 Dearest Friends @ CAS,
We are slotting into your Inboxes, extraordinary wraps of the heroic, the holy, the wise, the profane and the cheeky.
As our beings @ CAS will be hurled into hair-raising stunts this weekend, our ( usually ) weekly CASonline issue has been tweaked forward.
Savour and marvel.
bb & all friends @ CAS belonging to holy Chenrezig
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 The holy Masters of Tibet
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The 17th Karmapa advises .....
The highlight of the visit at Bylakuppe was an empowerment of Avalokiteshvara for the public. According to the settlement officer, an estimated 9000 people have gathered who remained there from 9 a.m till 5.30 p.m. The empowerment was followed by a speech and then culture program.
His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, Urgyen Trinley Dorje, concluded the empowerment by saying " No matter how many times one recites the Chenrezik mantra or how many months one meditates, if one does not obey the precious advice of the very embodiment of Chenrezik in human form, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, then the whole effort is useless."
HH Gyalwang Karmapa advised the gathering to strictly read and follow the advice of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, which is available in many volumes.
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From Khenpo Konchog Rangdol and CAS's many friends.
------------ Twelve Suggestions for Dealing with the Tibetan Situation by Some Chinese Intellectuals ------------ Beijing, March 22, 2008 1. At present the one-sided propaganda of the official Chinese media is having the effect of stirring up inter-ethnic animosity and aggravating an already tense situation. This is extremely detrimental to the long-term goal of safeguarding national unity. We call for such propaganda to be stopped. 2.
We support the Dalai Lama's appeal for peace, and hope that
the ethnic conflict can be dealt with according to the principles of goodwill, peace, and non-violence. We condemn any violent act against innocent people, strongly urge the Chinese government to stop the violent suppression, and appeal to the Tibetan people likewise not to engage in violent activities. 3.
The Chinese government claims that "there is sufficient
evidence to prove this incident was organized, premeditated, and meticulously orchestrated by the Dalai clique." We hope that the government will show proof
of this. In order to change the international community's
negative view and distrustful attitude, we also suggest that the government invite
the United Nation's Commission on Human Rights to carry out
an independent investigation of the evidence, the course of the incident, the number of casualties, etc. 4.
In our opinion, such Cultural-Revolution Lama
is a jackal in Buddhist monk's robes and an evil spirit with
a human
face and the heart of a beast "used by the Chinese Communist Party leadership in the Tibet Autonomous Region is of no help in easing the
situation, nor is it beneficial to the Chinese government's
image. As the Chinese government is committed to integrating into the international community, we maintain that it should display a style of governing that conforms to the standards of modern civilization. 5. We note that on the very day when the violence erupted in Lhasa (March 14), the leaders of the Tibet Autonomous Region declared
that "there is sufficient evidence to prove this incident
was organized, premeditated, and meticulously orchestrated by the Dalai clique."This
shows that the authorities in Tibet knew in advance that the riot would occur, yet did nothing effective to prevent the incident from happening or escalating. If there was a dereliction of duty, a serious investigation must be carried out to determine this and deal with it accordingly. 6. If in the end it cannot be proved that this was an organized, premeditated, and meticulously orchestrated event but was instead
a "popular revolt" triggered by events, then the
authorities should pursue those responsible for inciting the popular revolt and concocting false information to deceive the Central Government and the people; they should also seriously reflect on what can be learned from this event so as to avoid taking the same course in the future. 7. We strongly demand that the authorities not subject every Tibetan to political investigation or revenge. The trials of those who have been arrested must be carried out according to judicial procedures that are open, just, and transparent so as to ensure that all parties are satisfied. 8. We urge the Chinese government to allow credible national and international media to go into Tibetan areas to conduct independent interviews and news reports. In our view, the current news blockade cannot gain credit with the Chinese people or the international community, and is harmful to the credibility of the Chinese government. If the government grasps the true situation, it need not fear challenges. Only by adopting an open attitude can we turn around the international
