When you’ve been raised in the tradition of the stiff British upper lip, public displays of devotion can make you a little uncomfortable. For starters, people in the West aren’t devoted to much these days – iPhones; Grey’s Anatomy; raw food – and any deeper devotion is usually very privately held. So being swept along by a throng of pilgrims on our first morning in Lhasa, many with callouses on their foreheads from hundreds of kilometres of prostration, was a humbling and spellbinding introduction to real and living devotion, Tibetan style.

In debating the question of whether to visit Tibet, one of our fears was that we would witness a culture being watered down by military intimidation, Han Chinese immigration and tourism. But, perhaps as a symbol of resistance, Tibetan culture and Buddhism are worn as a badge of honour. Having said that, Lhasa is a virtually segregated city and security in the Tibetan quarter makes you wonder if Obama might be visiting – night time road closures; boys with guns on every rooftop and somewhat farcical foot patrols. But Tibetans are a tough mob – it takes a special breed to eke out centuries of existence in a frozen and vertiginous equivalent of the Nullabor plain.

 

 

 

 

Monasteries and temples are the order of the day in Tibet and despite visiting dozens, we never tired of them. Not at all museum-like, wafts of juniper incense and yak butter and the chanting of pilgrims making their fluid kora were a feast for the senses. Our diminutive guide, Chongla, liked to keep us on our toes with pop quizzes on the various images. Given how often we muddled up our Sakyamuni Buddhas with our Tantric masters, we were glad she didn’t employ the methods of reprimand used by monks in their debates, which involves an enthusiastic “whack!” delivered an inch from the face when you blunder the answer to an esoteric question. We eventually concluded that the more we learnt about Tibetan Buddhism, the more it completely mystified us, although I suspect that trying to explain the mechanics of the Holy Trinity to a Tibetan might have a similar effect.

 

A foreboding, silent monolith in a sea of Mandarin neon, Potala Palace is unrivalled in its dominance of the Lhasa skyline. Our first glimpse of the Dalai Lama’s winter residence and the seat of Tibetan government came on the late night ride from the brand new, gigantic train station on the outskirts of town, which rises out of nowhere like the Death Star. All at once, we felt excited, privileged, saddened and weighed down by the living out of a long-held dream. When visiting a few days later, we expected the building to be empty but were surprised to see that much of the interior survived the iconoclastic rampage of Mao’s Red Guards. That said, only a handful of the 1,000-odd rooms are open to visitors. Most definitely off-limits are those which might be construed as having a political element, such as the stupa housing the remains of the 13th Dalai Lama, the current Dalai Lama’s predecessor and no friend of China.

Earlier the same day we visited Norbulingka, the Dalai Lama’s traditional summer residence and where the current Dalai Lama spent much of his youth. Less visited than the other sites of Lhasa, we had plenty of time to wander the grounds and ponder what was left. One of the more fascinating and odd exhibits was a room full of horse-drawn carts gifted to the Dalai Lama by various heads of state and royalty on his coronation in 1950, a reminder that there was no motorised transport in Tibet at the time. Also on display was a small tricycle, which a monk explained had been the Dalai Lama’s 7th birthday gift from his English tutor. The living quarters were constructed in 1956 and in contrast to Potala, which is truly fit for a living deity, they are very modest – although there is a western toilet and a bathtub, which is a luxury in Tibet even in 2009.

I don’t think any of us will forget the sight of the empty throne in the main reception hall, robes folded and patiently awaiting their owner’s return. Hidden in an inaccessible corner of the room is the only picture of His Holiness tolerated in Tibet – a mural depicting a very young man, yet to acquire his trademark spectacles. Chongla was understandably reluctant to discuss politics – Lhasa is reputedly crawling with informers – but as we sat in silence in the courtyard outside, she casually remarked that although the buildings are full of beautiful things, they feel empty.

 

 

 

 

After four days in Lhasa, we began our journey that would see us deposited at the Nepali border. As if all the spectacular cultural sites weren’t enough, the Tibetan countryside also threw up some of the most jaw-dropping scenery of our travels. Every day it seemed we would cross another 5000m pass, marvel at yet another technicolour lake or glimpse an “8000-er” in the distance. Our penultimate night in Tibet was to be spent at Everest Base Camp, the details of which we hadn’t given much thought to – that is until our hungover driver started inventing reasons not to go. No chance, Tenzing! So after arriving in the dark and being shown to our dismal and overpriced digs, we glanced up and there she was: Mt Everest, or Chomolongma (Saint Mother) as the Tibetans know her, faintly lit up by a crescent moon and towering right above us. This magnificent sight was some consolation for having to pee in the carpark during the night, as the toilets were a special type of wrongness to be avoided at all costs.

 

On the suggestion of our recalcitrant driver, we were ready to go before dawn the next morning – only to wait around for him in the cold and the dark for 40 minutes until he graced us with his presence and drove us the short way to the viewpoint. Reliably informed by a fellow tourist that it was -10C, we stamped our feet as the first rays lit up the mountainside… and we felt very, very small. The prayer flags we carried up there and unfurled will hopefully fly in our Perth backyard one day.* When we could stand the cold no longer, we retreated to the car and about three hours later, began to feel our fingers and toes again.

The tale our journey through wonderful Tibet would not be complete without mention of Ryan & Jo, who foolishly agreed to be our travelling partners so many months ago. Wonderfully good-humoured and with a remarkable capacity for yak and potato consumption, we’re very glad they weren’t too put off by Linds’ incongruous references to Spinal Tap amidst the Plain of Jars.

*Uh, slight problem dudes – you have to acquire a house first?!

Potala adalah tempat tinggal apara calon Buddha. Disini juga tinggal Dalai Lama, pemimpin agama Buddha di Tibet. Potala terletak di Lhasa, Tibet. Bangunan besar ini berada di bukit Potala, 3.700 meter di atas permukaan laut. Bangunan ini memiliki banyak ruangan, baik untuk tinggal para biksu maupun tempat untuk melakukan doa. Jika berjalan-jalan ke dalamnya, kita bisa melihat berbagai lukisan yang indah dan penuh makna di sebagian besar dinding bagian dalamnya.

Potala mulai dibangun oleh Songtsan Gambo, pendiri kerajaan Tubo. Bangunan ini dibuat sebagai peringatan perkawinannya dengan putrid Wencheng dari dinasti Tang.

Bangunan yang terlihat sekarang didirikan dalam beberapa tahap. Bagian tertinggi Potala misalnya, baru dibangun pada tahun 1690.

Sebagian besar Potala dihiasi oleh patung-patung emas dengan ornamen-ornamen yang sangat berharga, bahkan pada bagian atap Potala juga dilapisi emas.

Bangunan ini terdiri dari dua bagian utama, yaitu Gedung Putih dan Gedung Merah. Di Gedung Putih banyak dilakukan kegiatan yang tidak berhubungan dengan keagamaan. Disini disimpan kitab-kitab penting dan stupa-stupa untuk menghormati dalai lama yang telah wafat.

Potala Palace, Tibet

Mont Saint-Michel, France

Neuschwanstein, Germany

source.

L’on trouve entre autres à Chengde des imitations du Potala, de Samye (plus ancien monastère du Tibet) et du Tashilumpo. 2 jours suffisent pour visiter les temples de la ville.

Petit spectacle de danses costumées dans le très beau décor du mini-Potala.

l y a une grande animation populaire dans le Parc Impérial du Palais d’ Été. Des biches s’y promènent qui plus est en liberté et on peut facilement les approcher de très près. On peut y louer des pédalos, ambiance “premiers congés payés sous Léon Blum garantis”.

The Associated Press reports that “China has completed a seven-year renovation of Tibet’s Potala Palace — home to the Dalai Lamas until the region’s current spiritual leader fled during an aborted uprising against Communist rule 50 years ago.”  The renovation also included Norbu Lingka, the summer palace for the Dalai Lamas.

In the words of our bud Rod Meade Sperry at Shambhala SunSpace, this is nice but “one key element…would restore the Potala and Norbu Lingka to their former glory. You know what (or, rather, who) I’m talking about.”

Lhasa was once referred to as The Forbidden City by adventurers wishing to visit it. High up on the Tibetan Plateau it is as a fortress guarded from the outside world by mighty walls formed by the Himalayan Mountain range. Those who did visit in the nineteenth century were brave and hardy souls who travelled disguised as local merchants or holy men on pilgrimage. Some travelled for the excitement and curiosity that drives all adventurers on, some travelled for military purposes.

The British and Russians saw the tremendous natural wall of the Himalayas as the perfect buffer zone between two mighty empires which needed guarding. The Chinese were far from disinterested. Savage weather and harsh natives thwarted the attempts of many early traveller’s to reach here.

Today Lhasa is a modern Chinese city with all the amenities one would expect from the capital of a Chinese province. The streets are clean. Rather than the labyrinth of small streets lined with hovels lit by butter fuelled lamps as reported by early travellers there is of course electricity, and sanitation. There are fine hotels and restaurants, the main streets are broad and the traffic is relatively light.

Potala Palace

But away from the wide boulevards of the modern streets lie enchanting areas of traditional Tibetan houses and monasteries where pilgrims prostrate before temples and religious icons. The air is filled with the smell of juniper incense and pilgrims from all over Tibet pay homage to the Buddha and a plethora of divine beings.

Walking the Barkhor, Lhasa

Market on the Barkhor, Lhasa

David is here to lead a group of 16 intrepid cyclists across the high desolate and windswept Tibetan Plateau to the capital of Nepal, Kathmandu. With an average altitude of 4000 metres and five major passes all above 5000 metres this is not a journey for the faint of heart, mind or body. Altitude is the most trying factor here. Here injury is slow to heal, the body eats its own muscle, and sickness can be difficult to shake off. Lhasa to Kathmandu is arguably the toughest and at the same time most rewarding commercial bicycle expedition currently available. David’s group seems strong and enthusiastic.

