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Aura Comm - Vol 4 - Issue 1
Bangkok, Thailand
January 18, 2005
Greetings to you all,
First of all I must say that I am deeply grateful for your continued interest and support. There are many new readers to these Asian chronicles and I welcome you. For those who may have just tuned in, this is my fourth journey into the Tibetan world, including Nepal and India where large numbers of Tibetan refugees reside. I go back this time with a heavy heart for all who suffer on this fragile planet of ours.
Today the situation in Tibet, as reported to me personally by numerous first hand accounts, is as dire as ever. I made a promise to many Tibetan refugees that I would tell their story...
Forced sterilization of women in the countryside in outrageously unsanitary conditions. The rape of nuns and the torture of monks whose only crime is to choose their peaceful beliefs, are systematically brutalized by the Chinese regime and their policies. Shock treatment, torture and mutilation, I've seen their scars with my own eyes folks. Children walking for six weeks over the treacherous Himalayas for the chance of an education continue. Some do not make it. Numerous accounts told to me I could not put into print. Absolutely mind numbing. My heart aches at such cruelty. Especially to these fine people. These areas are some of the most remote regions of the world so there must be much more we do not even know about. We hear nothing about it in the US. No oil involved I guess. We as a country do not want to rock any boats so we can continue to get our consumer fix of cheap Chinese products. (Often made by Tibetan political prisoners themselves!)
Yet at the very core of their belief system is the personal development of compassion, even for their enemies. For His Holiness the Dalai Lama has said himself that those who behave inhumanly become inhumane themselves and so they too suffer. In the spirit of Gandhi and Martin Luther King, this culture must survive and I urge you to get involved on any level. For those who may want to know more of time honored tribe and the valiant history of their non-violent struggle you can learn more at www.snowlionpub.com and numerous other Tibetan oriented websites.
Unexplainably I've been a fan of Asian culture and Buddhism most of life. Never knew why, but I felt deep down in my bones there was a destiny to fulfill of some sort. In 1999 I saw an ad for the Tibetan Sponsorship Project in a Buddhist magazine pleading for individuals to help support the schooling of Tibetan refugees. After further investigation I was moved to choose a young girl named Ugyen Chokey whose ill mother was destitute and could no longer afford her school fees. Ugyen's dream, as many here have, is to rise above her condition, become educated and help her family. The challenges posed on these fine people are enormous. So for two years we exchange letters, report cards and gradually developed a rewarding connection.
Then in late 2001 I read about a tour group of sponsors taking a pilgrimage to the region to actually visit their students. I knew I must go. So in 2002, with the generous support of family and friends, I join the group and traveled throughout Tibet, Nepal and India. This first journey and the subsequent following two visits in 2003 and 2004 initiated a series of journal writings called Aura Communications. Through these past 3 years I've introduced you to a host of students who now have become very dear friends. Some in America have "heard the call" and graciously chose to sponsor a student while gaining the added benefit of developing deep and long lasting bonds. You know who you are and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your altruistic intention.
What started as a string of letters to my family and a few close friends has now mushroomed to literally hundreds of readers. Numerous kind folks have forwarded these journals to their friends and I have received donations for many students from total strangers who said they read about their plight and wanted to assist.
Forgive me if my writings are not polished and obvious the work of an amateur. They are coming straight from the heart. For you see, in my 50 plus years I have never written anything of significance before this. Here in the land of the Buddha I must admit there are times I cannot type fast enough. I am extremely grateful for this opportunity to learn more about the peoples of the Himalaya and share these realizations with you. This has been an amazing ride so far. Stay tuned.
On the 17th of January 2005, I arrive in Thailand after a relatively smooth 18-hour flight. I cannot recommend Thai Airways enough. The service, food and the traditional Thai charm really helps pass the time. To my surprise I stepped outside the airport terminal to an unexpected sweltering humid Bangkok night. As my cab driver races to my hotel in the Sukhumvit area, my mind too races on the current unprecented challenges facing this region of the world. Maybe I was tired or it was the jet lag, but as I closed my eyes and started to breathe slowly I began to sense the suffering of so many souls leaving the planet at one time. One can take this awareness in only for a second or two, as the trauma of such an event is truly unimaginable.
