This report was filed for RFA’s Mandarin service, at considerable risk to the reporter, Wei Si:
It’s a journey of about 400 kilometres along highway from Kangding to Ganzi, in China’s southwestern province of Sichuan. The road is liberally dotted with Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and temples. Such places would normally welcome strangers or travellers, but since the recent unrest in Tibet, they have been forced to close their doors.
These pictures were taken secretly by journalist posing as a tourist in Daofu county, where there is a large Tibetan population. The reporter was able to gain access to a lamasery, and interview the monks there about their feelings on the recent unrest. In spite of a massive political education program by Chinese officials amongst the Tibetan population, and especially in the monesteries, every one of them said they hoped the Dalai Lama would be able to return to Tibet.
He is our greatest spiritual support, they said. Only he knows how to manage the affairs of Tibetan Buddhism and of the Tibetan people. One lama took visitors into a prayer hall at the back of the temple, where a portrait of the Dalai Lama was on display. He said the Chinese authorities kept taking it down, but that every time they did so, the monks would put up another one. After all, he said, it only costs ten yuan, which is about one US dollar. There were several other photos of the Dalai Lama around the temple as well.
As far as these monks are concerned, there will always be hope that the Dalai Lama will return to live among his people. Even if the present Dalai Lama dies, they say, another one will arise to take his place. Because of reincarnation, the Dalai Lama will always be with us, they say. That is why we are still hopeful.
Filed under: China | Tagged: 2008_olympics, beijing_2008, china_civilrights, china_civil_rights, china_olympics, china_rights, china_tibet, china_unrest, dalai_lama, daofu_county, East Asia, east_asia, ganzi, governance, human_rights, kangding, karze, lhasa, Newsdesk, religion, tibetan, tibetan_buddhism, tibetan_monks, travel |
[…] This report was filed for RFA’s Mandarin service, at considerable risk to the reporter, Wei Si: It’s a journey of about 400 kilometres along highway from Kangding to Ganzi, in China’s southwestern province of Sichuan. The road is liberally dotted with Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and temples. Read more » […]