Lama’s representatives since 2010. Are you still open to dialogue with Beijing?
We are looking for friendship with China. We are looking at something called the Chinese outreach program, which is massive. We have Chinese outreach officers in four countries and we have a China desk in our office. Our official policy of resolving the issue of Tibet is the "Middle Way approach." It calls for dialogue and engagement with China.
With Chinese President Xi Jinping’s term being extended indefinitely, we will continue to see Tibet being his biggest challenge. Tibet will really set the litmus test for China’s rise. China wants to rise and become powerful, but it will be Tibet that will mirror the reality in China.
What we are saying is that the Dalai Lama is the solution to all the problems that China is confronted with. So,Tibet is an opportunity for the Chinese leadership. If Beijing could see wisdom in that, India could be the best possible channel and partner in achieving this harmony between Tibet, India and China.
You say the Dalai Lama is the solution to everything. But the question remains: what happens when the Dalai Lama is gone? He seems to be what has held everything together so far.
There is a growing network of supporters rallying behind us. History tells us that the arc of justice definitely will bend toward a struggle that has survived on principles of nonviolence for 60 years.
Someone once said, "If Tibet fails, the world fails." I really don’t think the world will fail us in our struggle.
Dhardon Sharling is the Information Secretary at the Tibetan Government-in-Exile in Dharamshala, India.
The Interview was conducted by Sonia Phalnikar.
A young Dalai Lama (right) is seen with Mao Zedong, chairman of the People’s Republic of China, in 1956
PEACH BLOSSOMS – PRAYER FOR FREEDOM TO BLOSSOM IN TIBET
Tibetans need courage and freedom to be the people they were made to be. They need humility to lay aside progress or development granted by occupation. I ask the Lord of Compassion to give wings to Tibetans and they shall fly to experience the Joy of Freedom.
LIVING TIBETAN SPIRITS – LIFE IN EXILE – THANK YOU AMERICA
LIVING TIBETAN SPIRITS – LIFE IN EXILE – THANK YOU AMERICA
Living Tibetan Spirits thank America for life in exile. My life’s final destination is not known. For now, I admit that I am not a Refugee and I am not an Asylee. While I live without knowing or reaching my destination, I say, "Thank You America."
Rudranarasimham Rebbapragada
SPECIAL FRONTIER FORCE
DALAI LAMA TO KICK OFF YEAR-LONG ‘THANK YOU INDIA’ EVENTS ON SATURDAY
The Central Tibetan Administration will organize a public event at the Tsuglagkhang temple on Saturday and the event will be attended by Indian dignitaries too.
New Delhi: Marking the 60th year of exile in India, Tibetan Buddhist leader Dalai Lama is set to kick off yearlong pan India ‘Thank You India’ events on March 31.
The Central Tibetan Administration will organize a public event at the Tsuglagkhang temple on Saturday and the event will be attended by Indian dignitaries too.
In a statement, President Dr Lobsang Sangay said that Tibet is inextricably linked to India through geography, history, culture, and spiritually and that “the Tibetan struggle is ‘Made in India’ and said that ‘the success of the Tibetan struggle will be India’s success story.”
The announcement of the spiritual leader’s attendance comes a month after, according to a report in the Indian Express earlier this month, foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale had sent a note on February 22 to Cabinet Secretary PK Sinha, following which the "senior leaders" and "government functionaries" of the Centre and states were directed to skip events of exiled Tibetan leaders.
The Centre later clarified that Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama was free to "carry out his religious activities in India", reacting to reports that the government has asked senior functionaries to "skip” all events by the "Tibetan leadership in India".
In an interview to CNN-News18 earlier this month, Dalai Lama had said that he doesn’t care about alleged pressure from China forcing the cancellation of events in Delhi to mark 60 years of the Tibetan government’s exile in India. He also said the position of the Dalai Lama has become irrelevant now and that the Tibetan people must decide on whether to continue it. The Tibetan government-in-exile shifted the high-profile event commemorating Dalai Lama’s 60 years of exile as an effort to bringing peace to relations between India and China.
Many Tibetan activists are said to have communicated to relevant authorities as the development ‘humiliated’ Dalai Lama.
China has for long considered the spiritual leader as a dangerous separatist and says Tibet is an integral part of its territory and has been for centuries. Beijing also says its rule ended serfdom and brought prosperity to what was a backward region, and that it fully respects the rights of the Tibetan people.
