The Dalai Lama, the spiritual and temporal leader of the Tibetan people, spoke of cultivating global peace through compassion at the MCI Center yesterday.
Tenzin Gyatso is believed by the Buddhist people to be the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. In 1959, nine years after Tibet was invaded by China, the Dalai Lama was forced into exile in India. Since then, he has advocated for global peace, the promotion of human values and religious harmony for all people.
"The world is really [a] big human family," the Dalai Lama said. "The whole world is just one body ... destruction of other selves is destruction of yourself." Genuine, lasting world peace can only be attained by finding peace within, he said. Part of finding this inner-peace involves learning compassion.
The Dalai Lama stressed that there are different types of compassion. The kind of compassion people feel to those close to them is mixed with attachment, and thereby brings suffering, according to the Buddhist faith. True compassion, according to the Dalai Lama, is wishing for other people to be happy and to overcome suffering.
"Genuine compassion should be unbiased," he said.
The Dalai Lama also said that with compassion comes inner strength. Quoting a scientific study he read, the Dalai Lama said he found it interesting that the part of the brain that is activated when people are being compassionate is related to the part of the brain that controls motor skills. He said this made sense to him because compassion brings people strength and makes them want to reach out and help others.
The Dalai Lama also commented on the current political unrest in Tibet. He said he is noticing many more Chinese people sharing an interest and genuine concern for Tibet. He said he found this to be a hopeful sign for Tibet's future.
The Dalai Lama also responded to criticism of his Middle Way approach policy. He created the policy in 1979 as a positive reaction to Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping's message saying that, except for independence, all other issues concerning Tibet can be discussed and resolved, according to a brochure distributed at the talk. The Middle Way Approach policy specifically announced the Dalai Lama's willingness to reach a solution between Tibet and China, based on genuine autonomy for Tibetans within the framework of the People's Republic of China, according to the brochure.
"Tibet belongs to the Tibetan people, not me," he said.
Prior to the Dalai Lama's speech, representatives from different areas in Tibet, East Turkestan and Mongolia came onstage to present gifts to the leader in honor of his 70th birthday. The Dalai Lama blessed each one of them and later commented on the significance of the physical as well as spiritual crossing the representatives had made to come see him.
The International Campaign for Tibet and the Mind and Life Institute co-sponsored the event. The ICT is an organization that works to promote human rights and democratic freedoms for the people of Tibet. The Mind and Life Institute is a non-profit organization, co-founded by the Dalai Lama in 1987, which fosters dialogue and research between modern science and Buddhism.
