to move up and down
Peter Goodspeed: Dying as a political act: Centuries-old Buddhist tradition of self-immolation continues in China
“This was not the random act of a disturbed individual, but rather a single manifestation of a deeply rooted set of ideas and ideals in Chinese Buddhism that blossomed again and again in the history of pre-modern China.”
Photo: Tibetan exile Janphel Yeshi, 27, runs as he is engulfed in flames after he set himself on fire to protest an upcoming visit to India by Chinese President Hu Jintao, March 26, 2012, in New Delhi. Yeshi suffered life-threatening burns. (AFP/Getty Images)
Photos of the day
Police try to douse flames on a Tibetan demonstrator after he lit himself on fire during a protest in front of the Chinese embassy in New Delhi, India, Nov. 4, 2011. Tibetan exiles on Friday protested the deaths of several ethnic Tibetans by self immolation.
Celebrating the beauty of Tibet
Seen through a photographer’s lenses, Tibet makes for a compelling subject, with its vast green plains and locals dressed in vibrant traditional garb. It’s not unusual to see all ages of monks on bicycles and horses — or pulling an Easy Rider. “There’s something unexpected and magical about seeing a monk stuck in traffic on a motorcycle smiling and waving to you as you’re walking down the street,” says Toronto-based physician/photographer Roman Elinson.
Elinson was in Yushu, Tibet, in 2004 and again in 2007, as part of medical missions to provide care to Yushu’s poor. According to international charity organization ROKPA, one doctor in Yushu cares for an average of 16,860 inhabitants. The photographs Elinson took on those missions are now part of an exhibition titled Beauty in Yushu, on at Toronto’s Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre.
