Tag Archives: Dalai Lama

Mandela Day celebrations around the world

The world is celebrating Nelson Mandela Day with acts of community service and messages of goodwill to the former South African president who remains hospitalized on his 95th birthday. Here are some of the international events:

UNITED NATIONS: The U.N. hosted an informal General Assembly in honor of Mandela with former United States President Bill Clinton and co-prisoner and Mandela friend Andrew Mlangeni scheduled to speak. U.N. staff also helped to rebuild homes in Long Island destroyed by Hurricane Sandy.

WASHINGTON: The Congressional Black Caucus celebrated the life and legacy of Mandela at the Emancipation Hall in the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center. House Speaker John Boehner and South Africa’s ambassador to the United States Ebrahim Rasool were among guests slated to speak at the ceremony.

NEW YORK: The Tribeca Film Institute partnered with the Nelson Mandela Foundation to commemorate Mandela Day with a video display in Times Square and a meeting in Duffy Square. A picture of a Mandela portrait by South African artist Paul Blomkamp with the words “Happy 95th Birthday Madiba!” was featured on a Times Square monitor throughout the day.

TORONTO: A community celebration featuring live music and family activities was at the Nelson Mandela Park Public School.

PARIS: The South African embassy in Paris hosts its annual Nelson Mandela Day drive to collect clothes, toys and non-perishable food items for charity. The embassy accepts donations until Aug. 31. The Hotel de Ville hosts a free exhibition, “Nelson Mandela: from Prisoner to President,” where visitors can learn about Mandela’s journey through films, photographs and sculptures. The exhibition will run through July 6.

ROME: An exhibit about Mandela’s life at an anti-racism center was visited by South Africa’s ambassador to Italy, Nomatemba Tambo.

INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION: Three astronauts from the International Space Station honored Mandela in a video message that included words from Desmond Tutu, the Dalai Lama and Bill and Hillary Clinton, among others.

“Nelson Mandela is the symbol of what humankind must strive for: Peace, brotherhood and a common goal to better every life on this planet. Our work here on the International Space Station mirrors exactly what Mr. Mandela spent his life trying to accomplish,” astronaut Karen Nyberg said for the group.

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Wandoo Makurdi …read more

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Loyal To The Left, Jim Wallis Supports Gay Marriage

By David Fiorazo

Jim Wallis SC Loyal To The Left, Jim Wallis Supports Gay Marriage

In June of 2010, Reverend Jim Wallis was asked if he believed abor­tion and homosexuality were sins. Christian radio station GM Mike Le May got the answer loud and clear: Wallis shouted at him, called him a “right-wing Kool-Aid drinking Glen Beck follower,” and hung up the phone. I documented the divisive controversy that led to this exchange in my book, ERADICATE, in a chapter on social justice and the Bible.

On Monday, Wallis – being faithful to the Democratic Party platform – openly admitted to supporting same-sex marriage. Not surprisingly, a spokesperson for Wallis’ Sojourners magazine could not say whether or not Wallis believes homosexuality is a sin.

Appointed by President Obama to his White House faith council, some say Wallis is a progressive evangelical because his primary support is from leftists.

In 2011, it was revealed by investigative journalists that Wallis’ Sojourners magazine received hundreds of thousands of dollars from radical socialist George Soros. Why would an anti-American financier like Soros give large grants to Sojourn­ers?

Jim Wallis first denied the Soros connection, saying, “No, we don’t receive money from George Soros… Our money comes from Christians who support us and who read Sojourners.”

Soros is a corrupt billionaire from Hungary aiming to destroy America’s Christian ideals and freedoms that made us a great nation. His hatred for America fuels the financing (over $52 million) of left-wing media outlets and groups, including those promoting abor­tion, atheism, homosexual activism, socialism, and government expansion. It’s no wonder Jim Wallis tried to hide the truth.

George Soros is working to destroy America’s system of capitalism; this connection between Wallis and Soros should not be ignored.

On their website, Sojourners quotes people like Gandhi, the Dalai Lama, and new age leader Marianne Williamson and empha­sizes social justice, environmental activism, diversity, and amnesty for illegal immigra­nts.

Wallis seems to look at the Bible in light of the world around him rather than looking at the world in light of God’s Word. From his White House platform, Wallis attacks Republicans while calling himself a “nonpartisan evangelical minister” and is very popular among liberals who routinely vilify Christians for their involvement in political issues.

