Interview With His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Osaka

Osaka, Japan, 9 May 2016 - This morning His Holiness the Dalai Lama drove from Narita to Haneda Airport in Tokyo under grey skies to take the hour long flight to Osaka. Descending through thick cloud the plane landed at Itami Airport in pouring rain. His Holiness drove to his hotel in time for lunch. Immediately afterwards he gave an interview to Makoto Oda and Eisuke Takahashi, correspondents from NHK, Japan's national public broadcasting organization.

They began by asking about the real situation in Tibet and His Holiness told them they had better send Japanese journalists to visit the towns, villages and nomad encampments there to find out for themselves.

“Compared to the Cultural Revolution things are better in Tibet and China, but in Tibet there are hardline officials whose policy is to see anything unique about Tibet, whether it is our language, culture or religious traditions, as portending separation from China. Fearing that, they exert ever tighter control. The teaching of Tibetan language in schools is either banned or restricted. Students who excel in their study of Tibetan are held back, while those who do well studying Chinese find jobs or more easily go on to university. Since the mid 80s Tibetans have felt that a semi-cultural revolution has been imposed. This is what stoked the 2008 crisis. Peking depends too much on local authorities who tend to be narrow-minded and exert too tight a control.

“In terms of material development housing and the shops in cities have improved, but as far as Tibetan Buddhism is concerned, a proper training requires 20-30 years study with a proper teacher. This is difficult to find in Tibet. Most of the learned masters either escaped to India or died in prison. Very few remain. Meanwhile the number of monks has drastically declined. In Drepung Monastery where the 2nd Dalai Lama was abbot, for example, there were 8000 monks when I took my final exams in 1958-9. Now there are 400. The monastery used to accommodate monks from right across Tibet and beyond. Now the authorities send those who have come from afar back home. Monks who are admitted are subjected to political re-education.

“The party proclaims that all is glorious, but there is neither freedom of expression nor freedom of the media. The government imposes censorship that only allows one-sided information.”

Asked about the more than 140 self-immolations that have taken place since 2009, His Holiness said each one was very sad. He expressed admiration for the courage of those who in doing this have done others no harm. He recalled telling a BBC correspondence this when these drastic actions first began adding then that he doubted whether such steps would really help the Tibetan cause.

Regarding the status of Tibet he said:

“We are not seeking independence. Yet Chinese history books record the existence of three distinct and equal empires - China, Mongolia and Tibet - in the 7th, 8th and 9th centuries. However, that is the past. Now we are looking to the future. I admire the spirit of the European Union in which members accord greater importance to the common interest than national sovereignty. We need greater material development in Tibet and China can help us with that, provided we can keep our own language and traditions alive.

“Tibetans retain the most comprehensive presentation of the Nalanda tradition which involves memorization, study and debate, and practice. The survival of Tibetan Buddhism is of interest not only to 6 million Tibetans, but also to 400 million Chinese Buddhists, as well as Buddhists in Japan. Today, scientists too are recognising that peace of mind is crucial if individuals, families and nations are to be happy. Technology and material development by themselves are not enough. Happiness is related to our emotions, so, just as we observe physical hygiene to stay physically healthy, to be mentally healthy and happy we need to observe some kind of emotional hygiene. The Tibetan Buddhist tradition includes a great deal of knowledge about how to deal with our emotions. We have a right to preserve this, but it can also certainly be of benefit to others.”

Regarding prospects for reconciliation with the People’s Republic of China, His Holiness recalled contacts being established in the 80s after Deng Xiaoping told his emissary that besides independence everything was up for discussion. These contacts ceased in the 90s. They were revived again in Jiang Zemin’s time, but came to an end again in 2010. He remarked that he holds the name Dalai Lama and that the 5th Dalai Lama visited Peking. Meanwhile, on the one hand millions of Chinese Buddhists seem eager to listen to him teach and on the other Xi Jinping, a Communist leader, stated in Paris and repeated in Delhi that Buddhism has a crucial role to play in Chinese culture. His Holiness also mentioned the 1000 or so recent articles in Chinese that express support for the Tibetan Middle Way Approach and criticize the stance of the Chinese government.

His Holiness also noted that the tight control of totalitarian regimes is out of date. A more liberal approach would be in both the Chinese people’s and their government’s interest. He said the 1.3 billion Chinese people have a right to know about reality and are capable of judging right from wrong on that basis. In such a context blanket censorship is both immoral and wrong. He took the opportunity to add that he did not mean to imply that he is opposed to Marxism as such. He is fully in support of the idea of equal distribution of wealth and opportunity, but opposes the draconian measures that Lenin introduced that subsequently spoiled it.

