Dalai Lama sees long-term hope for Tibet
AFP[Monday, May 11, 2009 12:56]

WASHINGTON, May 10 – The Dalai Lama said Chinese rule was a “death sentence” for Tibetan heritage but stressed the future looked brighter for his people as China itself modernizes. In a CNN interview broadcast Sunday, the 73-year-old spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists also said his reincarnation would be found in the “free world” rather than in Chinese-occupied Tibet. Chinese hardliners were guilty of “cultural genocide” in their assault on Tibet’s way of life, he said. Speaking in English, he said the vast majority of Tibetans were “very unhappy” as they saw their “cultural heritage passing through something like a death sentence.” Viewed locally, the Dalai Lama said, Tibet’s prospects appear “hopeless” as communist rulers look to flood his homeland with ethnic-Chinese settlers and dilute its Buddhist culture.

The Dalai Lama, seen here in 2008, said Chinese rule was a “death sentence” for Tibetan heritage but stressed the future looked brighter for his people as China itself modernizes. (AFP/JIJI Press/File)

“If we look at Tibetan issue from wider perspective, I feel much hope because China is changing,” he said, also noting strong public support for Tibet in Europe and North America.

“And then on the other hand, the Tibetan spirit inside Tibet is wonderful.”

The Dalai Lama has frequently said he wants to retire but has kept up a frenetic travel schedule. The Nobel Peace laureate is currently touring the United States, but he does not plan to visit Washington.

He is expected to return to the United States in October, when he hopes to meet with President Barack Obama.

China should see the Dalai Lama as “part of the solution” on Tibet instead of trying to isolate him, Obama’s top Asia adviser Jeff Bader said on May 1.

But Beijing brands the Dalai Lama a separatist and has stepped up pressure on world leaders, including Obama, not to meet with him. The Buddhist leader fled to India 50 years ago as China crushed an abortive uprising in Tibet.

The Dalai Lama, an advocate of non-violence, says he is only seeking greater rights for Tibetans under Chinese rule.

However, he told CNN that his vision of a Tibetan homeland took in parts of five Chinese provinces lying beyond what Beijing styles as the Tibet Autonomous Region.

“All in part they are Tibetan there,” he said. “My definition of Tibet are those people who speak Tibetan, who practice Tibetan culture.”

The Dalai Lama rejected China’s insistence that it will select the boy reincarnation who will become Tibet’s next Buddhist leader.

The next Dalai Lama would have to continue his unfinished work, “so logically in case I die outside (Tibet),” the new leader would have to be found “in outside free world.”

Dalai Lama to teach Tibetan youth in June
Phayul[Friday, May 08, 2009 15:37]
By Phurbu Thinley

Dharamsala, May 8: His Holiness the Dalai Lama will give a two-day special introductory Buddhist teaching for young Tibetans here next month. This would be His Holiness’ third such teachings since it was first initiated in 2007 by Buddhism Introductory Committee of Dharamsala (BICD). The organizers told Phayul that the teachings would be held at UTCV School on June 24 and 25. “The teachings are primarily aimed at motivating young Tibetans in exile into learning Buddhism at academic level and to instill a deeper understanding of Tibetan Buddhist culture and its core spiritual values,” Dawa Tsering, who heads the Committee, said. “Although this special introductory Buddhist classes are meant for young Tibetans, we have not, however, fixed any age limits for the applicants. The main requirement to attend the teachings is that one must get registered with us with a brief bio-data before the end of this month,” said Dawa, who is also a member of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama responds to a question from a Tibetan student during an introductory Buddhist teaching for Tibetan youths in the main auditorium of Upper Tibetan Children’s Village (UTCV) School, Dharamsala, India, Thursday, June 5, 2008. (Photo: Phayul/file/Tenzin Choejor)

To make the teachings more resourceful, Dawa said there would also be time devoted for direct question and answer session with His Holiness and other distinguished Tibetan Buddhist scholars during the teachings.

In both the two previous teachings, there were more than 3000 attendees each. And they were mostly students.

“It is very encouraging to see young Tibetans showing such keen interests. Their response in the last two years has been simply overwhelming,” Dawa said.

Dawa said at least 1000 seats out of the 3000 seating capacity of the teaching venue had been reserved for Tibetans applying from outside of Dharamsala.

