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 …
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 …
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 …
A Candidate for Free Tibet
“Strategic” thinking in the wonderful world of Tibetan politics is generally of the devious-to-the-point-of-idiocy kind. An advice received recently: “Jamyang la, please don’t show public support for Lukar Jam’s candidacy in the coming exile elections, as that will ruin his chances with all those people who don’t like you.” Oh yeah? How about the fact …
Rangzen Spring II
Cassandra was the beautiful daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy. She was given the power of prophecy by the god Apollo, but when she refused to sleep with him he punished her with the curse of never being believed. Cassandra foresaw the destruction of Troy and warned the Trojans. Her predictions were …
Hearing the First Birdsong of Rangzen Spring
World attention has been riveted on the Greek economic turmoil in the last few weeks, but some Tibetans have probably been paying more attention to a comparatively larger but less discussed crisis – the stock market collapse in China. The New York Times reported last Monday that “about $2.7 trillion (latest figure $3.2 trillion) in …
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