Delivering Service and Support

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Delivering Service and Support THE TIBET FUND YEARS SPECIAL REPORT HIS HOLINESS THE 14TH DALAI LAMA 1 SIKYONG Dr. LOBSANG SANGAY Senator Dianne Feinstein 2 3 Program (KAP) was initiated to address and nunneries as well as cultural None of our work would have been the unmet medical, educational, and institutions such as the Tibetan possible without the support of our economic needs of Tibetans in Tibet. Institute for Performing Arts, Library partners, individual donors, grants PRESIDENT With funding from private donors, TTF for Tibetan Works and Archives, and from foundations, and major funding RINCHEN DHARLO built Chushul Orphanage and funded Nepal Lhamo Association. from the US Department of State’s two other children’s homes. TTF also Bureau of Population, Refugees and funded the construction of Lhasa Eye In 1997, we initiated the Blue Book Migration and Bureau of Education Center and sponsored several surgical Project, which is seen as an effective and Cultural Affairs, The Office of eyes camps restoring more than 2,000 way for individuals to support the Citizen Exchanges of the Bureau of sights. KAP at that time has won the Tibetan people. From 1997 to 2015, Educational and Cultural Affairs, support and confidence of Tibetan TTF has raised a total of over $310,000 and the USAID. We would like to authorities at the highest levels both in from individual donors and transferred express our deepest gratitude to the perSOnal Tibet and in exile and has successfully that fund to the Central Tibetan US Congress and Administration, reflections provided resources and training for Administration. Establishment of the whose continued support and belief education and health projects in Tibet Tibetan Sponsorship Program in 1999 in our mission has provided critical as well as in mainland China and study has also been very satisfying. We have resources to help Tibetan people in and professional training opportunities been successful in finding sponsors Tibet and in our refugee communities The Tibet Fund (TTF) was established DC in September 1987. Soon after, Prize in 1989, the plight of the Tibetan for Tibetans in the U.S. Since 1998, TTF for an average of 600 students, monks, in India to look forward to a better at a time when the story of the Tibetan the US Congress passed the first joint people gained worldwide attention. has continuously received grants from nuns and elders per year. From 1999 to future. We thank the Central Tibetan people and their suffering was largely resolution condemning human rights The Tibet Fund grew rapidly, building the Bureau of Educational and Cultural 2015, TTF has raised and transferred Administration and the Snow Lion unknown and the humanitarian violations in Tibet and resolved to institutional relationships with Affairs of the US State Department and a total sponsorship amount of $4.3 Foundation for their collaboration. assistance has begun to decline. In provide scholarship awards to Tibetan foundations, governmental agencies has brought a total of 96 students to million to India and Nepal. 1984, TTF received a generous funding students in exile. The next year, the US and individual donors. Thus, with the US for study. The Tibet Fund is blessed with a through an offering to His Holiness Department of State began funding the the help of cherished donors, TTF In 2012, TTF’s field office in very strong board of directors whose the Dalai Lama from Mongolian Geshe Tibetan Scholarship Program through was also able to buy a townhouse I have personally witnessed TTF grow Dharamsala was inaugurated as part unselfish dedication and guidance has Wangyal, which enabled to expand The Tibet Fund. It was then we first in mid-Manhattan providing space from a single part-time staff to one of an opening ceremony for the Tibet been the main source of inspiration activities although the organization hired a full-time staff to administer for the Office of Tibet and several of the primary funding organizations Education Project (TEP), a new USAID to our hardworking staff members. still had a modest operation. For this program, which has continued on other Tibet-related organizations. In for programs and initiatives that give funded initiative. Currently, we have Without their active participation instance, when I joined TTF as its an annual basis to provide graduate- addition, The Tibet Fund is also proud Tibetans enormous support in so many four staff including Field Director Bob and guidance, we would not have been president in 1987, we only had a level education in the US for worthy to have supported the Office of Tibet fields. In