David's group

从东措的前台走出来，还没有进楼门，就被一帮青年旅行者围住了，听说我想去纳木错，大伙儿哗的欢呼起来，原来他们明天正要去，缺一个人。我倒有点犹豫，毕竟又高一千多米，我还高反呢。两名小妹妹不停地鼓动我，说自己的英勇抗反事迹。领头的小伙子已经来过西藏八次，倒是比较谨慎，让我还是小心些。我们交换了电话，明天相机而动。

屋里的兄弟们好多都上来一个多月了，有一个跟我一样，刚到，从川藏骑车上来的。聊了一会儿我就早早睡了。一觉起来，只有七点多，仍然略微有些头痛，于是放弃了纳木错，起床去排布达拉的票。从北京东路一路走过去，商店正在陆续开业，武警战士们早就站好了岗，每个街口都有三五名战士，身着迷彩，配备头盔，玻璃盾牌，大口径防暴枪。问一下，说是霰弹的。路上卖早点的店主都是川人，问我要基果肖拢包。
还没吃完包子，就走到了布达拉宫。清晨的太阳打上去，金碧辉煌。转山的藏人摇着经轮络绎不绝，有很多在宫前礼拜，五体投地。
受昨天纳木错兄弟们的蛊惑，我搬到了平措。同时进来的有个上海来的小女生，大四，从云南搭车过来。出来十多天，家里还不知道她来了西藏。问她干吗了，她说，发呆。不过也去了趟珠峰，这个季节居然看见了峰，运气不错。

中午到冲赛康市场和纳木错兄弟们拼饭，隔壁桌坐了个汉地和尚，穿红衣的喇嘛在拉萨是毫不稀奇，黄衣的汉家和尚倒是非常罕见。我一问，禅宗的。吃完饭直奔大昭寺。佛祖十二岁等身相是为数不多的由他自己亲自加持的佛像之一，十分珍贵，殿堂倒是不大。上到二楼平台，人不多，太阳炽烈，一摘了墨镜眼睛就生疼。这样强烈的阳光打在色彩鲜艳的墙壁和旗幡上，让我想起阿莫多瓦的电影。我绕着平台慢慢地转，慢慢的拍。从南边来的暖风吹过，帘幡飘动，角铃叮当，人声远远，我看着远山蓝天金顶，和仿佛触手可及的白云，十分悠然。

回到住处，禅宗师傅居然坐在门口读书，小逻辑。他和我一个屋，实在是无巧不成书。就吹嘘自己读过的那点金刚经，然后就围绕佛教聊起来，楞严，圆觉，南怀瑾，开悟，如此等等。小师傅年纪不大，三十，懂得颇多，出家九年了，今年刚刚考取厦门佛学院，开学前出来游历。我们去喝甜茶吃藏面，我，和尚，上海女生，还有一个从青藏骑自行车过来的河南小伙儿，一共四个。到革命茶馆，小女生推荐的一家老字号。她出发前做足了功课，记了满满一本笔记。我们几人走在路上，回头率相当的高，主要是和尚的功劳。

回来，已经黑了。平措五楼的酒吧气氛很好，有十个板凳是秋千，摇摇晃晃，悠哉悠哉。楼顶还有露台，布达拉宫灯火辉煌，就在面前不远。突然发现头不痛，高原反应已经好了。

Ao 6.º dia de viagem e 3.º no Tibete, chegámos a Lhasa  e dirigimo-nos ao Hotel Yak, a nossa base fixa para a aclimatação à altitude prevista para os próximos dias.

Aclimatação: Em altitudes acima dos 3.000/3.500 m há uma menor percentagem de oxigénio no ar pelo que o organismo tem de respirar mais para conseguir absorver a mesma quantidade. Essa necessidade gera uma sensação de falta de ar. Nestas circunstâncias, o nosso organismo tende a adaptar-se/aclimatar-se, principalmente, através da alteração da composição sanguínea, onde se produzirá um aumento considerável de glóbulos vermelhos.  Esta reação do organismo não é imediata, varia de pessoa para pessoa e leva algum tempo. Por isso o processo de aclimatação precisa ser realizado de forma lenta e gradual, evitando grandes esforços físicos.  As náuseas, dores de cabeça, inchaço dos membros, perda do apetite, vómitos, confusão mental, tontura e perda da coordenação motora são alguns dos muitos sintomas de falta de aclimatação, mas não os únicos.

Durante estes 3 dias, visitámos, entre outros, os Palácio da Potala e de Norbulinka; os Mosteiros de Ganden, Drepung, Sera e o Templo de Jokhang. Sentimos, verdadeiramente e pela primeira vez, a mística tibetana.  Adaptámo-nos bem às caracterísitcas locais, desde a comida à cultura, das dificuldades de comunicação à altitude. Caminhámos muitas e muitas horas a mais de 4.000 m (tendo chegado a ultrapassar os 5.000 metros) e fomos “bebendo” avidamente tudo o que observávamos e sentíamos, confirmando que nada do que vem nos livros e nos relatos de outros visitantes se compara à realidade sentida no contacto directo com as gentes, os cheiros e odores, os sons e os silêncios carregados de história e de estórias.

Seguem algumas fotos de Lhasa, do Palácio da Potala e de alguns peregrinos - as restantes , para não sobrecarregar, serão colocadas proximamente noutro post.

Los cristales se usaron como talismanes mágicos en muchas culturas. Los griegos consideraban que los cristales de cuarzo eran «hielo congelado» ―agua que había estado congelada durante tanto tiempo que quedó en estado sólido para siempre. El filósofo romano Plinio el Viejo citó como evidencia de que los cristales de cuarzo eran hielo ultracongelado el hecho de que se encontraban a gran altura en los Alpes, donde se hallan los glaciares, y no en sitios más bajos donde la temperatura es más cálida. Si bien esto es completamente erróneo, demuestra al menos que los romanos consideraban al cuarzo un material interesante.
De hecho, en la antigüedad los griegos y los romanos usaban bolas pulidas de cuarzo cristal de roca con fines adivinatorios. El hecho de que fuera muy difícil hallar un ejemplar tan grande del mineral que permitiera hacer una bola de cristal transparente hizo que estos objetos fueran aun mucho más valiosos y místicos.
Las bolas de cristal también se utilizaron en Escocia. En un artículo denominado “Scottish Charms and Amulets” publicado en las actas de la Sociedad de Anticuarios de Escocia el 8 de mayo de 1893, George F. Black describe las muchas aplicaciones que se les daba a esos elementos. En algunos casos eran solo decorativas, pero también se creía que algunas de ellas curaban las enfermedades del ganado, y el agua donde se las sumergía tenía una gran demanda para rociarla luego sobre las manadas. Muchos clanes de las tierras altas tenían bolas de cristal que colgaban de sus estandartes. Las llamaban «bolas de fortaleza» o «bolas de victoria».
Aunque las culturas antiguas veneraban los cristales, se cree que el tallado
del cuarzo en forma de calavera es peculiar de América Central y el Himalaya.
La iconografía de las calaveras se utiliza con frecuencia en el budismo tibetano, el tantra hindú y entre los aztecas, mixtecos y mayas. Es posible que también se utilizara entre los olmecas, quienes precedieron a todas estas culturas mesoamericanas.
De hecho, la idea de que las calaveras de cristal están vinculadas a poderosos rituales tántricos hindúes y budistas parece estar bien fundada. Se dice que los monjes budistas e hinduistas miran con fijeza calaveras de cristal como parte de su meditación. La iconografía de las calaveras está muy extendida en el arte tibetano e hindú, y hay muchas representaciones de dioses que llevan collares, tocados y cinturones con calaveras en esculturas y pinturas thangka. Los collares se asocian en particular con Shivá, el dios creador y destructor y su irascible consorte Kali, a quien generalmente se la representa llevando uno alrededor del cuello. Los devotos de estos dos dioses aún usan estos collares en la actualidad, los que casi siempre están hechos con pequeñas calaveras talladas en huesos humanos o animales. El uso de abalorios con forma de calaveras en rosarios es común en Nepal, donde las cuentas a menudo sen tallan en huesos de yak. Los monjes tibetanos utilizaban calaveras humanas reales para hacer tambores sagrados y también copas llamadas kapala. Existían reglas escritas precisas acerca de cómo debían prepararse las calaveras para utilizarlas como vasos sagrados, y una vez santificadas se las usaba en diversas ceremonias. Una de las prácticas consistía en calentar dentro de las mismas elementos comunes de la vida cotidiana para mostrar de manera simbólica que la vida y la muerte humanas eran efímeras y que era mejor enfocarse en la iluminación espiritual.
En cuanto a estas calaveras del Himalaya y tibetanas, también las hay de jade, talladas en su totalidad en esta dura y valiosa piedra verde. Asimismo se hallaron esqueletos completos, íntegramente tallados en jade, supuestamente de Mongolia o de Tíbet, los que recibieron una gran dosis de publicidad en la Internet y en conferencias sobre piedras preciosas.
Un sitio de Internet (www.greatdreams.com) afirma que entre los años 2000 y 2001 «se halló una cantidad de calaveras de cristal en algunas cuevas en montañas remotas. Demandó dos años recuperar veintidós antiguas calaveras de cristal, conocidas en conjunto como “las calaveras de Pekín”, las que es posible que estén vinculadas a los dropa». Los dropa son extraterrestres de muy pequeño tamaño que se supone descendieron del espacio cuando su nave se estrelló en una remota área montañosa en la frontera entre China y Tíbet. Allí vivieron en cuevas y se dijo que se hallaron tumbas con sus extraños esqueletos y con ciertos discos que se presume contienen información codificada. No se supo mucho más sobre estas calaveras chinas de cristal, y todas las afirmaciones acerca de los dropa parecen requieren aún de mucha más investigación y verificación.
Richard Garvin, autor de The Cristal Skull (1973), libro que trata  acerca de la investigación que Frank Dorland hizo sobre la calavera de cristal de Mitchell-Hedges, cita a Dorland:

Es evidente que el culto a las calaveras o al menos su adoración fue en el
pasado una práctica mundial entre los pueblos antiguos», afirma Dorland.
«Desde las islas del Pacífico hasta el Tíbet, desde Egipto hasta México, la
adoración de calaveras se halla en cada rincón del globo. Y parece ser que
todas estas prácticas las tuvieron en muy alta estima. Fue objeto de culto,
adorada, conservada y venerada. La calavera como símbolo de una fea y
truculenta cabeza de muerto parece ser más propia de los últimos 1500
años.
Pero en ninguna otra parte del mundo la calavera tuvo una importancia
mayor que en las culturas ―tanto moderna como prehispánica― de
América Central. En estas culturas, este motivo aparece en una sorprendente variedad de formas. Por ejemplo, el centro del calendario azteca es un rostro descarnado; el dios azteca Xólotl, mellizo de Quetzalcóatl, tenía por cara una calavera; los náhuas hacían incrustaciones de mosaicos con calaveras y estas eran un motivo importante en los trabajos en oro de los mixtecos.
El motivo de la calavera es omnipresente en Mesoamérica, donde aparece en edificios como un elemento arquitectónico, en cerámicas, en esculturas, en artesanías y en pinturas. Una de las formas de arte más frecuente en esa región eran las máscaras. Estas se usaban en ceremonias religiosas y también como elementos decorativos, y la calavera era un motivo común. En particular eran muy populares las representaciones en las que la mitad de la cabeza tenía aspecto de calavera, y la otra mitad, la cara de un ser vivo. El Museo Británico tiene en su colección una máscara mexicana hecha con una calavera humana verdadera a la que llaman la «Máscara Turquesa de Oaxaca». El frente de la calavera está cubierto de mosaicos de turquesa y de lignito y la parte trasera se separó y se forró en piel. La mandíbula es móvil y está unida a la piel mediante una bisagra. Una interesante nota al margen es que esta máscara sirvió de inspiración al popular artista británico Damien Hirst, quien en 2007 produjo la pieza de arte moderno más costosa jamás realizada. Se trata de una calavera humana real del siglo XVIII que adquirió en Londres y cubrió con 8601 diamantes finos. La pieza central es un diamante rosado con forma de pera colocado en la frente. Se espera que la obra se llegue a vender en cien millones de dólares. Esta reluciente pieza es un interesante giro del concepto «calavera de cristal».
La fascinación mesoamericana por las calaveras persiste en la actualidad y su más famosa expresión se halla en el Día de los Muertos.
Desde la imposición del cristianismo, esta celebración tiene lugar el Día de Todos los Santos, el 1 de noviembre, pero ya en el tiempo de la conquista se vio que los aztecas tenían varias fiestas de los difuntos. Estas celebraciones se hacían en forma muy parecida a la festividad actual, en la que se ofrecen guirnaldas de flores, chocolate, frutas, dulces y otros alimentos a los ancestros familiares. Hoy en día a menudo se realizan excursiones a los cementerios y los niños reciben pequeñas calaveras de dulce para comer.
Las culturas mesoamericanas al parecer veían a la muerte como una parte natural del ciclo vital, como algo a lo que no se debía temer particularmente. El uso de las calaveras era solo un recordatorio del gran plan cósmico. El sitio mexicolore.com.uk cita un verso del poeta azteca Netzahualcóyotl que dice:

Aunque sea de jade se quiebra,
aunque sea de oro se rompe,
aunque sea plumaje de quetzal se desgarra.
No para siempre en la tierra:
solo un poco aquí.

