Dalai Lama Meets with Iranian Business People

Meeting Members of a Group from Iran

Thekchen Chöling, Dharamsala, HP, India - At his residence this morning, His Holiness the Dalai Lama met 58 members of Iranian  CEOs of small and medium sized enterprises who describe themselves as messengers of peace. As His Holiness entered the room they greeted him with friendly applause.

“I’m very happy to meet people from Iran,” he told them. “Some people are suspicious of Iranians, but I recall that there are reports of links between Tibet and Persia during the time of King Songtsen Gampo during the 7th century. And whereas Persians were described as rich, the Mongolians were referred to as war-like.

“I have certain commitments. As just one among 7 billion human beings, who all want to live a happy life, I’m committed to helping people understand that this can be achieved if they cultivate a calm, happy mind based on love and compassion. Simply put, if you can be compassionate and warm-hearted, you’ll be happy.

“Secondly, as a Buddhist monk I feel a moral responsibility to promote inter-religious harmony. On a philosophical level there are all sorts of differences between religious traditions, but the common message of them all is the importance of cultivating love. I’m convinced that religious harmony is possible—look at India where so many religious traditions have lived side by side for thousands of years. Because I value religious harmony I’m happy to meet members of other faiths, so it’s a real honour for me to meet you Shia brothers and sisters today.

“These days to see people fighting and killing each other in the name of religion, whether in Egypt, Burma or Afghanistan, is really unthinkable. Next week in Delhi I’ll be attending a meeting to celebrate diversity among Indian Muslims. I’ve heard no reports of friction between Sunnis and Shias in India, so I’ve encouraged my friends in Ladakh to take more active steps to reconcile differences between their brothers and sisters of different denominations.

“When I meet people of different spiritual traditions, I remember that at a fundamental level we’re all the same as human beings. In the part of Tibet where I was born, we had Muslim neighbours and as children we played together joyfully with no differences between us. Once I reached Lhasa, our capital city, with the name Dalai Lama, I found there was a small Muslim community there too. They’d been there since the time of the 5th Dalai Lama who gave them land on which to build a mosque. There were almost no reports of disputes between local Buddhists and these Muslims, who were peaceable, cooked delicious food and spoke with an impeccable Central Tibetan dialect.

“I’m looking forward to the coming meeting and hope that representatives of the embassies of various Muslim countries will also attend. I believe it will be an opportunity to promote religious harmony.”

Among the questions put to him, His Holiness was asked if Buddhists don’t believe in God, how do they account for creation? He replied that like Jains, Buddhists believe in life after life with no beginning. Whether you have a happy or difficult life depends on how you’ve conducted yourself before. Being kind and compassionate to others and avoiding doing them harm are good causes for a happy life in the future. The important thing is to make life meaningful—His Holiness mentioned that he appreciates how thinking of your fellow beings as children of a merciful God can help you do that.

Asked his response to the harassment of Muslims in Burma His Holiness explained that when he first heard about it he was in Washington DC. He expressed his sadness at what was happening and appealed to the Burmese Buddhists not only to remember the Buddha, but also to reflect that if he was there, he would have protected these Muslims. His Holiness explained that he had also expressed his dismay to Aung San Suu Kyi, who replied that the situation was very difficult and there wasn’t much she could do. As a mark of his sympathy and concern for the well-being of these displaced people, he directed the Gaden Phodrang Foundation of the Dalai Lama to make a donation towards their relief and rehabilitation through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The Iranians showed their appreciation with another burst of applause.

Before the occasion came to an end, the visitors gathered around His Holiness in smaller groups to have their photographs taken together—clearly very happy to have met him.

Original link & photos: https://www.dalailama.com/news/2019/meeting-members-of-the-iranian-impacters-club

Dalai Lama Meets with US Congressional Delegation

US Congressional Delegation Given a Warm Welcome at Thekchen Chöling

Thekchen Chöling, Dharamsala, HP, India - The yard before the Tsuglagkhang was packed with people today, mostly Tibetans, from all walks of life, eager to greet a US Bipartisan Congressional Delegation led by Representatives Nancy Pelosi and Jim Sensenbrenner. The delegation arrived for a two day visit yesterday. They met His Holiness the Dalai Lama and had lunch with him. In the afternoon they visited the Tibetan Children’s Village School and later met with the Kashag and leaders from among Tibetan Women. In the evening they were invited to dinner by the Central Tibetan Administration and were entertained at the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA).

