By MICHAEL POWELL, The New York Times
January 31, 2009
The search for the present Dalai Lama commenced in earnest in 1935 when the embalmed head of his deceased predecessor is said to have wheeled around and pointed toward northeastern Tibet.
Then, the story goes, a giant, star-shaped fungus grew overnight on the east side of the tomb. An auspicious cloud bank formed and a regent saw a vision of letters floating in a mystical lake, one of which — Ah — he took to refer to the northeast province of Amdo.
High lamas set off at a gallop and found a 2-year-old boy in a distant village. This child, they determined after a series of tests, was the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama.
There is little linear about lama succession in Tibet. And now, as the 14th Dalai Lama journeys into his 74th year, the question of how to pick his successor has come to preoccupy both him and his followers, as Tibet stands at an ever more precarious political pass.
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A photograph of a painting of the 14th Dalai Lama, who was discovered by Buddhist leaders as a 2-year-old, with the aid of signs. Kanwal Krishna/Agence France-Presse
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Great post at http://olfactoryrescueservice.wordpress.com about Mandala of Deities Incense Series. Please visit a link to read this really good review.
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel raised the issue of Tibet with visiting Chinese Premiere Wen Jiabao as he stopped over in Berlin on his European tour that excludes France.
Merkel urged Wen Jiabao to restart talks with the envoys of the Tibetan leader Dalai Lama. “Germany has an intense interest in the talks with the Dalai Lama resuming,” Merkel told reporters after meeting Wen.
Around 60 demonstrators were watching from distance amid tight security as the Chinese leader was welcomed with military honours at the German Chancellery.
She said Germany was willing to make a “constructive contribution” on the matter, adding that Germany did not question the one-China policy. "If there is anything Germany can do in this regard, we would like to help," she added.
“We talked about the situation in Tibet and from the German side, I emphasised that we have a common interest that talks with the Dalai Lama get under way,” said Merkel at a joint news conference with Wen.
The issue of Tibet had earlier escalated tensions between the two countries in 2007 when Merkel met the Dalai Lama who is viewed by Beijing as a ’splittist’ and a ‘wolf in a monk’s robe’. She was the first German chancellor to receive the Dalai Lama at the Chancellery. It took months for Beijing to forgive Merkel.
Now China is at loggerheads with France over President Nicolas Sarkozy’s meeting with the Dalai Lama in Poland last month. China cancelled an EU summit when French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who then held the EU presidency, announced his scheduled meeting with the Dalai Lama in Poland and met him eventually.
The talks between Dalai Lama’s envoys and Beijing came to a standstill after the eighth round of talks in October last year failed to produce any results. The exile Tibetan Prime Minister Samdhong Rinpoche said the Sino-Tibetan dialogue has failed to produce any positive changes in China’s Tibet policy.
“Therefore, the entire responsibility for the future status of our dialogues, irrespective of what it is going to be, lies squarely on the Chinese leaders,” he said last month.
China insists doors for talks are still open but categorically rejected a "Memorandum” on Genuine Autonomy for the Tibetan People submitted by the Tibetan envoys during the eighth round of talks calling it an "agenda of independence".
Source: www.phayul.com
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Everybody who’s craving for beauty and romanticism are now welcome to go somewhere else as in the following few passages I’m going to be extremely cynical.
Once upon a time there was a rich and mighty indian shah. Nevertheless he had whole harem of fine maidens for quenching his lust he got stuck to the only one loving her to death. Indian shahs knew nothing about contraception and so this poor maiden had to give birth to eight sons and six daughters virtually without resting or stopping. Giving birth to the last fourteenth child this heroic woman signed with a sense of relief and breathed her last. Because of this unexpected outcome her husband turned grey and spent most of state treasury on building huge white mausoleum. He was just about to spent the remaider of GDI on another mausoleum - exactly same but black - for himself but opposition formed out of his own sons was quick enough to put him from the throne to jail. And it was where he died overlooking white domes of Taj Mahal in the narrow loophole of his cell.
Generations of shahs came one ather enother, then there were English and finally India became democratic republic highly dependent on income from tourism. To see this monument of pitiless muslim love would cost you quite an amount - 750 rupees, enough to cross the whole country in a train from the very top to the very bottom or to live some days in a nice village by the ocean. And naturally Taj Mahal gave grow to a number of hotels, restaurants and souvenir shops just by it. But becides the white silhouette on the horizon Agra is an ordinary relatively dirty indian town.
If you belong to those backpackers in stretched out old t-shirts travelling along LonelyPlanet routes then your Agra most probably will begin with an autorikshaw to the Taj South Gate and one of local hostels or restaurants with some view of the monument.
Over the roofs of ordinary indian houses.
And with local sweets made from glucose, pumpkin, saffron or rose syrup.
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Way home from beach passed by so called Varkala Cultural Centre where traditional keral dance Katakali was shown everyday. Coming back I heard beating of a drum and even could catch a few glimpses of dancers through the doorway. And one day I eventually decided to come in.
By that time the show has already started. I’ve missed the process of putting on the make-up and all the explanations on what kind of indian drama would be played. But isn’t it even more interesting without them?
So, what is Katakali like if you don’t know at all what it is?
Man wearing female dress makes faces on the scene shrieking. Nevertheless there is violent striking of a drum and absolutely national environment I still cannot get rid of a feeling that it’s a transvestite like those making show in usual city gay-clubs.
Okay, an indian one. Just look at these grotesque perking breasts! Read more »
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Buddhism, Opinions, Politics, Tibet | Leo Golan | 
February 1, 2009 1:39 pm | 
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