“Today, His Holiness the Dalai Lama is the best ambassador for Indian values of non-violence, ahimsa and inter-religious harmony and the promotion of basic human values: compassion and kindness,” said Dr Sangay.
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama (C), flanked by President of the Central Tibetan Administration Lobsang Sangay (R) and Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile Penpa Tsering (L), greets the audience during the 52nd anniversary of Tibetan Democracy Day at the Tsuglakhang Temple in McLeod Ganj, Dharamsala on Sept. 2, 2012. (STRDEL/AFP/Getty Images)
Amidst an escalating diplomatic and economic standoff between the United States and the Chinese communist regime, the U.S. Congress has approved a massive spending bill that includes $17 million that will be used to support Tibetans in and out of Tibet. This includes the Tibetan government-in-exile, which is vehemently opposed by the Chinese regime that currently rules over Tibet.
The funds were earmarked through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018, and include $8 million for Tibetans inside Tibet and $6 Million for Tibetan community in India and Nepal. On top of that, Congress created an additional new line of funding of $3 million to strengthen the capacity of the Tibetan government in exile and Tibetan institutions.
“We remain thankful to the U.S. government and Congress for their generous financial assistance towards the Tibetan community,” said Dr. Lobsang Sangay, president of the Tibetan government-in-exile, officially known as the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA).
The CTA is headquartered in Dharamshala, India, and effectively represents the Tibetan exile community in India, which numbers around 100,000. It also claims to represent the people of the entire Tibet region, which has been occupied by the Chinese regime ever since its military invasion of Tibet in 1950.
The increase of funds granted by Congress alleviates concerns that U.S. support for Tibet might be dwindling, as the Trump administration’s slashing of State Department budgets in 2017 had at the time raised fears that funding for Tibetans might be cut or terminated completely.
The funding is consistent with the decades-old U.S. policy of providing support for the Tibetans and the Tibetan exile government, despite the Chinese regime’s consistent opposition to such aid, which it sees as meddling in China’s domestic affairs.
In my analysis, Communist China, Red China is aggressor, hegemonist, imperialist, Expansionist,Neocolonialist, and Evil One occupying Tibet using military force. I do not consider the actions of Tibet, or of India to explain as to why Tibet lost Freedom in 1950.
It relates to the sequence of events and the role of KM Panikkar, the Indian Ambassador in China, during the weeks after the invasion of Tibet.
Red China – Aggressor. Indian Mission in Lhasa till 1952.
Dekyi Linka, the Indian Mission in Lhasa till 1952 (thereafter the Indian Consulate-General).
Claude Arpi, holding the Field Marshal KM Cariappa Chair of Excellence from the United Service Institution of India (USI), for his research on the Indian Presence in Tibet 1947-1962 (in 4 volumes), has extensively worked in the National Archives of India and well the Nehru Library (on the Nehru Papers) on the history of Tibet, the Indian frontiers and particularly the Indian Frontier Administrative Service.
The Last Months of a Free Nation — India Tibet Relations (1947-1962) is the first volume of the series, using never-accessed-before Indian archival material. Though Tibet’s system of governance had serious lacunae, the Land of Snows was a free and independent nation till October 1950, when Mao decided to “liberate”it. But “liberate” from what, was the question on many diplomats’ and politicians’ lips in India; they realised that it would soon be a tragedy for India too; Delhi would have to live with a new neighbor, whose ideology was the opposite of Tibet’s Buddhist values; the border would not be safe anymore.
The narrative starts soon after Independence and ends with the signing, under duress, of the 17-Point Agreement in Beijing in May 1951, whose first article says: “The Tibetan people shall unite and drive out imperialist aggressive forces from Tibet; the Tibetan people shall return to the big family of the Motherland-the People’s Republic of China.” Tibet had lost its Independence …and India, a gentle neighbour.
Reproduced below are extracts from a chapter The View from the South Block.
It relates to sequence of events and the role of KM Panikkar, the Indian Ambassador in China, during the weeks after invasion of Tibet.
It is usually assumed that Sardar Patel, the Deputy Prime Minister wrote his “prophetic” letter to Jawaharlal Nehru, the Prime Minister, detailing the grave implications for India of Tibet’s invasion. In fact, he used a draft sent to him by Sir Girija Shankar Bajpai, the Secretary General of the Ministry of External Affairs and Commonwealth.
