Reality is vibration: Refugees in India

There is a part of me that feels a bit on edge sitting in this computer room and typing at the moment. Last night there was a scorpion in here. And a couple of weeks ago, there was a black snake in here. But aside from the poisonous creatures, Dehradun has been quite enjoyable.

Recently I have been attempting to learn more about the Tibetan population in India. Along with Dharamsala and several other cities in India, Dehradun is a location where many Tibetans have lived in exile since China invaded their country in 1949. The Dalai Lama fled Tibet in 1959 to Dharamsala, followed by over 100,000 Tibetans, and thereby established the Tibetan Government-in-Exile.

Chinese policies are threatening the future of Tibet's religion, nomadic lifestyle, and language. Tibet's natural resources are being systematically eroded, and now Tibetans are a minority in their own land. According to Free Tibet, Chinese occupation has resulted in the deaths of at least hundreds of thousands of Tibetans, the destruction of over 6,000 monasteries, nunneries and temples, and the imprisonment and torture of thousands of Tibetans.

Tibetan Buddhists also fear the future of their religion since China has invaded and took over. There is controversy about who the 11th Panchen Lama is, as Tibetan Buddhists claim China has kidnapped their Panchen Lama and replaced him with their own. This controversy could potentially negatively affect the chances of finding the next Dalai Lama, the reincarnation of the current and 14th Dalai Lama.

I have visited some of the Tibetan refugee camps and conversed with some of the locals in Dalanwala and Clement Town in Dehradun. I visited a shop where Tibetans were weaving rugs. It is a process that usually takes about 6 months. They were hard at work and had the most genuine smiles on their faces. The one woman was especially excited to meet me, so I asked her if I could take a picture. The rug weaving was such an incredible process to watch. Below are some additional pictures of the town and the refugee camps.

The fact that these individuals had many of their rights stripped from them is really a shame. I hope to engage in more dialogue with some Tibetan refugees and hear their stories.