Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn passed away yesterday. I am in the midst of reading Gulag Archipelago: An Experiment in Literary Investigation. There is a wonderful documentary of the Russian writer by Aleksandr Sukorov. I wrote a review of it here on Amazon.

Solzhenitsyn’s humanity dovetails with a documentary I watched on the Dalai Lama “10 Questions for the Dalai Lama with Rick Ray.” (I just had to mention this: Did you know that Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft all agreed to block all hyperlinks that tell the TRUTH about what China is doing to Tibet on their search engines in Mainland China’s internet?!) Whenever I watch the Dalai Lama speak, I always think about how complex the rituals of true Buddhist monks are. The wonder of the Mandala Wheel “Wheel of Life” as a flattened, 3-dimensional, chambers in the meditational scheme of Buddhist rituals come to mind.

More importantly, it fascinates me that the Dalai Lama speaks only in simple sentences and concepts, given in to the consideration of the Western demographic he is interviewing for.

I think it’s far more complicated than what you’re hearing.

I know it’s very fashionable to fight for a free Tibet. It’s been a fashion statement in Hollywood for years…even though there are as many, if not more people in mainland China suffering from government oppression…Hollywood does not seem to notice. While I want nothing more than for China to get the hell out of Tibet, release the REAL Panchen Lama (the successor to the Dalai Lama, who is presently held hostage by the Chinese government while a FAKE PRETENDER is named by the mainland Chinese), and let the Tibetans be, I also feel that to a certain extent, our fascination with the Dalai Lama is indicative of a spirituality that is missing in our lives.

We can contribute hundreds…even thousands of dollars to the cause of Tibet, but to really keep the spirit of Tibet alive, worldwide, would require something more.

I think love for humanity, for people, life, animals, nature, and most importantly, forgiveness and acceptance for who and what people are, are what both Solzhenitsyn and the Dalai Lama sees as “truths” that cannot be suppressed. Both the Dalai Lama and Solzhenitsyn also instruct by example, the concept of breaking the cycle of an eye for an eye. The notion of tit-for-tat is really nothing but the seeds of war.

It’s extremely difficult to decipher what is going on within the head of a person who also the leader of a community that practices the creation of the Mandala Wheel. Take a glance at Martin Brauen’s The Mandala Wheel if you’d like to investigate further.

Solzhenitsyn said that suffering is essential to the fortification of one’s character. He quickly added that one shouldn’t go looking for bad times simply for this purpose.

While what I am going through presently may be construed by some as suffering, I never begrudge those who have never had a taste of suffering. I think it’s perfectly possible to rise and attain awareness without having tasted a moment of grief.

However, if you’re suffering. Remember the Dalai Lama’s and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s greatest life lesson: make the most of it. Come out on top, not below.

That, is the triumph, of the human spirit.