On November 7, 1950, just a month after the entry of the People’s Liberation Army in Tibet, Patel sent Bajpai’s note to Nehru under his own signature Bajpai, the top-most Indian diplomat, was deeply upset by the turn of events; he also shared his note with President Rajendra Prasad, C. Rajagopalachari and others. Nehru ignored Patel’s letter and the views of his colleagues.
Red China – Aggressor.
November 1950 It is usually assumed that Sardar Patel, the Deputy Prime Minister of India wrote the “prophetic” letter to Jawaharlal Nehru, the Prime Minister, detailing the grave implications for India of Tibet’s invasion. In fact, he used a draft sent to him by Sir Girija Shankar Bajpai, the Secretary General of the Ministry of External Affairs and Commonwealth. On November 7, 1950, a month after the entry of the People’s Liberation Army in Tibet, Patel sent Bajpai’s note under his own signature, to Nehru, who ignored Patel’s letter.
Bajpai, deeply upset by the turn of events, had also sent his note to President Rajendra Prasad and C Rajagopalachari.
Girija Shankar Bajpai’s Note of October 31 Bajpai first noted that on July 15, 1950, the Governor of Assam had informed Delhi that, according to information received by the local Intelligence Bureau, Chinese troops, “in unknown strength, had been moving towards Tibet from three directions, namely the north, north-east and south-east.” The same day, the Indian Embassy in China reported that rumours in Beijing had been widely “prevalent during the last two days that military action against Tibet has already begun.” Though Panikkar was unable to get any confirmation, he virtually justified Beijing’s military action by writing: “in view of frustration in regard to Formosa, Tibetan move was not unlikely.” A few days later], Bajpai remarked that the Ambassador [Panikkar] had answered [Delhi] that he did not consider the time suitable for making representation to the Chinese Foreign Office. Bajpai is more and more frustrated with Panikkar’s surrender to Chinese interests and perhaps also by the support that the ambassador gets from the Prime Minister. The Secretary General is clearly in a difficult position. Already on July 20, Panikkar’s attention was drawn by South Block to the fact that Beijing’s argument that the “Tibetans had been stalling the talks,” was wrong. Panikkar was informed by Delhi that the Tibetan Delegation should not be blamed for something they are not responsible for…
Panikkar brings in philosophical issues India [Panikkar] attempted to change the Communist regime’s decision to “liberate” Tibet, by bringing a philosophical angle to the issue: “In the present dangerous world situation, a military move can only bring a world nearer [to a conflict], and any Government making such a move incurs the risk of accelerating the drift towards that catastrophe.”
Mao was not in the least bothered about such niceties.
Another Aide-Memoire Delhi again repeats its “philosophical” position: it would be bad for Beijing to invade Tibet: “The Government of India would desire to point out that a military action at the present time against Tibet will give those countries in the world which are unfriendly to China a handle for anti-Chinese propaganda at a crucial and delicate juncture in international affairs.” Delhi is convinced that “position of China will be weakened” by a (Chinese) military solution.
The Chinese plans are clear The objective of Mao and the Southwestern Bureau in Chengdu is to occupy Chamdo, it is therefore clear that the PLA is preparing to enter “Tibet proper”. …The objective remains the fall of Chamdo before the winter, ambassador or no ambassador, negotiation or no negotiations.
As Tibet is invaded, Sir Girija’s narrative continues: On October 17, the Indian Ambassador receives the full details of the Chinese invasion of Tibet. South Block confirms Tibet’s invasion, it was “brought to our notice at the request of the Tibetan Government in a message sent through our Mission in Lhasa,” says a cable from Delhi. The next day, Panikkar continues to argue against the invasion having happened; he says that out of the incidents to which Lhasa has drawn Delhi’s attention, only one appears to be new.
Bajpai more upset Sir Girija Bajpai is further upset when Panikkar argues: “Further I should like to emphasise that the Chinese firmly hold that Tibet is purely an internal problem and that while they are prepared in deference to our wishes to settle question peacefully they are NOT prepared to postpone matters indefinitely.”
This is written by the Ambassador of India.
(On October 22], Nehru cables the Ambassador in Beijing: “I confess I am completely unable to understand urgency behind Chinese desire to ‘liberate’ when delay CANNOT possibly change situation to her disadvantage.”
Finally on October 24, the Ambassador presents an aide-memoire to the Chinese Foreign Office. Bajpai notes “The contrast between the tone and content of the instructions sent to the Ambassador, and his feeble and apologetic ‘note’ deserves notice.” This raises a question, how could the ambassador present an aide-memoire without its content being vetted by South Block? It is a mystery.
