In the past two weeks, I have been undergoing a tremendous emotional roller coaster. The whole city of Seattle is getting ready to celebrate a joyous festival of humanity, a 5-day gathering (organized by Seeds of Compassion) to share the vision of compassion with His Holiness Dalai Lama. Communities from different works of life and different religious faith are coming together for celebrations. People from all over the country are convening to share their visions, experiences and stories of the work of compassion. My friends and I are busy preparing for the upcoming events with excitement and anticipation…
On the other hand, I am greatly saddened by the growing hostilities towards Tibetans and His Holiness among my own countrymen. Before this current conflict arise, I thought that Chinese were just indifferent to Tibet issue but I had not imagined that the very people subjected to the suppression and manipulation of the government would choose not to excercise their judgement and discernment. These people include highly educated intellectuals and those receiving PhD degrees and living in US for decades …
I had several conversations with some of my Chinese co-workers. I realize that in today’s informational age, one pretty much can find “hard” evidences to back up whatever stories one chose to subscribe to. For example, two things are deeply ingrained in the minds of people from mainland China, due to decades of propaganda. One is “Tibet has always been part of China”. Second is “Dalai Lama is a liar”. Along these lines, they can find mountains of "convincing evidences" that further reinforce their beliefs. These two notions were so deeply planted into people’s consciousness that they grew deep roots in their subconsciousness and these roots were tied in with their emotions. Therefore, when I tried to present evidences from the opposite sides, it is no longer an objective discussion, my opposition presented as a serious emotional threat to them. The fact that these opposition came from a Chinese offended them even more.
I also realize that years of suppression have deposited tons of negative emotions in people’s subconsciousness. I saw so much fear, anger and frustration. These emotions are not evident in normal daily life. In fact, people are not aware of these subconscious emotions themselves. Situations like this have created an outlet for them to express these negative emotions.
However, I can feel everything they feel, because I had been one of them. If this conflict had happened 10 years ago, I would have reacted the same way as they did. I probably would have gone to the street and joined the pro-government protest, all the while feeling proud of my patriotic action. That was because 10 years ago, I lived in the confinement of walls that I wasn’t aware of. Luckily, the divine force of life has led me out of the prison and showed me love and faith right in face.
A Chinese recently asked me, what would happen if I found out Dalai Lama was lying . I told her that I believed in Dalai Lama not because he is Dalai Lama, but because everything he had said and done was in line with love and compassion, which was my true faith. Whether someone lies or not has nothing to do with my faith. She didn’t understand that faith coming from one’s own heart did not need any outside proofs. To believe in my faith, I do not need photos from any news agency nor do I need articles written by historians or experts. The people who have touched my heart and soul are my proof. My loving friends and their precious friendships are my proof. The spiritual awakening I experienced on the pilgrimage in Tibet is my proof. The transforming force that has shaped my life and brought me joys beyond my imagination was my proof. My own life is my proof.
At the eve of the Seeds of Compassion festival, I felt deeply saddened that most of my fellow countrymen in Seattle choose not to be part of this feast of joy. Compassion is the most precious gift of life. Nothing is more saddening when people choose not to receive it. Life without compassion is life without sunshine. However, at the end of night, a new day is bound to come. And this new day will only be dawning when we consciously choose to act out of compassion and love in every single moment, even in the face of confrontation, even in the face of hatred, even in the face of animosity, even in this moment!
I pray to the divine forces, please give me infinite capacity for compassion. Please give me strength and endurance to face anything that hurts or makes me squint. No matter what has happened, please never let me lose my compassion and faith.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
A smile from the universe
A friend lately has asked me, “look at what you want to achieve, it is so colossally difficult. There is almost zero possibility that you would succeed. Why are you still doing all these?” Of course, I don’t agree with her that the there is zero possibility of success but there is also no point reasoning with her because we have totally different reference points. So I told her, “Even if there is no possibility of success, I would still do this, because this work gives me so much joy, joy that is beyond my imagination”.
Yes, everyday the news is depressing. Everyday there is more hatred, more violence, more separation, … But at the same time, I also see more beauty, more love and more courage …
Some of you may also have the same experiences; the more we act out of our true and higher self, the more joyful synchronicity we experience in our life. The concept of synchronicity is first created by psychologist Carl Jung. “Synchronous events reveal an underlying pattern which encompasses, but is larger than, any of the systems which display the synchronicity.” I’d like to share one small story of synchronicity with you.
About a week before the outbreak of the crisis in Tibet, I went to a meeting in a building that I have visited many times before. On that day, I happened to see a framed quote from one of my spiritual teachers, Reverend Keith Rhinehart. That frame has always been there but somehow that day it intensely grabbed my attention. It says, “A new era of human consciousness is dawning. Look around you, daybreak is everywhere…” “Daybreak is everywhere” has created a vivid image in my head and struck me as a flash light in the dark.
Daybreak occurs at the darkest and coldest moment. One of my passions is mountain climbing. Several years ago, my climbing partners and I went on a rock climbing trip and got off route. We were forced to spend a night without any camping equipment on a small ledge of a table top size on the cliff side of a mountain at 9000 ft. We spent a cold long night huddling with each other on that ledge. When the night got colder and colder, we knew that morning was getting closer and closer. It was when the cold and darkness became unbearable; dawn suddenly came through, bringing light and warmth… This quote suddenly brought back that memory to me.
Days later the crisis in Tibet escalated. An unexpected event happened to me and led me to write the first article under the name Skylark. Per suggestion of a friend, I chose a pen name to protect my identity. "Skylark" came in a flash of intuition. I liked it because lark was a very common bird that can be found almost everywhere in the world. And I always liked the singing of the “Skylark”, a particular one native to China.
