Tibet on The Huffington Post

Peter Clothier: Survival Of The Selfless?

2009-12-14T11:25:30Z

I'm reading two books--both advance copies--which are providing some insight into our current situation. The first, The Compassionate Instinct, edited by Dacher Keltner, Jason Marsh and Jeremy Adam Smith, is subtitled "The Science of Human Goodness."

The collection of essays by various scientists includes not only a great deal of research information but also a good deal of story-telling and personal anecdotes challenging the old survivalist assumption that we humans are hard-wired for self-interest. The newest studies of primates are now telling us a different story--that such qualities as empathy, forgiveness, community, cooperation and trust are as much a part of the survival imperative as the ones that have commonly been accepted: competition, aggression, the urge to dominance and so forth.

The book is divided into three parts, the first examining "The Scientific Roots of Human Goodness"; the second, "How to Cultivate Goodness in Relationships with Friends, Family, Coworkers and Neighbors"; and the third, "How to Cultivate Goodness in Society and Politics." Heaven knows, these qualities and practices are needed if our species is to survive the near-disaster it has brought upon itself, and it is encouraging to know that the scientific community is beginning to promulgate a rational undergirding for them.

Perhaps--who knows--we can use some of this research to our mutual benefit. Who knew, for example, as research has revealed, that in combat situations--at least until recently--the majority of soldiers fired their weapons into the air rather than targeting the enemy? The revulsion for killing a follow human being was so powerful, so innate, that many went through the motions without actually following orders to kill. A hopeful discovery. But of course, once discovered, the finding resulted in the development of new training techniques to overcome the "natural" instinct." The kill rate in our recent wars has significantly increased.

Still, "The Compassionate Instinct" is a worthwhile read, and one that suggests that what we are discovering about ourselves as a species may, just conceivably, help us to redirect our sense of who we are and where we're going with this fragile planet of ours. The question remains as to whether we have yet "hit bottom," to revert to the language of addiction--and we all seem to be addicts, don't we? We're addicted to our fossil fuels, to our comforts and conveniences, to the kinds of food we eat, to our "rights"... To paraphrase yet another great writer, the poet Rainer Maria Rilke, we must change our lives. ("Du musst dein Leben aendern.")

I had a lot of trouble with the second book, the third in "The Art of Happiness" series by the Dalai Lama and the psychiatrist Howard C. Cutler.

The Art of Happiness in a Troubled World purports to be "written by the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler, M.D." I say "purports to be" because it's not, and that's the difficulty I have. It's really a book written by Howard C. Cutler M.D., based on his interviews with the Dalai Lama. It's the third in "The Art of Happiness" series. I reviewed the first for the Los Angeles Times about ten years ago, and I had the same discomfort with that book as I have with this.

The preponderant bulk of the book is written by Dr. Cutler. True, he includes ample quotations from the Dalai Lama, but His Holiness's actual words occupy, at a guess, no more than a tenth of the book. Otherwise, it's Dr. Cutler's gloss on the Dalai Lama's words, or Dr. Cutler's leading questions, which can go on for literally pages. At times, it's Dr. Cutler putting words in the Dalai Lama's mouth. All of which is intensely distracting, for this reader, from an otherwise useful and interesting book.

That said, The Art of Happiness in a Troubled World has much to recommend it, and it would have been a simple matter to have labeled it differently, and accurately, as a book by Howard C. Cutler MD based on interviews with His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

The wisdom of the Buddha and of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition has much to teach a world that is beset by troubles today: war and violence, disease and hunger are the prevalent conditions in too many parts of the small planet which is increasingly overpopulated by our species. Through our human attachments to our own needs and greed, we are despoiling our environment and depleting our resources at an alarming rate, and creating the conditions for as yet unimaginable suffering and grief. That the Dalai Lama is able to smile and nod and spread compassion, as he does, despite this monumental mess is certainly worth Dr. Cutler's efforts to understand the fundamentals of his beliefs and practices.

And it's not too complicated. The Dalai Lama--if I may be so bold, as Dr. Cutler is, to be speaking for him!--believes in the fundamental goodness of his fellow human beings. He believes that all conflict and violence can be attributed not to some evil gene in the human species but rather to ignorance and the misperception of reality. He believes that if we were to see things clearly, without the narrowing of vision and the distortion brought about by our delusory thinking, we would all get along because it is in our interest to do so. That if we were able to listen to each other with compassion, to truly put ourselves in place of those we oppose or hate, then such abominations as racism, religious intolerance and extremist nationalism would be seen for what they are--distortions of reality rather than truths about our human nature.

The skeptics will regard these arguments as pollyanna-ish nonsense. There is in the contemporary world an ingrained, deeply inherited belief to the contrary: that the human species is by nature violent, aggressive, competitive, protective of its territory, rejective of the "other." And yet, as Dr. Cutler points out--and this is really the thesis of his book--there is an ample and growing body of scientific research that supports the Dalai Lama's position, a view that is amply supported by The Compassionate Instinct.

The multi-million year hard-wiring of the human brain is not exclusively geared, it now turns out, to the aggressive qualities long thought to have been essential to the "survival of the fittest." More recent studies of human behavior, and of the behavior of our cousins, the primates, are revealing that survival skills also required such qualities as compassion, mutual understanding and collaboration, even selflessness.

It's no coincidence, surely, that these two books should appear at a moment when we badly need to reappraise the way we share this planet, as a species, with our own and others; and when we are stand poised on the brink of the global disaster that could so easily be caused by the delusions of ignorance, mutual suspicion, fear, and greed.

Alison Rose Levy: A Meeting Of The Hearts: The Dalai Lama And The Thirteen Grandmothers

2009-12-12T11:08:15Z

A number of indigenous cultures have foretold a time when humanity, our future, and the earth itself were at stake--due to human folly. In a typical fairy tale, folk legend, and in our hopes and dreams, at such a time "a hero" would come forth to save us.

But suppose the hero wasn't a knight in shining armor, or all-seeing officers at an omnipotent military command central--no, suppose that the hero, or heroes, came from every corner of the earth, spoke eight languages and represented thirteen different traditions. Some traditions portray them as thirteen grandmothers, indigenous healers, called forth by dreams and prophecy to join together in prayer for the earth and its people.

There is in fact a counsel of thirteen elder wise women-- called the Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers. They have circled the globe, meeting with the Dalai Lama, leading healing ceremonies and prayer circles in India, Nepal, the Amazon, Alaska, Mexico, and Nicaragua. Last week they came to New York City. On Friday night, the film, For the Next Seven Generations in which filmmaker Carole Hart documents their extraordinary work, made its New York debut at the Urban Zen Center, the welcoming downtown gathering place, founded by Donna Karan. Over the weekend, the Jivamukti Yoga Center hosted the grandmothers in two evenings of prayer and healing.

In welcoming the grandmothers to Urban Zen, Donna Karan revealed that, "To be able to celebrate this film and be with the Grandmothers is a dream come true for me. Urban Zen nurtures the wisdom of the past (in wisdom and indigenous traditions), the present (in health and wellbeing), and the future (through empowering our children). The Grandmothers remind us to celebrate the spirit of Mother Earth."

I spoke with a number of the Grandmothers.

"We're in a time of many alarming events and life crises that involve the basic elements of life: water, earth, sun (fire), and earth--the foundations of life are our concern," Mona Polacca, a Hopi and Havasupai healer and counselor from Arizona told me.

"We're being a voice for the voiceless," said Agnes Baker Pilgrim, a Rouge River Indian elder from Oregon. "Mother Earth is calling us back. We're covering her face with concrete. We're polluting her waters with garbage. Enough is enough. When the trees and water are gone, how can the world banks manufacture money?"

There is one enemy: greed, they agreed.

"We pray for peace for all people," Said Julieta Casimiro, a Mazatec elder from Oaxaca, Mexico.

Clara Shinobu Iura, who runs a healing center in the heart of the Amazon where she uses herbs to heal, points the way to peace. To create it, we first must create it within ourselves, she says.

"It's very important for us to hear our own soul. You have to open the door to your own heart."
she said. "Our time in this planet is so short. It's important for us to clean ourselves."

"Together, the grandmothers have almost nine hundred years of experience," said Flordemayo a Mayan healer from Nicaragua, "We are thirteen voices strong to remind humanity that we must unite to move into this new millennium. We're in the process of birthing a new way of being, a new way for all of us to be gentle with each other. We should connect our hearts and become one."

In their meeting in Dharamsala with the Dalai Lama, portrayed in the film, the Dalai Lama warmly greeted the Grandmothers and affirmed their goal, "The mother is the first real teacher of compassion. In creating a compassionate society, the mother is crucial. You are sharing the wisdom of that experience," he told the Grandmothers.

And then His Holiness smiled and said, "If were not a monk, I would be a Grandfather."

For more information on the Grandmothers, please go to their film's website.

For health and psychology insight, get the free ezine, the Health Outlook at www.health-journalist.com

Julia Moulden: What Makes Us Wise II: The Defining Wisdom Project

2009-12-12T07:00:00Z

"You Canadians!," my cabbie laughed as I climbed into the back seat and complained about the cold. "Always talking about the weather. In my country, we have two weather reports. 'Now it is the rainy season' and 'Now it is the dry season'."

That lighthearted exchange came to mind when I flipped my calendar to December. "Now it is the wise season," I thought. Is there another time of year when we reflect on what it means to be wise? So many cultures mark the Winter Solstice as a "coming of the light". Yes, we sing songs of joy and love, but we pray for enlightenment. For that "spark of the divine" as President Obama put it in his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech on Thursday.

You'll recall that I wrote about wisdom this fall - in a post titled "What Makes Us Wise?" In the weeks that followed, I heard from all kinds of fascinating people - including the folks at the Defining Wisdom Project at the University of Chicago (more on them in a moment).

First, I want to tally your answers to the questions posed in my September column, based on your comments and emails.

Definition.
Virtually everyone said that wisdom is difficult to define. I received countless definitions, some of them really good and thoughtful. Natalie from Iowa wrote that the definition I included in the first post "Understanding what is true, right, or lasting" didn't go far enough. Here's her version. "Knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action."

Inside everyone.
About 75% of readers said that the potential for wisdom is innate.

