in 1994 he Dalai Lama, spiritual and political leader of the Tibetan people and Nobel Peace Prize winner, visited Barcelona to inaugurate the House of Tibet. It is an association that was born with the intention of disseminating the ancient culture of the Tibetan people., as well as defending their rights. Currently, This center implements a sponsorship program for elderly exiles and children of refugees who fled the Chinese regime and who were born in countries such as India or Nepal. Among them, the Dalai Lama himself, who fled the country in 1959. She further , From this association, several actions are carried out to demand human rights in Tibet..
The current headquarters are located on Rosselló Street. and it is a space open to anyone who is interested in learning about Tibetan culture or participating in the center's activities.. In it you can see paintings or sculptures of Tibetan art and curiosities such as the large model of the Potala Palace, expressly brought from Tibet, which seems to guard the access to the exhibition hall. Over there, The first thing you see when entering is what to a Westerner's eyes appears to be a tapestry but is actually made with sand of different colors.. It is a mandala, created by four monks who took 10 days to do it and that lasts protected by a display case as a memory, but whose destiny should have been to be destroyed immediately upon completion. Through this practice of annihilating a work of art as soon as it is finished, los monjes tibetanos simbolizan la "impermanencia" or impermanence of all the phenomena of this world, including our own life.
He mandala and the fabric pennants with short texts in the Tibetan language coexist with the various exhibitions that pass through the room, such as the current one, one of photographs from several Asian countries that, along with the diversity of activities at the center, es un ejemplo de la filosofía de intercambio cultural que promueve esta asociación "abierta a todas las culturas tradiciones y razas", as you remember the monk Thubten Wangchen, Founder of the Tibet House.
The entire philosophy of this religion that promotes respect for every living being is precisely impregnated with this same tolerance., and that it has never been imposed by force but has known how to adapt to the customs of the peoples that have adopted it, as is the case of Tibet. Not surprisingly, arrival from India merged with local folklore.
Next to the exhibition hall is the mini gompa (meditation room), whose walls are entirely decorated with colorful paintings that explain the life of Buddha, and the room of sacred texts, where dozens of original writings donated by the Dalai Lama are kept wrapped in cloth and in small compartments.
Both in these two rooms and in the big gompa From the lower floor you can get the feeling of being in a Tibetan temple., especially if upon entering you find a Tibetan who is preparing the room for the afternoon meditation session., open to everyone, and who is kind enough to stop his task to explain his vision of Buddhism. The conversation with sound it's slow. Las cientos de estatuas de la gran sala parecen escucharle con la misma paciencia que él mismo reivindica al explicar que "el occidental se acerca al budismo buscando resultados rápidos, y por eso se suele decepcionar".
However, In Buddhism, patience is not at odds with diligence, sino que se enfatiza en el concepto de la "impermanencia" to keep in mind that our time in this life is limited. For this reason, you should know how to take advantage of it in the most convenient way.. "Cada día, when I return home, I see many young people drinking beer in bars. Al perder su tiempo están desperdiciando su vida", explains Sonan.
The equally friendly attitude of the rest of the Tibetans from this center, which is located right next to a catholic church, contributes to increasing the atmosphere of tolerance that is breathed in it and that evokes the possibility of coexistence between religions that make it so difficult, currently and historically, some fanaticisms.