The week after that I was on an emotional roller coaster. Watching the two groups of people who I connect to deeply being engulfed in hatred and violence has put a huge toll on me. But I managed to pull through… I knew something had changed inside of me and another dimension of my life is starting to unfold and will create a whole new layer of depth and width…
This morning was the first time I re-centered myself after this emotional roller coaster. In the crack of dawn, before I drove out to work, I decided to change the CD that I’ve been listening to in my car for the past week. As I pulled out the CD and put it back into its CD case, a line of small texts on the back of the case suddenly caught my eyes. Of course, this is a CD I’ve owned for years and never have I noticed this line on the case. It says,
“Like the lark at break of day, arising from the sullen earth, sing hymns at the heaven’s gate.” –Shakespeare, Sonnet 29
Suddenly, a wave of warmth enfolded me. I looked up through my tears-filled eyes. A thick layer of fog was dancing through the trees and the birds were chipping a spring time song… Everything is extremely bright in the morning sun. The world is painfully beautiful and full of life. Right then, I saw a smile delivered from the deep heart of the universe.
Yes, everyday the news is depressing. Everyday there is more hatred, more violence, more separation, … But at the same time, I also see more beauty, more love and more courage …
Some of you may also have the same experiences; the more we act out of our true and higher self, the more joyful synchronicity we experience in our life. The concept of synchronicity is first created by psychologist Carl Jung. “Synchronous events reveal an underlying pattern which encompasses, but is larger than, any of the systems which display the synchronicity.” I’d like to share one small story of synchronicity with you.
About a week before the outbreak of the crisis in Tibet, I went to a meeting in a building that I have visited many times before. On that day, I happened to see a framed quote from one of my spiritual teachers, Reverend Keith Rhinehart. That frame has always been there but somehow that day it intensely grabbed my attention. It says, “A new era of human consciousness is dawning. Look around you, daybreak is everywhere…” “Daybreak is everywhere” has created a vivid image in my head and struck me as a flash light in the dark.
Daybreak occurs at the darkest and coldest moment. One of my passions is mountain climbing. Several years ago, my climbing partners and I went on a rock climbing trip and got off route. We were forced to spend a night without any camping equipment on a small ledge of a table top size on the cliff side of a mountain at 9000 ft. We spent a cold long night huddling with each other on that ledge. When the night got colder and colder, we knew that morning was getting closer and closer. It was when the cold and darkness became unbearable; dawn suddenly came through, bringing light and warmth… This quote suddenly brought back that memory to me.
Days later the crisis in Tibet escalated. An unexpected event happened to me and led me to write the first article under the name Skylark. Per suggestion of a friend, I chose a pen name to protect my identity. "Skylark" came in a flash of intuition. I liked it because lark was a very common bird that can be found almost everywhere in the world. And I always liked the singing of the “Skylark”, a particular one native to China.
The week after that I was on an emotional roller coaster. Watching the two groups of people who I connect to deeply being engulfed in hatred and violence has put a huge toll on me. But I managed to pull through… I knew something had changed inside of me and another dimension of my life is starting to unfold and will create a whole new layer of depth and width…
This morning was the first time I re-centered myself after this emotional roller coaster. In the crack of dawn, before I drove out to work, I decided to change the CD that I’ve been listening to in my car for the past week. As I pulled out the CD and put it back into its CD case, a line of small texts on the back of the case suddenly caught my eyes. Of course, this is a CD I’ve owned for years and never have I noticed this line on the case. It says,
“Like the lark at break of day, arising from the sullen earth, sing hymns at the heaven’s gate.” –Shakespeare, Sonnet 29
Suddenly, a wave of warmth enfolded me. I looked up through my tears-filled eyes. A thick layer of fog was dancing through the trees and the birds were chipping a spring time song… Everything is extremely bright in the morning sun. The world is painfully beautiful and full of life. Right then, I saw a smile delivered from the deep heart of the universe.
More on righteous indignation - By Rollin'
Very nicely written comments on anger. Just some thoughts on righteous indignation.For those who directly suffer from the infliction of hatred or violence, it requires an enormous effort to find this courage to "drive righteous indignation". If I experienced these inflictions, I know, in my heart, that I could not find the courage to override such sufferings.
When people suffer from inflictions of violence or hatred, how can they find this courage? Only through love and compassion. However, those who suffer are in such pain, grief; and sorrow that love and compassion is obfuscated in darkness. They cannot find the courage for righteous indignation.
But we can help by showing them that we feel their pain, share their sorrow, and understand their grief. Then, love and compassion will begin to shine through the darkness of suffering and we can find the courage of righteous indignation.
- rollin'
When people suffer from inflictions of violence or hatred, how can they find this courage? Only through love and compassion. However, those who suffer are in such pain, grief; and sorrow that love and compassion is obfuscated in darkness. They cannot find the courage for righteous indignation.
But we can help by showing them that we feel their pain, share their sorrow, and understand their grief. Then, love and compassion will begin to shine through the darkness of suffering and we can find the courage of righteous indignation.
- rollin'
Monday, March 31, 2008
Very insightful comments on anger from a friend
Anger. Yes, it is very interesting. Maybe the problem is that many people intend different things by ‘anger’. This is a typical case when our labeling system ends up confusing us rather than helping us.
Anger can be blind, forceful, primitive, instinctual, ego-driven, fear-driven, a powerful negative emotion. Anger of this type often degenerates into (or creates) violence, and ultimately it is going to spin the hamster wheel one more time. Just more samsara.
Anger can also be indignation. Wisely controlled and channeled, indignation coupled with an innate sense of justice can actually be a positive force, directed at changing people’s consciousness, so that it refocuses on what is important for human happiness.
The same word ‘anger’ may mean very different things.
Yes, indeed non-violence is the only way to respond to violence hoping to break the circle. And we also need to be careful about what we mean by ‘violence’. There are obvious forms, such as physical violence or murder, which we are (especially these days) very aware of (and probably afraid of). There are other kinds of violence which are subtler (we are less conscious of them and maybe we do not think of them as forms of violence). Intellectual prevarication is a form of violence. Using one’s gift of oratorical skills in order to silence the ‘other’ is also a form of violence. Lying is also a form of violence. Establishing a mode of dialog based on aggressive psychological posturing is also a form of violence. Threats and insults are also a form of violence. Lack of respect is also a form of violence. And so on.