The BICD is a voluntary committee formed in 2006 to help Tibetan youngsters to stay accustomed with Buddha Dharma and Tibetan Buddhist culture by arranging introductory Buddhist classes. It regularly conducts Buddhist classes on Sunday

Individuals interested in attending the teachings can register their names by writing a brief bio-data to introbodism@yahoo.co.in or, can contact: 9418185475 (Mob) or 1892-221028/220776 for further information.

The last date for registration is Friday, May 30, 2009.

Dalai Lama inspires Palace Theatre crowd
Daily Gazette[Thursday, May 07, 2009 12:11]
Tibet’s spiritual leader visits state Senate before giving speech

By Justin Mason

ALBANY — With his palms pressed together, the Dalai Lama sat down in front of a row of lights, cameras and eager reporters gathered at the Crowne Plaza. The exiled spiritual leader of Tibet was late for an early afternoon news conference. And it was a fact he wasn’t going to overlook during his first visit to the state capital. “My appointment,” he said in somewhat broken English while glancing down at his gold-colored watch. “It’s late. Sorry.” It was a mistake in the kitchen, he explained, an elfin smile forming on his face. Apparently, his lunch had come late —as if the 14th in a line of holy leaders dating back several centuries would need to explain his tardiness. Of course, the Dalai Lama’s trip to the Capital Region itself was a bit late. Months of anticipation for his late-April visit were followed by an abrupt cancellation of the event, which was followed by an equally abrupt rescheduling of the talk sponsored by the World Ethical Foundations Consortium, a nonprofit organization co-founded by Seagram heirs Clare and Sara Bronfman. But when the Dalai Lama made his first public appearance at the New York state Senate Wednesday morning, few seemed concerned about the path that brought him to Albany. After speaking to the Senate, the Dalai Lama held his news conference the Crowne Plaza and then delivered a speech to an enthusiastic audience of roughly 2,600 gathered at the nearby Palace Theatre.

The Dalai Lama bows to the audience at the Palace Theatre in Albany on Wednesday. (Gazette Photographer: Peter Barber)

During all his stops, he called for compassion and the need for values as mankind traverses troubled times. He predicted that people with a strong sense of family and community would rise above the effects of the worldwide economic downturn, while those who had abandoned their values in pursuit of money or material gain would continue to suffer. “These people with other values,” he said during the news conference. “I’m quite sure they will be the least disturbed because they have other values.” Wearing gold and crimson robes, he spoke invitingly and at times laughed along with his audience. He had a translator, but only occasionally relied on him for help.

The crowd lines up around the block as they wait to see the Dalai Lama on Wednesday, May 6, at the Palace Theatre in Albany. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union)

True to his reputation, he remained humble about his significance in the greater scheme of humanity, instead insisting he is only one among 6 billion humans now inhabiting the planet. He spoke of establishing religious harmony and urged people to be more attentive to their families rather than chasing material pursuits.

“We should pay more attention to inner value,” he said. “Money alone is not sufficient.”

He played down the “barriers” of color, language and political ideology and the difference between rich and poor. He said the important thing is to communicate, even if it is with the exchange of a smile.

“The basic thing is we [are] all the same human beings,” he said. “We are the same human members of the same human family.”

He spoke of people of the Muslim and Christian faiths as his “brothers and sisters,” and urged them to find religious harmony through mutual respect. This concept, he conceded, was one developed after his exile from Tibet in 1959.

“[In Tibet], we said we Buddhists are very fortunate … the others, not so fortunate,” he said with a chuckle.

But after traveling abroad, he said he gained a broader respect for other religions. He came to look upon them with reverence and respect for their closeness to god.

He also spoke of peaceful leaders throughout history, including Mahatmas Ghandi, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela. He said relying on peaceful methods always proves more effective than violence, which has done nothing to rectify humanity’s problems.

“We must find a ways and means to face problems that are non-violent,” he said. The Dalai Lama praised the United States for being a safe-haven for freedom and democracy. Though he acknowledged there were historical ebbs and flows of these values because of the policies of different presidential administrations, he said the core values of the country always remain the same. “I admire your ancestors’ principles, democracy, liberty and freedom,” he said. “U.S. policies must carry on these principles.” Thousands of spectators greeted him at the Palace, where a line of people waiting to enter the venue stretched more then two city blocks. Some had to wait more than two hours to enter because of extra security at the entrance.

