Presumptive Space and the Tibetan Struggle for Visibility in Lhasa
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Location: Tibet Lies at the Centre of Asia, with an Area of 2.5 Million Square Kilometers. the Earth's Highest Mountains, a Vast
Location: Tibet lies at the centre of Asia, with an area of 2.5 million square kilometers. The earth's highest mountains, a vast arid plateau and great river valleys make up the physical homeland of 6 million Tibetans. It has an average altitude of 13,000 feet above sea level. Capital: Lhasa Population: 6 million Tibetans and an estimated 7.5 million Chinese, most of whom are in Kham and Amdo. Language: Tibetan (of the Tibeto-Burmese language family). The official language is Chinese. Tibet is comprised of the three provinces of Amdo (now split by China into the provinces of Qinghai, Gansu & Sichuan), Kham (largely incorporated into the Chinese provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan and Qinghai), and U-Tsang (which, together with western Kham, is today referred to by China as the Tibet Autonomous Region). The Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) comprises less than half of historic Tibet and was created by China in 1965 for administrative reasons. It is important to note that when Chinese officials and publications use the term "Tibet" they mean only the TAR. Tibetans use the term Tibet to mean the three provinces described above, i.e., the area traditionally known as Tibet before the 1949-50 invasion. Today Tibetans are outnumbered by Han Chinese population in their own homeland, there are est. 6 million Tibetans and an estimated 7.5 million Chinese, most of whom are in Kham and Amdo. The official language is Chinese. But those Tibetans living in exile still speak, read and write in Tibetan (of the Tibeto-Burmese language family). -
Mt. Kailash Pilgrimage Kora Grand Tour
MT. KAILASH PILGRIMAGE KORA GRAND TOUR Tashi delek! Tibetan Guide Travel Tours is a small travel agency based in Lhasa. We always work hard and take responsible for our clients by using local services as much as possible. Of course we use Tibetan drivers and tour guides. Who are experienced, have rich knowledge about Tibetan culture and also excellent attitude. We are confident that you would not be disappointed if you choose our services letting us show you our mother land. Proposed itinerary Day 1: Lhasa arrival [3650m] Upon arrival in Lhasa you will be welcomed by your English-speaking Tibetan Guide and Tibetan Driver who will bring you to your hotel. Acclimatization to high altitude: please, drink lots of water and take plenty of rest in order to minimize altitude sickness. Overnight at Shambhala Palace or House of Shambhala Hotel, which are a Tibetan style hotel located in Lhasa city center (Barkhor) Day 2: Lhasa sightseeing We begin visiting Ramoche Temple, built in honor of the image of Jowo Rinpoche that Chinese princess Wencheng brought by marrying Songtsen Gampo, the first king of Buddhist doctrine and who unified the Tibetan empire in the 7th century. Thereafter, we continue with Jokhang Temple, the most sacred monastery in Tibet. It was also founded in the 7th century by Songtsen Gampo. Later you can explore the surrounding Barkhor old quarter and spend time walking around Jokhang Temple following pilgrims from all over the Tibetan plateau. In the afternoon we go to Sera Monastery, one of three great universities of Gelugpa Sect. We will attend the debating session of the monks. -
Big Love: Mandala Magazine Article
LAMA YESHE, PASHUPATINATH TEMPLE, NEPAL, 1980. PHOTO BY TOM CASTLES, COURTESY OF LAMA YESHE WISDOM ARCHIVE. 