Windhorse House

Windhorse House

Life stories in the shadow of Tibet Myra de Rooy

Myra de Rooy

Windhorse House

Life stories in the shadow of Tibet

Foreword When communist China invaded my country in 1950, nothing remained the same. Our ancient and peaceful way of life was torn apart. Not only has the repressive Chinese regime subjected the Tibetan people to every possible kind of humiliation and abuse, it has also exacted a heavy toll on the land, the wildlife, the forests, the lakes and the rivers. Our unique and age-old cultural heritage has been systematically destroyed and plundered. No one denies that Tibet had to be modernized, like all other developing nations, but in the land of mountains, yaks and temples few people were prepared for the ruthless, inhumane changes which the Chinese authorities imposed on us.

With her book, Myra de Rooy, who has been a personal friend for years, puts a human face on the statistics about political prisoners, the innumerous people who have been locked up for years and tortured because of their non-violent protests against human rights violations in Tibet. The stories of the eight people in the book are representative of the stories of thousands of Tibetans who gave their lives for the Tibetan cause. The book paint a stark picture of the situation in Tibet under Chinese rule. The eight protagonists have been guided by principles derived from the Buddha’s doctrine of compassion, interconnectedness and impermanence. Personally I believe that these very principles helped them survive the inhumane conditions in Chinese prisons.

For me this book is unique. While there are other biographies about individual Tibetan political prisoners, this book interweaves and combines the stories of different generations of Tibetans, thus shining a light on the tragic history of Tibet over decades.

These deeply moving and at times heartbreaking stories testify to the enormous strength of people who hold on to their principles and to the desire to improve the situation for their fellow Tibetans, so they can live in freedom and according to their own spiritual values.

The future will show whether these values are strong enough to withstand the ruthless Chinese mixture of colonial and communist ideology. On a personal level, the Buddhist principles, embraced by the eight characters in this book, give me the strength to continue to work for my people.

I hope that this book will not just be read by Tibetans but that it will be a source of inspiration for anyone who is committed to working for the freedom and human rights of others. I can recommend this book wholeheartedly.

Tsering Jampa Executive Director International Campaign for Tibet Europe

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Namloyak Dhungser 10

1.

‘I still have the bullet in my back’. His fingers are wrapped around a mug. The lump of butter which he casually dropped from a spoon into his tea is starting to melt.

It is our first meeting and Reting Tenpa Tsering leans on my stone kitchen table with his strong arms. He lifts his shirt to show me. The wound in his lower back has healed, but the jagged scar is clearly visible. He pulls an X-ray from a chunky envelope. The black and grey photograph blends into the swirly patterns of the table top. I carefully lift this painful reminder and hold it against the light. The bullet shows up white.

Listening to the story of his life, I look at his hands. Hands which have caressed tenderly as well as handled guns to kill Chinese soldiers. Calloused hands which worked in labour camps, where he was forced to cut down giant trees.

We meet again, in Dharamsala, a Tibetan exile community. By now Reting Tenpa is in his 70s. He fills in the gaps in the story, his face softening or hardening. At times his gaze turns inward, indicating that there are memories which he prefers not to share. I decide to travel to Tibet to discover the story behind the words.

During the bus ride from Lhasa to Shong, Reting Tenpa’s native village, his life story still seems a distant reality. The dusty windows filter the view to the outside world. There are two different ways to the settlement near Reting Monastery.

You can take a short-cut from Phenpo, a fertile farming area north of Lhasa, and then continue along the endless hairpin bends of the Chak La. Alternatively, you can take the longer route, gradually ascending along the river Kyi Chu. The bus takes the longer route, keeping the wide and sediment-laden Kyi Chu on its left. White and pink flowers are swaying gently along the roads. It is harvest time. Men and women are stooped over to cut barley, just above the ground and to bind it together in sheaves. Rows and rows of shiny yellow bundles decorate the stubble fields. A thermos flask and a basket 11

full of food mark the spot where dusty throats will be rinsed with butter tea and barley beer, once the work is done.

The road is lined with holiday campsites to cater for the influx of Chinese tourists. According to a life-size billboard, this place is a haven for rare black-necked cranes and visitors alike. A bit further down, a waterfall splashes into a pond with a carefully constructed boulder edge. The drops briefly conjure up a magic rainbow into the air. The water is then pumped up again through a pipe.