Can be learned.
Of these, more than 90% said that we can develop this capacity in ourselves through self knowledge, learning, and life experience.

Humility.
Perhaps one third of you said this is an essential aspect of wisdom: that knowing how little you know is part of being wise.

Who's wise?
One person mentioned her grandmother. Someone else, a child. Pretty much everyone else suggested well-known leaders and thinkers, such as Mandela, JFK, Martin Luther King, Joseph Campbell, Maya Angelou, and the Dalai Lama. A couple of people nominated themselves (perhaps they missed the lessons on humility...).

Quotes.
Some good ones (see comments on the original post). A special shout out to by Dr Bruce Lloyd, Emeritus Professor of Strategic Management, London South Bank University, who sent along hundreds. This was among my favourites. "Old age takes away from us what we have inherited and gives us what we have earned." Gerald Brenan (a British writer).

Now, to Joy. Joy Wattawa, specifically. She emailed to say how delighted the team at the Defining Wisdom Project at the University of Chicago was to discover the HuffPo community engaged in a conversation about wisdom. And that the questions we were discussing span some of the topics people involved with the project are addressing.

So, naturally, I interviewed Dr. Howard Nusbaum, Department Chair, and Co-director of the Center for Cognitive and Social Neuroscience at the University of Chicago and a co-principal investigator for the project:

Julia Moulden: Is there a working definition of wisdom?

Howard Nusbaum: In a word, no. (He laughs.) The project that the Templeton Foundation is supporting is called Defining Wisdom. We started with the premise that we need some initial research to even start thinking about wisdom.

JM: In looking at your site, I noticed a photograph of an eye, which appears to belong to someone young. My immediate association is that wisdom comes with age, with life experience.

HN: The few people who've studied wisdom had a sense that it is associated with age and life experience. It's a common notion, whether you think of King Solomon or Yoda. I'm not convinced of that. If you think of wisdom as a set of criteria by which we judge a particular decision, it certainly depends on experiences, but one can have a density of experiences at any age that would be relevant to the thing we call wisdom.

JM: Why are people thinking and talking about wisdom more these days? And clearly interested in investing in it, as witness your project?

HN: It could be that as society ages, it becomes more reflective. But when I look at the rising interest in wisdom, I don't see it confined to older people. In fact, we had a debate when establishing the project. The Templeton Foundation suggested that we should be looking for junior faculty. We were concerned about that idea, because it seems like a risky topic for scientists and researchers to take on, given how little work there is. We were surprised by how wrong we were. We asked for proposals from junior faculty, and were amazed at the number and quality of the proposals.

JM: Why junior faculty?

HN: The project is an attempt to start a new field and the thinking was that younger researchers are going to be at it longer. We hope to have another round targeted at senior investigators.

JM: Beyond the definition, what are the goals of the project?

HN: To get people thinking about and talking about wisdom in a systematic way.

JM: Is there no study of wisdom now?

HN: No field of wisdom science. And in order to create one, we wanted to bring together all the interested parties - philosophers, classicists, historians, legal experts, people in medicine, psychology, biology - to get a conversation going that spans these disciplines. We had responses from every discipline. No aspect of academia is uninterested in this.

JM: So, will wisdom science belong to one academic discipline?

HN: It would be easy for philosophy, say, or psychology, to claim it, but I don't think that's in the best interest of developing a wisdom science. In fact, wisdom research is reflective of a change taking place in academia, where what used to be solo enterprises are now exploring other ideas and approaches.

JM: Where are you now with the project?

HN: We're in the second year, with 23 finalists working on their projects. Everything from data compression as a form of wisdom to studying aggression in ants as a form of wisdom. Some of the issues you raised in your post, "Is wisdom learnable?" and "Is it inherent in the individual?" are the kinds of things we talk about during our regular teleconferences.

JM: How can we keep tabs on the project?

HN: We have a website where your readers can learn more about what we're doing, and join in the conversation.

JM: When I heard about the project, I thought "of course!". Can't believe that no-one has done this yet - such an important idea.

HN: Important, but slippery. Which is why scientists have stayed away. One of the wonderful things about the Templeton Foundation is that they're willing to take on high-risk projects to develop scholarship that can help people.

JM: One final question. Now that you're doing this, do people expect you to be wise? Like, maybe, your kids?

HN: (He laughs, encore.) No, I don't think there's any expectation that I'm wise. And if there is, it only takes a minute for people to find out the truth.

Now it's your turn again, readers. Why are you interested in wisdom? And what do you make of all this? Also, how old are you (I'm curious to know if more older people are reading this). And do you think our prayers for enlightenment will help our leaders in Copenhagen? Please share your thoughts by commenting below, or by emailing me at JULIA (that familiar symbol) wearethenewradicals (punctuation) (COM).

Julia Moulden is on tour, talking about the New Radicals.

Rebecca Novick: Tibetans Take to the Streets Over "Terrorist" Monk

2009-12-11T15:23:12Z

"I have always taught people that one should not harm any life, not even that of an ant. How could I then possibly be responsible for such an act?" Tenzin Delek Rinpoche

Last week, hundreds of Tibetans, young and old, began gathering in Kardze (Ch. Ganzi) prefecture in Sichuan Province to shout the name of a 59-year-old jailed monk, Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, according to sources who spoke with Radio Free Asia. Tenzin Delek has been labeled a "terrorist" by Chinese authorities, but to these people he is a hero.

Tenzin Delek was arrested in December 2002 for his alleged involvement in a series of bombings that caused one death and a number of injuries, and is currently serving a life sentence in Mianyang Prison. From the extensive research done on the case by Human Rights Watch, Tenzin Delek's arrest appears to have been a somewhat desperate measure in a series of efforts by local officials to curb the activities of a man who had become a threat to their authority. But although they have effectively silenced the man, they can't seem to silence his memory.

According to RFA's sources, this December 5th, about 60 Tibetans, mostly youths from Tenzin Delek's native village of Orthuk, went to Nyakchukha county government offices to appeal for his release. RFA reports that the protesters were attacked by security forces and their motorbikes smashed and dumped into army vehicles. But when word got out about the incident, people began to descend on Nyakchukha from neighboring counties to demonstrate on Tenzin Delek's behalf.

Days later, they are still coming. Many are older Tibetans "who want to see Tenzin Delek Rinpoche," a local Tibetan told RFA, on condition of anonymity. Some are avoiding roadblocks by walking over the hills. Some are refusing to leave, even when finding themselves blocked by large contingents of security forces who have warned the crowds of possible violent repercussions. The reports are sketchy (in many places in Kardze public phones have been removed to stop people from reporting events such as these) and some are still not confirmed, but they point to hundreds of detentions, injuries, hunger strikes, and towns under curfew.

So who is this man for whom Tibetans are willing to risk their lives and who Chinese authorities have called "one of the two greatest enemies of China"? (The other is, of course, the Dalai Lama.)

Over the decades leading up to his arrest, Tenzin Delek Rinpoche became hugely popular as a social activist and people's advocate. He established schools for orphans and the poor, free medical clinics and old-age homes. He openly expressed his loyalty to the Dalai Lama. And he was not afraid to challenge and criticize government cadres whom he believed to be self-serving, corrupt, or inefficient. The height of his success as an activist, and some say the beginning of his downfall, was a grassroots campaign to reclaim public forest land that the government had seized for logging. The locals won back their land, but officials never forgave Tenzin Delek for their loss of face.

Before then, it seems that they had tolerated him, perhaps appreciating the usefulness of his role as an intermediary between the local people and local government. But after the forest campaign, Tenzin Delek found life becoming increasingly difficult. His activities were labeled "political" and so were forbidden. His freedom of movement was restricted. He was occasionally detained and was twice forced into hiding.

Lochoe Drimey, one of Tenzin Delek's former students, organized a petition appealing his teacher's innocence in 2001. Lochoe, who fearing his own arrest later fled to India, collected 40,000 signatures and thumbprints. "It became a spontaneous mass movement and unanimous support for Rinpoche's safety," he told the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy.

These days, in what must seem like a disturbing deja vu for government officials, Tibetans are once again out in numbers and insisting upon Tenzin Delek's innocence. Five of his family members reportedly traveled to Beijing a number of weeks ago to deliver a lengthy petition signed by 30,000 people, which called for a new hearing. The petition can be read in its entirety at High Peaks, Pure Earth.

"If you are out to condemn somebody, you can always find a charge," reads the petition. "If this case is not solved justly...all the people who follow him, regardless of whether the poor turn into beggars, whether men or women, they will definitely not stop appealing for justice."

According to Human Rights Watch, Tenzin Delek never received a fair trial. "The court was neither independent nor impartial, and the defendants were denied access to independent legal counsel....Claiming that state secrets were involved, Chinese authorities still refuse to release any of the evidence presented at trial." It also seems that China's promise to U.S. officials that the Supreme People's Court, the highest court in China, would carry out a "lengthy" review of the cases was not honored.

Tenzin Delek Rinpoche was probably sentenced largely on the basis of an alleged confession by his distant relative, Lobsang Dhondrup, who was accused of being an accomplice to the bombings. Lobsang's confession was never made public and it seems highly likely that it was extracted under torture. At his sentencing, Lobsang retracted his confession but was executed in January 2003.

Tenzin Delek, who also has repeatedly expressed his innocence, was given a suspended 2-year death sentence. A well-known Chinese human rights lawyer offered to defend him at his appeal hearing, but was informed that Tenzin Delek was happy with his choice of a local lawyer. His appeal was denied but his case sparked an international outcry. The governments of the United States, the United Kingdom,the European Union, India and others, pressured China on Tenzin Delek's behalf, and in 2005, his death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.

Said Philippa Carrick of The Tibet Society UK, "With Tenzin Delek Rinpoche's health now seriously deteriorating, thousands of Tibetans, in genuine, heartfelt reaction, are rallying to his cause. They are asking for no more than a basic humanitarian gesture from the authorities that could lead to his release."

Tenzin Delek Rinpoche is reported to be suffering from heart pains and has difficultly walking. But even in his compromised physical condition, from the strength of these recent protests, it's clear that his reputation among Tibetans remains as vigorous as ever.

