It is very crucial for Tibetans to invite Lamas to pray for the deceased and restore some dignity to him or her after leaving the world. Family members feel consoled and suffer less pain in their hearts if they are able to call on the presence of a high ranking lama. The custom is not only an enactment of religious faith but it is the strongest expression of love, compassion and sorrow for the deceased. In this time of great suffering and loss, the presence of HH the Dalai Lama or HH Karmapa is much needed and much hoped for in the quake-hit regions of Tibet.

Survivors of the earthquake have written an open letter to President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao to allow HH the Dalai Lama to visit the quake-hit areas to provide comfort to people as they continue to search for their loved ones in the collapsed buildings. In response, HH the Dalai Lama expressed his eagerness to visit the disaster zone to comfort the survivors and pray for the deceased but China has declined to make any official statements to this request. I personally doubt they will agree to HH the Dalai Lama visiting the region.

China remains silent on this matter. Perhaps they are restrained out of concern for the pain the people are going through or they fear their response might transform the suffering into explosive rage. Or maybe they are negotiating secretly with HH the Dalai Lama. China must have a reason for this silence.

In the hierarchy of Tibetan Buddhism, HH Panchen Lama and HH Karmapa are accepted as the main religious figures following HH Dalai Lama’s prominence. It is obvious HH Karmapa will not be permitted to return to Tibet, but China has the Panchen Lama, the one they recognized and enthroned. He is young, intelligent, and well educated in both Tibetan Buddhism and contemporary studies, and, he is available to comfort the people of Kyegu. Yet the Chinese have not invited him to Kyegu. If the Chinese government had confidence in their own Panchen Lama why would they hesitate to have him help the people of Kyegu in their hour of need?

My heart goes out to the Chinese Panchen Lama. The throne he sits on must be uneasy and uncomfortable because he knows he cannot be the Panchen Lama for the people of Kyegu.

(This article was originally published in Tibetan on www.khabdha.org and was translated by DTR)

Reflecting on Losar last night, my mind was able to recover some memories of past incidents. These incidents are related not just to me. They are relevant to all of my friends. It occurred in the winter of 1999: I was not able to go for winter break, so I had to remain in school. We had twenty-two students in our room. Twelve of them left for their holidays. The rest ten of us remained behind. Losar was round the corner. We too thought about celebrating it. After finishing our evening study, the monitor of our room raised some questions about how to celebrate. The main question was how much money each of us should collect. After deliberating on this and a host of other issues, it was decided that each of us should contribute Indian rupees 250.

I didn’t have a single penny in my pocket. Still I gave assent to this decision. That night I thought it over deeply. My main concern was how should I arrange the money? I couldn’t borrow it from my friends, for I thought they too were broke. Most of the students who remained in school during the winter break were the ones who didn’t have their family in India. I was also one of them. This anxiety over celebrating Losar even gave me a few sleepless nights. Almost a week passed weighed down by that anxiety. Most of my hostel-mates had already arranged their monies. I was the only one who still couldn’t get it. Then one day, as I was reading a book, trying to bury the anxiety hovering over my head, someone called me from outside. Fortunately, he was a friend from Tibet. He came to see me at school with his wife. Before he left he gave me Indian rupees 200! It made me so happy that for the time being the anxiety over celebrating Losar took a backstage.

Then I thought about arranging the rest of the money. I still needed fifty rupees. Suddenly an idea popped up in my mind: during winter break, some of my fellow students used to sell second hand clothes to local Indians living around the school. All of these students spoke good Hindi. By selling second hand clothes to these Indians, their Hindi language improved by leaps and bounds. I went out to see them, taking along myself a shirt that I brought from Tibet. I told them I needed fifty rupees for that shirt. They said, “This is not possible, the Indians will not give such a huge amount of money for this shirt. You got to bring one more.” I gave them a brand new shirt. Then, one of the students said I should come to get my money after dinner, to which I gave a big nod.

