Dalai Lama in Discussions with Youth Leaders from Conflict Zones

His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Discussions with Youth Leaders from Conflict Zones

Thekchen Chöling, Dharamsala, HP, India - For the third year in a row the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) has brought a group of youth leaders from conflict zones to meet His Holiness the Dalai Lama. USIP is a nonpartisan and independent institution tasked with promoting national security and global stability by reducing violent conflicts abroad.

Led by USIP President Nancy Lindborg, the 27 youth leaders, and three who came last year but who are now assisting as trainers, came from 12 different countries: Afghanistan, Burma, the Central African Republic, Colombia, Iraq, Libya, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Tunisia and Venezuela.

When His Holiness entered the room today he bid them all, "Good morning," and shook hands with members of the morning's first panel.

"I really enjoy this kind of meeting," he told them. "My main practice is to dedicate my body, speech and mind to the benefit of others. I can't help any of you by cleaning your houses, but at least I can smile. Usually one smile invokes another. It's quite rare for a smile to be met with a frown. And just as I dedicate my physical actions to the benefit of others, so do I direct my speech, but the main thing is that I dedicate my mind to fulfilling others' well-being—not just today, but for as long as space remains. However, when I sit in meditation I'm by myself, but when I'm with people like you I can smile and use my voice too. Thank you for giving me this opportunity."

Nancy Lindborg guided the conversation by calling on youth leaders to introduce themselves and put their questions to His Holiness. The first, posed by a delegate from Venezuela, was about whether it is possible to achieve peace when you have no freedom.

"There are different levels of peace," His Holiness told her, describing his own experience of life in a conflict zone. "When Chinese Communists first invaded Tibet their control of the country was not so tight. In 1954 I went to Beijing to attend the People's Congress. I met Chairman Mao several times. He didn't conduct himself like a political leader. He behaved like an old farmer who'd become a revolutionary. I developed some respect for him and the other party leaders I met. We discussed the history of the revolution and Marx's ideas. I was attracted then as now to his socio-economic theories, especially the notion of equal distribution.

"However, during the Bolshevik Revolution, Lenin spoiled things with his war-time mentality and the perpetuation of secrecy, suspicion and suppression. These attitudes led directly to totalitarianism. Eventually Stalin made things worse. Nevertheless, I found that in the early years, Chinese revolutionary leaders were really dedicated, but once they tasted power it seems exercising it became more important than ideology. This is what produced the Cultural Revolution. Good, straightforward, honest people were dismissed, while cunning individuals like Zhou Enlai survived.

"As I returned home in 1955 I met General Zhang Guohua on the way and told him that when I set out the previous year I had been apprehensive, but I was returning full of confidence. Yet from 1956 onwards it seems the Chinese officials grew more suspicious of me. At the same time, reform was ruthlessly imposed, starting in Eastern Tibet, which caused the people to revolt. However, the former servants of Tibetan feudal landlords showed them kindness by letting them know when they were about to be subjected to class-struggle sessions enabling some of them to escape to India.

"Many people fled Eastern Tibet and congregated in Lhasa. In 1959, when the Chinese invited me to attend some dance performance, the public were very suspicious and surrounded the Norbulingka Palace to protect me. I tried to reassure them and wrote letters to the Chinese to no avail. I received a message from a former high Tibetan official asking me to identify where I was staying in the Norbulingka, but it wasn't clear whether the purpose was to protect or target me. On 17th March we decided to leave. On 20th March Chinese forces bombarded Lhasa and incidentally shelled my residence at Norbulingka. It seems the decision to escape was correct and here in India I've been able to contribute to a greater sense of peace of mind."

His Holiness went on to explain how in exile the focus had been on preserving Tibetan culture and identity by educating Tibetan children. He called this a realistic approach mentioning that resorting to anger and violence is self-destructive and leads to harsher suppression. He stressed that violence is the wrong method to bring about change. Nancy Lindborg added that USIP has evidence to that non-violence is consistently more effective in the long run.

His Holiness noted that there are now estimated to be 400 million Buddhists in China, many of whom appreciate the value of Tibetan Buddhism. He remarked that while the Chinese could bring material development and physical comfort to Tibet, Tibetans can offer China spiritual development and peace of mind. The key, he said, is to remain determined, to be realistic and to take action.

"We have recorded ancient Indian knowledge of the workings of the mind and emotions in the books we translated from Sanskrit. We address problems by tackling the mind and emotions and building inner strength. After 70 years, employing all kinds of methods, the Chinese have failed to dent the Tibetan spirit."

