Tibetan religious leader Dalai Lama on Sunday said new Chinese President Xi Jinping “seems more realistic” as he is interested in knowing facts. But, hardliner Chinese Communists were bent on suppressing the Tibetans and their rich Tibetan Buddhist culture and heritage, he said.
The Dalai Lama called for resolving the Tibet issue through dialogue and non-violent methods. He, however, said that the non-violent method could not have one-sided victory. One-sided victory or one-sided defeat would only again lead to confrontation and result in more violence, he said.
He called for making the 21st century the century of dialogue towards building the next century as “the century of peace.”
The Dalai Lama, who arrived in the city on Saturday on a three-day visit to Assam and Meghalaya, made these statements while delivering the first LBS Founders’ Commemorative Lecture organised in memory of Bichitra Nayaran Dutta Borooah and Khagendra Nath Dutta Borooah. His inaugural speech was at the five-day festival of Tibetan Arts and Culture organised by the Friends of Tibet and Tibetans. A large number of Tibetan refugees, besides Buddhist followers from Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and other northeastern States participated.
The Dalai Lama referred to the new Chinese president and his policies when a person from the audience at the memorial lecture asked him whether the Tibetan plateau, known as “the roof of the world” could contribute to management of global climate change. The Dalai Lama said a number of Chinese ecologists, “despite limited freedom of speech” had expressed concern over deforestation in Tibetan plateau. The 78 year-old leader appealed to all for solving the local problems keeping in mind the concern for global problem. He urged them for changing self-centred attitudes.
He said that Tibetan culture was a culture of compassion, non-violence and claimed that Buddhists followers in China were showing more interest in Tibetan Buddhist culture.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi hoped that the State needed the Dalai Lama’s blessings and message of peace for fostering harmony and brotherhood. His blessings would go a long way to end insurgency and other problems. Arunachal Pradesh Tourism Minister Pema Khandu, who is also the chairman of the festival organising committee, said that the festival was organised to express solidarity with the Tibetan cause and to make people aware of the unique Tibetan culture, heritage, language and spiritual tradition.