Bajpai could only conclude that “from the foregoing narrative which I have been at some pains to document, that ever since the middle of July, at least, Peking’s objective has been to settle the problem of its relations by force.” From Mao’s cables, [one can see that] the invasion (or “liberation” for the Chinese side) did not at all depend on “negotiations” or “talks” with Tibetans. The army action had been decided since months.
Though Bajpai says that he is not interested to find “scapegoats”, he finally blames his ambassador to China: “The search for scapegoats is neither pleasant nor fruitful, and I have no desire to indulge in any such pastime. …however, I feel it my duty to observe that, in handling the Tibetan issue with the Chinese Government, our Ambassador has allowed himself to be influenced more by the Chinese point of view, by Chinese claims, by Chinese maps and by regard for Chinese susceptibilities than by his instructions or by India’s interests.” This is a strong, though late indictment of Panikkar.
Patel replies to Bajpai …When on October 31, Sardar Patel wrote back to Bajpai: “The Chinese advance into Tibet upsets all our security calculations. …I entirely agree with you that reconsideration of our military position and disposition of our forces are inescapable.” A few days later, Bajpai would write a note for Patel who sent it to Nehru, who did not even acknowledge it… Patel passed away five weeks later.
Lhasa received snowfall from Saturday to Sunday. My heart aches by looking at snow scenery of Lhasa. My heart ache is not because of Snowfall. I get pain when I think of China in Tibet.
Photo taken on March 18, 2018 shows the snow-covered Lhasa City, southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region. Lhasa saw a snowfall from Saturday to Sunday.(Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)
Photo taken on March 18, 2018 shows the Potala Palace after a snowfall in Lhasa, southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region. Lhasa saw a snowfall from Saturday to Sunday.(Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)
Photo taken on March 18, 2018 shows the Potala Palace after a snowfall in Lhasa, southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region. Lhasa saw a snowfall from Saturday to Sunday.(Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)
Photo taken on March 18, 2018 shows the Potala Palace after a snowfall in Lhasa, southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region. Lhasa saw a snowfall from Saturday to Sunday.(Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)
I ask my readers to speak to their High School Physics teachers to learn about Pencil-in-Water illusion. The man including ‘Jeevan Mukt’ has no choice other than perceiving the Pencil as bent at Water-Air Interphase. The man may control his thoughts, feelings, and desires to empty his mind of all its contents. Yet, the man cannot overcome the power of light rays that may generate an optical illusion. Similarly, the man may attain “NIRVANA” and yet has no choice other than experiencing Aging formulated by Eternal Law of Aging. The man lives as if life is operated by an Inner Clock that measures time as intervals between Light and Darkness while Sun shines all the time. The reality of Sun does not operate life for life is ‘conditioned’. The man cannot use artificial lighting or illumination to avoid the consequences of Aging. The man experiences aging process because of the Rotational Spin of Earth while the man lives blissfully ignorant of Earth’s Motion.
Perceiver-Perception Optical Illusion vs Nirvana. Spirituality Science – Eternal Law of Aging. On bhavanajagat.com
Rudra Narasimham Rebbapragada Ann Arbor, MI 48104-4162 USA BHAVANAJAGAT.ORG
Perceiver-Perception Optical Illusion vs Nirvana. Bharat Darshan – Three Great Teachers of India. On bhavanajagat.com
From: Devinder Singh Gulati
Subject: Re: Sikh Metaphysics
Nirvana
“Says Nanak, the Divine Light has dawned within my mind; I have obtained the state of Nirvana. ||4||4||125||” Guru Arjan
“By great good fortune, one meets the True Guru, and the supreme status of Nirvana is obtained. ||1||” Guru Nanak
“He is in the Guru’s Sanctuary, and nowhere else. He is not diverted by diversions, and distractions. He remains intuitively absorbed in the celestial immobility. ||7||” Kabeer
“He alone is a Pandit, who sheds the load of the three qualities. He offers his head to the True Guru. He remains forever unattached in the state of Nirvana.” Guru Amar Das
“Meditate and vibrate upon the Lord, O my mind, and you shall obtain the state of Nirvana.” Naam Dev
God is met in two ways. You meet him in your heart as your soul when you feel a union with the divine. This is not Nirvana. The route to Nirvana is through the mind and in Nirvana you feel detached from the rest of the world. You meet with the True Guru in either case . Nirvana is of two kinds. There is the nirvana of the Buddha, or Shankara where the world is seen as unreal and conclusion is that it is Maya or illusion. The Nirvana described in Gurbani is not that. Here the world is seen as an extension of God in time-space, while God Himself remains detached from it because He stands above the three gunas. It is the Karta Purakh or creator that is met above the mind in Gurbani. The Buddhist path and Advaitic path lead to Akalpurkh or pure spirit. That is condition before the creative force [Naam] is brought out.
