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unplug magazine asks you to unplug from your current modes of thought and look at life in a new way, whether this means unplugging from our toxic consumer culture, mainstream society, the tv, or a limiting mindset. author megan prusynski explores life's alternatives and discusses activism, progressive thinking, and moving towards a "green" & sustainable life.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Inspiration from The Dalai Lama
His Holiness the Dalai Lama is a very important source of inspiration to me. I have read a couple of his books and I have a calendar of some of his teachings sitting on my desk. I definitely like the way he thinks and he never fails to give me food for thought. Some of my favorite quotes:
"The essential feature of true compassion is that it is universal and not discriminatory."
"In every part of the world, there are people who really speak about human rights, adn speak about the right of self-determination, and rights of animals. All of these are, I think, signs of positive change."
"Universal humanitarianism is essential to solve global problems."
"It does not matter whether you are a theist or an atheist, what matters is sincerity, forgiveness, and compassion."
"People who call themselves religious without basic human values like compassion; they are not really religious people."
The Dalai Lama is a very intelligent, compassionate, and happy person with a lot to share with the world. If you're ever seen the movie Kundun, which depicts his early life and his daring escape from Tibet when China occupied it, then you know about some of what this remarkable man has had to go through. Tibet has been taken over by China as the traditions, religious identities, and natural landscape of the Tibetan people are slowly being crushed. The Dalai Lama, as leader of the Tibetan people (even though he currently lives in exile), has never raised a fist towards China throughout their hostile takeover of his home. He is an example of leading with nonviolence, understanding, compromise, and peace.
His Holiness was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his demonstration of peaceful leadership and his devotion to compassion and teaching. He was also recently awarded a Congressional Gold Medal from the US House of Representatives. I certainly think world leaders have a lot to learn from this humble Buddhist monk. and everyone can certainly learn from his ideas and his life.
Two organizations I currently support are The International Campaign for Tibet and Free Tibet Campaign. These and many other advocacy groups are trying to stand up with the Dalai Lama for the people of Tibet, and ask China to end the atrocious human rights violations and brutal occupation of this peaceful country. One campaign of particular note is Race for Tibet, an effort of the ICT to force China to own up to the tragic occupation of Tibet befor the upcoming 2008 Olympics in Beijing. You can sign a petition to the International Olympic Committee on the Race for Tibet site, which reads in part:
In light of the IOC's Olympic Truce commitment "to create a window of opportunities for dialogue, reconciliation and the resolution of conflicts...and to encourage political leaders to act in favour of peace" (www.olympic.org), it is clear that the IOC ideals and values are very applicable for Tibet as we approach the 2008 Games. The IOC has long contended that awarding Beijing the 2008 Games will improve human rights in China, but as time passes, these assurances have not turned into concrete results.
The IOC should not let the Olympics be used by China to blatantly or insidiously try to legitimize their rule in Tibet or to promote a distorted view of the conditions there. Yet with China's selection of the Tibetan antelope (or chiru) as an Olympic mascot, we are already seeing the first results of a Chinese strategy to misuse Tibet in relation to the 2008 Olympics.
I hope someday to see the Dalai Lama speak and to visit his beautiful home country of Tibet, but I hope that I can visit a FREE Tibet, after the Dalai Lama reclaims his leadership in a sovereign country and the bloodshed and hardship China has inflicted can begin to heal. Until then, I'll keep speaking up for Tibet and learning from what the Dalai Lama has to say.
Labels: activism, peace, politics
Lets hope that the Games will be boycotted before then and relocated to a more humane suitable country that is in keeping with the Olympic Standard.
Heres what many groups and orgs are doing to ensure that change can be implemented before the Olympic Games.
Joint Statement from David Matas, David Kilgour and
The Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong
Olympics and Genocide Cannot Coexist In China
_____________________________________________
The Olympic Charter states in part: “the goal of the Olympics is to place sports everywhere at the service of a harmonious development of man, with a view to encouraging the establishment of a peaceful society concerned with preservation of human dignity. To this effect, the Olympic Movement engages, alone or in cooperation with other organizations and within the limits of its means, in actions to promote peace” (Olympic Charter, Article 3)
Safeguarding human dignity and humanity is a fundamental requirement of the Olympics. In order to win the right to host the 2008 Olympics the Chinese regime did promise improvements on human rights in China.
However, recent reports from UNHRC and Amnesty International clearly indicated that human rights situation in China is deteriorating; particular hard hit is the community of Falun Gong practitioners – since the communist regime began its full scale crackdown on Falun Gong from 20th July 1999 to 3rd May 2007, 3030 deaths due to the persecution have been confirmed overseas despite strict information blockades. UN
Special Rapporteur Nowak reported in March 2007 that Falun Gong
practitioners accounted for 66% of victims of alleged torture while in government custody.
Witnesses have come forward one after another since 9th March 2006, alleging that the communist regime has built NAZI-like concentration camps to incarcerate Falun Gong practitioners; a large number of practitioners have been ripped of vital organs alive and their bodies cremated.
Reports published by Canada’s human rights lawyer David Matas and former Secretary of State for Asia-Pacific David Kilgour on 6th July 2006 and 31st January 2007 (http://organharvestinvestigation.net) supported these
allegations.
Some observers estimated that Falun Gong adherents
constituted at least half of the 250,000 officially recorded inmates in China’s reeducation-through-labor camps today, plus others who are incarcerated in other types of detention facilities.
The Falun Gong genocide is undoubtedly the worst human rights disaster of the current day China. If this genocide does not stop, any window dressing gestures can only be deceits aimed at manipulating the international communities; if this genocide does not stop, China could not be fit for a host to the Olympics. The Olympics and crimes against humanity cannot coexist in China!
The four Chapters of CIPFG (The Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong in China), with over 300 members in Australia, Asia, Europe and north America, from politics, legal and medical professions, human rights and other non-government organizations, have written separately in 2006 to relevant bodies of the PRC government or its overseas agencies. Not a single response has been received.
We hereby urge the PRC authorities once again, to:
1. Stop the persecution of Falun Gong immediately and release all practitioners incarcerated for their faith
2. Stop the persecution of friends and supporters and defense lawyers of Falun Gong practitioners (e.g. Gao Zhisheng, Li Hong)
3. Allow unfettered inspections by independent investigators from the international community to be exonerated from the live organ harvesting allegations
If satisfactory response to our requests are not received on or before 8th August 2007, we will join up all supporters from around the globe to boycott a totalitarian Olympics.
Signatory, David Kilgour
Signatory, David Matas
Thanks for your comment and the information about the Falun Gong persectution in China. I have heard about this as well, it is certain that Tibetans are not the only ones that suffer because of China's human rights abuses.
What a powerful statement, I certainly hope China cleans up its act, or the Olympic Games move to a location worthy of the original ideals they were founded on.