So if we manage to put our indignation to work without substituting a form of violence with another, we can stop the hamster wheel.
Indignation has to be purely motivated by a sense of universal justice and deep respect for human rights. It is important to stand for those rights without answering provocations, but by being steadfast and focused in our commitment to right a situation which causes unfair behavior or conditions.
I think Gandhi is probably the strongest inspirer of this concept. He was full of indignation, but never ‘angry’ in the classical primordial sense. And where the force which drives negative anger is uncontrollable and disharmonious, the force that drives righteous indignation is simply courage.
Anger can be blind, forceful, primitive, instinctual, ego-driven, fear-driven, a powerful negative emotion. Anger of this type often degenerates into (or creates) violence, and ultimately it is going to spin the hamster wheel one more time. Just more samsara.
Anger can also be indignation. Wisely controlled and channeled, indignation coupled with an innate sense of justice can actually be a positive force, directed at changing people’s consciousness, so that it refocuses on what is important for human happiness.
The same word ‘anger’ may mean very different things.
Yes, indeed non-violence is the only way to respond to violence hoping to break the circle. And we also need to be careful about what we mean by ‘violence’. There are obvious forms, such as physical violence or murder, which we are (especially these days) very aware of (and probably afraid of). There are other kinds of violence which are subtler (we are less conscious of them and maybe we do not think of them as forms of violence). Intellectual prevarication is a form of violence. Using one’s gift of oratorical skills in order to silence the ‘other’ is also a form of violence. Lying is also a form of violence. Establishing a mode of dialog based on aggressive psychological posturing is also a form of violence. Threats and insults are also a form of violence. Lack of respect is also a form of violence. And so on.
So if we manage to put our indignation to work without substituting a form of violence with another, we can stop the hamster wheel.
Indignation has to be purely motivated by a sense of universal justice and deep respect for human rights. It is important to stand for those rights without answering provocations, but by being steadfast and focused in our commitment to right a situation which causes unfair behavior or conditions.
I think Gandhi is probably the strongest inspirer of this concept. He was full of indignation, but never ‘angry’ in the classical primordial sense. And where the force which drives negative anger is uncontrollable and disharmonious, the force that drives righteous indignation is simply courage.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Is anger a good thing?
A good friend of mine wrote back to me:
“…having an understanding of the situation and having compassion for those involved doesn't necessarily abate anger or frustration over the situation and what led to it, nor do I think it necessarily should. Sometimes anger can be a catalyst for change in a positive way. When Rosa Parks chose not to give up her seat on that Montgomery bus, she was still angry over at the brutal murder of Emmett Till four days earlier. That anger over Till's death in part gave her the courage to commit an act of civil disobedience. It was a powerful non-violent act, but one that stemmed from years of frustration and anger over repression, unfair treatment, and violence. I agree with you, acting out of anger with violence only plays into the hands of the enemy (at least in some civilized societies - it didn't work under the Khmer Rouge or the Nazis) but if it provides the motivation and the courage to act non-violently for change, then it can be a good thing.”
No doubt, if anger and frustration is what most motivates one to rise up and act, then I agree it is a good thing! However, anger is just not good enough. In addition to the action mode triggered by anger and the passive mode (due to indifference), we have a third option, that is being one with the all-compassing, all-loving and all-moving power itself! In this third mode, we are no longer the one who acts; we are surfers who ride on gigantic waves with momentum and forces that are hundreds and thousands more powerful than the power of anger or hatred.
In Hindu’s belief system, human consciousness has three stages of evolution. It starts as tama (inertia), then moves on to raja (energy), and eventually as sattva (harmony and order). I think the humanity is at a critical junction where our civilization is painfully transitioning from a raja state into a sattva state. We either make it and hallelujah, or our very survival is on the stake.
Anger provides the raw power that moves and shakes things at a gross level. It has no doubt been the propeller of the history in the past several thousands of years. However, it doesn’t address the root cause of any problem, especially when the problems are manifested at a deeper level. Rosa Parks’s decision has triggered civil rights movement and illegalized racial segregation. But has it eradicated racial prejudice from our life and from our consciousness? Today, we are still facing the battle of racism, only it is manifested at a much subtler level and at this level, anger creates more chaos and confusion than solution. The issue between Tibet and China now is much reflected at a gross level and probably will need to resort to solutions of crude force but that only alleviates the symptoms and again doesn’t address the root cause. Anger and its associated raw power are the defenses for those who are fighting the enemies at the frontline. In my mind, the responsibilities of addressing the root cause falls on us who are fortunate to live in peace and freedom. In my opinion, the best way to honor those who have fought and lost lives at the frontline is to do our part to fight with the root cause of the problem and this battle is long enduring and not a bit easier.
History has taught us this again and again and again. Last thousands years of history is an endless cycle of one force overcoming anther force and turning into the very old force that it has just overcome. Then things started over again! In fact the Chinese history of a dozen some dynasties is a perfect example of this. Don’t we look a bit like the guinea pig on the spinning wheel?
To me, the lesson from this is that we need to actively take part in the evolution of human consciousness and rewire our brain so that we naturally react to things in a different way, the sattva way, the indomitable will to practice compassion no matter what. This is very difficult and the tendency is to mistaken the sattva state with the tama-inertia state because our human consciousness is still very primitive in terms of understanding this higher level awareness. But we do not have a choice. If we fail, we will be eventually consumed by the destructive power of all these rampaging raja energy flooding all around the world.
