Sino-Tibetan languages

After the Second World War, it was found that approximately 50 million civilians became victims of war, a number that far exceeds the combined total of the soldiers killed and wounded [1]. It was the first time in the Modern Era where civilians became the major target for military action, resulting to the devastating casualty ratio. Indeed, other wars have seen significant civilian deaths, especially the First World War and the Mexican-American War, but most of those deaths were indirectly from…

On Sunday, October 9, I visited Dawn Mountain, a Buddhist temple. I chose to go to Dawn Mountain because I have always been interested in Buddhism while studying World History. While I was driving to Dawn Mountain, I was expecting a traditional Buddhist temple that portrays ancient Chinese and Indian architecture styles. In my mind, I thought Dawn Mountain would have monks wearing orange and red robes. I did not expect to have a different perspective on Buddhism after my visit, I thought it…

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama remains unanswered and left with many questions. In the institution of the Dalai Lama, the succession of the Dalai Lama can be done through upholding the Buddhist tradition in Tibet, which evolved into the unique Tibetan tradition of recognizing the reincarnation of the scholar adepts who could serve both the Dharma and sentient beings in a major way. The main purpose of the reincarnation is to continue the predecessor’s unfinished work to serve the Dharma and…

Alai could contrast the two different types of societies; an older serfdom society and a more modern society. This is done to counter the idea that the Chinese were needed in Tibet to help transition into a modern society, since the Tibetans, or at least the Tibetans along the border, were already going through the change…

Thomas Tweed’s missive, titled ‘Who is a Buddhist?’, dissects the Buddhist community and separates those who identify with, or simply dabble in, the faith into more appropriate categories. In this piece, Tweed identifies various levels of involvement in Buddhism, classifying its followers in groupings from the faithful to those who simply show passing interest. Most importantly, Tweed separates the sheep from the goats by making it clear to his audience: just because someone participates in…

Arthur C. Clarke couldn’t have chosen a better title for this brilliant science fiction short story. I’m a sucker for a story with a good title. “The Nine Billion Names of God" revolves around Tibetan Buddhist monks who plan to put together a list that consists of all the names of God. The story opens with Dr. Wagner-- he is asked to work on an automatic sequence computer (Mark V.) that can carry out letters by the lama. They need a computer with letters, so they can write the names of God.…

Sky Burial The“Sky Burial”, by Author Xue Xinran, is based on the 1950s. It begins with a Reporter ,Xinran, who asks Shu wan, the main character, about her story in Tibet. The most Important attributes of culture in this story are the Important historic events, Customs and Traditions, Food, Music, and Religion. The historic events listed in “Sky Burial” are Important because it tells what happened in the past that made the future. On October 7, 1950, 80,00 chinese PLA soldiers involved…

journey, taking the young boy to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. They arrived on October 8, 1939 at Norbulingka, the Dalai Lamas summer palace, and he would remain here until his formal instillation and move to Potala, the winter palace and seat of the Tibetan government (Marcello 35). At the age of ten-years-old the Dalai Lama life was full of education and ritual. He studied Buddhism enlightenment in the history of Tibet. He lived his life in one palace or another never leaving Lhasa. He craved…

Despite living a life that many would considered anything but mundane, the Dalai Lama describes himself as a “Simple Buddhist Monk” (“Brief Biography”). “Lhamo Thondup was born in July of 1935 to a farming family in northeast Tibet. By the age of six Thondup was recognized as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama after passing a series of test that included sectioning a series of person items once owned by the 13th Dalai Lama (“Brief Biography”). Shortly after Thondup recognition as the new…

Chinese military occupation of Tibet. He formed The Tibetan Government in Exile in India, and created a society in which Tibetan culture was promoted. Furthermore, he is the first Dalai Lama to travel to the West, and his charismatic manner has helped to draw…