10 Questions to His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Time Magazine interviewed His Holiness in New York City in May of 2010 for its "10 Questions to His Holiness the Dalai Lama".

Question: Do you ever feel angry or outraged? —Kantesh Guttal, PUNE, INDIA

His Holiness: Oh, yes, of course. I'm a human being. Generally speaking, if a human being never shows anger, then I think something's wrong. He's not right in the brain. [Laughs.]

Question: How do you stay so optimistic and faithful when there is so much hate in the world? —Joana Cotar, FRANKFURT

His Holiness: I always look at any event from a wider angle. There's always some problem, some killing, some murder or terrorist act or scandal everywhere, every day. But if you think the whole world is like that, you're wrong. Out of 6 billion humans, the troublemakers are just a handful.

Question: How has the role set out for you changed since you first came to be the Dalai Lama? —Andy Thomas, CARMARTHEN, WALES

His Holiness: I became the Dalai Lama not on a volunteer basis. Whether I was willing or not, I [had to study] Buddhist philosophy like an ordinary monk student in these big monastic institutions. Eventually I realized I have a responsibility. Sometimes it is difficult, but where there is some challenge, that is also truly an opportunity to serve more.

Question: Do you see any possibility of reconciliation with the Chinese government in your lifetime? —Joseph K.H. Cheng, MELBOURNE

His Holiness: Yes, there is a possibility. But I think past experience shows it is not easy. Many of these hard-liners, their outlook is very narrow and shortsighted. They are not looking at it in a holistic way. However, within the People's Republic of China, there is wider contact with the outside world. There are more and more voices of discontentment among the people, particularly among the intellectuals. Things will change — that's bound to happen.

Question: How can we teach our children not to be angry? —Robyn Rice, GRAND JUNCTION, COLO.

His Holiness: Children always look to their parents. Parents should be more calm. You can teach children that you face a lot of problems but you must react to those problems with a calm mind and reason. I have always had this view about the modern education system: we pay attention to brain development, but the development of warmheartedness we take for granted.

Question: Have you ever thought about being a normal person instead of being the Dalai Lama? —Grego Franco, MANILA

His Holiness: Yes, at a young age. Sometimes I felt, "Oh, this is a burden. I wish I was an unknown Tibetan. Then I'd have more freedom." But then later I realized that my position was something useful to others. Nowadays I feel happy that I'm Dalai Lama. At the same time, I never feel that I'm some special person. Same — we are all the same.

Question: Do you miss Tibet? —Pamela Delgado Córdoba, AGUASCALIENTES, MEXICO

His Holiness: Yes. Tibetan culture is not only ancient but relevant to today's world. After seeing the problems of violence, we realize that Tibetan culture is one of compassion and nonviolence. There is also the climate. In India during monsoon season, it is too wet. Then, I very much miss [ Tibet].

Question: What do you say to people who use religion as a pretext to violence or killing? —Arnie Domingo, QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES

His Holiness: There are innocent, faithful people that are manipulated by some other people whose interest is different. Their interest is not religion but power or sometimes money. They manipulate religious faith. In such cases, we must make a distinction: these [bad things] are not caused by religion.

Question: Have you ever tried on a pair of trousers? —Ju Huang, STAMFORD, CONN.

His Holiness: When it's very, very cold. And particularly in 1959, when I escaped, I wore trousers, like laypeople dressed. So I have experience.

Question: Do you believe your time here on earth has been a success? —Les Lucas, KELOWNA, B.C.

His Holiness: Hmmm. That's relative. It's so difficult to say. All human life is some part failure and some part achievement.

original link: https://www.dalailama.com/messages/transcripts-and-interviews/10-questions-time-magazine

Reverend Jim Jones--Jonestown: The Peoples Temple Mass Suicide/Death 1978

Reverend Jim Jones--Jonestown: The Peoples Temple Mass Suicide/Death 1978

Hello everybody. I hope you had a wonderful weekend and are enjoying your day. We had a few fires on the Fourth of July. This was due to the carelessness of people using fireworks too close to homes and dry woods. Here in Florida I don’t have to tell you we’re hitting heat factors over 100°. When you walk outside and get in your car and get it started and by the time the air is somewhat cooled down you are most likely drenched in sweat. It’s awful! Especially if you’re oily anyway like I am. I have always struggled with that but from what I hear it helps slow down the aging process but who knows. I’ve gotten completely off the subject friends. Lol. Please forgive me. ADHD slips through now and then.

