ONE WORLD ONE DREAM. FREE TIBET
Apr 7th, 2008 | 7 responses
Several professional climbers have scaled the SanFran Golden Gate Bridge to put up huge flags high on the tall girders on the bridge. The flags read:
ONE WORLD ONE DREAM
and
FREE TIBET
Fox News says they have the cell phone numbers of one of two city workers who are at the highest point on the bridge, about half again as high as the climbers, who are pretty high indeed.
Apparently the police have arrested several people on the ground, and are not hazarding to climb the guy wires. Instead they will wait ’til the climbers come down. Western manners.
Regarding the two workers on the top of the bridge who are just sort of leaning there, waiting calmly… I hope the cell phone number Fox News has, goes to the guy with the long black pony tail. If he’s a Latino or a Native American, I hope Fox knows that we have five versions of yes that mean no.
On another note, there were riots in Paris, as there had been in London yesterday, as the Olympic Torch passed through; it was apparently extinguished three times today in the melee. I felt sorry for the torch bearer. Probably the honor of his lifetime. But, then, depending on his sentiments toward others, he might stand as a strong figure trying to do what Olympics athletes do; prevail against intense competitors. Who’d ever think carry the torch would turn into an endurance event?
Yet, I wonder at the headsmen in London and Paris, not realizing that people feel strongly about Tibet since it was misappropriated by China many years ago during a bloody war in which China boldly murdered the monks and nuns and many Tibetans… who are known as some of the most gentle, unassuming and hard-working people in the world.
It truly was China’s slaughter of the innocents.
The torch is to come to San Francisco in the next couple days.
I keep thinking of how the winds on the bay bridge are nothing to fool with. I hope all, workers and climbers, return to ground safely. The tradition of flying flags from highest places, is a prayer rite for Buddhists.
In an old story told by the elders in Tibet, a man who hunted and killed everything in sight, one day wounded a deer. By following the blood of the wounded, it is said in Buddhism, the worst most debased man might be turned to a heartful person…
In the story, when the man finally corners the terrified deer on the high point of the mountain, he realizes the fawn inside her has died as a result of her fearing for her life, and running running, never being able to be at peace.
It is a moment of satori, sudden realization when the man realizes every creature he has mistreated, every human he has scorned, has run from him, risking death from the running… all in order to not be near him in any way.
He is beside himself with regret and seeks a teacher to teach him the old traditions of peace and conciliation.
To a modern who wears too much jade in their minds, such a story is foolish.
But, this Tibetan story, and many others like it, carry the infinitely tender and iron faith the non-violent carry in their hearts; that peaceful saying and doing can somehow, like a spark jumping to hidden tinder, transform a human from a life ill-lived, to a life deeply lived with love.
It is not by accident that the Buddhists of Lhasa, Burma, Tibet, Sri Lanka, China, Thailand and other Asian countries are sometimes called living evidence that the world’s heart is still beating strongly.
By many eyes, so too the climbers of the Golden Gate.
7 Responses to “ONE WORLD ONE DREAM. FREE TIBET”
Ok so the torch had to be put out 3 times because of protesters and now they are going to run it thru SF? Some real smart planning that is. Why don't they just run it thru Berekley while they are at it.
[...] The Moderate Voice – Domestic and international news analysis, irreverent comments, original reporti… wrote an interesting post today on ONE WORLD ONE DREAM. FREE TIBETHere’s a quick excerptONE WORLD ONE DREAM. FREE TIBET April 7th, 2008 by DR. CLARISSA PINKOLA ESTÉS Several professional climbers have scaled the SanFran Golden Gate Bridge to put up huge flags high on the tall girders on the bridge. The flags read: ONE WORLD ONE DREAM and FREE TIBET Fox News says they have the cell phone numbers of one of two city workers who are at the highest point on the bridge, about half again as high as the climbers, who are pretty high indeed. Apparently the police have arrested sev [...]