26 MANDALA | July - December 2019 A MONUMENTAL ACCOMPLISHMENT: THE MAKING OF Big Love BY LAURA MILLER The creation of FPMT founder Lama Yeshe’s official biography has been a monumental task. Work on the forthcoming book, Big Love: The Life and Teachings of Lama Yeshe, has spanned three decades. To understand the significance of this project as it draws to a close, Mandala talked to three key people, all early students of Lama Yeshe, about the production of the book: Adele Hulse, Big Love’s author; Peter Kedge, who initiated and helped fund the project; and Nicholas Ribush, who is overseeing the book’s publication at the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive. Big Love: The Life and Teachings of Lama Yeshe begins with a refugee Tibetan monks. Together, the two lamas encountered their simple dedication: “This book is dedicated to you, the reader. first Western student, Zina Rachevsky, in 1967 in Darjeeling. The If you met Lama during your life, may you feel his presence here. following year, they went to Nepal, where they soon established If you never met Lama, then come with us—walk up the hill to Kopan Monastery on the outskirts of Kathmandu and later Kopan and meet Lama Yeshe, as thousands did, without knowing founded the international FPMT organization. anything of Buddhism or Tibet. That came later.” “Since then, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has been to many Within the biography’s nearly 1,400 pages, Lama Yeshe comes countries and now has a great reputation and has received many to life. -
The Lhasa Jokhang – Is the World's Oldest Timber Frame Building in Tibet? André Alexander*
The Lhasa Jokhang – is the world's oldest timber frame building in Tibet? * André Alexander Abstract In questo articolo sono presentati i risultati di un’indagine condotta sul più antico tempio buddista del Tibet, il Lhasa Jokhang, fondato nel 639 (circa). L’edificio, nonostante l’iscrizione nella World Heritage List dell’UNESCO, ha subito diversi abusi a causa dei rifacimenti urbanistici degli ultimi anni. The Buddhist temple known to the Tibetans today as Lhasa Tsuklakhang, to the Chinese as Dajiao-si and to the English-speaking world as the Lhasa Jokhang, represents a key element in Tibetan history. Its foundation falls in the dynamic period of the first half of the seventh century AD that saw the consolidation of the Tibetan empire and the earliest documented formation of Tibetan culture and society, as expressed through the introduction of Buddhism, the creation of written script based on Indian scripts and the establishment of a law code. In the Tibetan cultural and religious tradition, the Jokhang temple's importance has been continuously celebrated soon after its foundation. The temple also gave name and raison d'etre to the city of Lhasa (“place of the Gods") The paper attempts to show that the seventh century core of the Lhasa Jokhang has survived virtually unaltered for 13 centuries. Furthermore, this core building assumes highly significant importance for the fact that it represents authentic pan-Indian temple construction technologies that have survived in Indian cultural regions only as archaeological remains or rock-carved copies. 1. Introduction – context of the archaeological research The research presented in this paper has been made possible under a cooperation between the Lhasa City Cultural Relics Bureau and the German NGO, Tibet Heritage Fund (THF). -
THE GROUND BENEATH HIS FEET an Artist's Sacred Sojourn In
THE GROUND BENEATH HIS FEET An Artist’s Sacred Sojourn in Western Tibet Modern life has made us busy every waking hour. The pervasive running out of time has become a sport befitting the strongest of urbanites. Success is measured by the ability to stay on top and we find purpose for our daily existence in the order and accumulation of things, which make us too preoccupied and anxious in the first place1. Then all of a sudden some tragic event with irreversible consequences turns everything on its head and shakes up the security of this hard‐earned status quo at its foundation. The void left in the aftermath creates an opening for a new vision to emerge in the mind’s awareness. It is often a desire for a more peaceful and spiritually focused way of being. The thought of this newfound horizon becomes so overwhelmingly vivid, and the urge to reach it so profound, that one takes in stride to make it a reality—above all else. Such a seismic shift catapulted Arthur Liou in search of something greater than life—he became a pilgrim on a quest. The vision to embark on an epic spiritual and creative journey into the Himalayan Mountains was triggered by the mysterious voice of a Tibetan singer heard in a bookstore in Taiwan. The soulfulness of her voice resonated deeply within his grieving heart, sparking an inner inkling for the distant land it came from. Not long after, a Buddhist monk friend showed him a photograph of Mount Kailash: the image looked astonishingly familiar to him despite having never been to this remote part of the world. -