The Dalai Lama addresses the state Senate in Albany on Wednesday. ( Michael P. Farrell / Times Union )

Even as the Dalai Lama took the stage, a line of more than a hundred people stretched down Clinton Avenue and around the corner of North Hawk Street. Inside, he draped white katas —a silk Tibetan scarfs — around the Bronfman sisters, Albany Mayor Gerald Jennings and Bishop Howad Hubbard, the four who sat on stage with him throughout his speech.

“Compassion in the heart is the key factor for happiness in life,” he told the audience. “Also for health.”

The Dalai Lama also spoke of Chinese oppression in his native Tibet, and how the “hardliners” were dismissive of a rich Tibetan history and culture. He urged China to let the Tibetans speak their plight to the world so that the truth about their condition could be known.

“Let them see the reality. If the majority of people are happy and our information is wrong, then we must apologize to the Chinese. But if our information is correct, then the Chinese should apologize,” he said to applause.

The Dalai Lama, or Tenzin Gyatoso, was born to a farming family in a small hamlet in northeastern Tibet. The boy named Lhamo Dondrub was recognized as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama at the age of 3. Just nine years into his teaching and only 15 years old, the Dalai Lama was thrust into power after China invaded Tibet in 1949. A decade later, he was later forced into exile after the Chinese military brutally quashed a national uprising. He now resides in the city of Dharamsala in northern India, where he heads the exiled Tibetan government. His fame has helped spread the teachings of Buddhism and the call for the liberation of Tibet.

The Dalai Lama is greeted by members of the Padmasambhaua Buddhist Center in Oneonta on Wednesday, May 6, at the Crowne Plaza in Albany. (Photo: Cindy Schultz / Times Union)

Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal, a Buddhist monk from the Catskills, felt blessed for the opportunity to see the Dalai Lama at his home away from home. He escaped from Tibet during the 1960s and lived in India until immigrating to the United States.

“I’m surprised he made time and visited,” he said. “He brings his message of love, compassion and peace.”

Schodack resident Mary Mabeus said she couldn’t pass up an opportunity to hear such an historic figure speak. She said the importance of the Dalai Lama’s message even eclipsed the more than two-hour wait to enter the Palace.

“It’s worth it,” she said. “And more.”

Mind Games: The Dalai Lama Takes Harvard
Time[Tuesday, May 05, 2009 21:24]
By John Cloud / Boston Saturday, May. 02, 2009

The Dalai Lama is a lot more playful than your average Harvard professor, which is one reason his appearance at a Harvard psychology conference on Friday was so entertaining. The Dalai Lama — who at 73 has an agile, mischievous mind and an abiding interest in psychology — accepted Harvard’s invitation because he wanted a lively debate about the latest science on mental health. He wanted to play. What he got was an audience of earnest academic worshippers. He played anyway. The occasion was Harvard’s fourth annual conference on the massive changes that meditation and mindfulness techniques are bringing to everyday psychology. Whereas many psychologists in the postwar era tried to “correct” negative thinking by asking patients didactic questions (”You say you can’t do anything right at work — is that really true, or are you being too extreme?”), the latest wave of therapy is all about watching your negative thoughts flow through you instead of trying to fix them. Mindfulness means disentangling yourself from your thoughts, which is what monks like the Dalai Lama have been doing for centuries. (See TIME’s photos: “The Dalai Lama: Six Decades of Spiritual Leadership“)

The Dalai Lama addresses an audience on the campus of Harvard University. Steven Senne / AP

The Dalai Lama is just as interested in shrinks and academics as they are in him. In 2005, he met in Sweden with Dr. Aaron “Tim” Beck of the University of Pennsylvania, the inventor of cognitive therapy and, at 87, one of the most influential psychologists in the world. He’s also met several times with neuroscientists specializing in research on brain mechanisms associated with various kinds of meditation.

The latest such research shows that daily meditation can improve mental and physical health, but at Harvard the Dalai Lama wasn’t convinced by some of the comically deferential — and facile — extrapolations made from there. When one Harvard psychologist suggested that Western cultures defy the biological imperative to connect with others an make it more challenging to be compassionate, the Dalai Lama paused for 20 seconds before answering. “Firstly,” he said, “some people make a distinction between West and East. And there are some lifestyle differences … but in the mental area, I don’t think there are differences … At the mental level, I don’t think there’s any sort of demarcation between East and West.”

