Thursday, 13 September 2012 15:02 Mizzima News
The Dalai Lama called reports of gross human rights violations in Burma “very unfortunate” and said he has tried to contact pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the Burmese government over the issue.
“Yes, it’s very unfortunate. But no avenue of communication with the Burmese government is open to me. Although I am a Buddhist, very few Buddhist countries, apart from Japan, have given me permission to visit them on pilgrimage,” the Dalai Lama said in an article on the Payul.com website on Wednesday.
“In fact you could say I have greater freedom to visit Christian countries or even a Muslim country like Jordan, than I do to visit most Buddhist countries. The situation with Burma is the same, “ he said.
The Dalai Lama was speaking on the importance of nonviolence at the Jamia Millia Islamia University in New Delhi. He said that he wrote to Aung San Suu Kyi, his only contact in the country, on the issue, but he has not received a response. The two Nobel Peace laureates had recently met for the first time in London.
“Likewise, I asked my representative in Delhi to approach the Burmese Embassy here, but after several weeks we’ve had no response. So there’s little I can do but pray,” the Tibetan spiritual leader said. “If allegations that Buddhist monks have been involved in assaulting these Muslim brothers and sisters turn out to be true, it is totally wrong, “he said.
The 77-year-old Tibetan leader said that trust and friendship were necessary to be a contented human being, which he said tends to develop “much better once we realize that all beings have a right to happiness, just as we do.”
“Taking others’ interests into account not only helps them, it also helps us. Warm-heartedness and concern for others are a part of human nature and are at the core of positive human values,” he said.
Referring to the 20th century as an era of bloodshed, the Dalai Lama said all problems and conflicts must be resolved through peaceful ways and dialogue.
“Nonviolence doesn’t mean we have to passively accept injustice. We have to fight for our rights. We have to oppose injustice, because not to do so would be a form of violence,” the Tibetan spiritual leader said. “Gandhi-ji fervently promoted nonviolence, but that didn’t mean he was complacently accepting of the status quo; he resisted, but he did so without doing harm.”
The Dalai Lama called reports of gross human rights violations in Burma “very unfortunate” and said he has tried to contact pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the Burmese government over the issue.
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| Photo: Dalai Lama / Google+ |
“Yes, it’s very unfortunate. But no avenue of communication with the Burmese government is open to me. Although I am a Buddhist, very few Buddhist countries, apart from Japan, have given me permission to visit them on pilgrimage,” the Dalai Lama said in an article on the Payul.com website on Wednesday.
“In fact you could say I have greater freedom to visit Christian countries or even a Muslim country like Jordan, than I do to visit most Buddhist countries. The situation with Burma is the same, “ he said.
The Dalai Lama was speaking on the importance of nonviolence at the Jamia Millia Islamia University in New Delhi. He said that he wrote to Aung San Suu Kyi, his only contact in the country, on the issue, but he has not received a response. The two Nobel Peace laureates had recently met for the first time in London.
“Likewise, I asked my representative in Delhi to approach the Burmese Embassy here, but after several weeks we’ve had no response. So there’s little I can do but pray,” the Tibetan spiritual leader said. “If allegations that Buddhist monks have been involved in assaulting these Muslim brothers and sisters turn out to be true, it is totally wrong, “he said.
The 77-year-old Tibetan leader said that trust and friendship were necessary to be a contented human being, which he said tends to develop “much better once we realize that all beings have a right to happiness, just as we do.”
“Taking others’ interests into account not only helps them, it also helps us. Warm-heartedness and concern for others are a part of human nature and are at the core of positive human values,” he said.
Referring to the 20th century as an era of bloodshed, the Dalai Lama said all problems and conflicts must be resolved through peaceful ways and dialogue.
“Nonviolence doesn’t mean we have to passively accept injustice. We have to fight for our rights. We have to oppose injustice, because not to do so would be a form of violence,” the Tibetan spiritual leader said. “Gandhi-ji fervently promoted nonviolence, but that didn’t mean he was complacently accepting of the status quo; he resisted, but he did so without doing harm.”
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