At Ngonda, at the entrance of the Gyama Valley, there is a ceremonial gate for King Songtsen Gampo, by the side of the main road. Lhasa’s founder was born in this valley in the seventh century. There are many Tibetan stories about this king, who managed to defeat the rulers of neighbouring areas during this turbulent time in Tibetan history, with his strict rule and his military prowess. He managed to subdue the nomadic warlords, who were hardened fighters, horsemen skilfully yielding their swords and bows and arrows.

Songtsen Gampo expanded his empire in all directions, up to the Nepalese and North Indian borders and the Uighur empire in the northwest. It even constituted a threat to the Chinese Tang dynasty. Neighbouring tribes responded by reluctantly agreeing to let the king marry one of their princesses. The king is often portrayed with his most well-known wives on both sides. On his right you will see Bhrikuti Devi (who is often called Besa), the daughter of a Nepalese king.

On his left you will see Wencheng Kongjo (or Gyasa), the daughter of the Chinese Emperor at the time. The Chinese claim that Tibet has been under Chinese rule for centuries is based on this marriage with Gyasa.

When we pass the gate there is a loud bang. Ten kilometres further down the road our puncture is mended in Meldrogongkar. The Tibetan part of this town is hidden behind a series of messy Chinese workshops where grease clogs up the mechanics’ pores and the engine oil leaks into the soil. The little roadside cafes serve steaming hot tukpa. Like my fellow travellers I end up watching TV whilst eating my noodle soup. A Tibetan singer poses with a herd of highland 12

cattle: long-haired yaks. The melody is unmistakably Tibetan, but the words and the subtitles are Chinese.

At Meldrogongkar, the flat main road veers off to the east, in the direction of Kongpo, where Reting Tenpa was exiled. My bus turns off into a side road. Slipping tyres turn the puddles into dirty fountains. Potholes and bumps slow the bus right down, it is struggling to keep going. I pass some Chinese workers who are busy building a hydroelectric dam, using diggers, concrete and sheer willpower. For now the swollen Kyi Chu rules: where it has burst its banks, the road is partly submerged in grey, flowing water. The bus leans over sideways, groaning and wobbling. Two children giggle excitedly. Their baby sister does not look up from her mother’s breast. The mother smiles reassuringly and hands me some biscuits.

At Phodo Dzong three rivers join together at the crossroads. A bridge spans across the valley. In order to ward off bad luck, people have tied colourful prayer flags to the steel railing. Prayers and mantras have been printed on these rectangular bits of fabric. The wind will do the rest by blowing these blessings in every direction. The left road leads to Phenpo, the right road goes to Reting Monastery in Shong. Phodo Dzong’s strategic position is evidenced by a ruined fort. A string of buildings offers travellers and nomads everything they need: a petrol station, shops and restaurants. Horses and motor bikes are waiting patiently. Ivory billiard balls shoot across pool tables by the side of the road. The players, largely men and a few women, stand around the tables, holding their cues. A yak has been slaughtered near one of the restaurants.

There are shiny piles of meat and offal on blue plastic sheets.

Bloody skin has been placed along the dirt road.

The driver stops more and more frequently to drop off passengers with very heavy loads. I have arrived in Reting Tenpa’s world: a wide river valley, surrounded by mountains.

Wild shrubs and tough grass give the hill side a green hue.

Higher up, the peaks are bare and weather-beaten. Some of them are covered in snow. Herds of sheep, goats and yaks walk through the valley. They belong to nomads whose 13

During the horse races there is a lot of singing, dancing, flirting, eating and drinking. However, the animals and their owners remain center stage. Ultimately, it is all about guts and courage.

I travel through this infinite landscape for weeks, hitching rides or hopping on board of buses. Two girls from Amdo have chosen a different mode of transport.

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When I walk around the rebuilt monastery complex of Ganden, it feels as if earlier despair has been replaced by a budding sense of hope. Pilgrims offer incense and put up prayer flags.

The wind rocks the prayers which have been printed on the prayer flags. Bright colours and faded rags move together, now undulating gently, then flapping wildly.

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Acknowledgements Windhorse House is based on the life stories of eight Tibetan ex-political prisoners who I met in Dharamsala, India.

