ORGANIZER: Teresa Dowell
CONTACT: teresa.dowell@goddard.edu
September 24, 2011
LOCATION: Zona Rosa Cafe 15 South El Molina Ave.
TIME: 11:30 to 2:30 p.m and 5:30pm to 8:30pm
A DDITIONAL PASADENA ARCHIVES: https://www.100tpcmedia.org/index.html
We will focus our event on freeing Tibet and the plight of the Tibetan people.
To raise awareness, there will be discussions, poetry readings, Tibetan art, music, Tibetan Buddhism, open mic, and speakers. There will also be a Buddhist prayer/chanting for peace. Om mani padme hum.
Prayer flags in Tibet-Photo by Nancy Victoria Davis
Spring Night by Wang An-Shih translated by Red Pine (poem written spring of 1069)
The burner is out of incense the dripping has almost stopped
the wind comes in gusts the cold in waves
springtime disturbs me and keeps me from sleep
the moon casts shadow flowers on the balustrade
[img]https://100tpc.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/-7.jpg[/img]
The word for “poetry” in Chinese is pronounced “shih.”
“…a birdsong can even, for a moment, make the whole world into a sky within us, because we feel that the bird does not distinguish between its heart and the world’s.” from The Inner Sky by Rainer Maria Rilke selected and translated by Damion Searls
[img]https://100tpc.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/idyllwild 005.jpg[/img]
The coming together of people to read and listen to poetry is a wonderful thing. In the picture below are some local poets at a Pasadena Central Library reading: Lynne Thompson, Jeffrey Schultz, Teresa Chuc Dowell, Carol V. Davis, and Thea Gavin.
“Love Me, Ocean” by Gu Cheng
I have no gills.
I can’t go to sea.
– Alberti
love me, Ocean
I quietly say
come to the mountains
in the curved troughs of waves
there are only questions
water drops for an instant
magnify the setting sun
love me, Ocean
my shadow
is twisted
I’m hemmed in by the land
sound paves over
the glacial scars
only my gaze
freely reaches
the sky
to find your breath
the wind, an expanse of pale blue
love me, Ocean
the blue gets deeper as
deep as dreams
without edges
without rusting shorelines
love me, Ocean
though the stream’s call awakes me
the treetops keep recalling
your song
everything returns to
the most beautiful moment
shining scales, rainbows
on butterfly wings
autumn leaves drifting into sighs
green canes and blind snakes
calmly enwrap me
love me, Ocean
who’s that walking in the distance?
it is the pendulum
hired by Death
to measure out life
love me, Ocean
the city’s
countless stubborn shapes
try to tame me
with metallic coldness
laughter and scorn
bland thoughts
turn bitter
salt crystalizes
in black hair and pupils
but —
love me, Ocean
wrinkles, roots’ footprints
knit a net
to ensnare me
where is the mark of the wave’s kiss?
love me, Ocean
a coarse bit of gravel
murmuring in the mountains
We have a venue for our 100 Thousand Poets for Change event! The event will take place on Saturday, September 24, 2011 at Zona Rosa Cafe (15 South El Molino Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91101) from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. There will be poetry readings, discussions, music, and much more! Please join us!
http://www.zonarosacaffe.com/
100 Thousand Poets for Change event in Pasadena
Themes: community/tolerance/environmental awareness
Our event focuses on the current situation in Tibet and strives to bring awareness to the plight of the people of Tibet through discussions, poetry readings, Tibetan Buddhism, art, music, open mic, and speakers.
Event location: Zona Rosa Caffe (15 South El Molino Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101) from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
http://www.zonarosacaffe.com/
Tibet Online – Information on the plight of the Tibetan people
http://www.tibet.org/
Event Time: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
“China has been conducting a vicious crackdown on Tibetans who refuse to renounce the Dalai Lama. Hundreds of monks and nuns have been arrested and brutalized. And beyond the immediate repression, Beijing is deliberately flooding Tibet with Han Chinese, suppressing Tibetan culture and religion and conducting a long-range campaign to obliterate Tibetans’ identity. The impolite word for China’s behavior in Tibet is colonialism.” – Alan Berger, Boston Globe, July 18, 2011
Information from Tibet Online http://www.tibet.org/
Why Tibet?
An Introduction to the Question of Tibet
Why is there an outcry about Tibet? Why is a nation larger than Western Europe held captive and tortured by a foreign power, while the world’s leaders stand by or deny responsibility for doing business with the oppressor? Why is Tibet’s situation important right now?
The pages below tell how Tibet has come to the most perilous moment in its 3,000 year existence. It is a common theme of history; many ancient and peaceful indigenous civilizations have been assaulted by military powers in search of land and booty. Tibet, an independent nation until the Chinese invasion, is now faced with extinction. But it is not yet too late.
It would be very difficult to oust the Chinese by armed force, and it would go against the Tibetan Buddhist belief in non-violence. Instead, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people have used diplomacy and non-violent activism in the hopes that the People’s Republic of China will be condemned and pressured to withdraw its occupation forces from Tibet.