Historically, many empires have risen and fallen. Tibet also had a king whose empire stretched many vast areas of Central Asia in 7th century under the leadership of Songtsen Gampo. However, after realizing Buddha's teaching the Tibetan king brought Buddha's teachings into Tibet. Among his other feats was the introduction of Tibetan language that unified the Tibet into nation in 7the century. We Tibetans had become a full independent governing nation. After the introduction of Buddha's teachings, the people gave away killing. First Buddhist monks were ordained in Tibet with the help of Buddhist teachers from India. Even the first monastery 'Samye' was established after the introduction of Buddha's teachings around this time.
However, our dedication to Buddha's teachings and Buddhist ideals have also made us Tibetans ignorant of the impact our religion was having on our foreign affairs at the time. We became too involved with religion and negated what the neighbors were conspiring.
I don't think we Tibetans became weak with our religion. We were actually learning to appreciate life and learning how we can become enlightened with Buddha's teachings in Tibet. We Tibetans had given up killing and maiming a thousand years earlier. I wish ordinary Chinese citizens would see what we appreciate. We just want to live in our land and be content with our ordinary life that we had before Chinese nationalist barged into our country.
The only relation Tibet had with Mongolia or the Manchu and the Ming empires is that we had a priest-patron relationship. The Mongolian 'Khan's or the Manchu kings provided protection for Tibet from other warlords or neighbors and we in return provided them with Buddhist teachings.
However, China and its state media outlet Xinhua make claims that are false. I am not saying it without proof. We all must do our investigations and check if they are true or not. I have checked and read books from independent sources. Tibet has been a free country long before there was a unified china.
Slamfu, I have a poor feeling/thought that it somehow has to do with money. I believe there are 'sponsors' who give kajillion dollars to be associated with various aspects of Olympics including the running of the torch. I have a sense that the cities have contracts on which ride a lot of money for some corps other than the city itself. I see they called out over six hundred plus police to the street to try to control what they calll “pro-Tibet people.”
From Times online:
“It emerged last night that even Lord Coe, chairman of the London Organising Committee for the 2012 games, had been manhandled by the ring of Chinese “bodyguards” protecting the torch on its journey through London. “They tried to push me out of the way three times,” Lord Coe had said, according to Channel 4 News. “They are horrible. They did not speak English . . . I think they were thugs.”
“One option for 2012 would be to abandon the international relay, which has become increasingly elaborate since organisers of the Sydney Games in 2000 broke with tradition to take it outside the host country.”
as they say slamfu, youknow it well, cherchez la money. Sad.
dr.e
Sonam, I know thehistory and you wrote it out better than I ever could. Thank you for educating us all, that is so valuable to me. Many of us are praying/ acting/ writing in solidarity with you. Let us know if there are other stories we can look into.
dr.e
dr. clarissa pinkola estes
Dr. E. said: “there were riots in Paris, as there had been in London yesterday, as the Olympic Torch passed through; it was apparently extinguished three times today in the melee.”
Yes, I did learn a new thing from this…that the “real” flame was kept secure in a protected vehicle accompanying the procession.
I have never heard of anything like this rolling thunder wave of protests before. Amazing. I look forward to the SF leg with anticipation.
While one may be a “realist” and argue this will accomplish nothing against China's overwhelming power….one should recall those small Baltic states: Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia…annexed by Stalin at the end of WW II.
How many “realists” thought one of the world's 2 superpowers could ever lose their stranglehold on these little countries and their peoples? The USSR did things to suppress these countries as absolutist as China's strategies with Tibet.
And yet today they enjoy membership in the EU and are independent countries!
The Tibet story is far from over, I suspect.
very good point about the small countries Marlowecan, i'd add Lech Lawesa in there too somewhere. What seems unusual too, is sometimes 'the hero' who leads the struggle and then becomes the first premier,president, leader after they wrest away from the 'giant,' doesnt necessarily do real well … Haiti comes to mind also. Why do you think that might be? I like your logic and the way you give examples. Clear.
dr.e