Other researchers also seemed to puzzle the Dalai Lama. Conference organizer Christopher Germer, author of the forthcoming book The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion: Freeing Yourself From Destructive Thoughts and Emotions, asked His Holiness whether he would “lead us in a brief meditation that the therapists in this room could practice at home to cultivate compassion for themselves as well as for their patients.” The Dalai Lama shot him a skeptical look that got everyone laughing. He was sweet about it, but meditation isn’t a “brief” trick.

The Dalai Lama seemed at every turn to want to soften the hard intellectual mood — to have a flickering back-and-forth with the other panelists. He took his shoes off at one point and carefully folded his legs underneath him — first the left, then the right. He loudly blew his nose into a tissue at one point, and he laughed a lot with those great sparkly eyes.

Finally, one of the panelists responded to his body language. Marsha Linehan, one of the world’s leading psychologists, invented Dialectical Behavior Therapy, a highly effective, widely replicated treatment for suicidal and self-harming patients that includes mindfulness. Before Linehan spoke, the Dalai Lama had asked a playful question: “What, exactly, is psychology?” No other panelist answered him, but Linehan addressed the question as soon as she spoke. She called psychology “the science of behavior, including the behavior of the mind.”

And for the first time, the Dalai Lama seemed truly delighted, since here was something, and someone, to engage. “You mean psychology is not just the mind itself?”

“No,” Linehan answered. “It is the study of the mind. You study it also, of course.”

Playful as always, he looked at Linehan approvingly and said, “Now, your answer, instead of solving the problem, creates more confusion … I feel I am still in kindergarten.” And with that, he laughed like a little kid, and finally, so did everyone else.

More repression causes more resentment: Dalai Lama
Phayul[Monday, May 04, 2009 12:28]
By Bhuchung D. Sonam

New York City, May 3, 2009: During his address to the Tibetans living in New York and New Jersey areas, the Dalai Lama took the opportunity to send a message to people inside Tibet not to take desperate acts under depression. “Please do not go under depression because of the current situation. We do not have to be cowed down,” the Tibetan leader said. The crackdown in Tibet by the Chinese Government has been intensified since last year. Under such circumstance and atmosphere, the Tibetan leader said, many Tibetans undergo depression and some even resort to suicide. “The Tibetan situation now is at live and death case. The Chinese policies are designed to do away with Tibetan identity and culture,” the Nobel laureate said. “But the truth will never go away.”

His Holiness the Dalai Lama at the WAMU theatre, Madison Square Garden, NYC, May 3, 2009, photo/Sonam Wangchuk

The Dalai Lama mentioned a conversation he had with a recent arrival from Tibet, who told him that the more the Chinese suppression the stronger the Tibetan spirit of resistance grows.”

However, the Nobel laureate said that Tibetans should never give up the non-violent path because truth shall prevail. His Holiness also stressed the importance of education, which will “enable Tibetans to take responsibilities”.

In his remark to the audience gathered in the WAMU Theather, the Dalai Lama said that Buddhism is the backbone of Tibetan culture and way of life. “But there is a possibility that Buddhist culture may diminish unless an attempt is made based in its value.”

Many people including Tibetans are attracted to “popular Buddhism” which he defined as carrying rosaries and displaying expensive images of Buddha and Bodhisattvas without true understanding of the philosophy.

“Rosary is useful in counting money,” the Dalai Lama said laughing aloud. “Real Buddhist practice is transformation of mind.” While popular Buddhism is “cheap and not good,” the true and genuine practice is possible “by using the critical faculty of the mind.” His Holiness urged Tibetans to engage in debate amongst themselves about Buddhism in their homes and to speak to their children in Tibetan. The talk was organized by Tibetan Community of New York and New Jersey and was attended by about five thousand Tibetans and other ethnic groups from the Himalayan belt.

Photo/Sonam Wangchuk

Dalai Lama part of solution for China: Obama aide
AFP[Saturday, May 02, 2009 10:21]

WASHINGTON — China should see the Dalai Lama as “part of the solution” on Tibet instead of trying to isolate him, US President Barack Obama’s top Asia adviser said. Jeff Bader, senior director for Asia on the White House’s National Security Council, told the Committee of 100, a Chinese-American group, that it should use its influence in Beijing to encourage a different view of the Dalai Lama. “I hope that you will use that credibility and those relationships to help persuade Chinese officials that the Dalai Lama is not part of their problem but rather part of the solution to the situation in Tibet,” Bader said. Beijing brands the Dalai Lama a separatist and has stepped up pressure on world leaders, including Obama, not to meet with him. The Buddhist leader fled to India 50 years ago as China crushed an abortive uprising in Tibet.

The Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lama, an advocate of non-violence, says he is only seeking greater rights for Tibetans under Chinese rule. The Nobel Peace laureate is currently touring the United States, but he does not plan to visit Washington.

Bader acknowledged that human rights have become an irritant in US-China relations — “unsurprisingly, because China’s human rights record, as we know, is poor.”

But he said Obama believed the most effective way to persuade China was to lead by example, citing the president’s decision to shut down the widely condemned “war on terror” detention camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

“President Obama does not believe in lecturing. He believes in leading by example, not finger-pointing,” Bader said.

Obama has called for a broader relationship with China that includes cooperation on pressing global issues such as climate change and the economic crisis. The US leader is due to visit China later this year.

“President Obama, with his unique gifts in communication and popularity, will be looking for ways to reach out to Chinese audiences and connect,” Bader said.

Before his appointment, Bader served at the Brookings Institution think-tank where he led a project encouraging Chinese academics to make contact with the Dalai Lama. He said he was pleasantly surprised at the response.

“It suggested to me that there is an openness to discussion among non-official Chinese on this subject and I hope that one of these days officials will catch up,” Bader said.

But Ken Lieberthal, who held Bader’s position at the end of Bill Clinton’s presidency, said there was a “total disconnect” between the way the US public and the Chinese government viewed the Dalai Lama.

“So long as the Chinese refuse to understand that to most of the world this is a revered religious figure — someone who has extraordinary ethics and is deserving of great respect … I don’t see a good future here,” Lieberthal told the same forum.

“Once he passes from the scene, if there has been no progress, I think the next generation of Tibetans have the possibility to be China’s worst nightmare,” he said.

The Dalai Lama, 73, has frequently said he wants to retire but has kept a frenetic travel schedule. His current visit to the United States has included serving food to the homeless in San Francisco and opening an ethics center named after him at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

He is expected to return to the United States in October, when he hopes to meet with Obama.

Asked this week in Boston whether he expected to return to Tibet, the Dalai Lama said with a smile: “Oh yes, every Tibetan feels like that.”

“If the leadership in Beijing thinks in a more wider way … within a few days can solve,” he said in English.

Dalai Lama honored at Harvard
Phayul[Friday, May 01, 2009 11:58]
By Bhuchung D. Sonam

Boston, April 30, 2009: His Holiness the Dalai Lama was conferred a citation by Harvard University today.

“Such honor was given to a very few select leaders of the world. By giving this citation Harvard University has shown the highest respect and honor to His Holiness the Dalai Lama,” said Dr. Lobsang Sangay, research fellow at Harvard Law School and the chief coordinator of His Holiness’s New England visit.

The citation was given in recognition of the Tibetan leader’s work on peaceful solutions to the international conflicts, global environment problems and “for inspiring a new generation to seek innovative solutions to old problems.” The director of the University’s Marshal Office, Jacqueline O’Neil, gave the citation during a special luncheon. In another recognition of His Holiness’s contribution to the global environment, the university honored His Holiness to plant a birch tree in front of the Harvard Memorial Church located at the centre of famous Harvard Yard. “This tree brings us closer to the nature. Sometimes in big cities we become distant from nature due to all the machineries made from metals. Trees and flowers remind us that we are part of nature, which is very important,” said His Holiness.

(Photo, by Mark Wilson of the Globe staff, shows the Dalai Lama at a tree-planting ceremony in Harvard Yard today, 4/30/09.)

The birch tree is a hybrid between monarch birch from Asia known for its beautiful and large heart-shaped leaves and paper birch from North America and eastern and western varieties.

“His Holiness the Dalai Lama recognizes the significance of trees. With this tree planted here today Harvard recognizes the Dalai Lama,” said President Drew Gilpin Faust in her introduction to the tree planting ceremony.

According to Faust, the hybrid was “especially created for this occasion” to represent Dalai Lama’s contribution to bridge the gap between the east and the west.

“In the history of Harvard University only two persons have had the great honor to plant trees in the Yard. One was a long-time president of Harvard and the second one is His Holiness the Dalai Lama. I am extremely happy that Harvard has conferred such an honor to His Holiness,” said Sangay.