It is our belief that anyone who hears of what has happened in Tibet will support its cause. But the Tibetans must be heard. Please read on to find out why Tibet needs and deserves your support. If you are moved to become actively involved, contact a Tibet Support Group near you.
In a world where terrorism gets so much attention, it is important to support those who are willing to brave the path of peace.
Rangzen!
HISTORY LEADING UP TO MARCH 10TH 1959
http://www.tibet.org/Why/march10.html
MAJOR ALLEGATIONS ON THE CHINESE OCCUPATION
http://www.tibet.org/Why/occupation.html
China Intensifies Suppression of Minorities as It Marks the 90th Anniversary of the Communist Party
http://yoshiko-sakurai.jp/index.php/2011/07/12/
Magical Healing Mantra: Om Mani Padme Hum
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDUdT5z_CBU
Tibetan Monk Dies From Torture Injuries
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haiPZgVBA1k
Chinese Crackdown on Tibetan Monastery
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTt2y6Md2TE&feature=relmfu
Students for a Free Tibet – Campaigns
http://www.studentsforafreetibet.org/section.php?id=13
Hi Theresa. I had begun to write you on facebook last week and am not sure if my letter got sent. I’m writing you again then, just to be sure.
I wanted to tell you that the Tibetan cause is one very close to my own heart. Whatever it is in your own life that calls you to help in this way, with the event and all, I would say I feel that same call for our Tibetan teachers. I cannot for the life of me understand this treatment of any of the Holy ones.
You’re more than welcome to bring your reading to our event at the Wadsworth, if you’re not too settled in that is, to your plans. Unfortunately, the theater will charge time and a half per stage hand after 8 hours , which limits each organizer to an hour, a very skinny hour.
What I’m really ashamed of is that the ones in power are surely aware of the atrocities against the Tibetans, yet this continues. Bless you Theresa, know that I’m with you in your support for our righteous brothers and sisters in Tibet and those scattered, or now no longer with us. I hope to meet you soon. Sincerely, Yvonne
Hi Yvonne,
Thank you so much for your invitation, but we are pretty settled in our plans for the event in Pasadena. We have six hours blocked out for the event from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. so that gives plenty of time for the performances and readings, etc. And there is a Tibetan community nearby so it is a good spot. I wish you could attend the event! Yes, it is quite tragic what is happening there. I was raised in Tibetan Buddhism and my family had similar experiences of war and exile from Vietnam so the situation in Tibet is especially near and dear to me. Thank you for all your support and love!
I wish I could be at many places at once and also attend the event in L.A. and so many of the wonderful events happening around the world.
Best wishes,
Teresa
Avalokitesvara
mandala
green tara
Tibetan Buddhist Thangka
Tibetan musican, Techung, will be performing at the Pasadena, California 100 Thousand Poets for Change Event!
Biography:
Techung is a Tibetan folk and freedom singer/songwriter living in exile in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is best known for his performances of traditional Tibetan music, dance, and opera under the name Tashi Dhondup Sharzur. He uses his childhood nickname, Techung, when performing as a solo artist. Whether performing in traditional or contemporary styles, Techung’s dual goals are to revive Tibetan music in the Tibetan community and to expose the rich performing cultural tradition of his homeland to the world community.
Techung grew up in Dharamshala, India, where his family and tens of thousands of other Tibetans resettled from their native Tibet. At the age of 9 he was enrolled in the newly formed Tibetan Dance and Drama School now known as the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA). In his 17 years of residency at the Institute, he studied all aspects of the Tibetan performing arts folk, court, and opera – through the oral teaching tradition used by the venerated Tibetan elders with whom he was honored to study. He toured with TIPA in its first international tour as a leading child actor in 1975-76 and for many years afterwards. After emigrating to the U.S., he co-founded the San Francisco-based Chaksampa Tibetan Dance and Opera Company in 1989. From 1995-97 Techung worked for the Milarepa Fund in San Francisco who organized the Tibetan Freedom Concerts world wide.
In addition to being looked up to as one of the key keepers of traditional Tibetan musical traditions, Techung is also respected for the original solo and collaborative music he creates by drawing on both his own heritage and his familiarity with other world music traditions. He collaborated on his first solo album, “Yarlung: Tibetan Songs of Love and Freedom” (1997) with composer/performer Miguel Frasconi, followed by “Sky Treasure” (2001) with Windham Hill jazz keyboardist Kit Walker. His other two solo albums were “Changhay: Traditional Tibetan drinking songs, Vol. 1” (1999) and “Nyingtop-Courage” (2002). His song “Losar” was chosen as the 2003 best modern traditional Tibetan song at the first annual Tibetan Music Awards held in Dharamshala. His album Techung A Compilation of Tibetan Folk and Freedom Songs won the 2006 Best Asian Album at Just Plain Folks Music Festival http://www.jpfolks.com – one of America’s largest grass root music festivals.