addition to federal grants, we Ankerson collaborating with the CTA successful particularly in organizing desk at the Office of Tibet for which Tibetan students. in the purchase of a new building in have been able to raise several million in administering yet another USAID annual galas and special fundraising $200 was paid monthly and $300 for Washington DC in 2015. dollars from family foundations and funded health program for events to cover our yearly bookkeeping. That year, TTF board In these past 29 years, we received individual donors to support various Tibetan refugees. operating budget. member conducted need assessment a total of over $16 million as of June In 1991, the U.S. Department of State projects including vocational trainings, of 25 Tibetan refugee settlements 2016 and brought 436 Tibetan students designated TTF as the administrator workshops, construction of schools, Maintaining the viability of the in India and Nepal, which led to the from India and Nepal to study in many of an annual Humanitarian Assistance libraries, public toilets, guest houses, Tibetan refugee settlements in exile creation of the Tibetan Economic prestigious universities in the US. PRM Grant for the support of Tibetan community halls, elderly homes, is essential to the survival of Tibetan Development Program and a revolving It is so satisfying to see our former refugee reception centers, and health, clinics, bridges, water mills, overhead identity. Today, TTF’s assistance loan fund of $500,000 of the Central students working in all major CTA education and vocational programs tanks for safe drinking water, and to the exile Tibetan community Rinchen Dharlo Tibetan Administration (CTA). departments, settlements, schools, in the settlements. Since then, TTF housing in scattered Tibetan refugees, focuses on urgent and primary needs President and hospitals as cabinet ministers, has successfully collaborated with the green houses, organic farming, in the settlement communities I was fortunate to be part of that secretaries, doctors, nurses, school CTA and administered 25 annual PRM purchase of school buses, tractors, such as clean drinking water and historic day when His Holiness principals, teachers etc. It is needless grants amounting to $49 millions. ambulances, construction of housing sanitation, economic and agricultural presented His historic Five-Point to say that when His Holiness the for CTA staff and others. We have also development, vocational training, and Peace Plan for Tibet in Washington Dalai Lama won the Nobel Peace In 1994, the Khawachen Assistance supported a number of monasteries cultural preservation projects. 4 5 CONTENTS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR lobsang nyandak Personal Reflections from the President 04 Mother and Child Health Infrastructure Support & Health Care Services in Tibetan Hospitals Message from the Executive Director 06 Nutritional Supplement Program Community Health Education News and Events: The Tibet Fund in 35 Years 08 Waste Disposal and Sanitation Programs Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Introduction 24 Free Camps in India and Nepal Essential Health Services for Vulnerable Refugees Rehabilitating New Refugees 26 Safe Drinking Water Project Health Care Projects in Tibet Empowering Tibetans in More Ways than One 29 Developing Self-Sufficiency and Community in Exile 57 Enhancing Educational Opportunities 30 Capacity-Building Programs for CTA and Local Partners Higher Education in the US, India, and Nepal Entrepreneurship and Economic Self-Sufficiency ⋅ Tibetan Scholarship Program Vocational Training and New Enterprise Development ⋅ Tibetan Professional Scholarship Program Agriculture & Animal Husbandry in India, Nepal & Tibet ⋅ Other Programs in Higher Education Housing Projects in India, Bhutan and Nepal Other Initiatives and Projects in Tibetan Education Other Grants in Infrastructure Development ⋅ Tibetan Education Program Caring for the Vulnerable Population ⋅ Integrating Technology in Schools Assisting in Disaster Relief and Recovery ⋅ Facility Upgrade in Exile Tibetan Schools ⋅ Khawachen Assistance Program in Tibet Preserving Tibetan Religious Tibetan Sponsorship Program and Cultural Heritage 74 Promoting Healthy Tibetan Communities 46 Religious Preservation: Monastic Education and Infrastructural Support Tibetan Health System Capacity Strengthening Project Cultural Preservation: Life, Art and Creativity Edited and Compiled by Norzin Dolma Layout and Designed by Londhen Thupten Photo Credits: Ang Kami Sherpa, Dr. Sanduk Ruit, Don Farber, Ken Young, Institute of Buddhist Dialectics, Tibetan Women’s Association, Ginger Chih, CTA’s Department of Education, CTA’s Department of Health, Jianglin Lee, Sambhota Tibetan School Society, Snow Lion Foundation, Sonam Zoksang, Yongling School, Ngawang Namgyal, Tenzin Sonam Gonsar, Lha Charitable Trust, Sengedag Service Society, Sonada Tibetan Settlement, Peggy Day, Ngoenga School, NYU School of Dentistry, Ladakh Nuns Association, Angelika. Published August 2016 6 7 News and
