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News
Tibetan Bridge is proud to host a viewing of
"Creating
Buddhas"
Friday November 11th
7:30pm Screening
325 W. 37th St. 10th Floor NYC
contact: John
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We here at Tibetan Bridge are saying silent prayers for the earthquake victims in the Sichuan Province in China...
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Tashi Delek,
So I'm back in the States and finally adjusted to the culture and time zone shift, I am allowed a moment to reflect on the visit to the site of the Tibetan Bridge School.
Before I get into the details I would like to note that we here are thankful to all those involved in making these trips possible. The help that you offer and that you may conceive as small goes a long in way in places like Rabshi. We all appreciate it.
The road to the Longshi Monastary in Rabshi, East Tibet is, as of now, not an easy one. The quickest way to get there would be to fly into the city of Xining and then take a twelve hour bus to Yushu where one can find a taxi to go about 35 miles to the monastery. Of course we took the longer, overland route and arrived in Xining by train from Xi’an. The bus ride was bumpy because the roads through the mountains are not all paved or well kept.
Someone described a person like me being in this region as that of a cow amidst a herd of sheep. Yes, photographer Dave and I stood out quite a bit in Yushu.
The ride from the bus station in Yushu to the monastery is breathtaking. The snow capped mountains, the expansive fields and azure rivers slashing across the earth would make any nature lover’s jaw drop. Visibility must have been about 6 miles that sunny morning we arrived because it felt like we could see out into infinity from some of the mountain passes. An elevation of about 16,000 feet made us a little off kilter for a day but the crisp air and vivid surroundings was a quick remedy for the altitude sickness. And that was before we met our Board of Directors.
Not all the monks at the monastery knew of our arrival so there was bewilderment on some faces at first. But those who knew we were coming went to fetch the monastic leaders and we were welcomed like traveling dignitaries. The hospitality was of the greatest I have received in my life. And given the squalid conditions of much of the small village, I understood the value of such a reception.
I mentioned the faces of the monks but I want to reiterate the amazing stories these people carry around in their features that one can read with delight and amazement. David astutely captured some of their magic with his amazing photography skills. As a painter I could not resist the urge to do several portraits as well. These people have seen quite a bit.
Then the following day we met the children. The brightness in their eyes and the happiness in their smiles belie the fact that they come from abject poverty. As nomads, most of them have virtually nothing that could not be carried with them on the back of a yak. Interesting difference between Tibetan culture and many other poor parts of the world is that the children did not aggressively advance upon us, begging for money or soliciting anything. They just looked on with the curiosity that is so fitting to youth.
What they also do not have is an education. This is what we felt we could bring them that would prove to be most valuable in the end. And with a few kind people here, that will make the most incredible change to their young lives.
The extent of the monks’ generosity seemed to be endless. After incredible meals and the most cordial accommodations in Yushu, they continued to ignore our requests to pay for things. They even presented to us an authentic nomad tent made of yak hair just because I expressed an interest in them (Samten grew up in one so I wanted to see what it was like). So shipping the tent to Beijing from Yushu and then from Beijing to our New York offices was a difficult task - a task that they made smooth as could be.
With this type of moral virtue as character guides, the children of Rabshi are more wealthy than most people in the world. But the reality is that I saw the pressing need for financial aid to give them what most of us take for granted as our right as citizens. Pencils, paper and books are all out of their reach. Our school will no doubt help change this “reality” and give them the tools to make their home the most beautiful learning center for kids in the whole region.
As we parted our new family in Rabshi, I felt like a large part of my heart remained among the crimson and saffron robes, incense and statues; among the yak and prayer wheels, amidst the billowing multicolored banners and carved stone prayers. Nowhere in the world is like Tibet and David’s pictures can attest to that. We know these people and are committed to helping insure them a bright future.
Peace...
John B
Development Director۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞
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We are saddened to hear of the present turmoil in Tibet. We here at Tibetan Bridge are wishing for peace; may there be a swift and non-violent resolution to this crisis.
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Tibetan Bridge is pleased to announce that we will be conducting a lecture series to start our fund raising for the children of East Tibet. Please refer to this site for more information. Thank you!