Techung’s voice and music have been featured on the soundtracks of the IMAX film “Everest,” the feature films: “Windhorse,” (1998) Dreaming Lhasa, (2006) http://www.whitecranefilms.com),. His music is prominently featured on documentary films such as: “Blind Sight,” (2007), http://www.blindsightthemovie.com, “Dalai Lama Renaissance,” (2008) http://www.dalailamafilm.com, “Fire Under the Snow,”(2008) http://www.fireunderthesnow.com. His music has also been used in a DVD titled LIVING WISDOM WITH HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA (2008) http://www.soundstrue.com.
In recent years, Techung has had the honor to open for His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s public speech in Costa Rica, Japan and USA. On February 3, 2009 Techung and his band Lhasa Spirits performed at the Carnegie Hall with prominent artists such as Philip Glass, Patti Smith and others.
Poems by Tenzin Tsundue, Tibetan poet/writer/activist who is living in Dharamshala, will be read by others at the event.
Here are two poems by Tenzin Tsundue from his book KORA:
HORIZON
From home you have reached
the Horizon here.
From here to another
here you go.
From there to the next
next to the next
horizon to horizon
every step is a horizon.
Count the steps
and keep the number.
Pick the white pebbles
and the funny strange leaves.
Mark the curves
and cliffs around
for you may need
to come home again.
~
LOSAR GREETING
Tashi Delek!
Though in a borrowed garden
you grow, grow well my sister.
This Losar
when you attend your Morning Mass,
say an extra prayer
that the next Losar
we can celebrate back in Lhasa.
When you attend your convent classes,
learn an extra lesson
that you can teach children back in Tibet.
Last year
on our Happy Losar,
I had an idli-sambhar breakfast
and wrote my BA final exams.
My idlis wouldn’t stand
on my toothed steely fork,
but I wrote my exams well.
Though in a borrowed garden
you grow, grow well my sister.
Send your roots
through the bricks,
stones, tiles and sand.
Spread your branches wide
and rise
above the hedges high.
Tashi Delek!
Find more of Tenzin Tsundue’s writings here:
http://www.friendsoftibet.org/tenzin/writings.html
The Tibetan musican, Techung, will be performing at the Pasadena, California 100 Thousand Poets for Change Event!
For more information on Techung, please visit here http://www.techung.com/bio.html
I HAVE A TARGET
By Tsoltim N. Shakabpa
I have a target
That some day
Our children will stand atop the plateau of a free Tibet
And wash away the ravages the Chinese left behind
I have a target
That one day
The Tibetan spirit will be exalted
And the Chinese power muffled
I have a target
That one day
The children of the Chinese who raped Tibet
And the children of the Tibetans who suffered under Chinese rule
Will sit down together at the table of friendship
I have a target
Now until our kingdom come
To make the Chinese leave Tibet
And to return the Dalai Lama to his rightful throne
I have a target
Not a dream
TSOLTIM N. SHAKABPA is a recognized Tibetan poet and a dedicated political activist for a free Tibet. He is the son of Tsepon Wabgchuk Deden Shakabpa, the eminent Tibetan historian, statesman, freedom fighter and former Finance Minister of independent Tibet.
Tibetan musician and dancer, SHERAP WANGMO SANGPO, will also be performing at the Pasadena, CA 100 Thousand Poets for Change Event!!
THE 11th PANCHEN LAMA
By Tsoltim N. Shakabpa
The fake Panchen, Gyaltsen Norbu
Might as well be a mapo tofu*
He is no more than a Gya** Panchen
Sitting on top of our mighty gangchen***
For he’s just a simple stooge
Made to look holy and huge
While for the true Panchen Choekyi Ngima
Whose rays spread wide and bright like the ngima****
The Tibetan people have wept and wept
As under the carpet he has been swept
But cry no more, my countrymen
For Choekyi Ngima I will pen
A lasting tribute for he who
Is our true and treasured norbu*****
To the true Panchen Rinpoche
I prostrate and say “ka drin che” ******
* Chinese dish made of chopped pork and bean curd
** Chinese (a play on the first 3 letters of his first name)
*** Snow-capped range
**** Sun
***** Precious gem
****** Thank you
Copyright: Tsoltim N. Shakabpa – 2011
TSOLTIM N. SHAKABPA is a recognized Tibetan poet and a dedicated political activist for a free Tibet. He is the son of Tsepon Wabgchuk Deden Shakabpa, the eminent Tibetan historian, statesman, freedom fighter and former Finance Minister of independent Tibet.
IMPORTANT NOTICE!!!
Due to heavy demand for the 2-volume book in Tibetan titled, BOD KYI SRI DON RGYAL RABS, by Tsepon Wangchuk Deden Shakabpa and because we have only 15 copies left out of which we are keeping 5 copies for our family library, we are now selling the remaining books at a price of U.S.$75.00 per 2-volume set plus shipping and handling charges. After that, we book will go out of print.
For authentic ethnically Tibetan students, who must verify the school they are attending, we are selling the books at a discounted price of U.S.$50.00 per 2-volume set plus shipping and handling charges.