Los aztecas creían en trece cielos y nueve niveles de infierno. La forma en que la persona moría establecía adónde iba su alma en el más allá, pero las almas en todos los niveles tenían obligaciones que cumplir para mantener la continuidad de la vida sobre la Tierra: ayudar a provocar la lluvia, proveer semillas para nuevas cosechas, curar enfermedades, etc. De manera que podemos ver que la temática de las calaveras estaba muy enraizada en las culturas de Mesoamérica, pero ¿qué hay de las calaveras de cristal propiamente dichas? ¿Quién las hizo y por qué? (sin mencionar ¿cómo?).  Diversas leyendas atribuidas a varias culturas indoamericanas
pretenden responder a estas preguntas. La más popular de estas dice que existen trece calaveras de cristal de tamaño real que forman cierta clase de conjunto especial que se activará cuando estén todas juntas — algo así como reunir todas las piezas de un sofisticado ordenador. Una versión de esta historia dice que las trece calaveras fueron fabricadas por una sociedad avanzada que vivió en el interior de la Tierra y que contienen información sobre la historia de esa raza, su relación con la nuestra y nuestro futuro. Las calaveras se repartieron por todo el mundo, para que fuesen halladas y  reunidas en una fecha posterior. Algunos afirman que esta raza era de  origen extraterrestre.
Otra versión de la leyenda se origina en la historia maya quiché de la creación, el libro llamado Popol Vuh. Según este relato, un chamán maya ocultó las trece calaveras en tiempos remotos para que fueran redescubiertas en una época de gran necesidad. Contienen información vital acerca del origen de la raza humana, el verdadero propósito de nuestra creación y nuestro destino. Cuando estemos preparados para recibir ese conocimiento se hallarán las calaveras y se las decodificará, lo que habrá de facilitar el progreso de la humanidad. Los autores del libro Mistery of the Cristal Skulls Revealed (1988), sostienen que las trece calaveras forman un conjunto y que en algún momento se las conservó debajo del palacio de Potala en el Tíbet. Sin embargo, su creación tuvo lugar en la Atlántida y se las utilizó en los Trece Templos de Sanación de la Atlántida. Estos investigadores creen que muchas de las calaveras de cristal que se conocen en la actualidad tienen entre 10.000 y 30.000 años. Una de las edades que se atribuye a la calavera Mitchell-Hedges es de 17.000 años.
Según estos autores, muchas calaveras de cristal se usaron en sacrificios humanos, razón por la que se «pervirtieron»; sin embargo, piensan que otras escaparon a ese terrible destino. Hay acuerdo entre los autores acerca de que las diferentes calaveras son de naturaleza extraterrestre. La mayor parte del material de su obra les llegó a través de médiums en estado de trance, por lo que es bastante sospechoso. Debido a la información que recibieron por medio de estos canales, los autores creen que «muchas de las calaveras de cristal se trajeron o se proyectaron aquí desde otras partes de nuestra galaxia… algunos de los ejemplares que conocemos se crearon en la Tierra, pero son copia de las trece originales, algunas de las cuales aún
pueden estar en el Tíbet».

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Cómo mencionamos anteriormente, varias calaveras de cristal se encuentran en exhibición en museos en toda Mesoamérica. En general,
estas son los ejemplos más pequeños de la variedad artística. Las más grandes comenzaron a aparecer a mediados del siglo XIX y se atribuyen en general a los aztecas. Aquí debe tomarse en cuenta que hay pruebas de que al menos dos de las grandes calaveras de cristal ―incluida la que estaba en exhibición en el Museo Británico como un artefacto azteca― eran falsas, talladas en una época muy posterior. En cuanto al origen de algunas otras, es todavía muy dudoso. Su belleza y su perfección dan alas a la romántica noción de que pudo haberlas tallado alguna civilización extraterrestre o de la Atlántida, de gran desarrollo tecnológico.
Mientras que se dice que muchas de las calaveras de cristal halladas en América Central son aztecas, debemos recordar que estos (también llamados méxicas) son una civilización relativamente reciente en América Central. Se cree que llegaron desde el norte en algún momento alrededor del año 1248. Cerca de trescientos años más tarde, en 1519, arribaron los españoles y conquistaron a los aztecas en 1521. Si bien muchos miembros de la realeza y sacerdotes aztecas poseyeron calaveras de cristal, estas pueden haber provenido de culturas anteriores y podrían tener cientos y hasta miles de años de antigüedad. El cristal de cuarzo es casi ndestructible, y los objetos de cristal en general pasan de mano en mano durante muchas generaciones hasta que se pierden o caen en manos de ladrones. Con cierto
esfuerzo, una calavera de cristal puede reducirse a miles de pequeños
fragmentos a fuerza de golpes, pero es muy probable que esto no haya ocurrido con frecuencia dado el alto valor de ese objeto y la dificultad para realizar semejante tarea.
De hecho, una de las grandes preguntas acerca de los aztecas y sus calaveras de cristal es si ellos tenían la tecnología y la habilidad requeridas para el tallado y el pulido de estas piezas (al menos, de las de mayor tamaño). Esta es una de las razones por las que se postula que se debieron hacer en la Atlántida: se requiere una civilización con alta tecnología y herramientas avanzadas para hacer dichos objetos.
También se utiliza un argumento similar para sugerir que las calaveras de cristal deben ser fruto del trabajo de seres extraterrestres: simplemente no pueden haber sido hechas por antiguas sociedades ―supuestamente primitivas― tales como los aztecas, mayas, mixtecos, zapotecas u olmecas.
A esta altura es necesario tener un panorama general de estas culturas. En mi referencia inmediata anterior las he listado en orden descendiente según su época de prevalencia en Mesoamérica, siendo los aztecas los más recientes y los olmecas los más antiguos. Como en todas las designaciones antropológicas, los límites de su hegemonía son de algún modo arbitrarios; las culturas pueden haberse superpuesto, y los sitios utilizados inicialmente por unos muy bien pueden haber sido conquistados y utilizados por otros luego. Incluso, los descendientes de un pueblo avasallado pudieron mantener algo de sus conocimientos y artes en un nuevo ambiente. Ya aclarado ese punto, mucho más al sur del territorio azteca estaba el de los mixtecos. Está en duda si alguna vez fueron conquistados por los aztecas, pero es sabido que comerciaban con ellos. La mixteca es una cultura anterior a la azteca, que se cree que desciende de la cultura mesoamericana más antigua, los olmecas. Los mixtecos utilizaban el motivo de la calavera, y es posible que algunas calaveras supuestamente aztecas hayan sido producto de un intercambio con los mixtecos. La cultura mixteca se puede remontar hasta el año 500 a.C., o aun antes.
Antes que los mixtecos estuvieron los zapotecas ―quienes también vivieron al sur de los aztecas en el área de Oaxaca―, a los que se reconoce como excelentes artesanos y constructores. Se creía que la escritura zapoteca se remonta al año 500 a.C. y que fue la base para la forma más antigua de escritura de Mesoamérica. Ahora se considera que la escritura zapoteca deriva de los primeros jeroglíficos olmecas y epiolmecas. Entre los impresionantes sitios zapotecas se encuentra Monte Albán, una montaña cuya cumbre fue cortada para permitir la construcción de una ciudad megalítica, y Mitla, otro lugar megalítico.
En lo que respecta al origen de los zapotecas, la versión en inglés de Wikipedia, la enciclopedia en línea, brinda esta curiosa información: «Los zapotecas cuentan que sus ancestros emergieron de la tierra, de cuevas, o que a partir de árboles o de jaguares se convirtieron en seres humanos, mientras que la elite que los gobernaba se consideraba descendiente de seres sobrenaturales que vivían en las nubes y creía que al morir volverían a ese estado. De hecho, el nombre con que se los conoce en la actualidad es el resultado de esa creencia».
Se cree que los zapotecas, al igual que los aztecas y los mayas, realizaban sacrificios humanos, y el motivo de la calavera a menudo se asocia con esta costumbre. De cualquier modo, no se sabe si el origen de las calaveras de cristal tiene algo que ver con los sacrificios humanos y su horrenda simbología.
Los artesanos zapotecas y mixtecos residían en la capital azteca de Tenochtitlán y se los conocía por sus trabajos en joyería y piedras. Muchas de las calaveras de cristal pueden haber sido realizadas por ellos. En Yucatán, Guatemala, Chiapas y más al sur, los mayas gobernaron durante miles de años y todavía viven en estas áreas en la actualidad. Se cree que las comunidades mayas más antiguas comenzaron en la región de Soconusco en la costa del Pacífico alrededor del año 1800 a.C., si bien es posible que, originalmente, dichas comunidades hayan sido olmecas y no mayas.
Se estima que la cultura maya floreció entre el año 1000 a. C y el 200 d. C, pero poco es lo que se sabe de ese periodo. Por lo general la civilización maya clásica se ubica entre los años 250 y 900 d.C., momento en que tuvo lugar un súbito colapso de la civilización y cientos de ciudades en las junglas de Petén en el norte de Guatemala y en la región de Yucatán en México quedaron abandonadas.
Los mayas continuaron viviendo en las montañas de Guatemala y en zonas remotas a lo largo del río Usumacinta, al igual que en lugares costeros lejanos en Belice, Quintana Roo y Honduras. Si bien los mayas fueron grandes constructores, existe la creencia generalizada de que no poseían medios de transporte basados en la rueda (tales como carretas o carretillas), poleas y ni siquiera herramientas de metal. Estas eran de obsidiana, jade, pedernal o basalto y las utilizaban como martillos, hachas, azuelas, taladros, o herramientas de desbastar y cosas por el estilo. A pesar de ello los mayas pudieron construir una amplia serie de pirámides, plazas, cisternas y caminos. Utilizaban una forma de cemento hecho con estuco de piedra caliza que se esparcía sobre los bloques de piedra y después, con frecuencia, se pintaba de colores vivos. Ahora, si los mayas no poseían herramientas de metal y otras formas básicas de tecnología, ¿podrían haber sido capaces de tallar y pulir un material tan duro y difícil de trabajar como el cristal de cuarzo? ¿Qué herramientas y de qué material pueden haber usado los mayas? Si tenían calaveras de cristal, ¿las habrían hecho ellos
mismos, o provendrían de alguna otra civilización, tales como las más antiguas y más avanzadas culturas olmeca y zapoteca?
Esto nos lleva a los olmecas. En mi libro The Mystery of the Olmecs, sostengo que ellos no eran únicamente la cultura más antigua de Mesoamérica, sino que eran también la más avanzada. En esencia, la civilización fue decayendo desde la época de los olmecas hasta el periodo de los aztecas, justo antes de la conquista española. Las calaveras de cristal ¿pertenecen en realidad al periodo olmeca, al que se define aproximadamente entre los años 1300 y 200 a.C.? Los olmecas no solo extrajeron y esculpieron grandes macizos de basalto de veinte toneladas de peso, transformándolos en cabezas colosales trabajadas con refinamiento (muchas de las cuales muestran rasgos negroides, lo cual en sí mismo es objeto de controversia) sino que también poseían herramientas de hierro con las cuales hacían sus excelentes obras.
En resumen, los olmecas al parecer tenían la tecnología para hacer calaveras de cristal de tamaño real, mientras que los posteriores mayas y
aztecas en apariencia no poseían las herramientas para hacer objetos de esa
clase. Los zapotecas y mixtecos de Oaxaca y del sur de México heredaron
su habilidad de los olmecas y pueden haber sido los últimos de esta casta
de expertos lapidarios.
Nadie sabe de donde vinieron los olmecas, pero las dos teorías predominantes son:
1. Eran nativos americanos, derivados del mismo grupo siberiano del que procede la mayoría del resto de los americanos nativos, en quienes se acentuó el material negroide que estaba latente en sus genes.
2. Eran forasteros que inmigraron al área de Olman por vía marítima,
probablemente como marineros o pasajeros de viajes transoceánicos que es posible que hayan tenido lugar a lo largo de cientos de años.

