I have been very organized, and on top of my school work this semester. I did a great job submitting my blogs on time. Every week, I knew there would be a blog due on Friday, so I planned ahead, read each blog early, and decided when to finish it. Most weeks I chose to do the research for the blog on Wednesday, and type my blog on Thursday night. This is because I like to keep my Friday nights open in case something comes up. This system has worked well for me, and kept me very organized throughout the semester.
This semester, I improved on my reading, writing, and researching skills, a great amount. Week after week, I went through the same process of researching, then reading the research, developing ideas, and writing them down. After practicing so much, researching became easier because I knew where to look and what to look for. Reading and writing became easier for me as well. I became a faster reader, and now it is much easier for me to write my ideas on paper. As you can see, practice makes perfect, and tends to pay off in the long run.
After researching the same topic for a whole semester, I have leaned all there is to know about my topic. Oddly, I think that I will keep updated with this controversy. Not nearly as updated as I am now, but I will keep my eye on the news and I will research occasionally. This is because I am very curious as to what will happen with Tibet. I want to see the day when Tibet becomes independent. I will never forget about this controversy. All in all, I am still interested and have greatly enjoyed researching this topic over the semester.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Book Review
The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying explains everything about Buddhism and what is thought to happen after death. Many people often ponder what happens after death, and are scared of death. Most people have no understanding of what death is. Only two things are certain about death: "It is absolutely certain that we will die," and "It is uncertain when or how we will die." Buddhists view death as a new beginning and believe they will find new meaning in the unknown death. They are not scared of death as they use their lives to prepare for it. This is just a short glimpse of what the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying is about, and some of the main points it covers.
The author of this book is Sogyal Rinpoche. He wrote this book in order to explain what Buddhism is and exactly what Tibetans believe. Sogyal Rinpoche does a great job explaining this in great detail. For example, he goes as far as teaching the reader how to meditate and how to bring your mind home. All in all, Sogyal Rinpoche did a fine job accomplishing his purpose.
The Tibetan book of living and dying was written in a quite odd structure. Each Chapter was about something different. For example, the first two chapters are about death and the mysteries behind it; the fifth chapter is about meditation. These are two very different things. Because of this, the begging of each chapter was hard to follow. However, by the end of each chapter, the reader is left with a great understanding of the text. Sogyal Rinpoche writes with great detail, giving the reader a very clear understanding of Buddhism. He uses a wide variety of short and long sentences and contains a large vocabulary. As you can see, Sogyol Rinpoche has a very unique writing style and the book also has a unique structure.
Sogyal Rinpoche was born in kham which is in Eastern Tibet. He is said to be the incarnation of Lerab Lingpa Tertön Sogyal who once was the teacher of the thirteenth Dalai llama. Sogyal was raised by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lödro who was a very wise and knowledgeable man. This is why Sogyal was blessed with amazing teaching skills. Today Sogyal is traveling through Europe, America, Australia, and Asia teaching people Buddhism. Sogyal has sold two million copies of his book and there are over 100 positive reviews on his book at Amazon alone. According to this information, it is obvious that The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying is a credible source.
Most people who read this book may like it, however, for a high school student, I hated the book. There was a lot of interesting information, but it was explained with too much detail. I am also not very interested in religion, so I was not very interested in the book. If I could read a summary of the book, it might be a little easier for me to not fall asleep while reading (which actually happened). I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in religion because Buddhism is very unique and different from all the other religions. I also recommend it to anyone interested in meditation. The Buddha taught 84,000 different ways to tame negative emotions (This was my favorite part of the book). Although the book was boring, I learned a lot about the peacefulness of Tibet and how they live their lives. I also learned how different they are from China. This gives me more reason to believe that Tibet should be an independent country.
The author of this book is Sogyal Rinpoche. He wrote this book in order to explain what Buddhism is and exactly what Tibetans believe. Sogyal Rinpoche does a great job explaining this in great detail. For example, he goes as far as teaching the reader how to meditate and how to bring your mind home. All in all, Sogyal Rinpoche did a fine job accomplishing his purpose.
