Thursday, February 28, 2013

A Leader

                             "What It Takes to Be a Leader in Tibetan Community".

International Campaign for Tibet's Youth Leadership Workshop requires participants to write an essay on the theme of "what it takes to be a leader in Tibetan community?"as one of the creteria for selection for the weeklong leadership seminar in June. My inclination is that that this leadership training is worthwhile and could open door to limitless opportunities to undergraduate and graduate students, who are  the target trainees of the workshop. It provides the opportunity to nurture leadership and enable to interact with other Tibetan peers from Northern America. the seminar will be an eyeopenner for the students' own interest , potentional and possible future employment. If you are  Tibetan students activists, this could one of your crucial moment to bolster once own credential and gain real life knowledge in areas of  leadership and activism. In the following, let me dwell on the ideal requisite of a leaders in Tibetan community, which could be broadly categorized into education, dedication, and vision:


EDUCATION

This is a key qualification to be a leader in the Tibetan community. Education here means modern or traditional or combined. Along with education comes compentency, character and comunication skills, which is crucial in today's leadership.  One of the current and popular example of a leader whose educational achievement and fame brought him much crediability in his run of the office is Dr. Lobsang Sangay. A Phd degree in Harvard University puts him a head above all shoulder and the attraction for many voters. Wielding his Harvard degree, Dr. Losang Sangay has successfully presented himself to Tibetan registered  voters as a man of scholorship,intelligence,charism and great communication skills. The depth of his knowlwedge on international laws and his fluence in English language is a plus point for his candidacy for exiled Tibetan political leader. Education is key to success both for individual and as  leader or servant in Tibetan community. The nature of Tibetan people's struggle is peaceful through  nonviolent and peaceful  means.  Hence education is a invalueable weapon that all Tibetans requires to battle agaisnt communisty party leadership. As the Dalai Lama side we have the truth and it will prevail. For the truth to prevail, Tibetans youths need to be empowered and well educated, so that they can face any odd challenges and can  professionally defend Tibet's justice cause under any circumstance. With education comes wisdom and intelligence. Hence the saying goes pen is mightier than sword and this statemetn should resonated with the issue of Tibetan struggle for human dignity and human rights.  Education is the tool for a crasfman, who need it to design and rebuild thier prefered structures, like our leader needs to be armed with the weapon of education to do their job..

DEDICATION

While education is the foundation on which the individual's philosophy or principle is build on, educated Tibetan needs a crucial things  for the fullest utilization of their potentials.  That is his dedication for the cause . Another key quality of a Tibetan leader is his dedication for the cause. There are many educated Tibetan in the West, and how many of them are dedicated for the cause of Tibet, apart of their own career.  Dedication here means completely giving oneself for the cause of the struggle, by investing time and tirelessly work toward a goal. The Tibetan issue and struggle is such that one can not easily give up. It is not a lucrative business, and it is not welcomed all the time. Dedication will not whether the wills of the leaders when the going is getting hard. There will be ups and downs in the struggle, but the leader or the servant has to be fully committed for betterment of Tibet issues through awareness, activitism and so on. Tibetan community leaders should be able to inspire their fellow Tibetans by examples and leadership. With dedication, the movement and Tibetan struggle will not fizzle out as the Chinese wished with the pass of time. Fighting for a cause or issue such as Tibet's will require more than education and dedication, which I mentioned early. The leader of a Tibetan people needs to be visionary. Thanks to the vision and farsightedness of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, The Tibetan struggle has sustained through all these years, and it is getting more vibrant with the full democratization the Tibetan society.

VISION  

When we talk of vision, it means what we foresee in the future. Tibetan people's fight for freedom has to be continued with same vigor and valor, even it takes hundred years. A Tibetan leader should be able to envision the fight down the road. Our fight is not only for the present, it has to be passed down to generations to come. Our leader should have the vision to   pass this fighting spirit to the future prosterity. The Tibet issue needs to be looked from a wide prospective and for long term survival strategy. Whatever plan and policy is underway, it should be aimed for not only for today but for tomarrow.  The strategy and slogans and statement should project that the Tibetan struggle will go on as long as the communisty party of China remain and as long as freedom is not restored in Tibet. The Tibetans inside and outside will not relent for generations to come.  We need to be aware that our battle is long and hard one. With that thing in mind, our leader should be able to fine tune it so it will withstand the test of time.

CONCLUSION

At the Youth leadership workshop, the participants should be fullty informed that these three qualities such as education, dedication and vision is the basic requirement for all future leaders. As one of wellknown Tibetan swami said once, "Give me four committed people and I will move the mountain". So dedication is required for the long and arduous task , and education is absolute necessity for the knowhow of cutting across the moutain and vision is what is expected after the work is done, how that will be handled.
        