Recommended publications
  • The Decontextualization of Vajrayāna Buddhism in International Buddhist Organizations by the Example of the Organization Rigpa
    grant reference number: 01UL1823X The decontextualization of Vajrayāna Buddhism in international Buddhist Organizations by the example of the organization Rigpa Anne Iris Miriam Anders Globalization and commercialization of Buddhism: the organization Rigpa Rigpa is an international Buddhist organization (Vajrayāna Buddhism) with currently 130 centers and groups in 41 countries (see Buddhistische Religionsgemeinschaft Hamburg e.V. c/o Tibetisches Zentrum e.V., Nils Clausen, Hermann-Balk- Str. 106, 22147 Hamburg, Germany : "Rigpa hat mittlerweile mehr als 130 Zentren und Gruppen in 41 Ländern rund um die Welt." in https://brghamburg.de/rigpa-e-v/ date of retrieval: 5.11.2020) Rigpa in Austria: centers in Vienna and Salzburg see https://www.rigpa.de/zentren/daenemark-oesterreich-tschechien/ date of retrieval: 27.10.2020 Rigpa in Germany: 19 centers see https://www.rigpa.de/aktuelles/ date of retrieval: 19.11.2019 Background: globalization, commercialization and decontextualization of (Vajrayāna) Buddhism Impact: of decontextualization of terms and neologisms is the rationalization of economical, emotional and physical abuse of people (while a few others – mostly called 'inner circles' in context - draw their profits) 2 contents of the presentation I. timeline of crucial incidents in and around the organization Rigpa II. testimonies of probands from the organization Rigpa (in the research project TransTibMed) III. impact of decontextualizing concepts of Vajrayāna Buddhism and cross-group neologisms in international Buddhist organizations IV. additional citations in German language V. references 3 I) timeline of crucial incidents in and around the organization Rigpa 1. timeline of crucial events (starting 1994, 2017- summer 2018) (with links to the documents) 2. analysis of decontextualized concepts, corresponding key dynamics and neologisms 3.
    [Show full text]
  • Making the State on the Sino-Tibetan Frontier: Chinese Expansion and Local Power in Batang, 1842-1939
    Making the State on the Sino-Tibetan Frontier: Chinese Expansion and Local Power in Batang, 1842-1939 William M. Coleman, IV Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Columbia University 2014 © 2013 William M. Coleman, IV All rights reserved Abstract Making the State on the Sino-Tibetan Frontier: Chinese Expansion and Local Power in Batang, 1842-1939 William M. Coleman, IV This dissertation analyzes the process of state building by Qing imperial representatives and Republican state officials in Batang, a predominantly ethnic Tibetan region located in southwestern Sichuan Province. Utilizing Chinese provincial and national level archival materials and Tibetan language works, as well as French and American missionary records and publications, it explores how Chinese state expansion evolved in response to local power and has three primary arguments. First, by the mid-nineteenth century, Batang had developed an identifiable structure of local governance in which native chieftains, monastic leaders, and imperial officials shared power and successfully fostered peace in the region for over a century. Second, the arrival of French missionaries in Batang precipitated a gradual expansion of imperial authority in the region, culminating in radical Qing military intervention that permanently altered local understandings of power. While short-lived, centrally-mandated reforms initiated soon thereafter further integrated Batang into the Qing Empire, thereby
    [Show full text]
  • AMNH Research Library, Photo Slide Collection Revised March 2013
