I believe in letting an invader in and then setting a good example. That is the reply Benjamin Britten gave to a tribunal for the registration of conscientious objectors in 1942 when asked "What would you do if Britain was invaded?" I was reminded of it when researching my recent article on Marco Pallis , who was an authority on both Tibetan Buddhism and early music, and, together with Britten, a champion of Purcell . In his best-selling book Peaks and Lamas , which was written in 1939, Pallis tells this story about the Sakyas , the ethnic group of which Gautama Buddha was a member which inhabited the foothills of the Himalayas. News was brought to them of an impending attack by a hostile tribe and it was debated anxiously whether resistance should be offered or not. Eventually they decided that, as followers of [Buddhist] Doctrine, they were debarred from offering armed resistance, but must welcome the invaders as friends, so they threw down their arms... The Tibetans, how...
Comments
Who is Sir David Tang?
Sir David Tang ... is a Hong Kong businessman and socialite best known as the founder of the Shanghai Tang chain ... Known for his love of Cuban cigars, Tang is also Honorary Consul of Cuba in Hong Kong ... Tang is the founder of the China Clubs (Hong Kong, Peking and Singapore), the Shanghai Tang stores, Havana House and Pacific Co Ltd (the exclusive distributor for all Havana brands in Canada, Asia and Australia). More recently Tang opened the Cipriani in Hong Kong and the China Tang restaurant at the Dorchester Hotel. Tang is also a director and advisor to a number of boards which include Tommy Hilfiger.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Tang