I would like to thank Reting Tenpa Tsering, Yeshi Togden, Sonam Choedon, Nyima Dolma, Gyaltsen Palsang, Nyethang Migmar, Dhamchoe Dolma and Namloyak Lhade for entrusting me with their stories and for sharing their joy and sorrow with me. Without them this book would not have been written. I am also grateful to their relatives and friends in Tibet who showered me with hospitality when I showed up on their doorstep. Mindful of their safety, I avoided conversations about the political past of their loved ones. I simply came as a friend, as a bringer of good news and photographs. There are many others who helped me during my travels through Tibet. Their names cannot be mentioned and where I do use names, they are made-up ones. I would also like to thank the staff and the inhabitants of the Windhorse House in Dharamsala, especially my interpreter Dickyi Dolker. Thanks also to my relatives, friends and advisers in the Netherlands who were involved in the writing of this book, especially Lambert van der Aalsvoort for his critical, yet vital comments. Tsering Jampa gave me useful contacts which led me to those who told me their stories. Because of her, Reting Tenpa Tsering and Yeshi Togden stayed with me in Amsterdam, which inspired me to return to India to meet them again. Namloyak’s poems were translated from Chinese and Tibetan by ICT and published in the report Incomparable Warriors: Non-violent resistance in contemporary Tibet.

I would like to thank Tsering Jampa and Christa Meidersma of ICT for their involvement in the production of this extended version of my book. Kate Saunders and Adam Koziel gave me valuable advice. Thank you Marcia van Bijnen for your geographic maps and Francisca van Holthoon for the English translation.

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International Campaign for Tibet For more than 30 years, International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) has served the vision of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the people of Tibet.

ICT has made progress in promoting the cause of self-determination for the Tibetans. As the largest Tibet support group in the world, ICT helps Tibetans in their peaceful struggle for democracy and human rights and seek to preserve Tibet’s ancient culture of wisdom.

Since 1988, ICT has fought to get the international community to take action for Tibet. The organisation worked with elected leaders and citizens throughout the world to provide political and humanitarian support for Tibetans.

Through these efforts, ICT has helped pass groundbreaking laws like the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act and the Tibetan Policy Act. ICT has supported the release and rehabilitation of Tibetans who were unjustly imprisoned for their political and religious beliefs. ICT has also provided programs to assist the Tibetan community, such as the Tibetan Youth Leadership Program and the Rowell Fund for Tibet.

Through monitoring and reports, ICT has told the world the truth about human rights, environmental issues, and political conditions in Tibet, which the Chinese government tries to hide. At the same time, ICT has reached out to Chinese people to build relationships, mutual understanding and trust.

ICT has offices in Washington, DC, Amsterdam, Berlin and Brussels.

www.savetibet.org www.savetibet.nl www.savetibet.de www.savetibet.eu 215

In Dharamsala, the Dalai Lama’s exile residence, Myra de Rooy meets a group of ex-political prisoners, people who stood up against the Chinese occupation of their country. Their life stories are deeply moving. Take Reting Tenpa, who personally experienced living in Tibet before the Chinese invasion. This trader, who married three sisters, withdrew into the mountains to become a freedom fighter. He spent more than twenty years in various prisons and labour camps. The thirteen year old Gyaltsen Palsang shouted slogans in support of a ‘Free Tibet’.

The young nun managed to survive her imprisonment by thinking of the Dalai Lama. The imprisoned poet Namloyak wrote verse on smuggled-in cigarette packets. Sonam Choedron, mother and activist, walked through Lhasa at night to paste up posters calling for Tibetan independence.

These people show courage and resilience and their testimonials shine a light on the recent history of Tibet, in the shadow of Chinese rule. The main protagonists of this book cannot return to their country.

Myra de Rooy visits their homes and talks to their families in Tibet. Her visits to Lhasa and her journeys to small villages, nomad tents, monasteries and nunneries bring the stories of these refugees to life.

Windhorse House is a fascinating personal journey which gives the reader an intimate understanding of intertwined lives and fates in contemporary Tibet. In her exploration of the darkness of Chinese rule, de Rooy also reveals the unquenchable spirit of the Tibetan people and their wisdom culture.

Geologist Myra de Rooy (1957) is a mountaineer as well as a writer and photographer. Fascinated by the mountain world and its inhabitants, she has made many solo trips to remote areas of Tibet, Ladakh, Nepal and Norway.