There is a worthwhile petition online that I hope you visit and sign. I want you to imagine a life where spirituality and education are your only pursuits, you do so only to better yourself and the world. You are completely selfless person, with few possessions, with no interest in acquisition of property nor need to colonize other states. You are a kind, gentle person who does not use a gun, a bomb, all you want is your declared land to remain independent so your nation can remain devoted to spiritual, educational pursuits.
And suddenly you are attacked, your leader exiled, your customs and schools censored and shut-down, members in your nonviolent community beaten and arrested. And then you watch as your oppressors become international players, their economy thrives, no one chastises them and the last straw-your oppressors flip the script on YOU. They say you are the rebel and you are trying to ruin them.
In a very general sense, this is happening in Tibet.
I just signed an urgent petition calling on the Chinese government to respect human rights in Tibet and engage in meaningful dialogue with the Dalai Lama. This is really important, and I thought you might want to take action:
After nearly 50 years of Chinese rule, the Tibetans are sending out a global cry for change. But violence is spreading across Tibet and neighbouring regions, and the Chinese regime is right now considering a choice between increasing brutality or dialogue, that could determine the future of Tibet and China.
We can affect this historic choice. China does care about its international reputation. Its economy is totally dependent on “Made in China” exports that we all buy, and it is keen to make the Olympics in Beijing this summer a celebration of a new China that is a respected world power.
President Hu needs to hear that ‘Brand China’ and the Olympics can succeed only if he makes the right choice. But it will take an avalanche of global people power to get his attention. Click below to join me and sign a petition to President Hu calling for restraint in Tibet and dialogue with the Dalai Lama — and tell absolutely everyone you can right away. The petition is organized by Avaaz, and they are urgently aiming to reach 1 million signatures to deliver directly to Chinese officials:
I don’t always sign those things. This is one worth taking the 37 seconds. However, what I also hope you do is think this one through.
There is also a lot of good information on the web to help you think more about it:
Here is one sight which lists other resources
http://buddhism.about.com/b/2008/03/18/can-a-dalai-lama-resign.htm
The lady who writes that blogsite was criticized because her blog was seen political not buddhist. Three cheers to her response:
I’ve received some emails from people complaining that the Tibet crisis is a political, not a Buddhist, issue. But the two cannot be separated. Part of China’s program for assimilating Tibetans into Chinese culture has been to crush Buddhism in Tibet. At least 6,000 religious sites — monasteries, temples, and shrines — have been destroyed, along with unique and priceless documents and artifacts. Monks have been harassed, imprisoned and tortured. The head of Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama, has been exiled for 49 years.Several accounts I have read of the recent violence in Lhasa say it was touched off when Chinese police attacked and brutalized some monks, and crowds of laypeople reacted to defend the monks. I’m sure the Chinese have a different story, of course.
We’re seeing in Tibet, in Myanmar, and in other Asian countries that Buddhist monks are in the forefront of political resistance to repressive regimes. Even where they are not official parts of government, Buddhist institutions have played a leadership role in many parts of Asia for centuries. Thus the practice and future of Buddhism in Asia is very much tied into politics.