community's distrust of our government. 9. We appeal to the Chinese people and overseas Chinese to be calm and tolerant, and to reflect deeply on what is happening. Adopting a posture of aggressive nationalism will only invite antipathy from
the international community and harm China's international
image. 10. The disturbances in Tibet in the 1980s were limited to Lhasa, whereas this time they have spread to many Tibetan areas. This deterioration indicates that there are serious mistakes in the work that has been done with regard to Tibet. The relevant government departments must conscientiously reflect upon this matter, examine their failures, and fundamentally change the failed nationality policies. 11. In order to prevent similar incidents from happening in future, the government must abide by the freedom of religious belief and the freedom of speech explicitly enshrined in the Chinese Constitution, thereby allowing the Tibetan people fully to express their grievances and hopes, and permitting citizens of all nationalities freely
to criticize and make suggestions regarding the government's nationality policies. 12. We hold that we must eliminate animosity and bring about national reconciliation, not continue to increase divisions between nationalities. A country that wishes to avoid the partition of its territory must first avoid divisions among its nationalities. Therefore, we appeal to the leaders of our country to hold direct dialogue with the Dalai Lama. We hope that the Chinese and Tibetan people will do away with the misunderstandings between them, develop their interactions with each other, and achieve unity. Government departments as much as popular organizations and religious figures should make great efforts toward this goal. Signatures: Wang Lixiong (Beijing, Writer) Liu Xiaobo (Beijing, Freelance Writer) Zhang Zuhua (Beijing, scholar of constitutionalism) Sha Yexin (Shanghai, writer, Chinese Muslim) Yu Haocheng (Beijing, jurist) Ding Zilin (Beijing, professor) Jiang peikun (Beijing, professor) Yu Jie (Beijing, writer) Sun Wenguang (Shangdong, professor) Ran Yunfei (Sichuan, editor, Tujia nationality) Pu Zhiqiang (Beijing, lawyer) Teng Biao (Beijing, Layer and scholar) Liao Yiwu ()Sichuan, writer) Wang Qisheng (Beijing, scholar) Zhang Xianling (Beijing, engineer) Xu Jue (Beijing, research fellow) Li Jun (Gansu, photographer) Gao Yu (Beijing, journalist) Wang Debang (Beijing, freelance writer) Zhao Dagong (Shenzhen, freelance writer) Jiang Danwen (Shanghai, writer) Liu Yi (Gansu, painter) Xu Hui (Beijing, writer) Wang Tiancheng (Beijing, scholar) Wen kejian (Hangzhou, freelance) Li Hai (Beijing, freelance writer) Tian Yongde (Inner Mongolia, folk human rights activists) Zan Aizong (Hangzhou, journalist) Liu Yiming (Hubei, freelance writer) Liu Di (Beijing, freelance writer) The rules
of signing one's name are as follows: 1. Open signature 2. Only accept the signature
with one's own name or commonly used pen name 3. One needs
to include one's name, the province of one's current residence, occupation 4. The e-mails for one to
send one's signature: xizangwenti@ ____________
Dalai Lama 'wolf in monk's robes' ------------ By AUDRA ANG, AP April 2, 2008 BEIJING -- China has branded the Dalai Lama a "wolf in monk's robes" and his followers the "scum of Buddhism." It stepped up the rhetoric yesterday, accusing the Nobel Peace laureate and his supporters of planning suicide attacks. The Tibetan government-in- administration rushed to the Tibetan Buddhist leader's defence, calling him "a man of peace." "There is absolutely no indication that he wants to do anything other than have a dialogue with China on how to discuss the serious issues there," State Department spokesman Tom Casey said. Wu Heping, spokesman for China's Ministry of Public Security, claimed searches of monasteries in the Tibetan capital had turned up a large cache of weapons. They included 176 guns, 13,013 bullets, 3,500 kilograms of explosives, 19,000 sticks of dynamite and 350 knives, he said. "To our knowledge, the next plan of the Tibetan independence forces is to organize suicide squads to launch violent attacks," Wu told a news conference. "They claimed that they fear neither bloodshed nor sacrifice." Wu provided no details or evidence. He used the term "gan si dui," a rarely used phrase directly translated as "dare-to-die corps." The official English version of his remarks translated the term as "suicide squads." Wu said police had arrested an individual who he claimed was an operative of the "Dalai Lama clique," responsible for gathering intelligence and distributing pamphlets calling for an uprising. Beijing has repeatedly accused the Dalai Lama and his supporters of orchestrating violence in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital. Protests which began peacefully there on the March 10 anniversary of a 1959 uprising against Chinese rule spiralled out of control four days later.
