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BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID ITHACA, NY 14851 Permit No. 746 Deliver to current resident SPECIAL ORDER FROM OUR NEW SNOW LION TRAVEL TOLL FREE NUMBER NEWSLETTER & CATALOG OFFER 1-800-950-0313 page 16 VOLUME 5, NUMBER 1 SNOW LION PUBLICATIONS PO BOX 6483, ITHACA, NY 14851, (607)-273-8506 TIBETANS AND NAVAJO INDIANS IN SPIRITUAL DIALOGUE by Peter Gold A special spiritual encounter ideal beings—their deities—abide. took place at the Museum of In- The most vivid tools of this trans- dian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe, formation into holiness/whole- New Mexico, on December 12, ness/healing are the "sand 1989. paintings" or sand mandalas. Navajo chanter ("medicine- Mr. Francisco's sand painting man") Lesley Francisco joined described an episode in the Bless- Geshe Topgyal Rinpoche and ing Way's "mythic" teachings monks from Shartse College of concerning four Holy People (tute- Ganden Monastery in an experien- lary deities) responsible for think- tial dialogue structured around the ing, planning and creating this, creation, consecration and use of the Navajos' fifth world-reality. sand mandalas in their respective Since he worked alone, Mr. Fran- healing traditions. cisco chose the more simple sand For several days prior to this eve- rendition which takes linear rath- er than circular form. But their ning, Mr. Francisco had been con- Photo: Don Farber structing a sand painting derived meanings are identical. His dry from the Blessing Way lineage of painting depicted Holy People of the Navajo religion. Blessing Way the four directions sitting in the Statement of His Holiness the Dalai Lama teachings and practices serve to es- creation hogan-dwelling. tablish and maintain health, They include Talking God, the wealth and good fortune in Nava- leader divinity of the pantheon. on the Occasion of the 31st Anniversary of the jo life. Their intent and techniques He embodies the east, the dawn correspond quite closely with the and the processes of thought. He Tibetan National Uprising Day Tibetan practices of Dolma (Tara) compares closely with the leading and the Tsewang, or Life Em- tantric Buddha, Dorje Sempa sorbed. In Inner Mongolia, only Thirty one years ago today, the Therefore, I urge the Chinese (Vajrasattva). His complement, 2.6 million Mongols remain sur- powerment. Tibetan people rose up against the leadership not to resist the trend Calling God (like Amitabha- rounded by 18 million newly ar- Working over a period of sever- Chinese occupation of Tibet. In of change but to consider the Opame) is of the Western quarter rived Chinese. More than fifty al days, the Shartse monks creat- commemorating this momentous problems of the Tibetan and Chi- of the Navajo mandala. Between percent of Eastern Turkistan are ed a large sand painting next to event in the history of our coun- nese peoples with imagination and that of Mr. Francisco. Their sand them stand the Blessing Way di- now Chinese while in Tibet, the try, I extend my greetings to ev- broad-mindedness. I believe that vinities of the South and North six million Tibetans are outnum- mandala derives from the Healing ery Tibetan. Today, we remember repression will never crush the de- respectively: Holy Boy and Holy bered by 7.5 million Chinese im- Buddha tantric lineage whose pur- those brave Tibetans who gave up termination of any people to live Girl. They are shown surrounded migrants. pose is the maintenance of the life their lives for the freedom of in freedom and dignity. The Chi- force of the patient/practitioner. by a rainbow goddess who creates Naturally, the non-Chinese peo- Tibet. We also express our deep nese leadership must look at the an aura of protection—separating ple are restive. Unless China's For both Navajos and Tibetans the admiration for our people's cour- problems of China itself and the their sacred reality from the pro- leadership can take steps to as- "patient" suffers not from a clas- age and determination in the Tibetan issue with new eyes and fane, much as does the rainbow- suage their feelings, there is every sifiable "disease" so much as from struggle for freedom even under fresh minds. Before it is too late, like Mountain of Fire ring in ev- likelihood that serious problems being out of harmony with those the most brutal martial law regu- they must listen to the voice of rea- primal forces of the cosmos which ery Tibetan mandala. son, nonviolence, and moderation will arise in the future. It is imper- The Shartse monks created an lations. ative, I believe, for China to learn simultaneously operate within his Today, as we contemplate the fu- which is spoken by the Tibetan or her own body/mind. Both cul- elaborate, circular sand mandala a lesson from the Soviet Union and ture of our Tibet, we cannot help people and by China's own (as would the