According to Wallis:

As more Christians become influenced by liberation theology, finding themselves increasingly rejecting the values of institu­tions of capitalism, they will also be drawn to the Marxist analy­sis and praxis that is so central to the social justice movement.

Early in his career, Wallis founded an anti-capitalist magazine called the Post-American, which identified wealth redistribution and government-managed economies as the keys to achieving social justice. He changed the name to Sojourners in the early 1970s. During his college years at Michigan State, Wallis joined the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), a radical organization that aspired to overthrow America’s institutions. Wallis remains opposed to the free market system in America.

Over the years, Jim Wallis has been pro-Vietcong and actually celebrated America’s defeat in Vietnam, stating:

I don’t know how else to express the quiet emotion that rushed through me

From: http://www.westernjournalism.com/loyal-to-the-left-jim-wallis-supports-gay-marriage/

Desmond Tutu wins $1.7M Templeton Prize

The John Templeton Foundation says it has awarded South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu one of the world’s leading religion prizes.

The organization says Tutu, 81, is the winner of the 2013 Templeton Prize for his “lifelong work in advancing spiritual principles.” The honor comes with a 1.1 million-pound ($1.7 million) award.

The foundation said Thursday that Tutu, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, will receive the prize at a ceremony at the Guildhall in London on May 21.

Responding to the announcement, Tutu thanked supporters and said that he accepted the prize “in a representative capacity.”

The Templeton Prize was established in 1972 by the investor and philanthropist John Templeton. Last year’s winner was the Dalai Lama.

…read more

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Tibetan political prisoner released after 17 years

An overseas Tibetan spokesman says China has released noted political prisoner Jigme Gyatso after 17 years in prison on charges of endangering national security and separatism.

The 52-year-old former monk has returned to his hometown in an ethnic Tibetan area in the northwest province of Gansu, according to Tashi Phuntsok, official spokesman for the self-declared Tibetan government-in-exile in India.

He said Jigme Gyatso was released about one year early, likely because of poor health due to harsh treatment in prison.

U.S.-backed broadcaster Radio Free Asia also reported the release.

Jigme Gyatso was sentenced to 15 years in jail in 1996, but that was extended by three years in 2004 after he shouted slogans in prison calling for the return of exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.

…read more
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Dalai Lama congratulates new pope

The Dalai Lama has sent his congratulations to newly elected Pope Francis and praised his choice of name.

The Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader said in a statement Thursday that while he was not especially familiar with Catholic saints, he was a fan of St. Francis of Assisi.

“His discipline, the simplicity of his way of life and his love for all creatures are qualities that I find deeply inspiring,” the Dalai Lama said. “I am moved to know that his is the name you have chosen for your papacy.”

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate said he looked forward to meeting the new pope soon, just as he had met with his three predecessors.

…read more
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India police stop immolation bid by Tibetan exile

Police in India prevented a Tibetan man from setting himself on fire as hundreds of Tibetan exiles gathered Sunday to mark the anniversary of a failed 1959 uprising against Chinese rule, officials said.

Dawa Dhondup, 30, was marching with hundreds of Tibetan exiles through the streets of Dharmsala, the home of Tibet’s government-in-exile, when he consumed and poured gasoline over himself, police constable Sanjeev Kumar said. Police stopped him from setting himself on fire and took him to a hospital.

Every year, Tibetan exiles in India mark the anniversary of the failed March 10, 1959, uprising with speeches and marches.

China maintains that Tibet has been part of its territory for centuries, but many Tibetans say the region was functionally independent for much of its history.

More than 100 self-immolations have been reported in Tibetan areas of the Chinese provinces of Sichuan, Qinghai and Gansu since 2009, with the protesters calling for the return of the Dalai Lama, the Tibetans’ spiritual leader.

A Tibetan exile in Nepal self-immolated last month, and another did so last year in New Delhi, India‘s capital.

Beijing has accused the Dalai Lama of inciting the self-immolations, a charge the religious leader denies.

The Dalai Lama also denies China‘s charge that he is pushing for Tibet’s independence, saying that he only wants China to grant Tibetans cultural and religious freedoms.

He has been living in the northern Indian town of Dharmsala since he fled Tibet 50 years ago when Chinese troops marched in.