Rebecca Novick is the founding producer of The Tibet Connection radio program.

Eliezer Sobel: Why I Am Not Enlightened

2009-12-11T14:35:59Z

I finally figured out why I'm not enlightened. Over 30 years ago, when I had just made the proverbial first step on a "journey of a thousand miles" I heard the following well-known tale: A man approaches a Zen Master and asks to be shown the path to enlightenment. The Master replies, "Okay, follow me," stands up, and walks the man to a nearby river and into the water. Without warning, the Master forces the man's head under the water and holds it there as he struggles violently for his life, until he is nearly dead. At last the Master pulls the man up, gasping for air, and says, "When you want to be enlightened as badly as you wanted to take your next breath just now, come back and see me."

At the time, as a youthful spiritual adventurer, the story inspired me and got me fired up, and fueled the years of seeking, meditating, and exotic travels to distant lands that followed. Yet now, looking back, I'm wondering if I could have saved myself a lot of trouble had I simply answered the question implied by that story honestly: No. No I do not want to get enlightened more than life itself, more than I would crave my next breath in that situation.

Again and again in the spiritual literature, and particularly in the fierce world of Zen, we come across stories that are similar. In ancient China, it is said that Hui-ka came to Bodhidharma's cave and waited for the monk to accept him. After standing there for days with no sign of the teacher coming out to greet him, it began snowing. When the snow had reached to Hui's waist, Bodhidharma finally came out and asked,

" What is it you want?"
"My mind is not at ease," Hui replied.
"The Way is long and difficult," said Bodhi, dismissing him.

Hui took out his sword and chopped off his left arm and handed it to the Master, and was accepted.

Another tale tells of the Zen master who was once threatened by a gruff Samurai holding a sword over him, saying, "Don't you know who I am? I am someone who could cut your head off without a second thought or batting an eye," to which the Master replied, "And don't you know who I am? I am someone who could offer you his head to cut off without a second thought or batting an eye." In one of his previous incarnations, the Buddha is said to have offered his body as food for a hungry tiger.

And so forth and so on; the message seems to be that enlightenment, or the realization of Truth, is not a casual affair for mere spiritual tourists, but only for the very rare individual willing to sacrifice any and everything, including his or her very life, in its pursuit.

Alas, most of us, myself included, are merely in search of, at best, "feeling better," while possibly surrounding ourselves with consoling aphorisms and beliefs, incense, and countless books on esoteric subjects written by others who themselves have not made the final cut, so to speak. (The late Douglas Harding, one of the few who seemed to know of what he spoke, titled one of his books, On Having No Head.) But let's face it: of all the people that you and I know who have spent a good deal of their lives sitting on meditation cushions, chanting in Sanskrit, gulping psychedelics like M & Ms, and subscribing to The Yoga Journal, how many have achieved the pinnacle of human possibility that all of the great spiritual teachings insist is available to anyone, if only we wanted it as badly as air and life itself?

It would mean putting enlightenment at the top of our To-Do list and priorities, ahead of career, family, comfort and security, things which, speaking for myself, actually comprise some of my favorite parts of being alive. In the Christian world, of course, Jesus was a "fisher of men" and told them to put down their nets right then and there and "follow me." Like the Moonies in the early days, those who joined up never even called home or checked in with their parents. (Perhaps today the families of Peter, Judas and the rest would kidnap them and deliver them to a deprogrammer). Same for the monks who divested themselves of all worldly goods and personal attachments to traipse through the forest with the Buddha. The Jews, naturally, didn't have much choice. Following Moses into the desert for 40 years seemed at first as if it would definitely be a step up from brutal slavery, but a lot of them bitched and moaned about it anyway. Even they didn't always want their freedom more than the familiarity of the less than optimal life they knew.

Ram Dass, the well-known teacher and author of the canonic Be Here Now, once spoke of a picture he saw in the newspaper of an abused and battered infant wailing as it was taken out of the arms of its mother, reaching back desperately for its abuser. The message was clear: we are wired to choose the familiar and the comfortable at any cost. I attended a two-week retreat in Rishikesh, India with contemporary guru Andrew Cohen once, and he made it crystal clear at the outset that it was imperative that we "want to be free more than anything else," and that we needed to be "deadly serious about it." I've never really been deadly serious about anything (except maybe my record collection) so that put me off a bit, especially since the most enlightened people I had come into contact with over the years always had at least one thing in common: they laughed uproariously and often. (Actually, to be fair, so did Andrew.)

I've just finished reading Spiritual Warfare by Jed McKenna, who, like Andrew and many others who walk among us these days, presents himself as someone who is "done," in the sense that prior to enlightenment, we are all perpetually in a state of "becoming," as distinct from finally being released into the vast mystery of Present Being, with no further demands of life, only curiosity and radical amazement. Jed is done with all becoming. So he, too, naturally, makes statements like, "All that's required is an arm and a leg? That's it?" He can't believe his good fortune to learn that "waking up" is such a bargain. Living without a few limbs, he says, is far preferable to even one more moment of living a lie.

Okay, I think I've made my point: the reason I am not enlightened after all these years is that I value my arms and legs too much, not to mention my wife and family, and last but not least, air. (My favorite.)

Now, for the opposing view: the most provocative statement I ever heard Werner Erhard make--yes I know he is controversial and either adored or despised, but this is worth considering--was that over the years, he had witnessed thousands of people literally give up everything in their pursuit of enlightenment. He had seen them give up their jobs, their families, spend their fortunes, devote years of their time, meditate until their knees were destroyed, "ANYTHING," he said, "except the ONE THING required in order to be enlightened. That, no one will give up." He paused for emphasis, then shouted, as was his style, "PEOPLE WILL NOT GIVE UP THAT THEY ARE NOT ENLIGHTENED. IT'S TOO TERRIBLE TO GIVE THAT ONE UP! THEY HAVE TOO MUCH FUN DOING THINGS THAT ARE GOING TO ENLIGHTEN THEM!" He went on in a softer voice, "Now, did I just say you shouldn't do things that are going to enlighten you? No; do them. But do them because it's fun to do them! I would do them. I do do them. But not because they're going to enlighten anyone. You can't get enlightened. But you can be enlightened."

It's the perennial paradox. There are many spiritual teachers and schools of thought who remind us continuously that, "this is it," that we are, each of us, always already enlightened. That it is impossible to be otherwise, and any effort whatsoever in the direction of enlightenment can only, by definition, be a journey further from it, since it is where, unbeknownst to us, we are starting out from. A religious way of stating this would be to say that we are always already in the Presence of God. If God is Omnipresent, the Source and Substance of Everything/Everywhere, (and for the non-dual people, also the Non-Source and Non-Substance of Nothing/Nowhere, and really neither of those two, nor both; confused yet?) then there is absolutely nothing any of us could do, obviously, to either bring in or remove God from the scene.

Our True Nature is who we already are, not something we can become or attain in the future. The paradox becomes that we somehow don't recognize this fact and spend years searching for something that was never lost, and if we're fortunate, we'll run into a teacher along the way who will simply, as the Tibetan Dzogchen tradition puts it, "point out" what is perfectly obvious. Jed McKenna calls it "opening your eyes," Gurdjieff and many others refer to it as "waking up." It has been called God-Realization, Self-Realization, Enlightenment, Liberation, or simply being real and authentic, resting in the center of our original, True Nature and living life from that place rather than looking for it.

So those seem to be our two main choices: Either we're presently, already enlightened and simply don't know it, and there may or may not be teachers or methods that can help us achieve the recognition that there is nothing to achieve; or, we're clearly very far from enlightenment and we need to be willing to sacrifice our very lives to get to the Truth, and there may or may not be teachers or methods that will help us achieve that. In either case, good luck! In the meantime, it seems to me that it behooves we spiritual seekers to get on with our day.

John Morton: Spirit Of Peace In All: Part I

2009-12-11T13:00:00Z

Leigh Taylor-Young and I participated recently in the Parliament of the World's Religions in Melbourne, Australia. We gathered with over 10,000 fellow peacemakers, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Although this was Leigh's first visit to the Parliament, I attended in 1999 when the Parliament was held in Capetown, South Africa. At that time, I spoke during the Peace Pole dedication ceremony on Robben Island, the site of the imprisonment of Nelson Mandela. Nelson Mandela attended that Parliament as well and spoke of his "debt" to religion throughout his life.

A prime theme of the Parliament this year focused on "Healing Ourselves, Healing Our World". The Parliament brought together the religious/spiritual world with the scientific/secular world as a means to address our environmental crises, including the global warming so powerfully affecting our planet.

Early on Saturday morning this year, Leigh and I presented an "observance" --- a category of presentations at the Parliament where a religion or group offers a form of worship, practice, meditation, or invocation. We chose to present an Invocation of the Light along with chanting Ani Hu, a form of worship and chanting that we teach in the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness (MSIA). We called in the Light, and then the group chanted together Ani, an ancient term that brings forward the quality of empathy, and Hu, an ancient name for God.

Following a moment for the group's quiet inner contemplation, I presented an annotated version of the Gathering of the Peacemakers meditation that I had recorded in 1989. During the guided meditation, I described our crossing through a river that cleanses and purifies, serving as a baptism of the Spirit in All. This meditative baptism gives us the opportunity to let go of the past and move forward refreshed and renewed. In addition, I spoke of the opportunity we all have to join other peacemakers in this inner journey, which I see as a calling for all peacemakers.

Leigh introduced her long-time ministry which supports planetary healing and restoration of the natural world. She spoke of her many years of devoted service as a representative to the United Nations as well as the Institute for Individual and World Peace (IIWP). Leigh then presented a new version of the Spirit of Peace meditation that she had recorded in 1989. This new guided meditation invoked a beautiful presence of peace and healing for ourselves and our planet as Leigh noted repeatedly "and it is good".

A quintessential moment at the Parliament occurred as part of a presentation on the "Green Patriarch", a reference to Patriarch Bartholomew, the Ecumenical Patriarch of the Eastern Orthodox Church which reportedly has over 250 million followers at this time. The presentation was sponsored by the Forum on Religion and Ecology established by professors at Yale University. Patriarch Bartholomew traces the oldest uninterrupted lineage of Christian Church leadership, long before the Popes of the Roman Catholic Church, all the way back to the first of the Patriarchs, none other than the Apostle Andrew. Since 1997, Patriarch Bartholomew has led an international effort through joint symposiums with leaders from Christian, Catholic (including the last two Popes), Muslim, Hebrew, Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, Sikh, and several indigenous traditions along with prominent ecologists and scientists.