The Tibetan book of living and dying was written in a quite odd structure. Each Chapter was about something different. For example, the first two chapters are about death and the mysteries behind it; the fifth chapter is about meditation. These are two very different things. Because of this, the begging of each chapter was hard to follow. However, by the end of each chapter, the reader is left with a great understanding of the text. Sogyal Rinpoche writes with great detail, giving the reader a very clear understanding of Buddhism. He uses a wide variety of short and long sentences and contains a large vocabulary. As you can see, Sogyol Rinpoche has a very unique writing style and the book also has a unique structure.
Sogyal Rinpoche was born in kham which is in Eastern Tibet. He is said to be the incarnation of Lerab Lingpa Tertön Sogyal who once was the teacher of the thirteenth Dalai llama. Sogyal was raised by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lödro who was a very wise and knowledgeable man. This is why Sogyal was blessed with amazing teaching skills. Today Sogyal is traveling through Europe, America, Australia, and Asia teaching people Buddhism. Sogyal has sold two million copies of his book and there are over 100 positive reviews on his book at Amazon alone. According to this information, it is obvious that The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying is a credible source.
Most people who read this book may like it, however, for a high school student, I hated the book. There was a lot of interesting information, but it was explained with too much detail. I am also not very interested in religion, so I was not very interested in the book. If I could read a summary of the book, it might be a little easier for me to not fall asleep while reading (which actually happened). I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in religion because Buddhism is very unique and different from all the other religions. I also recommend it to anyone interested in meditation. The Buddha taught 84,000 different ways to tame negative emotions (This was my favorite part of the book). Although the book was boring, I learned a lot about the peacefulness of Tibet and how they live their lives. I also learned how different they are from China. This gives me more reason to believe that Tibet should be an independent country.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Poem
Tibet,
Religious and peaceful
Ancestors live on
Come back as animal or insect
Tibetans live forever
China,
Large and powerful
Olympic burden
Earthquake, rioting, disaster
China's success impacts the world
China and Tibet,
The events have been terrible and horrendous
Haynes, hazardous, horrid
Feared troubled and scared
Tibet fights for it's freedom
Rioting,
A violent break out
A plea for help
Effective and unusual
Tibet fights for it's freedom
The never ending conflict,
Both sides strong
Tibet, determined
China, powerful
Which side will win
Religious and peaceful
Ancestors live on
Come back as animal or insect
Tibetans live forever
China,
Large and powerful
Olympic burden
Earthquake, rioting, disaster
China's success impacts the world
China and Tibet,
The events have been terrible and horrendous
Haynes, hazardous, horrid
Feared troubled and scared
Tibet fights for it's freedom
Rioting,
A violent break out
A plea for help
Effective and unusual
Tibet fights for it's freedom
The never ending conflict,
Both sides strong
Tibet, determined
China, powerful
Which side will win
Friday, December 12, 2008
Olympic Fun
After being in turmoil, many pondered if Beijing was a good spot to have the 2008 Summer Olympics. By persevering through many hardships, China has proven it's strength and power to the world after hosting a successful Olympiad. However, it was not an easy task for China. On top of hosting the 2008 Games and dealing with retched Tibetan riots, China was also "busy providing aid, food, and shelter for more than five million homeless victims from the earthquake, which occurred in Chendu mid-May." (Phuong Tram)
There are people who argue that China should not have been allowed to host the 2008 Olympics. One reason for this is because of their antagonist, Tibet. Tibet's violent riots led to "seven schools, five hospitals, and 120 homes vandalized." (Phuong Tram) 22 people died in the riots. The total damage cost China $35 million. Tibetans also protested by putting out the Olympic torch in "Paris, London, and elsewhere." (Phuong Tram) As you can see, China was in disaster.
On top of the rioting came the earthquake. After the earthquake left millions homeless, the Olympics seemed like a lost cause. "The crises had prepared people for adversity, rather than superficial work, [so] they could be more down-to-earth and focus on real problems. After all, the Olympiad is not our sole task." (Xia Xueluan) However, this does not mean that China gave up. China needed to successfully host the Olympics in order to encourage the people in the "quake zones." (Yuan) At this time, the world did not believe in China, and wanted to move the Olympics. However, it's not very practical to change locations after Beijing has been planning and building for the past 8 years in preparation.