“We dedicate this day to all the self-immolators and those who have died for Tibet,” Lobsang Sangay, the prime minister of the government-in-exile, told a gathering of hundreds of exiles in Dharmsala on Sunday.

Sangay said the “repression” in Tibet was driving Tibetans to immolation.

Hundreds of Tibetan exiles also gathered in New Delhi to protest against Chinese repression. Many wore T-shirts with images of the Dalai Lama, while others carried Tibetan flags.

…read more
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China rebukes monastery at heart of fiery protests

Chinese officials have castigated a Tibetan monastery at the center of a wave of self-immolations, saying it has been inciting the fiery protests. They also indicate authorities will not relax controls over the region.

Wu Zegang, the governor of Aba prefecture in southwest China, said Thursday the local Kirti monastery was collaborating with exiled Tibetans, including spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, to organize locals to set themselves on fire.

Wu did not offer any concrete evidence to substantiate his claim. The Dalai Lama and exiled Tibetans have said it is Beijing‘s repressive controls that drive the protests.

Kirti’s monks have been at the forefront of unrest since Tibetan communities across western China rose up in a rebellion in 2008 that was quashed by a massive and continuing show of force.

…read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News

How to Think about Body Language – Part 3

By Nick Morgan, Contributor Three things happened to me when I was 17 that turned out to have a significant effect on my interest in communications, and specifically non-verbal communications, later in life.  First, I read a book about the Dalai Lama, and took him on as one of my heroes immediately and forever.  Second, I learned my father was gay.  And third, I died. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest

Group: The 100th Tibetan self-immolates in China

An overseas Tibetan rights group says an ex-monk has set himself on fire, becoming the 100th Tibetan to self-immolate in China since 2009 in protest of the Chinese rule.

A few Tibetans outside China also have burned themselves, most recently in Nepal on Wednesday. The protesters have called for the return of their spiritual leader Dalai Lama and more freedom for Tibetans.

London-based Free Tibet said Thursday that 37-year-old Lobsang Namgyal died Feb. 3 in front of a public security bureau in Aba county in southwestern China‘s Sichuan province.

The self-claimed, Tibetan government-in-exile has confirmed the report. The exile government has repeatedly urged Tibetans not to self-immolate.

Beijing has accused the Dalai Lama of inciting the self-burning acts.

…read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News

Tibetan protester who self-immolated in Nepal dies

Police in Nepal say a Tibetan protester who set himself on fire in Nepal‘s capital to protest against China has died at a hospital.

Police spokesman Keshav Adhikari says the man died Wednesday night, hours after he self-immolated. He says police are still trying to identify the man, who appeared to be about 21 years old. No one has claimed the body yet.

The man set himself on fire and chanted anti-China slogans in the Boudhanath area of Katmandu on Wednesday.

It marked the 101st time since 2009 that a Tibetan has self-immolated, according to the Tibetan exile government, based in India. The protesters are urging Beijing to allow greater religious freedom and the return from exile of their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, who lives in India.

…read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News

Tibetan monk sets himself on fire in Nepal

A Tibetan monk doused himself with gasoline and set himself on fire in Nepal‘s capital Wednesday in what is believed to be the latest self-immolation to protest Chinese rule in Tibet.

Police official Keshav Adhikari said the man went inside a cafe, poured gasoline on himself and set himself on fire before police and locals were able to put out the fire and rush him to the hospital.

Adhikari says the man was about 21 years old and has yet to be identified. He is in critical condition and being treated at the Tribhuwan University Teaching Hospital in Katmandu.

Security has been tightened in the area around Boudhanath in the northeastern edge of Katmandu where most of the Tibetan exiles live and home to Buddhist temples and monasteries.

A local eyewitness who did not want to be identified said he saw the monk come out of the cafe, light himself on fire and run a few steps chanting slogans against China before he collapsed on the ground. Police officers and local people were able to put out the fire and send him to hospital.

Thousands of Tibetan exiles live in Nepal and occasionally protest against China. The Nepalese government has banned such protests, saying it cannot allow any activities against any friendly nation to take place in Nepal.

Nepal has allowed thousands of Tibetan exiles to live in the country as refugees, while hundreds more are allowed to pass through Nepal, traveling from Tibet to Dharmasala, India, where their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, lives in exile.

Nearly 100 Tibetan monks, nuns and lay people have set themselves on fire in various countries, mostly in ethnic Tibetan areas inside China, since 2009.