    AMNH Research Library, Photo Slide Collection Revised March 2013 Call Number Creator Title Date Summary Extent Extent (format) General Notes Related Archival PSC 1 Cerro de la Neblina Cerro de la Neblina Expedition 1984-1989 Field photographs from the 1984-1985 Cerro de la 1 box (0.25 linear feet) 14 slides Includes field notes. Expedition (1984-1985) photographic slides Neblina expedition. Includes one slide from Amazonas, Rio Mavaca Base Camp, March 1989. PSC 2 Abbott, R. E. R. E. Abbott photographic slides undated Field photographs of North American birds in nature, 1 box (0.25 linear feet) 7 slides Includes field notes. includes Cardinals, red-shouldered hawks, and song sparrow. PSC 3 Byron, Oscar. Abyssinia duplicate slides undated Duplicate slides made from hand-colored lantern 1 box (0.25 linear feet) 100 slides Copy slides from hand colored slides of field photographs in Abyssinia [Ethiopia] lantern slides. circa 1920-1921. PSC 4 Jaques, Francis Lee. ACA textile photographic slides undated ACA Collection. Textiles, 15th to 18th century textiles 1 box (0.25 linear feet) 22 slides from various countries. PSC 5 Bierwert, Thane L. A. A. Allen photographic slides undated Field photographs of North American birds in nature. 1 box (0.25 linear feet) 154 slides Includes field notes. Collection contains USDE numbers and K numbers. PSC 6 Blanchard, Dean Hobbs. AG Southwest Native Americans undated Field photographs of Southwestern Native 1 box (0.25 linear feet) 3 slides Includes field photographs. photographic slides Americans PSC 7 Amadon, Dean Dean Amadon photographic slides of 1957 Slide of fence post with holes made by Acorn or 1 box (0.25 linear feet) 1 slide Fence post in AMNH Ornithology birds California woodpecker for storage.
    [Show full text]
  • Nepal Earthquake Rebuilding Efforts in the Tibetan Community
    Nepal Earthquake Rebuilding Efforts in the Tibetan Community A Report by The Tibet Fund December 2016 ...through such support, we have been able to strengthen“ our cultural institutions and undertake projects essential for the preservation“ of the Tibetan cultural heritage that is the very core of our civilization. MESSAGE Dear friends, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama Since the tragedy that unfolded in the aftermath of the 2015 Nepal earthquake, The Tibet Fund has made a significant difference in the lives of the affected Tibetans. Generous donations and funds from our donors have enabled The Tibet Fund to assist in emergency relief response, post-earthquake rebuilding efforts, and earthquake-preparedness training in Nepal. Especially in repairing and reconstructing the damaged homes of the vulnerable Tibetans including the elderly and the destitute, we have emphasized on the adoption of earthquake-resilient building techniques. Our reconstruction principles and practices are not only in compliance with National Building Codes of the Government of Nepal but it was aimed to ensure future safety and physical security of the Tibetan refugees. Rebuilding a community affected by natural disasters such as earthquake entails financial resources. For this and more, we would like to thank the US government for their grant through the Bureaus of Population, Refugee and Migration (PRM), which has formed the backbone of our Nepal Earthquake Project. Our heartfelt gratitude similarly goes to all the individual donors and private organizations for their compassion and generosity in this tragedy. We are also indebted to all our project partners for their excellent collaboration and coordination in this rebuilding process.
    [Show full text]
  • Tibetan Buddhism and Feminism in an In-Between Space
    Tibetan Buddhism and Feminism in an In-between Space: A Creative-Critical Autoethnography in a Non-Western Woman’s Voice Sharin Shajahan Naomi Student ID: 32114843 This thesis is presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of Murdoch University 30th June, 2017 This page intentionally left blank 2 I declare that this thesis is my own account of my research and contains as its main content work, which has not previously been submitted for a degree at any tertiary education institution. ………… Sharin Shajahan Naomi 3 This page intentionally left blank 4 This page intentionally left blank 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I always wanted to do PhD. on a subject with which I would find a spontaneous connection. I believe in the power of prayer. It is through the earnest prayer I am able to create intimate bonding with the divine, which is unseen and incomprehensible, yet the most intimate, the most understanding, and the kindest friend. God’s guidance and help come in simple ways; through friends, mentors and unknown strangers from whom I never expect help. That is the grace and beauty of trusting God and asking for his/her help. When I finally decided to do a PhD on Tibetan Buddhism and feminism, the help and guidance I received were incredible and beyond expectations. I am confused about where to start and whose name should appear first in my acknowledgment. Let’s go back to 2010 when I received an Australian Leadership Award and began a new life in Western Australia. I was studying for a Masters of Arts in Human Rights and it was at that time I began to dream of doing a PhD.
