TIBET

Hubert von Goisern and Tibet

The Dalai Lama turns 80 - congratulations

tashi delek

on 6th july the dalai lama will celebrate his 80th birthday.
i'd like to take this opportunity to recommend this recently released book. it's available as a free download.
for those of you who would prefer to hold this inspired text in your hands, it's also available to buy or order in a hardcover edition - for example at www.rupertusbuch.at or the book shop of your choice.

hvg

H. H. the Dalai Lama in the Talk in Hangar-7 Special

The Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet, exclusive on ServusTV: during his visit to Austria the Nobel Peace Prize winner was guest along with a top-class lineup on Talk im Hangar-7 Spezial, where he talked about the important topics of his life and teachings.
Presenter: Heinz Nußbaumer; Guests: Hubert von Goisern, Paul Zulehner, Marianne Birthler, Alfred Gusenbauer and Kelsang Gyaltsen.

Tibetan organisations call for support for rally in Vienna on 26th May 2012

Vienna – During a press conference, representatives of the Tibetan people in Europe and Austria today called on the political parties and the population of Austria, to show solidarity with Tibet and its people and to participate in the rally on 26th May 2012 in Vienna at the Heldenplatz. At the rally, both the Dalai Lama and the newly elected prime minister of the Tibetan government in exile, Dr. Lobsang Sangay, will address the crowd. At the press conference Hubert von Goisern, Amadeus Award winner 2012, backed up the call for solidarity with Tibet.

The reason for the rally is the Dalai Lama's visit to Austria, as well as the escalating human rights situation in Tibet, which has recently massively intensified. With this rally Tibetan groups from across Europe want to send a united and unmistakable sign of solidarity to the Tibetans in Tibet. Various well-known names from the political sphere will speak at the rally. Artists from all over Europe will also be supporting the event with musical contributions. The participation and speech by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama will be the highlight of the rally.

Hubert von Goisern, a long-time supporter of the people of Tibet said: "On the 26th May we all have a chance to show Tibet and the Dalai Lama our solidarity with them. It is a matter of decency to break the silence in the face of the infringements of human rights! The Tibetans in Tibet need our support now as a sign of hope and encouragement!"

Hubert von Goisern: 10th March 2009

50 years ago
exactly to the day,
a peaceful tibetan rebellion against the chinese occupying power was bloodily struck down.
to this day a never-ending trail of blood marks this tyranny.
how should one deal with this? aside from with fainting despair!
my dealings with the dalai lama have taught me to be peaceful,
in thought, speech and deed.
but when this approach has failed to bear fruits for 50 years, and achieves no forward motion in the matter,
is the question warranted, as to whether it is the wrong way?
however, i do not know any other.

can one do anything nonetheless?
can we do anything?
yes!
we can make sure that tibet is never forgotten.
in that we never stop talking about it.
in that we remind our politicians,
to make tibet a subject of discussion,
in particular with dealing with china
time and time again.

the story of tibet is a disgrace for china.

let us not fool ourselves, china has the upper hand, but they are a proud people and it is here that one must make a start. the china of today has inherited this situation from mao tse-tung.
when mao tse-tung came to power in 1949, one of his first crimes was to invade tibet, in order to - in his words - liberate the country. (from the tibetans?).
mao's rule over china cost - according to conservative estimates - 20 million people their life. some maintain that it was twice as many. either way - it is an unimaginably high number.

but even more incredible is the fact that mao is still revered. because in china there is no accounting for the past. measured against the number of victims that mao's policies claimed among the chinese, the number of tibetans seems almost reasonable: in tibet alone more than 150,000 were executed and another 200,000 died in prisons and work camps.

the disgrace of tibet cannot be denied or silenced and unfortunately
neither can it be meditated away.
tibet is not china and the tibetans are not chinese.
tibetans have their own language, their own script and their own way of life.

politics that derives the right from its military and economic strength,
to suppress a peaceable people such as the tibetans, is inhumane,
is uncivilised.

hubert von goisern

Hubert von Goisern: Commentary

While 2008 is the Year of the Rat for the Chinese, in Tibet one speaks of the Year of the Earth Mouse.