Los olmecas tenían numerosos similitudes curiosas con los mayas y otras culturas lejanas, tales como su atracción por el jade y las plumas exóticas, el uso de setas alucinógenas y otras drogas psicodélicas y la inscripción de jeroglíficos sobre estelas de piedras como hitos. En su libro The Olmecs: America´s First Civilization, Richard Diehl dice lo siguiente acerca de los artefactos que se hallaron en el sepulcro olmeca de Tlatilco:
Una mujer de clase alta yacía junto a 15 vasijas, 20 estatuillas de arcilla, 2
trozos de jade verde brillante pintado de rojo que podrían haber formado
parte de un brazalete, una placa de hematita cristalina, un fragmento óseo
con restos de pintura, y varias rocas. En otra sepultura se hallaron los
restos de un hombre cuyo cráneo había sido modificado deliberadamente
en la infancia y con los dientes recortados con diseños geométricos en la
adultez. Podría tratarse de un chamán ya que los objetos ubicados a su lado
parecían elementos relacionados con el uso de sus poderes. Entre ellos
había pequeños metates para triturar hongos alucinógenos, efigies de arci-
lla con forma de hongos, cuarzo, grafito, resina y otros artículos exóticos
que podrían haber sido utilizados en rituales de curación.
Los cristales de cuarzo y las setas psicodélicas formaban parte del conjunto de elementos que usaban los antiguos chamanes olmecas, y a este lo sepultaron con ellos. ¿Se habrá enterrado a algunos chamanes olmecas con sus calaveras de cristal? Se han hallado tan pocas tumbas olmecas que aún no lo sabemos.  Parece probable que las calaveras de cristal y su uso en rituales mágicos ya hubiesen comenzado para esa época. Para estas calaveras, casi indestructibles —excepto mediante fuertes golpes—, no
pueden establecerse una datación certera. Solo el estilo del tallado o el descubrimiento de un escondite secreto de estas cuyo origen y fecha pueda determinarse con precisión puede ayudar a establecer su edad. Aun así, si se hallaran y se dataran sitios con calaveras de cristal, eso no significaría que las calaveras se crearon en la misma época que el sitio —en realidad podrían ser cientos de años más antiguas y haber cambiado de manos durante generaciones.

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El enigma de las antiguas calaveras de cristal—quién las hizo y a qué época se remontan—es un misterio que se hace más profundo cuanto más lo estudiamos. Es posible que las calaveras de cristal de los aztecas sean reliquias más antiguas. Los mayas ¿hicieron calaveras de cristal? ¿Podrían haberlas hecho sin herramientas de metal? El cristal de cuarzo es tan duro que sería muy difícil tallar cualquier clase de escritura en ellas. Hasta donde sé, aún no se halló ninguna que tenga alguna clase de escritura como la que vemos en la estatuilla de Tuxtla.
Parece ser que el tallado del cristal y el uso de las calaveras de este material se remontan a los olmecas y fueron luego transmitidos a los zapotecas, quienes también heredaron la lengua y la escritura olmecas. Aún en tiempos aztecas, el arte de hacer las calaveras de cristal puede haber sido celosamente guardado por los zapotecas.
Algunas preguntas que nos podemos hacer ahora serían: ¿Cuán comunes eran las calaveras de cristal en el antiguo México? ¿Hubo alguna de tamaño real? ¿Tenían los emperadores aztecas alguna clase de colección de calaveras de cristal al momento de la conquista? De ser así ¿qué pudo haber sucedido con ellas? Ahora que tenemos cierta comprensión del origen de las calaveras de cristal (por pequeña que sea) podemos estudiar la fascinante afirmación de que los antiguos —y modernos— emperadores de México tenían una colección secreta de estos objetos: calaveras de magia y poder.

David Hatcher Childress

Extraído de EL ENIGMA DE LOS OLMECAS Y LAS CALAVERAS DE CRISTAL

So here I am. In Tibet. Sitting on the rooftop of a hostel in Lhasa, watching the sun set behind Potala Palace. It feels surreal.

Potala Palace at sunset

I spent the last two days on the train from Beijing to Lhasa. Hard sleeper, I have one of the top bunks (they’re the cheapest) in a tiny compartment that I am sharing with five Chinese. They barely speak any English, and I still can’t say more than “Hello” and “Thank you” in Chinese. Nonetheless my fellow travelers prove invaluable in figuring out the health waiver we all have to submit at the beginning of the journey – it’s only in Chinese. And then it’s two days and nights of reading, listening to music, and sleeping whenever possible. The Chinese train is significantly more comfortable than the Russian train I came over from Moscow on, but the scenery isn’t quite as impressive as on the Trans-Siberian. Still… it’s pretty cool when we pull into a station with a sign that reads “Altitude: 4520m”.

After two days of being surrounded by a LOT of people I don’t understand I’m quite happy when we pull into Lhasa station which is “only” at 3700m. My – mandatory – guide finds me (not that hard, given that I’m the only Westerner in a crowd of easily more than 300 people), and off we go. Even the walk to the van, with zero inclination, is exhausting at this altitude but at least I can use the fact that I’m carrying a 40lbs backpack as an excuse for my huffing and puffing. Thankfully there’s nothing on the schedule for the first night: I get dropped off at the “three star hotel” included in the tour – which really is a hostel with some private rooms – and get the evening off to rest and acclimatize, but not until after having received the instruction to under no circumstances leave the hotel on my own. Naturally I ignore my guide’s warning and am out and about some twenty minutes after I first arrived, scavenging for food and taking in the vibe of the city. Amid the hustle and bustle there are Chinese soldiers everywhere, and I have no clear understanding of what kind of controls a foreigner will have to expect – so I decide to err on the side of caution and return to the hostel after a quick walk down one of the major streets, and a pit stop at a supermarket.

My hostel has an acceptable restaurant and a fantastic view from the roof; Potala Palace is just a few blocks away. I take in the sunset from the roof, have quick dinner and then retire to my room to continue reading Twilight Saga (I am halfway through book four by now) before heading to bed. Breathing is still a challenge.

my hostel in Lhasa - courtyard style

At 9am the next morning I meet my guide – only he’s not alone anymore, but brought a friend! So now it’s two guides and one driver to chaperone me around the city… I guess I really am in Tibet. The driver is Chinese, but the two guides are Tibetan – and have plenty of interesting stories to share, albeit in very patchy English. We start out at Potala Palace where Chinese tourists mingle with Tibetan pilgrims; halfway through the palace I finally see some Westerners, the first such encounter in four days.

at Potala Palace

a pilgrim turning prayer wheels in Lhasa

At lunch I’m in for proper Tibetan food, which tastes a lot like the Tibetan restaurant in Central Square – apparently I haven’t been giving the Cambridge restaurant enough credit. We have butter tea (not one of my favorites) and Yak meat (yum), then move on to Jokhang Temple. Afterwards it’s a tour of the city’s busy street markets.

Jokhang Temple, Lhasa's holiest

the streets around Jokhang Temple

We’re done early, so (thankfully) I’m left to my own devices for the rest of the day. As I’m strolling through the city in the afternoon I have two encounters with Chinese soldiers because of unauthorized picture taking and other improper behavior… despite these incidents I thoroughly enjoy my “time off” in Lhasa and wander around until my feet hurt. As the sun is about to set I return to the streets around Jokhang Temple and walk with the pilgrims.

pilgrims circling Jokhang Temple

Tibetan woman, prostrating

old Lhasa

After the sunset I slender over to Potala Square to take a look at the nightly water show with lights and music that uses the palace as a backdrop. The setting is beautiful – fountains on a large open square with Potala Palace and mountains in the background – but the music choice cracks me up. In between traditional Chinese pieces there’s an orchestrated version of Rondo alla Turk (complete with trumpets and xylophone), the Bolero, a Strauss waltz and some random tango. It’s oddly out of place, and I am reminded of the train station in Erlian where loudspeakers were blaring Vivaldi across the deserted platform.

Potala Square

fountains in front of Potala Palace

The agenda for Friday is Sera Monestary and Norbulingka, a park in the southwest of Lhasa which served as a summer residence in past centuries and includes the living quarters of the 14^th Dalai Lama that he occupied until fleeing into exile in 1959. It’s fascinating to see the Dalai Lama’s residence, frozen in time. There are two massive radios (one of them easily the size of my 32” flat screen at home), gifts from Russia and India. The bathroom has Western plumbing, a true luxury. It’s a bit odd to be shown around the bathtub and toilet of His Holiness… but fascinating. Unfortunately, picture taking is prohibited (of course) and my two guides Todop and Jampa are paying close attention, so I can’t even sneak a few snapshots with my iPhone.

monks at Sera monastery

Norbulingka Park

For lunch I’m led to a tiny hole in the wall which is packed with locals and has fantastic food. I pay RMB 33 ($5.25) for a full meal with sweat tea and Tibetan beer for all three of us. Our little group occupies 3/4^ths one of the four tables – and sure enough, about halfway through the meal I get company on my bench by an old, sun withered Tibetan who orders local beer, then pours me a drink from his bottle. After lunch I manage to persuade my guides that I’ll be OK on my own for a few hours; they agree to let me go only when I promise not to take any pictures while I’m by myself. I spend the second half of the day shopping and – naturally – taking pictures.

