Article by Namzey Tenzin, Photo from Phayul August 04, 2011
Photo Credit: Phayul
Recently, I saw an article on Phayul about a religious function that was held in Eastern Tibet. When reading the article, I was duly impressed by the actions taken inside the country. Tibetans who are not allowed to even speak of their righteous leader in their own homeland had defiantly put up a life-sized poster of the Dalai Lama on a throne. They defied the Chinese government’s laws without fear and they fully showed their deep devotion towards a poster of His Holiness.
People who came to the gathering were strongly encouraged to speak only Tibetan and wear only Tibetan clothing so that the event would be found more special. The Lithang people who organized the occasion even told the local Chinese police that if they wanted to come into the gathering, they must wear Tibetan attire as well. For the next ten days, people did not hesitate to attend this ceremonial event and Tibetans from all four sects and the Bon religion came together and celebrated the occasion and sought the Dalai Lama's blessings from the poster. The atmosphere seemed to be full of joy and excitement as people gave their entire focus on the gathering. Such was the true devotion and loyalty shown by our fellow Tibetans inside our homeland towards the Dalai Lama.
Now if we compare this to the Kalachakra event held in the capitol of America, they both differ on different scales. The Kalachakra lasted twelve days and was hosted by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in front of thousands of people, both Tibetans and non-Tibetans alike.
Although majority of the audience gave their upmost attention to the Dalai lama’s teachings, there were also many people who had the opposite expression. According to the organizers, the Kalachakra event was broadcasted live to at least fifty other countries, and yet the audience was not maintaining the same sort of enthusiasm. People, especially Tibetans, did not make a great impression for the cameras if they had been caught dozing off in their seats. There were also many people-young and old-getting distracted by their phones: playing games, texting a friend, or checking their Facebook. There were many people who came to the event very late, but it was hard to differentiate who were late because of the number of people getting up from their seats and going in and out of the auditorium. It's a hassle for the people they have to go by through the narrow space between someone's legs and the next row.
Unfortunately these people were all Tibetans. People who sat in their seats almost all throughout the event were non Tibetan. And even in the row behind me was a Chinese family of five people, and all of them sat in silence and did not move from their seats. There was, however, an impressive sight outside the auditorium.
In the blistering heat where the weather reached in the hundreds, almost all of the Tibetan women and girls were seen strutting the streets in their Tibetan dresses proudly; however, there weren’t many men wearing their traditional clothes. With a dress that reaches down to your ankles and a long sleeved silk shirt underneath, the Tibetan dress isn’t the ideal clothing for women to wear on a hot summer day. Yet the women still wore them to display their honor for other people to see.
For an occasion that is held in the capitol city of America, we should have taken the chance to make a bolder statement of who we are. As much as a suit is a proper attire for a special event, traditional clothing deserves to be worn on a holy and rare Tibetan event such as the Kalachakra. It's also beneficial for younger people to see the importance of their own culture, especially in a free country. In Tibet, people are risking their lives to bring a photo of the Dalai Lama, and here in America the only thing holding Tibetans back from wearing their clothes is the weather. Living in America, it's easy for the younger generations to get a mixed experience of culture. So it's important for these children to clearly identify Tibetan culture apart from American. Growing up from an early age, children should get experience from parents of their true background. When they get older, they shouldn't find their own language or dressing strange, they should be proud to show them off and show the world, such as the Lithang people had done. In a country where people can get carried away by the oddities and fascinations of a different culture, it can be hard to maintain a lifestyle of straight forward identity of culture. If one person starts to make a difference, everyone else will follow. And soon enough, every corner of the world will be able to see our uniqueness and pride.