A description of this realisation is given by one who realised it: “I myself had my experience of Nirvana and silence in the Brahman, etc. long before there was any knowledge of the overhead spiritual planes; it came first simply by an absolute stillness and blotting out as it were of all mental, emotional and other inner activities – the body continued indeed to see, walk, speak and do its other business, but as an empty automatic machine and nothing more. I did not become aware of any pure ‘I’ nor even of any self, impersonal or other, there was only an awareness of That as the sole Reality, all else being quite unsubstantial, void, non-real”
“The Shankara knowledge is only one side of the Truth; it is the knowledge of the Supreme as realized by the spiritual Mind through the static silence of the pure Existence. It was because he went by this side only that Shankara was unable to accept or explain the origin of the universe except as illusion, a creation of Maya. Unless one realises the Supreme on the dynamic as well as the static side, one cannot experience the true origin of things and the equal reality of the active Brahman. The Shakti or Power of the Eternal becomes then a power of illusion only and the world becomes incomprehensible, a mystery of cosmic madness, an eternal delirium of the Eternal. Whatever verbal or ideative logic one may bring to support it, this way of seeing the universe explains nothing; it only erects a mental formula of the inexplicable. It is only if you approach the Supreme through his double aspect of Sat and Chit-Shakti, double but inseparable, that the total truth of things can become manifest to the inner experience. This other side was developed by the Shakta Tantriks.”
Perceiver-Perception Optical Illusion vs Nirvana. Human existence demands experience of illusion as precondition.Perceiver-Perception Optical illusion.
TIBET AND CHINA UNION POSSIBLE IF COMMUNIST GOVERNANCE OF CHINA ENDS
In my analysis, Tibet can exist with China like ‘European Union’ if Communist Party governance of People’s Republic of China comes to an end. As such, European Union is not governed by principles of political doctrine called Communism.
Rudranarasimham Rebbapragada
SPECIAL FRONTIER FORCE
TIBET CAN EXIST WITH CHINA LIKE ‘EUROPEAN UNION’: DALAI LAMA
BEIJING (Reuters) – Tibet can exist within China in the same spirit as the European Union sticks together, the territory’s spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, considered a dangerous separatist by Beijing, said.
The Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959 after an abortive uprising against Chinese rule and set up a government in exile in the foothills of Dharamshala. Chinese troops had seized control of Tibet nine years earlier.
He says he only seeks autonomy for his homeland, not outright independence. He has also expressed a desire to return to Tibet.
“I always, you see, admire the spirit of (the) European Union,” the Dalai Lama said in a video message to the International Campaign for Tibet on the Washington D.C.-based group’s 30th anniversary on Thursday.
“Common interest (is) more important rather than one’s own national interest. With that kind of concept, I am very much willing to remain within the People’s Republic of China. The Chinese word, “gongheguo” (republic), shows some kind of union is there.”
China says Tibet in an integral part of its territory and has been for centuries. Beijing also says its rule ended serfdom and brought prosperity to what was a backward region, and that it fully respects the rights of the Tibetan people.
Beijing insists that the Dalai Lama is a “splittist” in a monk’s robes and has warned foreign leaders against meeting him, even in a personal capacity.
Donald Trump has not met with the Dalai Lama since become president in January last year. All recent U.S. presidents before Trump had held meetings with the Dalai Lama.
While the Dalai Lama reiterated his desire for reconciliation as Xi Jinping begins his second five-year term as China’s president, he also said the Tibetan issue was not about to go away.
“Among the Chinese hard-liners, in their mind, it seems some kind of dilemma is there about their present policy – whether, you see, it can solve Tibetan problem or not,” he said.
WISDOM OF BUDDHA DALAI LAMA SUPREME RULER OF TIBET LIVING IN EXILE
In my analysis, the 14th Dalai Lama remains the Supreme Ruler of Tibet while he lives in exile. He is neither a refugee nor an asylee. To describe him as religious leader of Buddhism or as spiritual leader is incorrect. The reality of Dalai Lama must be accounted in terms of real or true Tibetan Experience of Life, Death, and Rebirth.