To a question about who will be the next Dalai Lama, His Holiness replied, “Who knows?” He went on to say that he has not only retired from political responsibility himself, but has also put an end proudly and voluntarily to the Dalai Lama’s traditional involvement in political affairs in addition to their spiritual role. Consequently, a future Dalai Lama would only be a religious person like the Sakya Trizin and the Karmapa. On the other hand, he said, it would not be a problem if there were no future Dalai Lama. He observed that there no reincarnations of either the Buddha or of Nagarjuna and yet their teachings continue to flourish centuries after they lived.

He clarified that non-violence is not his personal predilection, but the proper way to solve problems. He said you only have to look at what is happening in the Middle East to see that, asserting that no one wants to perpetuate violence and killing.

His Holiness suggested that modern education with its focus on material goals and a disregard for inner values is incomplete. There is a need to know about the workings of our minds and emotions. He mentioned the recent drafting of a curriculum to introduce secular ethics into the general education system in which he places great hope.

“I will not live to see the emergence of a more compassionate world,” he said, “but if we start and make an effort to educate those who are young now in inner values, they will see a different, peaceful, more compassionate world in the future. Problems created by human beings have to be solved by human beings. Basic human nature is compassionate and this is our source of hope.

“Friendship too is important. If you show concern for others and respect for their rights you will establish trust; and trust is the basis of friendship. I was very encouraged to hear from the BBC that increasing numbers of young people today regard themselves as global citizens. This is a positive development.”

Asked his thoughts about speculation that President Obama may visit Hiroshima at the end of this month, he replied that it would be wonderful. He added that he often remarks how impressed he is that Germany and Japan arose from the ashes of the Second World War and express no rancour for what happened to them.

Regarding the way everyone bows to Chinese pressure, which can make things more difficult for him, His Holiness replied that in the long run the power of truth surpasses the power of the gun. He said many foreign leaders remain fundamentally sympathetic to the cause of Tibet and Tibetans are fully committed to non-violence. Observing that human nature is basically good, he said that at the age of nearly 81 he remains optimistic.

Tomorrow His Holiness will begin to teach Shantideva’s ‘Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life’ to an audience of about 2700 including Chinese, mostly from Taiwan, but some from the mainland, Koreans, Mongolians, Russians and Japanese.

Original link and photos: http://www.dalailama.com/news/post/1391-nhk-interviews-his-holiness-the-dalai-lama-in-osaka

The Dalai Lama on Reincarnation, Part 3

By The Dalai Lama

Continued from The Dalai Lama on Reincarnation, Part 1
The Dalai Lama on Reincarnation, Part 2

The system of recognizing reincarnations in Tibet 

Past and future lives were asserted in the indigenous Tibetan Bon tradition before the arrival of Buddhism. And since the spread of Buddhism in Tibet, virtually all Tibetans have believed in past and future lives. Investigating the reincarnations of many spiritual masters who upheld the Dharma, as well as the custom of praying devotedly to them, flourished everywhere in Tibet. Many authentic scriptures, indigenous Tibetan books such as the Mani Kabum and the Fivefold Kathang Teachings and others like the The Books of Kadam Disciples and the Jewel Garland: Responses to Queries, which were recounted by the glorious, incomparable Indian master Dipankara Atisha in the 11th century in Tibet, tell stories of the reincarnations of Arya Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of compassion. However, the present tradition of formally recognizing the reincarnations of masters first began in the early 13th century with the recognition of Karmapa Pagshi as the reincarnation of Karmapa Dusum Khyenpa by his disciples in accordance with his prediction. Since then, there have been seventeen Karmapa incarnations over more than nine hundred years. Similarly, since the recognition of Kunga Sangmo as the reincarnation of Khandro Choekyi Dronme in the 15th century there have been more than ten incarnations of Samding Dorje Phagmo. So, among the Tulkus recognized in Tibet there are monastics and lay tantric practitioners, male and female. This system of recognizing the reincarnations gradually spread to other Tibetan Buddhist traditions, and Bon, in Tibet. Today, there are recognized Tulkus in all the Tibetan Buddhist traditions, the Sakya, Geluk, Kagyu and Nyingma, as well as Jonang and Bodong, who serve the Dharma. It is also evident that amongst these Tulkus some are a disgrace.