Opening Speech Liao Yiwu
About the 17th Karmapa Liao Yiwu On the morning of 4 June, 1989, a contingent of over two hundred thousand soldiers surrounded the Chinese capital of Beijing, where they opened fire on unarmed protesters in a massacre at Tiananmen Square that shook the entire world. On 5 March of that same year, there had been another large massacre in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa, news of this earlier event had been effectively suppressed. Because of the absence of the Western news media, the PLA’s cold- blooded killing of Tibetan protesters was never recorded on camera. The holy city of Lhasa was about ten times smaller than Beijing at that time, and Bajiao Square where the massacre took place was about ten times smaller than Tiananmen Square, and yet over ten thousand peaceful protesters assembled in that narrow square, where they clashed with some fifteen thousand heavily-armed soldiers. As a result of this encounter, more than three hundred civilians lost their lives, another three thousand were imprisoned, and the “worst offenders” were subsequently sentenced to death. The Jokhang Temple located next to the Potala Palace was attacked and occupied by army troops because it was flying the Snow Lion Flag of Tibetan independence, and it was burned to the ground along with its precious copy of the Pagoda Scriptures, a text which symbolizes the dignity of Tibetan Esoteric Buddhism. Tens of thousands of Tibetan Buddhists stood in the street bewailing the loss of their sacred text, and the lamas continually tried to rush into the burning temple to rescue the scriptures, but were shot down amidst the flames. -
China and Tibet—Two Lands of Stunning Beauty and Centuries-Old Civilizations Steeped in Legend and Tradition
DYNASTIES OF CHINA AND T IBET TTHEHE HHIMALAYASIMALAYAS ANDAND TTHEHE YYANGTZEANGTZE May 26 to June 9, 2018 Dear Members and Friends: I invite you to join The Field Museum on a journey through China and Tibet—two lands of stunning beauty and centuries-old civilizations steeped in legend and tradition. Travel with the Museum’s preeminent experts—Gary M. Feinman, MacArthur Curator of Mesoamerican, Central American, and East Asian Anthropology, and Linda Nicholas, Adjunct Curator of Anthropology—who bring in-depth knowledge and understanding of these ancient cultures. This exceptional journey encompasses the breadth of China—from the Himalayan “Rooftop of the World,” with three nights in Tibet’s seldom-visited city of Lhasa, through the dramatic gorges of the Yangtze River to the historic neighborhoods of Old Shanghai. You will experience the imperial formality of Mandarin Beijing, the dynastic treasures of historic Xi’an and the Tibetan Buddhist “Sun City” of Lhasa with its architectural masterpiece, the Potala Palace—a symbol of peace and the historic home of the Dalai Lama. Our three-night cruise travels the fabled Yangtze River from Chongqing to Yichang through captivating landscapes, historic port cities and resplendent gorges aboard the deluxe VICTORIA JENNA, relaunched in 2016 after an extensive refurbishment. Cruise the magnifi cent Three Gorges, visit the extraordinary engineering marvel of the Three Gorges Dam, and enjoy a private boat tour on the spectacular Goddess Stream in the Wu Gorge. Your land accommodations include fi ve-star hotels such as Shanghai’s legendary FAIRMONT PEACE and the renowned PENINSULA BEIJING. Visit eight UNESCO World Heritage sites during specially arranged, included excursions accompanied by experienced, English-speaking guides. -
Escape to Lhasa Strategic Partner