If interested, please contact Tsoltim N. Shakabpa at: shakabpa@verizon.net
Monk Sets Himself on Fire in China
http://www.care2.com/causes/tibetan-monk-sets-himself-on-fire-in-china.html
DEFINING A NATION
By Tsoltim N. Shakabpa
The glory of a nation
Can be found in its people
Not in its rulers
The ruin of a nation
Can be found in its rulers
Not in its people
The wealth of a nation
Can be found in its values
Not in its money
The heart of a nation
Can be found in its streets
Not in its citadels of power
The joy of a nation
Can be found in its heart
Not in its celebrations
The beliefs of a nation
Can be found in its people’s silent prayers
Not in its politicians’ loud speeches
The power of a nation
Can be found in its beliefs
Not in its guns
The future of a nation
Can be found in its will
Not in its power
Copyright: Tsoltim N. Shakabpa – 2011
Poems from Tibetan poet Tsering Dhompa’s new book, MY RICE TASTES LIKE THE LAKE, will be read at the 100 Thousand Poets for Change Tibet Awareness Event.
Los Angeles Friends of Tibet will have a table at the event to distribute information to promote awareness about Tibet.
Poems from Tibetan poet Tsering Dhompa’s new book, MY RICE TASTES LIKE THE LAKE, will be read at the 100 Thousand Poets for Change Tibet Awareness Event.
I was in the audience Friday Night at the Barnes & Noble in Burbank and wold love to read a poem or two at your event on the 24th. I am a veteran poet of 25 years who has published 24 books, been published in ovr 40 literary journals, antholoies and websites and Featured and Organized Poetry readings all over the Country. I Co-Organize and Host Unbuckled:NOHO POETRYon The First Saturday of each month (Sept. 3rd from 4PM-6PM at T.U. Studios at 10943 Camarillo St. in North Hollywood) and invite you to come by this Saturday and talk about your event.
But most importantly, I understand what your event stands for and the plight of the Tibetan People as my father fought in the Underground or Resistance in Czechoslovakia during WW II against the Nazis and my grandfather led the Czech Resistance and was murdered by the Germans in 1944. My father dedicated his life as a professor, writer, activist and political leader to freeing the Czech People of Communist rule and was one of the leaders of the Czech Government in abstentia before Communism ended in 1989. I instinctively and fully understand your mission and would love to help by reading a poem or two of mine on Sept. 24th in Pasadena, if you would have me… Radomir Vojtech Luza (818) 762-5866/radluza@sbcglobal.net…
Dear Radomir,
We would be honored to have you join us on September 24th at Zona Rosa Caffe in Pasadena. I look forward to hearing your poems!
Best wishes,
Teresa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTRgOEJ3abw&feature=related
Real Video in Tibet
100 THOUSAND POETS FOR CHANGE TIBET AWARENESS EVENT FLYER
The Role of English in Poetry by Tibetans
By Tsoltim Ngima Shakabpa
————————————-
Languages become universal because of the power of the people who speak those languages. English is one such language as exhibited by the British in the 17th to the early 20th centuries when historically their power and language spread far and wide across the globe. Languages remain alive because of the spirit of the people who speak those languages. The Tibetan language is one such language as exhibited by the Tibetans in their unique culture and quest to maintain their great heritage. To bring the ideas of a people struggling to keep their language alive into a universal language is in itself a difficult task; but to put it in poetry is an even more formidable task. Yet Tibetans are doing exactly that.
Tibetans are generally philosophically inclined by the very nature of their upbringing. Buddhism and the philosophy of Buddhism have deeply affected the Tibetan mentality, and by its very power the hearts of the Tibetan people. Bearing this in mind, it is easy to see why generally Tibetans are natural poets. Additionally, the pristine natural environment could have only aesthetically enhanced the philosophical Tibetan mind.
In the past, Tibetans used to write poetry in Tibetan with religious themes only. These poems were deep in thought and classic in their genius. They were the pulse of a nation steeped in religion and struggling to find the meaning of life. These poems were much more difficult to translate precisely into English unless one had an impeccable knowledge of the complex mechanisms of the Tibetan religion. Today, the pulse and emphasis are different. Tibetans are suffering immeasurably under the illegal occupation of Tibet by China. They are being persecuted, imprisoned, tortured and murdered. Their voices stifled; their places of worship demolished; and their true leader, the Dalai Lama, demonized. They are struggling for freedom from 60 gruelling years of brutal and tyrannical Chinese rule; and writing poems in Tibetan alone is not enough. They need to reach a world-wide audience in their fight for liberation and for that they have to use a universal language.
In the 1940s and 1950s, only a few Tibetans were fortunate enough to receive an education in English. Today, with thousands of Tibetans forced to live outside Tibet, many are fortunately learning English, some even good enough to write poetry in sterling English–and they are using their poetic gifts to reach out, in a universal language, to the world at large about their struggle for freedom. But there also are Tibetan poets who write, in English, about spirituality, family, illness, nature, love and life, in addition to the plight of their country, that adds abundant dimension to poetry by Tibetans. These Tibetan poets are presently few and far between, but their pioneering labour and leadership will inspire more Tibetans to expand their poetic capabilities.
