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Tibet, Tibet (Photos)


[PureInsight.org] Tibet is a marvelous and beautiful place. It stands on the roof of the world, on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. With its azure blue sky and magnificent land, imposing ice-clad peaks, snowy mountain ranges, sapphire lakes spreading all over, green prairies stretching beyond the horizon, adorned with yaks and sheep, it is like walking into a huge painting scroll. The light on the prairie is so pure and bright. Its rich and bright colors are permeated with an innocent child's taste. It is a dreamland.


Tibetans are brimming with reverence and love for nature. They kneel and bow in worshipping sacred mountains and lakes. They endure cold and thin air and work arduously. They drink butter tea and watch the colorful wind flags and spotlessly white silk scarves fluttering in the wind. They sing the resounding pastoral songs and dance in their long-sleeved dress. Their simple smiles are shown on their ruddy faces. Their personalities are gentle and tolerant.


Potala Palace and Jokhang Temple, in alternating red and white colors, towering aloft in the mountaintop, are the holy places of Tibetans. Being Buddhists, Tibetans go on pilgrimages as their life long endeavor. Pilgrimage to the holy city of Lhasa is the supreme and the most important thing in their life.


People in endless streams go on pilgrimages year round. Tens of thousands of Tibetans, converging into a mighty torrent from villages, march toward Lhasa slowly and resolutely. Men and women, old and young, trudge a long distance. They use their bodies to measure the distance to the holy temples: they press their palms together devoutly over their heads and crawl on their whole bodies with their hands outstretched and their foreheads touching the earth. They repeat each step more than a hundred thousand times and endure untold hardships. Their devout, firm, and tenacious spirits shock and move people.


Temples stand in great numbers. Multicolored flags dance about in the wind. People often see gray-haired old women turning a tube with scripture inside and Lamas in red robes singing scriptures and praying. Leisure and tranquility fill the air. All distracting thoughts and grievances are filtered out. People are relaxed and serene. Heaven and earth are so close. Humans and gods are connected.


Tibet, the vibrating beauty lets countless people lose themselves in reverie. Tibet, it is another lifestyle that reflects the ancient mysterious reality. Its beauty is now being destroyed by commerce relentlessly and torn by pollution. Politics have suppressed and distorted the people's beliefs. Everyone who loves Tibet feels pain. Now people around the world are concerned about the sanguine shooting by Chinese police. Tibet, Tibet, we pray for you.

Translated from:
http://www.secretchina.com/news/237336.html

10.4.08 09:36, comment

House Church Closed in Anhui, Xinjiang-Christians Suffer in Jail

China Aid Dec 14, 2006

Brother Liu Mingxiang (www.chinaaid.org)

China Aid Association, Inc. learned recently the local government of Tongling City, Anhui Province is taking administrative measures interfere with the religious affairs of Christians by forcing them to join the Three-Self Church.

November 26, 2006 a house church assembly in Laodong Xincui, Tongling City, Anhui Province, was closed by the local Religious Affair Bureau. The church leaders were told to worship in the local Three-Self Church.

The house church was founded by renowned Christian Brother Wang Xingquan 53 years ago and currently has a membership of approximately 200 Christians. Brother Wang was thrown into prison for his faith during the Cultural Revolution.

In order to exert more pressure on Brother Wang his daughter’s work unit stopped paying her salary, and has threatened to fire her unless she sets an example for other Christians by joining the local Three-Self Church. Another brother under threat of losing his job was coerced to resign from the church.

December 5, 2006 upon the request of the Christians, the government held a hearing in which the Religious Affair Bureau’s decision to close the church was upheld.

Currently the Christians hold worship services in their homes; they said they are preparing for further legal action to regain their right of religious freedom.

“The Religious Affair Bureau is only one department in the government in charge of religious affairs. It is definitely not powerful enough to force a work unit to stop paying its employees.” said Bob Fu, President of CAA, “It is obvious that the entire course of action was formulated by the upper level government. Tongling government’s resorting to administrative methods to interfere with religious affairs ultimately tramples the spirit and promise of religious freedom stipulated in the Chinese Constitution and International Laws. We hope that the Tongling government corrects their mistakes and protects religious freedom of its citizens.

CAA also learned that all of the Christians arrested October 20, 2006 in Qingshuihe Town, Huocheng County, Yili City, Xinjiang autonomous area were released by November 26, 2006. Four brothers were locked in the detention center for 32 days, one brother and two sisters 14 days. No legal documents were issued when they were arrested and released.

Four brothers who were locked up for 32 days are now in the hospital for medical treatment as a result of being severely tortured by other prisoners. “I was beaten daily morning, noon and night! They beat me if I ate the food or did not eat the food, ate too much or too little, went to the toilet or did not go to the toilet! They just beat me for no reason.” one brother said. What’s more, the Christians were clearly told by the prisoners that they were beaten according to the instructions from the police officers in charge of the detention centre.

Brother Tan’s experience is especially horrible. He was intentionally placed in a cell with homosexual prisoners where he suffered the humiliation being sexually abused as well as physically beaten. “I would not come out alive if I had been with them any longer.” said brother Tan.

“It is totally intolerable to treat a sixty-year old man like that!” said Bob Fu, President of CAA. “We appeal to the Xinjiang government to investigate this event and punish the people involved in detaining and abusing these Christians.”

16.12.06 04:50, comment