Project Tibet - Why Project Tibet

PROJECT TIBET
Home	Why Project Tibet	How to Help	Adopt a Yak	Contact Us
WHEN TIBETANS FLED THEIR HOMELAND after the Chinese invasion of 1949, the routes to neighboring countries were not easy. Moving on foot through the treacherous Himalayan Mountains, circumventing Chinese soldiers, they had to endure hunger, illness, inclement weather and hostile terrain. Only the courage they took from their religious heritage gave them hope. Some took two years to reach safety, and the cost was high. Over 100,000 Tibetans have taken sanctuary in neighboring countries, but 1.2 million have died as a result of the Chinese invasion. FOR THOSE WHO SURVIVED, their obligation to maintain their customs and traditions is an historical as well as spiritual necessity. In the eighth century, when the Muslims conquered India, Tibetans journeyed to their neighbor and brought back the vital texts and oral transmissions from the few remaining Mahayana Buddhist teachers, thus saving the religion from virtual extinction. For the next twelve centuries, until the Chinese invasion, Tibetans both preserved the Buddhist tradition and made it a way of life. While other nations turned to war, Tibetans turned their lives to the spirit of Dharma - peace and compassion. Now, refugees in strange lands, victims of aggression, they seek to preserve their heritage. THE TASK IS A DIFFICULT ONE. Moving from the mountains of Tibet to the tropical plains of India, for example, the refugees have encountered new diseases, the suspicions of a foreign culture, and the harsh demands of economic survival. Through PROJECT TIBET and other philanthropic organizations, the refugee camps have established handicraft centers and farms as a basis for self-sufficiency. While the farms produce some of the needed food, and the rugs and weavings of the handicraft centers bring in enough money for minimum clothing and housing, these enterprises alone do not meet all of the people's needs. Education, religious training and medical attention must, for the time being, be provided by others. PROJECT TIBET's goal is to raise enough money to satisfy these needs until total self-sufficiency is realized in the refugee camps. Tibetans are a proud people, hoping one day to return to a free Tibet, but now they are in need of help.

PROJECT TIBET

WHEN TIBETANS FLED THEIR HOMELAND after the Chinese invasion of 1949, the routes to neighboring countries were not easy. Moving on foot through the treacherous Himalayan Mountains, circumventing Chinese soldiers, they had to endure hunger, illness, inclement weather and hostile terrain. Only the courage they took from their religious heritage gave them hope. Some took two years to reach safety, and the cost was high. Over 100,000 Tibetans have taken sanctuary in neighboring countries, but 1.2 million have died as a result of the Chinese invasion.

FOR THOSE WHO SURVIVED, their obligation to maintain their customs and traditions is an historical as well as spiritual necessity. In the eighth century, when the Muslims conquered India, Tibetans journeyed to their neighbor and brought back the vital texts and oral transmissions from the few remaining Mahayana Buddhist teachers, thus saving the religion from virtual extinction. For the next twelve centuries, until the Chinese invasion, Tibetans both preserved the Buddhist tradition and made it a way of life. While other nations turned to war, Tibetans turned their lives to the spirit of Dharma - peace and compassion. Now, refugees in strange lands, victims of aggression, they seek to preserve their heritage.

THE TASK IS A DIFFICULT ONE. Moving from the mountains of Tibet to the tropical plains of India, for example, the refugees have encountered new diseases, the suspicions of a foreign culture, and the harsh demands of economic survival. Through PROJECT TIBET and other philanthropic organizations, the refugee camps have established handicraft centers and farms as a basis for self-sufficiency. While the farms produce some of the needed food, and the rugs and weavings of the handicraft centers bring in enough money for minimum clothing and housing, these enterprises alone do not meet all of the people's needs. Education, religious training and medical attention must, for the time being, be provided by others. PROJECT TIBET's goal is to raise enough money to satisfy these needs until total self-sufficiency is realized in the refugee camps. Tibetans are a proud people, hoping one day to return to a free Tibet, but now they are in need of help.