Losar was round the corner. We had only a week. The room monitor once again called us for a meeting. The monitor said, “All of you have contributed your own share of money. Thank you very much. Now, we must share the amount of work that we have to do among ourselves to prepare for Losar.” It was decided that Khedup should accompany the prefect to buy meat and vegetables from the market; Khedup and the prefect were the senior-most students among us. Tenzin was given the responsibility to arrange utensils such as frying pan. Tenzin had good connection with the cooks of our school. Machen had to find out someone who could lend us a stove. He had many friends among the monks living in a monastery behind our school. (Machen left school for Tibet after his seventh standard. Years later, I heard he died in Tibet!). Norbu and Phunstok had the most important job to do: to create a makeshift kitchen. Our school had a regulation that disallowed cooking food in the room during Losar. So, they had to create such a Kitchen that would make sure no one get a whiff of it from outside. Gyatso and Jampel were responsible to decorate our room, including the fixing up of Derkhas. Tsepak and I took the responsibility for cleaning up the dishes. Phuntsok volunteered to cook for us. Losar arrived, within the confines of our hostel, silently and in whispers, we ate all kinds of food, drank lots of rice wine (dres chang), and immersed ourselves in all kinds of gossips. In this way, we celebrated Losar in much fun and merriment.

A year passed and again another Losar knocked our doors. We celebrated it in a way as we did the year before. Another Losar arrived. This time we collected more money and celebrated it pompously. Now, the situation of the society has changed. Even the financial conditions of the students had improved. The school facilities had also improved. The school gave out new shoes and new shirts to students before the New Year. I have many friends who put on the coal-black boots during winter and sleepers during summer, given by our school. Changes also occurred in me. I reached seventh standard, then passed it and reached eighth standard. But one thing remained same. The school remained the place where I had to celebrate my Losar. I became the monitor of our room. The responsibility to prepare the New Year celebrations fell on my shoulders. I too followed in the footsteps of our earlier monitors. The only difference was that we celebrated it a bit more pompously. We went out into the local Indian villages to borrow cheap DVDs. We watched the DVDs in our room.

I reached tenth standard, and then eleventh standard. I too had friends outside. They invited me into their homes during Losar. But I declined their invitation: I was enjoying myself in school, celebrating Losar in my school.

The path of my career widened. I had better prospects. My priorities and goals underwent a change. I arrived in Europe. Again I had to stay in a school. But the big difference this time was there were only two Tibetan students in our school. Tibet’s New Year had nothing to do with my new school. The school remained closed only for Christmas celebrations. Therefore, we had to attend classes during Losar. But my friend and I couldn’t stay away from our Losar. Another Tibetan Losar arrived; Chinese New Year arrived, this time Tibetan and Chinese New Year fell on the same day. My friend and I sat down to have a discussion on how to celebrate Losar. It threw up a new task, a new challenge before us: a political task. Our Chinese friends told other students that the New Year belonged to the Chinese, that it was Chinese New Year; we said its Tibetan New Year, and belonged to the Tibetans. The neutral students got confused. Some of the students questioned us as to why Tibetan and Chinese New Year fell on the same day. They wanted to know if Tibet was part of China or China was part of Tibet. I told them that Tibetan and Chinese New Year are different, but sometimes they would fall on the same day. I said the fact that Tibetan and Chinese New Year fell on the same day didn’t necessarily prove that Tibet is part of China. That Tibetan and Chinese New Year fell on the same day gave me an additional suffering. A new idea sprang up in my head: my friend and I invited some Indian and Nepali students to our house during Losar. We ate lots of Khabseys, distributed Khabseys among our friends. We went to our classes and gave away lots of Khabseys to our professors and fellow classmates. We told them that today we are celebrating Tibet’s New Year that we make and eat lots of Khabseys during New Year. Through this, we found out a new way to express how Tibet’s New Year was different from China’s. This made me proud, the fact that I took the occasion to demonstrate that Tibet and China are separate nations. My friend too felt the same sense of pride in him.