Poetic ability is an inborn gift, and the language of poetry is best employed in the language one is most accustomed to. If Tibetan poets think in Tibetan and translate their poetry into English, there may arise problems in precise translation. But if Tibetan poets think in English, those problems may be surmounted though it may possibly cloud their Tibetan heart. The ideal situation is the ability to think both in English and in Tibetan. That way, the evolution of the two languages inter-mingling with one another in a translucent manner with the heart brings about the best attributes of the poetry in mind.
Yet, frankly speaking, there are times when English has no role in poetry by Tibetans as when a Tibetan writer tries to emulate a western thought. In such instances, the Tibetan mind distorts the western thought and jeopardizes the English verse. They become inundated and perplexed with a false perception of the truth, rather than the truth itself. The expression of thought must first come from the heart and then the language can be used as a tool to express what the heart feels. Rather than emulate a foreign thought, it is better for a Tibetan poet to express his thoughts and feelings in a foreign language, even if it be in Mandarin. At least the Chinese will know what is in the Tibetan writer’s mind and heart, such as his diatribe on tyranny and icy disdain of Chinese rule.
Since poetry comes from the heart, the manner in which the words are expressed are often not easily comprehensible. Thus, the reader too must read into the heart of the poet in order to understand the language of the poet. The Tibetan poet, therefore, has the added task of expressing in precise English what his Tibetan heart feels. This is a difficult task, if not an impossible one – so long as the Tibetan poet has an excellent comprehension of the English language and an empathic realization of what his heart feels.
To summarize, the English language has an enormous universal role to play in poetry authored by Tibetans, but that role must be entwined with the untainted heart of the Tibetan poet as well as the precision and excellence of the language. Poetry by Tibetans in an universal language has an even more crucial role to play now that the Chinese are forcefully suppressing the Tibetan language.
Brave is the Tibetan poet
Who ventures to pen in English
But write he must from his heart
For readers his poetry to cherish
* Tsoltim N. Shakabpa is the author of eight inspiring books of poems, the last one of which is BEING TIBETAN published by Publish America. He is popularly known as “T.N.”, which he says stands for his initials as well as “Tibetan National”.
CHANGE
by Tsoltim N. Shakabpa
Life is changing
World is changing
Change will come
To all, not some
No matter what we do
Only thing we can do
Is decelerate change
Or accelerate change
But change we can’t change
It is real, though strange
And though we may try to deny
We cannot, by nature, defy
Change is a sure fire determinant
In our frail lives which are impermanent
New Updated Flyer – 100 Thousand Poets for Change Tibet Awareness Event
NINE ELEVEN
By Tsoltim N. Shakabpa
Let not nine eleven
Be the seventh heaven
For those who would destroy our freedom
And steal our democracy and kingdom
We may have cut off the head
But the tail is still not dead
Let us make cocksure
The tail wags no more
Let not nine eleven
Be our final coffin
Let us make them see their folly
Wave our flag and make them sorry
Let us show that nine eleven
Is to us manna from heaven
That instills in us the fervor
To love our nation and serve her
Copyright: Tsoltim N. Shakabpa – 2011
NATURE’S POWER
By Tsoltim N. Shakabpa
When the womb of nature
Gives birth to the splendor of life
The true grace of nature glows
As though in a kaleidoscopic vision
When the ocean of death
Storms onto the beaches of life
The true wrath of nature erupts
As though in a nightmarish dream
The whims of nature may be unpredictable
But the power of nature
Makes us realize the value of life
And implants in us the meaning of life
Copyright: Tsoltim N. Shakabpa – 2011
CHANGE
By Tsoltim N. Shakabpa
Change for the better
As you would your clothes
Change the one thing you can change
Rather than try to change the five things you cannot
Be “one in a million”
Instead of “one of a million”
Copyright: Tsoltim N. Shakabpa – 2011
THE POET
by Tsoltim N. Shakabpa
Swimming in the swift and winding river of lucid words
He enters the wide ocean of knowledge
To see vivid images of our mortal world
And to live the very words that enthrall him
With the rhythmic beat of his heart
He guides the entrancing waves of the mighty ocean
While his fragile body
Mingles with the urchins of the seas
Caring not for the diamonds at his feet
His trenchant mind
Wonders what wisdom
The lucent moon reflects from the brilliant sun
As he imagines dancing with the sparkling stars
Blithely does he battle and subdue the withering storms
While his humble soul rests peacefully
In the welcoming arms of resplendent rainbows
All in all
He finds warmth and peace
In the poetic words that awaken him
And shelter him from the wild winds
Or a turbulent and impermanent world
ON THE SUBJECT OF LANGUAGES:
The Role of English in Poetry by Tibetans
By Tsoltim Ngima Shakabpa
————————————-
Languages become universal because of the power of the people who speak those languages. English is one such language as exhibited by the British in the 17th to the early 20th centuries when historically their power and language spread far and wide across the globe. Languages remain alive because of the spirit of the people who speak those languages. The Tibetan language is one such language as exhibited by the Tibetans in their unique culture and quest to maintain their great heritage. To bring the ideas of a people struggling to keep their language alive into a universal language is in itself a difficult task; but to put it in poetry is an even more formidable task. Yet Tibetans are doing exactly that.