Apart from thousands of students and staff members of the university, Harvard Yard is being visited by hundreds of thousand of tourists from all over the world.

Dalai Lama: Obama could ease positive change
AP[Thursday, April 30, 2009 12:39]
By Jay Lindsay

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Hands reached for him, and the Dalai Lama reached back. With a broad smile, he exited a news conference Wednesday clasping the fingers of anyone in reach, offering his blessing, a laugh, and a bit of hope from a leader five decades in exile. Hope was a theme of the Dalai Lama’s remarks: about the Obama administration, about the prospects for change within the Chinese government and about his own eventual return to his native Tibet, 50 years after his harrowing flight over the Himalayas into India. When the leader of the Tibet’s government in exile was asked if he thought he would ever go home, he quickly answered, ”Oh, yes.” The Dalai Lama took questions Wednesday at the start of a four-day visit to Massachusetts as part of a U.S. tour. Stops at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are scheduled before a public appearance Saturday at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro to help fund construction of the Tibetan Heritage Center, a Boston-area project to preserve Tibetan culture.

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama speaks during a media availability in Cambridge today. (Photo by AP)

The timing of the tour, and the Dalai Lama’s message of finding happiness outside material things, was right amid global recession, said Dhondup Phunkhang, a spokesman for the Tibetan Association of Boston, which is building the heritage center.

”It’s good, I think, for someone to have a message that is beyond financial matters and materialistic things,” he said.

The Dalai Lama, a Buddhist monk, is seen as a figure of moral authority in much of the world but deplored by China as a ”wolf in monk’s robes” who seeks Tibet’s independence from China. The Dalai Lama has said repeatedly that he wants only ”real autonomy” for Tibet.

The Dalai Lama on Wednesday described U.S. policy toward Tibet under Obama as ”more or less the same” as under President George W. Bush but added he was hopeful Obama’s open and ”more straightforward” style would spur positive change.

The Dalai Lama said he would like to meet Obama when he visits Washington in October, as he has every president since George H.W. Bush. George W. Bush was the first to officially meet the Dalai Lama, awarding him the U.S. Congress’s highest civilian honor in 2007, a move that outraged China. Bush’s predecessors had ”dropped in” while the Dalai Lama met with advisers.

The Dalai Lama said Wednesday he wasn’t concerned how Obama chose to meet him, a decision with implications for Chinese-U.S. relations.

”It doesn’t matter,” he said, with a wave of his hand and a laugh.

He also said he held out hope that Chinese policy toward Tibet could ease because China must take steps to increase its moral authority if it truly aspires to be a greater power.

”China needs the rest of the world’s trust, respect,” he said.

The 73-year-old Dalai Lama was unequivocal about his belief that one day he would return to Tibet, after fleeing in March 1959 during a Chinese crackdown of a Tibetan uprising. But he said his refugee status had allowed him to meet many people of various places and traditions. He said he’d also learned to find a home all over the world.

”Wherever you find happiness, that’s your home,” he said.

The Dalai Lama serves hope to SF homeless
AP[Monday, April 27, 2009 10:15]
by EVELYN NIEVES - Associated Press Writer
Sun. April 26, 2009

SAN FRANCISCO — His Holiness the Dalai Lama was trying very hard on Sunday to make the homeless guests at Martin’s soup kitchen relax. He put on a red and yellow tie-dyed apron to serve up the first plates of pesto pasta. He cracked jokes about what a relief it was to be among rich people who hang on his every word. He broke bread with seven down-and-out men, telling stories and making fun of his English - or lack thereof. Finally, the head of Tibet’s government in exile and one of the most significant spiritual leaders in the world tried this: “You know,” he said, “I’m homeless too.” The Dalai Lama was on his second day of a weekend swing through the San Francisco Bay area to talk peace and call attention to the plight of the nation’s poor. His visit, arranged by The Forgotten International, a nonprofit that promotes helping the world’s poorest people, was two years in the making.

The Dalai Lama passes a plate of food while eating lunch at a San Francisco soup kitchen on Sunday, April 26, 2009. Addressing visitors at the Martin de Porres House of Hospitality, the Dalai Lama spoke of his position as Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader saying ‘Me too, homeless person.’ (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Tom Nazario, the founder of Forgotten International, blamed bureaucratic red tape. “He has wanted to do this for some time,” said Nazario, a professor at the University of San Francisco School of Law.