James Warren Jones was an American cult leader. He started what he called the Peoples Temple, originally located in Indiana. Then in the 1960s, he moved the Peoples Temple to San Francisco, California. He gained quite a bit of notoriety when the Peoples Temple moved to San Francisco in the early 1970s. He was the head and dictator for leading the 1978 mass murder-suicide in Jonestown, Guyana, 918 members of his Temple including 276 children, were found dead by drinking cyanide-laced Kool-Aid. Many say Jim Jones is one of the prominent psychopaths in American history. The motive of the mass revolutionary suicide, (he had a unhealthy obsession with death when he was young and as an adult.) Revolutionary suicide I’ll have to explain in another blog. Anyway, according to Jim Jones himself, he wanted to  "protest the conditions of an inhumane world." Jones is thought to have shot himself in the head at the final stage of the mass suicide. He was found dead at the scene with a gunshot wound on the back of his head. Let’s not forget he was also responsible for the death of those visitors including Congressman Leo Ryan, was making a visit to Jonestown Temple to investigate human rights violation complaints against Jim Jones. Jones had six adoptive children and one biological child with his wife, Marcy. 

I’m going to use this particular cult as an example because it is based on Christianity. Exactly what I believe in. I have no illusions that all religions and beliefs can go too far. Or there is always somebody that just takes it too far as I said in my last blog. The Jonestown event is a great but heartbreaking example of that. Any religion or personal beliefs can get radical and this was one of them. I stipulated in my last blog I would write about Jonestown and Reverend Jim Jones a little further and explain. There are a lot of YouTube videos for you to watch, if you'd like. There are a lot of different tapes he purposely recorded himself to leave behind for everybody to hear. Typical narcissistic psychopath, in my opinion. There was a loudspeaker that played they said almost 24/7, using fear and mind control. Can you imagine hearing somebody go on and on and on? He did this while they slept! The people who were part of his cult were underfed and overworked. I bet the devil was sure dancing when that horrible event took place that day. This man was very cruel he was NO prophet of God. That’s why the Bible tells us to be aware of these false prophets. Many will try and claim this. title.

I’m certainly not exaggerating on anything I say. There were tapes found. He recorded that very violent event that was all over the news. Jim Warren Jones truly was disturbed... a very sick man. Sick with power. He was having sexual relations with men, women and even the young teenagers. When you’re in that kind of position you should not be getting intimate with anybody in your congregation but your wife. From what I understand, she turned a blind eye to all his sexual escapades. Just like with many others, and the human race in general, eventually his ego became so big as his power kept rising. That’s what initially caused him to go dark in the first place, in my humble opinion. It takes a special kind of person to be in that type of position. It’s a calling by God to be in that kind of leadership. It’s not for everybody. There are many temptations and the enemy is just waiting for that person to make a mistake. Or have a weak moment in time.

Let’s discuss from my research about what kind of childhood he had. A lot of times with people like this they don’t always have a bad childhood. But Reverend Jones had a raging alcoholic for a father. His mother would send him to vacation Bible school to help, I guess trying to shelter him from his father. But Jim Jones took to Bible study with great joy. He was never seen without his Bible. As a ten-year-old, they said he would give funerals to all the animals that would die in the neighborhood. But what’s very disturbing is that a girl who grew up with him and was latern interviewed, alluded to the fact that he killed a couple of animals just to be able to give them funerals. She mentioned he was always an "odd duck" for lack of better words.

He was a very handsome man. Also very charismatic. He had, I believe, that southern drawl similar to Elvis Presley. He just had a way with people and making them feel good and wanted, and loved. On the plus side, he was big into civil rights to stop segregation. He could’ve done so many wonderful things. That’s what makes me so sad. He was on the right track for a while. He even had the respect from some political figures at one time. And other people of that nature. The more everybody revered him because there was nobody else like him at that time in the Bible Belt community.  Sticking up for civil rights and speaking their mind whether you like it or not. No matter who you were. You have to remember it started in the 1950s and ended in the 70s.