When I was travelling in Tibet some years ago in the lobby of my hotel in Lhasa I read a Chinese propaganda magazine written in English. Inside it I found, in an article about Lenin, this unbelievable statement: "a nation that is not ready to fight for its freedom by force of arms deserves enslavement." This sentence made me decidedly unsympathetic towards Lenin. The same goes for the Chinese high-ranking officials, who evidently derive the right from the peaceableness of the Tibetans to oppress them and exploit their country, just as Lenin would have it. Despite all statements no historical Chinese claims to Tibet can be made.
According to which era you look at the borders were moved here and there from time to time. In the 7th century for example, as good as all of today's China was a part of Tibet and there is an agreement carved in stone in 1794, which clarifies the sovereignty of both countries in both languages. When Mao Tsetung came to power in 1949, one of his first crimes was to march into Tibet and annexe the country; or, as he called it - liberate. (From the Tibetans?) According to conservative estimates Mao took the lives of 20 million people during the time of his rule. Many believe the number to be twice as many. Like Lenin Mao has not been buried, neither in the metaphorical nor the literal sense. Both are embalmed pilgrimage sites. It is high time for both of them to be below ground.

And it is high time that the tragedy in Tibet be acknowledged. I am appalled but not surprised by the recent developments, because it was foreseeable and no secret that the Olympic Games would be an occasion for the Tibetans to bring attention to the human rights violations in their country. After more than 50 years oppression by China the despair on the Roof of the World is as omnipresent as the bondage of and discrimination against the native population. It is thus hardly surprising that one person or another balls his fist or starts throwing stones. Measured against the Tibetan victims of the past (more than 150,000 alone died through execution; around 200,000 in jails and labour camps) a few broken windows and burned cars are chicken feed. And even this probably would not have happened if the one person who, more than any one else among us, stands for dialogue and the renunciation of the use of force was not so obtrusively disavowed.
The demonisation of the Dalai Lama, officially called "a wolf in sheep's clothing" by China, is an unparalleled insufferableness. The attitude of most Austrian politicians towards this subject is also unbearable. Right up as far as the Federal President there is only a degrading bow down to the economic power of China in order to not damage trade relations. And at every state visit from the "Middle Kingdom" preemptive obedience is demonstrated in that the Home Office nips any criticism in the bud with police power.

The Olympic Committee was reproached for having only thought in economic terms when awarding the Games to Peking. That may be so, but let's be honest, if one acts according to the august ideals of the Olympic thoughts, where could the Games be awarded to in good conscience? Certainly no country that could also afford to hold them too.
Peking "deserves" the Games no less than Berlin, Moscow, Los Angeles or London. For this reason I believe a boycott is wrong.
However what I do wish for are functionaries and athletes with an awareness that the Olympic Games have a political dimension. Since the Classical world they have served as a political forum too. Perhaps someone will find the courage to hold up the Tibetan flag.
The annexation of Tibet cannot be denied or silenced away and is unfortunately also not to be meditated away. Tibet is not China and the Tibetans are not Chinese. They have their own language, their own script and their own way of life. So may it not just be the Year of the Rat, but also of the Earth Mouse.

Can we as individuals contribute to the resolution of the conflict? Yes. Write to your government representatives, to the European Commission, to the Olympic Committee ..., tell them that one should address the problem and not creep away with the argument that it is not the concern of a sporting event.

Hubert von Goisern, Salzburg - Easter 2008

LOSAR 2007 - Hubert von Goisern's new year wish for Tibet

The Tibetan new year was celebrated in Vienna on the 17th February 2007 with Tibetan food stands, films and folk dances. The celebrations were initiated with prayers from Tibetan monks and celebrities such as Hubert von Goisern and Ralph Bauer made known their new year wishes for Tibet.

"There is nothing left to say about Tibet, everything has been said - over and over again...
And yet it still needs to be said, over and over again:

TIBET IS AN OCCUPIED COUNTRY
THE TIBETANS ARE SUPPRESSED
SHAME ON THE INTRUDERS

The situation in TIBET is the legacy of a man who brought a great deal of pain, injustice and death to China itself: Mao Tsetung.

