By Tenzin Dedan
DHARAMSHALA, Oct. 1: Exiled Tibetan leader and foremost Buddhist figure His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Saturday offered prayers and expressed condolences on the passing of US Senator and long-time friend of Tibet, Dianne Feinstein who died earlier this week aged 90.
“She lived a full and meaningful life in the service of the American public, both in her native state of California and subsequently in her national role as a Senator.
“Her friendship with the then Chinese leader Jiang Zemin was helpful in that it gave us an opportunity to convey our messages of sincerity to the highest level of Chinese leadership. I am grateful to Senator Feinstein for her steadfast friendship and support,” the Tibetan leader wrote in a letter to James Sauls at the Office of late Senator.
One of her most notable contribution was her leadership in the passage of key Tibet legislation in the United States, marking significant progress in addressing the Tibetan cause on the international stage.
Notably, she served as the primary Democratic sponsor in the Senate for the Dalai Lama Congressional Gold Medal Act, which culminated in the Tibetan leader receiving the prestigious gold medal, the highest civilian honor bestowed by the United States, in a ceremony held at the US capitol rotunda on October 17, 2007. At this historic event, Feinstein was joined by then-President George W. Bush, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Nobel Peace Laureate Elie Wiesel, among other dignitaries.
The relationship between Senator Feinstein and His Holiness dates back to 1978 when she was introduced to the Tibetan spiritual leader by her late husband, Richard Blum. In her capacity as the first female mayor of San Francisco, Feinstein extended an invitation to His Holiness in September 1979, marking his inaugural visit to the United States. During this visit, she warmly welcomed him to the city and presented him with a symbolic key to San Francisco.
Throughout her illustrious political career, Senator Feinstein remained steadfast in her support for His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and the Tibetan people, consistently advocating for their rights and the peaceful resolution of the Tibet issue.
One Response
Tibet was an independent nation with a empire to boot! However, after Buddhism took root in the country, it discarded its military prowess and instead looked into inner spirituality for solace and well-being of the people. As a result, imperialist China incrementally nibbled its territory and made baseless claims over Tibet. It all culminated in 1951, when the newly formed Chinese communists threatened to invade Tibet unless, Tibet sends a delegation to Beijing. Tibet had to sign on the dotted line of the Chinese drafted document known as the “17 point treaty” with a gun pointed to the head! Ever since that fateful day of 23rd May 1951, Tibet was plunged into darkness, misery, foreign occupation and domination. The young Dalai Lama travelled the world with his infectious smile and charismatic leadership. He made thousands of friends across the world in both political and spiritual field. One such friend was Californian Senator Dianne Feinstein, Senator Nancy Pelosi, Hungarian born Thomas Peter Lantos and many other eminent American politicians and actors. The US has right from the beginning supported the Tibetan independence Movement by supporting Tibetan guerrillas. They were trained in Camp Hale and dropped into Tibet. 19 such airdrops were made during the 1950s to liberate Tibet from Chinese occupation. American President Eisenhower wrote to Indian PM NEHRU, warning the impending communist threat in Asia. The Americans argued that Chinese communist take over of Tibet might offer a base for the extension of communist penetration and subversive activities into Nepal and Bhutan and eventually to India. America was of the opinion that there was common threat for both nations if Tibet was gobbled up by communist China and so America hoped India would cooperate in order to prevent the occupation Tibet. However, Pandit Nehru refused to cooperate with America since he was beholden to communist ideology and mesmerised by the honeyed rhetoric of Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai deception.
Tibet still enjoys the bipartisan support of the most mighty nation on earth and it will continue. Communist China is illegally occupying Tibet on fabricated claims which are totally baseless and utterly untrue. Tibetans must therefore never give up the fight for Tibet’s rightful independence because communist China is now not going to remain economic power. It is already suffering from economic malaise and experts are predicting that there is no return to the previous growth rate and the only hope is chugging along with a minimal growth. Besides, China’s debt mountain represent a threat to its stability and even world economy. In short China’s debt is a ticking bomb that could send shock waves across the world! The CCP is in turmoil with ministers disappearing like shifting clouds in the summer sky! Thanking every American supporter of Tibet especially the likes of Senator Dianne Feinstein who have stood like a rock for the benighted people of Tibet. Your kind support in our darkest hour will never be forgotten but will be carved in golden letters in the annals of Tibet’s history!