    [Show full text]
  • 2015 Dear Friends, Last Year the Question of Refugees Was Raised at MOST As Well
    ANNUAL REPORT 2015 Dear friends, last year the question of refugees was raised at MOST as well. efforts and support in the establishment of justice and Although the situation is not comparable with the exodus freedom in Tibet." of tens of thousands of Tibetans almost 60 years ago, it is, nevertheless, a test of our attitudes. Petr Ďásek Chairman of the board MOST, o. p. s. In addition to all the existing projects the company MOST expanded its aid to helping the elderly Tibetan refugees and began to help a senior home in Lugsum Samduplingu in southern India. All places that the Czechs generously support, have been visited by our new employees. They are volunteers who have completed foreign Development Content of the Annual report Studies at the Palacky University. Our team now consists of new young members. They brought a lot of new informa- tion, deepened cooperation with the Tibetan government Sponsorship – children in exile and personally wished many happy returns to His Holiness the Dalai Lama to his 80th birthday. The Dalailama Sponsorship – elderly people Foundation made financial contribution to one of our earliest projects – the construction of a nunnery in Kaze. School ProTibet Back home, the overview of the activities of MOST were Goat ProTibet available on the website or in the monthly newsletters or daily posts on Facebook. At the same time the "Internet Health care, workshops highway" also provided information about our country’s Educational and informational programs bonding with the communist China. Supported by the in the Czech Republic numerous donors and supporters we hope that the ex- change of values with the Land of Dragon will only be ProTibet Club carried out in commercial sense.
    [Show full text]
  • California Buddhist Centers - Updated January 1, 2007
    California Buddhist Centers - Updated January 1, 2007 - www.BuddhaNet.net -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery Address: 16201 Tomki Road, Redwood Valley, CA 95470 CA Tradition: Theravada Forest Sangha Affiliation: Amaravati Buddhist Monastery (UK) EMail: [email protected] Website: http://www.abhayagiri.org -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- All One Dharma Address: 1440 Harvard Street, Quaker House Santa Monica CA 90404 Tradition: Zen/Vipassana Affiliation: General Buddhism Phone: e-mail only EMail: [email protected] Website: http://www.allonedharma.org Spiritual Director: Group effort Teachers: Group lay people Notes and Events: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- American Buddhist Meditation Temple Address: 2580 Interlake Road, Bradley, CA 93426 CA Tradition: Theravada, Thai, Maha Nikaya Affiliation: Thai Bhikkhus Council of USA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- American Buddhist Seminary Temple at Sacramento Address: 423 Glide Avenue, West Sacramento CA 95691 CA Tradition: Theravada EMail: [email protected] Website: http://www.middleway.net Teachers: Venerable T. Shantha, Venerable O.Pannasara Spiritual Director: Venerable (Bhante) Madawala Seelawimala Mahathera -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- American Young Buddhist Association Address: 3456 Glenmark Drive, Hacienda
    [Show full text]
  • Buddhism / Dalai Lama 99
    Buddhism / Dalai Lama 99 Activating Bodhichitta and A Meditation on Compassion His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama Translated by Gonsar Rinpoche The awakening mind is the unsurpassable way to collect merit. To purify obstacles bodhicitta is supreme. For protection from interferences bodhicitta is supreme. It is the unique, all-encompassing method. Every kind of ordinary and supra-mundane power can be accomplished through bodhicitta. Thus, it is absolutely precious. Although compassion is cultivated in one’s own mind, the embodiment of it is the deity known as Avalokiteshvara (Tib. Chan-re- PY: 1979,2006 zig). The various aspects that are visualized in meditation practices and 5.5 X 8.5 represented in images and paintings are merely the interpretative forms of 80 pages Avalokitephvara, whereas the actual definitive form is compassion itself. ` 140 paperback ISBN: 81-86470-52-2 Awakening the Mind, Lightening the Heart His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama Edited by Donald S.Lopez,Jr. Awakening the Mind, Lightening the Heart is His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s gentle and profoundly eloquent instruction for developing the basis of the spiritual path: a compassionate motive. With extraordinary grace and insight, His Holiness shows how the Tibetan Buddist teachings on compassion can be practiced in our daily lives through simple meditations that directly relate to past and present PY: 2008 relationships. 5.5 X 8.5 This illuminating and highly accessible guide offers techniques for 178 pages deepening and heightening compassion in our lives and the world around ` 215 paperback us. ISBN: 81-86470-68-9 Commentary on the Thirty Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama Translated by Acharya Nyima Tsering Ngulchu Gyalse Thogmed Zangpo’s The Thirty Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva is one of Tibetan Buddhism’s most popular texts, incorporated in the Mind Training text and also able to be explained according to the Lam Rim tradition.