The story of TIBET does not bring honour to China and the demonisation of the Dalai Lama, who stands for nonviolence, tolerance and dialogue like almost no other, is the vilification of just those virtues.

LONG LIVE TIBET
LONG LIVE TENZIN GYATSO
the 14th Dalai Lama, reincarnation of CHENRESIG, the Buddha of Compassion.

TASHI DELEK, good fortune and blessings - for everybody and everything - for the year 2134 under the sign of the Golden Fire Pig."

Hubert von Goisern

Plea against bowing

The Dalai Lama should have been honoured with a "personalised stamp" on the occasion of his 70th birthday in July. That it is not to be has left a nasty taste in the mouth of musician Hubert von Goisern. An interview.

Without wishing to give reasons, Michaela Homola, spokesperson for the Austrian Post Office, declared that the so-called "personalised stamp", with which Tibet's Dalai Lama should have been honoured for his 70th birthday on 6th July, will not be printed. The Chinese Embassy has greatly intervened, explained human rights activist Heinz Stoff, who commissioned the stamp. An explanation that Hubert von Goisern finds so unacceptable, that he decided to be a speaker for the stamp.

With your annoyance at Austria's Post Office in mind, I would first like to know: what can you say about China?

I have never been to China. When I think about the country, the first things that come to mind are philosophers: Confucius, Mencius, Lao Tse. A country of great thinkers. It is also said that the origins of the harmonica lie there. But like every nation, you could also say like every people, China also has its inglorious chapter. Like the era of Mao Tse-tung, in which the cultural revolution also raged, while ten million people died, some even estimate the number to be 20 to 30 million. In this dark period of time, came the forcible annexing of Tibet (1949/50) and the following destruction of Tibetan culture.

Which continues today ...

It's understandable that China doesn't like to be reminded of the situation in Tibet. A good many chapters of the past are unpleasant for us too. Here in Austria too, one once succumbed to the charm of a dictator and it is debatable whether we could have been ready to look in the mirror today without pressure from outside. Seen this way, I understand the Chinese Embassy's efforts to obstruct the publishing of a stamp with the Dalai Lama. If their officials didn't do it, a rebuke would come by return from Peking. What I don't understand is the obedience of the Post Office administration in complying with this wish. This timidity shames the whole of Austria.

But China surely also has opportunities to get revenge?

Chinese interventions also preceded the Dalai Lama's visits in Bad Ischl, as well as those in Graz. The then mayor of Graz, Alfred Stingl, had to fight with massive intervention from the Chinese. Stingl was threatened with, among other things, the withdrawal of an order worth millions with Simmering Graz Pauker AG. He remained firm. An attitude which has become very rare with politicians, especially when economic aspects come into play. Simmering Graz Pauker then nevertheless got the order, although the city welcomed the Dalai Lama. I am convinced: respect, especially from such a proud people as the Chinese, is not won by bowing and scraping.

But the proud attitude of the Tibetans does not seem to impress their dominator very much.

I don't know how one can lead the situation in Tibet to a solution that is pleasing for everybody involved. I don't agree with the activists from "Save Tibet" in everything and I also had a good many stout arguments with representatives of the exile government. But I know that the Tibetan people as well as the country of Tibet suffer horrifically under China's bondage. I know that China inflicts enormous damage to its own reputation with its obstinate attitude. And I also know that the Dalai Lama does not deserved to be demonised.

For what does he stand for you?

He is the leader of a people that are standing with their backs against the wall and have been doing so for 50 years. A people whose culture, music, language and way of life threaten to disappear - yes, the people as a whole are dwindling. So it comes that his country is exploited and destroyed. Other societies answer such a situation with weapons, bombs, violence. Not the Tibetans. Despite everything they are the most peace-loving people I have met on my many journeys. And the Dalai Lama contributes significantly to that. This exemplary person and his people deserve our deep respect, solidarity and support. If not, then we say that Lenin was right when he said: a nation which is not prepared to fight for its freedom with weapons deserves slavery.