I first met him when I was researching my play YUNRU, about the Khampa chieftain Yunru Pon Sonam Wangyal, who died defending the great monastery of Lithang (Lithang Gonchen). Someone told me that I would probably get some help from this Lithangwa who was running the Chushi-Gangdruk office at the Kailash Hotel in McLeod Ganj. …
The Real Threat to the Dalai Lama
Photograph in Meng Zang Yuebao of “The Divine Child” (lingtong), May 1939, Kumbum Monastery. That Tibetans are devoted to the Dalai Lama is pretty much a given. Most of them express this devotion enthusiastically (but quite innocently) by celebrating his birthday, his Nobel Peace Prize day and also by holding elaborate “Long Life” (tenshug) ritual …
The Matrix in the Middle Way
Last November, as I was preparing to fly to Toronto for my talk “Forging a Rangzen Strategy”, I received an email from Gashi Tenpa la, one of the TNC organizers there. He had an amusing suggestion for a concluding message I could leave the audience: “Jamyang la, don’t forget to tell them to choose the …
Election by Divine Intervention
Those of us who grew up in the world’s largest democracy – Jai Hind! – know a thing or two about electoral hijinks: poll rigging, vote buying, proxy voting, and such exotic regional variations as “ballot stuffing” and “booth capturing”. But however desperately Indian netas, their chamchas, chelas and goondas try – in their remorseless …
An Open Letter to the Sikyong, Kashag, and Election Commissioner of the Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamsala, India
We, the undersigned 27 long-time Tibet Supporters, are writing to you to express our concern about several recent events relating to the current Tibetan Election processes. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama has worked tirelessly to implement democracy in the Tibetan polity and has expressed many times the personal and national satisfaction felt in his …
Lukar Jam: Prisoner of Conscience
Some exile Tibetans are angry with Sikyong candidate Lukar Jam Atsok for criticizing HH’s policies. He has not only been attacked in speech and writing but also on video, in one of which the accuser bursts into tears and dramatically sobs out his condemnation. A specific accusation against Lukar is that he once talked about …
Growing Support for Lukar Jam Atsok in Europe
English Translation of an article written by veteran Tibet activist, Tsewang Norbu la (of Germany) recently published in Tibet Times Strong Rangtsen Results will Strengthen Umaylam True to my principle of transparent public dealings I am outing myself right at the beginning that I am going to cast my vote to Lukar Jam Atsok for …
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Raining on China’s Victory Parade
What Victory against Japan? Chinese Communist party cadres and members should bear in mind that Chairman Mao himself declared: “Chinese Communists should be grateful to the Japanese for invading China” otherwise the “… Communists would have remained too weak to seize power.” My source for this is unimpeachable. Mao’s personal physician – the one person always …
The Girl and the Golok Chiefs
My mother, Lodey Lhawang (nee Tethong) passed away peacefully on the morning of January 9th, 2005, at my home in the mountains of Tennessee. There are only a few thousand Tibetans scattered around North America, so it was probably my mother’s “accrual of merit” (sonam saba), as we say, that somehow the great monastery …
Buying the Dragons Teeth
Yesterday (24 Aug) was “Black Monday” on Wall Street. Within minutes after the opening bell, the Dow plummeted an unprecedented 1,089 points – the largest point loss ever, repeat “ever”, during a trading day. There was full-blown panic on the trading floor. And this was happening in Tokyo, London, Berlin, Paris, and Mumbai – in …