Once he was able to move The Peoples Temple to Guyana, almost 1000 members followed him. In the United States people were starting to catch on to what was spreading around from former temple members that something wasn’t right. There would be public punishments in front of the whole congregation, slapping people and so-called beatings. There were very concerned family members. They just really wanted to get the other family members out. But he used fear to brainwash these people. In November 1978, the Congressman from California, Leo Ryan, along with other delegattes, the media, and concerned relatives flew to Guyana to see exactly what was going on.

Jim Jones ordered his death and everybody with him along with the people who left Jonestown. Fifteen people left and he couldn’t handle it. To him, that was a betrayal. The Congressman‘s assistant survived and I believe two cameramen from NBC as well. There were other survivors that were able to run into the jungle in the middle of the chaos, avoiding detecton. Thank God! Jim Jones had men surrounding that compound with a variety of military type guns. It was said that he even had grenades; however, I can’t confirm those allegations. But it wouldn’t surprise me. How did he get past U.S customs with cyanide and all those guns? That’s something that they never figured out, or maybe not telling. It could go either way. The point is the survivors and their families of the non-survivors still hurt very much over this. How do you get over a mass murder like that? I know some did drink the poisoned punch willingly but not all 274 children did. They did not have a choice. It’s heartbreaking.

People who are brainwashed and will kill at any moment people who would kill their own family members. This is how badly brainwashed they became a little at a time. Jones said they were all going to be in so much trouble. He told them since the congressman was dead, they would be back to torture the babies and kill all of them. Which was a huge lie. He lied to them and said that they had to shoot in self-defense. He didn’t tell them that they shot them all down -- he left that part out. He had them thinking people were going to come back to torture their babies and put them in prison because the the congressman and his group was shot.

In conclusion, this is an example where any religion can go radical or there’s always somebody your small group that takes it too far. Sadly this was one of those events.


Written by Jennifer Auld

Dalai Lama Meets with Educators to Discuss 'Human Education in the 3rd Millennium'

Meeting with Educators Discussing ‘Human Education in the 3rd Millennium’

Thekchen Chöling, Dharamsala, India - This morning, His Holiness the Dalai Lama met with 15 educators from India, Germany, Brazil, Mexico, Finland, USA, Australia, Bangladesh, Britain, and Russia, who are participating in an initial roundtable conference on the theme, ‘Human Education in the 3rd Millennium’.

After His Holiness had entered the room and asked everyone present to relax, Project Coordinator, Margarita Kozhevnikova explained that the present conference was in preparation for a world forum about education. She outlined four areas of interest: education policy, being human, education for democracy and human oriented education. She introduced Scott Webster who was to moderate the morning session. He summarized what had been discussed so far.

He told His Holiness that as far as educators are concerned, things are getting worse. Schools and universities are increasingly focussing on training students in skills for jobs. Human flourishing is not addressed. If values come up, it’s only in relation to work and being a worker as opposed to being a human being. Education is being reduced to what can be measured. Teachers find they are unable to be creative so the opportunity to provide human education is lost. The policies that govern this are written by governments or by businessmen, not by professional educators.

There is a consensus among educators that there is more to being human than being an economic unit as a worker or consumer. Knowledge and skills have a role, but there is a need for values too. Following their discussions, participants in the meeting say there is a need to take action.

With regard to democracy, it seems to represent human freedom with dignity, justice and inclusiveness. It’s a moral way of living that is coming under attack in the face of rising populism and nationalism, which tend to be exclusionary. Teachers are eager to see democracy restored and strengthened.

In terms of pedagogy and how students develop, participants have noted that questioning can help us become better human beings.

Webster asked His Holiness how education policy might be challenged, what it means to be human, whether he thinks democracy represents human flourishing and what it means to be an educator.

“If education is supposed to have produced individuals living a happy life, in happy communities, in a happy world, it seems to have failed,” His Holiness replied. “We all want to live a happy life and yet every day on the television we can see people facing problems. There are unthinkable conflicts in the name of religion.

“Before they enter the education system young children’s basic human nature is fresh. They don’t care about their playmates’ religious, racial or national background. Their basic outlook is compassionate.
“Children survive because of their mother’s kindness and concern, which gives them a lifelong sense of security. Because we are social creatures, individuals survive in dependence on a group. However, once children go to school not much attention is paid to basic human values.