    [Show full text]
  • Arya Nagarjuna's
    Arya Nagarjuna’s Praise to Satisfying Sentient Beings A Commentary------S------ on the Awakening Mind Teachings by His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama Bylakuppe, India ․ December 2015 Kurukulla Center for Tibetan Buddhist Studies www.kurukulla.org Kurukulla Center for Tibetan Buddhist Studies 68 Magoun Avenue ◆ Medford, MA 02155 USA ◆ www.kurukulla.org © 2015 by Kurukulla Center for Tibetan Buddhist Studies All rights reserved. Published 2015. 1,500 copies printed for free distribution. Texts reproduced with kind permission from: English translation of Praise to Satisfying Sentient Beings © Geshe Tsulga, Thubten Damchoe and Yeshe Chodron, 2008; revised by Thubten Damchoe and Yeshe Chodron, 2015. English translation of A Commentary on the Awakening Mind © Geshe Thupten Jinpa, 2006; revised 2007. Chinese translation of Praise to Satisfying Sentient Beings © Sera Je Trehor Lharampa Geshe Choewang, 2015 Chinese translation of A Commentary on the Awakening Mind © Jamyang Rinchen (Chun Yuan Huang) Front cover art with kind permission from Robert Beer. Back cover photo with kind permission from Amdo Ganzey Tshering. Photo of Tara & Stupa with kind permission from David Zinn. Cover & Book design by Gopa & Ted2, Inc. Contents ------S------ Tribute: Sera Je Trehor Lharampa Geshe Tsulga v Foreword x Acknowledgements xiii English Texts 1 A Commentary on the Awakening Mind 25 Praise to Satisfying Sentient Beings Chinese Texts 菩提心釋 31 歡喜有情讚 45 About Kurukulla Center for Tibetan Buddhist Studies 48 Opposite: Geshe Tsulga (left) and HHDL (right) in Mundgod, India 2002 Tribute: Sera Je Trehor Lharampa Geshe Tsulga ------S------ “Your Holiness is the root of peace and happiness for the whole world in general, and in particular, for the Tibetan people and their culture as both face extinction.
    [Show full text]
  • Early Buddhist Metaphysics: the Making of a Philosophical Tradition
    EARLY BUDDHIST METAPHYSICS This book provides a philosophical account of the major doctrinal shift in the history of early Theravada tradition in India: the transition from the earliest stratum of Buddhist thought to the systematic and allegedly scholastic philosophy of the Pali Abhidhamma movement. Conceptual investigation into the development of Buddhist ideas is pursued, thus rendering the Buddha’s philosophical position more explicit and showing how and why his successors changed it. Entwining comparative philosophy and Buddhology, the author probes the Abhidhamma’s shift from an epistemologically oriented conceptual scheme to a metaphysical worldview that is based on the concept of dhamma. She does so in terms of the Aristotelian tradition and vis-à-vis modern philosophy, exploiting Western philo- sophical literature from Plato to contemporary texts in the fields of philosophy of mind and cultural criticism. This book not only demonstrates that a philosophical inquiry into the conceptual foundations of early Buddhism can enhance our understanding of what philosophy and religion are qua thought and religion; it also shows the value of fresh perspectives for traditional Buddhology. Combining philosophically rigorous investigation and Buddhological research criteria, Early Buddhist Metaphysics fills a significant gap in Buddhist scholar- ship’s treatment of the conceptual development of the Abhidhamma. Noa Ronkin received her PhD from the University of Oxford. She is currently a lecturer in the Introduction to the Humanities Programme and a Research Fellow at the Center for Buddhist Studies, Stanford University. Her research interests include a range of issues associated with Indian Theravada Buddhist philosophy and psychology, the Abhidhamma tradition and comparative Indian philosophy.
