- First, I am a human being – Interview with His Holiness the Dalai Lama
My commitments? First, as a fellow human being, promotion of human values is my first priority, this covers 6 billions of human beings.
Then second, I am a Buddhist, and as a Buddhist I want to promote religious harmony: it addresses perhaps half of these 6 billions who are religious believers.
The third one is about Tibet. There is 6 millions of Tibetans and if you take the Tibetan environment, there are more than 100 millions of human beings dependent on Tibet. North India, Pakistan and Bangladesh depend on river flowing from Tibet: (Ganga, Brahmaputra) then Mekong in Indochina, and in China, Yellow River, Yangtze and many others rivers. But my three commitments are not separate, there are interlinked….
- Faithful amongst the faithful – Interview with George Fernandes
My first personal meeting with him was when he came to Delhi in Parliament House. He had come to meet Dr Lohia with a young man [Lodi Gyari] (he has grown older now since; he today deals after the external affairs of His Holiness). His Holiness brought this young man to meet Dr Lohia and after their talks were over, Dr Lohia told Lodi Gyari: “You go to George Fernandes (my house was close by) to learn about our socialist policies”. It is how it started…
- Satyagraha ou ‘l’Insistance sur la Vérité’ – Interview with Samdhong Rinpoche
Yes! I think that non-violence can solve all problems provided that people really believe in it and practice it properly. Many people today see non-violence as a better alternative. I do not agree to that. Non-violence is not an alternative, it is the only way…
- The Sino-Tibetan Dialogue Process – Interview with Lodi Gyari
The Tibetan movement is a very unique movement. This can be seen from the way we are conducting the negotiations with the People’s Republic of China. We are doing it in a different way. If one day, His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s’ efforts succeed, it will not only have an impact on the six million Tibetans, but it will also be a breakthrough for humanity, because of the nature of our negotiations…
- Kalachakra at Amaravati 2006
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama has granted 30 Kalachakra empowerments in his life. The first two occasions were in Tibet in May 1954 and April 1957. After coming into exile in 1959, he has given it again in India and a number of other countries including the US, Switzerland and Mongolia. He has granted the Kalachakra empowerment three times in Bodh Gaya, the site in North India sacred to Buddhists as the place where the Buddha attained enlightenment…
- Tibetan Medicine in a Nutshell
The history of Tibetan Medical System has evolved from its pre-Buddhist period of native Tibetan religion called Yung-drun Bon from 3800 years BC to the time of the emergence of Buddhism around 7th Century AD. However, it is popularly believed that the essence of the Tibetan medical system was taught by the Buddha himself in the manifestation of Medicine Buddha, The Supreme Healer…
- The best in the world in summer and the worst in the world in winter
Situated at the roof-top of India, Ladakh is a landlocked region of Jammu and Kashmir. Heavy snow blocks all its entry points during winter. And the only means to reach it is to take a flight from New Delhi, Srinagar or Jammu. In summer, one can also enjoy the mountainous and serpentine route to Ladakh either via Srinagar in Kashmir or Manali in Himachal Pradesh…
- Lahaul & Spiti – The Land of Wondrous Gompas
The Himalayan district of Lahaul–Spiti in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh is one of the last refuges for Tibetan Buddhism in India. As one crosses over the Rohtang Pass from verdant Manali through the fluttering prayer flags and piled up mane stones one truly enters into a different world – a world of gompas, chortens and above all smiling faces with chinky eyes and warm hearts which is in stark contrast to the overall ruggedness of the landscape…
- Sound of Sadness – The Nuns of Drapchi
In October 1993, 14 nuns in Drapchi Prison, the largest in Tibet, made a recording of freedom songs on a tape-recorder smuggled into the prison with the help of a non-political prisoner. The recording was then distributed throughout Tibet and later the rest of the world. Despite the great risk, each of the women stated her name on the recording and dedicated a song or poem to friends and supporters…