Banners depicting His Holiness the Dalai Lama meeting with four US Presidents inscribed “Thank you USA” flew overhead and the podium below the temple was flanked by the Snowlion Flag and the Stars & Stripes. As the delegates began to arrive and take their seats, applause rippled through the crowd. Everyone stood as His Holiness and Nancy Pelosi walked through the yard together. They remained standing as the Tibetan National Anthem was played and President Lobsang Sangay hoisted the Tibetan flag. Led by four Geshe-mas and singers from TIPA everyone took part in singing a moving rendition of the Prayer of the Words of Truth.

In a stirring opening address President Lobsang Sangay paid tribute to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, asserting that the Dalai Lamas and the Tibetan people are inseparable from one another—“As long as there is a Tibet, Chenresig will be there.” He went on to express his gratitude for the delegation’s visit that he said sent a message of encouragement to Tibetans in Tibet, an indication of the importance of justice to China and a sign of friendship and support for Tibetans to the rest of the world.

President Sangay voiced his admiration for Nancy Pelosi as a politician who does more than “talk the talk”, she also “walks the walk”. He mentioned her visit to Tibet during which she bluntly told the Chinese authorities, “His Holiness the Dalai Lama commands the respect of people around the world, including us.”

He mentioned the 147 Tibetans who have committed self-immolation in their determination to demonstrate to the world that the occupation of Tibet is unacceptable and the oppression there is unbearable. He added:

“The Tibetan spirit will survive because of the support of friends like you who acknowledge and support the justice of our cause. There has been American support for Tibet since President Franklin Roosevelt sent a watch and a letter to His Holiness when he was young. In 2002 the Tibetan Policy Act was passed and we hope that a new coordinator for Tibet will soon be appointed. You have also given us financial support for which we are grateful.”

President Sangay stated that just as Nelson Mandela had eventually walked free and restored democracy to South Africa, just as Aung San Suu Kyi had eventually walked free in Burma and just as the Good Friday agreement had eventually been signed in Northern Ireland, he was convinced that Tibet’s day too will come because Tibetans have friends like those in the delegation. He looked forward to His Holiness the Dalai Lama walking free in the streets of Lhasa and giving the Kalachakra Empowerment before the Potala Palace, where Tibetan and Chinese Buddhists alike will receive it.

“On that happy day, when the dreams of the Tibetan people are fulfilled and the bell of freedom chimes in Tibet, we will invite you to join us again. Justice and freedom will prevail in Tibet thanks to our friends’ support. Long live His Holiness the Dalai Lama.”

Representative Jim Sensenbrenner, a Republican who has represented Wisconsin’s 5th district for 38 years, expressed pride at being able to speak in His Holiness‘s presence. He assured the crowd that Republicans and Democrats support Tibet, have great respect for His Holiness the Dalai Lama and share a wish for the Tibetan people to be free. He added that they support religious freedom and the notion that where there is no justice there is no freedom.

A performance of the Women’s Empowerment Song by artists from TIPA was introduced with the remark that empowerment of women has brought happiness to many different parts of the world.

Representative Jim McGovern from Massachusetts told His Holiness, “We believe in you and we stand with you, President Lobsang Sangay and the Tibetan people. We look forward to your being able to return to Tibet, to the release of political prisoners, including the 11th Panchen Lama. And we call on the US Government to meet regularly with you and President Sangay. We support dialogue between Chinese and Tibetan representatives, knowing that the world will not get better on its own.”

Khenpo Sonam Tenphel, Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile, made his remarks in English. He welcomed Nancy Pelosi and the other members of the delegation. He pointed out that human rights in Tibet have not improved. Religious freedom continues to be violated and restrictions on Tibetan language and culture remain in place. Tibetans face social discrimination, while the natural environment faces severe damage. “We need your support,” he concluded.

Representative Elliot Engel from New York told the crowd, “It’s good to see you, just as it was good to see the children at the school yesterday. We believe in freedom and democracy for all people—Tibetans too. In New York, where I’m from, stands the Statue of Liberty, and Tibetans have the same wish for freedom as everyone else who looks to that statue for inspiration. Self-determination is very important. Tibetans should be allowed to decide their own future. The American people will not forget you. When we get back to Washington we’ll do what we can to help you.”

From Seattle, Representative Pramila Jayapal said that to be among this delegation visiting His Holiness and the Tibetan community was a great honour. “Your Holiness, you are a beacon of hope for people all over the world looking for peace and justice. I was born in India and on this Buddha Purnima day I’d like to tell you I’m proud of the help my birth country has given the Tibetan community. Back in the US Congress we’ll raise our voices for Tibetans to follow their religion and culture in peace.”