Responding to a question about the role of women, His Holiness observed that women have been shown to be more sensitive to others' suffering. Conversely, heroes celebrated for killing their opponents are almost always men. In a Buddhist context, he said, we refer to other beings as ‘all mother sentient beings' in acknowledgment of their kindness. He reiterated advice he often gives about the need to see more women in leadership roles and more closely involved in education about compassion. He quoted former President of Ireland and human rights campaigner, Mary Robinson, as referring to him as a ‘feminist Dalai Lama'.

His Holiness confirmed the importance of using technology wherever possible to overcome a lack of knowledge. He recalled that in Tibet the primary source of news from the outside world was the Muslim traders who travelled to and from India. He observed that people in more isolated countries are more likely to think in terms of one truth, one religion. This approach is fine on a personal level, he said, but the reality of the world we live in is that there are several major religions and truth can have many aspects.

Noting that many problems we face arise from a basic lack of moral principles, His Holiness recommended training the mind, cultivating a deeper concern for the well-being of others. Such concern arises naturally when we regard other people as brothers and sisters.

“We have to remember that each and every one of us is a part of humanity. We need to be determined to achieve positive change, but also need to be able to take a long view of what needs to be done. What is important is not to become demoralized. Optimism leads to success; pessimism leads to defeat. One person can be the source of inspiration for many others. Those of us who practise Buddhism aim to achieve Buddhahood, which is almost impossible for most of us, but the very aspiration gives us inner strength.

“This kind of meeting gives me confidence that we are waking up. We can achieve change in the world. We can cause the seeds of good to grow. We need to be firm in our aims and tackle them together. Some years ago, a meeting of Nobel Peace Laureates agreed on the urgent need to eliminate nuclear weapons, but if such a goal is to be achieved we need set a timetable and stick to it, attracting others to the cause.”

A youth leader from South Sudan who came to Dharamsala last year and who has returned this year as a trainer gave a brief appraisal of the two meetings she had attended with His Holiness.

“I was here last year and I’m so happy to have been able to come back again. I feel you live by what you say. You are a world leader we can relate to. Your peace of mind is an inspiration. I see all of us going back like Dalai Lamas to bring peace to our own places. I’m happy to know that you are a feminist Dalai Lama. Thank you for sparing some of your time for us here.”

Answering a final question about peace-building His Holiness declared,

“Ideas may travel from the top down, but the movements that will put them into effect have to work from the bottom up. I am very encouraged to see how young people like you are trying to bring about positive change. We have good grounds to be confident because our efforts are based on truth and reason—therefore we will succeed. 

“We are working for the good of humanity. I don’t think of myself just as a Tibetan or a Buddhist, but as a human being. We have to think of the whole of humanity. Being human is the common ground in our efforts to create a better world. Remember, we all survive in dependence on others.”

Nancy Lindborg expressed thanks to everyone who had contributed to making the meetings fruitful including the staff of His Holiness’s Office, of USIP and Radio Free Asia. She offered His Holiness a USIP peace cap, which he put on with a smile. His parting advice was that this kind of meeting comes about as a result of the co-operation of individuals.

“Everyone wants to live a happy life, but many don’t know how it’s to be done. In time, and with effort, we can change that.”

original link & photos: https://www.dalailama.com/news/2018/his-holiness-the-dalai-lama-in-discussions-with-youth-leaders-from-conflict-zones

Dalai Lama Discusses Refugees in Europe, Human Rights, Social Media & More

Dialogue with Students and Public Talk

Frankfurt, Germany - To begin with this morning, he met with a diverse group of Chinese, Mongols and Uyghurs —scholars, students and business-people, telling them that Tibetans were willing to remain with the People’s Republic of China (PRC). He also mentioned that when he first met Uyghur leader Rebiya Kadeer she spoke of using violence to achieve independence, but he persuaded her to pursue the path of non-violence instead. In due course she also adopted autonomy as her goal.

His Holiness was asked about the declining situation of human rights in China, exemplified in the death of Liu Xiaobo. He answered that he had heard that Xi Jinping had been taken aback by the strength of opposition to reform among the old guard in the Party. He mentioned the hope that during the forthcoming Party congress, when many elderly members of the Politburo will retire, they will be replaced by new faces. Opportunities for change may then occur. He noted that many educated Chinese support the Middle Way Approach, adding that governments come and go, but the people remain. He remarked that Chinese-Tibetan relations are more than 2000 years old, whereas the Chinese Communist Party has existed for less than a century.