Navajo, pending in particular to follow the example tures, in fact, associate bodily ac- but think about the historic events students. tions, expressivity (speech) and availability of enough sand- set by President Gorbachev who is of the past year. In China the Despite the claims of Chinese painters). Their sand mandala was seeking to solve similar problems mind with the primal elements of popular movement for democracy propoganda millions of non- oriented to the four directions, ele- through dialogue and com- earth, air, fire and water, and place was crushed in last June's unre- Chinese people living in areas ments and colors, according to the promise. The government of Chi- major emphasis on mind as the strained violence. But I do not be- presently under the People's tantric scheme of enlightened wis- na needs to realize that the fundamental source of illness and lieve that the demonstrations were Republic of China suffer all kinds doms and actions. The Navajo, problems it faces in the non- its cure. in vain. Rather, the spirit of free- of discrimination. The Chinese likewise, have a well-developed Chinese areas under its rule are not Accordingly, Navajos and Tibe- dom has been rekindled among themselves admit that even after system of wisdoms and actions as- merely economic. At root they are tans have created very similar ritu- the Chinese people and China can- forty years of communist rule sociated with the cardinal points, political and, as such, can only be als for leading the "patient's" not escape the impact of this spir- these areas are backward and poor. primal elements, colors, and tute- solved by political change. flawed body/mind into an ideal it of freedom which is sweeping However, the most disturbing ef- Continued on page 4 To bring about a peaceful and state such as that in which their through many parts of the world. fect of Chinese policy towards peo- reasonable solution to the question Extraordinary changes are oc- ple in these areas is the of Tibet, I proposed the Five-Point curring in Eastern Europe: events demographic transformation Peace Plan and the Strasbourg which have set the pace for social which has been imposed upon Proposal. Even after the imposi- and political change throughout them. In virtually every area new tion of martial law in Tibet we the world. Similarly, Namibia has Chinese immigrants have become the majority community. Man- proposed to hold preliminary gained its independence from Continued on page 15 South Africa and the South Afri- churia has been completely ab- can government has taken the first steps towards the dismantling of Catalog Contents: Cookbooks 33 apartheid. It is encouraging to note Dharma Items 20 Health & Fitness 33 that these changes are the result of Snow Lion Tibet Cards 24 History & Politics 29 Cards, Prints, Posters 25 Language 28 a genuine people's movement, and Women's Studies 28 basically due to the irrepressible Computer Software 43 Video Dharma 42 Zen 28 human desire for freedom and jus- Audio Tapes 26 Native America 41 tice. What these positive changes Books by the Dalai Lama 22 Other Traditions 41 indicate is that reason, courage, Kalachakra 23 Psychology & Self-Help 34 determination and the inextin- Art & Photography 31 Religion & Philosophy 35 guishable desire for freedom ulti- Adventure Travel 30 Music & Chants 27 Photo: Tom Kennedy mately win. Biography 29 Calendars 27 SNOW LION SPRING 90 NEWSLETTER & CATALOG ■■H - NEWS_ H.H. THE DALAI LAMA DZOGCHEN TEACHINGS & PADMASAMBHAVA EMPOWERMENT FOR WORLD PEACE "As I always say, every one of tance of compassion for society, us has a responsibility. So we must humor and spontaneity which are and for the younger generation a familiar part of His Holiness' each take that responsibility and who represent the future of hu- try to contribute our own in- character. In a brief stopover at manity. Vajrapani Institute, one of the dividual share. Let us try to have On world peace he reiterated his a better world, a happier world, crown shouted out, California familiar call: "True world peace style, "We love you!" His Holi- happier human beings. What I can only be achieved through ness stopped in his tracks, and usually call 'my nirvana '—the per- mental peace. Mental peace grinned at them. "Thank you very manent cessation of all emotional springs from the genuine realiza- much," he said, and then with a negative thoughts—that's my pri- tion that all human beings are vate business, my private nirvana. glint of mischievous playfulness in brothers and sisters. Even though his eye, blew them a big kiss. Af- Now what we really need is nir- there are some different ideologies, ter his public talk in Santa Cruz vana for society; a happier human political and economic systems, His Holiness was on the point of community and a society fully these are only secondary; the most climbing into his car when he committed to lovingkindness.