Tibet Says seminar held in Stockholm

By Xuefei Chen Axelsson

STOCKHOLM, Nov.14(SCBR)–Tibet Says seminar was held
Thursday in the Royal Swedish Institute of Technology in
Stockholm.
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Dr. Zhang Yun, Director and Professor of the Institute of History
Studies China Tibetology Research Center gave a lecture
on Inheriting and protecting Tibetan Traditional Culture
at KTH in Stockholm on Nov. 14. 2013. Photo by Xuefei
Chen Axelsson

Three researchers in Tibet history, Bhudhism and Tibetan
Medicine gave a two hour presentation on how China has taken
measures to inherit and protect Tibetan culture and religion,
how Tibetan medicine work and its history as well as Tibetan
Budhism.The presentation aroused great interest among over 50 audiences
and discussions on various questions.

Research Fellow Zhang Yun said that Tibetan culture has
the largest number of documents among ethnic minorities, only
second to the Chinese Han culture in China.

“Tibetan culture has been called the third pole in world cultural
environment,” said Zhang.

He said since 1959, China has issued a series of laws and
regulations to protect Tibetan culture, temples and spent
billions of yuan to renovate and protect temples and establish
universities and colleges in Tibet.

China also protects Tibetan opera and establish Tibetan
medical Academy.
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Tibetan medicine expert Thubter Phuntsok gave a presentation
about Tibetan medicine and its history in KTH on Nov.14, 2013.
Photo by Xuefei Chen Axelsson.

Tibetan medicine expert Thubter Phuntsok gave a presentation
about Tibetan medicine and its history.

“About two thousand years ago, Tibet had already medical terms
with metaphor, measurement of human body by checking pulse
and urine as well as human categories,” Phuntsok said.

He stressed that Tibetan medicine is very different from
the Asian meditation culture, but similar to western medicine.
It is very interesting to see the Tibetan drawing of the body.

Luo Dan, a PhD from Tibet gave a lecture about Tibetan
Bhuddist history and its present situation.
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Dr. Luo Dan presents various schools of religion in Tibet.
Photo by Xuefei Chen Axelsson.

One interesting question is whether too much tourism and
exposure of Tibetan culture will damage the Tibetan culture
and its mystery.

Luo Dan answered that it is globalization that is invading and
affecting Tibetan culture, the same as it affects Chinese culture
and many other cultures.

On the question that the monks burned themselves previously,
Luo Dan said in fact Buddhism banned sacrifice or killing oneself
for the Buddhism. So that the monks burned themselves is not
right.

Also Buddhism said not to kill animals, but it didn’t say that
people couldn’t eat meat. Thus Tibetan monks eat meat.

On the question whether Dalai Lama can go back to Tibet,
Zhang Yun answered that if Dalai Lama gave up his political
engagement and only insists on his religious leadership,
he will be welcomed to go back to Tibet.
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The lecture aroused a lot of questions and discussions among
audiences. Photo by Xuefei Chen Axelsson

The Tibet Says seminar was jointly organized by Nordic Sichuan
and Tibet Association, Nordic Chinese Times, Nordic Chinese
Culture Association and Vicul Culture Exchange AB.

The Tibetan researchers and experts delegation came to
Sweden on Wednesday for a visit to the Nordic country.

About 50 people attended the seminar.