Buddhism | GlobalPost

BIHAR — During my detention by Chinese authorities, I was not mistreated, only exhausted. That does not compare to the intimidation and violence that Tibetans endure daily.

Earlier this month, news of a monk self-immolating in southwestern China sent ripples of terror through the Tibetan Buddhist community.

Not only did the act of Tsewang Norbu, known as Norko, burning himself alive bring onlookers to a halt, and force them to register the oppression under which Tibetans live in China.

But it also forced people to say, "Again?"

Norko was the second monk to light himself on fire and die from subsequent injuries in the last six months.

And today, it is that first monk, Rigzin Phuntsog, who self-immolated in China's Sichuan province on March 16, who is again making headlines months after his death.

A Chinese court has sentenced a monk called Drongdru to 11 years in jail for “intentional homicide” for hiding his fellow monk and preventing him from getting treatment after he set himself on fire, state news agency Xinhua reported on Monday.

According to Reuters:

Drongdru ... pled guilty to the murder charge and said he felt very regretful over the hiding and prevention of emergency treatment and asked for leniency. Drongdru said at the court room that he would not appeal against the verdict,” Xinhua said.

According to reports, at least three monks have self-immolated in China since 2009.

Two other monks will stand trial on Tuesday charged with “plotting, instigating and assisting” in Rigzin Phuntsog's self-immolation.

South and central Thailand — Only those physically and mentally fit enough to keep up with the insurgency's shifting tactics make it onto the force in Thailand's deep south, where there are about 25 bombings a month.

Have you ever wondered what you would say to the Dalai Lama, if you ever got the chance to meet him?

One Australian newscaster clearly has not.

On his recent trip Down Under, the Dalai Lama appeared on an Australian news program. The newscaster decided he would, after all, share that one clever Dalai Lama joke.

Suffice it to say the Tibetan spiritual leader doesn't get the joke, though still manages to have the last laugh.

One line that did get His Holiness to giggle was when he confused the prime minister's gender, referring to Julia Gillard as a man.

"Oh, her," he said with a laugh, after one of his aids corrected him.

Gillard refused to meet with the Dalai Lama, but said it was unrelated to his gaffe.

To be fair, it wasn't like His Holiness came out and said he wanted bin Laden dead.

But for the man who serves as the spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhists — you know, the ones with reverence for all living things — to even suggest that the killing of Osama bin Laden was justified is worth noting.

And according to the Los Angeles Times, at least, that's exactly what he did.

After speaking at the University of California to a crowd of thousands, the Dalai Lama was asked about the Sunday raid on Osama.

In his answer, the Dalai Lama said that as a human being the world's most wanted man may have deserved forgivenes.

But then he added: "Forgiveness doesn't mean forget what happened. … If something is serious and it is necessary to take counter-measures, you have to take counter-measures."

One reading of this statement certainly suggests that the Dalai Lama was on board with the Sunday raid in which Al Qaeda's No. 1 was shot twice, once through the eye.

But, even if he did suggest as much, is that in conflict with Buddhism?

Tibet is burning

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