During this presentation, we viewed a film in which a group of over 200 leaders and major news media personnel traveled by ship to an arctic location in Greenland where the largest ice cap in the world has been melting at an alarming rate. On the bow of the ship which was anchored at the foot of an immense glacier, the religious leaders joined hands with Patriarch Bartholomew while he led the group in a prayer. The group continued holding in silence and then turned to face the glacier with their prayerful offerings. At the same time, the local Inuit and Saami tribes gathered in kayaks upon the waters below.

As the environmental crisis appears to be worsening, many people fear that the combined measures taken so far are insufficient to correct and restore our natural world. Many fear we are not able to provide what is needed to avert increasing cataclysmic occurrences from affecting the entire planet and everyone of us on Earth. A significant portion of the ecological and scientific world is acknowledging that what is called for now is a leadership of the masses of humanity. What is needed is inspiration on the order of the miraculous --- actions positively affecting millions upon millions across every land and into the seas and the skies.

Religious leadership is seen as a far greater influence upon the masses than any other form of leadership, including political or ethnic groups. More of the religious leadership, involving hundreds of millions and billions of people around the world, need to call upon their followers locally and globally to take corrective measures that would turn the tide. Suggestions include churches, temples, and shrines around the world demonstrating energy and pollution-reducing measures, such as the use of solar panels and more greening of their many land holdings..

We are certainly being called upon to send our prayers and Light for the highest good of all. Our individual and collective actions are vitally important to help make our individual world and the world at large a better place. What do I see? With God all things are possible. With the highest God, we are not called into fear and worry nor the callings of those in the line of Cassandra or Chicken Little. We are called upon to move into the presence that loves and cares for all, including all the natural forms of the creation.

Those leading this call to action at the Parliament, including Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim of Yale University and Martin Frick of the Global Humanitarian Forum along with many other presenters, encouraged us to move to the awe and wonder of our world. With that inspiration and hope, we can then become full participants in change for the better. Such change begins with you and me.

At a follow-up discussion for Patriarch Bartholomew, Pope Benedictine, and other prominent leaders of the world's religions, Leigh initiated a petition for that leadership to make an appearance at the upcoming Copenhagen Climate Conference. Can you envision the leadership of the world's religions calling upon the entire world to make a radical change to heal and restore the planet to its harmonic balance with flourishing becoming the result?

John-Roger. D.S.S. said, "What You Can Behold, You Can Become." What we can behold for the world, can become. Our imagination is not limited unless we allow it to be so. It begins with each one of us individually.

Perhaps right now you can pause for a moment to call upon God and the Christ within you to bless our planet, envisioning all who are in leadership and those who are called upon to help to make a change for the best. Let us also invoke the Spirit of Peace in All and see ourselves enjoining in the Gathering of Peacemakers. Let us become the blessings that already are for ourselves, for the world, and for all of God's creation. Let us let go and let God.

Baruch Bashan (the blessings already are)
-----------------------------------------------------
John Morton, D.S.S. is the author of two inspiring books, The Blessings Already Are and You Are the Blessings: Meditations and Reflections on Life, God and Us. To learn more about John's works, visit www.theBlessings.org. Contact John at JohnMorton@theBlessings.org.

Top Ten China Myths of 2009

2009-12-10T15:22:26Z

China in 2009 was the land we all hoped it would be: the enemy, the friend, the brilliant tactician, the bumbling oaf. China is such a mix of strength and weakness these days that it provides endless material for opportunistic arguments. Here are the top ten myths about China in 2009 and how they fared:

Gordon Cinco: China's Forgotten Minority

2009-12-10T10:06:00Z

When most people think of a people suppressed by the Chinese government, the first thing that springs to mind is Tibet, largely in part to its iconic and charismatic leader, the Dalai Lama. 'Free Tibet' stickers adorn car bumpers throughout the western world and it has been a cause célèbre for years, attracting actors and rock stars alike. Actor Richard Gere is chairman of the Board of Directors for the International Campaign for Tibet while rock bands such as the Beastie Boys, Radiohead, the Smashing Pumpkins and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers have all played pro-Tibet benefit concerts. The world's sympathy is rightly directed toward these people who have endured decades of systematic cultural and religious oppression since they were occupied by China in 1950.

Most people in the West are completely unaware that there is another group in China with a nearly identical story to that of the Tibetans. The Uyghurs (pron. WEE-ghurs) inhabit an area roughly three times the size of Texas and live on China's oil-rich northwestern periphery in a region known as East Turkestan by Uyghurs and as Xinjiang or New Frontier by the Chinese government. Like the Tibetans, the Uyghurs experienced self-rule and relative peace until the People's Liberation Army entered in 1949. They have since lived under a regime that has used violence and intimidation to coerce them into abandoning their religion and culture. The mostly Muslim Uyghurs are routinely marginalised by discriminatory policies favouring the majority Han ethnic group, which comprises over 90 per cent of China's population.

Yet there is no public outcry for the Uyghurs. No celebrity advocacy, benefit concerts or catchy slogans. To the contrary, most Americans had not even heard of the Uyghurs until they were thrust into the national spotlight during a legal controversy at Guantánamo Bay in which 22 Uyghurs were mistakenly detained as enemy combatants. As tragic as this incident was, it is only the tip of the iceberg in their heart-rending 60-year struggle for self-determination.

This year is not only the 60th anniversary of the People's Liberation Army's forceful control of Xinjiang, or East Turkestan as it was known at the time, but this 10 December, Human Rights Day, also marks 61 years since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Coincidentally it has also been 50 years since an uprising in Tibet was brutally crushed, forcing the Dalai Lama to go into exile.

China marked last year's Human Rights Day by locking up 18 dissidents in mental asylums throughout Shandong province for signing an online petition known as Charter 08 to improve human rights conditions. The Chinese Communist Party, like its totalitarian predecessors has a long, storied history of suppressing dissidents and activists. Yet it is the ethnic minority populations who are perceived as the gravest threat to the regime's survival and thus the most tightly controlled.

Beijing's paranoia is deeply rooted in historical awareness. For centuries, Chinese multiethnic dynasties rose and fell, amassing large territories then precipitously collapsing. Thus, the leadership is hypersensitive to anything that could be vaguely interpreted as a centrifugal force. East Turkestan having the largest natural gas and oil reserves in China also ensures that the leadership will not want to loosen its grip on the region any time in the near future.

In 1997, China went so far as to amend its own constitution and make it a capital offence to attempt to "split the state". The vague wording of this law has seen it applied by the Chinese authorities as a blanket accusation against Uyghurs for virtually any reason and arrest them en masse in so-called "Strike Hard" campaigns. Between 1997 and 2003, Amnesty International reported that over 200 death sentences were recorded in East Turkestan as a result of these campaigns, with the majority being for "splittism".

9/11 and the Global War on Terror played right into China's agenda, who opportunistically used these occasions as a pretext to increase pressure on the Uyghurs. The Uyghurs' Muslim faith was used against them by China to tie them to al-Qaeda, while branding them as "terrorists" and "splittists". In 2002, 22 Uyghurs were captured in Afghanistan by bounty hunters and turned over to the US as "al-Qaeda operatives". The 22 Uyghurs were later classified as non-enemy combatants by the Bush administration after it was determined that they were in no way linked to terrorism.

The official Chinese name for East Turkestan is the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region but the word autonomous rings especially hollow for the Uyghurs. Over 90 percent of administrative and economic posts in the region are occupied by non-Uyghurs, leaving them little say in their own development. The overwhelmingly Chinese authorities have created jobs reserved for ethnic Chinese settlers who have been drawn to the region by Beijing's infamous "Go West" development programme. This has boded poorly for the Uyghurs, pushing a majority of them into poverty and rendering them second class citizens. According to the Asian Development Bank, East Turkestan now has the greatest level of economic inequality in all of China.

Beijing has also created policies aimed at diluting the religion and culture of the Uyghurs. As with the Tibetans, Falun Gong and other "unsanctioned" worshippers, religious practice is heavily restricted throughout East Turkestan. Uyghur government officials, children and in some cases women, are prohibited from entering mosques and religious instruction is banned before the age of 18. Those caught participating in religious activities not expressly condoned by the state can be imprisoned and tortured. One well-documented case of this is Alimujiang Yimiti, in this case a Uyghur Christian, who was jailed and tortured for preaching without proper state consent.

These repressive policies have gradually increased tensions in the region and have been a root cause of unrest in East Turkestan. In recent months the situation has deteriorated further. On 5 July 2009 peaceful protests in the Uyghur capital of Urumchi were violently crushed by Chinese security forces when they opened fire on unarmed protesters leaving an unknown number dead. In the ensuing crackdown, the Financial Times reported that over 4,000 Uyghurs accused of taking part in the demonstration were taken into custody. Some were abducted in surprise raids in the middle of the night while others were snatched while eating dinner with their families. These events bear a striking similarity to the 2008 protest in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa when police used gunfire and cattle prods to break up peaceful protests, arresting 50 monks in the process.

As of last month, China started handing down death sentences for those implicated in the recent protests. Eight Uyghurs and two Tibetans have been executed in hasty, surreptitious trials. A further seven Uyghurs were sentenced to death on 3 and 4 December. Internet access and telecommunications were severed in the days after the protests and nearly four months later the blackout still remains in effect in East Turkestan. The Uyghurs are completely isolated from the outside world.

The communications blackout remains one of the most serious consequences from the July unrest. Without the means to contact their families in East Turkestan it has been very difficult for Uyghurs overseas to speak to their relatives. The Chinese authorities stress that the reason for the blackout is security-based, adding that the July protests were orchestrated through the use of the Internet and text messaging. However, the very real possibility remains that there is a wealth of information on the 5 July protests that the Chinese authorities think is too sensitive to emerge at this time. Nonetheless, in reports such as China's hidden night of state bloodshed published by the Times of London a different version of the events of 5 July than the one proposed by the official Chinese media is emerging.

