by Anthony B. James, PhD
While training a group of SomaVeda™ students in Thailand
in April I was appalled at the daily news of Tibet. Every day
the largest English speaking newspaper in Thailand the Bangkok
Post was running articles and editorials regarding the crises
in Tibet. The CURRENT crises in Tibet! I was shocked to learn
from a paper in Thailand of a dramatic recent increase in the
atrocious behavior of the Chinese Communist government (PRC) toward
the people of Tibet. Why have I not heard a word of the escalation
of atrocities in my American well informed, CNN, World News Tonight?
In April there were stories of public executions of dissidents,
beatings, imprisonment and active torturing of men, women, children
and monks. People are just disappearing! The graphic descriptions
from valid and reliable sources brought me to tears.
I have been in the past somewhat active in the Tibetan resettlement
project via Losel Shedrup Ling in Atlanta Georgia. With all of
the duties and responsibilities of teaching and running ITTA,
Inc. I have gotten a little distanced from my friends in the Tibetan
community. As a result of this I became complacent, thinking that
things must have reached a level of stasis there, perhaps even
improved. They have not.
My original interest in Tibet came as a result of my personal
investigations into the heritage and lineage of SomaVeda™
and of the brother and sister systems related to us. Two of my
Thai teachers, both grand Masters--Phaa Khruu Sammaii and Aachan
Sintorn both had from time to time made some allusion to the tibetan
origins of our medicine, though neither went into much detail.
Several years later while home in Atlanta, Ga., I encountered
a Tibetan monk Geshe Lobsang Tinsin Negi and began sitting with
him studying the Shamatha meditation. During one of our practices
I shared with him some of my teachings and showed him a book on
SomaVeda™ that I had written. He became very excited and
shared a great deal regarding our history. He explained to me
in detail how our founder Shivago was well known in Tibet as Jivaka
thrice crowned King of Physicians and that without doubt our sacred
healing traditions were first cousins of the Diamond healing lineage
of Tibet! This discourse inspired me to continue to press on.
Now six years after the conversation, this last April, I was able
to interview Grand Master Aachan Sintorn of Chiang Mai Thailand
and established formally for the first time that indeed we / our
lineage is descended from a line of known Tibetan teachers/ healers/
masters. I hope to have the actual video of this interview with
a translation available by the end of the year.
What this means to me, is that we are related to the existing
Tibetan lineages. Our medicine is their medicine. Their healing
sciences are valid doorways into our own legacy. It is as if I
have found a long lost family member only to find them in a terrible
circumstance. I cannot rest entirely until they are well.
Last week, May 15th, I visited with Palden Gyatso a tibetan monk
who through the efforts primarily of Amnesty International was
recently released from 30 years plus in Chinese prisons. He spoke
to a small gathering of people at the Harold Washington Library
here in Chicago. He spoke mainly of stories from his imprisonment
and also regarding the present escalation of abuse currently going
on NOW in Tibet. The stories if not so well validated would have
been unbelievable. And to think that our Government condones and
supports a government (PRC) that is conducting affairs that literally
make Saddam Hussein look like a choir boy. No united effort to
save the people going on here.
You may of heard of Palden Gyatso, he was one of the monks who,
with Thubten Jigme Norbu on March 10th, this year, walked away
from the Chinese Embassy in Washington D.C., beginning a 300 mile
journey on foot to the United Nations in New York. They walked
for about 45 days.
Palden Gyatso reminded me of the news that I had read in Thailand
and the tears that I had felt in Thailand were once again with
me. I asked Palden Gyatso " other than by praying and including
the Tibetan people in our Puja, how could we really help?"
He was thoughtful for a moment and said " Do what you all
ready know is right for you to do." I was floored. The only
way that the kinds of abuses that the Communist Chinese are perpetuating
can continue is if they are well hidden. Because in my heart I
believe no reasonable person would submit or condone even by inaction
these terrible acts. Acts which Palden characterized as more terrible
than those of the holocost. Why? Because this is not a history
lesson this is occurring as we speak. I was floored because I
realized that even as one teacher, that I have a voice and can
shout as loud as I can--LOOK OVER THERE A TERRIBLE THING IS OCCURRING,
LET US STOP THIS NOW!!
However we do it, let us stop the killing, the torture, the rape.
Let us stop what adds up to a genocidal equation. Let us stop
and consider that we are CONNECTED and that these are our relatives
who are suffering. Let us stop this NOW.
Whenever I teach Puja, I teach that it is a process. I also teach
that this process is not complete until we find the way to "practically
manifest our compassion." So how can we " Practically
Manifest" our compassion addressing the pain and suffering
evident in the Tibetan issue? We must use what ever resources
Great Spirit has given us to bring to bear and quickly. If all
you have is a voice then make a constructive noise. If you are
in a position to wield some beneficial influence then do so now.
Learn all that you can and demand that your news suppliers keep
you informed regarding issues that concern the welfare of us all.
If you are financially able, send monetary support to the agencies
that most directly can bring assistance to bear, including Amnesty
International.
ITTA, Inc. is with this page, committing to share news on the
plight of Tibetans and Tibetan issues on the front burner. We
are committing a portion of our website to this purpose indefinitely.
In 1987 H.H.Dalai Lama proposed a Five Point Peace Plan for the
restoration of peace and human rights in Tibet. The proposal included:
1) Transform Tibet into a zone of peace
2) Stop China's population transfer policy
3) Respect human rights
4) Protect Tibets natural resources
5) Commence earnest negotiations with China
Additionally Campaign For Tibet a Washington D.C., based human
rights organization recommends
Five Things You Can Do For Tibet
1) Write or call up your representatives in the Congress or Parliament
2) Organize events and programs in your area supporting Tibet
3) Write about Tibet to the local and national media
4) Boycott goods made in China
5) Become a member of the International Campaign For Tibet
(To see Katie Murphy's images from the March 10 peace walk mentioned
in the article see the internet site http://www.nuvo.net/tibet)
Important Numbers
International
Campaign for Tibet
1825 K St. NW, Suite 520
Washington, DC 20006, USA
Tel:(202) 785-1515 Fax: (202) 785-4343
E-mail: ict@peacenet.org
URL: http://www.savetibet.org/
Students for Free Tibet
Contact John Hocevar at
(212) 213-5011
Premier of the PRC
Li Peng Zongli
Guowuyuan
9 Xihuangchenggenbeijie
Beijingshi 100032 The PRC
Qin Hussun
Ambassador, Embassy of the PRC
2300 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20008
Department of State
Secretary, Warren M. Christopher
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20520
President Bill Clinton
White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20520
Isabella Kelly
Amnesty International
304 Penn Ave SE
Washington, DC 20003
Sidney Jones & Mickey Spiegel
Human Rights Watch
485 5th Ave
NYC, NY 10017
International
Tibetan Independence Movement
Larry Gerstein in Indianapolis
(317) 579-9015
E-mail: whystoreg6@aol.com
Tibetan Alliance of Chicago
4750 N. Sheridan Road, Ste 419
Chicago, IL 60640
(312) 275-7454
(312) 275- 9171