At 9pm I have a rendezvous with Jampa and Todop, who want to take me to a Tibetan “dancing hall”. I don my most presentable clothes (which, thanks to my limited wardrobe, means a simple black t-shirt, my favorite jeans and black flip flops) and head out into the night. I’m the only foreigner at the dancing hall, and glad for the company of my native guides. Even with those two sharing my table, I get plenty of attention and free drinks. Once the entertainment program picks up, though, everybody’s attention shifts towards the stage. There are dancers and vocalists, all dressed in different Tibetan traditional clothes. The sequence of Tibetan boy band / traditional dancers / Tibetan rock star is fascinating. Towards the end of the night the “real” dancing begins. Audience members simply climb onto the stage during the performance of this or that pop starlet, and begin to dance. In the beginning it’s mainly young men, but after a while some of the women join in. Faster pieces mean various line dances, and slower pieces come with proper couple slow dancing – except that it’s not men and women pairing up, but men embracing men and some women dancing with women. I successfullly manage to avoid the dancefloor, and head home shortly after midnight on my last night in Tibet.

I’m not flying out until mid-afternoon on Saturday, but my guide insists on leaving Lhasa at 10am. The airport is about 70km outside the city, so I am stranded at a more or less deserted mini airport in the middle of nowhere for half a day. Once again my Kindle proves invaluable, and soon enough it’s time to board my flight. Even though the boarding is on time, we leave with a delay of almost two hours because of some mechanical defect that has us idling on the Tarmac for half an hour before pulling back to the gate for a while. In the end, though, the plane checks out fine (thank God – otherwise we would have been stuck for the night, no spare plans at Lhasa airport) and we take off. The initial ascent is quite scary – the airport is in a narrow valley at almost 4000m, and it seems to take half an eternity for the plan to gain altitude. For the first twenty minutes we are – for my feeling – uncomfortably close to mountain flanks and peaks, with not a spot of flat land in sight. Even after we’ve climbed to an altitude from where the rugged landscape below doesn’t look as threatening, we continue across mountain range after mountain range for almost an hour. Only now do I realize how truly inaccessible Tibet would be in the absence of planes or the Qinghai railway that was completed only in 2007. About 80 minutes into the flight the mountains turn into rolling hills and then finally flat land, and we begin our descent into Xi’An where I am set to reunite with Oscar, the Dutch I met in Guilin.

leaving Tibet

ripropongo di seguito lo stesso pezzo scritto l’anno scorso per la stessa triste vicenda. Un bambino rapito è una cosa davvero triste. Quando lo è poi per gli interessi dei grandi, politici o altro, lo è ancora di più.

Il piccolo Panchen Lama poco prima di essere rapito

Oggi è il 20mo compleanno di Gendum Choeky Nyima, rapito nel 1995 a 6 anni dopo essere stato riconosciuto altra incarnazione del Buddha e 11/mo Panchen Lama. Da allora di lui non si hanno notizie e Pechino ha messo sul ”trono” un suo Panchen Lama. Ecco quello che scrive Italiatibet su di lui.

Il Panchen Lama aveva sei anni quando, nel 1995, il governo Cinese lo ha rapito assieme ai suoi genitori. All’epoca, Amnesty International lo definì “il più giovane prigioniero politico del mondo”. Panchen Lama è il titolo che i tibetani conferiscono alla seconda più importante personalità del Tibet. “Panchen” (pronuncia : Pàncen) significa “Grande Studioso” e “Lama” è un termine usato dai tibetani per indicare un maestro spirituale. I tibetani ritengono che il Panchen Lama sia il protettore di tutti gli esseri senzienti del mondo.

Questo significa che il bambino raffigurato in questa fotografia, la sola esistente, diverrà uno dei maggiori leader del Tibet.

Perché il Governo cinese ha sequestrato il Panchen Lama e i suoi genitori? Il motivo è essenzialmente di natura politica. Per tradizione, dopo la morte del Panchen Lama, il Dalai Lama ne riconosce la reincarnazione e, viceversa, il Panchen Lama riconosce la reincarnazione del Dalai Lama. Crescendo un Panchen Lama “di regime”, le autorità cinesi ritengono che, alla morte dell’attuale Dalai Lama, il falso Panchen Lama riconosciuto da Pechino sceglierà, come massima autorità del Tibet, una figura “fantoccio”, gradita al Partito.

I fatti

Il 14 maggio 1995 il Dalai Lama, massima autorità spirituale del Tibet e capo del governo tibetano in esilio, riconosceva in Choekyi Nyima, un bambino nato a Lhari, nel Tibet centrale, il 25 aprile 1989, l’undicesima reincarnazione di una delle più alte personalità religiose tibetane: il Panchen Lama. Malgrado l’assoluta legittimità della scelta del Dalai Lama che, in accordo con una tradizione antichissima, ha agito in modo conforme al suo ruolo, le autorità della Repubblica Popolare Cinese hanno accusato il Dalai Lama di voler creare, con il riconoscimento del piccolo Panchen Lama, tensioni e conflitti in Tibet. Non appena il Dalai Lama ha annunciato l’avvenuto riconoscimento, Choekyi Nyima e i suoi genitori sono stati prelevati dal loro villaggio e, da allora, se ne sono letteralmente perdute le tracce. E’ inoltre iniziata, in Tibet, una durissima campagna di denuncia del Dalai Lama e di tutti quei tibetani, religiosi e laici, che si dichiarano favorevoli alla sua scelta. Il monastero di Tashilunpo, tradizionale sede dei Panchen Lama, è stato sottoposto ad un regime di rigido controllo di polizia e diverse decine dei suoi monaci sono stati arrestati o espulsi per avere pubblicamente espresso la loro solidarietà al Dalai Lama.

Come è facile immaginare, il comportamento delle autorità cinesi, in questa situazione, non solo ha urtato profondamente i sentimenti spirituali del popolo tibetano ma ha evidenziato cosa le autorità della Repubblica Popolare veramente intendano quando affermano che in Tibet esiste la più completa libertà religiosa.

Al di là di ogni altra considerazione, resta comunque il fatto, gravissimo, che, dal maggio 1995, Choekyi Nyima e la sua famiglia sono scomparsi e il governo cinese non ha mai voluto dire con precisione dove e come stiano. Di fronte alle richieste di chiarimenti inoltrate da organizzazioni umanitarie, gruppi di sostegno alla causa tibetana, movimenti sindacali, partiti politici e parlamentari di numerose nazioni, le autorità della Repubblica Popolare Cinese hanno solo ammesso che il bambino e i suoi genitori “sono stati affidati al Partito Comunista per essere protetti dai tentativi di rapimento messi in atto dai seguaci del Dalai Lama e della sua cricca”.

La vicenda del piccolo Panchen Lama si è aggiunta alla lunga serie di torti e di violenze che la Repubblica Popolare Cinese sta infliggendo da 50 anni agli uomini e alle donne del Tibet. Il sequestro e la detenzione continuata di un bambino di sei anni “colpevole” solo di essere stato riconosciuto come reincarnazione di un importante maestro spirituale, dovrebbe spingere ogni coscienza democratica a mobilitarsi perché questa intollerabile violenza possa cessare al più presto.

“Vi voglio ringraziare per tutto quello che ci avete dato”: così il Dalai Lama in una lettera al presidente degli Stati Uniti, Dwight D. Eisenhower, datata 26 maggio 1959 e conservata negli archivi della Cia. “Tutti coloro nel mondo che amano la pace e la libertà, trovano negli Usa il più grande e più potente alleato”, esordiva la lettera, scritta dal leader tibetano poche settimane dopo il suo arrivo in esilio in India, a seguito della rivolta del marzo 1959 scoppiata a Lhasa. “Tutti i tibetani vogliono l’indipendenza, per favore pianificate ogni strategia che sia utile per ottenerla”, chiedeva il Dalai Lama, sottolineando che gli Usa dovevano continuare a fornire sostegno, “ora è più importante di quanto non sia stato in passato”, e chiedendo al governo degli Stati Uniti, al presidente ed al segretario di Stato (all’epoca Christian A. Herter) di svolgere un ruolo di consulenza “nei nostri affari”, e di comunicare quali fossero le proposte di Washington sul da farsi. Il filo diretto con la Casa Bianca e Langley emerge anche da un altro dispaccio: “Ci dovete aiutare al più presto e inviarci armi per 30 mila uomini”, si legge nel resoconto datato 2 aprile 1959 (l’identità dell’autore è rimasta classificata, quindi segreta) che dava conto dell’arrivo in India del leader spirituale tibetano, il 31 marzo 1959. Del resto, è una lunga storia quella del “Tibetan program”, il programma studiato dalla Cia per il Tibet, incentrato su azioni politiche e di propaganda a supporto della causa del Dalai Lama, ma anche su operazioni paramilitari e di intelligence tese a creare una “Stay behind force” nella regione. “Il programma è iniziato a partire dal 1956″, rivelano i documenti conservati dall’Archivio del Dipartimento di Stato Usa. Milioni di dollari a sostegno dei “guerriglieri del movimento di resistenza del Dalai Lama”, una forza stimata negli anni ‘60 in almeno 1.800 uomini, poi ridotta a 300 effettivi ”ben equipaggiati e pronti al combattimento”, con gli altri trasformati in una sorta di guardia nazionale di riservisti. Alcuni verranno addestrati direttamente in territorio statunitense: “Uno dei principali problemi dei tibetani è la carenza di ufficiali”, sottolinea una nota Cia del 1964, spiegando che, per superare il gap, “l’Agenzia sta istruendo 20 uomini selezionati”. Oltre 130, invece, i ’soldati semplici’ addestrati alle tecniche di contro-insorgenza nel solo 1963, durante la presidenza di John F. Kennedy. Il “Tibetan program” proseguirà fino ai primi anni ‘70 quando, durante il secondo mandato di Richard Nixon, con l’irrompere sulla scena della “politica del ping pong” – ovvero del riavvicinamento tra Washington e Pechino – i fondi verranno via via ridotti e le ‘covert action’ ridimensionate se non annullate del tutto. Del resto, già nel 1970 Henry Kissinger aveva scritto a Nixon che la prevista visita del Dalai Lama negli Usa doveva essere di “carattere privato”, per non creare troppo imbarazzo. Anzi era meglio rimandarla all’anno successivo. In realtà, il Dalai Lama dovette attendere il 1979 per potersi recare negli Stati Uniti. Un viaggio ‘a carattere privato’ in cui il leader tibetano incontrò figure di secondo piano dell’amministrazione americana, in linea con le indicazioni dettate da Kissinger quasi dieci anni prima. Nel 2007, il primo incontro ufficiale con un presidente Usa in carica: George W. Bush.

fonte: ANSA

Drepung Monastery overlooking Lhasa

We didn’t get Brad Pitt’s seven years, and even our 72 hours in Tibet was shaved down to 48 because of bad weather, but once we did make it to Tibet the struggle to get there was worth it. Our visit coincided with Losar, the Tibetan New Year, and while there were some in the city preparing to celebrate, the Chinese soldiers stationed all over the city in riot gear cast a pall over any revelry.