Engaging China

Europe has been the main protagonist in prodding China on its minority rights issue, using its leverage to dictate terms with Beijing. British Secretary of State for Business, Lord Mandelson, affirmed in September, 2009 that improvement in human rights was a sine qua non for any discussion on repealing the arms embargo against China. Two weeks ago, the European Union (EU) infuriated the Chinese government when it issued two statements condemning both the Tibetan and Uyghur executions and demanding a moratorium on the death penalty.

"We are extremely dissatisfied...no outsider had a right to get involved", Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang angrily said of the EU's condemnation. "China demands the European side stop making the same mistakes again and again, earnestly respect the principles of equality and mutual respect, and do more to benefit the healthy and stable development of China-EU relations".

While China has been quite sensitive about foreign interference in its "internal affairs" it seems quite content to meddle in those of other countries. Intimidation and attempts to export censorship have been main elements in Beijing's attempt to silence Uyghurs abroad. On two separate occasions, when a documentary film about Uyghur leader Rebiya Kadeer was shown in Australia and Taiwan, China applied diplomatic pressure against their governments, and even issued threats warning not to "stir up trouble".

Last month, German news outlet Der Spiegel revealed that the Chinese Consulate was conducting spying operations on the large Uyghur diaspora in Munich. German investigators uncovered what it believed to be a sophisticated network of Chinese intelligence agents operating beneath the facade of a mundane diplomatic activity. "The government in Beijing is interested in everything the Uyghurs think, talk about or plan" said Der Spiegel.

The Role of the US

The US could potentially play a much greater role in bringing the Uyghur cause to the forefront. During President Obama's visit to China he gently prodded China on human rights and urged Beijing to engage in talks with the Dalai Lama. In a veiled reference to Tibet and East Turkestan, Obama stressed that human rights should be available to "all ethnic and religious minorities".

Yet looking back over the past year, the US has been sending mixed messages to the Chinese regarding how serious they are about human rights issues. In his inaugural address President Obama cautioned leaders who "cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent"- an apparent shot across the bow of human rights violators worldwide. Yet several months later Secretary of State Hillary Clinton remarked that human rights would take a backseat to economic considerations in dealings with China. Shortly thereafter, President Obama declined to meet with the Dalai Lama in October, a tradition upheld by US presidents since 1991, which bewildered many observers.

On the other hand, this past June the US took a strong stance when it refused a request from the Chinese government to deport the remaining Guantánamo Bay Uyghurs to China. Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang forcefully demanded a return "as soon as possible" but the US ignored this and continued to relocate the Uyghurs to other countries or territories such as Palau and Bermuda.

It is time for the US, in cooperation with the EU, to continue pressing China and demanding more equality and rights for both Uyghurs and Tibetans. As China continues to step into its role as a global superpower it needs to realize that it is not above human rights laws. This Human Rights Day should be more than just an opportunity for politicians to put forth toothless platitudes but instead a time to defend actively the principles in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. Anything less could be mistakenly interpreted as a tacit sign of approval.

Nobel Winner Dalai Lama Calls Obama Peace Prize 'A Little Early'

2009-12-09T22:44:27Z

The Dalai Lama told Sky News: "I think if you are realistic, it may have been a little early but it doesn't matter, I know Obama is a very able person.

"Sometimes these individual persons rely on different advice from different people so like former President Bush junior, as a human being I really love him, really wonderful person, very honest, very truthful.

"But I think due to his advisers' views, some of his policies have been a disaster."

Esther J. Cepeda: One Chicago Cellist Plus One Dalai Lama Equals a World of Compassion

2009-12-09T21:48:33Z

Picture an idealistic Northwestern University cello student, circa 1993, playing a tune for a crowd of colorfully-robed monks from all over the world and you'll have visualized Michael Fitzpatrick.

Since his years in Chicago, Michael -- golden-curly-haired, tall, and possessed of a chill-axed surfer dude vibe -- has been featured on the recent PBS special The Music Instinct: Science and Song and has performed for political and religious royalty around the world. Really, the plaudits are so lengthy one's eyes glaze over.

I met him when he was in town giving a live performance of his musical accompaniment to the new Frederic Marx documentary The Journey from Zanskar, a labor of love in a similar vein to the work he's done on his signature "Compassion Rising" project. The project serves -- as the title of one of the tracks declares -- as an "Invocation for World Peace."

What Fitzpatrick does with a cello cannot be adequately described as mere music; I can best describe the sounds Michael pours out of that four-stringed instrument as simple beauty that fills one's soul with nothing less than pure joy and peace. Plus, he just flat-out rocks, too. No kidding.

How Michael Fitzpatrick went from being a socially-conscious musician to becoming the virtuoso who travels the world injecting musical spiritualism into sacred events large and small -- he's served as featured Soloist, Music Director, and Producer for the unprecedented musical collaboration recorded and filmed at sacred sites including Mammoth Cave, the largest cave in the world; the Abbey of Gethsemani; and the Furnace Mountain Zen Temple -- is too a long a story for today.

But I was able to get Fitzpatrick on the phone for a few minutes in the hour before he went onstage with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, who is in Melbourne, Australia this week addressing the Parliament of the World's Religions. Here's Fitzpatrick on the art of making music, spreading compassion, and providing the soundtrack for spiritual leaders. Pictures from the morning's performance, too, courtesy of Chicago-based photographer Graeme Sharrock, NPPA.

EJC: What are you doing right now?

MF: I just got done with the sound check and am on my way back into the theater among the high, high security protocols. I'll go onstage first, with the Dalai Lama, Wednesday morning for the morning keynote and invocation.

EJC: What's the extra-special magic for you with this set of events?

MF: It's very, very special! We're performing Wednesday and Thursday. And December 10 is the 10th anniversary of the death of Thomas Merton, who was regarded as the most influential monk of the 20th Century. Also December 10, 2009 is the occasion of the 20th anniversary of His Holiness the Dalai Lama being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. December 10 is also the anniversary of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and of course, the day President Obama will be accepting the Nobel Peace Prize, so it's very, very exciting.

EJC: How does one gear up for that?

MF: (Laughing) How do you prepare to go on stage with the man many people consider the most enlightened being of our time?

I eliminate the extraneous thoughts from my mind then I prepare to send the notes out to everyone in the world to touch their hearts and move them to the compassion that the Dalai Lama is the embodiment of.

I meditate before I go on stage but not like, "oh I'm going to set 15 minutes aside," I do more of a walking meditation but so much of the time I'm already in a meditative state -- I hold everything in, the energy, the creativity and when the show is going to happen I delve deep into that internal place. I review in my mind the Compassion Rising project then force myself deeper into remembering why we're all here: to come together in peace, love, compassion and to hold that space.

Basically, it's like getting ready for the big basketball game.

EJC: So what's it like to be onstage with His Holiness? You've performed for and with him many, many times -- spent a lot of time with him, actually, for a non-monk. So you're probably not nervous per se... Does His Holiness' vibe throw off your tuning or anything like that?

MF: Yeah, it's a very specific frequency he resides in, it's an extremely high vibration, but a really heavy grounded vibration at the same time. I've been working with him for 13 years and I've just learned how to adjust my frequency to him. It's kind of like downshifting.

Playing my cello is a bit different, yes. Being in the presence of the Dalai Lama and many other powerful beings, playing in sacred places all over the world -- I've played on the site where Jesus was baptized, in sacred caves where there is ancient earth -- the resonances are so different! When I start to play, [the energy] starts to wake up the sound vibrations and the sound molecules in the wood -- it, like, heats up and the sound and quality leaps and takes on a mystical dimension.

EJC: Tell that story about when you first met the Dalai Lama.

MF: I was attending Northwestern University in Evanston, working on a master's in performance in 1993 when he was in Chicago and I met him for the first time. I didn't really know a thing about him except that he was the Dalai Lama. There I was in the Palmer House Hilton surrounded by every colorful turban-ed, robed monk -- it was like something out of a movie.

EJC: What was happening in your training that was preparing you for the path you started on after that Palmer House Hilton performance?

MF: At Northwestern I had two exceptional cello teachers who gave me a tremendous amount of creative freedom to explore the other types of sounds a cello could make -- overlaid on the basics of the core principles, of course.

As a student in Chicago I was very concerned about the role of the musician in 21st Century, and the need to not just entertain but to inspire and uplift. In particular, my teacher and conductor Victor Yampolsky really allowed for that next-level of exploration of the music. He had a titanic energy about him! I remember performing Beethoven's 9th Symphony at Pick Staiger Hall and feeling the truest expression of spirituality -- it just blew me away! The way this master musician from Russia brought through this most ancient energy to that work was life-changing.

EJC: What about now? What keeps you going on this quest to bring compassion to the world through your music -- it's not a bed of roses every day, right?

MF: There's this great line that Tom Petty said during his 30th anniversary concert, he was just riffing, and he said something like "just for one moment I want to believe everything is okay, because then there might be another moment where everything is okay." That's how I feel when I'm making music for the world -- if that "one moment" is possible, then the reality of the violence and the dark side of life can start to be replaced with peace and compassion.

(Learn more about Michael Fitzpatrick on http://web.mac.com/tuningtheplanet/Michael_Fitzpatrick/Biography.html)

Esther J. Cepeda writes about music, self-reflection, and much, much more on www.600words.com

Steven Crandell: The Declaration of Independence -- From Nuclear Weapons

2009-12-07T12:57:34Z

I hold this truth to be self-evident, that no one should live under the threat of a nuclear attack.

And yet, every day, many millions of people around the world are held hostage to just that threat.

Weapons of mass destruction recognize no human rights. They allow no refuge, no freedom from their catastrophic effects. Radiation and nuclear winter recognize neither national borders, wealth, religion nor class.

This nuclear threat is so potent that, whether we are aware of it or not, our lives are constrained and quietly terrorized.

But this is nothing new. We've slept through warnings by visionary leaders such as Albert Einstein, Bertrand Russell, and the XIVth Dalai Lama . Why wake up now?