The next morning at breakfast as I read the Bangkok Post, I was struck by how almost the entire issue is still about the local tragedy. The graphic photos and stomach turning stories of miracles and loss are certainly deeper than we see at home. I made the call to stay a few more days and volunteer to assist in the hard hit Phuket region. The good news is because of the tremendous outpouring of relief from around the world, the worst fears of outbreaks have not been realized yet. After further investigation I was informed that Thai aid workers have too many volunteers at this time and it was becoming difficult to organize them. Without full knowledge of the local areas, the language, and understanding the culture, some foreigners were actually more in the way than being helpful. So with this awareness I decide to head for a local temple and sit in respect with the Thai people themselves. At the Grand Palace I met a wonderful group of monks whose monastery was aiding these local victims. Many temples all over Thailand have become makeshift morgues with thousands of bodies still unclaimed or identified. Hundreds of foreigners are still missing with families flocking in from all over the world searching for loved ones. Truly this is unimaginable. (At the airports there are groups of foreign counselors all wearing orange coats bearing the words "volunteer ministers". I witnessed beleaguered folks talking quietly with heads bowed in sorrow and grief.)
I am honored to say that my mother, my new friend Ted and a few others asked me to represent them. They donated a generous amount that I respectfully presented to the head of the monastery. These funds were gratefully received and I was assured it would be used entirely for relief efforts.
Later that day, waiting for my cab as I sat in the hotel lobby watching the Asian version of CNN, I was struck by the surrealism of seeing the images of the La Cochita, California mudslide tragedy. For you see, just 2 days before I headed for Asia, I was one of the first to drive by the area after the freeway was open. Coming upon the scene took my breath away. TV images did not do justice for this horrific event. I said a prayer for the 10 lost souls and their families as I passed by this hallowed ground. To be in Bangkok and see these California images while experiencing first hand the historic disaster here in Asia led me to contemplate the suffering of so many. I feel it is our duty to help as much as humanly possible.
The King of Thailand's grandson was also killed by this mammoth tsunami. Jet skiing. Can you imagine? Expressed with deep emotion, my Thai cabbie tells me his beloved King wept as he spoke to his people on TV. Rich or poor, the pain is the same.
Numerous Thais have told me that I was "lucky"? to not be in Phuket during the Tsunami and that others were "unlucky". It is commonly viewed that for us to be able to live in America is very lucky. You see, in this part of the world the term lucky or unlucky is used often. It has taken me a while to get a grasp on this powerful mental construct. In the traditional Taoist sense every action has some element of fate and freewill. For example, the Iraq situation is mostly free will. The Tsunami disaster is mostly fate or "unlucky"?. I admit this has got me thinking about my actions in regards to these universal principles. This delicate balance is often difficult to ascertain. For you see, I may not like it but bad things happen to good people. By the same token we have this marvelous gift of free will to change the course of history itself. (Sorry if I am getting too philosophical, but wanted to share my stream of consciousness.)
Life goes on. So to take my mind in a different direction for a while I proceeded to take a long walk through the bustling streets of Bangkok. On a lighter note I was comforted to see the familiar logos of KFC, Subway, 7/11 and other venerated American icons. (For those of you who may not know me, please note I am being facetious here). Happily I can report that Ronald McDonald bows to you with hands in prayer as you enter this mystery meat favorite! For those true devotees take note that on Sukhumit Road between soi 3 and soi 5 there is a Starbucks! Just like home? Not quite really. No soymilk. No Chai Tea. No chocolate croissants. How uncivilized! (By the way - Sukhumvit is pronounced Sook-Hume-Vit. Just giving you the tip so you don't have to go through the embarrassment of Thai chuckles I experienced with my original mispronunciation.)
Walking through the chaotic madness of street merchants, hawkers, fortunetellers and ladyboys I was encouraged that the entrepreneur spirit is alive and well. Tsunami 2004 shouted one t-shirt, t-shirts emblazoned with Bin Laden's beaming face was selling side by side with t-shirts presenting George Bush on a wanted poster for crimes against humanity. Oh my, business was brisk.
It's time to leave this exotic city and as I depart for Kathmandu, our flight streaks high into the sky and floats like a cloud over the Indian Ocean. As I gaze upon this seemingly harmless massive body of water I am utterly amazed that these waves traveled so far with such ferocity. I close my eyes again in prayer as I cross the very center of this disaster. Past Bangladesh and continuing north our plane is greeted by a shiny Mount Everest surrounded with swirling wispy clouds. I am coming back to my beloved second home, Nepal.
Copyright © 2005 William Aura/Aura Imports All Rights Reserved.
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