Despite the turmoil, China stuck with their goal, and successfully hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics. It may have been a bumpy road, but in the end, China received the worlds respect after proving their strength and power. They also received the benefits of the Olympics. China's tourism will sky rocket, due to the media, resulting in mass income. All in all, China's strong determination has paid off.
Tram, Phuong. "Thoughts on what a politicized Chinese Olympics means in light of the earthquake." Imprint Online. 09 Dec. 2008.
There are people who argue that China should not have been allowed to host the 2008 Olympics. One reason for this is because of their antagonist, Tibet. Tibet's violent riots led to "seven schools, five hospitals, and 120 homes vandalized." (Phuong Tram) 22 people died in the riots. The total damage cost China $35 million. Tibetans also protested by putting out the Olympic torch in "Paris, London, and elsewhere." (Phuong Tram) As you can see, China was in disaster.
On top of the rioting came the earthquake. After the earthquake left millions homeless, the Olympics seemed like a lost cause. "The crises had prepared people for adversity, rather than superficial work, [so] they could be more down-to-earth and focus on real problems. After all, the Olympiad is not our sole task." (Xia Xueluan) However, this does not mean that China gave up. China needed to successfully host the Olympics in order to encourage the people in the "quake zones." (Yuan) At this time, the world did not believe in China, and wanted to move the Olympics. However, it's not very practical to change locations after Beijing has been planning and building for the past 8 years in preparation.
Despite the turmoil, China stuck with their goal, and successfully hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics. It may have been a bumpy road, but in the end, China received the worlds respect after proving their strength and power. They also received the benefits of the Olympics. China's tourism will sky rocket, due to the media, resulting in mass income. All in all, China's strong determination has paid off.
Tram, Phuong. "Thoughts on what a politicized Chinese Olympics means in light of the earthquake." Imprint Online. 09 Dec. 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Annotated Bibliography
"Butter from Sangsang town hot in Lhasa." Tibet.cn. 09 Dec. 2008. 9 Dec. 2008 .
While searching through the very helpful website of Tibet.cn I came across a short and interesting article on butter. The article simply states that butter from Sangsang, an autonomous Tibetan town, is a huge hit in the surrounding area. "The butter is popular among the region for its fine quality and taste." I found this interesting short article in the news section of this website. The website contains many other short and interesting updates in Tibet.
This source may have been very interesting, however, it would not be very useful in a research paper. Just because this article was not useful, does not mean that the website is not useful. The website contains plenty of up-to-date valuable articles on Tibet.
This was a source that I just discovered and have not used. The specific article on butter is not helpful in my research paper, but there are many other articles which I plan to use. The website contains an updated news section which will come in handy when I need to know some current information.
While searching through the very helpful website of Tibet.cn I came across a short and interesting article on butter. The article simply states that butter from Sangsang, an autonomous Tibetan town, is a huge hit in the surrounding area. "The butter is popular among the region for its fine quality and taste." I found this interesting short article in the news section of this website. The website contains many other short and interesting updates in Tibet.
This source may have been very interesting, however, it would not be very useful in a research paper. Just because this article was not useful, does not mean that the website is not useful. The website contains plenty of up-to-date valuable articles on Tibet.
This was a source that I just discovered and have not used. The specific article on butter is not helpful in my research paper, but there are many other articles which I plan to use. The website contains an updated news section which will come in handy when I need to know some current information.
Kauffner, Peter. "What is the historical basis of the Chinese claim to Tibet?" 10 Oct.
1990 http://stason.org/tularc/travel/tibet/b5-what-is-the-historical-basis-of-the-chinese-claim-to-tib.html.