Tibetans are generally philosophically inclined by the very nature of their upbringing. Buddhism and the philosophy of Buddhism have deeply affected the Tibetan mentality, and by its very power the hearts of the Tibetan people. Bearing this in mind, it is easy to see why generally Tibetans are natural poets. Additionally, the pristine natural environment could have only aesthetically enhanced the philosophical Tibetan mind.
In the past, Tibetans used to write poetry in Tibetan with religious themes only. These poems were deep in thought and classic in their genius. They were the pulse of a nation steeped in religion and struggling to find the meaning of life. These poems were much more difficult to translate precisely into English unless one had an impeccable knowledge of the complex mechanisms of the Tibetan religion. Today, the pulse and emphasis are different. Tibetans are suffering immeasurably under the illegal occupation of Tibet by China. They are being persecuted, imprisoned, tortured and murdered. Their voices stifled; their places of worship demolished; and their true leader, the Dalai Lama, demonized. They are struggling for freedom from 60 gruelling years of brutal and tyrannical Chinese rule; and writing poems in Tibetan alone is not enough. They need to reach a world-wide audience in their fight for liberation and for that they have to use a universal language.
In the 1940s and 1950s, only a few Tibetans were fortunate enough to receive an education in English. Today, with thousands of Tibetans forced to live outside Tibet, many are fortunately learning English, some even good enough to write poetry in sterling English–and they are using their poetic gifts to reach out, in a universal language, to the world at large about their struggle for freedom. But there also are Tibetan poets who write, in English, about spirituality, family, illness, nature, love and life, in addition to the plight of their country, that adds abundant dimension to poetry by Tibetans. These Tibetan poets are presently few and far between, but their pioneering labour and leadership will inspire more Tibetans to expand their poetic capabilities.
Poetic ability is an inborn gift, and the language of poetry is best employed in the language one is most accustomed to. If Tibetan poets think in Tibetan and translate their poetry into English, there may arise problems in precise translation. But if Tibetan poets think in English, those problems may be surmounted though it may possibly cloud their Tibetan heart. The ideal situation is the ability to think both in English and in Tibetan. That way, the evolution of the two languages inter-mingling with one another in a translucent manner with the heart brings about the best attributes of the poetry in mind.
Yet, frankly speaking, there are times when English has no role in poetry by Tibetans as when a Tibetan writer tries to emulate a western thought. In such instances, the Tibetan mind distorts the western thought and jeopardizes the English verse. They become inundated and perplexed with a false perception of the truth, rather than the truth itself. The expression of thought must first come from the heart and then the language can be used as a tool to express what the heart feels. Rather than emulate a foreign thought, it is better for a Tibetan poet to express his thoughts and feelings in a foreign language, even if it be in Mandarin. At least the Chinese will know what is in the Tibetan writer’s mind and heart, such as his diatribe on tyranny and icy disdain of Chinese rule.
Since poetry comes from the heart, the manner in which the words are expressed are often not easily comprehensible. Thus, the reader too must read into the heart of the poet in order to understand the language of the poet. The Tibetan poet, therefore, has the added task of expressing in precise English what his Tibetan heart feels. This is a difficult task, if not an impossible one – so long as the Tibetan poet has an excellent comprehension of the English language and an empathic realization of what his heart feels.
To summarize, the English language has an enormous universal role to play in poetry authored by Tibetans, but that role must be entwined with the untainted heart of the Tibetan poet as well as the precision and excellence of the language. Poetry by Tibetans in an universal language has an even more crucial role to play now that the Chinese are forcefully suppressing the Tibetan language.
Brave is the Tibetan poet
Who ventures to pen in English
But write he must from his heart
For readers his poetry to cherish
* Tsoltim N. Shakabpa is the author of eight inspiring books of poems, the last one of which is BEING TIBETAN published by Publish America. He is popularly known as “T.N.”, which he says stands for his initials as well as Tibetan National.
