Russian disciples appeals for Dalai Lama's visit.

[Big Uncle]

This is like what we have been discussing all along with regards to heads of state boycotting the Dalai Lama. Many countries are slowly but surely avoiding or boycotting the Dalai Lama one country at a time. It was Britain, Taiwan and now, Russia has not allowed the Dalai Lama to visit.

I think many countries are wary of the economic consequences when China takes action not to invest or cease all investments in that particular country. I think this is sad because I do think the Dalai Lama can bring Dharma to many if he visits but the reality is that economic reasons comes first. The point is that, if CTA really wants to return to Tibet, they have to go through a different way and not rely on the Dalai Lama alone as a personality to champion their cause.

Anyway, check out the news article below:-

Russian disciples appeal Putin to allow the Dalai Lama’s visit
Phayul[Monday, December 24, 2012 13:00]
http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=32709&article=Russian+disciples+appeal+Putin+to+allow+the+Dalai+Lama%E2%80%99s+visit

DHARAMSHALA, December 24: Coinciding with the visit of Russian President Vladmir Putin to India, a group of Russian Buddhists who are currently in New Delhi, attending teachings of the Dalai Lama, plan to send him an open letter appealing for the Tibetan spiritual leader’s visit to their country.

President Putin arrived in India Monday for a bilateral summit during which major defence deals are expected to be signed. He will also be having parleys with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, President Pranab Mukherjee, and Sonia Gandhi, chairman of India’s ruling United Progressive Alliance, amongst others.

Telo Tulku Rinpoche, a Russian reincarnate lama, who is the president of Buddhist Union of Kalmykia in Russia said that through their open petition, they want to attract Putin's attention to an urgent need of visa to the Dalai Lama, despite China's reservations.

Around 1,300 Russians are attending teachings by the Dalai Lama on Shantideva’s “Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life” in the Indian capital. The four-day teachings, which began today, were requested by a group from Russia for the fourth consecutive year.

Speaking to rediff.com, Telo Tulku said that they are collecting signatures for the open letter questioning why their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama is not able to visit their country.

“You should not be feeling threatened, China should not be feeling threatened as well. And these are the signatures of people who want to see His Holiness in Russia. And His Holiness's message of peace can be of benefit to Russia. Because even within Russia, there are acts of terrorism, acts of extremism, also within Russia there is a imbalance," Telo Tulku said citing the letter.

Russia has a growing number of Buddhist population, mostly in its republics of Buryatia, Kalmykia and Tuva. The Dalai Lama last visited Kalmykia in 2004, following which Moscow has denied visas saying that a “visit by the Dalai Lama to Russia would be taken particularly painfully by Beijing.”

In August this year, President Putin, while responding to a question at an annual youth gathering in Tver region had said his government will “work in the direction” of inviting the Dalai Lama.

President Putin had acknowledged the wishes of the people of Russia's predominantly Buddhist region of Kalmykia on the Caspian Sea of inviting the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader.

"Of course we understand the people of Kalmykia who are awaiting the Dalai Lama's arrival," Putin said. "We will work in this direction."

Live webcast of the ongoing teachings in New Delhi are available in English, Russian, Mongolian, and Chinese languages from 9:30 am (IST).

[beggar]

A different thought:

Clearly this approach by the Tibetans aren't working. Nobody wants to get in China's bad books and unless there is a drastic change in their approach towards China, the Tibetans will be forever fighting this battle for countries all around the world to allow the Dalai Lama into their countries.

How about this?

The Tibetans should stop focusing on the smaller issues of religious suppression, such as  banning the practice of Dorje Shugden, and start focusing on a larger, more encompassing policy of international relations. Instead of trying to fight the Chinese, they should start making friends with them, agreeing to whatever it is that the Chinese ask for. Be nice, be friends - wouldn't that be an easier way to get them on your side to help you financially and in whatever other ways and resources you wish? Clearly, "fighting" against them by holding on to their own wants and agendas hasn't been working out - so try another way.

Also, before they fight for the independence and freedom of an entire nation, perhaps the CTA need to first look at granting freedom to their own small exiled community. How could they possibly be fighting for their own country when they aren't giving the most basic religious freedoms to their own people right now? The very small exiled Tibetan community is so strongly split down the middle simply because of religious differences in the single practice of Dorje Shugden. If they cannot manage and unify such a small population, how will they govern a whole country? It isn't surprising that China would be hesitant to allow the Tibetans back into their land if this is how they govern their people right now. There is trouble and discord now even at a time when they should be most united.

[vajratruth]

The Tibetan exiled government may have left their run too late and horribly underestimated China's influence. Consider this - at one time in 1990 the Soviet Union awarded the Dalai Lama with one of its most prestigious award - The Order Of Friendship Of Peoples. Then in 2010 the then Foreign Minister of Russia even offered Russia's help to mediate a settlement between China and the Dalai Lama but that offer was not taken up seriously.

The reality is that China has become extremely powerful and any association with the Dalai Lama is deemed a high-risk business. With the US, the Dalai Lama had to use the back door to exit the White House, the powers in the EU are keeping a safe distance (and we see how recently British Ministers were barred from meeting with the Dalai Lama), Russia is taking a cautionary step backward and sooner or later, India will have to trade the Tibet card in its diplomatic negotiations with China. Who else is there? It is quite inevitable and the saddest thing is that a whole lifetime of the Dalai Lama's hard work to build bridges with the rest of the world is unraveling and quite irreversibly. It would appear that the incompetence of the CTA and their focus on infighting and grabbing of power over the decades have forced a “use-by-date” upon the goodwill that the Dalai Lama has built up, a date which they are now quickly realizing, may  even have expired. The CTA will go down in history as just about the only political entity in the world that roused a giant and was foolish enough to get in its way while all others were getting behind it.