“Modern education evolved in the West with the emergence of the industrial revolution and a greater need for people to understand maths and science. Its goals tend to be materialistic, with little concern for peace of mind. Students are not taught how to tackle their anger, fear or anxiety. In the absence of any other solution, they turn to drugs and alcohol for relief. We teach physical hygiene from an early age. There seems to be a need for a corresponding sense of emotional hygiene. You can make a simple beginning by asking children if they prefer to see smiles or frowns.

“Pursuing self-interest is legitimate, but we need to be wisely rather than foolishly self-interested. To be happy we need a positive attitude and the best way of doing this is to show concern for others—to take care of other members of the community. Education should explain how to develop peace of mind and maintain inner strength.

“In India we have the traditions of ‘ahimsa’ and ‘karuna’ and the practices for cultivating a calmly abiding mind and insight, ‘shamatha’ and ‘vipashyana’—mind is important. Not just on a sensory level but on the level of mental consciousness. Anger and fear arise on a mental level. If we had a map of the mind, a map of the emotions, we’d understand the workings of the mind much better and we’d be able to tackle our negative emotions.

“What destroys our peace of mind is anger, fear and self-centredness. The quantum physics observation that nothing exists as it appears, which corresponds to what Nagarjuna taught, can help loosen the grip of these negative emotions. I’m 84 now and I’ve thought about the wisdom understanding emptiness, compassion and cultivating infinite love for 70 years. I find this very helpful in securing peace of mind. And although instructions about these things are to be found in religious texts they can be regarded as means to better health and studied objectively in an academic way.

“When the education system is focussed on materialistic goals, as modern education too often is, those brought up under it tend to follow a materialistic way of life. In India I am trying to revive interest in the ancient understanding of the workings of the mind and emotions. I hope that in the long run India will be able to combine this ancient knowledge with modern education. If we can train teachers to promote ‘ahimsa’ and ‘karuna’, we can make a significant contribution to a more peaceful world. They can also learn that it’s possible to cultivate love and compassion through the application of intelligence based on scientific findings and common sense.

“This kind of meeting confirms that modern education is not sufficient. And for that reason I hope discussions will continue into the future.”

Responding to questions, His Holiness pointed out that democracy is rooted in having a sense of concern for others and respecting their views, similar to the concern a teacher has for her students. He confirmed that since human beings need to live together like brothers and sisters, the proper way to settle conflicts is to engage in dialogue and avoid violence and the use of force.

Acknowledging how serious global heating and the climate crisis is, His Holiness reported that a Chinese ecologist had suggested to him that after another 80 years the world will be like a desert. He noted that water resources are already diminishing alarmingly. He confirmed that solutions will involve everybody modifying their life-style, abandoning fossil fuels and turning to renewable sources of energy.

“Humanity is one community,” he declared, “and we have to use our intelligence to take care of each other. For democracy to succeed will depend on our motivation and employing our brilliant intelligence with warm-heartedness.”

Bringing the session to a close, Margarita Kozhevnikova mentioned that many educators want to impart human values to their students, but find little room in the curriculum in the system as it is. They are prevailed upon instead to provide measurable results in the form of high test and exam results.

The Ven Samdhong Rinpoché was pleased to share with the gathering that permission has been given for the launch of a six month teacher training course in ancient Indian wisdom in conjunction with Dharamsala College. There will also be 2-3 days training workshops to make them more familiar with secular ethics. It is hoped that 2000 teachers will benefit. Plans are underway to introduce elements of ancient Indian wisdom in schools from KG up to class 8.

Margarita Kozhevnikova thanked His Holiness for taking time to speak to the conference participants. Thanking her in turn for organizing the meeting, he told her that he regards Russia as bridge between East and West. He concluded that to build a better more peaceful world, we need to use our intelligence for peaceful goals rather than for producing ever more sophisticated weapons.

His Holiness invited all the participants and observers to join him for lunch.

Original link & photos: https://www.dalailama.com/news/2019/meeting-with-educators-discussing-human-education-in-the-3rd-millennium

Dalai Lama Discusses His Best Birthday Gift!

Happy Birthday, Dalai Lama! :)