I phoned some friends in China the other night, including my Tibetan Buddhist master, to discuss the current situation in Tibet. My Tibetan Buddhist master, a widely respected high profile lama, is currently in Beijing. He believed the riots were basically started by some monks who got drunk. The monks involved in the riots were not real monks, as violence and crimes were absolutely against the teachings of the Buddha. These monks burned the shops, schools and hospital, attacked both Tibetans and Han Chinese, as well as children and tourists including an Australian woman.
The riots are over. It seems to have been mis-interpreted by some people who have been brainwashed by media. No intellectuals should rely merely on media to get the truth. Silence is golden.
I saw Richard Gere passionately talking about Tibet on CNN. He knows shit about Tibet. I believe there are many foreigners out there who have been brainwashed and manipulated by their media. Any news about China has to be negative so that they will believe it--from the "poisonous" toys to the dumplings, the news always ended up with an apology to China. Some foreign media has a particular interest in bitching about human rights and pollution in China, totally blind to all those progressive changes.
In reality, no government can make EVERYONE happy. It's nothing to panic about if we hear voices against the government.
I also read some news coverage and online discussions in foreign countries made by those who have never been to Tibet, who have zero knowledge about the history of China and the history of Tibet, and who have not even lived among Tibetans for an extended period of time. These people have NO rights to comment on China and Tibet. They'd better mind their own business, just like we don't say a word about England and Scotland, or Canada and Quebec.
There is a Chinese saying--"The baby who cries more gets more milk." It does not necessarily mean that those Tibetans in exile deserve sympathy so they must be completely correct about everything they say.
I encourage you to visit Tibet. Seeing is believing. In Beijing it is very trendy to accept the Tibetan style Buddhism and we are having a great time with our Tibetan Buddhist masters. They are not simply jaw-dropping fortune-tellers. They see everything beyond your past and future. Their profound wisdom has inspired me over the years.
