Tibetan prisoner paralysed after severe torture, released

[WisdomBeing]

I wanted to share this news not so much because of how monks were treated, but to highlight how difficult it is to be a monk in Tibet. And for all of us to appreciate our freedom, as we are able to practise Buddhism in our homes, free from suffering in general.

It is also not to highlight the atrocities in Chinese prisons but to think deeper and feel compassion for those who tortured the monks because they are accruing so much negative karma for themselves. If we believe in karma, we don’t need to wish for justice as they will reap the results of their actions.


Tibetan prisoner paralysed after severe torture, released
http://phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=30738&t=1&c=1
Phayul[Tuesday, January 24, 2012 15:55]

Lobsang Khedup seen in an undated photo. (Photo/Kirti monastery)
DHARAMSHALA, January 24: Torture and indiscriminate beatings by Chinese prison guards has maimed the body of a Tibetan monk, causing waist-down paralysis.

Lobsang Khedup, 39, a monk from the Kirti monastery was arrested last year and given a three-year prison term. He was released from the Mein-Yang prison after the prison guards ascertained that Lobsang Khedup had minimal chances of recovery.

Lobsang Khedup along with Lobsang Gyatso, both Kirti monks, were sentenced to three years in prison on July 15 last year by a Chinese court in eastern Tibet.

The monks were held incommunicado for nearly two months before they were presented before the court.

Lobsang Khedup and Lobsang Gyatso, along with many other monks, had resisted the arrest of their fellow monks and told the Chinese authorities that ‘if you are going to arrest our monks then you must arrest all of us’.

Lobsang Khedup’s condition is being described as serious by sources in exile.

“He is paralysed waist-down and can speak only very little,” a release by the exile base of Kirti monastery in Dharamshala said today.

The release also noted that since Lobsang Khedup’s arrival at the Kirti monastery on January 22, scores of Tibetans have been visiting to pay their respects and wish him recovery.


Late Norlha Ashagtsang in photos before and after his imprisonment.
Last month, a Tibetan former political prisoner passed away as a result of torture suffered in Chinese detention. Norla Ashagtsang succumbed to his injuries sustained during prolonged torture sessions in Lhasa just weeks after his release on medical parole.

Norlha Ashagtsang was arrested on June 27, 2009 for protesting against the arrest of two Tibetans, Gyurmey Gonpo and Gyatsang Dorje, for taking part in a non co-operation movement against the Chinese government in Derge town.

Repeated medical check ups after his release failed to save Norlha Ashagtsang who passed away on December 27, 2011 in a hospital in Lhasa.

London based Free Tibet notes that in Tibet “it is common practice for seriously or terminally injured prisoners to be released in order to reduce the number of deaths in detention”.

[Midakpa]

Thank you, WisdomBeing, for sharing this sad news. Cases like the ones mentioned show how important it is to bring dharma to the masses in China. If the prison authorities and prison guards knew some dharma and respected the sangha, they would not harm them. If they believed in karma, they would not have tortured the monk until he became paralysed.

[yontenjamyang]

It is sad that in this day and age that such things still occurs. I am reminded that this is samsara.

I feel sad for the monks who did nothing but stand up for their fellow sangha members. I feel even more sad for their torturers for committing such heinous acts against sangha members. It is very heavy negative karma fir them.

We should spread the teachings faster especially to these torturers and people in China in general. The best practice in this Kaliyuga age is DS practice.

[negra orquida]

=(( very sad indeed... imagine the amount of negative karma created and accumulated by the Chinese... it is because they do not know the consequences of their actions that they treat the monks so cruelly.

Such is the case for anyone who tortures another living being... if only karma is a compulsory study subject around the world!

[Klein]

It's very sad that monks are still being tortured in this age and time. It is a clear sign that there is no spirituality at all amongst the Chinese. Imprisoning the monks is bad enough but torturing them is blasphemous.

Isn't there amnesty for these monks? Aren't torturing prisoners illegal? What happened to the international authorities? Why are they not putting a stop to this? Where's the justice?

[WisdomBeing]

Sadly the international authorities are not ruled by justice but by economics. China's economic strength is the key. Nobody dares to offend China because of this. Look at Tiananmen Square – that was in 1989. There was no international backlash to China even then and now China is stronger.

On a spiritual level, China really needs Dharma NOW. In a way I can understand that the Chinese government needs to clamp down otherwise their huge country will be uncontrollable. So the government has to assert their authority swiftly and fiercely otherwise there will be a revolt at any sign of weakness.

We may not be able to affect the Chinese government, but what we can do is to bring Dharma to the Chinese people, so they will learn that there is more to life than material possessions and power.

Dorje Shugden is one way to bring Dharma to them – via the initial promises of wealth and power. When they learn more, hopefully the heart of China will change.

[pgdharma]

This is indeed very sad news. Thank you, Wisdom being, for highlighting this article.
I feel sad for the monks who stood up for their fellow sangha members. It is so sad to see the Chinese committing such heinous crimes to the holy sangha. Causing harm to sentient beings create negative karma. If they have knowledge of the dharma and understood cause and effect, these actions could have been minimized.

May we create the cause for Dorje Shugden to spread to China. China may be a powerful and strong country but inwardly the people are not spiritually inclined.

[Tenzin K]

Such a huge country but lack of humanitarianism. A country that focus on materialistic. That is what has been nurtured and promote direct and indirectly to the community. The success of the country value by the financial. The more you chase for the samsaric value the more self centered you are because everyone is in the competition to make more money for themselves. Nothing else important than wealth and power.
This is scary!!!

