[Buddha-l] Rare Footage of Tibetan Nun's Self-Immolation Smuggledout of Tibet

[Christopher Fynn]

On 22 November 2011 14:08,  Detrez <stefan.detrez at gmail.com> wrote:

> I'm not sure if 'Western influences' (it almost sounds as if that's a bad
> thing) are so detrimental to Tibetan culture. The preservation of Tibetan
> culture and its study is largely thanks to the interest the West puts into
> it (I'm thinking of Cabezon, Thurman, and Hopkins, to name a few, and major
> publishers like Snow Lion and Shambhala) . A large part of the anti-Chinese
> lobby - in this context - is in fact a Western engagement.

The preservation and study of Tibetan Buddism is carried on far more
by the Tibetans themselves than it is in the west - both in exile in
India and Nepal and in Tibet itself. Tibetans have re-built or re
established in exile most of the major monastic institutions, set up
several universities and institutions and numerous monastic colleges
devoted solely to this cause, set up a Tibetan education system in
India and Nepal, reprinted innumerable traditional texts started
journals and magazines, There are new institutes dedicated to Tibetan
medicine, performing arts, visual arts, and music. Much of the funding
for this has come from the Government of India, Tibetan businessmen,
and Chines in Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia - rather than from
westerners.

Sure what is going on in the west is important and impressive - but I
don't kid yourself, it far more important to western Buddhists than it
is to most of the Tibetans themselves - though there are a number of
high profile lamas who enjoy living in or visiting the west. There are
also a lot who have absolutely no interest in visiting the west. Many
Tibetan lamas living in Tibet now have many Chinese followers - which
I think could make for some interesting developments over the next ten
or twenty years.

- Chris