Tibetan Folk “La Shu Pe” by Techung
click here to listen…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zL_9xIYiOE0&feature=player_embedded
Techung Live in New York
click here to listen…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=171BdD2B3Ys&feature=mh_lolz&list=FLbDCD9KfzgG-RDeFEdubkuA
TERRORISM
By Tsoltim N. Shakabpa
On the 10th anniversary of September 11
Let us also not forget the others
Who are being intimidated through terrorism
Tibetans by China
Chinese citizens by their autocratic rulers
Foreigners by China’s central intelligence agency
Libyans by Gadhafi
Syrians by Assad
Burmese by a military junta
Somalis by war lords
Afghans by the Taliban
Iraqis by corruption
And the world by ignorance
Rise up! freedom-loving and knowledge-hungry people of the world
You have nothing to lose but your chains and pains
Copyright: Tsoltim N. Shakabpa – 2011
NINE ELEVEN
By Tsoltim N. Shakabpa
Let not nine eleven
Be the seventh heaven
For those who would destroy our freedom
And steal our democracy and kingdom
We may have cut off the head
But the tail is still not dead
Let us make cocksure
The tail wags no more
Though there’s a credible threat
We need not worry or fret
Just stay alert and pray
And go your normal way
Let them not take down our flag
And turn it into a rag
Let them not our way of life harm
Let us cool our heads and rearm
Let not nine eleven
Be our final coffin
Let us make them see their folly
Wave our flag and make them sorry
Let us show that nine eleven
Is to us manna from heaven
That instills in us the fervor
To love our nation and serve her
Copyright: Tsoltim N. Shakabpa – 2011
September 11 Revisited
(10th Anniversary)
by Chukie Wangdu
The sky was blue and the sun shone bright
Not one angry face was in sight
Or so it seemed…
Monday’s blues were put to bed
Tuesday’s promises lay straight ahead
Or so it seemed…
In the City that never sleeps
A normal day of work, school, and cell-phone beeps
Or so it seemed…
In the nation’s capitol suspecting none
About their ways went everyone
Or so it seemed…
Into the morning sky those four planes flew
Hopes and dreams were to soar, not to bid adieu
Or so it seemed…
Unbeknownst to all
Nineteen angry men heeded a call
Allah taught believers to be kind to one another
As did Abraham, Buddha, Christ and Krishna, brother to brother
It is not a sign of weakness
To practice love and kindness
Instead those nineteen angry men
Heeded the words of Osama bin Laden
With calculated violence in the hearts of this clan
Death and mayhem was their plan
Thousands lost their lives that day
Yet Osama couldn’t hijack our courage away
What you sow is what you reap
Incrementally or in one fell sweep
Sunday, May 1 was D-day for Osama
Hide he could not from his negative Karma
Not only did he bring the wrath of the free world upon him
He caused the vilification of my neighbor — a kind and gentle muslim
On the 10th anniversary of September 11
We remember with love and respect the brave and fallen
A new day is dawning for Allah’s true faithful
Let us join hands to wash away evil
Kindle trust and dignity in your home and elsewhere
Spread respect and fairness everywhere
Be kind and gentle to nature and to each other
Planet earth is at stake …. it’s now or never
copyright: Chukie Wangdu
CHANGE FOR THE BETTER
By Tsoltim N. Shakabpa
As China’s economy has changed
From communism to capitalism
So too China’s autocracy
Will change to democracy
Likewise, Tibet’s position
As an occupied and subjugated country
Will change
To an independent and free nation
So too
Our brothers and sisters in Myanmar
Will change their poor and military-ruled country
Into a rich and democratic nation
Change will and must come
To all, not some
Eventually, change will come for the better
According to all the saints’ words and letter
Tibetan musician Techung opening for His Holiness Dalai Lama
click here to listen…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zlr4NQMJj3M&feature=related
THE SOUND OF SILENCE
By Tsoltim N. Shakabpa
A Japanese nod in silence
Means neither yes nor no
A Chinese wave in silence
Says good riddance to bad rubbish
A Tibetan prayer in silence
Is a plea to wish you well
Nature’s bellow in silence
Means the calm before a storm
The sound of silence
Gives brilliant credence
To what culture and nature speak
In sharp and clear, but silent, tweak
Copyright: Tsoltim N. Shakabpa – 2011
100 Thousand Poets for Change – Free Tibet Video
click here to watch…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Yp6P-59fD0
3 Videos of Poems By Tsoltim N. Shakabpa
I HAVE AN AIM AND A TARGET
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=em-cFb857tE
CHANGE FOR THE BETTER
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqTfXOZ05ig
FREEDOM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YedDJpGV1Nw
REMEMBER
Foreign engraved our generation,
But do work for our country’s restoration.
Do not forget China’s excavation,
On our land and people inside our nation.
Exploiting all our ancestor’s creation,
Our race is on the verge of deterioration.
Hold one another’s hand for unification.
Unity will be the strength for our destination.
Charter remains charter, unless we make it constitution.
China in Tibet has massacred 1000 years tradition,
And we in exile lost in modern addiction.
Now, I’m stuck with a puzzling question,
“Are we China’s partisan, in their hideous action?”
Red with yellow stars, waving since China’s invasion,
Led to thousands’ evacuation.
Martyrs from the great revolution,
Sacrificed their lives for our future evolution.
Five decades of martyrdom in Tibetan nation,
We rose from obscurity to universal recognition.
Men and women, young and old, it’s time for an independent nation.
Let’s fly like free birds from colonization.
Gangtok: DAGYAP Jime Dorjee on Tuesday, 16 August 2011
SCHEDULE FOR 100 THOUSAND POETS FOR CHANGE TIBET AWARENESS EVENT happening today!!! Come join us at Zona Rosa in Pasadena!