Representative Nancy Pelosi began her address with a little Tibetan. “To each of you personally I say ‘Tashi Delek.’ From right across America we bring you greetings from the American people. We express bipartisan support for the aspirations of the Tibetan people.

“His Holiness is a visionary, a man of compassion. He inspires us with his sense of hope, his belief in the power of compassion and that people are good. You have such a determination to preserve your Tibetan identity. We look forward to your being able to return to Tibet. Betty McCullum, Jim McGovern and I went to the Potala in Tibet and prayed that His Holiness be able to return there. We are so inspired by his message of hope and dignity for all peoples. We feel that if we don’t support Tibet we have no moral authority.

“I say to some in China, we hope you’ll see the light. Something is missing in Tibet. Some in China regard freedom as inconceivable. We see it as inevitable. We will succeed.”

Finally, His Holiness was invited to address the gathering, which he did in Tibetan.

“Today I wish to greet all of you Tibetans who are actually gathered here, young and old, monastics as well as lay-people, all those who are not here but live in free countries and those of you who live in fear and anxiety in Tibet. According to archaeological findings there have been Tibetans in Tibet for almost 30,000 years, one of the oldest civilizations. In 1959, many of us came into exile. All we knew for sure was the sky above and the earth below. We had no idea what would happen to us. We lived in fear and unease.

“After 58 years we have made friends with people we didn’t know before. People support us not for reasons of economic or political influence, not because we are poor, but because they believe in justice. This delegation from the USA, led by Nancy Pelosi, who has been my friend for a long time, supports us because we have truth on our side and because we are non-violent. Support for us, even among Chinese people, has increased because we are looking for a mutually beneficial solution. We attract support because of the candour and compassion for others to which we are accustomed.

“Human conflict cannot finally be resolved through the use of force and resort to weapons. In the 20th century historians estimate 200 million people died through the use of force, but with no positive result. We haven’t resolved problems by force in the past and we won’t in the future. People support Tibetans because of our pursuit of candour, justice and non-violence. These derive from the Nalanda tradition, a tradition rooted in compassion that we have kept alive for more than 1000 years.

“The complete Nalanda tradition has only been preserved in Tibet. It’s something of which we are proud and something that today we can share with others. When we came into exile we seemed helpless, but what we can contribute to the world at large is a raising of awareness of compassion. And by standing by our principles we’ll reach the dawning of a new day for Tibet. Those of you who are determined to defend our cause, despite the difficulties involved, I’d like to thank for your friendship and support.”

His Holiness went on to explain that if we have peace of mind we will not only be happy but will enjoy good health. He said that Tibetan culture focuses on inner transformation. It’s not based on blind faith, but on recognizing the interdependent nature of things. Experience has shown him that what earlier Tibetans preserved and passed down is a wonderful tradition.

“The Chinese people can be our friends. To establish harmony between Tibetans and Chinese we need to reach a mutually beneficial solution.”

As Dhardon Sharling for the Department of Information & International Relations offered an extensive vote of thanks, His Holiness led the delegation upstairs. He took them first into the Kalachakra temple where monks of Namgyal Monastery, led by their Abbot Thomthog Rinpoche, were performing Kalachakra prayers in connection with a fully constructed sand mandala. From there they went to the main temple where His Holiness introduced the various images to them. He explained that depictions of the emaciated ‘fasting Buddha’ are a reminder of the hardship the Buddha underwent to attain enlightenment.

Describing the thousand armed statue of Avalokiteshvara he told the delegates that a similar image standing in the Jokhang in Lhasa was smashed during the Cultural Revolution. Some remnants had been brought to him from Tibet and he showed them two of those faces. Indicating the statue of Guru Padmasambhava he spoke of how the Emperor, Scholar and Adept—Trisong Detsen, Shantarakshita and Padmasambhava—had worked together to establish Buddhism in Tibet in the 8th century CE. Because Shantarakshita was a logician as well as a philosopher, the use of reason and logic had been an integral part of Tibetan Buddhism right from the start.

He related this to what he thinks of as four aspects of the Buddha. He was the founder of Buddhism, certainly, but he was also a philosopher, a thinker and sceptical like a scientist. Because of this he recommended his followers not to accept what he taught at face value, but to investigate it in the light of reason and only then accept it. Nancy Pelosi asked about the scriptures stacked on either side of main Buddha statue and His Holiness told her that about 100 volumes preserve what the Buddha taught, while 225 more contain the treatises of subsequent Indian Buddhist masters.

