Jamyang Norbu's blog
Readers must forgive me for nit picking, but the term “kalon-tripa”, literally “the enthroned minister” bothers me. It doesn’t exactly sit well (no pun intended) in a democratic system. Thrones might be okay, these day, for titular sovereigns as the Queen of England or the King of Thailand, and certainly for His Holiness who Tibetans …
Continue reading “Further Musings on the Upcoming Elections”
A week ago Lobsang Sangay la called me on the telephone and expressed his objection to my piece which in large part dealt with his candidacy. Lobsang la told me that he did not remember making any statement (at the Woodrow Wilson conference) about wanting to be the Obama of China. He told me that …
I have received some mild censure of late from friends and readers for my lack of enthusiasm for the upcoming kalon-tripa election. I did explain my position earlier in a number of my blogs that our present “partyless” political system was not a true democracy, and that only a party-based system (even with all its …
Continue reading “Some Thoughts on the Upcoming Kalon Tripa Elections”
I was waiting at Denver airport for my ride when I got a call from a Tibetan acquaintance who asked (somewhat expectantly I thought … but I could be wrong) if the Americans had revived the program to train and support Tibetan jamak (guerrilla operations) inside Tibet. I explained that nothing of the kind was …
EXAMINING PROF. SAMDHONG RINPOCHE’S RECENT REMARKS. Samdhong Rinpoche’s tenure as kalon tripa or prime minister will be up in a few months, but it seems he is determined not to leave without delivering some more of his trademark profundities that earlier caused so much dismay to intelligent and dedicated Tibetans. We all remember his statement …
Well, the World Cup’s over and the teams and visitors have all gone home, but the afterglow of achievement hasn’t entirely faded for South Africans. The people of this struggling “rainbow nation”, especially its new president Jacob Zuma, can be deservedly proud of having successfully hosted this tremendous international sporting event. Over forty years ago …
Continue reading “Football, Robben Island & the Relativism of Political Cruelty”
Few pleasures can beat the funeral of someone you loathe. It is not, I admit, a very Buddhist sentiment, but I think karma (the hardcore, not the new age version) will, this once, overlook my rancor, when I add that the someone in question is the late…
I was in Switzerland at the beginning of this month and gave a slideshow and talk at Zurich on Saturday the 5th, “Was Tibet an Independent and Sovereign State?”, based on my essay Independent Tibet – The Facts, but with a more polemical title. The talk was well attended by Tibetans. In fact the auditorium …
You would think that the first requirement in reporting a natural disaster would be getting the name of the geographical location right, especially in the case of an earthquake, which unlike unlike a messy flood or a roving tornado, has an identifiable epicenter.
When I saw photographs of the tough, determined looking monks digging through the ruins of Kyegu town, I was struck by a sense of helplessness and frustration. Probably, some of you readers felt that way too. I wanted to be out there with those monks, helping to find survivors in the rubble, or at least …
October 5, 2025
September 26, 2025
October 28, 2020
February 21, 2020
September 26, 2025
November 3, 2023
March 6, 2023
December 22, 2022
August 29, 2021
September 26, 2025
October 28, 2020
February 21, 2020
July 11, 2019
October 5, 2025
October 28, 2020
February 21, 2020
July 11, 2019
February 21, 2020
September 1, 2019
July 11, 2019
November 17, 2018
November 1, 2018
