Raise Prayer Flags - on International Human Rights Day, December 10 2020

 

      Raise Prayer Flags  Mixed media on Japanese paper 2020  copy right Tomoyo Ihaya

Each human being is born to be free. 

Freedom.  Dignity. Equality. 

Universal value of human race across the boarder. 

Freedom of a body from illegal arrests, detention and torture

Freedom of ideology, conscience, religion and expression

Do not use one's freedom and rights to harm others' freedom and rights. 

- Words borrowed from the summary of the World Human Rights Declaration 

Back in April, I read news on the online news site in Tibetan-in-Exile community: In Amdo the local Religious Affairs Control Bureau announced that prayer-flags, one of the most widespread and traditional manifestation of religious devotion were forbidden.  

When I read the news, I looked outside and gazed the prayer flags in my balcony. I am not a Tibetan but know how important it is to raise prayer flags at their homes, temples, and passes on an auspicious day. My heart ached with somber. 'They even do not have freedom to raise player flags?  It is almost like having no freedom to recite mantras". 

Prayer flags are believed to spread prayers with wind to the world. 
It is a genuine form of people's prayers for every sentient being to be well and happy. 

Raising prayer flags, thus, became a part of my life routine for many years. 

Since April, there have been news of illegal arrests, detentions of and deaths caused by torture among not only Tibetan people but also the 'ethnic minority' people and political activists in other parts of the world. Each time I read the news, I look at prayer flags outside. I see many faces in the air, in the sky.

A vision of prayer flags that I carried in my mind finally came out as this drawing on International Human Rights Day.

I wish that every single human in struggle brings back their freedom and rights to express what their hearts want to believe.

I keep raising prayer flags for prayers to reach near and far.

A question myself: would I have enough courage to raise player flags and express my belief if I were under the same suppressive situation as they are?  

notes:  source: https://www.phayul.com/2006/04/25/12460/ phayul

https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/universal-declaration-of-human-rights/#:~:text=In%201997%20-%201998%20Amnesty%20International%20undertook%20a,Declaration%20of%20Human%20Rights%20%28UDHR%29.%20-%20%C2%A9Amnesty%20International

 (amnesty international, International Human Rights Declaration)

https://www.amnesty.or.jp/lp/udhr/?fbclid=IwAR1-0Nk09o5ceMJcz9Y-Oxk85jwYga6s3gKTSwE7pKmgP1e-HIf5MyFLt7Y

(Amnesty International in Japanese)

https://www.phayul.com/2006/04/25/12460/

Vessels - To live

      vessels, mixed media on Japanese paper, 2011   Copyright Tomoyo Ihaya

      Vessels, Mixed media on Japanese paper, 2015  copy right  Tomoyo Ihaya

 A vessel as a metaphor of a life.  A metaphor of a mind. 

While spending so much time in India,  my eyes were always caught a pile of clay pots on a street. 

Clay pots for chai.  Once finished, it is thrown away to the ground.  Broken pieces. 

There is a Dharma teaching that I really like and stay as a pillar reminder in my heart for many years.

"If your mind as a vessel has a crack or it is always up side down,  even though there is a precious teaching in front of you, it leaks off the crack or can not contain it. "

This year, more so because of the chaos, the world of up side down,  I thought of this teaching often. 

So many vessels in the world were cracked or put up side down by a huge storm. 

I keep thinking how we can mend those vessels together.  Collective healing.

Not for humans only.  For every living form that humans have damaged too.