I actually think there is only one card left for the CTA to play and that is for the Dalai Lama and the CTA to quickly change their tune on China and at the same time, harness all Tibetans behind a single unified and achievable cause. And to unite the people again, the Dalai Lama has to reunite all Gelugpas and all Tibetans together again by removing the unholy ban and seek the great Protector King’s help to achieve their cause. This may very well be the final call for the CTA.



 

[samayakeeper]

A different thought:

Clearly this approach by the Tibetans aren't working. Nobody wants to get in China's bad books and unless there is a drastic change in their approach towards China, the Tibetans will be forever fighting this battle for countries all around the world to allow the Dalai Lama into their countries.

How about this?

The Tibetans should stop focusing on the smaller issues of religious suppression, such as  banning the practice of Dorje Shugden, and start focusing on a larger, more encompassing policy of international relations. Instead of trying to fight the Chinese, they should start making friends with them, agreeing to whatever it is that the Chinese ask for. Be nice, be friends - wouldn't that be an easier way to get them on your side to help you financially and in whatever other ways and resources you wish? Clearly, "fighting" against them by holding on to their own wants and agendas hasn't been working out - so try another way.

Also, before they fight for the independence and freedom of an entire nation, perhaps the CTA need to first look at granting freedom to their own small exiled community. How could they possibly be fighting for their own country when they aren't giving the most basic religious freedoms to their own people right now? The very small exiled Tibetan community is so strongly split down the middle simply because of religious differences in the single practice of Dorje Shugden. If they cannot manage and unify such a small population, how will they govern a whole country? It isn't surprising that China would be hesitant to allow the Tibetans back into their land if this is how they govern their people right now. There is trouble and discord now even at a time when they should be most united.

I like the thoughts of Beggar. Tibet is a country lost but instead of garnering support for its people, the CTA is wasting time and unjustifiably on religious issues like the ban on Dorje Shugden practice. In this case,  without the majority support of its people how can the CTA hope to regain autonomy?

It is sad that many people in Kalmykia would now miss the dharma teaching from HHDL.

[Ensapa]

A different thought:

Clearly this approach by the Tibetans aren't working. Nobody wants to get in China's bad books and unless there is a drastic change in their approach towards China, the Tibetans will be forever fighting this battle for countries all around the world to allow the Dalai Lama into their countries.

How about this?

The Tibetans should stop focusing on the smaller issues of religious suppression, such as  banning the practice of Dorje Shugden, and start focusing on a larger, more encompassing policy of international relations. Instead of trying to fight the Chinese, they should start making friends with them, agreeing to whatever it is that the Chinese ask for. Be nice, be friends - wouldn't that be an easier way to get them on your side to help you financially and in whatever other ways and resources you wish? Clearly, "fighting" against them by holding on to their own wants and agendas hasn't been working out - so try another way.

Also, before they fight for the independence and freedom of an entire nation, perhaps the CTA need to first look at granting freedom to their own small exiled community. How could they possibly be fighting for their own country when they aren't giving the most basic religious freedoms to their own people right now? The very small exiled Tibetan community is so strongly split down the middle simply because of religious differences in the single practice of Dorje Shugden. If they cannot manage and unify such a small population, how will they govern a whole country? It isn't surprising that China would be hesitant to allow the Tibetans back into their land if this is how they govern their people right now. There is trouble and discord now even at a time when they should be most united.

Yes, the Tibetans should stop focusing on smaller and insignificant issues such as oppressing practitioners of a certain deity. It is a religious issue and not a social or secular issue at all. Since it is not, it makes no sense to pursue that from a secular point of view as it will bring 0 benefits at all because since when are religious edicts so important on a secular level? Religious edicts should remain as religious edicts and should not be mixed with secular things, which includes having the government putting in money and efforts that were donated to them by the various nations to rebuild their country. Instead they used it to fund the operations for something ridiculous like the ban. It is really time for then to make some progress with the Chinese.

[dondrup]

His Holiness Dalai Lama (HHDL) is a great Dharma teacher.  He is a best-selling author and co-author of many books on Tibetan Buddhism. Wherever HHDL goes, he will attract thousands of people attending his teachings.  If this trend of countries denying HHDL’s entry continues, it will impede the flourishing of Buddhadharma.  That would be very unfortunate!  The Russians affected by this predicament should petition their government and press for HHDL’s entry into their country since HHDL had last visited Kalmykia in 2004.

[Ensapa]

I think this is very interesting that the Russians are requesting for the Dalai Lama to come to Russia and teach, right after their Jetsun Khalkha has passed away. Jetsun Khalkha is to Mongolia what Dalai Lama is to Tibet. In the past it seems that they never had bothered much with the Dalai Lama but it is only recently that they requested the Dalai Lama to come. Why have they not before but only now? They have their own qualified Lamas in the country next to them who also uses Cyrillic script that they can learn from, Mongolia. Also, I doubt that Russia will ever accept the invitation, because if they do, they will incite the fury of their close ally and comrade, China.