You should be careful in selecting the person with whom you meditate – especially if you are a top political leader. German researchers have found that countries whose top political leadership meets with the Dalai Lama lose more than 8 per cent in annaul exports to China. It tells you something about what you might expect in a world where China is more dominant. The effect of your Dalai Lama “meditation” goes away after two years. See the report at CNN.
Yes, think about the losses of a country that has chosen to give a prize to Liu Xiaobo… In China, my friends hadn’t even heard about the man and had no idea who had got this year’s peace prize. Censorship works – not 100 % but enough. Not that I think I would meditate with Liu Xiaobo, that may not be his strength.
I wonder what the losses would be if a country actually dared to recognise the Tibetan Government in Exile as a legitimate representative of the Tibetan people.
India has a somewhat schizophrenic attitude towards the Tibetans. On the one hand, it is difficult to imagine how Tibetan culture could have survived in a significant manner if India had not provided the material help to the 1,50,000 refugees to settle themselves in India and re-establish smaller versions of the most important monasteries in Tibet, which were ravaged in their homeland.
I like the way the Dalai Lama puts it – since Buddhism came from India, India is the guru and Tibet is the chela (disciple). When the chela is in trouble, he goes to the guru asking the guru to help him out.
On the other hand, there is very little freedom that the Indian government allows the Tibetans to protest against the Chinese occupation. Like everyone else, it is afraid of upsetting the Chinese. The Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao is vising India in a few weeks and I wonder if the Tibetans will be allowed to hold protests then.
Last time the Chinese Premier was in India, a Tibetan scaled the 14th floor of the hotel in which he was staying and unfurled the Tibetan flag and a ‘Free Tibet’ banner. Of course, he was arrested.
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