The omniscient Gedun Drub, who was a direct disciple of Je Tsongkhapa, founded Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in Tsang and took care of his students. He passed away in 1474 at the age of 84. Although initially no efforts were made to identify his reincarnation, people were obliged to recognize a child named Sangye Chophel, who had been born in Tanak, Tsang (1476), because of what he had to say about his amazing and flawless recollections of his past life. Since then, a tradition began of searching for and recognizing the successive reincarnations of the Dalai Lamas by the Gaden Phodrang Labrang and later the Gaden Phodrang Government.

The ways of recognizing reincarnations

After the system of recognizing Tulkus came into being, various procedures for going about it began to develop and grow. Among these some of the most important involve the predecessor’s predictive letter and other instructions and indications that might occur; the reincarnation’s reliably recounting his previous life and speaking about it; identifying possessions belonging to the predecessor and recognizing people who had been close to him. Apart from these, additional methods include asking reliable spiritual masters for their divination as well as seeking the predictions of mundane oracles, who appear through mediums in trance, and observing the visions that manifest in sacred lakes of protectors like Lhamoi Latso, a sacred lake south of Lhasa.

When there happens to be more than one prospective candidate for recognition as a Tulku, and it becomes difficult to decide, there is a practice of making the final decision by divination employing the dough-ball method (zen tak) before a sacred image while calling upon the power of truth.

Emanation before the passing away of the predecessor (ma-dhey tulku)

Usually a reincarnation has to be someone’s taking rebirth as a human being after previously passing away. Ordinary sentient beings generally cannot manifest an emanation before death (ma-dhey tulku), but superior Bodhisattvas, who can manifest themselves in hundreds or thousands of bodies simultaneously, can manifest an emanation before death. Within the Tibetan system of recognizing Tulkus there are emanations who belong to the same mind-stream as the predecessor, emanations who are connected to others through the power of karma and prayers, and emanations who come as a result of blessings and appointment.

The main purpose of the appearance of a reincarnation is to continue the predecessor’s unfinished work to serve Dharma and beings. In the case of a Lama who is an ordinary being, instead of having a reincarnation belonging to the same mind-stream, someone else with connections to that Lama through pure karma and prayers may be recognized as his or her emanation. Alternatively it is possible for the Lama to appoint a successor who is either his disciple or someone young who is to be recognized as his emanation. Since these options are possible in the case of an ordinary being, an emanation before death that is not of the same mind-stream is feasible. In some cases one high Lama may have several reincarnations simultaneously, such as incarnations of body, speech and mind and so on. In recent times, there have been well-known emanations before death such as Dudjom Jigdral Yeshe Dorje and Chogye Trichen Ngawang Khyenrab.

Next week will be part 4, the final part of this reincarnation blog series.

The Karmapa: Tibetan Buddhism's Next Great Leader?

HH The Gyalwang Karmapa

At first look, His Holiness The Seventeenth Gyalwang Karmapa is intimidating. Well built, self possessed, and with a keen glance, he walks more like a middle weight boxer than one of the most venerated religious figures in Tibetan Buddhism. As he moves around the room, the sly and playful side of his twenty-six year old character flashes occasionally as he teases his capable translator and raises an eyebrow with interest at an hors d'oeuvre nervously presented to him. Later, as he begins to share his perspective on individual spirituality and global concerns, a fully formed figure emerges - that of a powerful young man who is rapidly becoming a world religious leader.

HH the Gyalwang Karmapa is the 17th incarnated head of the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism, that began slightly over 900 years ago. The Karma Kagyu school is one of four in Tibet, represents approximately 20% of Tibetan Buddhists, and has hundreds of monasteries and centers all over the world. All four schools of Tibetan Buddhism recognize the leadership of HH the Dalai Lama who the Karmapa recently joined in Washington D.C. for the Kalachakra gathering for World Peace. However he bristles at any talk of him being the next Dalai Lama: "I will not be the next Dalai Lama, That Is Impossible."

While it is impossible for the Karmapa to become the next Dalai Lama for the obvious reason of lineage, he has begun to command the spiritual resonance and political heft associated with his elder Tibetan spiritual leader. In the years to come, the Karmapa may play a crucial role in the central concern of Tibet - China. The Chinese government recognizes the Karmapa's legitimacy which may make him a powerful negotiating partner in that ongoing struggle.

The Karmapa frames the issue as a question of human rights:

"One of the things that the Chinese do not understand is that the Tibetans are seeking basic human rights - freedom of speech and freedom to practice our religion. The Chinese frame it as a political issue, but the Tibetans are not a political people."

His Holiness the Karmapa is quick to point out: "I am not anti-Chinese. I am a spiritual teacher and am working for the welfare of all sentiment beings. I am not anti anything, including China. But I will advocate for the truth and I want the truth to be known."

