garryageez's Journal

Feb 2007
12:35 PM GMT

Size: 2.5 million kilometers2 Capital: Lhasa Population: 6 million Tibetans and an undetermined number of Chinese, most of whom are in Kham and Amdo Religion: Tibetan Buddhism is practiced by 99% of the Tibetan Population Language: Tibetan (of the Tibeto-Burmese language family). The official language is Chinese after Chinese occupation in 1959. Staple Food: Tsampa (roasted barley flour) National Drink: Salted butter tea Typical Animals: Wild yak, Bharal (blue) sheep, Musk deer, Tibetan antelope, Tibetan gazelle, Kyang (wild ass), Pica Typical Birds: Black necked crane, Lammergeier, Great crested grebe, Bar headed goose, Ruddy shel duck, Ibis- bill. Major Environmental Problems: Rampant deforestation in eastern Tibet; desertification, poaching of large mammals Average Altitude: 14,000 Feet Highest Mountain: Chomo Langma (Mt. Everest) 29,028 ft Average Temperature: July 58º F; January 24º F Mineral Deposits: Borax, uranium, iron, chromite, gold Major Rivers: Mekong, Yangtse, Salween, Tsangpo, Yellow, Indus, Karnali Economy: Tibetans: predominantly in agriculture and animal husbandry. Chinese: predominantly in government, commerce and the service sector Provinces: U-Tsang (Central Tibet) Amdo (N.E. Tibet), Kham (S.E. Tibet) Bordering Countries: India, Nepal, Bhutan, Burma, China National Flag: Snow lions with red and blue rays. Outlawed in Tibet Political and Religious Leader: The 14th Dalai Lama. In exile in Dharamsala, India Government: Communist (after Chinese occupation in 1959) Relationship with the People's Republic of China: Colonial Legal Status: Occupied Garrys view: Hi all sorry i hav`nt made any entries for a week or so, im afraid work commitments have kept me away. But never mind here I am back again, and today I thought I would talk a little about Tibet and the plight of the Tibetan people since chinese occupation began back in 1959 . I hope that all who read this entry, of all religious denominations, will send their prayers and good wishes out to the wonderful long suffering and deeply compassionate people of Tibet. With the strong wish that someday soon the Chinese government will find it in their hearts to restore this beautiful and historically rich Himalayan Kingdom back to those who can then once again rightfully call it their homeland. To those who may not be familiar with the situation, I have chosen to use the words of one of the foremost interpreters of Tibetan Buddhism to the west SOGYAL RINPOCHE. This piece was however written some 14 years ago, and some figures I have changed to bring them up to date, And so I quote... Forty seven years after the Chinese occupation of Tibet, the world is still ignorant of what has happened, ignorant of the extent of the terror, destruction, and systematic genocide that the Tibetan people have endured and are still enduring. Over 2 million people out of a population of 6 million have died at the hands of the Chinese; Tibets vast forests, as indispensable as those of the Amazon to the ecology of the world, have been cut down; its wildlife has been almost totally massacred; its plateaus and rivers have been polluted with nuclear waste; the vast majority of its six-and-a-half thousand monastries lie gutted or destroyed; the Tibetan people face extinction, and the glory of their own culture in their homeland has been almost entirely obliterated. From the very beginning of the Chinese occupation of Tibet in the 1950s, many terrible atrocities were committed. Spiritual masters, monks, and nuns were the first targets, because the Chinese Communists wanted above all to break the spirit of the people by wiping out all traces of religious life. Many, many stories have reahed me over the years of extraordinary and moving deaths, in the worst possible circumstances, that witnessed and paid final tribute to the spleandor of the truth the chinese were desperate to destroy..... When I read words like this written by Tibetans. ( H.H. The Dalai Lama is often quoted as saying he feels no hatred toward the chinese, but feels sad for them that the bad Karma they have accumulated can only come back on them and cause them great harm.) I wonder how they manage to exercise such restraint and still manage to feel even great compassion for their aggressors. This to me bears testament to the truly loving and spiritual nature of the Tibetan people. And that their religion is not just lipservice but a real practice incorporated into their very being. This strength and belief must be an inspiration to us all. As for us as onlookers, now this situation has been made known to us surely there are things we can do to help in our own small way. I for one have decided to write to our prime minister Tony Blair to ask what his Governments stand is on this situation. and this I shall continue to do until I recieve a satisfactory answer. I shall also become a member of the free Tibet campaign all proceeds of which go toward the continuing struggle for the freedom of Tibet from Chinese occupation. Any one else who is interested in doing more for this cause can find out more at http://www.freetibet.org/ To end I would just like to mention that Tibetan people find great strength in their belief that all hardships that we Humans suffer help to exhaust the negative Karma we have all produced over many lifetimes and so help us to reach our goal of perfection as Human beings. This strain of thought I think can be a very strong source of inspiration to us all. With Metta and may your God be with you allways Garry D.

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Username: garryageez

Gender / Age: Male, 61

Location: United Kingdom