Well, incredible as it might seem, "now" appears to be a very good time to make some progress toward nuclear disarmament. Here are some reasons why:

• On December 5, START (the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty between the United States and Russia) officially expired, but both countries have pledged to continue to work together in the spirit of START and vowed to continue to negotiate for a new treaty in the coming weeks and months. This new agreement would further reduce the nuclear stockpile held by both nations. (The US and Russia hold about 95% of all 23,000 weapons in existence, including about 2,000 on high alert.) In July, Presidents Obama and Medvedev announced they had agreed to cut their nations' deployed nuclear warheads to between 1,500 and 1,675 each.

• On December 10, US President Barack Obama receives the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo. The prize committee gave special importance to "his vision and his work for a world without nuclear weapons."

• In the new year, the Obama Administration is expected to seek ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in the Senate. If successful, this could clear a stumbling block to international nonproliferation efforts which has been in place since 1999 when the Senate failed to ratify the treaty.

• Next spring, the Nonproliferation Treaty review conference will offer an international opportunity to make tangible gains toward nuclear disarmament in line with the UN Security Council's nuclear disarmament resolution 1887 (2009) in September.

North Korea and Iran illustrate the dangers of a world political order based on nuclear weapons. The ability to cause mass destruction and terror with these weapons has become the ultimate tool and symbol of political power.

Containing such proliferation will only grow more difficult over time as more nations - and other organizations - launch efforts to join "the nuclear club." The only effective nonproliferation strategy is a world where no one can use nuclear weapons because there is an international agreement to ban them. We must act quickly or face a greater danger.

That's why I'm calling for a peaceful revolution.

It starts with what I call The Declaration of Independence - From Nuclear Weapons.

And don't worry, I won't have to start from scratch. I'm taking inspiration from one of America's masters of social change.

So let's have that first line again:

We hold this truth self-evident - that no one should live under the threat of nuclear attack.

Great. Feels good, doesn't it? Stating the truth does so rejuvenate a person.

Now, just imagine Thomas Jefferson and the founding fathers are us, and King George on the throne, usurping the rights and liberty of the American colonists, stands for the tyranny of nuclear weapons in world politics.

We also believe that people have certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, the pursuit of Happiness and the Freedom from indiscriminate destruction of large civilian populations, their homes, neighborhoods and cities.

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among People, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. --That whenever any Form of Government - such as the tyranny of nuclear weapons -- becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the People to alter or to abolish it through multilateral, phased and verifiable process, and to institute new Government, such as a Treaty for a World Without Nuclear Weapons, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect the Safety and Happiness of the People.

When a long train of abuses and usurpations pursuing invariably the same Object of Global Destruction, evinces a design to reduce individuals and their families under absolute Despotism, it is the people's right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

We are in need of "new Guards" for our "future security." Our descendants need them, too.

Nuclear weapons control us because we cannot control their impact. No one is free from the threat of their use. The time is now to tell your elected officials and national leaders that we must unthrone the nuclear despot.

We must end the nuclear threat that claims our obedience at risk of our lives and our children's future. We must declare ourselves independent of nuclear weapons. We must support all attempts to make progress down the road toward disarmament. And we must do it now.

Tashi Dondrup, Tibetan Singer, Arrested Over 'Subversive' CD

2009-12-04T10:28:46Z

Chinese authorities have arrested a popular young Tibetan singer, accusing him of composing subversive songs.

Dr. Cara Barker: What Jesus And The Dalai Lama Would Say To Tiger Woods And Mike Huckabee

2009-12-02T11:57:37Z

Need I say it? Gossip and complaint is not good for our health. Despite this, complaints and rumor mills are having a field day. Here, in the Pacific Northwest, rumors abound regarding the suspected killer, Maurice Clemmons, who was killed hours ago, after gunning down four police in service to our community this past Sunday. On other fronts, Mike Huckabee has become a target for verbal sharp-shooters with their criticisms that he 'should have known.' Meanwhile, Tiger Woods is surrounded in Technicolor speculation and gossip mongering about his own private life after crashing his car into a tree sometime after 2 a.m.near his home. As for President Obama, he is receiving his own 'day in (complaint) court' by Republicans and Democrats following his speech at Westpoint regarding the new Afghanistan strategy for our troops.

The question is what result does criticizing leave in its wake? Since criticizing, complaining, and gossiping are anything but solution-oriented, they bring destruction, not solution. You can always tell a habitual complainer from the rest of the pack because when you ask him 'what's the solution,' he will not have an answer. So much easier to condemn than collaborate in healing the hurt that ails us.

What seduces us into these counterproductive activities with the rest of the herd? The fact is that we are most susceptible when we are "living lives of quiet desperation," as Thoreau put it so well. When we lack a compass, vitality, and purpose, it's easy to get lost. The real problem is that when we do not know where we are going, either as a people, or as individuals, it is much safer to get into commentary about other people's lives and maps than it is to face the anxiety of the unknown. It fills the time.

What's another way? By way of contrast, the lives of our greatest teachers take quite a different direction. Take the Dalai Lama, for example. Exiled from his native Tibet, he moves forward into what is foreign. Walking such an edge leaves little room for meddling in other people's lives. Such a choice leaves neither room for past attachments and comforts, nor courting the anxiety of the not-yet-here. Instead, His Holiness, the Dalai Lama started where he was. He attended the moment. He practiced locating the Stillness in the moment, and has always made his contribution from the discipline of being fully Present, finding compassion from this place. In his words this summer:

...the mind always looks out critically and deals with external events, but rarely bothers about itself. Therefore, we have to give it new instructions. Up to now, you have dealt with what's going on outside; that's well and good, but now the time has come to explore within and find out more about the mind itself. In doing so, we also have to make an effort to restrain the way our thoughts follow memories of the past and speculations about the future. We need to find the space between such thoughts, which like the water deep in the ocean, remains clear and undisturbed even though there may be waves on the surface. This is one way to look at the mind itself; it's not easy, but I think it is worthwhile to try... -- the Dalai Lama in Be the Change

A Time for New Instruction. Today, his words remind us of treasure that's to be gained by returning focus to the inner landscape, rediscovering the Stillness beneath the ripples on the surface of our mind...even during the toughest times of accusation without the benefit of being presumed innocent, until proven guilty. The good news about difficult times like these is that whatever brouhaha is brewing in our lives, it is but another invitation to come home to what really matters in the quiet of the moment. So, if you are a Tiger Woods figure, a super-achiever who's being condemned by jury-less rumor mills, or a 'Mike Huckabee' who's found guilty of not being sufficiently telepathic to change the future, take heart. There is hope. We have choice. We can look to the outer world, hoping to score highest on its fickle applause-o-meter, or we can find what Jesus called:

"...the peace that passes all understanding..."
"...the Truth that sets you free..."

The Three Steps of New Instruction.

Join the21 Day Challenge:

For the next 21 consecutive days, do the following, and enjoy the process. This is the best preparation I know to enjoy the holidays as never before! By practicing these instructions, you will smile more, relax more, and relocate your sense of humor. Your family will like you more. You will enjoy those you know, and do not know even more. New creative inspiration will come your way. You will notice new streams of abundance moving in your direction. Ah, but first, the practice:

1. Every morning and before you go to sleep: Lay down your burden. Breathe in and breathe out, until you find the deepest center of relaxation beneath the ripple of your thoughts, the worries of the day, and the concerns of what someone else might think. As Terry Cole-Whitacre said it years ago: "What you think of me is none of my business!" What does matter is letting all this go, until you arrive at the destination called 'gratitude.' Thank whatever is beyond your ego for another day of life, another opportunity to participate in Creation.

2. Contract with a partner of your choice to participate in this 21 day challenge, someone you'd enjoy checking in with for two minutes a day
so that you can share your report of what you are noticing. This is a crucial step.

3. Over the next 21 days DO NOT Complain, Gossip, Criticize. You
Will be living in a Complaint-free zone. Keep watch. Self-interrupt
When you go forget. Forgive yourself, and start over, this day becoming
Day #1. If you stay true to the process, and forgive yourself as needed,
Be assured the results will warrant your practice. Have a ball.

On those days which are more challenging, cleave to the words of the poet Mary Oliver:

You don't have to be good.
You don't need to crawl on your knees through the desert
for a hundred miles repenting.
All you need to do is love the small furry creature inside yourself...

Let me know how it goes. Let us know what helps you return to a practice of self-forgiveness. What helps you return to your own Center? What have you found helpful when someone else is gossiping/complaining/criticizing/draining life energy? I'm listening! Thanks for passing this along to your crew, your contacts, and your buddies. The more the merrier. Godspeed, Cara

The Dalai Lama Calls for Action on Climate Change

2009-12-01T11:45:05Z

The Dalai Lama urged governments to put the great global concern before domestic politics, and to take serious action in slowing the rise of global warming.

Howard C. Cutler, M.D.: Learning The Art Of Happiness

2009-11-30T14:20:35Z

As a psychiatrist specializing in the science of human happiness, I'm sometimes asked, "What is the current state of happiness in America?"

Looking from a global perspective, studies reveal that America generally ranks somewhere between the 80th and 90th percentile in comparison with other nations. A solid "B." Maybe a "B+." Now, that's a respectable grade. But in a nation that has deliberately enshrined "the pursuit of happiness" as an inalienable human right in its original mission statement, some might ask, "So, why aren't we happier?"

In reviewing multiple sources, including the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, we find that for the past 50 years or so, the average level of happiness in America has remained essentially unchanged, with roughly one third of Americans reporting that they are very happy, roughly 10 to 15% very unhappy, and the rest of us falling somewhere in between. While there have been some changes in happiness levels among certain demographic groups, our overall level of happiness as a society has been stagnating.

Until recently, it was widely believed that it's almost impossible to raise an entire country's happiness level. Last year, however, political scientist Ronald Inglehart and colleagues from the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research, analyzing data from the World Values Surveys over 26 years, were shocked to find that 45 of 52 countries showed an increase in happiness!

So, if happiness is increasing in other countries, why isn't America becoming happier? As it turns out, studies show that as a nation is lifted out of poverty, happiness increases, but in a more prosperous country like America, increasing wealth will have no significant effect on happiness. In the same way, countries suddenly experiencing democratization or greater political freedom and social tolerance will become happier, but America is already high in these characteristics compared with most nations. So, to increase happiness in America, we will need to evolve, to deepen our understanding, and give up our older notions of where and how to find greater happiness. Chasing after more and more wealth won't do it anymore. So, where do we start?