    [Show full text]
  • Tibetan Diaspora
    TIBETAN DIASPORA Population: Approximately 127,935 [Approximate world-wide distribution: India 94,203; Nepal 13,514; Bhutan 1,298; the rest of the world 18,920] Constitution: The Charter of the Tibetans-in-Exile Judiciary: Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission: The Chief Justice Commis- sioner and two Justice Commissioners are elected by the Tibetan Par- liament-in-Exile out of a list of nominated candidates submitted by a selection committee of three to five members constituted by Chief Justice Commissioner, Speaker, Deputy Speaker and Sikyong (Presi- dent). Legislature: Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile with 45 members is directly elected by the exile population. The term of office is five years. Executive: The Kashag (Cabinet) is the apex executive body. The President is directly elected by the exile population for a term of five years. The President nominates other members of the Kashag to the Tibetan Par- liament-in-Exile to give its approval for their appointment. Major NGOs: Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC), Tibetan Women’s Association (TWA), Gu-chu-sum Movement, National Democratic Party of Tibet (NDPT) Foreign Missions: Based in New Delhi, Kathmandu, Washington D.C., Geneva, Tokyo, London, Brussels, Canberra, Moscow, Pretoria, Taipei and São Paulo. Livelihood: Agriculture, agro-industries, handicraft exports, woollen garment- selling enterprise and service sector. 1 tibetan national flag During the reign of the seventh-century king, Songsten Gampo, Tibet was one of the mightiest empires in Central Asia. Tibet, then, had an army of about 2,860,000 men. Each regiment of the army had its own banner. The banner of Yö-Ru Tö regiment had a pair of snow lions facing each other; that of Yä-Ru Mä a snow lion with a bright upper border; that of Tsang-Ru-Lag a snow lion standing upright, leaping towards the sky; and that of Ü-Ru Tö a white flame against a red background.
    [Show full text]
  • 2018 Summer Tibetan Study Program
    2018 Summer Tibetan Study Program A Partnership Program of The Tibet Fund & The Institute of Buddhist Dialectics The Tibet Fund (TTF) in partnership with The Institute of Buddhist Dialectics (IBD) is happy to announce the 2018 Summer Tibetan Study Program for young Tibetans born or brought up in west to learn and experience the culture, history and civilization of Tibet in Dharamsala, the cultural and intellectual capital of the Tibetan exile community. Participants will gain an in-depth understanding of their cultural heritage, tradition, community in exile and issues associated with Tibet. They will also experience and engage in the challenges and possibilities that confront the exile Tibetan community which is striving to preserve traditional cultural values and identity in the context of globalization. The summer program will offer rigorous academic work, language study, contemplative practice and cultural immersion incorporated by field trips to enable first-hand experience. IBD, Dharamsala was established by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 1973 and its branch the College for Higher Tibetan Studies (CHTS), Sarah is a prestigious higher learning center for advanced Tibetan studies and practice. IBD-CHTS, Sarah offers Tibetan Study Abroad Programs for undergraduate American students in partnership with Emory University, Georgia, Atlanta and Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana, USA since 2001. The Tibet Fund, New York will facilitate Summer Tibetan Study Program for young Tibetan in west whereas IBD-CHTS, Sarah will provide teachers and lecturers for the program. Students attend classes at the CHTS, Sarah campus of IBD and will have an opportunity to experience the daily life of the Tibetan community in Dharamsala.
    [Show full text]