The Tibetan Community

Tibetans and Tibetan Buddhism are inextricably linked. In the West, whilst many would proclaim to have some religious affiliation, Tibetan people – young and old, male and female - live and breathe Buddhism every day.

As much as a general philosophy as it is a religion, Buddhism holds appeal to many. Acceptance of others, love, compassion, as of course, peace to all sentient beings - all pretty cool stuff.

Although in India, McLeod Ganj boasts a large Tibetan community and is often known as "Little Lhasa". Indeed, there are more Tibetans than Indians in the village. As home to the Dalai Lama, many Tibetan refugees flock here from religious and political persecution. This contrasts with Lhasa which boasts as many Han Chinese as it does Tibetans. The Ganj is also the centre for the Tibetan Government in Exile.

As the World is now pretty much well aware, Tibetans have faced cultural genocide since the Chinese invasion and colonisation of their land in 1949. The behaviour of the Chinese has broken all sense of human rights and simple humanitarian decency.

Very much aware of the dangers his people have faced, Dalai Lama has dedicated his time not only travelling the World to highlight their plight, single-handedly developed a Government in Exile, but perhaps most importantly, has also done much to preserve what remains of the Tibetan culture. The projects at TIPA- The Tibetan Institute of the Performing Arts and the Norbulingka Institute are outstanding example of this – teaching, educating and training artisans in dance, drama, music and cultural handicrafts.

This does not mean that Tibetan life and culture can´t develop and move on however. In recent speeches, Dalai Lama has asked Tibetans to throw out old superstitions and prepare to be 21st Century global citizens.

Every Tibetan in the village has a tragic story to tell. I have been grateful to work as a teacher of English conversation classes for Gu Chu Sum – a charity for Tibetan refugees, and my students like Rinchen and Panden provided me with interesting first-hand insights - as well as sharing family stories and good food; friends as well as students.

all have a story to tell

The students have all oozed enthusiasm, as much for the company as for developing English skills. Although my true “environment” is in Early Years classrooms teaching across many curricular areas, i have still thoroughly enjoyed the experience and it has further enriched my stay in The Ganj.

The World has a moral obligation to preserve all its beauty. How can i not feel so disappointed that the World has done so little for the Tibetan people? Time is running out and the World needs to take action now.

Fortunately, we are all in a position to help. Wear the Tibetan flag and talk about it to others to highlight Tibet´s plight. Boycott all Chinese goods. Write to your leaders, both local and National asking for them to take a moral stance on Tibet. Write to Obama demanding an end to China´s colonization. Petition China demanding it stops human rights abuses in Tibet.

All "great" empires eventually fall (and if nothing else, doesn´t Buddhism constantly remind us that nothing is permanent?) – Greeks, Romans, Hapsburgs, Nazis et al. Take comfort in the fact the PRC is in the process of dying as i write and it will eventually be usurped. I just wish it would hurry up.

Lhasa, Fun-Fun and Big Alaskan Bears

To celebrate the arrival of the millennium, I wanted to do something special. Thus I headed to Lhasa for my first trip into Tibet. I don´t think i could have chosen a better destination.

Alright, it was bloody freezing and snows had blocked up all the main transport arteries in and out of the city, so travel was limited to the city and immediate surround. But when that sun came out (and it did for several hours almost every day), it was both fascinating and beautiful.

Only a few die-hard travellers selected Lhasa for the Millennium, and together we had a total riot. Of course i meet a lot of travellists out on the road, and share several special moments, but there are only a very few that i keep in contact with. One of these is Fun-Fun, a young British Born Chinese woman from Derbyshire in England who also decided to brave the cold in the middle of a Tibetan winter.

Fun-Fun is rather appropriate name for her, but Mad n´ Wild would be even more so. She has brought a tent along with and she persuades Theo, a lovely South African guy to head to the wilderness. There is absolutely no way i´m leaving the fairly ineffectual central heating.

We´ve managed to catch up a few times now, including watching the 2002 World Cup in a Hong Kong pub and one of just three friends that “braved the dangers” of Colombia to visit whilst i was based in Bogotá. Respect!

An engineer by trade, Fun-Fun works on aeroplane engines and is currently based in Seattle, but not for long. She faces a move down to Waco, Texas. A keen hiker and climber, she is making the most of her time in the north. She sent me some real beautiful photos of wild bears on her recent trip up to Alaska.





Many thanks to L.J. for helping sort out my blogspot account. Photographs can now be added after a couple of weeks break.

Restoration of Lhasa?

Scanned photo of Potala Palace taken in 2000


Associated Press announced this week the completion of seven years of renovation work of the magnificent Potala Palace at a cost of some US$43.9 million.

This follows hard on the heels of renovations to Samye monastery (US$13.9 million) and the Nor Bu Linka (Dalai Lama´s Summer Palace).

"The repairs to the three key cultural relics is an important part in the conservation of the Tibetan culture," said Liu Yandong, a member of the Communist Party's Politburo, who attended the ceremony.

More than 189,000 workers were involved in these three projects.
Xinhua quoted a former director of the Potala's administration office saying the palace could now accommodate 1,000 visitors a day.

The renovations are part of a 570 million yuan ($73 million) plan to promote tourism to Tibet, a mainstay of the region's economy, and include the repair to 22 cultural sites.

All that´s missing now is His Holiness Dalai Lama!

Despite the numerous tourist bans imposed on foreigners since the run-in to last year´s Olympic Games in Beijing, the Chinese government know it´s onto a gold-mine. Foreign tourists might be banned intermittently, but Han Chinese tourists are increasingly visiting for a touch of Winter Wonderland.

Chinese tourists in Lhasa

I haven´t stepped foot in Lhasa since 2000, and it was already in bad shape. The old town was restricted to a few roads coming off the Jokhang temple and around the kora, the cement houses that are inhabited by Chinese swamped the surrounding area - the Tibetans were already a minority in their own capital city.

Earlier this year China tightened restrictions on advertising and construction outside the palace, following calls from the United Nations to better preserve the UNESCO World Heritage Site's natural setting.

With the rail link in place Han Chinese tourist makers are arriving from across the country. On more than one occasion i have heard it compared to Disneyland with karaoke and prostitutes.

I´d still like to go back there – even as just an interim stop back to Kailash. I might just have to wait for the train line to get there though!


Lhasa station. Up to Kailash? I wish!