In The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living, the Dalai Lama offers a good first step when pursuing any positive goal: Learning. If our objective is happiness, we need to begin by learning about the benefits of happiness. The recent scientific evidence has identified a wide array of practical benefits of happiness extending far beyond merely feeling good--including better physical and mental health, longer life, stronger relationships, greater career success, higher income, and many other personal rewards.

One of the fundamental principles of The Art of Happiness is that cultivating greater happiness not only benefits oneself but also one's family, community, and society. There is new scientific evidence supporting this principle as well. Such evidence helps dispel our common cultural biases and myths, such as perceiving happiness as a somewhat "soft" or frivolous subject, or considering the pursuit of happiness to be self-centered or self-indulgent.

Recognizing the value of happiness is only the first step. The deeper our understanding of the value and benefits of happiness, the more motivated we will be to take the next step--practicing effective strategies. Of course, cultivating greater happiness requires many different strategies. There is one approach, however, that is particularly useful during difficult times. It is based on the idea that once we have our basic survival needs met, our happiness is determined primarily by our outlook, attitudes, and perception.

In The Art of Happiness in a Troubled World the Dalai Lama explores how cultivating what he calls "a realistic outlook" can help us cope with adversity, maintain hope, and remain happy despite the many problems in today's world. Here he uses the word "realistic" in the sense of "corresponding to reality." He points out that when we react to situations with destructive emotions such as anger or fear, our perception narrows, and we see the problem as having a single dimension, as purely negative. Under the influence of these negative emotions, reality is exaggerated or distorted, and the problem assumes massive proportions and appears overwhelming. But the reality is that any given event or situation can have many different facets and be seen from different angles. As the Dalai Lama explains, "I think the fundamental basis for developing this realistic outlook or attitude is to see things from a wider perspective. If you analyze, investigate, you will find there are many ways of looking at a problem."

A rapidly growing body of scientific research conducted by investigators such as Barbara Fredrickson at the University of Michigan and others, has supported the Dalai Lama's views, finding a strong relationship between this "broader perspective" and positive emotions. Experiments have found that people experiencing positive emotions naturally tend to see things from a wider perspective, they see "the big picture." Conversely, deliberately adopting a broader perspective has been found to increase positive emotions (and reduce negative emotions). And both positive emotions and a wider perspective contribute to greater resilience, the capacity to bounce back from adversity and traumatic experiences.

A common method of cultivating this wider perspective involves "positive reappraisal," the practice of deliberately looking at a problem in new ways, actively looking for some positive meaning, higher purpose, or potential benefit related to an adversity, either in the short term or long term: Can I learn anything from the situation? Can it help me grow in some way, make me stronger? Can it potentially lead to new opportunities, new relationships, or help strengthen old relationships?

Even in today's economy, for example, with many people experiencing losses and financial hardship, some people are using the experience as an opportunity to reevaluate their underlying beliefs and attitudes about what is truly important in life. Others are discovering that the initial discomfort of having to turn to family, friends, or community resources for help during this difficult period has ultimately served to bring them closer together with their loved ones or given them a greater sense of strength and confidence that comes from feeling connected with a wider community. Paradoxically, from the perspective of leading a happier life, it is more important to practice gratitude during periods of adversity than during periods of prosperity. In fact, the more you have lost, the more important it is to view your situation from a wider perspective, giving at least equal time to remembering what you still have. Of course, adopting this broader outlook is not always easy, and requires some practice, but as one of the most powerful strategies there is to assure a happy life, it is well worth the effort.

Howard C. Cutler, M.D. is a psychiatrist, bestselling author, and speaker. He is co-author with H.H. the Dalai Lama of the acclaimed Art of Happiness series of books, international bestsellers that have been translated into 50 languages. As a leading expert on the science of human happiness, Dr. Cutler offers courses and workshops on The Art of Happiness throughout the U.S. and internationally. Dr. Cutler and the Dalai Lama have recently released the third volume of their series, The Art of Happiness in a Troubled World, along with an updated 10th Anniversary Edition of The Art of Happiness.

Dalai Lama: Obama Not Soft On China

2009-11-22T09:53:32Z

NEW DELHI — The Dalai Lama defended President Barack Obama from criticism that he has been too soft on China, saying Sunday that the U.S. leader just has a different approach to dealing with the Asian giant.

Obama made his first trip to China as president last week and has faced criticism that he didn't do enough to press Beijing on Tibet during his meetings with senior Chinese officials.

Matt Browner Hamlin: An Open Letter to My Favorite President Ever: You Can Do Better.

2009-11-18T15:11:06Z

My friend Josh Schrei wrote what I think is a critically important and relevant open letter to President Obama in response to his trip to China. Josh is a full time
marketing director and a part time writer, activist, critical thinker,
and student of Indo-Tibetan history and philosophy. His work focuses on
the dissection of all-too-common memes in China-Tibet propaganda and
American political and religious thought. Here is Josh's post, which was originally written at The SchreiWire and reprinted with his permission.

An Open Letter to My Favorite President Ever with a Pointed Message from a Cartoon Lion: You Can Do Better

By Josh Schrei

Dear President Obama:

In Walt Disney’s 1994 film The Lion King, there is a Kenobi-esque moment in which the deceased head of the pride — Mufasa — appears as an apparition before his reasonably accomplished yet somewhat misguided son Simba and utters the words: “My son, you are more than what you have become.”

I write to you today as someone who not only voted for you, but also actively championed you, campaigned for you, and called disgruntled old ladies in rural Pennsylvania for you on election eve. Simply put, I think the world of you. I think you have beaten all the odds, and you have shined every step of the way. I think the world is a better place with you as President, and I think your clearly demonstrated intelligence and leadership as Commander in Chief has not only elevated America’s standing in the world, it has set the bar for nations for years to come.

That said sir, with all due respect… and I recognize that there is indeed a lot of respect due, I write to tell you that you can do better.

Barack, you can do better.

Don’t get me wrong, whatever you do with this Presidency, you’re still a Lion. You’re still — pardon the verbiage — a complete bad-ass.

But oh, Mr. Obama, you can be so much more.

The challenge, in the complex mix of factors you’ve inherited, is to not succumb to the lowest common denominator but to lead, truly lead, with purpose and with clarity of vision. We all face situations in this life where we make a choice to either live fearlessly according to our own truth or to accept what is possible… given the context.

Given the context of our economic crisis, it is understandable that you would make the choices you have on federal spending. Given the context of the egregious attacks of your malcontents, it is understandable that your beloved health care bill would have to be trimmed down to have a chance of passing. Given the context, it is understandable that you would seek a middle ground on climate change legislation. Given the context, it is understandable that you would stay the course of your foreign policy predecessors and make no significant changes in our relations with China.

All of this is perfectly understandable.

Yet those of us who voted you into office demand more of you. We did not vote you in to be perfectly understandable. I hate to invoke the “C” word, but sir, we voted you in because you PROMISED change.

Mr. President, there are two defining and pivotal issues on which you can truly shape the course of history. I speak not of education and health care, for which I will provide a simple equation and assume you know what your GOP counterparts seemingly choose to ignore — in order for us to stay competitive, everyone needs to have both. For free. That this is even a question in the 21st century truly boggles the mind.

Nor do I speak of Afghanistan, in which there are other simple formulas at work. No foreign invader has ever won a war there. And, well, as a rule — the less occupiers you have in a country, the less people get killed. Go figure. The more we give them a reason to fight us, the more they will.

I speak of China and the Environment.

On the Environment, I will be brief. Suffice to say this: your “small government” critics apparently have absolutely no concept of what is coming. Small government, when it comes to the necessity of remolding ourselves to meet to the environmental challenges ahead, will soon be utterly obsolete. Governments will be forced to spend huge dollars to deal with climate change, water shortages, rural depletion and urban overpopulation. What is needed, now, is a massive restructuring and an an equally massive investment in environmental technologies, green jobs, and alternative energy. And I mean massive. This is not about “clean coal”. This is about turning entire industries — like one in Michigan I could mention — into sustainable propositions. If we lag behind on this, the consequences… well sir, the consequences will not be as dramatic as a Roland Emmerich film, but neither will they be as boring.

I recently returned from the Himalayas, where everyone, from humble villagers to guest house owners to tour guides, is visibly shaken from the lack of snow. The aptly named third pole — the 80,000 strong glacial matrix of the Tibetan plateau that is the source of life for literally half of the world’s population — is in total peril. This is scientific fact.

Which brings me to China and Tibet.

The Tibet issue is not one of “human rights.” It is a defining issue of our age. It is about the fundamental right of human beings to live unfettered. Millions upon millions of people died in the second world war so that our global community could unite on a simple principle: everyone has the right to freedom. Freedom to think, express, congregate, build, elect, share, move…. And now — because of our short term ignorance, greed, and hubris, the emerging world superpower is one that honors none of these freedoms. To say that this bodes darkly for humanity is a massive understatement. We have sold the sacrifice of our grandparents down the river. Sold it. And that sir, is an utter abomination. No nation should be allowed China’s violations of freedom. It is utterly unacceptable. And President Obama, you must take them to task for it, while anyone still can.

As a lifelong Tibet supporter, I have endured 15 years of meetings with Senators, Representatives, and Chiefs of Staff and have been told roughly the same thing in every single meeting. We have to engage. We have to give them what they want. We can’t upset them.

Suppose for a minute that on the occasion of my first meeting I had a newborn son. And suppose that child had been raised solely according to the philosophy of those meetings. “We can’t upset him. We can’t offend him. His feelings get hurt when we ask him if he’s cleaned his room….” What would I have now? A 15-year-old, overly-entitled, spoiled rotten, immature, selfish, brutal bully with the keys to the car. Beijing’s leaders deserve none of the leeway we have given them. None of it.

Today, I saw the statement you gave after the meeting you had with China’s Hu Jintao. To call it a statement would be to give you far too much credit. Sir, they invoked your ethnic heritage and your love and study of one of the greatest men in modern history and used it to justify one of the greatest abominations of the modern era. Where is the outrage?

