One of the first field trips we took on our study-abroad trip to Tibet was to the Jokhang Temple, situated in the heart of Lhasa–and at the heart of Tibetan Buddhism. It is one of the most important temples in Tibet, from which the Dalai Lama often gave addresses to his people from a special balcony.
Today on Phayul: China blatantly defends its record on religious freedom. And again with the “why can’t you mean old foreigners stay out of our internal affairs?”
Any claim China makes that its citizens have full religious freedom is patently false. We have seen this with our own eyes.
Tibetan people often greet each other by sticking out their tongues. This can be a bit disconcerting to Westerners, for whom the stuck-out tongue is a childish insult or a sexual gesture. But rest assured, if a Tibetan sticks her tongue out at you, she’s probably just saying “hi.”
This custom reportedly derives from a belief that demons have black tongues, and sometimes that is all that differentiates them visually from humans. A demon won’t stick out its tongue in greeting because you’ll see the color and know it for what it is.
Check out what’s being released soon…
It won’t come anywhere near me, of course, but maybe someone will be able to see it in theaters.
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