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------------ Elderly Tibetan woman brutally beaten for refusing to denounce Dalai Lama ------------ TCHRD Thursday, March 27, 2008 Following the protests by monks in Drango (Ch: Luhuo) County on 24 March, leading to the death of an 18-year-old monk and the subsequent solidarity protest on 25 March 2008, the local authority has expelled a large number of monks from Chogri Monastery and arrested some nuns of Nanggong (Tib translit: nganga sgong) Nunnery, according to confirmed information received by the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD). Sources also reported disappearances of many lay people from the area. On 26 March 2008, under the pretext of a call for a meeting with the authorities, two former abbots of Chogri Monastery, Geshe Namgyal Tsering and Geshe Sonam Gyurmey, were detained in the County Public Security Bureau (PSB) Detention Centre. In an apparent measure to bring Tibetans in the area under control, the authorities called for a Getse Township meeting during which the residents were ordered to denounce and criticize the Dalai Lama and the "separatist" forces. An elderly woman, Ama Tsanglo, steadfastedly refused to abide by the order and on the contrary called for the fast "return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet". Upon this, the Township Party Secretary beat her brutally, amidst which she shouted, "I will never denounce the Dalai Lama. Even if you kill me today I won't have any regrets." Unable to see his old mother getting beaten mercilessly, her son sprang from the crowd and gave some strong physical blows to the Party Secretary. At the time of releasing this update, both the Party Secretary and Tsanglo are hospitalized, the whereabouts of the son is unknown. From msn.com
Talking to an Atheist
Today I talked to a buddy of mine who happened to be an Atheist. I was on my way to breakfast at the chow hall when I ran into a buddy of mine. He asked if I was going and if I minded if he tagged along. As we made our way to chow we talked our trade and exchanged mission stories. He is in a different section now, but at one time we where in the same section. We laughed about missions we had in the past and people we have had run ins with. As we talked we started swaying towards religion. He is an Atheist, I am a Christian. So in a sense we had a lot to talk about. We talked about religion. No debating or arguing. No name calling or trying to prove the other a fool. It was basically 2 friends sharing our beliefs and pretty much agreeing to disagree. And to tell you the truth it was kind of refreshing to me.
You see so many times when religion is brought up the discussion can become very nasty or heated. People whether theist or atheist can tun into jerks when confronted by those with opposing beliefs. Like so many other issues we tend to have the my way or the highway mentality. The sad thing is we let this separate us more. It is sometimes one more thing we use to divide us. I told him of one of the big arguments I have seen being made. I asked do you think religion causes violence, he looked me in the eyes and told me we would just find something else to fight about. And the truth is I feel the same way. Yes, there are whack jobs doing bad things for religion, just as I am sure there are whack jobs doing bad things for drugs, money, gangs, you name it. The past is full of all sort of religious nuts, but I also know for a fact there where just as many nonreligious nuts running around to.
The bottom line for me is this we can have an honest discussion without becoming jerks to one another. I can honestly say that I do not look down on anyone for their beliefs. And that religion to me at least is not about violence. To me it is about a word so many like to use today to me it is about "hope". Hope for the fact that if I do good by God that I will go to a better place. Yes there are extremist in all religions and even extremist religions but in truth they are not the norms. And yes, there are those who love to push their belief on others to the point of being annoying and again I feel they are not the norms. Most whether religious or Atheist just want to live their lived the right way and be allowed to believe whatever they choose with out ridicule or attack.
My point is this, we can continue to attack others with opposing beliefs or we can just do what my buddy and I did today at chow agree to disagree and move on. So next time you have a chance to discuss religion versus Atheism why not just talk about it you might learn something.
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An ( extremely ) naughty message Posted By: "ChristianAmerican" @ 03/21/2008 4:02:40 PM
Comment: I love Tibetants because ____________
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