Instead Of A Losar Celebration, A Prayer For Peace In Tibet

AP reports:

XIAHE, China (AP) — Only a handful of pilgrims gathered here last weekend at the historic Labrang monastery, normally bustling before the Tibetan New Year.

"There was a war in Lhasa this year. Lots of Tibetans were killed," one resident murmured, referring to protests last March against Chinese rule that broke out in the Tibetan capital and spread to other cities in western China, including Xiahe. The unrest was the largest and most sustained in decades.

"There is no new year festival for us," the woman said.

The Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader, called this week on Tibetans to skip festivities surrounding the new year, which begins Wednesday, saying they would be inappropriate after the Chinese government's heavy-handed crackdown on the protests. Tibetans across the region say they are still in mourning.

The Dalai Lama also denounced Chinese-backed celebration plans as "provocations."

Adding to the tension — and authorities' tightening grip on large swathes of Gansu, Sichuan and Qinghai provinces with sizable Tibetan communities — is the approaching 50th anniversary of a failed Tibetan uprising on March 10.

And so, I offer the following prayer for Losar:

May all beings refrain from killing and prevent others from killing. May all beings be happy. May all beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering. May all beings be free from hatred. May all beings have equanimity, so they have neither too much grasping or too much aversion. May all beings have the spiritual bliss that is untouched by suffering. May all beings be safe. May all beings be well. May all beings live in peace in Gaza and Israel. May all beings live in peace in China and Tibet. May all beings live in peace throughout the world. May all beings realize their enlightenment.