From the Tsuglagkhang His Holiness and the entire delegation walked back to his residence. They enjoyed tea together before the delegation left for the airport and their flight to Delhi.

original link & photos: https://www.dalailama.com/news/2017/us-congressional-delegation-given-a-warm-welcome-at-thekchen-ch%C3%B6ling

Thousands Welcome His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Oslo

Oslo, Norway, 7 May 2014 - His Holiness the Dalai Lama arrived in Oslo where the questions he was to be asked many times was - what did he feel about the Norwegian Governments declining to meet him?

He replied that such responses have become normal, that he accepts things as they are.

"National interest is important, but I can assure you that the Dalai Lama is not a harmful person. My interest is to meet the public to promote human values, our need to see all 7 billion human beings as members of one family. In the face of major problems, we have to consider what benefits the whole world, not just this country or that. In the long run, we must bring principles and human values to bear in whatever we do, whether it involves politics, business, religion or education. If I had a political agenda, I might feel disappointed, but I don't."

He met with the former Norwegian Prime Minister and the Chairman of the Nobel Committee who noted that it was 25 years since he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his efforts to bring freedom by non-violence to the Tibetan people.

Asked whether he considered the Peace Prize as a blessing or a curse His Holiness replied, "Of course, as a blessing. I remember Archbishop Desmond Tutu, my friend and spiritual brother telling me how difficult it was for him to meet some people before, which became much easier after he was awarded the prize. I was in California attending a conference of scientists when I heard the announcement and I was asked how I felt. I said, 'Not much different, I am a simple Buddhist monk, no more, no less.' But since the prize was in recognition of my commitment to non-violence and my work for peace, I felt it was a great honour.

"Later, when Aung San Suu Kyi and Liu Xiaobo were awarded the Peace Prize and they were in difficult circumstances, I felt it would have been a source of encouragement and inspiration for them."

Asked whether he was disappointed that members of the Norwegian government and the Speaker of parliament would not be meeting him, he replied:

"No, why? My main interest is in the promotion of human values. From birth we have a sense of affection and some sense of concern for others. We need to nurture it. Scientists have found that to ensure even physical health peace of mind is essential. People often think that love and compassion are only matters of religious concern, but in fact such values are necessary in all human relations. As a Buddhist monk, I am also interested in fostering inter-religious harmony.

"Wherever I go my aim is to meet the public. If leaders like President Obama meet with me that's fine, but I don't ever want to put anyone to any inconvenience. When I arrived here today, I was happy to see the large number of ordinary people who came. The world belongs to all of us, not just to our leaders.

When His Holiness was asked whether China's increasing influence was able to limit his and the Tibetan government-in-exile's work, he clarified that he does not refer to the Central Tibetan Administration, which looks after the Tibetan community, in that way. But he laughed and remarked that it seems the more the Chinese government criticize him, the more his popularity grows.

To a question about whether it seems easier or more difficult to resolve differences with the Chinese authorities since he was awarded the Peace Prize, he said that it is nearly 70 years since the formation of the People's Republic of China. Over that period he perceives different eras. So, you see, the same party, with the same ideology has shown that it can adapt to a changing reality. As China opens up, as its students study abroad and are exposed to freedom and a lack of censorship, things are bound to change. Wen Jiabao said China needs political reform, even US style democracy."

On the question of support for human rights in China and Tibet, His Holiness expressed the view that smaller countries, like Norway, may wield more influence because they are not perceived as a threat.

When asked about the 130 self-immolations that have taken place in Tibet, His Holiness said it is very sad and repeated that these drastic actions should be investigated by the Chinese authorities and not blame His Holiness and his supporters.

A journalist mentioned that as a Nobel Laureate, His Holiness is entitled to nominate others to be awarded the Peace Prize and asked if he had done so. His Holiness laughed and said he thought it was the Committee's job to do that. Asked if he thought he would still be able to visit Tibet and the PRC in this life, he replied that if he lives another 15 or 20 years he hopes so, but if he only lives another one or two years there may not be a chance.

"Anyway, if I am able to go, I hope that journalists like all of you will be able to come too."

Original link: http://www.thetibetpost.com/news-in-focus/4025-thousands-welcome-his-holiness-the-dalai-lama-in-oslo

Why the Dalai Lama is Hopeful

“I told President Obama the leaders of the Chinese Communist Party are missing a part of the brain, the part that contains common sense,” the Dalai Lama said to me during our conversation in London Wednesday.

