FROM THE NEWS DESK: SHOOTING AT NANGPA PASS
WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE?

Click image for more about LUIS BENITEZ

Last fall, a teenage Tibetan nun was gunned down by Chinese police as she tried to escape Tibet through a high Himalayan pass. An American guide LUIS BENITEZ was the first guide to speak out about the incident, which was observed by an international group of climbers on Cho Oyu, a popular Himalayan peak. The incident sparked major disagreement among the guides about how they should respond. Benitez speaks with Senior Producer Christal Smith on what he saw, what he did, and what he would have liked to have done if given a second chance. Benitez currently holds the world record for the most consecutive summits of Mt. Everest by a non-Sherpa.

download pdf: Murder at 19,000 Feet

Best of Explorers Web 2006: The truth of Nangpa La

YouTube video of the shootings

More about Luis Benitez

Click here to TAKE ACTION

More about Friends of Humanity

10 QUESTIONS FOR THE DALAI LAMA

Click image for more about the film

Filmmaker RICK RAY was given a 45 minute audience to film an interview with the Dalai Lama. He turned that time into a full length documentary by outlining the genesis of each question and how the Dalai Lama responded. Senior Producer Christal Smith has 10 questions for him.

More about 10 Questions for the Dalai Lama

GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER? THE GYUTO MONKS!*

Click for more information about the Gyuto Monks Tantric Choir 2007 Tour

The Gyuto Monks with the Wilkinson family

The Gyuto monks have set off from their monastery, the Gyuto Tantric University, in northern India, almost every year since the 1980s to present to the world the sacred Tibetan Buddhist tradition of polyphonic chanting that dates back over 500 years. They were 'discovered' by famed scholar Huston Smith who brought them to Europe and then were invited to the US by Grateful Dead percussionist, Mickey Hart. They have been featured on Hart's recordings as well as the soundtracks for the films "Kundun" and "Seven Years in Tibet". They are currently in the midst of another multi-city tour of the US, sharing their warmth and prayers for peace with everyone they meet, including Tibet Connection's own Sarah Wilkinson and her family. Producer, Julie Adler, shares her experience of a sleepover to remember. Her documentary was voted in the top 100 out of almost 1,500 entries in this year&'s Public Radio Talent Quest.

*This segment was originally broadcast in March 2007

Read an interview with Julie Adler on PRX/NPR SHOWCASE

More on the Gyuto Monks

To hear more from the Kundun soundtrack

ONE HEARTBEAT AT A TIME*

Click For More About One H.E.A.R.T

We speak with ARLENE SAMEN, the Founding Director of One H.E.A.R.T (Health, Education & Research in Tibet) who trains birth attendants in rural communities on the Tibetan plateau. Tibet has one of the highest newborn and infant mortality rates in the world, and Tibetan women are three hundred times more likely to die in childbirth than women in developed countries. Arlene talks about her work, her love of Tibet and its people, and the dramatic life-changing events that keep her coming back.

*This segment was originally broadcast in November 2006

ASK TENZIN: THE TIBET CONNECTION'S ANSWER MAN

WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT TIBETAN BUDDHISM?

With different Buddhist traditions being practiced in the world--Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana--we ask Tibet scholar TENZIN DORJEE what is unique about Tibetan Buddhism?

contact@thetibetconnection.org