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A peaceful plea for his homeland The Dalai Lama pleads for Tibetan Buddhism's acceptance as part of the human family with a unique perspective for an emerging global society Friday, November 13, 1998 By Greg Victor, Post-Gazette International Editor
At a lunchtime address before an eclectic Downtown crowd of politicians, business leaders and followers of Buddha, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama yesterday appealed for help in preserving Tibetan tradition -- against Chinese repression and modern thinking that places science above spirituality.
He said it is a perspective that sees people as naturally gentle, not aggressive, for instance. And he argued that that is a view confirmed by modern science, of all things, which has shown that babies grow better brains and friendlier attitudes if they are touched frequently, and that monkeys separated from their mothers turn aggressive and mean.
It is a perspective that sees religion as naturally diverse, he said. Again, he reached for an example in science -- biodiversity, in which the unique gene pools of even the smallest islands or rain forests hold promise of producing new medicines or materials.
It is a perspective that has always seen all people as one family, he said, even as the modern world catches up by creating communication and economic networks that make everyone rely, to some extent, on everyone else.
"Today, everything is interrelated, so violent action not only hurts others, it hurts yourself. Today, the appropriate method is compromise. Where a 100 percent victory for one is a 100 percent defeat for the other is no longer possible. Therefore, you have to compromise, to take into account the well-being of the other party, too. Maybe take 50-50. Maybe even take 40 percent."
That drew a laugh from the 1,000 or so in attendance at the DoubleTree Hotel, courtesy of the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh, as the Dalai Lama seemed to suggest he'd settle for 40 percent in negotiations with China to gain autonomony, if not independence, for Tibet.
China invaded Tibet in 1950 to put down a rebellion and preserve a strategic buffer against India. It began to systematically destroy Tibetan culture, easing up in the late 1970s after the death of Mao Tse-tung in 1976.
Over the years, millions of Chinese have been imported to Tibet to run the economy and political system, often with brutal suppression.
"Tibetan people are in love with their culture, but our new guests came without a proper invitation. They don't see the value of Tibetan culture. They only see the backwardness. So they want to eliminate it all," he said.
Tibetans, on the other hand, appreciate that China has brought modern roads, schools and enterprises to Tibet. Most are willing to let go of their claim of independence, and share China's goal of preserving stability.
But to China, stability means control. It fears that granting Tibet too much autonomy would encourage similar demands in the Muslim northwest and pressure for independence in Taiwan.
"China wants stability and unity but imposition is the wrong way. The totalitarians this century have failed ... Chinese, especially the local officials, take a short view. Stability to them is day-to-day seeing no protests or unrest. They use arrest, torture, bullying.
"But we do not see ourselves as separate. We are willing already to join them -- and not just out of desperation. To join a bigger nation can help us by bringing resources ... It is in our own interest.
"China accuses me of wanting to return to feudalism, of wanting to go home from exile in India as a traditional Tibetan god-king.
"But the institution of the Dalai Lama is up to the Tibetan people. I have said I will forgo political power and devote myself to Buddhist teaching."
China's president, Jiang Zemin, in June offered to open the first direct talks about the status of Tibet if the Dalai Lama would acknowledge Chinese sovereignty over Tibet and Taiwan. There was talk of a potential breakthrough as the Dalai Lama arrived in the United States last week, but China has not responded to Tibetan overtures -- perhaps because of dissension in the government, according to Bunchung Tsering, director of the International Campaign for Tibet.
Too bad for China, not just for Tibet, the Dalai Lama said. Tibet might be able to help China deal with certain problems, such as rampant corruption. External, legal controls have done little good, and Buddhism teaches self-discipline.
"Concepts like karma (in which bad deeds in this life affect future lives) ... this can check corruption. In some places where Marxism has failed, maybe Buddhism can help.
"For humanity in general, Tibetan Buddhist culture can make a little contribution," he said.
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