Touring the temples in PRC-controlled Tibet was like going through a museum where half of the exhibits are shrouded and all of the placards have been removed. Our Tibetan tour guide Tsewang gave us amazingly thorough histories of the palaces and prior Dalai Lamas but was silent about the exiled Lama or Tibet’s continued subjugation despite our questions. He continually forbade us from photographing the PRC’s military presence and told us not to leave our hotel at night.

All of these hospitable charms, plus the frigid temperatures, meant that there were no tourists around. Save a few monks tidying the prayer pillows and lighting the yak butter candles, the temples were completely empty. It was an eerie and sadly fitting experience to wander the ancient and silent halls where Lamas and thousands of monks had walked, prayed and meditated for centuries.

Potala Palace Courtyard

I would include more photos here of China’s presence in Tibet but the Chinese censors got a hold of my camera. We were on top of the Jokhand Temple in the middle of downtown Lhasa and were photographing Barkhor Square. Marching around the square was a squad of PRC paramilitary police and it was hard not to take a photo that didn’t include their assault rifles and teargas grenades. Before leaving the roof we were stopped by a plainclothes officer who took my camera and quickly went through our photos, zooming in on each one and deleting any pictures that included the troops. It was a scary and upsetting experience, personally and politically.

i am back..from my long and exhausting but interesting and exciting trip at Beijing,Chengde and Tianjin, China last week…

first post after chinese new year, will be bringing you all to my experience in Beijing, Chengde and Tianjin for 8 days and 7 nights…

FIRST DAY —

25th January 2009 (Sunday) – on that night, it is hardly for me to sleep, because my wish for going to Beijing will be realized on the day itself. I have been waited for this for months..and now it comes!

packed up final stuff, closing the luggage, making up a ‘new’ me, and ready to go to Kuala Lumpur International Airport… my uncle fetched us to the airport in early morning even before the sun rises out..

have breakfast at McDonald in the airport..then go on train to the terminal..8.50am is the time of our flight to begin to the capital city of China…it is a clear sunny day in the middle-sized plane…

6 hours long in the plane..huh..kinda boring..but waiting to reach Beijing, gives me ‘energy’ not to sleep in the plane…

yes, finally, reached Beijing, at the Beijing Capital International Airport at Terminal 2..this terminal is the old building..wished to go to the new Terminal 3 which is just at opposite…anyway, the airport is still the world biggest airport (with three terminals)…

Out tour leader is called Jason and we met the tour guide from China.. called as Jerry (Xiao Lee)..when we are outdoor, wow…absolutely cold..freezing into the heart..quickly rushed into the bus with plate number 03015.

next, we proceed to watch Chinese acrobatic show..a one hour show that is enough to stunt everybody on their seats in a hall…i am sure that the performers have practised a lot of times for the daily shows…their stunts are incredible, awesome, amazing, wonderful and marvelous!

there are two videos recorded on the acrobatic shows showing some of the stunts performed that day…enjoy!

after the dinner, we proceed to a hotel, called as Quality Hotel..a typical four stars hotel in Beijing..the room is quite big, but because the condition there is too dry, we will always have electric shock towards any steel materials…

that night is really the greatest night, the last day before chinese new year..fireworks all around beijing are estimated to began from as early as 6.00pm to midnight 3.00am continuously…

from my room’s window, we can view the skyline of Beijing being enhanced by the fireworks…

i have recorded a ten minutes video of the fireworks too…enjoy!

SECOND DAY —-

26th January 2009 (Monday) – not much food to eat for breakfast, just swallow some to fill my stomach… then, go to Temple of Heaven..it is actually a very large area with a lot of ancient structures, as well as an Altar for the past emperors to pray…

this is the first time we are outdoor for such a long time, extremely cold here…

the main building, which is built without the use of single nail, is one of the ancient masterpiece of architecture…

next, we proceed to the city center, the heart of Beijing, the Tiananmen Square…with a giant public square in the middle (world largest urban square),

Tiananmen Gate and Forbidden City in the north,

Great Hall of People on the west,

Mao Ze Dong Memorial Hall on the south,

Museum of Chinese History and Revolution on the east,

and Monument of People’s Heroes in the middle of the square.

Have to go through tight security check before entering this square which is surounded by 8-lanes road…

next, we proceed to the Forbidden City, or known as Imperial Palace, or National Palace or even Palace Museum…but when we went into the palace, it does not seems to be ‘forbidden’ anymore..so many people rushing into the palace through main gate..it now looks like ‘open city’..

the palace is consists of 9999 and a half rooms (i don’t know how they count), but the area of the whole palace is really big, making it as the world biggest palace…

need to walk so long in the palace, but worthy, because it is really amazing to be in there, you are like back to ancient China when you are there…for those who love traditional Chinese architecture, this is the best place! From floor, ceiling, columns, beams, and to roof, the palace is an example of a great ancient architecture…

went to look at the interior courts of many halls in the palace, people can’t get in there, only can view it from outside, there are so many people gathered there just to look at the inner courts…

before leaving the forbidden city, just saw the tallest structure in the forbidden city, at the southern east of the palace, look at it, as well as the back of the image, where you can see the new China World Trade Center Tower 3…

actually on that day, saw the China World Trade Center Tower 3, CCTV Headquarters Tower, Bird Nest Stadium and Water Cube from far…then go to a shop called as Dr.Tea shop..here, they promote different kind of healthy teas for us to buy, and yet, we didn’t buy…

at night, go to nearby One World Department Store, just right beside my hotel to take a look, just bought instant noodles to keep us warm under the extreme cold weather…

THIRD DAY —

27th January 2009 (Tuesday) – today is a great day…going to the Great Wall of China through Badaling Expressway…it is one of the seven wonders of the world, as well as the world biggest construction project and world longest wall…

the scene around the great wall is great, with hills and forests surrounding it,it is believed that the first emperor of China, Qin Shih Huang Ti was the emperor who connected all the existing walls built before for protection and defence to create a ‘Great Wall’…

climbing on the great wall is an exhausting work to do, every steps is of different height and is not standardized, as it was built few thousand years ago…so the feeling is…’happy, exhausting, enjoyable, and tired’!

i have carved some of my detail there..haha..just to prove that I have really been there before…a lot of people carved on it before too..when we returned back after climbing to a certain height, we are so afraid by the height…really scary…

after lunch, we proceed to one of the Ming Tombs, the Tomb of the 13th Emperor, Ding Ling or commonly known as Wan Li..it is the only tomb out of the thirteen tombs in the region that is being excavated out for exhibition and tourism…the picture below is the whole Ding Ling tomb in model…

is it creepy in there…27 metres underground to reach the tomb…and i can tell you that it is no creepy at all..so many tourists in there…there are thrones, emperors and two empress’ seats, empty caskets in the underground, stone tablet,…

next, we went to Jade selling shop..didn’t buy anything from there too…we did go to Crystal selling shop too..the shop is known as Crystal Palace (this one is in eastern world)…

next, we moved to Bao Shu Tang medication shop…here, just bought little medication stuff…the most unbelievable thing is that when a worker present to us how their medication stuff works, he go purposedly injured himself on his hand on an extreme-burning steel, then he will apply their medication item on it, later it has been recovered a lot…crazy!

FOURTH DAY —

28th January 2009 (Wednesday) – today go to the Pearl selling shop..so many beautiful pearls here…didn’t buy any pearls here too…

next, we went to the Summer Palace (Yi He Yuan)..this place is big again…this area is mainly of the Kunming Lake and the Longevity Hill…both lake and hill is entirely man-made…it is actually a summer resort for the famous late Empress Dowager Cixi (Chi Hei Tai Hau)…

almost all of the lake is frozen….but the scene on the place is still beautiful…there are so many tourists in here too…

there is also a covered walkway which  contains the world longest exhibition gallery (728 metres long).. the exhibition corridor consists of traditional paintings mainly of the Four Great Ancient Chinese Novels..including the Journey to the West..

Then, we moved on to the Trishaw ride along the old street of Beijing, the Hutong region…here, we can experience the traditional houses of Beijing and their lifestyles in these poor streets….there is a Drum Tower and Bell Tower nearby too….

then, we proceed to the Jing Shan Hill, an artificial hill right behind the Forbidden City to take a better look at the whole Forbidden City from the top of the hill as well as some parts of Beijing…below the hill, there is a tree which the last emperor of Ming dynasty, Chongzhen, hanged himself on there before…the scenery there is amazing, despite the winter dust in Beijing..

next, we proceed to the Silk Road and Pearl Market (a big mall where we can bargain for a very low prices for any items sold in there)..this place is mainly for tourists and is nearby of the Central Business District..

then, i saw the China World Trade Center Tower 3 (330 metres tall) which was newly built….

saw one of the main commercial streets in Beijing too..nearby the Central Business District…took a picture of it…

after dinner, we moved on to the next destination, Wangfujing Street…the whole street is totally created in modern style based on shopping-themed to attract tourists or even the locals…

there are so many people on the large street..the street is surrounded by two rows of few-stories shops which have their advertisement boards lighted up and decorated beautifully….the crowd there really gives a feeling of ‘wow’! Just walk along the street and took pictures..didn’t buy anything from there as all the shops there are of valuable brands…

later, we proceed to the nearby Donghuamen Night Market..this is a street also..but all the stalls on the street are selling food, drinks and snacks…there are unique food being sold here, such as fried starfish and fried scorpion…yyee…i do not dare to eat these…this street is full of people too…what i don’t like about this street is that the hawkers always shouting and asking us to buy their food and the street there is pretty ‘wet’ (dirty)…

Later, we get back on the bus and have a night tour at Changan Street in the bus…it is the main street in Beijing and it stretches over few kilometres long…every structures along the street are famous and unique, such as Tiananmen Gate (with Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square)

Beijing National Theater – commonly known as ‘Egg Shell’

and many others…just forgot the names…but the night scene there is really cool…then we moved on to the another street nearby called as Beijing Financial District..this is the place where most of the banks headquarters buildings are located…

FIFTH DAY —

29th January 2009 (Thursday) – Early morning, we went to ‘Miao Huei” (Temple Festival)..the temple festival is actually a street of stalls selling food and stuff (mainly souvenirs and gifts) ..all the stalls will be available only during the festival of Chinese New Year every year…a lot of people here too..all crowded…

after lunch, our bus passed through the street again, and when i looked at the street by that time, i was like ‘oh my god!’…the whole street is like packed with people with no any emptiness…people can’t even walk in the street…

Next, we went to the Zhengyangmen City Wall, a city wall south of Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City as well as Olympic Green on the far north..this city wall is to guard the structures on the north (mentioned above)….based on Feng Shui, this city wall represents dragon head, while Tiananmen Square is the dragon heart, Forbidden City as the dragon body and the Olympic Green as the dragon tail…

In the city wall, we are being met by a famous Chinese Feng Shui Master, called as Chen Li Yang..he gave us a long one hour plus talk about Feng Shui..the great thing about him is that he can identify our health condition just by looking at our faces which is very accurate…then, my family bought a ‘PiXiu’ (Pei Yau) from him to protect our family..

the master is the one who helped Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong (and Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay) on the Feng Shui of Genting Highlands, Vincent Tan on the Feng Shui of Berjaya Times Square and many more…it is too bad that photographing is prohibited in the city wall…

after that, we moved on to the nearby Dashilan Street, located south of the City Wall…it is one of the oldest commercial streets in Beijing and had been renovated to attract more tourists like us…so many people there too..just walk by the street and feel the crowd…

Next, after lunch, we proceed to Nanshan Ski Village..all the snowy ice there is man-made because by that time, no snow falls on Beijing…it is located quite far from Beijing and on hills, so it is pretty cold at there too…

just walk by and looked at people skiing and playing snow…i don’t know how to ski..and it is very expensive to ski there actually…

next, we proceed to Chengde by bus…four hours in the bus…just sleep in the bus…in the halfway, we went to a small charity shop and we bought some stuff sold there for charity donation…because Chengde region is really poor…

As we reached Chengde by night, it is very cold there, colder than Beijing..Beijing had an average temperature of -1 to zero degree celsius but in Chengde, at least -5 to -8 degree celsius..at night, the few buildings there is lighted up beautifully with neon lighting…including a bridge too…

After dinner, we proceed to Qianyang Hotel which I think do not deserved a four stars ranking…just a night in the hotel..nevermind..