And this can be done just in a split of second. Because, anger is merely the shadow of love, just like darkness is the shadow of light! If one does not have deep love, where does the anger and hatred come from? The fact that one hates something inevitably means that one loves the opposite of what she hates. So essentially, these two emotions are coming from the same place of our hearts. However, there is a world of difference between the two. Unfortunately, this is where our human language gets limited, because we are venturing into an area of our consciousness that language has not yet reached. But try this following experiment. Close your eyes. Think of anger and experience it with your body. Next, think of love and experience it with your body. (Not the commercial version of candle-lit romance type of love; but the kind of instinctive, fearless love a mother has in order to protect her only child). These two emotional states have very distinct vibration frequencies. The sensation of love creates a vibration pattern that is much more in harmony and hence harbors much more potential.
So my point is, anger is definitely necessary to get us out of inertia states and make us do something. But too often, we simply stop there after an act of impulse and anger. When this particular incident is over, we go back to whatever our life was until we were shocked back into another tragedy. The solution to the root cause of any conflicts calls for us to embark on a long-enduring journey that takes infinite persistence, courage and patience. Each of us is facing a choice of what to do. The tragedy we are experiencing today is not the first time in the history. The same kind of human tragedy is repeating itself over and over and over again, between different races, genders, social classes, religious groups, people with different beliefs... And it will keep repeating itself until we learn how to expand our human capacities beyond the current evolution stage to merge with the source of infinite love and compassion.
“…having an understanding of the situation and having compassion for those involved doesn't necessarily abate anger or frustration over the situation and what led to it, nor do I think it necessarily should. Sometimes anger can be a catalyst for change in a positive way. When Rosa Parks chose not to give up her seat on that Montgomery bus, she was still angry over at the brutal murder of Emmett Till four days earlier. That anger over Till's death in part gave her the courage to commit an act of civil disobedience. It was a powerful non-violent act, but one that stemmed from years of frustration and anger over repression, unfair treatment, and violence. I agree with you, acting out of anger with violence only plays into the hands of the enemy (at least in some civilized societies - it didn't work under the Khmer Rouge or the Nazis) but if it provides the motivation and the courage to act non-violently for change, then it can be a good thing.”
No doubt, if anger and frustration is what most motivates one to rise up and act, then I agree it is a good thing! However, anger is just not good enough. In addition to the action mode triggered by anger and the passive mode (due to indifference), we have a third option, that is being one with the all-compassing, all-loving and all-moving power itself! In this third mode, we are no longer the one who acts; we are surfers who ride on gigantic waves with momentum and forces that are hundreds and thousands more powerful than the power of anger or hatred.
In Hindu’s belief system, human consciousness has three stages of evolution. It starts as tama (inertia), then moves on to raja (energy), and eventually as sattva (harmony and order). I think the humanity is at a critical junction where our civilization is painfully transitioning from a raja state into a sattva state. We either make it and hallelujah, or our very survival is on the stake.
Anger provides the raw power that moves and shakes things at a gross level. It has no doubt been the propeller of the history in the past several thousands of years. However, it doesn’t address the root cause of any problem, especially when the problems are manifested at a deeper level. Rosa Parks’s decision has triggered civil rights movement and illegalized racial segregation. But has it eradicated racial prejudice from our life and from our consciousness? Today, we are still facing the battle of racism, only it is manifested at a much subtler level and at this level, anger creates more chaos and confusion than solution. The issue between Tibet and China now is much reflected at a gross level and probably will need to resort to solutions of crude force but that only alleviates the symptoms and again doesn’t address the root cause. Anger and its associated raw power are the defenses for those who are fighting the enemies at the frontline. In my mind, the responsibilities of addressing the root cause falls on us who are fortunate to live in peace and freedom. In my opinion, the best way to honor those who have fought and lost lives at the frontline is to do our part to fight with the root cause of the problem and this battle is long enduring and not a bit easier.
History has taught us this again and again and again. Last thousands years of history is an endless cycle of one force overcoming anther force and turning into the very old force that it has just overcome. Then things started over again! In fact the Chinese history of a dozen some dynasties is a perfect example of this. Don’t we look a bit like the guinea pig on the spinning wheel?
To me, the lesson from this is that we need to actively take part in the evolution of human consciousness and rewire our brain so that we naturally react to things in a different way, the sattva way, the indomitable will to practice compassion no matter what. This is very difficult and the tendency is to mistaken the sattva state with the tama-inertia state because our human consciousness is still very primitive in terms of understanding this higher level awareness. But we do not have a choice. If we fail, we will be eventually consumed by the destructive power of all these rampaging raja energy flooding all around the world.
And this can be done just in a split of second. Because, anger is merely the shadow of love, just like darkness is the shadow of light! If one does not have deep love, where does the anger and hatred come from? The fact that one hates something inevitably means that one loves the opposite of what she hates. So essentially, these two emotions are coming from the same place of our hearts. However, there is a world of difference between the two. Unfortunately, this is where our human language gets limited, because we are venturing into an area of our consciousness that language has not yet reached. But try this following experiment. Close your eyes. Think of anger and experience it with your body. Next, think of love and experience it with your body. (Not the commercial version of candle-lit romance type of love; but the kind of instinctive, fearless love a mother has in order to protect her only child). These two emotional states have very distinct vibration frequencies. The sensation of love creates a vibration pattern that is much more in harmony and hence harbors much more potential.
So my point is, anger is definitely necessary to get us out of inertia states and make us do something. But too often, we simply stop there after an act of impulse and anger. When this particular incident is over, we go back to whatever our life was until we were shocked back into another tragedy. The solution to the root cause of any conflicts calls for us to embark on a long-enduring journey that takes infinite persistence, courage and patience. Each of us is facing a choice of what to do. The tragedy we are experiencing today is not the first time in the history. The same kind of human tragedy is repeating itself over and over and over again, between different races, genders, social classes, religious groups, people with different beliefs... And it will keep repeating itself until we learn how to expand our human capacities beyond the current evolution stage to merge with the source of infinite love and compassion.