You are more than that tepid diplomacy. You are MORE than the man who stands idly by while lovers of truth and justice are slaughtered. You are meant to be their champion. And if not you, in this rapidly declining world, then who? Who???

If the United States of America does not rise to meet its potential now — if YOU do not rise to meet your potential– in this time, the time when we are MOST challenged, then you of all people know the consequences. You know that we may not in fact get another opportunity.

This briefest of windows is your time. It is your time to not just be remembered as America’s first African-American President who did what he could, given the context. It is your time to become — in the words of my favorite cartoon lion — what you are. What you were born to be. A truly great man.

I am counting on you. We are counting on you.

With love and respect,

Josh Schrei

Read more: Tibet, China, Barack Obama, World News

David A. Love: Will Obama Help Change Asia's Racism?

2009-11-18T14:39:22Z

For the
nations that were a part of President Obama’s recent Asian tour, surely this
was a new experience for them. For the first time, they greeted and hosted the
most powerful person in the world, one of the most brilliant people they’ve
ever met. And for the first time, that
person is a man of African descent. It
has been a long journey since the 1955 Bandung Conference, that historic
meeting of African and Asian states striving for self-determination and against
colonialism. Meanwhile, black people today are often stereotyped in Asian
countries as dirty, violent, mentally deficient and otherwise inferior—not
unlike the ways in which the West has portrayed people of color for years.

Although
symbolism has its limits, surely, it means a lot for international relations to
have a fresh face on the scene in the form of Obama, a leader of the world who
has lived in the world. Obama was born
in Hawaii and lived in Indonesia. His
half sister is Asian American, and one of his half brothers is an African American
living in China. No other president has had such an international background,
or such potential to make a difference on the world stage.

But for
Asian nations, white skin was the traditional standard of beauty and
prosperity. In the old days, the poorer folks were darker because they had to
work in the fields, where they were exposed to the sun.

As China
welcomes Obama, the nation is forced to deal with its long-standing
prejudices toward black people. But the discrimination is
internal as well. The Chinese government
has been heavy-handed in its treatment of the country’s aggrieved Uighur Muslim
minority, and has waged cultural genocide against the people of Tibet.

In India,
the caste system, although officially banned, still lives on. Brown and black faces predominate in this
nation of over 1 billion people.
However, white skin is desirable, and skin
whitening creams are popular.

And Japan
has had a longstanding problem with racism and xenophobia. Even today, one can find signs that say “No
Foreigners Allowed” and “Japanese Only”, or a recent TV commercial depicting
President Obama as a monkey. In 2005, Doudou
Diene, special rapporteur of the UN Commission on Human Rights, found that
discrimination in Japan is “deep and
profound.” He added
that “This xenophobic drive is expressed by associating minorities, certain
minorities, to crime, to violence, to dirt.”

These
Japanese sentiments do not apply solely to foreigners and foreign workers. Despite its self-portrayal as a homogeneous
society, Japan has its own minority groups that historically have been regarded
as inferior. For example, the Ainu, an
indigenous ethnic group, has suffered from displacement and cultural
assimilation, higher levels of poverty and unemployment, and lower levels of
health and education. Over 1 million Japanese
of Korean descent— products of Japanese wartime colonization and forced
labor—are treated as foreigners in the country of their birth. They face a “hidden apartheid”, in which they
face discrimination in housing and employment, and feel pressure to change
their Korean names and blend in society.
Further, the Burakumin are an
outcaste group similar to the untouchable caste in India. They face discrimination because their feudal
ancestors held occupations such as butchers, tanners and gravediggers—
death-related jobs that were considered tainted and unclean under Buddhist and
Shinto practices.

The topic
of racial attitudes in Asia has fascinated me for a long time. In
high school, I traveled to Japan as an exchange student and lived with a family
in Tokyo. I majored in East Asian
Studies in college, and wrote my thesis on Japanese perceptions of foreigners. After
college, I worked as one of a handful of gaijin
(foreigners) in a Japanese bank, and later for the Tokyo office of a major U.S.
advertising agency. Living in Japan was
a life-altering experience for me, and in a good way. Being a true foreigner in another culture
provided me with a broader world perspective, and helped me deal with
adversity.

Overall,
my Japan experience was positive. It took some time to get used to the stares,
or the occasional child who wanted to touch my skin or hair. Then there were
the people who assumed I was a hip-hop entertainer, or a baseball player, or
some other racial stereotype of a black man in Japan. Clearly, there was an
embrace of black culture in Japan. The music and swagger of black people
permeate international popular culture.
And as I went to work in my business suit on the Tokyo subway, I
couldn’t help but laugh to myself as I passed by Japanese teenagers sporting
their dreads, hip-hop gear and Afrocentric t-shirts. But at the same time, I
had to endure my fellow employees at the company dormitory. Some employees at the bank had the idea to
throw a party, in which everyone would come dressed in blackface. After I protested, they cancelled their
plans, but only after lecturing me about the need for foreigners to understand
Japanese culture.

I believe
that as time passes and the world shrinks, it becomes more difficult for
discrimination to find a safe harbor.
Modern technology serves to eliminate borders and expose our activities
before the light of day. The nations of
Asia, like the U.S., have a long way to go before they eradicate racism. And yet, despite its legacy of slavery and
institutionalized racism, America elected a man by the name of Barack Obama as
president. The leaders of Asia now must
deal with a man of African descent as the leader of the American empire. And he isn’t a racial stereotype, for
whatever that is worth. Certainly, that
alone must give them pause.

David A. Love is an Editorial Board member of BlackCommentator.com, and a contributor to the Progressive Media Project and theGrio. He is a writer and human rights advocate based in Philadelphia, and a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Pennsylvania Law School. His blog is davidalove.com.

Obama, Hu Jintao Press Conference Held In China (VIDEO): Leaders Talk Economy, Iran, North Korea, Tibet, And Taiwan

2009-11-17T00:50:28Z

(AP) BEIJING President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao promised a determined, joint effort to tackle climate change, nuclear disarmament and other global troubles yet emerged from their first full-blown summit Tuesday with scant progress beyond goodwill.

After two hours of talks and a separate meeting over dinner the night before, the presidents spoke of moving beyond the divisiveness over human rights, trade and military tensions that have bedeviled relations in past decades.

"The major challenges of the 21st century, from climate change to nuclear proliferation to economic recovery, are challenges that touch both our nations, and challenges that neither of our nations can solve by acting alone," Obama said, standing with the Chinese leader in the Great Hall of the People.

Hu, who heads a collective leadership that often has preferred to go it alone internationally, said: "There are growing global challenges, and countries in today's world have become more and more interdependent. "

With each of those big issues from global warming to the Iranian and North Korean nuclear programs persistent differences bubbled up in the form of indirect barbs during the joint appearance.

Stung by new U.S. levies on imports of Chinese-made tires and steel pipes, Hu said he told Obama that given a still struggling global economy both countries "need to oppose and reject protectionism in all its manifestations in an even stronger stand."

Obama later called on China to relax controls that keep the Chinese currency relatively weak and thus help fuel exports something Beijing officials have rejected in recent days. Obama also pointedly raised human rights, saying they are fundamental to all.

"We do not believe these principles are unique to America, but rather they are universal rights and that they should be available to all peoples, to all ethnic and religious minorities," Obama said in his only nationally televised remarks on the sensitive issue.

The mixture of promises and lasting differences underscored how intertwined the superpower United States and rising power China are, and the difficult task Obama faces in managing friction with an authoritarian, sometimes testy Beijing.

On his first visit ever to China, Obama said he was mostly striving to better understand China, a geopolitical force on its way to becoming the world's second-largest economy.

"Our relationship going forward will not be without disagreement or difficulty," Obama said. "But because of our cooperation, both the United States and China are more prosperous and secure."

Aside from his meetings with Hu, Obama received a formal welcome. He walked past rows of soldiers in dress uniforms and dined on chicken soup with bean curd, Chinese-style beef steak and roast grouper at a state banquet. He also toured the Forbidden City, the emperors' palace for more than 400 years, and met the head of China's legislature, a former mayor of Shanghai, the commercial hub where Obama started his three-day stay in China.

In a minor advance, the two leaders set a deadline of early next year for resuming an on-again, off-again dialogue on human rights. Charting a new frontier for cooperation, the two agreed to reciprocal visits by the heads of their space programs. Promises were made to step up visits by military leaders to help overcome years of distrust over a Chinese military buildup and U.S. reconnaissance missions in the seas off China.

Headway was made on climate change. The two committed their countries the biggest emitters of the heat-trapping gases causing global warming to backing a detailed political agreement at next month's climate-change conference in Copenhagen. In their formula, rich countries would commit to reduction targets while developing ones would agree to meet softer goals that would be monitored.

Yet the positions were not markedly different from those Beijing and Washington held before Obama's arrival.

So it also was with attempts to curb Iran's nuclear program and disarm nuclear-armed North Korea. Though Obama talked of continuing diplomatic efforts on Iran and North Korea, Hu did not endorse the U.S. leader's talk of sterner actions should negotiations falter. Beijing has strong interests in keeping North Korea stable and in maintaining budding energy cooperation with Iran.

"Iran has an opportunity to present and demonstrate its peaceful intentions, but if it fails to take this opportunity, there will be consequences," the U.S. president said. Hu did not mention consequences.

Keeping the differences veiled rather than open was a measure of success of sorts for Obama. With its economy still in trouble, U.S. international prestige still battered and China holding $800 billion in U.S. government debt, Obama came to the Beijing summit with a weaker hand than previous U.S. presidents. That makes the emphasis on practical cooperation all the more needed, Chinese analysts said.

"The Chinese leadership will not worry too much about the U.S. pressure. In the context of the financial crisis and George W. Bush's legacy on the issues of Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan and Pakistan, the U.S. needs China much more than China needs the U.S.," said Yu Wanli, an America expert at Peking University.

At their joint appearance, Hu called on the U.S. to respect China's "core interests" code for ending support for Taiwan and for the Dalai Lama, in his Tibetan government-in-exile. Obama obliged by saying Tibet was part of China. But he urged China to restart talks with the Dalai Lama's representatives something Hu did not mention.

WATCH:<