…read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News

Tibetan protester sets himself on fire in Nepal

A Tibetan protester doused himself with gasoline and set himself on fire in Nepal‘s capital Wednesday, the latest self-immolation to protest Chinese rule in Tibet.

Eyewitnesses said a man dressed as a monk entered a cafe in Katmandu’s Boudhanath district — home to many Buddhist temples and monasteries — and asked to use the bathroom. After spending some time there, he went onto the street and lit himself on fire. He ran a few steps, covered in flames and chanting slogans against China, before collapsing.

Police official Keshav Adhikari said police and locals were able to put out the flames and rush the man to a hospital, where he was critical condition. He said the man has yet to be identified but he appeared to be about 21 years old.

Nearly 100 Tibetan monks, nuns and lay people have set themselves on fire in various countries, mostly in ethnic Tibetan areas inside China, since 2009. The protesters are calling for Beijing to allow greater religious freedom and the return from exile of their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, who lives in India.

Thousands of Tibetan exiles live in Nepal and occasionally protest against China. The Nepalese government has banned such demonstrations, saying it cannot allow any activities against friendly nations to take place in Nepal.

Nepal also allows Tibetans to pass through Nepal, traveling from their homeland to Dharmasala, India, where the Dalai Lama lives and Tibetans have set up a government in exile.

Communist troops occupied the Himalayan region in 1951. Beijing says it has been part of China for centuries, but Tibetans say it was independent for much of that time. The Dalai Lama fled the region in 1959 as Chinese troops crushed protests against communist rule.

Prasant Tamang, a waiter at the Golden Eye Cafe, said he found a gasoline bottle, a jacket and a bag in the cafe’s bathroom. Tamang said the man appeared normal and calm.

“He looked like the hundreds of Tibetans who came to Boudhanath today and I did not suspect he was going to set himself on fire,” Tamang said.

Wednesday marks the third and one of the most important days of the Losar festival, which is celebrated by the Tibetan community. Many Tibetans in Nepal visit Boudhanath for the event.

…read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News

How to think about body language, part 2

By Nick Morgan, Contributor Three things happened to me when I was 17 that turned out to have a significant effect on my interest in communications, and specifically non-verbal communications, later in life.  First, I read a book about the Dalai Lama, and took him on as one of my heroes immediately and forever.  Second, I learned my father was gay.  And third, I died. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest

How to Think about Body Language

By Nick Morgan, Contributor Three things happened to me when I was 17 that turned out to have a significant effect on my interest in communications, and specifically non-verbal communications, later in life.  First, I read a book about the Dalai Lama, and took him on as one of my heroes immediately and forever.  Second, I learned my father was gay.  And third, I died. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest

China jails 1, detains 70 to quell Tibet protests

A Chinese court sentenced a Tibetan man to 13 years in prison Friday for goading a monk to self-immolate, as Beijing steps up a crackdown on self-immolations aimed at protesting communist rule.

The sentence by a court in the northwestern province of Qinghai follows a news report that the Chinese government has detained 70 people in the province’s ethnic Tibetan areas

The sentence and detentions come as Beijing stepped up efforts to blame the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, for protests in which nearly 100 Tibetan monks, nuns and lay people have set themselves on fire since 2009. The measures are a sign new Chinese leaders installed in November are not easing up on the Tibet issue despite the protests and international condemnation.

The protesters are calling for Beijing to allow greater religious freedom and the return from exile of the Dalai Lama, who lives in India.

Communist troops occupied the Himalayan region in 1951. Beijing says it has been part of China for centuries but Tibetans say it was independent for much of that time. The Dalai Lama fled the region in 1959 as Chinese troops crushed protests against communist rule.

The latest detentions occurred in an ethnic Tibetan area of Qinghai province, which abuts Tibet, the government‘s Xinhua News Agency reported late Thursday. It said 12 of those detained were formally arrested but gave no details of the charges.

In a separate report, Xinhua said Phagpa, 27, was sentenced Friday after being convicted of murder and inciting split of the state after he encouraged a monk in Tongren county to burn himself. The monk did not carry out the act after a family member discovered the plan and dissuade him from self-immolating, Xinhua said.

A woman form the duty office of the Huangnan People Court confirmed that a man was sentenced to 13 years in prison Friday, but she refused to give any details. Like many government officials in China, she refused to give her name.