Friday, March 28, 2008
The Conflict between China and Tibet: the Ultimate Conflict between Materialism and Spirituality
China, with the largest population in the world, is one of the countries that suffer the most from the negative effects of materialism. People of Tibet, a small group of only 5 million people are the guardians for one of the most precious spiritual traditions of humanity. Their conflict, when stripped away the racial and political layers, is the ultimate conflict between materialism and spirituality. The Tibetan’s suffering symbolizes the suffering of the soul of the entire human race. In order to resolve the conflict between China and Tibet, we have to resolve the conflict between materialism and spirituality inside the human consciousness. I firmly believe that infinite love and compassion is the only solution to this conflict. This article attempts to explain to Western people why it is difficult for mainland China to embrace Tibetan culture and what we can do to help.
My Own Experiences
I was born and raised in China. I left the country in my early twenties and have lived in US for more than a decade. While I was a little girl growing up in China in the 70s, the things I knew about Dalai Lama was that he was a militant who wanted to separate China and he was a devil who abused the slaves he owned. Back then, people had no access to any outside information or different voices. I did not know anything about the atrocity done to the Tibetan people during the China’s invasion in the 50s. I had lived with these notions for 20 some years and never doubted the validity of it. As a result, when I first came to U.S., I felt offended by the supporters of Dalai Lama because I thought these Westerners were helping the Tibetans to separate my country! I know that majority of my Chinese friends from mainland China still think this way, even those who have lived in US for a long time. After all, it is no easy matter to reverse a notion that one believes to be true for most part of one’s life!
Fortunately, I was blessed to find out the truth for myself. First I was drawn to the precious teaching of Tibetan Buddhism. I was most moved by the tremendous efforts His Holiness has been making to bring Compassion to the world. Eventually I could detach myself from the notions I lived with for two decades and saw that anyone can edit pieces of history and make whatever stories to back up their agenda.
China is a land which has given me my flesh and blood. Tibet is a land which gives birth to the spiritual tradition that feeds my soul. Watching these two lands being engulfed in the flame of hatred and violence is like watching a war between my two most loved ones. This pain has motivated me to write this article because I could not be at peace if I did not do something about this.
China and Materialism
Majority of mainland Chinese feel indifferent or even hostile towards Tibetans and their culture. The racial issue is only the superficial problem. I think the root cause lies at that China is undergoing such a tremendous spiritual crisis and its group consciousness is simply in direct opposition with the spirituality that Tibetans embrace.
As a member who grew up with that group consciousness and who still have many families and friends in mainland China, I have first-handed experience on what it means to the 1.3 billion people who live under this huge spiritual void. Materialism rushed into China at the end of the Cultural Revolution. During Culture Revolution, millions Chinese intellectuals were prosecuted, tortured or even murdered. Anything religious and spiritual was stripped away from the Chinese culture. In my opinion, this was a reaction towards the one hundred years of colonization, war and devastation China has suffered since mid-ninetieth century when Western powers invaded China. The pride the Chinese took towards their long, spiritual-oriented culture has been ruthless crushed by the guns and canons brought in by the West. Thousands years of history with numerous spiritual achievements had only made the Chinese defenseless in the face of invading power. The whole nation was in deep humiliation and people took great shame on the spiritual components of their culture. Their rationale is that had their forefather put more energies in advancing science and technologies, they would not have suffered this much. As Communists started Culture Revolution, they conveniently rode on this group mentality and thoroughly purged the spiritualitism from the Chinese consciousness as spirituality poses as great threaten to their authorities.
Materialism came in China right after the trauma of the Culture Revolution and infected the group consciousness in no time. The way materialism was developed in the West has relatively been well balanced by the spiritual undercurrents that were never completely wiped out. Take gardening as an example; with a healthy flower bed in place, it is harder for weeds to spread. But imagine how fast the weeds can spread in a deserted yard… The negative sides of Materialism have really culminated in China and moral corruption has taken over the mainstream group consciousness.
As a result, a lot of those Chinese who own power, money and status, have been completely severed from the base of their souls. They simply do not have the capacity to believe anything that is good and pure. Love and compassion is a total joke. When I traveled back to China, I could literally hear the cries of all the souls that were lost in the selfish and ruthless pursuits of money, fame and ego. Under such circumstances, ordinary Chinese have grown extremely guarded and cynical, especially towards anything in the name of “love and compassion”, since they have been cheated so many times. If one were to tell them the truth about His Holiness’s teaching, they would ask, “Oh yes, we’ve heard about this before. Now, tell me, what does he really wants? What is the hidden agenda?” For those rare individuals who show genuine Love and compassion, more than often they are treated with mock and scorn; and they can count on being taken advantage of by the “smarter” people.
Take a very personal example; my parents are very ordinary Chinese. They are kind and gentle and never would hurt anyone. When they were young, they were passionate about Communism because they believed that communists strive for the common goods of the humanity (another expression of love and compassion!) When half their life was over, they came to the sad realization that they have been fooled all along and the best part of their life was ruined by a corrupted government who only cares about the benefit of a special class. How are they supposed to believe in love and compassion again? When I tried to explain to them about Dalai Lama’s teaching, they simply do not have the capacity to accept it; it is too good to be true! In fact, they grow extremely worried for me because since I am still a Chinese citizen, if the government finds out that I support the Tibetans, I could be arrested next time I go back to China.
Tibetans are not the only group of people being oppressed in mainland China. Roughly about 20% Chinese population are labor workers who struggle at the very bottom of the society. It is very common for them to work for 70 hours a week, with minimal wage which barely sustains their families, without any insurance and benefits. Many of them can only take 1 day of vacation per month and work under extremely hazardous conditions without any insurance. They have no voice and no representatives in the society. You rarely hear about these stories in West’s medial coverage either. For these labor workers, love and compassion are something only happening in fairytales, which they are too busy to read anyway.
There are 1.3 billion Chinese today. I always find it unfathomable to think that one fifth of population on earth is living under fear and suppression, without the freedom for speech and religion. What huge amount of negative energies that is generating to the earth and to us!