SIXTH DAY —

30th January 2009 (Friday) – Awful breakfast this morning..nothing to eat…haiz…wow…when we looked at outside, the whole river is frozen into ice, some part is even covered by snow…

after breakfast, we proceed to The Mountain Resort (Bishu Sanzhuang)…it is the world largest imperial garden..it is a gigantic complex of palaces, administrative and ceremonial buildings…it served as the summer palace for the Qing Dynasty…

in the resort, we cannot take much photographs because it is prohibited in some areas…furthermore, it is too cold to take pictures there…and the battery of the camera will be quickly weaken under extreme cold weather…

because the whole resort is too large, we ride on a small kind of vehicle (i duno what it is called) to go along the resort…the scenery there is pretty cool and calm…we had a stop at

Mongolian yurt with a pagoda

Rehe River – world shortest river

and many more….

After that, we proceed to the Little Potala Palace or known as the Putuo Zongcheng Temple…it is a miniature temple made based on the original Potala Palace at Tibet..anyway, it is still big…

climbing through each steps to reach almost the top of the temple is kinda a hard task..but anyway, easier than climbing the Great Wall…this temple assembles Tibetan and Buddhist architecture…

after lunch at Chengde, we are back to Beijing..this time three hours in the bus…then, we proceed to Yashow Fashion Clothing Market..it does not only sells clothes, but also many other things in there..it is also a place to bargain for extremely low prices…

after that, we went to a new hotel to stay, called as Holiday Inn Express Beijing MinZuYuan, nearby the Olympic Green…this hotel is like three to four stars…better than Qianyang Hotel at Chengde but not as good as the Quality Hotel in Beijing…

we decided to go to Olympic Green first…me and my dad walked to the park where the Beijing National Stadium (Bird Nest) and Beijing National Aquatics Center (Water Cube) stand….

after dinner in a restaurant in a shopping mall, this time we really proceed to the Olympic Green with the tour group…we took a lot of great pictures there too..the night scene in the area is perfect…what amazed me is that there is a laser lighting show by buildings around Olympic Green in a time interval…

beautiful? wanna see the video of it..check this out….

the lighting is awesome, the design of stadiums is great, the whole park is picturesque…my wish of seeing this is being realized…hurray!

i am awed when i looked at the Beijing National Stadium (Bird Nest Stadium) through my own eyes..not through TV anymore…in a very clear distance…the design of this stadium is really unique, interesting and great!

next, right beside it, the Beijing National Aquatics Center (Water Cube) is another structure that I love…the lighting of this structure is cool…

the video below shows the changing colours of the Water Cube at night in a time interval…

both of the structures are actually designed based on Feng Shui too..as in Chinese beliefs, square (shape of the Water Cube) represents the Earth while the circle (shape of the Bird Nest Stadium) represents the sky.

there is another remarkable structure in the park, the LingLong Tower..the tower has a height of 128m and is used for television broadcasting. With 7 occupied floors, each an equilateral triangle, this tower is located on the north west side of the Bird Nest stadium. Unable to take the photo of the tower lighted up because by the time i reached there, the lights have been turned off…

later, we went back to the hotel through Beijing Subway, one of the world most advanced subway and is expanding to become the world longest subway.

SEVENTH DAY —

31st January 2009 (Saturday) – today, we went to the Silk Industry where we can see how silk is originated from…we didn’t buy any silk too because my dad have bought before from Shanghai..furthermore, silk is costly too…

then, we proceed to the Yashow Fashion Clothing Market again..we bargaining again for lower prices…we bargained at the same stall again selling phones and NDS…my cousin bought an NDS yesaterday while my sister bought a phone today…all at a very low prices..

in the bus, we passes by the newly built CCTV Headquarters Tower (234 metres tall) ..the design of this building really amazed me…

Then, we proceed to Tianjin after lunch…one hour in the bus..quite fast…at there, I saw a lot of buildings (mainly residential ones) under construction in Tianjin…

we moved to the Ancient Cultural Street …it is a traditional street with stalls selling food and souvenirs…there are some stalls offering games too…

then, we proceed to the nearby Nanshi Food Street…this is the place where many of the food and snacks are available…this street is covered and so it is indoor street…

after dinner, we went back to Beijing again…actually, nothing much special in Tianjin..just visit two streets and having a ‘too salty’ dinner…

EIGHTH DAY —

1st February 2009 (Sunday) – the first day of the month as well as the last day of the trip…sad…time passes so fast…

today we went to the Beijing Zoo where we will see the Giant Panda…this species of animal is facing extinction (serious extinction)..so, we have to see it before it really extincts…people said that a giant panda is more valuable than a human..

the pandas are so cute and big….they just eat bamboo, walk around, play around and sleep..this is their daily activities…but their bodies are little bit dirty because they can’t be taken to bath during winter because giant panda will caught cold easily and it is very hard to cure that for panda…

after that, we proceed to the Olympic Sports Center, just south of the Olympic Green…

here, we are invited to be given free foot massage..but they still promote things for us to buy..and our response is still the same…didn’t buy at all…anyway, i didn’t try the massage too..because i don’t like to be ‘touched’..haha…

Then, we have our final lunch in Beijing before we proceed to the Beijing Capital International Airport for the flight back home…

The airport is big, but Terminal One and Two are old..only Terminal 3 is more advanced and new…so bad, that our Malaysia Airlines plane is at Terminal Two…

anyway, i saw the Terminal Three also..from far…

the security check in the airport is too strict…lighter also cannot pass through…KLIA can, but this airport cannot…

we are in the middle-sized plane again..the same as the previous plane we are heading to Beijing…observing the sky…from bright to dark…

Back to Kuala Lumpur International Airport by midnight…the temperature here is totally different with Beijing..one cold, one hot…

My father’s younger brother fetched us back to our home…and this is the end of the trip…

wait…these are the things I bought from Beijing..have a look at them…

a) The Five Fuwas Key Chains Olympic Little Gift Box Suit

b) 3D Model of Beijing National Stadium (Bird Nest) – gold coloured.

c) 12 Little Key Chains of Great Wall of China.

d) 3D model of Beijing National Stadium (Bird Nest) -can be used to store stationeries..this one is presented by the tour guide, Jerry to me for free.

e) 3D model of the Great Wall of China. (colourful)

f) A glass with diagrams of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Main Venues (Beijing National Stadium and Beijing National Aquatics Center) – can be lighted up with different colours.

g) A little key chain of the five Fuwas.

h) A little key chain of the Beijing National Stadium. (silver in colour)       

i) A little key chain of the Beijing National Aquatics Center. (gold in colour)

j) A traditional ancient Chinese cop..with ‘LTM’ (my initial) carved on it.

yesterday (2nd February 2009) — just rest to restore my energy…

today (3rd February 2009) wrote this absolutely long post…a very interesting one..hope u enjoy this!

All the pictures and videos available here are taken by me and is original…copyrights reserved…

As a conclusion, I think that there are good and bad in Beijing, China:

The good ones:

1) Nice city (Economic boom – effect of Beijing 2008 Olympic, city growing rapidly, cleaner city)

2) Amazing scenery (Forbidden City, Great Wall, Summer Palace, Tiananmen Square, Olympic Green, etc)

3) Great architecture (Traditional architecture – Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, etc ; Modern architecture – CCTV Headquarters, Bird Nest Stadium, Water Cube, etc)

4) Efficient public transport – Beijing Subway, proper highways, no motorbikes.

5) A huge number of tourists’ destinations.

The bad ones:

1) Public toilets – many of them are absolutely dirty, foul smell, not being cleaned.

2) Food – too oily, some tasteless, and some too salty.

3)  Citizens’ manners and behaviours – like to spit anywhere they like, no respect to others, do not flush toilet after use, etc.

the moments in Beijing, Chengde and Tianjin on this 8 days trip will never be forgotten…

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Existem muitas discussões sobre qual a fusão mais forte: Vegetto ou Gogeta?

Mas afinal o que é uma fusão?

Uma fusão é uma junção de corpos entre dois indivíduos da mesma raça que dá origem a um novo ser mais forte e com características físicas de ambos.

Existem vários tipos de fusão mas aqui só nos interessam dois: Fusão Potara e Fusão Metamoru ou de Dança.

Na Fusão Metamoru dois indivíduos da mesma estatura e com o mesmo nível de poder, ao executarem passos de dança complexos fazem com que os seus corpos se tornem num só durante 30 minutos ou menos minutos se o poder for excessivo. Gogeta é o resultado de uma Fusão Metamoru.

Na Fusão Potara ambos os indivíduos devem colocar os bricos Potara em orelhas contrárias(se um põe na direita o outro tem que por na esquerda). Estes brincos fazem com que os corpos se tornem num só para sempre e dão um poder adicional ao indivíduo resultante.Vegetto é o resultado de uma Fusão Potara.

Como os brincos Potara dão um poder adicional ao lutador, Vegetto é mais forte do que Gogeta.

Algo em que estas duas personagens também diferem é na personalidade. Enquanto que Gogeta é mais brincalhão(tal como Goku) podendo distrair-se da batalha tal como sucedeu contra Omega Shenron,  Vegetto tem a personalidade séria de Vegeta que quando tem de lutar luta com tudo o que tem.

Nota: Como Gogeta apareceu no nível de ssj4 e Vegetto só apareceu no nível de ssj/ssj2 (não sei bem) é óbvio que se comparar-mos assim Gogeta é mais forte mas, se Vegetto aparecesse no nível de ssj4 seria mais forte que Gogeta. Só podemos comparar Gogeta e Vegetto quando estão ambos no mesmo nível de poder.

