I’ve been drawn to Tibet, its people, its Buddhism, its colors and energy, for a long time.
I’ve been lucky enough to have been in the presence of the Dalai Lama twice, and near enough to breathe the same air one of those times. When I was in Kathmandu, I spent much of my time in the big Tibetan neighborhood there, with the huge and famous stupa / temple in the middle.
There is Tibetan stuff all over the house – a thanka / painting of the Green Tara (the feminist aspect of the Buddha) on the wall, prayer wheels, books on Tibetan history, Tibetan stories on CDs. Tibet is everywhere.
When I bought a new globe last year, the first thing I did when I got home was draw Tibet in with a permanent marker. The Chinese may persuade others that Tibet does not exist, but I’m not buying it.
There are now hundreds of thousands more Chinese in Tibet than there are Tibetans. Tibetans have been pushed to the margins of their own capital city, Lhasa. Global warming is melting the glaciers, but it’s farmers from China, pushed there by their government, who are causing the biggest dustbowl since Oklahoma in the 30’s.
And now, once again, on the 49th anniversary of the original invasion, the Chinese are murdering the Tibetans.
I will not be watching the summer Olympics and cheering.