Asked how progress can be made, His Holiness suggested that just as he has engaged in fruitful dialogue with scientists for more than 30 years, it’s important that Chinese and Tibetans in exile, students in particular, get to know each other better. These days, as fewer people in the world talk about human rights in Tibet and Xinjiang, it would be helpful to revive the association of Tibetans, Mongols and Uyghurs, focussing on rights and the preservation of cultural identity. His Holiness approved of a suggestion to erect statues of Liu Xiaobo to prevent memory of him being erased, proposing that Chinatown in New York would be a worthwhile location.

A drive through steady rain brought His Holiness to the Jahrhunderthalle, the Century Hall. 1600 students from 60 schools in and around the state of Hesse had gathered there to listen to his conversation with 10 of their number who would put their questions to him.

“Brothers and sisters,” he began, “I’m extremely happy to have this opportunity to talk you young students. I believe all 7 billion of us are the same as human beings. Many of the problems we face are of our own making. Why? Because we continue to think in terms of my people, my nation, my religion, focussing on the secondary differences between us.

“We can’t change the past, but we’re still able to shape the future. Since I was born in 1935 I’ve been witness to continuing violence and war. We are sitting peacefully and amicably together here, but elsewhere on this planet other human beings are suffering—being killed and dying of starvation. Can we remain indifferent? We need to remember the oneness of humanity and that we are all brothers and sisters. Those of you who belong to the 21st century have a responsibility to create a more peaceful world. If you start now and make an effort you may see such change in your lifetimes, although I won’t live to see it. The peace of mind that will be its foundation will require a combination of warm-heartedness and intelligence.”

Asked how to proceed, His Holiness stressed the need to improve education. He said that where in the past the church took care of inculcating human values, religious influence has declined. Now there’s a need for far-sighted vision and enthusiasm to incorporate ethical principles into mainstream education.

Questioned about the refugee problems in Europe, His Holiness clarified that most of them have fled their own countries because of unrest there. He compared contemporary refugees to Tibetans who have always expected ultimately to return to Tibet. Refugees today, he said, should be given shelter and provided with education and training for the young so that when peace is restored in their homelands they can return to rebuild them.

His Holiness highlighted a change in attitudes between the early 20th century, when everyone proudly joined up when war was declared, to the opposition to war, violence and nuclear weapons at the end. The manifest desire for peace is encouraging, he said, noting that the Berlin wall fell not as a result of the use of force, but due to popular will. He expressed his admiration for the spirit of the European Union, which has countered a sense of ‘them’ and ‘us’, the source of division.

“Our basic human nature is warm-hearted,” His Holiness asserted. “Without it we can’t survive. But we must also use our intelligence, asking ourselves, for example if anger is of any use. The answer is that it destroys our peace of mind. Women are prone to use make up to enhance their prettiness, but if their expressions are angry, no one will want to look at them.”

In the context of learning from experience, His Holiness described three steps to developing clearer understanding. The first is to read about or listen to what others say. The next is to think about it until it is clear in your mind and the third is to become so thoroughly familiar with this conviction that it becomes part of your experience.

Challenged to say whether freedom or security was more important, His Holiness replied:

“Freedom—because of our natural ingenuity. We have great potential for creativity which requires freedom if we are to avoid stagnation. Security is sometimes cited as protecting that creativity, but it should not be in terms of restraining our thinking. Totalitarian systems typically link security to restrictions.”

His Holiness told another student that human beings’ highest goal is the achievement of happiness.

Regarding social media he said that it’s important not to become a slave to such opportunities or the technology that supports them, but to employ them with intelligence, seeking not to be manipulated by them. He ended the meeting by recommending that the students think about what they had heard. If they approved of it and valued it, he said, they should try to implement it in their lives and share what they had understood with others. He added, nevertheless, that if it meant nothing to them, they were welcome to forget it.

Addressing almost 3000 people after lunch, His Holiness again stressed the need to overcome a tendency to dwell on secondary differences and realize that we are fundamentally the same in being human. He stressed the importance of creating a happier, more peaceful world, of acknowledging the oneness of humanity. He pointed out that when we go to hospital, no one asks where we are from or what we believe. We are received as patients in need of treatment.

“Similarly, if, lost in the wilderness, we finally see someone else in the distance, our first thought will not be to ask where they are from or to what race or religion they belong to, but relief at encountering another human being.”

His Holiness repeated his admiration for the spirit of the European Union and the sense of good neighbourliness it entails. He looked forward to such a union evolving in Africa, Latin America and Asia. He suggested that the mutual respect involved naturally leads to trust and more friendly relations, whereas suspicion leads to trouble. He reiterated that seeing others in terms of ‘them’ and ‘us’ only results in further division. Therefore, cultivating a sense of the oneness of humanity is crucial for peace in the wider world.