I’d like to point out that Materialism is not just China’s problem. We people at the West is every part of that problem because we consciously or unconsciously are feeding the materialism every day. Even if communists’ suppression on Tibetans miraculously disappeared tomorrow, Tibetan culture is still greatly endangered in the face of the global materialism. In fact, the direct conflict between China and Tibet, in some way, has helped to direct the global focus on this issue. Otherwise, Tibetan culture could have been silently butchered and packaged into consumer goods and sold to hordes of tourists just like Buddhism in Thailand.
Hope
What I just described was what happened in mainstream mentality in China, which is just an extreme version of the universal conflicts between materialism and spirituality happening globally. However, I do see glimpse of hopes in China whenever I traveled back. Inside China, slowly a small fraction of people have realized that materialism is leading them nowhere and started looking for spiritual directions, which includes Tibetan Buddhism. I personally know quite a number of Chinese people who do feel the compassion towards the Tibetans living in poverty and go out of their ways to help them. In a very small town in Southwest China that is hidden deep in the Eastern Himalaya, a small school has been built through the collaboration between Chinese volunteers and Tibetan villagers to preserve the local cultures and provide education and a better livelihood to children in poverty. In the backdrop of the stark realities, stories like these can be found all over China. It is a very small number of incidents. But imagine what it is like that you are the only one who decides to do something good and tens and thousands of people you know tell you that you are a fool… What extraordinary courage and strength it takes for those individuals to rise up and act out of their heart! It is through my interaction with these rare individuals that I see tremendous hope!
What can we do?
As the conflict between China and Tibet is escalating right now, it is a difficult time for all of us who feel compassionate towards the suffering of both Tibetan and Chinese. Some of us feel powerless and despair. But I don’t. I have infinite faith that the Truth will prevail and only the Power of Love will succeed. The recent conflict only shows to me that how much the Chinese government fears the power His Holiness carries. It is only after the darkest moment of night that lights will come!
What can we do to help? First and foremost, we have to get away from this mentality of looking for a solution that offers instant gratification (which is a direct product of Materialism). There is simply no quick and easy fix and this will for sure be an endurance test! Also we need to realize that the conflict is not us against them, but us, them against the problem!
But there are solutions, which all boil down to spreading Love and Compassion as fast as we can, to as many people as we can, and as long as we can. There are several points specific to the situation in China. First, we have to start from where we are, right here and right now, in our communities and the West. China is still struggling from the wound of humiliation in the last 100 years. It is desperately hungry for acceptance by the rest of the world. As a result, Chinese always look upon the West for directions in cultural, economical and social movement. If the Western nations establish examples of love and true compassion, China will naturally follow. If at the West we allow our politicians wage wars to invade other countries, how can we expect the Chinese government will listen to our advice and stop violence?
Also we have to help the Chinese realize the tremendous practical value of love and compassion. We can’t, on one hand, demand cheap consumer goods to fill in the shelves of our XXX-marts, on the other hand, ask them show love and compassion at their own costs. We need to use economic leverages to encourage their action of love.
Second is to build bridges between the China and the West and reach out to the people and the poor. In my opinion, it is good to engage the government in dialogue; but I wouldn’t count on that as a resolution. The Chinese government officials are a group of people who are greatly separated from the fundamental aspects of humanity. Their minds are taken over by the hunger of power and the fear of truth. There is little point trying to reason with them. You can try overpowering and intimidating them; but where does that lead us to?
We have to build channels and bridges to empower the Chinese people so that the government can be changed from inside out and bottom up. A central rule in the non-violence approach to conflict is to look for common grounds between the two parties in conflict. We do not agree with Chinese government’s policy, but we all want to improve the lives for the people who are struggling with poverty, even the Chinese government (for the sake of their political future)! We need to build more channels for that to happen. After all, love and compassion is what His Holiness stands for. If we spread love and compassion to the Chinese, we are essentially spreading the lights of His Holiness, right? When spirituality comes back to mainland China, when the faith in goodness and love is restored in people’s heart, Chinese will naturally accept and embrace the beauty of Tibetan culture and people.
Third, I suggest that we think beyond this three-dimensional reality and start adopting new working paradigms that directly involves energies at higher dimensions. The Newtonian mechanical view of world and reality is too inadequate in serving us in today’s age. There are a wealth of scientific research out there to prove this in the fields of physics, psychology, sociology and medicine. We need to enter the quantum ages and embrace the ultimate merging between Science and Spirituality and celebrate the marriage between materialism and spirituality!
If we want to bring peace to the earth that is engulfed in the war between Materialism and Spirituality, we have to learn to use the tools provided by Spirituality. We know very well how to use modern technologies to serve our goals. What about actively developing and engaging “spiritual technologies” in order to transform people and the societies at a much deeper level and in more powerful ways? Let’s starts meditation and prayers. Start a disciplined spiritual practice. Transform ourselves into energy centers that emit lots and lots of lights; so that we can transform our families; so that our families can go on and transform other people in the city, in the States, in the country and eventually the 1.3 billion Chinese. Find the healer inside of us and send healing energies to our surroundings, to those who are suffering, to the Chinese, the government officials (whose souls are burning with selfish desires and desperately need healing), and to the Mother Earth. Don’t be afraid to develop our intuitive skills and use them. Let our heart direct our brain; but not the other way around. In this regards, the Tibetans are the experts and the Tibetan traditions host a wealth of information. Again I can attest from my own experience. Professionally, I am a Scientist with a very strong analytical background. Recent years, I learned a great deal about my own intuition and healing power and I was constantly amazed by the power and potential locked inside our very own consciousness. As a result, my life has been totally transformed. It is also because of this I remain infinitely optimistic about human’s future on earth.
