On Work

PEACE FOR TIBET


DRESS-UP PARTY






AIR GUITAR




DANCING AND SINGING












ROOFTOP ART CLASS

On Visions and Voices

"In Lhasa, Tibet, on October 25, 2009, four Tibetans were executed unjustly."
"Since 1958, in all three regions of Tibet, China has been torturing and killing Tibetans...

"For the past 50 years Tibet has not been free. We have no freedom of speech or religion. Over One million Tibetans have lost their lives. Many friends and family members have disappeared. Many have been arrested, tortured, beaten, starved to death, and executed each day for the past 50 years. We cannot return to our homeland. We cannot return to see family and friends still in Tibet. We hope the rest of the world has not forgotten our struggle."

13 Minutes in a peaceful protest may land someone 13 years in prison.

"In prison we are challenged mentally, physically, and emotionally from starvation, humiliation, forced labor, and torture. We are beaten, handcuffed and hung from the ceiling, shocked with electric prods, burned with cigarettes, forced to deforest our own sacred groves of trees, and more. Many prisons are so packed that there is hardly room to turn over while sleeping. We sleep on the cold concrete floor. Then when someone dies next to you in the night you can feel the body get cold, but it is not moved until the morning. Many of us only have one set of clothing, so after years and years, the clothing becomes ragged, dirty, and has a very strong oder. We share one pot in the middle of the room for a toilet. The smell, the crowded conditions, the cold, the constant state of starvation, and the sores from continual beatings make it very difficult to not give up. In some prisons it is estimated that 10 to 15 prisoners died daily due to starvation, torture, and suicide."


Visions from our Past


Age 11

Age 12

Age 18

On Life in India

White mountain peaks
Strong. Solid. Sure.
Himalayas hold
Secret struggles of Tibet.

Woman watching
As I watch in return.
Quietly curious of each other.


Small restaurant stall
Serves hot chapati and chai.
Beggars stand outside.

Learning Ideas for Tibet (LIT)

Conversation, Cooking, Sharing Stories,
Spreading Awareness,
Laughing, and Learning.
The truth of torture, struggle in Tibet. Tears.
My Friends and Family away from home.


Candlelight vigil for executions in Tibet.
Inside Tibet, a PEACEFUL protest results in torture and deaths.
"Sometimes when we are in a free country, we forget the meaning of freedom."

The Journey

Though the names have been changed, these are real and personal accounts of one’s innermost challenges and feelings. Please share the stories, your thoughts, and reflection, but please respect this as a reader and do not misuse or copy any contents or information without permission. However, continue to research, be aware of struggles around the world, and practice compassion, kindness, giving, helping, and healing.





I came with a small group and my sister. We came walking over the mountains for one and a half months. On our way, there was a very dangerous snowstorm. We could not find our way on the trail. The snow became very deep. It was very difficult to walk and my sister fell into a deep snow. We could not help her out of the snow and she died there. We had to leave her on the mountain in the snow. Age 15



I had to leave because of family matters. My grandfather fought when the Chinese attacked in 1959. There was a reincarnation of our village lama recognized, the Chinese arrested the lama. My father and grandfather got angry and spoke against the Chinese. The Chinese murdered my grandfather because he got angry and took my father away to prison. I could not stay in my village. Age 12



I came from Kham with ten people. My father told me to go to India to study. He plans to come to India in four years to meet me. It took us one month and ten days walking through a lot of snow to come here. My picture shows a Chinese leader giving punishment to the Tibetan people. I saw this often, but I was not scared. When I go to India I want to go to school so I can learn Tibetan Language. After I finish I want to become a monk and go back to Tibet. Age 13



I came with four people, alone without any family, over Mt. Everest. It took us twenty days of walking. We saw the Nepali police and then we were arrested. The police took our money from us, they took our clothes, and they took my precious string with high lamas on them that my parents gave to me. They took us to a dark room and tied our hands behind our backs. They took all our clothes and checked our whole body. They kept us for three days. After three days, they took us to another station. They would slap me in the face and point a gun at my head, but I was not scared. Age 9


I came with 28 people from Mt. Everest. I arrived here four months ago. I left my village and stayed in Lhasa for one year to find a guide. From Shigatse to here it took 20 days walking in snow. We waited for our guide to come in four days in Shigatse, but he never came. We were all arrested near Lukla and the army checked my bag and checked me. They pointed a gun at my head. I cried a lot because I felt scared. They kept us there for a day and then sent us there because one old lady begged them to let us go. I thought it would be easy to come to India and my grandmother didn’t want me to go, but I wanted to come and study. It was very hard and I miss my grandmother a lot. Age 6


“When we turn our attention away from our own concerns and commit ourselves to greater social justice within the wider struggle for life as a whole, we are experiencing the sacred.” – Leonard Biallas

Practicing giving, compassion, kindness, listening, and connecting with others is what motivates and inspires me. My next journey is calling me to return to India. I will be volunteering with Art Refuge and Volunteer Tibet (offering art therapy classes for Tibetan refugees) as well as studying yoga. Please help me on my way and share in my journey... to volunteer, to learn, to help, to heal, to give, to spread awareness, to explore the healing potential of art and yoga, and to make positive impacts in the lives of people in need....

The City and The Sea

buildings and boxes
burning and bulk
worlds will collide-

in the wash of change
wind and waves renew
and the world will revive again-

Waves

...a blue-green dance that pounds and sounds
again and again upon the shore...
-bringing constant change-

Earth and Water

Canyon, Arizona



Omigisi Beach, Michigan

Seasons Greetings

MAY ALL BE WELL
Make Positive Change
Practice Peace
Take Care Of Each Other And The Planet

Land

Mountain Crossing, Tibet



Canyon, Arizona



Delicate Arch – Moab, Utah



Fallen Leaf Lake – Tahoe, California



Desolation Wilderness - Tahoe, California

Springtime for Granny

Vibrant tulips are bright in the light of the sun.
Tree blossoms in bloom.
Now your body belongs to the soft spring earth,
your spirit to the sky.
You are like the hummingbird,
a skilled flyer of the skies.
Your journey inspires us all-
and all you have done,
and all you have overcome.
Small, but sure, and not afraid-
you teach courage.
And as you wander on your way,
passing from this life,
know the wonder that you gave.

Journey – Abstract Interpretation