Peter Kauffner's informational article is all about the history between China, Tibet, and Mongolia. The article states that since ancient times, Mongolians have been part of China's nationality. The Mongol Khanates also "peacefully incorporated Tibet in 1247 after defeating the Western Xia. In these times, China, Mongolia, and Tibet were all seperate countries. The Dalai Lama states that the VIth Dalai Lama was politicaly weak, and this is when China began to influence Tibet. Tibet accepted their influence but never joined China. The Dalai Lama says, "You cannot
use the previous invasion as evidence that Tibet belongs to China. In
the Tibetan mind, regardless of who was in power, whether it was the
Manchus, the Mongols or the Chinese, the east of Tibet was simply
referred to as China."
This article was very useful. The article contained what seemed like true information, and it was not bias towards one side. In fact, the article gave both sides of the story which is rare to find when researching Tibet and China.
Finding this article was a major blessing for me because I needed to find something with both opinions for the opposing view blog. The article was also very useful because it contained the information that you usually don't see. The information was all off the main track. All in all, this source engrosed me, and helped me view the early relations between these three counties.
1990 http://stason.org/tularc/travel/tibet/b5-what-is-the-historical-basis-of-the-chinese-claim-to-tib.html.
Peter Kauffner's informational article is all about the history between China, Tibet, and Mongolia. The article states that since ancient times, Mongolians have been part of China's nationality. The Mongol Khanates also "peacefully incorporated Tibet in 1247 after defeating the Western Xia. In these times, China, Mongolia, and Tibet were all seperate countries. The Dalai Lama states that the VIth Dalai Lama was politicaly weak, and this is when China began to influence Tibet. Tibet accepted their influence but never joined China. The Dalai Lama says, "You cannot
use the previous invasion as evidence that Tibet belongs to China. In
the Tibetan mind, regardless of who was in power, whether it was the
Manchus, the Mongols or the Chinese, the east of Tibet was simply
referred to as China."
This article was very useful. The article contained what seemed like true information, and it was not bias towards one side. In fact, the article gave both sides of the story which is rare to find when researching Tibet and China.
Finding this article was a major blessing for me because I needed to find something with both opinions for the opposing view blog. The article was also very useful because it contained the information that you usually don't see. The information was all off the main track. All in all, this source engrosed me, and helped me view the early relations between these three counties.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Free Tibet. http://freetibet.org
Freetibet.org is a pro Tibet website allowing it's audience to join the organization and donate money. The website contains specific current information, and basic background information. This is because someone might know everything about Tibet, and someone might know nothing and want to learn more. In attempt to raise more money for Tibet, this website also has a store where they sell items like shirts, or bumper stickers.
Free Tibet is much like the website savetibet.org (which is posted in an earlier blog below) for many reasons. One reason is because they are both easy to use and user friendly. This is very important for their website because it will attract more people to join if it is simple. The websites both contain the same kind of information and they both have an option to join the organization or donate money. If I had to chose which one is better, I would choose Save Tibet because it is easier to navigate and less confusing.
I used freetibet.org for a website review in september. This was a great choice for me because of the simplicity of the website and the concept behind it. I was able to add a link to my blog, so that viewers can view the website as well as read about it. This website is a great link to have on my blog because people can learn all about Tibet and China, from my blog, and then go to the website and donate or join.
Freetibet.org is a pro Tibet website allowing it's audience to join the organization and donate money. The website contains specific current information, and basic background information. This is because someone might know everything about Tibet, and someone might know nothing and want to learn more. In attempt to raise more money for Tibet, this website also has a store where they sell items like shirts, or bumper stickers.
Free Tibet is much like the website savetibet.org (which is posted in an earlier blog below) for many reasons. One reason is because they are both easy to use and user friendly. This is very important for their website because it will attract more people to join if it is simple. The websites both contain the same kind of information and they both have an option to join the organization or donate money. If I had to chose which one is better, I would choose Save Tibet because it is easier to navigate and less confusing.
I used freetibet.org for a website review in september. This was a great choice for me because of the simplicity of the website and the concept behind it. I was able to add a link to my blog, so that viewers can view the website as well as read about it. This website is a great link to have on my blog because people can learn all about Tibet and China, from my blog, and then go to the website and donate or join.
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