One may say, even if these work, this is several life times’ work and we will never live long enough to see the results. Yes, that is right; we have to see beyond just our generation and we are here to plant the seeds. We may not be able to witness the seeds break out the soil in this lifetime; but we have to let go our attachment for outcome manifested in one lifetime and learn to thoroughly enjoy the work itself and every moment of our lives. The work can not be done in this life time? No problem, I know I want to be born again to continue this work; this is what reincarnation is meant for.
Blessings from The Skylark
My Own Experiences
I was born and raised in China. I left the country in my early twenties and have lived in US for more than a decade. While I was a little girl growing up in China in the 70s, the things I knew about Dalai Lama was that he was a militant who wanted to separate China and he was a devil who abused the slaves he owned. Back then, people had no access to any outside information or different voices. I did not know anything about the atrocity done to the Tibetan people during the China’s invasion in the 50s. I had lived with these notions for 20 some years and never doubted the validity of it. As a result, when I first came to U.S., I felt offended by the supporters of Dalai Lama because I thought these Westerners were helping the Tibetans to separate my country! I know that majority of my Chinese friends from mainland China still think this way, even those who have lived in US for a long time. After all, it is no easy matter to reverse a notion that one believes to be true for most part of one’s life!
Fortunately, I was blessed to find out the truth for myself. First I was drawn to the precious teaching of Tibetan Buddhism. I was most moved by the tremendous efforts His Holiness has been making to bring Compassion to the world. Eventually I could detach myself from the notions I lived with for two decades and saw that anyone can edit pieces of history and make whatever stories to back up their agenda.
China is a land which has given me my flesh and blood. Tibet is a land which gives birth to the spiritual tradition that feeds my soul. Watching these two lands being engulfed in the flame of hatred and violence is like watching a war between my two most loved ones. This pain has motivated me to write this article because I could not be at peace if I did not do something about this.
China and Materialism
Majority of mainland Chinese feel indifferent or even hostile towards Tibetans and their culture. The racial issue is only the superficial problem. I think the root cause lies at that China is undergoing such a tremendous spiritual crisis and its group consciousness is simply in direct opposition with the spirituality that Tibetans embrace.
As a member who grew up with that group consciousness and who still have many families and friends in mainland China, I have first-handed experience on what it means to the 1.3 billion people who live under this huge spiritual void. Materialism rushed into China at the end of the Cultural Revolution. During Culture Revolution, millions Chinese intellectuals were prosecuted, tortured or even murdered. Anything religious and spiritual was stripped away from the Chinese culture. In my opinion, this was a reaction towards the one hundred years of colonization, war and devastation China has suffered since mid-ninetieth century when Western powers invaded China. The pride the Chinese took towards their long, spiritual-oriented culture has been ruthless crushed by the guns and canons brought in by the West. Thousands years of history with numerous spiritual achievements had only made the Chinese defenseless in the face of invading power. The whole nation was in deep humiliation and people took great shame on the spiritual components of their culture. Their rationale is that had their forefather put more energies in advancing science and technologies, they would not have suffered this much. As Communists started Culture Revolution, they conveniently rode on this group mentality and thoroughly purged the spiritualitism from the Chinese consciousness as spirituality poses as great threaten to their authorities.
Materialism came in China right after the trauma of the Culture Revolution and infected the group consciousness in no time. The way materialism was developed in the West has relatively been well balanced by the spiritual undercurrents that were never completely wiped out. Take gardening as an example; with a healthy flower bed in place, it is harder for weeds to spread. But imagine how fast the weeds can spread in a deserted yard… The negative sides of Materialism have really culminated in China and moral corruption has taken over the mainstream group consciousness.
As a result, a lot of those Chinese who own power, money and status, have been completely severed from the base of their souls. They simply do not have the capacity to believe anything that is good and pure. Love and compassion is a total joke. When I traveled back to China, I could literally hear the cries of all the souls that were lost in the selfish and ruthless pursuits of money, fame and ego. Under such circumstances, ordinary Chinese have grown extremely guarded and cynical, especially towards anything in the name of “love and compassion”, since they have been cheated so many times. If one were to tell them the truth about His Holiness’s teaching, they would ask, “Oh yes, we’ve heard about this before. Now, tell me, what does he really wants? What is the hidden agenda?” For those rare individuals who show genuine Love and compassion, more than often they are treated with mock and scorn; and they can count on being taken advantage of by the “smarter” people.
Take a very personal example; my parents are very ordinary Chinese. They are kind and gentle and never would hurt anyone. When they were young, they were passionate about Communism because they believed that communists strive for the common goods of the humanity (another expression of love and compassion!) When half their life was over, they came to the sad realization that they have been fooled all along and the best part of their life was ruined by a corrupted government who only cares about the benefit of a special class. How are they supposed to believe in love and compassion again? When I tried to explain to them about Dalai Lama’s teaching, they simply do not have the capacity to accept it; it is too good to be true! In fact, they grow extremely worried for me because since I am still a Chinese citizen, if the government finds out that I support the Tibetans, I could be arrested next time I go back to China.
Tibetans are not the only group of people being oppressed in mainland China. Roughly about 20% Chinese population are labor workers who struggle at the very bottom of the society. It is very common for them to work for 70 hours a week, with minimal wage which barely sustains their families, without any insurance and benefits. Many of them can only take 1 day of vacation per month and work under extremely hazardous conditions without any insurance. They have no voice and no representatives in the society. You rarely hear about these stories in West’s medial coverage either. For these labor workers, love and compassion are something only happening in fairytales, which they are too busy to read anyway.
There are 1.3 billion Chinese today. I always find it unfathomable to think that one fifth of population on earth is living under fear and suppression, without the freedom for speech and religion. What huge amount of negative energies that is generating to the earth and to us!
I’d like to point out that Materialism is not just China’s problem. We people at the West is every part of that problem because we consciously or unconsciously are feeding the materialism every day. Even if communists’ suppression on Tibetans miraculously disappeared tomorrow, Tibetan culture is still greatly endangered in the face of the global materialism. In fact, the direct conflict between China and Tibet, in some way, has helped to direct the global focus on this issue. Otherwise, Tibetan culture could have been silently butchered and packaged into consumer goods and sold to hordes of tourists just like Buddhism in Thailand.