A year elapsed. I have now arrived in the United States. Again I have to stay in school. It’s been almost five months since I set foot in the United States. Coinciding with the school break, I had a chance to travel to many American states. I came across many fellow Tibetans. I became friends with many of them. Again Losar is round the corner. Some of my friends invited me into their homes during Losar. They said I should celebrate Losar with them. I once again gave a deep thought to it. This time Losar falls on Sunday. I asked myself if I had work on Sunday. I realized I had to prepare for my test on Sunday. I had two tests on the following Monday. The Tibetan Government said we shouldn’t celebrate Losar this year. Some of the Tibetan NGOs said we should celebrate. There are Tibetans who want to celebrate and who do not want to celebrate. I thought it over once again. I decided to be on the side of those who don’t want to celebrate. Instead of celebrating Losar, I decided to write this diary. This is my Losar, this is my diary for Losar and this diary is my Losar.

(The article was originally published in Tibetan on www.khabdha.org and was translated by Tenzin Nyinjey)

Dear envoys of the Dalai Lama, have you finished your tour? How is the landscape of Hunan province? How are the people of Hunan province? Did you see portraits of Chairman Mao there?

This morning I made a telephone call to Kashag and asked about you envoys. The Kashag said it placed into your hands a document outlining, in detail, ways to achieve meaningful autonomy for the entire Tibetan people. The Kashag said the envoys are traveling once again to present this document to the Chinese Government. Dear envoys, is that true? Is this the only job you have this time? Do you understand all the nuances of this document? Do you think the Chinese officials will acknowledge this document?

From January 18 to 20, the Chinese government organized the so-called fifth Tibet Work Committee meeting in Peking, during which it reaffirmed its position that China’s policy in Tibet is correct, devoid of any errors. During your talks, are you envoys going to contradict this and say China’s policies in Tibet are incorrect and error-ridden? Or are you envoys going to return in silence, after completing your tour and presenting the document to the Chinese officials? Dear envoys, please tell us!

Dear envoys, have you heard this: right before you left for China, the Chinese government sentenced monk Yeshi Jinpa from Sog county, Kham, nun Chodron, laymen Tenzin Dhargey and Norbu Sangpo to one to three years of rigorous imprisonment respectively? They are presently kept in dark prisons, dear envoys. Even worse than that is the case of artist Tashi Dhondup, who has been sentenced to more than seven months in prison for singing so-called ‘politically subversive songs.’ Dear envoys, have you listened to his songs? He composed and sang this song, dear envoys:

Some say I am cruel

Some say I am kind

It doesn’t matter I am cruel or kind

For Tibet, the Land of Snows

I will offer this song

This song of pain and suffering,

Of being separated from my Lama

I don’t regret

Even if it cost my life

While listening to this song, a strong chill went down my spine; my whole body trembled. Tears welled up in my eyes. Dear envoys, what kind of feelings the song evoked in you?

Dear envoys, how was your tour to the province of Hunan? Did you breathe a clean air there? How was the food of Hunan? Did it taste good?

Dear envoys, have you heard this: that on December 26, trulku Jangchup Rinpoche, monk Sangye Gyatso and Apo Ma were arrested by the Chinese security forces? It is said that as soon as you envoys set foot in China, the Chinese government had further tightened its noose on Lhasa; that security forces patrolling the streets of Lhasa swelled to huge numbers.

Dear envoys, have you heard this: that on December 26, cadres from the Cultural and Public Security Bureau raided all the Internet cafes in Lhasa, clamping down on my freedom to chat with friends on the Internet?

Dear envoys, what if Tibet once again plunges into a vicious cycle of bloodshed after your arrival in China? Can you envoys then have a peaceful and contented sleep?

Dear envoys, some powerful countries in the West have welcomed your tour to China and your talks with the Chinese officials. It appears they have a reason behind this. It is said that another goal behind your tour to China and talks is to showcase your heartfelt acknowledgment of the concerns expressed by all the countries that support Tibet. However, I still don’t understand how you are going to do this.

Dear envoys, perhaps you are not aware of this: while you are sightseeing, some of the monks in my hometown have been ordered to surrender their phone numbers to the Chinese security officials, that if they are to spent more than one hour in internet cafés, they have had to obtain a written permission from them. Dear envoys, are you aware of these repressive measures?

