Chinese Dissident Liu Xiaobo Wins Nobel Peace Prize

Absolutely amazing. It’s good to see someone standing up to China. Yes, they will be outraged, not sure if that’s a strong enough word, but awarding this to Xiaobo is a message to China that it really needs to get i’s head out of it’s rump and clean itself up!

via The Associated Press.

Imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo won the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for “his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China” – a prize likely to enrage the Chinese government, which warned the Nobel committee not to honor him.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland said Liu Xiaobo was a symbol for the fight for human rights in China.

“China has become a big power in economic terms as well as political terms, and it is normal that big powers should be under criticism,” Jagland said.

It was the first Nobel for the Chinese dissident community since it resurfaced after the country’s communist leadership launched economic, but not political reforms three decades ago. The win could jolt a current debate among the leadership and the elite over whether China should begin democratic reforms and if so how quickly.

“When The Iron Bird Flies”… can you help?

Ed. Note: Fellow Buddho-bloggers, please repost the following message. Let’s see what we can do to help make this project happen. Oh, and if you haven’t seen “Blessings” yes I highly recommend it.

Chariot Productions and the Pundarika Foundation are now in production on WHEN THE IRON BIRD FLIES: A Spiritual Collaboration Between East and West. While BLESSINGS offered a rarely seen view into the lives and practices of yoginis in remote hermitages in the mountains of Tibet, WHEN THE IRON BIRD FLIES will offer an exhilarating look at the evolution of these same spiritual teachings as they are propelled into modern western culture. This groundbreaking feature documentary will trace the path of one of the world’s oldest religions into the 21st century and show how this new collaboration between East and West is creating a new western Tibetan Buddhism – and permeating myriad aspects of contemporary culture at the same time.

We all have a part to play in the story of Buddhism in the West. Join us on our WHEN THE IRON BIRD FLIES Facebook page for up to date photo, text and video information on the film’s progress. In order to bring this project to fruition, we also need donations of any amount from as many sources as possible.  Even contributions of  $25-$50 can go a long way when we all take part. Further details can be found on theIRON BIRD fundraising page.

We hope that you will be a part of theIRON BIRD story.

Warm regards,

The Iron Bird Team

Newsweek: Tibet a “Charity Case”

Wow, what a heading on their site, Newsweek boldly calling Tibet a “Charity Case” of China. I read the article and was nearly seething at the ignorance shown but what really got me, and should have maybe sparked something for this reporter from Newsweek, is the final paragraph…

It’s true that, so far, all the money has failed to buy Tibetan loyalty. Beijing won’t deal with the Dalai Lama, even though Tibetans revere him, nor will it let his monastic followers build any power or voice any nationalist sympathy. Instead, the government is offering Tibetans the same bargain it has offered the rest of the country: in exchange for an astronomical rise in living standards, the government requires citizens to relinquish the right to free worship and free speech. The Chinese government has kept its end of the deal. Even if Tibetan residents never signed the contract, they have benefited from its enforcement—a fact Obama might keep in mind when he meets the Dalai Lama

Idiots, of course the Tibetans have not reciprocated, THEY NEVER WANTED CHINESE INTERVENTION!! They never asked to be beaten for their religious loyalties to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. They never asked to be forced to speak a foreign language in their own country. They never asked for your “economic boom”. They have asked for none of this, it was forced upon them, I mean FORCED.

If a Tibetan resident does anything to express any sort of disagreement with the CCP they are detained, beaten and given Chinese “re-education” classes. Not sure about you Newsweek, but that doesn’t sound like a place I want to be, never mind a place where a resident of that country would be happy to be either. Before the Chinese invasion there were 6,259 monasteries for Tibetans to freely worship. By 1979, there were only 10 monasteries.

Not that I expected Newsweek or any other agency to actually report something factual, but it would have been nice if they tried to convey at least an iota of truth. Maybe they should have tried to interview a couple Tibetan folks and see how they feel about the repression they live in??

Climber to take climate message to Everest

From Reuters

A Nepali high altitude guide will try to climb Mount Everest for a record 19th time this summer to highlight the consequences of climate change in the Himalayas, including the world’s tallest peak.

Apa Sherpa, 49, will carry a special metal vase containing 400 sacred Buddhist offerings and place it on the summit hoping the move will restore the sanctity of the Himalayas and raise awareness about climate change.

China-France deal further squeezing Dalai Lama

From The Associated Press

China expects France to shun the Dalai Lama as part of a fence-mending deal reached this week, the latest sign of Beijing’s hardened determination to isolate Tibet’s exiled Buddhist leader.

France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy said Thursday, however, the agreement signed with Chinese President Hu Jintao does not forbid him from meeting the Tibetan spiritual leader.

The two countries announced Wednesday they were restoring high-level contacts frozen by China after Sarkozy met the Dalai Lama in Poland in December.

De Klerk, Tutu withdraw from peace summit

From Daily News

The fate of a peace conference to be held in Johannesburg on Friday as part of celebrations leading up to the 2010 World Cup was hanging in the balance today after the withdrawal of high profile guests due to the government’s refusal to grant the Dalai Lama a visa.

One of the conference’s organising bodies, the Premier Soccer League, was due to meet this morning after the withdrawal of all invited Nobel Peace Prize laureates, including Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and former president FW de Klerk.

China detains dozens after riot

From CNN

Authorities detained 95 people — all but two of them monks — after a crowd of more than 100 people attacked a police station in western China, state media said Sunday.

The crowd attacked police officers and government staff in the Qinghai province Saturday after a man who was in custody for advocating Tibetan independence went missing, the Xinhua news agency said.

Chinese authorities said the man, Zhaxi Sangwu, escaped after asking to use the bathroom. They said they did not know what happened to him afterward.

Bus driver delivers free home-cooked meals

Ed. Note: This is a break from the usual “Buddhist” overtone stories but so relevant to the ideals of compassion and loving kindness. The man in the story is an absolute inspiration, I just wanted to share this story with you all!

From CNN

Every day, unemployed men gather under the elevated 7 train in Jackson Heights, Queens. Many of them are homeless. All of them are hungry.

Jorge Munoz estimates he has served more than 70,000 free meals since 2004.

At around 9:30 each night, relief comes in the form of Jorge Munoz’s white pickup truck, filled with hot food, coffee and hot chocolate.

The men eagerly accept containers of chicken and rice from Munoz, devouring the food on the spot. Quiet gratitude radiates from the crowd.

For many, this is their only hot meal of the day; for some, it’s the first food they’ve eaten since last night.

Richard Gere hopes for good relations between China and Tibet

From ANI

Hollywood actor/ political activist Richard Gere has voiced hope that China could one day have a Tibetan leader – the same way as United States has a black president.

Gere, a Buddhist, is particularly passionate about Chinese/Tibetan relations.

The actor was in Washington to urge Congress to support Tibet in the country’s fight against oppression by the Communist government in neighbouring China.