Hope
What I just described was what happened in mainstream mentality in China, which is just an extreme version of the universal conflicts between materialism and spirituality happening globally. However, I do see glimpse of hopes in China whenever I traveled back. Inside China, slowly a small fraction of people have realized that materialism is leading them nowhere and started looking for spiritual directions, which includes Tibetan Buddhism. I personally know quite a number of Chinese people who do feel the compassion towards the Tibetans living in poverty and go out of their ways to help them. In a very small town in Southwest China that is hidden deep in the Eastern Himalaya, a small school has been built through the collaboration between Chinese volunteers and Tibetan villagers to preserve the local cultures and provide education and a better livelihood to children in poverty. In the backdrop of the stark realities, stories like these can be found all over China. It is a very small number of incidents. But imagine what it is like that you are the only one who decides to do something good and tens and thousands of people you know tell you that you are a fool… What extraordinary courage and strength it takes for those individuals to rise up and act out of their heart! It is through my interaction with these rare individuals that I see tremendous hope!
What can we do?
As the conflict between China and Tibet is escalating right now, it is a difficult time for all of us who feel compassionate towards the suffering of both Tibetan and Chinese. Some of us feel powerless and despair. But I don’t. I have infinite faith that the Truth will prevail and only the Power of Love will succeed. The recent conflict only shows to me that how much the Chinese government fears the power His Holiness carries. It is only after the darkest moment of night that lights will come!
What can we do to help? First and foremost, we have to get away from this mentality of looking for a solution that offers instant gratification (which is a direct product of Materialism). There is simply no quick and easy fix and this will for sure be an endurance test! Also we need to realize that the conflict is not us against them, but us, them against the problem!
But there are solutions, which all boil down to spreading Love and Compassion as fast as we can, to as many people as we can, and as long as we can. There are several points specific to the situation in China. First, we have to start from where we are, right here and right now, in our communities and the West. China is still struggling from the wound of humiliation in the last 100 years. It is desperately hungry for acceptance by the rest of the world. As a result, Chinese always look upon the West for directions in cultural, economical and social movement. If the Western nations establish examples of love and true compassion, China will naturally follow. If at the West we allow our politicians wage wars to invade other countries, how can we expect the Chinese government will listen to our advice and stop violence?
Also we have to help the Chinese realize the tremendous practical value of love and compassion. We can’t, on one hand, demand cheap consumer goods to fill in the shelves of our XXX-marts, on the other hand, ask them show love and compassion at their own costs. We need to use economic leverages to encourage their action of love.
Second is to build bridges between the China and the West and reach out to the people and the poor. In my opinion, it is good to engage the government in dialogue; but I wouldn’t count on that as a resolution. The Chinese government officials are a group of people who are greatly separated from the fundamental aspects of humanity. Their minds are taken over by the hunger of power and the fear of truth. There is little point trying to reason with them. You can try overpowering and intimidating them; but where does that lead us to?
We have to build channels and bridges to empower the Chinese people so that the government can be changed from inside out and bottom up. A central rule in the non-violence approach to conflict is to look for common grounds between the two parties in conflict. We do not agree with Chinese government’s policy, but we all want to improve the lives for the people who are struggling with poverty, even the Chinese government (for the sake of their political future)! We need to build more channels for that to happen. After all, love and compassion is what His Holiness stands for. If we spread love and compassion to the Chinese, we are essentially spreading the lights of His Holiness, right? When spirituality comes back to mainland China, when the faith in goodness and love is restored in people’s heart, Chinese will naturally accept and embrace the beauty of Tibetan culture and people.
Third, I suggest that we think beyond this three-dimensional reality and start adopting new working paradigms that directly involves energies at higher dimensions. The Newtonian mechanical view of world and reality is too inadequate in serving us in today’s age. There are a wealth of scientific research out there to prove this in the fields of physics, psychology, sociology and medicine. We need to enter the quantum ages and embrace the ultimate merging between Science and Spirituality and celebrate the marriage between materialism and spirituality!
If we want to bring peace to the earth that is engulfed in the war between Materialism and Spirituality, we have to learn to use the tools provided by Spirituality. We know very well how to use modern technologies to serve our goals. What about actively developing and engaging “spiritual technologies” in order to transform people and the societies at a much deeper level and in more powerful ways? Let’s starts meditation and prayers. Start a disciplined spiritual practice. Transform ourselves into energy centers that emit lots and lots of lights; so that we can transform our families; so that our families can go on and transform other people in the city, in the States, in the country and eventually the 1.3 billion Chinese. Find the healer inside of us and send healing energies to our surroundings, to those who are suffering, to the Chinese, the government officials (whose souls are burning with selfish desires and desperately need healing), and to the Mother Earth. Don’t be afraid to develop our intuitive skills and use them. Let our heart direct our brain; but not the other way around. In this regards, the Tibetans are the experts and the Tibetan traditions host a wealth of information. Again I can attest from my own experience. Professionally, I am a Scientist with a very strong analytical background. Recent years, I learned a great deal about my own intuition and healing power and I was constantly amazed by the power and potential locked inside our very own consciousness. As a result, my life has been totally transformed. It is also because of this I remain infinitely optimistic about human’s future on earth.
One may say, even if these work, this is several life times’ work and we will never live long enough to see the results. Yes, that is right; we have to see beyond just our generation and we are here to plant the seeds. We may not be able to witness the seeds break out the soil in this lifetime; but we have to let go our attachment for outcome manifested in one lifetime and learn to thoroughly enjoy the work itself and every moment of our lives. The work can not be done in this life time? No problem, I know I want to be born again to continue this work; this is what reincarnation is meant for.
Blessings from The Skylark
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