Beijing now considers self-immolation a crime, and it has vowed to prosecute anyone who organizes, plans, incites, abets, hoaxes or helps others to self-immolate on murder charges.

Beijing has responded to the protests by sending in security forces to seal off areas and prevent information from getting out, arresting protesters’ friends and seizing …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News

China detains 70 in crackdown on Tibet protests

China‘s government says it has detained 70 people in ethnic Tibetan areas as it steps up a crackdown on self-immolations aimed at protesting communist rule.

The detentions came as Beijing stepped up efforts to blame the exiled Tibetan leader, the Dalai Lama, for protests in which nearly 100 Tibetan monks, nuns and lay people have set themselves on fire since 2009.

The harsh measures are a sign new Chinese leaders installed in November is not easing up on Tibet despite the protests and international condemnation.

The protesters are calling for Beijing to allow greater religious freedom and the return from exile of the Dalai Lama, who lives in India.

Communist troops occupied the Himalayan region in 1951. Beijing says it has been part of China for centuries but Tibetans say it was independent for much of that time and want greater autonomy. The Dalai Lama fled the region in 1959 as Chinese troops crushed protests against communist rule.

The latest detentions occurred in an ethnic Tibetan area of Qinghai province, which abuts Tibet, the government‘s Xinhua News Agency reported late Thursday. It said 12 of those detained were formally arrested but gave no details of the charges.

Beijing has responded to the protests by sending in security forces to seal off areas and prevent information from getting out, arresting protesters’ friends and seizing satellite TV dishes. Despite that, the pace of self-immolations accelerated in November as the ruling Communist Party held a pivotal leadership transition.

The government has blamed the burnings on hostile foreign forces that want to separate Tibet from the mainland.

“The Dalai Lama clique masterminded and incited the self-immolations,” said Xinhua, citing a police official. “Personal information, such as photos of the victims, were sent overseas to promote the self-immolations.”

The burnings have galvanized many Tibetans, who see them as selfless acts of sacrifice, making it hard for authorities to denounce the immolators.

On Thursday, the Voice of America, a U.S. government-financed broadcaster, denied accusations by Chinese state television and a government newspaper that it encouraged the burnings.

The U.S. State Department expressed concern about the “deteriorating human rights situation in Tibetan areas” and …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News

China punishes Tibetans in self-immolation cases

Chinese state media say two Tibetan men have been convicted of murder and given harsh sentences for inciting self-immolations in an ethnic Tibetan region.

The official Xinhua News Agency said a court in Aba prefecture in the southwestern province of Sichuan announced the verdicts Thursday. It said Lorang Konchok, 40, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve while his nephew Lorang Tsering, 31, was given 10 years in prison.

Calls to the court rang unanswered Thursday.

Xinhua says the two men encouraged eight people to self-immolate and that three of them died from their burns last year in Aba.

Nearly 100 Tibetan monks, nuns and lay people have set themselves on fire since 2009 calling for religious freedom and the return of their exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News

Chinese police arrest 7 over self-immolations

Chinese state media say police in northwestern China have arrested seven people accused of persuading a Tibetan villager to self-immolate.

The official Xinhua News Agency says a police investigation found that the self-immolation by a 26-year-old in Gansu province’s Hezuo city was “masterminded by key members of the ‘Tibetan Youth Congress‘ of the overseas Dalai clique.”

The Tibetan Youth Congress was unavailable for comment late Tuesday evening. It is based in India and advocates independence for Tibet.

Dozens of ethnic Tibetans have set themselves on fire since 2009 to protest Beijing‘s rule over the Himalayan region.

China blames the immolations on the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, and his followers.

Last month, police accused a monk and his nephew in southwest Sichuan province of instigating self-immolations.

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News

Tibetan sets self on fire, dies to protest China

An overseas rights group says a Tibetan man has died after setting himself on fire, marking the year’s first self-immolation in protest of Chinese rule.

London-based Free Tibet says the man, who was in his early 20s, set himself on fire Saturday in Xiahe county in western China‘s Gansu province and that his body was carried back to his home village nearby. The group did not provide the man’s name.

More than 90 Tibetans reportedly have set themselves on fire since March 2011. Tibetan activists say the protests stem from frustration over China‘s stifling security presence, restrictions on religion and the demonization of their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. China has accused the Dalai Lama of inciting the self-immolations.

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News