Care for all sentient beings extends beyond the issues of the Tibetan homeland for the Karmapa. He has spoken about the need for equalizing the status between women and men in Tibet and within Buddhism, and is engaged in the conversation between science and Buddhist thought. But perhaps nothing has defined him so clearly as his interest in the environment. At a gathering of over 2,000 Tibetans in New York he surprised his audience by veering into a discussion around environmental concerns, a consistent topic of conversation for him which has earned him the moniker by some of 'The Green Buddha.' In 2009, the Gyalwang Karmapa convened two conferences on environmental protection for Kagyu monasteries and nunneries. The outcome of these conferences was a commitment from over 40 monasteries to put environmental protection into action by planting trees, protecting wild life, conserving water, organizing waste management, and adopting renewable energy sources.

When asked about what it is about Buddhist teaching that inspires his environmental activism, the Karmapa says that is an easy question:

"In Buddhism we aspire to benefit all sentiment beings. If we have any opportunity to give happiness or well being then we take it with delight and enthusiasm. The environment is the source of life for not only human beings, but all living creatures in the world. Therefor if we respect and protect the environment we bring benefit to countless sentient beings. This is what in Buddhism we call practicing the perfection of skillful means. While we might be able practice generosity by giving a donation to a person in need, that is a very finite act of altruism. But if we protect areas such as the snow mountains of the Himalayas and the rivers that flow from them then we will be nourishing a source of life and vital support for countless fish, and humans and other beings. Caring for the environment is a wonderful opportunity for Buddhists to care for sentient beings - one simple action can benefit so many and is the essence of practicing the Mahayana quality of great compassion."

The Karmapa's role as a spiritual teacher is of special interest to the growing number of people in the West who are seeking Buddhist wisdom and Dharma, or teaching. A major question for many of these Buddhist practitioners is how to authentically understand and practice a tradition in the West that has such deep roots in the Tibetan plateau. The Karmapa does not gloss over the challenge:

"The Buddha's teaching were allowed to take root in Tibet in an isolated context, undisturbed, and almost in secret for over 1,000 years. Because they were not distracted by external busyness, the Tibetans were able to deeply immerse themselves in the teachings and develop very strong habits of the practice. The broad and open spaces of Tibet offered an environment where people could rely on the spiritual methods in a strong way. The West is different. In the distractions and crowds of the cities there is not as much time to practice spiritual traditions in same way, and so maybe there is a challenge to allowing the teachings of Buddhism to take root here in a deep way."

Following up on this discouraging remark, The Karmapa continued:

"On the other hand, maybe the busyness that we all contend with can be employed in a skillful way to help us lead more spiritual lives. In Buddhism we speak of the symbolic teacher of appearances, and that means that the phenomenon that we witness in our day to day lives can actually teach us deep lessons about the way things are and the inter-connectedness of all things. So if Tibetan Buddhism was the tradition that emphasized the quality of faith and derived great benefit spiritually cultivating that quality of faith, then perhaps Buddhism in the modern world and the western world will be a Buddhism that derives benefit from the quality of discernment and intelligence. So perhaps we will benefit more from relying less on faith and relying more on our intelligence. If we do that then I think that there is hope that the spiritual teachings of Buddhism can take root deeply in the modern world and in the West."

Learn more about the Karmapa at his website: http://www.karmapafoundation.org/

By Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, July 30, 2011, Huffington Post

What Scares the Dalai Lama?

Outside the Dalai Lama's temple complex in Dharamsala, hundreds of young monks in crimson robes are locked in animated combat.

Against a Himalayan backdrop of jagged white peaks and a bright iris sky, the next generation are debating, clapping their hands triumphantly when they score a point over their opponent.

Inside the high-security cloisters, the bravado gives way to a more sombre scene as selected devotees wait in line for the Dalai Lama. These include local teachers waiting to be blessed for their devotion; a wealthy looking white-haired western man in a black Tibetan robe; and a glamorous young Australian woman in a tight Cheongsam and high wedges.

As Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, passes down the line, the emotion is too much for some. One young woman starts weeping and locks her fingers into his, holding his fist to her cheek. At the end of the line, the Dalai Lama stoops to meet the gaze of 81-year-old Lhakchung, a wheelchair-bound tailor now dying of cancer. He looks intently into his eyes. There are tears running down the old man's lined cheeks — he knows this will be the last blessing before he dies and he is looking for comfort, perhaps even hope.

