Episodes

In the history of Tibetans in exile, Lodi Gyari holds a special place. As the late President and Executive Chairman of the International Campaign for Tibet, Mr. Gyari helped build lasting support for Tibet from governments around the world. And as the Special Envoy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, he was assigned to be the lead interlocutor in the dialogue process with the Chinese leadership to find a resolution to the Tibet-China conflict through the Middle Way Approach. Accordingly, between 200...

Tsering Yangzom Lama’s debut novel, “We Measure the Earth with Our Bodies,” has become an international bestseller and been longlisted for the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize. The book provides an intimate glimpse into the experience of Tibetan exiles, as it follows three generations of a Tibetan family over a span of 50 years, beginning in 1960, as they are forced to leave their homeland following China’s occupation of Tibet. It is a vivid human story of the refugee experience that deals...

China’s government has illegally occupied Tibet for over 60 years. It has refused to negotiate with Tibetan leaders for more than a decade. But a new bill in Congress will pressure China’s officials to get back to the negotiating table. It’s called the Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Conflict Act, and it was introduced on July 13 by Reps. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., and Michael McCaul, R-Texas. In this Tibet Talk, we speak to ICT’s Interim President Bhuchung K. Tsering and Director of Gove...

For ages, Indians saw the Himalayas as a wall that protected them. But when China’s Communist army invaded Tibet over 70 years ago, an Indian diplomat said, “The Chinese have entered Tibet. The Himalayas no longer exist.” From that, Indian former Ambassador Nirupama Rao drew the title of her book, “The Fractured Himalaya: India, Tibet, China 1949-62.” The book untangles the complex early years of the India-China relationship, with the still-unresolved issue of Tibet closely woven in. In this Ti...

“When the Iron Bird Flies: China’s Secret War in Tibet” is the second book about Tibet from independent scholar and writer Jianglin Li. In it, Jianglin takes a comprehensive look at six crucial years in modern Tibetan history (1956-62) that culminated in the Tibetan National Uprising of 1959 and the subsequent total Chinese occupation of Tibet. In this Tibet Talk, Jianglin tells us the dark truth of what really happened during this time. She explains why “there is no such thing as the ‘peaceful...

On Dec. 26, the world lost Archbishop Desmond Tutu, an iconic leader of South Africa’s anti-apartheid movement and a beloved friend of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. In a moving documentary that debuted last year called, “Mission: Joy — Finding Happiness in Troubled Times,” the two spiritual brothers and Nobel Peace laureates chat, laugh and even dance together. In this Tibet Talk, we speak to Geshe Thupten Jinpa, a Buddhist scholar and the primary English translator for His Holiness, who is one ...

Planting a seed for a more compassionate world with a sense of the oneness of humanity—this is the message of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, which he shares in his first children’s book, “The Seed of Compassion: Lessons from the Life and Teachings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.” In this Tibet Talk, we speak to Namrata Tripathi, editor of “The Seed of Compassion,” about how the book came to be and the beautiful lessons it offers for children. We also talk with Professor Lobsang Negi, who has been...

Enes Kanter Freedom is an NBA player and activist who sent shock waves through the sports world when he spoke out against China’s brutalization of the Tibetan people. Dhondup Wangchen is a Tibetan filmmaker who endured years of imprisonment and torture after he made a documentary about China’s repression in Tibet leading up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. And Wangpo Tethong is the executive director of ICT-Europe who unfurled a pro-Tibet banner in China’s Tiananmen Square in 2006, right next to th...

Rima Fujita is a fine artist and a descendant of Japan’s last samurai whose creative aesthetic was strongly influenced by both Bushido and Buddhism. Her work has been exhibited internationally to wide acclaim, but Rima’s life passion also lies in her philanthropic efforts. In 2001, she established Books for Children, an organization that creates children’s books and donates them to Tibetan refugees. Rima has created six picture books, two of them in collaboration with Tibetan communities in exil...

The US has a new special coordinator for Tibetan issues! On Dec. 20, 2021, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the appointment of Under Secretary Uzra Zeya to this important role. As the special coordinator, Zeya will serve as the Biden administration’s point person on efforts to help resolve the Tibetan issue, promote Tibetan identity, protect Tibetan culture and heritage, and support the human rights of the Tibetan people. In this special conversation, ICT’s Interim President Bhuchung...

Have you come across the terms “common prosperity,” “ecological civilization” or “picking quarrels and stirring up trouble?” Tibetans in Tibet have been bombarded with such slogans every day of their lives over more than 60 years of Beijing’s rule in Tibet. However, China’s slogans are new to the global community. Many find them intriguing; some dismiss them as mere propaganda. We think it’s time to audit the slogans. In this Tibet Talk, we invite Australia-based veteran Tibet observer Gabriel ...

As daunting as the climate challenge is, it’s important to know what we’re trying to conserve—and it’s vital to find the inspiration to do so. In this episode of Tibet Talks, we have the perfect guest to help with that. Michael Buckley is the editor of the new book, “This Fragile Planet,” a collection of 80 inspiring quotes about the environment from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, matched with 120 eye-catching photos and visuals from a dozen professional photographers. In this conversation, Micha...

