the plight of tibet

An unexpected side effect of my trek around north India has been meeting Tibetans and learning more about their country and culture. For years, I have been getting letters in the mail along with stickers of the Tibetan flag, from an organization founded by the actor Richard Gere. But until recently I never really knew much about the situation. Seeing the documentary called Ten Questions with the Dalai Lama last year was illuminating, but of course meeting real live people is always more significant. Tibet was invaded in the early 1950s by the Chinese and they officially took control in 1959, at which point His Holiness the Dalai Lama and thousands of others Tibetans fled for their lives. Since then, the people have been repressed, tortured, and even killed. Meanwhile, more and more Chinese are moving into Tibet each year. I am about to have tea with a Tibetan Buddhist monk who I met the other day. He authored a book about his experiences being captured, imprisoned, and tortured by Chinese for three years, and his subsequent escape to India. More to come on this topic soon...