Instead, the man regarded by Tibetans as a living incarnation of the Buddha of Compassion, places a traditional white scarf around his shoulders and urges him to come to terms with his fate. It is at once moving and hard, religious and scientific. "I have nothing to give. I told him to pray. We all have to die," he explains afterwards, matter of factly.

Over the past 53 years, the Dalai Lama has been able to offer little more in the way of hope to Tibetans. Exiled since 1959, he watched helplessly as China imposed its totalitarian rule on Tibet. Today, Tibet is no closer to freedom but, without him, the Tibetans might have been forgotten, simply another group of exiles clinging on to a fragmented culture. Despite Beijing's countless efforts to discredit him, the Dalai Lama has become one of the world's most revered leaders, praised for the non-violent way he has led his people, and has a rock-star-like following (tickets to next month's lecture tour of Scotland, for instance, sold out within hours).

Along with his close friend Archbishop Desmond Tutu, he remains one of the last great surviving 20th-century icons of peace. This week he will be in London to receive the Templeton Prize at St Paul's Cathedral.

The honour is awarded annually to someone who has encouraged common ground between science and religion — Mother Teresa was its first recipient — and with its pounds 1.1 million purse, is by some measure the world's largest prize. The Dalai Lama will announce how he is to spend the money during the ceremony.

The award follows the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize for his commitment to non-violence, and highlights his championing of science as a vital element in religious life. It is hard not to be in awe of a man billed as a living divinity, and his charisma is undeniable. But when I met him in Dharamsala last week, I discovered a less godly and more human leader than I was expecting; one who spoke of his achievements and regrets, his strengths and weaknesses, and his eventual demise, which poses the problem of a successor.

This is an interesting time for the Dalai Lama. Last year he passed the political leadership of exiled Tibetans on to an elected prime minister. He remains their spiritual leader - and the future Dalai Lama will be an exclusively spiritual figure.

"So after my death I have no worries about the leader of the spiritual tradition," he says. "I've made a significant contribution regarding the preservation of Tibetan Buddhist culture and also forming a Tibetan refugee community outside Tibet. It is now one of the most successful refugee communities in the world."

However, his succession is unlikely to be an easy transition. The Karmapa Lama has been touted as Tibet's next spiritual leader, and in Tibetan spiritual hierarchy he ranks only behind the Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama. But the current Panchen Lama was chosen by Beijing, and followers of the Dalai Lama do not recognise him.

The Dalai Lama's own choice was rejected by China; that particular boy then mysteriously vanished and has not been seen since. The same could happen with the Dalai Lama's reincarnation.

Indeed, such is his fear of Chinese attempts to impose a pro-Beijing successor that he says the Tibetan people could choose not to have another Dalai Lama at all.

"If, at the time I pass away, or even before, the majority of the people feel the Dalai Lama institution is no longer relevant, the institution will automatically cease," he says, adding, "I am not worried about that."

When he met Chairman Mao Tse-tung and Premier Chou En-lai in "Peking" — as he still calls the Chinese capital — for the 1954 talks on China's invasion of Tibet, Mao himself told him he had a "scientific mind". He soon developed a close relationship with both men, despite them having unleashed the might of the People's Liberation Army on his country. Mao served him with his own chopsticks, and Chou played him at ping-pong. "Chairman Mao gave me food in the Chinese tradition. I felt great honour but also fear. He was a chain smoker, too, lots of coughing, so I thought I might get a virus from his chopsticks," he says with his trademark naughty giggle.

Despite their closeness, five years later the Dalai Lama was forced to lead his Tibetan government into exile in Nehru's India. The Dalai Lama made the north Indian hill town of Dharamsala his spiritual centre as well as his home, establishing a "government in exile". The Dalai Lama has not had an opportunity to discuss religion — or play table tennis — with today's Chinese leaders, and to outsiders the prospects do not look good. A series of anti-Chinese protests by monks throughout Tibet in 2008 was brutally put down by armed police, and children were among the estimated 160 killed. China accused the Dalai Lama of organising the uprising — a charge he denies.

At 76, he doesn't have time to allow his rage to linger. He wakes at 3:30 every morning, meditates for four hours, pounds the treadmill, and then uses Buddhist prostrations to relax. He hasn't watched television for two years, doesn't read novels or poetry, but stays up to date with Newsweek and Time and is a BBC radio "addict". He stops work just after three in the afternoon and is tucked up in bed by 7pm. He wishes he had been more studious and less playful as a young boy, and regrets not learning to swim. His great fear, though, is of flying and of sharks.

— The Telegraph Group Limited, London, 2012