4 Nights Incentive Programme Escape to Lhasa Strategic Partner Country Name Lhasa, the heart and soul of Tibet, is a city of wonders. The visits to different sites in Lhasa would be an overwhelming experience. Potala Palace has been the focus of the travelers for centuries. It is the cardinal landmark and a structure of massive proportion. Similarly, Norbulingka is the summer palace of His Holiness Dalai Lama. Drepung Monastery is one of the world’s largest and most intact monasteries, Jokhang temple the heart of Tibet and Barkhor Market is the place to get the necessary resources for locals as well as souvenirs for tourists. At the end of this trip we visit the Samye Monastery, a place without which no journey to Tibet is complete. StrategicCountryPartner Name Day 1 Arrive in Lhasa Country Name Day 1 o Morning After a warm welcome at Gonggar Airport (3570m) in Lhasa, transfer to the hotel. Distance (Airport to Lhasa): 62kms/ 32 miles Drive Time: 1 hour approx. Altitude: 3,490 m/ 11,450 ft. o Leisure for acclimatization Lhasa is a city of wonders that contains many culturally significant Tibetan Buddhist religious sites and lies in a valley next to the Lhasa River. StrategicCountryPartner Name Day 2 In Lhasa Country Name Day 2 o Morning: Set out to visit Sera and Drepung Monasteries Founded in 1419, Sera Monastery is one of the “great three” Gelukpa university monasteries in Tibet. 5km north of Lhasa, the Sera Monastery’s setting is one of the prettiest in Lhasa. The Drepung Monastery houses many cultural relics, making it more beautiful and giving it more historical significance. -
Celebrating Festivals, Negotiating Memories – a Study of the Drugpa Tseshi Festival Tradition in Contemporary Lhasa1
Celebrating festivals, negotiating memories – a study of the Drugpa Tseshi festival tradition in contemporary Lhasa1 By Astrid Hovden 1.0 Introduction Ritual practice related to the sacred landscape of Lhasa is performed daily by its residents and visiting pilgrims, but the activity is particularly extensive during the celebration of religious festivals. This essay seeks to describe and analyse the celebration of one such festival in contemporary Lhasa: the Drugpa Tseshi (Drug pa tshes bzhi) festival which commemorates the Buddha’s first sermon. In Lhasa the festival is celebrated by pilgrimage to hermitages in the mountains north of the city. The participants visit a range of monasteries, hermitages, caves, springs, self-emanated images and other sacred objects and features in the landscape. These places embody long and intriguing stories, illustrating how the memory of the religious history of Lhasa is weaved into the landscape. The Drugpa Tseshi festival constitutes a long tradition of communal events celebrated annually in the public space of Lhasa, only interrupted by the Cultural Revolution, which imposed a prohibition on all religious expressions. The Tibetans were gradually able to resume their traditions after the ban was lifted in 1978.2 But in the years since then, Tibetan society has undergone radical transformations and the conditions for religious practice have changed correspondingly. Despite of a vast body of literature on Tibetan religion, the festivals of Lhasa have received relatively little scholarly attention.3 References to the Drugpa Tseshi tradition can be found only in a few publications in western and Tibetan languages. A description of the celebration will therefore have documentary value in itself and will constitute the first part of the essay. -
Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism, Revised Edition
REVISED EDITION John Powers ITTB_Interior 9/20/07 2:23 PM Page 1 Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism ITTB_Interior 9/20/07 2:23 PM Page 2 ITTB_Interior 9/20/07 2:23 PM Page 3 Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism revised edition by John Powers Snow Lion Publications ithaca, new york • boulder, colorado ITTB_Interior 9/20/07 2:23 PM Page 4 Snow Lion Publications P.O. Box 6483 • Ithaca, NY 14851 USA (607) 273-8519 • www.snowlionpub.com © 1995, 2007 by John Powers All rights reserved. First edition 1995 Second edition 2007 No portion of this book may be reproduced by any means without prior written permission from the publisher. Printed in Canada on acid-free recycled paper. Designed and typeset by Gopa & Ted2, Inc. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Powers, John, 1957- Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism / by John Powers. — Rev. ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and indexes. ISBN-13: 978-1-55939-282-2 (alk. paper) ISBN-10: 1-55939-282-7 (alk. paper) 1. Buddhism—China—Tibet. 2. Tibet (China)—Religion. I. Title. BQ7604.P69 2007 294.3’923—dc22 2007019309 ITTB_Interior 9/20/07 2:23 PM Page 5 Table of Contents Preface 11 Technical Note 17 Introduction 21 Part One: The Indian Background 1. Buddhism in India 31 The Buddha 31 The Buddha’s Life and Lives 34 Epilogue 56 2. Some Important Buddhist Doctrines 63 Cyclic Existence 63 Appearance and Reality 71 3. Meditation 81 The Role of Meditation in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism 81 Stabilizing and Analytical Meditation 85 The Five Buddhist Paths 91 4. -
China Shaping Tibet for Strategic Leverage
MANEKSHAW PAPER No. 70, 2018 China Shaping Tibet for Strategic Leverage Praggya Surana D W LAN ARFA OR RE F S E T R U T D N IE E S C CLAWS VI CT N OR ISIO Y THROUGH V KNOWLEDGE WORLD Centre for Land Warfare Studies KW Publishers Pvt Ltd New Delhi New Delhi Editorial Team Editor-in-Chief : Lt Gen Balraj Nagal ISSN 23939729 D W LAN ARFA OR RE F S E T R U T D N IE E S C CLAWS VI CT N OR ISIO Y THROUGH V Centre for Land Warfare Studies RPSO Complex, Parade Road, Delhi Cantt, New Delhi 110010 Phone: +91.11.25691308 Fax: +91.11.25692347 email: [email protected] website: www.claws.in CLAWS Army No. 33098 The Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS), New Delhi, is an autonomous think-tank dealing with national security and conceptual aspects of land warfare, including conventional and sub-conventional conflicts and terrorism. CLAWS conducts research that is futuristic in outlook and policy-oriented in approach. © 2018, Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS), New Delhi Disclaimer: The contents of this paper are based on the analysis of materials accessed from open sources and are the personal views of the author. The contents, therefore, may not be quoted or cited as representing the views or policy of the Government of India, or Integrated Headquarters of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) (Army), or the Centre for Land Warfare Studies. KNOWLEDGE WORLD www.kwpub.com Published in India by Kalpana Shukla KW Publishers Pvt Ltd 4676/21, First Floor, Ansari Road, Daryaganj, New Delhi 110002 Phone: +91 11 23263498 / 43528107 email: [email protected] l www.kwpub.com Contents Introduction 1 1. -
DISSERTATION This Copy Has Been Supplied on the Understanding That It Is
COPYRIGHT AND CITATION CONSIDERATIONS FOR THIS THESIS/ DISSERTATION This copy has been supplied on the understanding that it is copyrighted and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. Please include the following information in your citation: Name of author Year of publication, in brackets Title of thesis, in italics Type of degree (e.g. D. Phil.; Ph.D.; M.Sc.; M.A. or M.Ed. …etc.) Name of the University Website Date, accessed Example Surname, Initial(s). (2012) Title of the thesis or dissertation. PhD., M.Sc., M.A., M.Com. etc. University of Johannesburg. Retrieved from: https://ujdigispace.uj.ac.za (Accessed: Date). Beyond Misfortune and Fault: Islam, Same-Sex Sexuality and Liberation By NADEEM MAHOMED A dissertation submitted in fulfilment for the Degree of Masters in Arts in Semitic Languages and Cultures Faculty of Humanities UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG Supervisor: Professor Farid Esack 2013 AFFIDAVIT: MASTER’S AND DOCTORAL STUDENTS TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN This serves to confirm that I NADEEM MAHOMED, ID Number .................. student number ......... enrolled for the Qualification of MSTERS IN ARTS in the Faculty of Humanities herewith declare that my academic work is in line with the Plagiarism Policy of the University of Johannesburg, with which I am familiar. I further declare that the work presented in the dissertation is authentic and original unless clearly indicated otherwise, and in such instances full reference to the source is provided. I do not presume to receive any credit for such acknowledged quotations, and there is no copyright infringement in my work. I declare that no unethical research practices were used or material gained through dishonesty.