 

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Prayers

Dharamsala based Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) called for a solidarity prayers on 20 Wenesday to all Tibetan dispora across the world. The prayer is for those Tibetans who have self-immolated recently and all those did the same in past. Tibetan community in the common wealth of Virginia responded to Kashag's call for mass simultaneous prayers.

Within a short notice, a member of the Capital Area Tibetan Association announced the prayer to be held at a Tibetan family house in Vienna. I look at prayer as a way of escaping from the pain and sorrow inflicted upon ourselves from death of a relatives or dear ones. What really prayer helps for the deceased is something we have no evidence. It is a belief, and that the  light we lit help the deceased to show the path of darkness, and the recitation of our prayers help the dead in mitigating their pain and sorrow of leaving the world.  All traditions and culture have this powerful ritual for the dead and following the custom and tradition is a way of a respecting the deceased.  So I attended today's prayer session at Rinzin la's house and wholeheartedly prayed for those Tibetan martyers who choice the path of no return one after another apparantly for the greater cause of Tibet, now reaching 104.

The community members have come in considerable numbers. One top floor shrine is filled with people and another mid level room is also filled. The power of praying by coming together is tremendous. All Tibetans these days, who have knowledge of the ongoing  self-immolation are filled with sorrow and grief. One is not knowing what to do when each incident of burning hit us.  So the prayers is the answer to all the tragedic story that is filling us frequently.

As I was sitting along with other CATA members and reciting the prayers in unison. It gives you a sense of empowerment and liberating feeling. All of all status converged under  one roof to hail those heros of Tibet. I hope our prayers will be answered and sooner or later, Tibet will get the sun of happiness. Flipping through the pages of prayer book, I was curious of what those stanza mean.
our prayer was lead by an ex-monk, who is always very helpful in social gathering and for the smooth conduct of religious rituals and ceremony. The gentleman acts as a very smart chant master and lead the crowd. If we understood, what we have been reciting, then that will awesome. But unfortunately, very few people grasp what is been read in the book.

The highlight of the prayer session was serving Tibetan tea, and making Tso offering.  The reading for the Tso was brief, but that served  the same purpose. People have brought cookies, fruit and other ediable for the Tso.   As we ended the offering and all the required recitation, then everyone got a bag of Tso offering.  Come for prayer and leave with a Tso bag.

Prayers is the only thing that the living can do and it is very powerful gesture of sympathy, support and sorrow. While this is one way of  addressing the concern of self-immolation, there is need to be more pratical actions and pratical movement to further amplifying the voices of Tibetans in Tibet.

This is my second day at Xsport, as I came right here after the prayer session. 



 

Monday, February 18, 2013

Physical Fitness

Today I reenrolled in Xsport gym membership after three years lapses. Yes I was a member for few months in 2009 and couldnt keep up and cancelled membership. The reason for my neglect in physical fitness is nothing else than the usual family obligations and other work related hectics that kept me at bay from physical activities. Now the storm is passed, my family is bouncing back to norma life. And I need to get back to shape.  One month holiday in Nepal, gained me 2 extra pounds.  The belly is growing enormous and it is pretty a sight.  So Thanks to a  friend's referral, I got a decent deal to enroll a monthly basis membership.  Which started today, and I fully used it with a terrific workout, including several lap of in the swimming pool. 

So here is the reasons that I get back to my gym membership.
1. Xsport provides an excellent , convenient schedule or it opens 24/7 hours that makes it very easy for me to come anytime not like the OakMarr community, which opens late and closes early. Doesnt work with my time, even it is much closer to my home.
2. My weight gain needs to be curtailed to prevent any further irrovocal self damage to my physical health, and for the overall wellbeings, I need to shed the extra pound.
3.  For my own self esteem, the physical fitness is crucial. I need to have a sound physical health to do some heavy lighting brain works like writing.
4. My working habit at home is not healthy.  I need to be at a public place to do better with workout and needs to be more self disciplined.
5. Xsport internet access is an excellent opportunity for me to blog.  I recall that I have blogged a lot when I was a member before. As my mind is so fresh and alert and creative, just after a nice cool workout.
6. The reason reason to join the gym is yes I do have time to go there now, while my family is away.  I am a free bird and I need to use my time fruitfully and productively. I know ones my family is back , my time to do what I like will not be easily available. I had to adjust my time for the welfare and happiness and activities of my kids and family. So why not enjoy when I am all to myself.

So it begins today, Feb 18, on President's Day. I will be coming to the gym regularly and will be blogging continuously , there is no shortage of topics to write.
Now I got to run off, for I have another commitment today at 7:00pm.  Keeping busy is blessing..

 

Monday, February 4, 2013

News

http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/zhuanlan/huashengdunshouji/zoujinxicang/dalai-11242009121757.html