In 1991, the US Congress passed the Tibetan Immigration Act of 1990, which provided 1,000 immigrant visas for natives of Tibet in India or Nepal. As a result of this one act, we now have thriving Tibetan American communities in more than 27 states across the country. They are established as part of the fabric of American society, contributing to its wellbeing, but also knowing well the plight of their homeland and carrying the teachings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in their daily lives. In th...

Join us for this special ask-me-anything edition of Tibet Talks! Three of our leaders—Bhuchung K. Tsering, interim president of ICT, Kai Mueller, executive director of ICT Germany, and Vincent Metten, ICT’s EU policy director—kick off the show with updates from their offices. Then they answer questions from ICT members and Tibet supporters across the globe. (This was truly a multinational event, as Bhuchung spoke live from Washington, DC; Kai was in Berlin; and Vincent was in Brussels.) Througho...

Penpa Dorje and Jose Cabezon are the authors of Sera Monastery, a definitive history of one of Tibet’s greatest monastic universities, located just north of the Tibetan capital, Lhasa. Founded in 1419, Sera Monastery was one of three great seats of learning in the Geluk tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, at one time holding more than 9,000 monks from across the Tibetan Buddhist world. Along the way, Sera also played an important role in Tibetan religion, culture, and politics. Today, Sera monastery ...

The new book “Tibet Brief 20/20” by Michael van Walt van Praag and Miek Boltjes is a call to action for governments to rethink their stance on Tibet. Based on 10 years of collaborative research, analysis and engagement with scholars of Chinese, Mongolian, Tibetan and Manchu historical sources, the book presents an in-depth examination of Tibet’s historical relations with the dominant empires in the region. That’s important today, because the People’s Republic of China continues to base its entit...

Scott DeLisi spent 35 years as an American diplomat, including US Ambassador to Eritrea, Uganda and Nepal. He says Nepal touched his heart more than any other assignment. It’s also where he had a serendipitous meeting with a small blue-eyed Tibetan mastiff puppy in the ancient region of Lo-Monthang on Nepal’s border with Tibet. DeLisi then collaborated with ICT member and award-winning American artist Jane Lillian Vance to create a beautiful illustrated book called “The Ambassador’s Dog.” In thi...

Blessed by the Dalai Lama himself, Tenzin Geyche Tethong’s new biography of His Holiness features previously unpublished photos and unparalleled insights into the Dalai Lama’s leadership, compassion and gentle humor. Born in 1943 in Lhasa, Tethong first joined the Tibetan administrative service in the early 1960s and served in the Private Office of the Dalai Lama until 2007. In this discussion, Tethong tells us about his book, “His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama: An Illustrated Biography,” a...

Tibetans in exile have a borderless democratic governance system. In over 30 countries, they go to the polls every five years to elect the sikyong, their political leader, and the 45 members of their parliament in exile. Tibetans have a two-stage election system, the primary one to determine candidates, followed by the main elections. This year, the primary elections took place on Jan. 3, 2021, and the final elections on April 11. In this two-part conversation, you’ll hear about this Tibetan dem...

On March 10, 1959, thousands of Tibetans took to the streets of their capital city, Lhasa. Although their uprising was eventually crushed—with the Chinese government killing thousands of Tibetans in the process—they succeeded in keeping their struggle alive, including by helping their leader, the Dalai Lama, escape to safety in neighboring India. In this episode of Tibet Talks, we honor the 62nd anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising with a trio of great guests: Tseten Wangchuk, a Tibetan journalis...

In the early 1990s, China’s notorious prisons in Tibet held hundreds of political prisoners. Among them was a group of 14 young nuns imprisoned in the dreaded Drapchi Prison. On account of their comradery and solidarity—including in recording songs in praise of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Tibet—they came to be known as the Drapchi 14 or the singing nuns. In our new book, “Tibet in Chains: The Stories of Nine Tibetans Nuns,” the International Campaign for Tibet shares the stories of nine of t...

Late into the night of Dec. 21, 2020, the Tibetan Policy and Support Act finally completed its journey to passing the US Congress. Early the next morning, the president and vice president of the International Campaign for Tibet reflected on what the bill means for Tibet and Tibetans, where we go from here and why ICT members are so wonderful. Find out what the TPSA does at savetibet.org/why-tibet/tibet-support-act/, and travel along its long road to success at savetibet.org/tpsa-timeline. Learn...

In this moving episode of Tibet Talks, Geshe Thupten Jinpa, a Buddhist scholar and the primary English translator for the Dalai Lama, joins ICT to celebrate the 31st anniversary of His Holiness’ Nobel Peace Prize. The conversation also touches on the reindeer ride His Holiness took on that glorious day in Oslo, Norway in 1989. Later in the episode, Geshe Thupten Jinpa answers questions from the audience about His Holiness’ Buddhist teachings, what people from other countries can do to help Tibet...

Assistant Secretary Robert A. Destro was appointed the new special coordinator for Tibetan issues in the US State Department on Oct. 14, 2020. In this conversation, Destro joins ICT to speak directly to Tibetan American youth. Three alumni of ICT’s Tibetan Youth Leadership Program take part in the discussion, along with several other young Tibetans. Afterward, Aftab Pureval, clerk of the courts for Hamilton County, Ohio, and Dawa Lokyitsang, a PhD student at the University of Colorado, Boulder,...