Dalai Lama stresses fundamentals of Buddhism and power of compassion at religious summit

In a speech at the World Buddhist Summit on Friday, the Dalai Lama spoke about the importance of compassion and wisdom, and emphasized the importance of Buddhist philosophy and values.

“I can also share with you that by engaging in this kind of inner development and focusing particularly on wisdom and compassion, it can also help increase our courage,” the 87-year-old spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism said through an interpreter.

Dozens of monks in yellow, orange and saffron robes attended the two-day conference in New Delhi, India, which drew 500 participants from nearly 30 countries and regions, including Tibet, Mongolia, Nepal, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, India and Myanmar. . . It was organized by the Ministry of Culture of India and the International Buddhist Confederation.

It was the Dalai Lama’s first public appearance since a video of him kissing a boy on the mouth and asking him to “suck” his tongue at a student event in northern India on February 28 went viral on social media. .

The incident upset many viewers. However, sticking out the tongue is a greeting or a sign of respect or agreement in Tibetan culture, and supporters of the Dalai Lama held rallies this week to protest media coverage of the event.

However, the Dalai Lama later apologized to the boy and his family for any misunderstanding.

The summit was a “good example to the world of people from different traditions and cultural backgrounds coming together in harmony,” said Jetsun Tenzin Palmo, president of the International Buddhist Confederation.

And while the Dalai Lama, who lives in exile in Dharamsala, India, did not discuss the recent controversy surrounding the video, he did address the issue of Tibet’s fight with China.

“For example: in the case of my dealing with the fighting and the current situation in Tibet, if you only think about it from a narrow angle, you may lose hope,” he said. “But if you look at this crisis and look at this current situation from the broader perspective of the courage that cultivation and compassion give you, then you can have a much more resilient mind.”

“So even in your daily life, there can be problems that can seem huge and unbearable,” the Dalai Lama said. “Still, if you have the courage, you will be in a much stronger position to turn adversity into opportunity.”

The Dalai Lama has long advocated a Middle Way approach to peacefully solving the Tibet issue and achieving stability and coexistence based on equality and mutual cooperation with China and without discrimination based on one nationality being superior or better than the other.

Beijing views any signs of Tibetan disobedience, including peaceful protests and self-immolations, as acts of separatism that threaten China’s national security.

There have been no formal talks between the Dalai Lama and Beijing since 2010, and Chinese officials have made unreasonable demands on the Dalai Lama as a condition of continuing the dialogue.

Translated by Tenzin Dickyi for RFA Tibetan. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.