Among questions from the audience, His Holiness was asked how to deal with fear. He answered that some fear, such as fear of a mad dog, is valuable and well-founded. However, there is also fear rooted in thinking too much about ourselves. When that arises, he suggested, it could be fun to ask yourself where or what is the ‘I’ you are so worried about.

His Holiness’s answer to why people are so greedy was that they lack basic moral principles and a respect for the rights of others. They fail to understand that real happiness is related to the mind rather than to physical satisfaction.

When a member of the audience asked him to pray for her after coming through great difficulties, he told her he would, adding that his daily prayer is:

For as long as space endures

And for as long as living beings remain,

Until then may I too abide

To dispel the misery of the world.

Finally, to end a long day, His Holiness spoke to 1500 Tibetans from various parts of Northern Europe. He praised their continuing sense of being Tibetan wherever they live now and thanked them for the loyalty and unwavering faith. He reaffirmed that it is the continuing determination of Tibetans in Tibet that enables those is exile to also keep their spirits up.

He reviewed what has been achieved in exile in terms of keeping Tibetan Buddhist culture, the Nalanda Tradition, alive by extending opportunities for rigorous study. He stressed that only Tibetans maintain an approach to the Buddha’s teachings based on scepticism, logic and reason. Besides that he asserted that the Tibetan language is the medium through which the Buddha’s teachings can be most accurately expressed. In addition, the detailed explanations of the workings of the mind and emotions found in Buddhist literature are of crucial relevance today. This, he declared, is something to be proud of.

His Holiness recounted an occasion earlier this year flying from Guwahati to Dibrugarh in a small plane during a storm when the turbulence made him fear for his life. Telling them his main concern was for what the six million Tibetans who have vested their hopes in him would do if he were to meet with an accident, the audience applauded. He assured them that his health is good and that he may live another 15-20 years, during which time there could be positive change for Tibet. Before waving goodbye, he urged them to be happy and at ease.

original link & photos: https://www.dalailama.com/news/2017/dialogue-with-students-and-public-talk-frankfurt-germany-13-september-2017-yesterday-technical-problems-delayed-his-holiness-the-dalai-lamas-fight-from-derry-northern-ireland-to-frankfurt-and-he-eventually-took-off-in-pouring-rain-when-he-landed

His Holiness the Dalai Lama Visits St Xavier’s College Mumbai

Mumbai, India, 23 January 2013 - His Holiness the Dalai Lama fulfilled a long-standing invitation and visited St Xavier’s, the venerable Roman Catholic college in the heart of Mumbai. The principal, Fr Frazer Mascarenhas escorted him from his car into the main courtyard, which erupted in cheers as excited students, not only on the ground, but also at the windows and balconies of the upper floors, called out their warm welcome.

When he entered the hall where he was invited to speak, the audience were again welcoming in a way that seemed not just curious, but genuinely pleased to see him.

In his brief words of introduction, Fr Frazer said,

“We share in the Jesuit tradition. We strive not only for academic excellence, but also to enrich the heart and spirit. We are grateful to see you here, for you are one of the few people alive today who are like a conscience for the world. We believe you have a message for the twenty-first century.”

His Holiness responded in a characteristic way, “Spiritual brothers and sisters, young brothers and sisters, when I meet other people like you, I always think we are the same as human beings. This is important. Today, we 7 billion human beings are all the same, emotionally, mentally and physically. We all want to live a happy and successful life and we all have a right to do so.”

He explained that despite this we face many problems and many of them are our own creation. Why? Because we focus on the secondary differences between us - race, nationality or faith and within them whether we are rich or poor, educated or uneducated. At the same time we neglect the fact that we are all members of one human family. We bully, cheat and exploit each other. When this is what goes on, how can we be happy?

He said we are now in the twenty-first century and with our education and all our technical development we ought to be happier, but often even the well-off are unhappy inside. They are stressed, frustrated, mistrustful and suspicious. Yet, we human beings are social animals; we have to live in communities.

Material development alone will not make human beings happier. His Holiness mentioned that he sometimes wonders if animals, when they are not living under threat or danger, are not more content and peaceful than human beings. On the other hand, we have intelligence, this wonderful human brain. And the key to opening up our intelligence is education. But our modern education system often seems to have something missing. It lacks a moral outlook. Today, intelligent, educated people completely devoid of values are not unusual. He mentioned the perpetrators of the 11th September attack on New York as an example. The people who planned that were very sharp. Dull individuals could not have pulled it off, but the result was appalling.

