Two characters from Mike Judge's hit HBO comedy visit a Buddhist monastery on a trip that's less about enlightenment, more about entitlement. What happens next? Rod Meade Sperry needs to know. Spoilers and cuss-words ahead. I had the DVR on pause, queued up, as my partner came into the room. “Watch this,” I told her, and pressed play on the closing scene of last night’s [...]
Tibetan PM-in-Exile Says Trump Should Meet With Dalai Lama
Lobsang Sangay, Tibet's prime minister in exile, told a group he was speaking to in Washington that President Trump should meet with the Dalai Lama. "Donald Trump... has been to all three major sacred places of three major traditions," said Sangay, referring to Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the Vatican. "What is left is Buddhism and his holiness the Dalai Lama is the most [...]
The Dalai Lama meets with U.S. lawmakers in Dharamsala
A U.S. Congressional delegation traveled to Dharamsala, India to meet with His Holiness the Dalai Lama Tuesday in an effort to draw attention to the human rights situation in Tibet, Reuters reports. The delegation of eight is led by the leader of the Democratic Party in the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, who previously met with His Holiness during the U.S. [...]
Spiritual leader of Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism, 103rd Gaden Tripa Jetsun Lobsang Tenzin Rinpoche, dies
The Central Tibetan Administration is reporting today on the death of Kyabje Jetsun Lobsang Tenzin, who was appointed last year to 103rd Gaden Tripa, the spiritual head of Gelug order of the Tibetan Buddhism. This is an appointment that takes place every seven years. Kyabje Jetsun Lobsang Tenzin Rinpoche, who was born in Eastern Tibet in 1937, died yesterday in Delhi, India, [...]
Richard Gere tells Hollywood Reporter how defending Tibet has affected his career
In a new interview with the Hollywood Reporter, actor and Buddhist Richard Gere opens up about how his outspoken defense of Tibet has affected his career. From the article by Tatiana Siegel: [...] now that Hollywood is cozying up ever closer to the authoritarian superpower, and studios are careful not to offend the government that oversees what has become the world's [...]
How to Help Tibet
We've updated our list of organizations supporting Tibetans both inside Tibet and in exile, with links so that they might in turn benefit from others' support. The Tibetan people and the Tibetan Buddhist tradition have taught the world so much about kindness, compassion, and resilience. So why not give back? List compiled by Andrea Miller and the staff of Lion's Roar. The [...]
Tibet Women’s Soccer team denied tourist visas to United States after a year of preparation (Updated)
On February 24, after a year of preparation to attend the Dallas Cup, the Tibet Women's Soccer team -- which was to become the first sports team to represent Tibet on US soil -- was denied tourist visas to the United States by the US Embassy in New Delhi, the Tibetan Journal reports. The team was invited by former English football player Gordon Jago to spend ten days in [...]
Elliot Sperling, scholar of Tibet and China history, dead at 66
The scholar and human rights champion Elliot Sperling has died. He was 66. Born in New York City in 1951, Sperling came of age as the US counterculture began to take hold; he in turn became politically and socially active, and began to travel the world. After several trips to India and other overseas locales, and becoming well versed in the Chinese and Tibetan languages he, [...]
Office of Tibet report: Tillerson, Trump administration to “support Tibet issue”
Rex Tillerson, the freshly confirmed US Secretary of State, "has responded favorably" to questions posed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about Tibet, the Central Tibetan Administration reports. Among Tillerson's comments, the report says, are affirmations that "he considers the issues of religious freedom of Christians, Tibetan Buddhist, Uygyur Muslims, Falun Gong [...]
Larung Gar’s evicted Buddhist monastics must pledge to never return
Evictions of Buddhist monastics at Larung Gar, the largest Tibetan Buddhist institute in the world, are underway, and according to Radio Free Asia, those evicted must sign a pledge to never return to the center. As Lion's Roar previously reported, government-sanctioned population cuts and demolitions of over half of the inhabitants and monastic dwellings at the center, [...]