I have great respect for Tenzin Gyatso, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, also a Nobel Laureate. This post is not about him. It’s about one of his predecessors, the 6th Dalai Lama whose earthly name was Tsangyang Gyatso. He was unlike any other Dalai Lama before or after him; he was a poet and a romantic. He led a playboy lifestyle and lived for only 9 years after ascending to the throne.

Tsangyang was born in 1683 in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh in the north-eastern part of present-day India. It is a beautiful place where Mera Lama established a famous monastery of the Gelugpa sect 2 years before Tsanyang’s birth. Dalai Lama is the official head of the Gelugpa sect and the Tawang monastery (one of the largest in the world) is held very sacred by Tibetan Buddhists. All this provenance could not alter the fate of Tsangyang; though brought up to be a celibate, he greatly enjoyed the company of women. In the long line of numerous tulku lamas, that hold the privilege of reincarnation, Tsangyang is the only notable square peg in a round hole. Why did he become a womanizer and an epicure? In my view, the blame should go to the famous palace of the Dalai Lama, the Potala, in Lhasa. Here is the fascinating story. 

The search party of lamas from Lhasa came to Tawang in 1688, although Lobsang Gyatso, the 5th Dalai Lama had died in 1682. Usually, search parties are sent out to find the reincarnation immediately after the death of a tulku (especially, the highest-ranking one) so it is interesting to note that in this case, there was a delay of 5 years. Upon discovery in 1688, Tsangyang was quarantined and concealed at Nankartse, near Lhasa, for 9 years. Why was this done?

At the time of Lobsang’s death, the Potala was half-complete (the White Palace was done but the Red wasn’t). The Regent, Sangye Gyatso, feared that if the death was disclosed, the completion of Potala would become questionable as Tibet’s neighbors would try to take advantage of the vacuum. So, Sangye hid the fact of Lobsang’s death from the public for about 14 years, until 1696.

By the time Tsangyang was announced to the world in 1697, he was over 14 years of age. One can imagine the impact of a life behind cloisters on a child who would not fully comprehend why he went from being a carefree 5-years old into forced reclusion, hundreds of miles from his family. Typically, the kids that are discovered as reincarnations are ordained at an early age and are trained to appreciate the life of a monk. Tsangyang was a teenager who perhaps saw himself become the invisible centrepiece of the Tibetan-Chinese-Mongol political games. It is hardly surprising then that he regarded monkhood as a sham when the office of the Dalai Lama was playing out as anything but spiritual. And, the rest of it was hormones. If an unsubdued teenager assumes importance at a time in life when the promise of opposite sex is much more powerful than scripture, it is not difficult to appreciate the course of Tsangyang’s shenanigans. What is remarkable though is that he channeled his literary talent into unforgettable poems and songs about love, pain and pleasure, many of which are still popular in Tibet. He wrote:

“Longing for the landlord’s daughter; Blossoming in youthful beauty
Is like pining for peaches; Ripening on the high peach trees”

Although, he was sworn as the temporal and spiritual head of Tibet in 1697, he gave up his spiritual command in 1701 itself at the age of 18. He visited the 5th Panchen Lama, Lobsang Yeshe at Shigatse and gave up his Getsul (novice monk) vows. He wrote once:

“Even if meditated upon, The face of my lama comes not to me,
But again and again comes to me, The smiling face of my beloved’ 

He had been greatly upset by the execution of Sangye, the Regent, at the orders of the Mongol king, Lhasang Khan. Tsangyang rejected life as a monk, he wore the clothes of a normal layman and preferred to walk than to ride a horse or use the state palanquin. He also visited the parks and spent nights in the streets of Lhasa, drinking wine, singing songs and visiting brothels. He wrote:

“Never have I slept without a sweetheart; Nor have I spent a single drop of sperm.”

“Sweetheart awaiting me in my bed; Yielding tenderly her sweet soft body,
Has she come to cheat me. And disrobe me of my virtues?”

Tsangyang was acutely aware of how his lifestyle was unbecoming of his office. He wrote:

“People gossip about me. I am sorry for what I have done;
I have taken three thin steps, And landed myself in the tavern of my mistress!”

In 1706, Lhazang Khan deposed Tsangyang. While being taken out of the country, Tsangyang composed a poem which helped foretell his next birth. An excerpt:

“White crane lend me your wings. I will not fly far. From Lithang I shall return.”

Tsangyang died mysteriously at the age of 23 near Kokonor in 1706. Some say he was murdered. Soon thereafter, the 7th Dalai Lama was discovered – he was Kelsang Gyatso, born in Lithang.

I think Tsangyang was somewhat melancholic about his legacy and as reflected upon his life, he was perhaps torn between his righteous sense of rebellion and his legacy, when he wrote:

“Yama, the mirror of my karma; Residing in the realm of death,
You must judge and grant justice; Here, while alive, I had no justice”.

(All translations from ‘The Songs of the Sixth Dalai Lama’ authored by K Dhondup.)

A veces consideramos a algunas personas como seres excepcionales, dotados por la naturaleza con cualidades únicas, cuando ellos no se ven así, y están convencidos de que si han alcanzado algún logro se debe más a un esfuerzo sostenido en el tiempo que a cualquier otra circunstancia.

Ahí está Tenzin Gyatso, el Dalai Lama. ¿Qué es más decisivo, haberse criado en el Potala como la reencarnación de un lama importante, o pasarse 70 años meditando cuatro o cinco horas diarias? En una entrevista le preguntan:

-¿Cómo consigue usted ser una persona tan cordial?
-Yo no tengo cualidades especiales. Quizá se debe a que he pasado toda la vida meditando, con toda la fuerza de mi mente, en el amor y la compasión.

En un ámbito más mundano, es ejemplar la presentadora Oprah Winfrey, que se sobrepuso a una infancia  traumática hasta llegar a ser la figura televisiva más valorada en EE.UU., con una fortuna de 1.500 millones de dólares.

-El gran secreto de la vida es que no hay grandes secretos. Sea cual sea tu objetivo, puedes llegar a alcanzarlo si estás dispuesto a trabajar en ello.

Si me llamo Pepe, Juan o Lucía, no tengo por qué hacer como Tenzin ni como Oprah, pero sí puedo trabajar en ser el mejor Pepe o Juan, o la mejor Lucía, y puedo hacerlo hoy mismo (si no, ¿cuándo?):

¿Qué es lo más importante que puedo hacer hoy para mejorar mi vida o las de otras personas?

-… … …

Se você diz que a fusão de Gogeta é mais forte do que a de Vegetto, esta totalemente errado(ha vc pode dizer que esta certo, porque o gogeta ja apareceu na forma de ssj4, mas isso e um site de dragob ball z, e ele so vira ssj4 no gt).

Minha teoria e assim:

Goku e vegeta poderiam, na saga boo, poderiam ter feito a fusão da dança, mas eles resolveram fazer a fusão potala, que eles poderiam ficar a vida toda sendo vegeto, mas boo os engoliu e todos fugiram por uma parte do corpo de boo.

Se a fusao da dança fosse mais forte, então porque eles fariam a fusão mais arriscada? Porque é mais poderosa.

OBS:

Se você acha que eles não fiseram a fusão da dança, porque eles não “sabiam fazer”, então como que Goten e Trunks ja tinham se fusionado antes? Era so ver os passos deles. Isso é obvio, se goten e trunks viravam gotenks pela dança, e claro que seus pais ja deveriam saber como se fuisionar pela dnaça.

Bon, alors voilà, j’ai demandé un dessin à Hugues depuis super longtemps et alors que ah !!! j’avais écrit le post, deux news de ce soir me font bondir.

ça me fait penser à tous les posts que j’ai pas publié encore…

Bref. Je commence par le plus sérieux. Bien que je n’en ai pas parlé, je sais ce qui se passe au Tibet, et d’ailleurs j’avais fait allusion à la Chine dans un post antérieur, et quand je fais allusion à la Chine je sais à quoi je pense. Et entre autre, au non-respect des minorités. Les Chinois ont envoyé des “colons” chinois au Tibet et les Chinois sont maintenant plus nombreux que les Tibétains au Tibet. (Et quand je dis entre autres, c’est entre autres ; mais je ne me vois pas là faire un topo sur la Chine ; c’est dans des moments comme ça que je déplore ma futilité !!!).

Or, comme on l’a vu, les gouvernements occidentaux se sont montrés assez frileux sur les critiques à faire au gouvernement chinois. Le soutien au Dalaï- Lama n’est pas violent. Mais je suis bien contente d’avoir lu que certains se sont opposés, en vain, au passage de la flamme olympique. En vain, mais le message était clair : ce que pensent les Français, le gouvernement le sait bien et le gouvernement chinois ne peut l’ignorer. De même d’ailleurs, que ce que pensent les Anglais et ce que penseront les jours prochains les Américains.

Par ailleurs je ne sais pas s’il faut aller au delà. Je ne suis pas sûre que les Français ou Occidentaux installés en Chine vivraient très bien une attitude plus ferme des gouvernements. D’autre part, il serait idiot d’aller au delà : ou alors il faudrait remonter dans le temps : quand les jeux ont été attribués à la Chine, les organisteurs croyaient-ils que la Chine était un pays de conte de fées ou quoi? Autant assumer ses conneries : maintenant, l’heure est venue de payer : les sportifs et les organisateurs vont avoir la joie de vivre les jeux olympiques dans une des plus grandes dictatures du monde – à eux de voir comment ils vivent le truc. Nous aussi, nous allons assumer notre aveuglement : notre engouement plein de bons sentiments pour la Chine nous laisse-t-il une petite place pour nous émouvoir pour les Birmans, dont la situation ne s’est guère améliorée depuis qu’on ne parle plus d’eux? faut-il que les massacres atteignent une certaine densité pour que l’on s’émeuvent? Nous ne sommes pas gentils, nous ne sommes pas démocrates, nous nous foutons de la Chine et du Tibet : nous n’aspirons qu’à le tranquillité. Si si. les images de la télé nous dérangent, et ça va nous gâcher les retransmissions de regarder les épreuves en pensant aux gens qui meurent. Il nous faut de la propreté intellectuelle. Sinon nous aurions déjà agi. Cela fait belle lurette que le pays a disparu des cartes du monde vendues en France et nous ne nous en sommes pas émus. Ou veut-on seulement l’annulation des jeux, mais que les massacres continuent?

Bon, j’arrête et pourtant je continue, en fait il s’agit de la même chose. Carla Bruni a envoyé hier un texte à une copine : le texte (c’est du brûlant) :

“Grosse fièvre, nausées, malade… Baci, baci”

Fascinant. On s’intéresse en France à des trucs fascinants.

Donc on résume (je sais c’est pas la même presse) : pour le Tibet, avant, on n’était pas au courant. Par contre, Carla a mal au coeur, et là on sait tout.

Quelqu’un ne se foutrait pas de nous, là?

Pour s’informer régulièrement :

Amnesty international.

Edit (sur un sujet totalement différent) : je viens de lire ça. Ce type est sadique. Une pétition là.