But it can be put back in. I am hopeful about the new Chinese leadership beginning late this year. The Communist leaders now lack self-confidence, but I have heard from my Chinese friends that after a year or two the new ones will take some initiatives, so more freedom, more democracy.

The Dalai Lama, with whom I have been talking periodically since 1981, was in an ebullient mood even for him. He was here referring to his meeting with Obama in 2011. I had asked the Dalai Lama about those national leaders throughout the world, from South Africa to Britain, who refuse to hold formal meetings with him because they fear Beijing’s anger. President Obama declined to meet him in 2009, the first rebuff from an American president since the Tibetan leader began visiting Washington in 1991.

The meeting that finally took place in 2011 was in the White House Map Room rather than the Oval Office, after Beijing had warned against such an encounter: “We firmly oppose any foreign official to meet with the Dalai Lama in any form.” In Britain, Prime Ministers Gordon Brown and David Cameron found other venues for their meetings, far from 10 Downing Street. Two weeks ago Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg held a brief unpublicized meeting with the Dalai Lama who was about to address several thousand admirers in St Paul’s cathedral. All such meetings, including the one at the cathedral, are routinely condemned by Beijing as “hurting the feelings of the Chinese people.”

“If these national leaders don’t see me that’s up to them,” the Dalai Lama said. “But slowly Chinese people realize they have been exploited, censored. The Communists tell them they don’t need Western-style democracy and human rights.’”

In recent months, there have been reports of self-immolations by Tibetans in China, and there are concerns that the human rights situation is worsening. Yet, as in previous meetings, the Dalai Lama reflected without rancor on Chinese Communist rule over Tibet. “What has kept Tibetans going for 2500 years? The Dharma.” This is the traditional Buddhist view of the universe and its principles of human behavior and wisdom. “How old is the Communist Party? Less than 200 years [it was founded in 1921]. Admiration for Tibetans throughout the world is always rising. Attitudes toward the Chinese Communist party, inside and outside China, couldn’t be worse.”

He noted that the Party sees how Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese opposition leader and a fellow Nobel Peace laureate, was admired throughout the world for more than twenty years when she was a captive in Rangoon and now, free at last, is welcome everywhere. She was in London this week, and Beijing cannot have been happy to see her meeting with the Dalai Lama on Wednesday. The Dalai Lama told Suu Kyi that he admired her courage.

The Dalai Lama said that the reason Chinese Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo is serving an eleven year prison sentence for subversion is “because he is not just one individual. There are thousands of intelligent thinking people in China who agree with him that change is necessary.” This means more transparency, he insisted, an end to violence, and a real legal system. “And there are also 1.3 billion other Chinese who because of their great culture have the brains to distinguish right from wrong. More and more they are aware of their rights.” The Party fears them, he added, and Liu is supposed to be a warning, an example, he agreed, of the Chinese saying “Strike the rooster to frighten the monkey.”

Particularly interesting was what the Dalai Lama had to say about the eleventh Panchen Lama, the second most eminent religious figure in Tibetan Buddhism, who has been chosen by the Chinese leadership in Beijing, in an apparent effort to impose further control on Tibet. The authentic eleventh Panchen, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, was chosen by the Dalai Lama in 1995 while the Tibetan leader was in exile in India. In accordance with tradition, he made the choice five years after the tenth incarnation died.

Beijing immediately denounced the choice as illegitimate, kidnapped the child and his family—who have never been seen again—and imprisoned for subversion the abbot of the Tashilunpo monastery, the Panchen’s traditional seat, who had first identified little Choekyi Nyima as a possible eleventh Panchen. Employing “authentic” rituals, the Communist Party then chose its own boy, Gyaincain Norbu. It was only too plain that this rigamarole, as the Dalai Lama has remarked to me over the years, was a dress rehearsal for Beijing to select his own successor, the Fifteenth Dalai Lama, who it hopes will be accepted by Tibetans, as their choice of Panchen has failed to be.

I was surprised, therefore, by the Dalai Lama’s comments about the spurious Panchen. He mentioned 2008, when an uprising swept throughout Tibet proper and regions of China populated by many Tibetans. Chinese properties were destroyed, some Han were killed, and a number of Tibetans are estimated to have been killed at the hands of the Chinese police and army.

“Of course Beijing wanted the boy to denounce the uprising,” the Dalai Lama observed. “But some of his friends have told me that he remains a Tibetan deep inside and preferred to remain silent. Beijing couldn’t use him.”

By Jonathan Mirsky, The New York Review of Books, 6/21/12