His Holiness congratulates Santos on Nobel Prize Vol. 04, Issue 165, Print Issue 89, October 15, 2016 USAID awards 23 mil to strengthen Tibetan communities
P- 5 ...
I n t e r n a t i o n a l
B o d - K y i - Cha-Trin
Sikyong congratulates Portugal’s Guterres, next UN Secretary-General A Voice For Tibet Bi-monthly
P-6 ...
www.thetibetpost.com
Rs.10
Understanding selflessness is unique to Buddhism: His Holiness By Molly Lortie: October 11, 2016
SIkyong Dr Lobsang Sangay and Finance Kalon Mr Karma Yeshi at the press conference on October 3, 2016. Photo: CTA/DIIR By Molly Lortie: October 3, 2016
Dharamshala — The Tibetan government in exile announced in a press conference today that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has awarded a grant of 23 million USD in order to strengthen self-reliance and resilience of Tibetan communities in South Asia. The grant is effective from October 1, 2016 and will be awarded over a period of five years. The overall goal of the program is to strengthen the selfreliance and resilience of Tibetans and Tibetan communities in South Asia by equipping them to thrive economically, become effective leaders; and maintaining the vitality of Tibetan communities and institutions while sustaining their unique identity and culture. According to a press release from the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), key program areas consist of leadership development, including institutional capacity building; establishing of a banking-like institution; and an integrated settlement development through community participatory process. The programs will maximize local participation and ownership of the development process and a crosscutting gender component will incorporate women’s perspective and participation in the design and implementation of all sustainable livelihoods strategies. CTA will partner with the Tibet Fund and other organizations and make maximum efforts to achieve the core program goals.
Riga, Latvia — Observing an understanding of selflessness, which is unique to Buddhist teachings, His Holiness the Dalai Lama said that unique quality enables us to reduce our exaggerated way of looking at things. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama arrived in Riga, the capital of Latvia, to begin a two day teaching on October 10th. Organized by Save Tibet, His Holiness was greeted early Monday morning in Riga’s Skonto Hall by an eager audience of 4500. Over 3000 came from Russia, while roughly 500 were from Kalmykia, 300 from Buryatia and 100 from Tuva. The spiritual leader’s teachings are being translated and webcast in English, Latvian, Estonian, Russian and Mongolian, as well as Tibetan. “Here we are once again in Latvia,” His Holiness began, “and I’d like to thank the organizers for creating this opportunity for me to give some explanation of Buddhist teachings. Not so long ago when I was here to give an introduction to Buddhism, a Russian told me how difficult it is for many of his compatriots to travel to India because of economic constraints. He told me it would be much easier for them to come to Latvia. I said I would look into it and was pleased to find my friends here supported the idea—so here we are and a huge number of people have come. “The Buddha,” His Holiness explained, “was born into a royal family, renounced that comfortable life and engaged in austerities for six years. Eventually he sat under the Bodhi tree near the Niranjana River and attained enlightenment. Although he pondered whether anyone else would understand what he had realised, he found his former companions in austerities and explained to them the Four Noble Truths. These constitute the first Turning of the Wheel of Dharma and form the basis of both the Pali and Sanskrit traditions of Buddhism. “Also belonging to the Nalanda tradition, Dignaga and Dharmakirti wrote about logic and epistemology. The teaching we are going to go through today comes from Dharmakirti’s
His Holiness the Dalai Lama during his teaching in Riga, Latvia on October 10, 2016. Photo/Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL
‘Commentary on Dignaga’s ‘Compendium of Valid Cognition’’. Since I had heard that in the early 20th century a Russian scholar Fyodor Shcherbatskoy translated some of Dharmakirti’s works into Russian and English, when we were discussing what I should teach, we decided that the second chapter of Dharmakirti’s classic work on Valid Cognition’’ would be appropriate.” His Holiness observed that an understanding of selflessness, which is unique to Buddhist teachings, enables us to reduce our exaggerated way of looking at things. He reported that American
China detains a man allegedly linked to self-Immolation protest in Tibet
Former HP CM applauds Tibetan Parliament proceedings By Molly Lortie: October 6, 2016
Dharamshala—Shri Shanta Kumar, former Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh and current member of Indian Parliament, sent a letter on October 5th to the Tibetan Parliamentary Secretariat today expressing his admiration on the efficient nature of the Tibetan Parliament. The former chief minister visited the Tibetan parliament on September 28th to witness the second session of the 16th Tibetan parliament. In the letter, he said: “I am honored to have got the opportunity to witness the proceedings of the Tibetan Parliament on 28 September. I am also very impressed with the efficient and effective functioning of the parliamentary procedures.” “The proceedings were calm, dignified and very disciplined. There weren’t any violent display of emotions and resistance as is often the case in parliaments in other parts of India,” he said. “Even after staying such a long time away from Tibet, the Tibetan administration and the Tibetan Parliament are functioning effectively and doing its job successfully. It is itself a very noteworthy achievement,” he added. “The Tibetan parliament is elected through a vibrant democratic system and the credit of this successful democratic institution goes to the efforts of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan leaders,” he noted.
