By Tenzin Choephel
Phayul Correspondent
Kathmandu,25th September- During the Kalachakra in Amdo Region by the 8th Aala Dewatsang Jamyang Thubten Gyatso from 3rd – 7th September at Keguthang near Xitsang Gersel Monastery or also known as Xitsang Gonpa Gaden Shedrup Chokhorling in Xitsang Township Center of Luchu County, Kanlho Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (Gansu Province), Tibetans have prepared to burn and destroy huge amount of fur of endangered species like leopard at the end of the Kalachakra. But local authorities of Luchu County did not permit the event.
According to our source, during Kalachakra the Provincial and County Government deployed heavily armed security personnel and plain clothes security officials numbering over 2000 from Lanzhou city citing public security and maintaining law and order in the area. Some locals said that they could not even freely make telephone call to relatives and talk about the Kalachakra due to tight security.
Unlike past, the number of people wearing fur adorned costumes and jewelry were extremely low as wearing fur adorned costumes and jewelry were strongly discouraged by His Holiness the Dalai Lama during Kalachakra in January in India in his message to people of Tibet. Since then Tibetans in Tibet have strongly discouraged the use of fur adorned costumes and jewelry and have publicly burned large amount of fur in many places of Tibet, particularly in Amdo Region.
During the recent Kalachakra in Amdo, Tibetans have prepared to publicly burn large amount of fur at the end of the Kalachakra but due to tight security the organizers could not schedule the event, as authorities turned down their request.
There were about 150,000 Tibetans attending the first Kalachakra by the 8th Aala Dewatsang in Amdo Region. The Kalachakra was organized and sponsored by 12 different community groups of the region. People from the 12 community groups, other areas of Gansu Province, Sichuan Province and Qinghai Province have come to attend the Kalachakra and were staying in tents pitched all along the 7 kilometers road between Xitsang Township Center and Luchu County Town.
The ceremony was the dying wish of the late 3rd Aala Dewatsang who had conferred 40 Kalachakra teachings in the past in Tibet and Mongolia.