“We need not only a trained intelligence, but also a warm heart. Then a sense of community and a sense of responsibility will arise naturally. Besides imparting knowledge, you Jesuits take care of our moral well being. Christians have made a great contribution to providing an all round education in so many parts of the world. It no longer surprises me to find that in places where people are deeply impoverished, there are Christian brothers and sisters working to uplift the poor and needy.”

Meanwhile, he added, there are also missionaries who explicitly seek to convert others to their faith and of that he does not approve. He says this only leads to trouble. Faith is a matter for personal and individual decision. Fostering harmony among spiritual traditions is one of his life commitments. And in this respect India observes a 1000 year old tradition of different religions live amicably side by side. During his travels abroad, His Holiness often points to India as an example of living religious harmony. This is not just some ancient custom, but something of immediate significance today. The essence of spiritual practice in terms of love, compassion, tolerance and contentment are part of a common message that is supported by various different philosophical points of view.

His Holiness declared that our religious traditions provide humanity with tremendous benefit and he envisages they will continue to do so into the future. However, of the 7 billion people alive today, apparently 1 billion consider themselves to be irreligious. Of the remaining 6 billion, many appear not to be sincere about the faith they profess. Here in India, which is a deeply religious country, countless families make prayers and offerings every day before a religious image or symbol. But when we look at how they lead their day to day lives, we have to wonder if what they are saying is not, “Please bless me that my corrupt and exploitative work is successful. How can you ask god something like that?”

The challenge today, he said, is to convince such people of the value of truth, honesty, compassion and a concern for others. How can we do this? Education has universal appeal. We need to find ways to introduce warm-heartedness into education. One way to do this is to show that warm-heartedness is the source of inner peace, that it brings inner strength and confidence. Today, scientific findings suggest that living in constant fear and anger eats up our immune system, with negative consequences for our physical health.

He also spoke of reading a report that people who tell lies tend to experience greater stress.

“I have some experience of this myself. Between 1952 and 1958, when Tibet was first dominated by Chinese Communist officials, I often had to smile and lie about how wonderful things were. Then in 1959 I escaped from Lhasa and came to India. For nine years I lived like a hypocrite and only shook it off when I reached the freedom of India. “My life has not been easy. At 16 I lost my freedom and at 24 I lost my country. Now in my homeland Tibet, things have if anything got worse. Tibetans continue to place their trust in me, so I carry a heavy responsibility.”

He told the story of one of his attendant monks who was imprisoned for 18 years in a Chinese prison, but who eventually came to India during one of the brief opportunities in the 1980s. During a  conversation with His Holiness this monk mentioned that he had been in danger several times while he was in prison. Thinking he meant a danger to his life, His Holiness asked what he meant and he said that he had been in danger of losing patience and abandoning his sense of compassion for his Chinese gaolers. This His Holiness considers to be an example of spiritual practice in action.

Students asked a series of intelligent questions. The first was about moral values to which he said that what brings joy can be seen as good and what brings pain can be seen as negative. What we have to do is to learn how to abandon the negative and foster the good. Just as observe physical hygiene for our physical health, we need to develop an emotional hygiene for our mental health.

As a proponent of non-violence, His Holiness was asked if the use of force can ever be justified. He replied,

“Violence creates more suffering. War is legalized and organized violence. In ancient times communities could afford to think of themselves as isolated, but today climate change and difficulties in the global economy have no regard for national boundaries; they affect us all. Our interests are bound up with others. For this reason war is out of date. The twentieth century was an era of violence and bloodshed. We should hope the twenty-first century can be different. It should instead be a century of dialogue.

“Theoretically speaking, in the Buddhist view, the difference between non-violence and violence lies in the motivation not so much the action. I hope that young people today can cultivate a vision not only that disputes and conflicts are solved through dialogue, but also that our world in future will become demilitarized.”

Another questioner asked about science and spirituality and His Holiness talked about the six day meeting he has just attended between scientists and monastics at Drepung, one of the monasteries re established in Karnataka. Asked about how to balance materialism and spirituality, he said that spirituality deals with ways to achieve peace of mind, whereas materialism is about physical comfort. We need both. But we also have to address such difficulties as the huge gap between rich and poor.

His Holiness ended with an appeal.

“Young people, those of us here today who are over 50 or 60 years old belong to the twentieth century a time that his gone, that we cannot change. It’s a memory that at best we can learn from. I believe that those of you who belong to the twenty-first century must cultivate a vision that this can be century of compassion, an era in which man made problems are reduce and peace prospers. You are the ones who can act and bring about change; those of us belong to the twenty-first century must cultivate a vision that this can be century of compassion, an era in which man made problems are reduce and peace prospers. You are the ones who can act and bring about change; those of us belonging to my generation will remain only as observers of how you get on. The future is in your hands.”