[Buddha-l] Karmapa once again

[S. A. Feite]

On Feb 10, 2011, at 3:22 AM, Alex Wilding wrote:

> Joanna wondered:
>> Just a note about the currency: When HHDL fled Tibet
>> he went with an entourage and pack animals--is the
>>  Karmapa said to have been traveling alone? I doubt it.
>
> No, but the party was very small - I think it was four people. A  
> jeep was
> involved at first, a taxi came into play at one point, and some of the
> journey was on foot and with hired mules. The situation was quite  
> different
> from that of the Dalai Lama's flight: Tsurphu was under the control of
> Chinese soldiers, and the territory all around was under full  
> occupation.
> All their preparatory moves had to be done with the cover of  
> excuses and
> under the eyes of the guards. Once they had escaped, they had to move
> quickly and quietly. Discovery would have had them all arrested (at  
> best).
> The story has been written up quite thoroughly - forgive me for  
> writing from
> memory.


Previously, many of the monasteries had amassed large piles of gold  
(worth millions and millions of dollars), given as offerings or  
donations, over the centuries, where they just sat in storerooms,  
unused. Eventually, with the advent of the plane, they were flown out  
to safer locales. So most of the major monasteries were (at least at  
one time) incredibly wealthy. Certainly some of this was confiscated  
by the Chinese, but at least the Panchen lamas was flown out in the  
early 1900's.

Steve