Dear envoys, are you going to return in silence after submitting the document to the Chinese government officials? Or are you going to discuss the current situation in Tibet, of cases of torture and arbitrary arrests, with them? Are you going to speak on this, dear envoys? When you return after presenting your suggestions and opinions, do you think the Tibetan political prisoners will be set free? Do you think it will help overcome the pain and agony of their family members?

Recently, the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) published its annual human rights report for the year 2009. The report documented that in 2009 alone, 300 Tibetans have been arbitrarily arrested and imprisoned. Dear envoys, before your return to Dharamsala, can you help release at least 10 political prisoners, if not the whole 300 of them?

Dear envoys, during your tour in China, have you ever kept your eyes on what’s happening inside Tibet? I have a reason behind this question. I still vividly remember an incident, dear envoys. It occurred after the great peaceful demonstrations that swept throughout Tibet in 2008. Moment after returning to Dharamsala from your visit to China, you envoys met the press and issued a statement. During that press conference, the present deputy editor of Bod Kyi Bangchen (Tibet Express), Mr. Chonyid Woeser, asked you envoys a question: are you envoys aware of Chinese security forces firing on unarmed Tibetans in Chamdo? To this, the chief envoy, Mr. Lodi Gyari, said: “We have not heard of it at all… no body called us to relay this information.” For an ordinary Tibetan citizen like me, this answer still gives me pain and suffering. Dear envoys, while touring China, you might have been told to switch off your mobile phones, to shut down your laptops. Dear envoys, how did you then pay attention to all the incidents occurring in Tibet? How did you call Tibetans outside Tibet to seek information? If you are asked these questions when you return to Dharamsala this time, what kind of answers are you envoys going to give?

Dear envoys, even as I am writing this article, I heard that you all have arrived in Peking. Have you already submitted to the Chinese officials the document that outlines in detail the ways to achieve meaningful autonomy for the entire Tibetan people? What was their reaction? Did the Chinese officials read out to you envoys the lengthy report that explained China’s grand plans to develop Tibet’s economy and society? Did you envoys put forward any suggestions regarding this plan? Did you criticize the unbearable repressive situation inside Tibet? Did you put forward your demands for the unconditional release of all Tibetan political prisoners?

Dear envoys, did the Chinese officials listen to and acknowledge your views and opinions?

Dear envoys, when you finish your tour, don’t make haste; take your time, there’s no hurry in making a return journey. Dear envoys, I pray for your safe return to Dharamsala!

(I published this article in Tibetan on www.khabdha.org and www.tibettimes.net, and was translated by Tenzin Nyinjey)

Though the bridge of our love seems strong the seems that held the cloth have I have starched for so long in expectancy of our downpour. Before you reach my palace and saturate my thirst of love, some part of your souls are evaporated and transported on the journey. My fasting you quench in the gaping fangs glistering with dew unfound than in my foes mouths.

With the monsoon docked in my bay, I received your messages through the routes of surface runoff, through flow and base flow. I extremely felt that your capacity of infiltration and percolation are very strong. So my folders are nearly full now that my surface storage and base storage are full of your messages. So I do not have extra folder to keep your upcoming lovely messages. How long will I stay in to never get out in the drained off yet alpine wind that would sweep my emotions away in to the cold, blank, white snow sliding down into the isles of iced tears.

Sometimes, I really feel that you are so silly that you are sending me a lot of messages and make me worry about management and safekeeping when mine secrets are mined out by others that well my oils only to slip away in due time. So I feel sad and angry about you. My tears will up roughly and carry down our beautiful homes of nature and make many wounds on other people’s heart. You know well, these wounds that I made, take long to recover when draped in the fog of pride.

So people around me always blame and thunder, I did everything wrong, yet their light shines on no ground. So they took revenge on me by constructing big dams to flood my life in sentence unfolded and release many filthy things in my channels of rivers. So eventually it polluted our love and life together.
So I send this reply to you with a strong request that keep balance between you and me for having a happy and wonderful future.