(R-L) Shri Shanta Kumar, former chief minister of HP and current member of Lok Sabha along with his delegation watching the proceedings of a session of 16th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile on 28 September 2016. Photo: CTA/DIIR
Undated photo of Sangdak Kyab, who was recently arrested by authorities for his alleged link to a Tibetan self-immolation protest in Tibet, in 2013. Photo: File By Yeshe Choesang: October 13, 2016
Dharamshala — A sources says that Tibetan man accused of supporting a self-immolation protest in Sangkhok township in Amdo region of eastern Tibet has been taken into custody by Chinese police after evading arrest for three years. Sangdak Kyab was detained at around 5:00 p.m. on September 29, 2016, by 10 Chinese authorities who arrived at his home in Sangkhok township, Sangchu County (Ch: Xiahe, Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province), Amdo region of northeastern Tibet, a Tibetan source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Sangdak’s wife Jamkyi asked Chinese police the reason for her husband’s arrest, to which the police replied that ‘she knew the reason very well,’” the source said, citing contacts in the county. Following a self-immolation protest in 2013 in Sangchu County, Sangdak and three others were accused of transporting the protester’s remains to the man’s home so that they would not be seized by police, the source said. Three who were caught—Dorje Namgyal, Jinpa, and Dorje Tashi—were sentenced to terms of from two-and-a-half to threeand-a-half years which they have now served, but Kyab escaped arrest and went into hiding. “This year, after seeing the others had been released, Kyab returned home thinking that the situation had been resolved, but the police then raided his house,” the source continued. adding that “he is now being held in detention”. Chinese police called Sandak Kyab’s family on October 6, saying
they would be allowed to bring food to him in jail, but that the food should not be cooked at home, the source added. “Instead, the food should be prepared in a restaurant, the authorities said. And they instructed further that while Sangdak Kyab would be permitted to receive meat, that meat should contain no bones.” Food brought by Kyab’s wife the following day was taken inside the jail, but she was not allowed to visit, the source said. “So no information is available about his present state of health or whether he has been tortured in jail,” the source further added. At least 144 self-immolation protests by Tibetans living under Chinese rule have taken place since 2009; over 85 in 2012, with 28 in the month of November 2012 alone. More than 100 of these protesters are known to have died. Those who have selfimmolated called for freedom for Tibet and the return of the Dalai Lama. Tibet was invaded by Communist China, starting in 1949, Beijing calls a “peaceful liberation”. Since that time, over 1.2 million out of 6 Tibetans have been killed, over 6000 monasteries have been destroyed— the acts of murder, rape and arbitrary imprisonment, torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment were inflicted on the Tibetans inside Tibet. In Tibet today, Tibetans are being arbitrarily arrested, imprisoned and tortured for merely expressing their suffering under Chinese rule. However, authorities in Beijing still claim that “China ‘peacefully liberated’ Tibet, and that the Tibetans are living in a “Maoist socialist paradise.”
psychiatrist Aaron Beck had told him something similar, that when we are angry or attached to something or someone, they appear wholly negative or wholly attractive. In fact, Beck declared, this is 90% mental projection. So, reflecting on emptiness along with the awakening mind of bodhichitta is a source of peace of mind. His Holiness said that such inner peace fosters health, well-being and longevity. Moreover, he added, if we follow the approach of the sharpwitted and apply reason in our studies, the Buddhist tradition will survive a long time. P-2...
His Holiness to visit Arunachal next year ByYeshe Choesang: October 13, 2016
New Delhi — His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama has confirmed his visit to Arunachal Pradesh in the second week of March next year,” said recently elected AP Chief Minister Pema Khandu, who led a delegation. The pious soul conveyed this to Chief Minister Pema Khandu when he along with his delegation had an audience in a city hotel at New Delhi recently and requested for His Holiness’s benevolent visit to the state. During the audience, Khandu said “I take this occasion to greet your Holiness to shower your radiance on the fellow beings in this vitiated milieu of unmitigated conflicts amongst the mankind.” “With all humility, I take the privilege of this audience with your Holiness to once again represent the aspirations of my people to be blessed with your benevolent visit to Arunachal Pradesh, Mr Khandu said. “We are eagerly waiting for the cherished moments of your holy presence in Arunachal Pradesh”. Khandu conveyed the prayers of the people of Arunachal for His Holiness’s long years of cheerful health and extraordinary wisdom,” Khandu continued. His Holiness the Dalai Lama in his advice to the delegation called for adopting compassionate approach while dealing with the public. “You are public servants, so you should all come out from the party lines to live upto the people’s aspirations” the Dalai Lama said. The spiritual leader of Tibet also shared the pain of growing hatred in the world and said that no religion in the world advocates ill treatment to others. Peace and compassion should be adopted in letter and spirit to achieve the peace of mind, he advised. “His Holiness humbly accepted the invitation and tentatively fixed the dates of his visit to Arunachal in second week of March 2017,” the delegation said. Khandu, 37, is the son of former Arunachal Pradesh CM Dorjee Khandu, who died in a helicopter crash in 2011. He served in Tuki’s cabinet as minister.
Arunachal Pradesh delegation led by Chief Minister Pema Khandu and Arunachal Legislative Assembly Speaker TN Thongdok meeting with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in New Delhi, India, on October 11, 2016. Photo: AP Times