11:30 – 11:45 am intro & poetry reading (Poems: “The Fear in Lhasa” by Woeser read by Teresa)
11:45am-12:00pm Radomir (Poems by Tenzin Tsundue read by Radomir)
MC Introduces Sherap and Techung
12:00pm-12:30pm Music
12:30pm-1:00pm- Poetry (Poems: “Torn Between Two Countries,” “Freedom,” “Tribute to His Holiness the Dalai Lama” by Tsoltim N. Shakabpa read by Teresa….Poems: by Radomir on the subject of Tibet)
1:00pm – 1:30pm music
1:30pm – 2:00pm Poetry (Poems: “Angel” and “Remember” by Jigme Dorjee DAGYAP read by Michel Tyabi …. Poem: “For Lhasa” and “Snow Lions” by Diana Woodcock read by Ralph Rodriguez…from “Exile an Invitation to Struggle” and section from “Selvage” by Tsering Dhompa ready by Teresa)
Break
5:30pm-6:00pm- intro and poetry (Poems: “The Panchen Lama,” “Scream,” “The Illness of Tibet,” “Come Home,” and “The Past” by Woeser read by Rod Bradley…Poems on Buddhism read by Craig Cotter)
6:00pm-6:30pm music
6:30pm-7:00 pm poetry (Poems: “A Precious Daughter,” “Like a Tree,” “The 11th Panchen Lama,” “Angel Face,” “Defining a Nation,” “I Have an Aim and a Target,” “Cry For Justice and Freedom, “Dead People Talking,” “The Art of China,” “Do What Animals Do” by Tsoltim N. Shakabpa.)
7:00pm – 7:30 pm music
7:00pm – 7:45pm prayer & wrap up
PRAYERS FOR RANGZEN. TIBET. PALESTINE. FOR EVERY SENTIENT BEING KNOWN AND UNKNOWN
HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA
by Tsoltim N. Shakabpa
Whether or not you are a God King
As the Tibetans describe you
Or a wolf in sheep’s clothing
As the communist Chinese describe you
Or a simple monk
As you describe yourself
You bring love and compassion to humanity
Harmony among all religious and racial creed
And are a divine inspiration to the world
We thank you, Your Holiness
May your voice of harmony
Spirit of compassion
And ocean of wisdom
Embrace our universe
‘Till the end of time
Copyright: Tsoltim N. Shakabpa – 2010
Livestreaming of 100 Thousand Poets for Change Tibet Awareness Event Channel/Link
http://bambuser.com/channel/Chuc%252BDowell
LINK TO 100 THOUSAND POETS FOR CHANGE FREE TIBET WEBSITE
http://100tpcfreetibet.weebly.com/
First Annual 100 Thousand Poets for a Free Tibet Poetry Contest
The mission of this contest is to encourage young Tibetans in Tibet or in exile anywhere in the world to write poetry (must be 19 years old or under). Poems can be written in a language other than English accompanied by an English translation and on any subject matter written in any style. Poems will be judged by renowned Tibetan poet Tsoltim N. Shakabpa.
Please submit 1 to 4 poems using the contact form. Please include your name and country in the submission. The poems will then be forwarded to the judges.
First place: $125
Second place: $50
Winners will be announced in December 2011.
The winning poems will also be published on the 100 Thousand Poets for Change website https://100tpc.org/ and in the upcoming anthology of Tibetan poets published by Big Bridge, an online literary journal edited by Michael Rothenberg, forthcoming Spring 2012 (poets retain all rights to their work).
All poetry submissions will be considered for publication in the anthology of Tibetan poets published by Big Bridge Online Literary Journal
http://www.bigbridge.org/BB15/index3.html
About the contest judge:
Tsoltim Ngima Shakabpa was a former President of the Tibetan Association of Washington, who founded TIBETFEST, which to this day attracts a crowd of 50,000 people in an annual two day festival. Also, a former senior international banker and Chairman & President of an investment bank in Texas when he suffered a debilitating stroke in December 1999. Since then, he has authored 8 books of poems and is a prodigious political activist for a free Tibet. He is the son of Tsepon Wangchuk Deden Shakabpa, the eminent Tibetan historian, statesman, educator, freedom fighter and former Finance Minister of independent Tibet.
Tsoltim Ngima is popularly known as “T.N.”, which he says are his initials that also stand for “Tibetan National”.
PLEASE GO HERE AND USE THE CONTACT FORM TO SUBMIT POEMS FOR THE CONTEST
http://100tpcfreetibet.weebly.com/poetry-contest.html
Anthology of Tibetan Poets in Exile
Picture
We are reading poetry submissions by Tibetan poets in exile for an online anthology to be published by Big Bridge Press in Spring 2012. http://www.bigbridge.org/BB15/index3.html
Submissions are open to any Tibetan living in Tibet or in exile anywhere in the world. Poems can be written in free verse, formal verse, or in any form. Poets can be of any age or profession. We encourage all interested Tibetans to submit. Submissions may be in a language other than English accompanied by a translation or we will help with translation. Poems in translation will be published in the original language along with its translation. Poets retain all rights to their work.
Please send 1-5 poems using the contact form at this link http://100tpcfreetibet.weebly.com/contact.html
Please include the following with your submission:
1. Name (pen names are fine) – Anthology Submission
2. Language in which the poem/s are written if other than English
3. Country in which you live
Deadline for submissions is February 15, 2012.
Big Bridge is edited by renowned American poet and activist, Michael Rothenberg.
POEMS BY TSOLTIM N. SHAKABPA
[file]https://100tpc.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/TsoltimNShakabpaPoems.pdf[/file]
TENZIN TSUNDUE’S POEMS
[file]https://100tpc.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/kora.pdf[/file]