Rudranarasimham Rebbapragada
SPECIAL FRONTIER FORCE
THE ANCIENT WISDOM THE DALAI LAMA HOPES WILL ENRICH THE WORLD BBC NEWS
Justin Rowlatt South Asia correspondent @BBCJustinR on Twitter
Image caption BBC correspondent Justin Rowlatt (L) meets the Dalai Lama
It isn’t often you meet the leader of a world religion – rarer still that he tweaks your cheek. But that’s what happened when I met the 14th Dalai Lama last month.
You know when he has entered a room. First there is a hush and, almost immediately after that, a ripple of infectious laughter. Next, there he is, his face creased into a mischievous smile, his eyes twinkling behind his tinted spectacles.
I met his holiness in Bodh Gaya, the northern Indian town where Buddha himself is said to have attained enlightenment. It is an auspicious place to meet the leader of Tibetan Buddhism, and it was also an auspicious day.
The Dalai Lama had just published the first volume of what he hopes will be a key pillar of his legacy- a four volume series bringing together ancient Buddhist scientific and philosophical explorations of the nature of reality.
He chuckled when I greeted him, clearly delighted to talk about the book. It draws on the wisdom of thousands of sutras and treatises written in Sanskrit by scholars in the historic university of Nalanda, he told me.
Nalanda is a legendary place, founded more than a millennium and a half ago on a site about 100km (60 miles) from Bodh Gaya in India’s eastern state of Bihar.
Contemporary accounts describe an astonishing complex of temples, reading rooms, gardens and lodging houses; a veritable city with pointed turrets, sparkling roof tiles, glimmering lotus ponds and peaceful flowering groves.
It was one of the world’s first universities and – at its peak – one of the greatest centers of learning on the planet, with some 10,000 students. Such was its scale that when it was razed to the ground by Muslim invaders in the 12th Century, the libraries were said to have burned for three whole months.
The only reason these ancient Buddhist texts survived the destruction, the Dalai Lama explained, is because, centuries earlier, Tibetan monks had trekked down to the hot Indian plains from their icy redoubts in the Himalayas to translate them.
They returned to their monasteries in the mountains with these Tibetan versions.
Now the Dalai Lama wants to make them available to the whole world. "The wisdom came from India", he said, giggling – everything he said seemed to be accompanied by a chuckle – "but now we know it better than the original Indian masters".
The Dalai Lama is in his early 80s now, but he’s still sprightly. Apparently, his doctor has told him he needs to reduce how much he travels, but looking at his schedule this only seems to mean that he now travels once a fortnight rather than every week.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The Dalai Lama(L) and Indian’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, in Delhi
But as he grows older, his followers have been forced to consider what will happen when he eventually passes away.
His death – and eventual rebirth – will be a major geopolitical issue. The Chinese have regarded him as an enemy – " a wolf in monk’s clothes", they once called him – ever since he rejected Beijing’s rule and fled Tibet in 1959 for sanctuary in India.
In exile, he’s become an extraordinarily effective ambassador – not only of the Tibetan cause, but for Buddhism in general.
With his cheerful smile and burgundy robes, he has come to embody the Western ideal of Buddhism: a wise monk on a peaceful journey in search of self-enlightenment.
Buddhism needs a popular champion now more than ever.
Buddhist Myanmar’s brutal attack on its Rohingya Muslim minority is just the most dramatic example of how, in South East Asia and elsewhere, the tradition has become increasingly entwined with a strain of toxic and often violent nationalism.
Image copyright Getty Images Image Caption Ruins of the historic Nalanda University
As the leader of Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama couldn’t intervene directly, but last year, as Buddhist mobs torched Rohingya villages, he urged Myanmar to "remember Buddha".
The books he is writing aim to bring the wisdom of Buddha to a wider audience. He hopes they will encourage people to study what he calls "the system of emotion" as an academic discipline. "Education everywhere is considered important," he explains.
"But if you look, the content of so-called modern education – very much orientated about material value. Not talking about inner value. So now, today, the best educated people, emotionally – lot of problem!" he says, and once again bursts into delighted laughter.
"I love to tease other people and so now I want to tease you", he tells me, rubbing my shoulder.
I brace myself.
"You see this country traditionally rich in the knowledge of emotion." He pauses, and gently tweaks my cheek with a finger: "You Britishers introduced modern education!"
There is another explosion of laughter and then his holiness moves slowly down the room, chuckling as he greets the hundreds of other people waiting to see him.
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