We attended the vigil for Tibet held outside of Place des Arts yesterday and it was a remarkable event. Although it was a small group participating in this peaceful prayer session, it was a devoted group of both those in the local Tibetan community as well as their supporters.
The afternoon began with a briefing about the situation in Tibet and led into a minute of silence to honor and remember those who had been killed in the violence. We then participated in a prayer vigil and chanted the mantra ‘Om Mani Padme Hum’ and closed with a singing of the Tibetan National Anthem.
As we sat in the freezing cold, many people surrounded us taking photos (although I’m not seeing any of the photos on flickr, facebook, websites, blogs or myspace- so I”m not sure where they ended up!) People in cars drove by and honked to show their support and it was a positive sign that public sympathy is with those who are participating in the uprising.
I was struck by a family in the crowd- a man with his wife and young children who sat holding a sign with the brutal image of one of the Tibetans murdered from Kirti Monastery. I saw the children look at me and Mr TMcG as we held a sign showing one of their own who was brutalized and I felt the agonizing pain of a people who had tried employing peaceful means but the time had come where push came to shove.
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