JOSE ESCUDERO RAMOS
BARCELONA, 15 NOVEMBER 2018
Last Tuesday 13 November we were able to attend the presentation of the book Far from Tibet at the Casa del Tíbet in Barcelona, written by María Teresa Pous Mas.
A very entertaining presentation where we have been told some of the stories that the book Far from Tibet talks about., in the mouth of the protagonist himself, the Venerable Lama Thubten Wangchen. We live moments between emotion and vindication because, as I will describe later, The life of the Venerable Lama is an adventure that teaches you to be compassionate and kind to all beings while fighting for an ideal.
Agustín Pániker made the presentation, editor of Kairós who publish the Spanish version. Listening to Agustín is a real pleasure, In a pleasant way, he shares all the wisdom contained in the books published by his publisher.. He said of Wangchen that he always does good without expecting anything in return “he is a true bodhisattva.””
The “Tibetan Buddhist monk” also intervened, as Venerable Lama Thubsten Wangchen defines himself, who with his happy conversation told us that the author suggested that he write a book about her life but that he did not feel worthy of that privilege until in the end, María Teresa convinced him. Wangchen tells us “he who cries, mama”.
The presentation approach was very enjoyable because María Teresa gave a brief reflection on why she wanted to write this book.: by Karma, out of admiration, because he loves Tibet, out of indignation at the lack of interest in solving the Tibet conflict, I remember that it was invaded by Chinese troops in 1958 and because he loves humanist philosophy and Tibetan spirituality. Buddhism teaches us compassion in a joyful way, His spirituality enriches us day by day.
Then María Teresa continued asking three questions that the Venerable Lama always answered between happy laughs.. ¿What lesson did you learn from your life in Tibet??
Between jokes he responded “I don't remember what I told you.”” to continue in a more serious tone but always exuding joy and happiness, despite the harshness of his narration. “I was born in Tibet, country that suffers a long invasion, bloody, terrible. I have a memory from my childhood of a Chinese soldier who scared me a lot…One day my father said that my mother had died and that we should prepare to go to Nepal.
I was five years old, My dad carried me on his shoulders or in his arms because I couldn't walk that far.. In India I lived until 8 years begging for food. When I see poor people I always want to give them something.…My childhood has taught me to share with others and that you must always have hope for life.. I have had the privilege of eleven years with the Dalai Lama. The Dalai does not only think about Tibet, also in the world, fight against climate change, for peace…It has taught me to be happy day by day, the future is going to come; don't think about the past, is not coming, so he lives in the present, be happy now”.
one more question ¿What teaching do you want to tell about what you learned at the Dalai Lama monastery in Dharamsala??
Life is for learning. still die tomorrow, today I will try to learn something. At nine years old I entered India begging. The government of India and the Dalai Lama reached an agreement to collect the children who begged on the streets of India because His Holiness the Venerable Dalai Lama said that street children were the future of Tibet.. I went to school, had Tibetan and Hindu teachers, They were very hard. He was not an average student but he was always happy. If before entering the house I met a bad child, I went with the group of bad guys, but if I met a good boy, I went with the good group. Many of the teachers were ministers of the Dalai Lama so I had the opportunity to go to his private monastery Nangyal, to study to be a Buddhist monk. Then memorize thousands of pages of rituals, of songs, mantras, mandalas, masquerade balls, I dance very well. I was the first to dance before the Dalia Lama after his exile, traditional mask dances. I learned that the powerful vibration and compassion of the Dalai Lama.
At that time we brought food to those who did not have, also to animals. I broke my bedroom window to feed the birds and so the cats could take refuge in my room.. It is very cold in Dharamsala.
The eleven years I spent with the Dalai Lama are the great gift of my life “from the invisible above”.
María Teresa interrupts to confirm the benefits of breathing in the morning and Wangchen continues saying that if you meditate, everything goes well.
The first thing we have to say in the morning is ¡it's good that we are alive!, gracias, Thank you because there are many people who do not wake up after dawn. Waking up is a daily miracle. Then we have to think “today I am going to be good, I'll be kind and then breathe and say a mantra. If before opening your business you think “today I am going to sell well”, you will sell a lot.
Before going to sleep do Mindfulness and ask yourself ¿what emotions have I had today? ¿what emotions have I generated? Tomorrow I will do better. You will sleep better and the next day you will look and feel better.
And the last question that María Teresa asked ¿What is the current situation in Tibet??
He 10 March are fulfilled 60 years of the Dalai Lama's exile and we have prepared a peaceful march in Brussels against the Chinese government that maintains the invasion of Tibet.
No Buddhist center talks about the situation in Tibet. Meditation and Buddhism are taught but what is being experienced now is not talked about. There are six million Tibetans suffering from occupation. A few days ago another young man immolated himself, They are already 153 from 2009 to make the problem suffered by the Tibetan people heard.
Neither the press nor politicians talk about the problems of Tibet.
A few weeks ago I was doing a ceremony for water at a fair in Madrid, It is explained, The Chinese ambassador called to ask that the ceremony be suspended but the mayor of Madrid refused..
The Chinese resident was supposed to come at the end of the month to sign trade agreements and is threatening not to sign it. Don't let it come. China will also be harmed if it does not sign that agreement.
In Tibet there is birth control, there is control of education. Right now there are more Chinese than Tibetans.
Several great rivers of the East originate from the “Water Tower”, That's what Tibet is called, el Yangtse, the yellow, the indus, el Mekong, the ganges, the Salweeny and the Tsangpo Yarlung and the government wants to divert them to China.
There is excessive exploitation of mines in the mountains, recently one fell and blocked the Mekong River.
¿What can we do? Talk about problems, let it be written about, tell your friends, to families, friends…Write to parliamentarians so that measures can be taken to resolve the conflict.
Knowing problems makes them visible.
And after reading an ode that comes in the book and that we are not going to transcribe in order to motivate its reading, the event concluded…!ah! They delighted us with some Tibetan pastries and a delicious tea while the Venerable Lama Thubten Wangchen signed books.
We got a book courtesy of the Kairós publishing house, as soon as we read it, we will review, We will publish it shortly because as they said in the presentation, the book is read in two days. It sure is very entertaining.
And finally, ¿When will a Tibet House be built in Madrid?? Well, according to what they told us during the event, is being managed, so soon there will be surprises.
Thanks to the Casa del Tíbet Barcelona for the wonderful work you do, for spreading values and your beautiful spirituality.