What and who can help is only Dharma. The understanding of the cause and effect, karma and of course realization.

I agree with WisdomBeing, "Dorje Shugden is one way to bring Dharma to them – via the initial promises of wealth and power. When they learn more, hopefully the heart of China will change."

No fast way and rules for them because of the culture and life style of the people it been a long time habituated. Lord Shugden will be a great practice for them in term of fulfilling their temporary needs, clearing their obstacle and providing conducive condition for them to learn and practice.

The chinese website xiongdeng.com will be one of the best platform to promote Lord Shudgen practice and as a learning base for the chinese people. We need to promote this by having more people actively participate and interact. All good things always have a lot of people want it and the no of people show how good it is! 

May Lord Shugden practice grow at this country and spread wide for the people and more people to be benefitted.

[rossoneri]

Very sad to learned that how can someone can be so brutally harming another person. In this case, the victim is a monk and it is showing us clearly that how the most populated country although flourishing in material gain and power but simply forgotten the basics of humanitarian. Many people around the world today believes with power and rich they'll gain happiness in life almost automatically. Yes, we still need money to get things done but do not spend all our lifespan concentrate solely on making money.

We can't bring all the wealth and power we make to the grave. It will not help us after we passed on.

Lobsang Khedup and the late Norlha Ashagtsang both are very brave and stood up for the Dharma with so much of sacrifices. I believed the late Norlha Ashagtsang will get a good rebirth.

[sonamdhargey]

This is how dictators keeps their power by inflicting pain on others to remain in control by creating fear to silent dissents. History has proven that this torture methods and death works to silent those who are opposing. Their actions are based on instant results probably ignoring the repercussions of their actions. However this is due to lack of compassion and pure selfishness. To inflict pain others to silent them is a pure coward. They need dharma to have peace or they will go on creating more and more negative actions.

We are in a degenerate era, where people act out of selfishness for personal gain and agenda. In the end everyone suffers. They the torturers suffers too. I wonder if they can sleep at night? Causing death and pain on others. How can they go about their life as if they are doing good?

What goes around comes around. Om Mane Padme Hum

[jessicajameson]

Thanks for sharing this post, WisdomBeing.

There are those who uphold their gurus as a living Buddha, there are those who are Buddhist practitioners and respect the sangha, there are those who are of different faiths/beliefs but still respect those in robes... and at the end of the line, you have those who (in a blink of an eye, can) kill those in robes.

They have the karma to be reborn in China, they have the karma to become a soldier, they have the karma to be born in a time where Tibet has been "claimed" as part of China, they have the karma to create the conditions to have guns in their hands... they will experience the karmic effects of killing a monk.

Just 2 months ago, February 13th, a monk was shot along with his brother who were involved in a protest. http://www.chariweb.com/2012/02/in-protest-tibetan-nun-self-immolates.html

China's economic growth is almost directly proportional to the country's moral decline.

At the end of last year, a senior monk name Jigme Guri (from a monastery in Amdo) was the first Tibetan who gave a full account of his 2 months torture in prison. The first who filmed the account in Tibet, without hiding his identity.

He speaks with such eloquence and clarity of his experience.

Labrang Jigme's Testimony (with English subtitles)	Small | Large

There's one part in his account where he spoke about when he left the prison (albeit with serious medical injuries), other monks told him how since he had been imprisoned, 180 monks were imprisoned without reason. His senior teacher and another senior monk were one of them.

Venerable Jigme also spoke about how monks as young as 16-17 and as old as 60-70 were all treated like mere animals in prison.

Venerable Jigme's lawyer has gone missing, and his sentence will be issued, as stated last month. http://www.thetibetpost.com/en/news/tibet/2356-jigme-guris-impending-sentence-arrest-warrant-surfaces

Is claiming Tibet really worth all these negative karmic effects? Yikes.

[jeremyg]

It's horrible that they are torturing prisoners period. What makes it even worse is that they are sangha members, so the karma is even heavier. It is not their fault, they don't know any better, they didn't have the spiritual education that most of us have access to. It is a call for buddhism to spread throughout China. What better way than through buddhism to stop these occurrences, and to help the lives of the billions who are confused and lost in China. It is their Karma to be born in such a situation, but it can also be that way so that when buddhism spreads throughout China it benefits so many.

[vajraD]

Thank you for sharing the link with us and also the info. This is so sad to here about this happenings. In this modern world there is still so much cruelty that is still happening. I have once watch a video on Nanjing documentary and I was un able to finish the disk when I first started.

Sometimes I do wonder what these people have in their mind!!!

[brian]

i don't believe this, at one point i read about China wishes to host a global Buddhist get together while on the other hand i read Tibetan monks being tortured here and there. i really feel for the monks and also the people who gazetted such bad actions. makes me really feel for their karma for committing such mindless acts to torture and mistreat the sangha members. i have no respect for any one of them and i feel for the monks really... they sacrificed their mundane lives for these sort of torture??? Painful

[bambi]

Thank you for this post Wisdom Being. It really breaks my heart to read stories like this. Self immolation, being tortured, ostracized and all other sad situations. And there are more out there that we don't know. It is really sad because of the karmic consequences that the China soldiers have to endure for what they have done to the monks. On the other hand, China is one of the biggest country promoting Lord Dorje Shugden. Tibet is already gone, please pray for Dorje Shugden's ban to be lifted instead....