The Dalai Lama beamed and grinned impishly throughout his hour-long visit to Martin’s - formally, Martin de Porres House of Hospitality - rooted in the Catholic Worker movement.

“I’m really happy for the opportunity to visit,” he said, offering words of encouragement to the approximately 100 guests and volunteers at the Sunday lunch.

“Our lives depend on others,” said the Dalai Lama. “Me too. My life depends on others. You are still in human society, human community. Please feel happy and feel dignity.”

The guests included some of San Francisco’s most desperate, reviled citizens, men and women who carry their life’s possessions in shopping carts and sleep under bridges.

“I told him that everything I’m wearing - from the suit to the earrings - I found in the trash,” said Armando Martinez, 44, who wore a three-piece suit and beads.

Ambbeei Hall, a 59-year-old Vietnam veteran and practicing Buddhist, said the Dalai Lama tried hard to make everyone laugh.

“When he brought up George Bush,” Hall said, “I couldn’t hold it.”

As it happened, someone at the Dalai Lama’s lunch table asked whether he had met President Barack Obama. He said he would meet with him in October, then recalled President George W. Bush.

“I love him,” the Dalai Lama said of the ex-president. “But some of his policies….”

His Holiness the Dalai Lama meets Tibetans, Mongolians and Himalayan Buddhists
TibetNet[Sunday, April 26, 2009 23:20]

Berkeley, CA: His Holiness the Dalai Lama addressed to the members of the Tibetan community as well as those from Mongolia and the Himalayan region in Berkeley, a city on the east shore of San Francisco in northern California, on Saturday. His Holiness the Dalai Lama arrived in San Francisco from Santa Barbara just before Saturday noon for his second leg of the tour of the United States. His Holiness was received by the Board of Directors of the Tibetan Association of Northern California (TANC) at Berkeley Community Center. Following the performance of a welcome song in praise of His Holiness the Dalai Lama by the young children of the community, TANC President Dechen Tsering presented the one year report of the association. She informed His Holiness of a new Quilt Project to honor the contribution of those many Tibetans who died for the cause of Tibet. A quilt was displayed to His Holiness.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama applauds for speeches being given before his talk at the Greek Theatre at UC Berkeley. (Paul Chinn / The Chronicle)

In his remarks His Holiness talked about the commonality of the spiritual and cultural heritage of the Tibetans, the Mongols and the Himalayan people. He referred to the Tibetan Buddhist culture as a way of life saying that the Tibetan Muslims, who are not Buddhists, also shared this way of life. He talked of two levels of Buddhism, one at the popular ritualistic level and the other that of the study of the deeper Buddhist philosophy. He asked the people to study the Nalanda tradition from which Tibetan Buddhism originated.

His Holiness said that the Tibetan language was the best language to study this tradition of Buddhism and thus asked these communities to pay attention to the Tibetan language.

Referring to the Mongol people, His Holiness said that they had suffered a lot in the 20th century but that they had achieved freedom and are now seeing the revival of their religion in their country. As for the communities in Nepal, His Holiness said that there was a renewed interest in Tibetan Buddhism. He said the Sherpas, the Tamangs and others are beginning to think about their ancestral heritage that came from Tibet. He said one important aspect of identity is the traditional faith.

His Holiness also emphasized the importance of modern education and how that had been a drawback in Tibet of the past. He asked the Tibetan people to uphold the good Tibetan character. He said the Tibetans have the additional responsibility to think about Tibet. He said that since the Tibetans had the truth there was no need to lie as we do not have any state secrets. However, the other side had to resort to likes and every violent suppression, which he said was a sign of weakness and not of strength. His Holiness said there was thus no need to be discouraged.

His Holiness said Tibetans should hope for the best but prepare for the worst. He said China was changing. Just as the Tibetans are passing through a desperate situation, the Chinese Communists are also passing through a desperate situation. He then referred to the demonstrations in Tibet last year and said that now another generation is taking over the responsibility of the Tibet movement. This, he said, showed that the Tibetan spirit has not died.

Following His Holiness’ speech, members of the Chaksampa troupe sang some excerpts from the Tibetan opera in praise of His Holiness. His Holiness then departed for his hotel.

Prior to meeting with members of the Tibetan, Mongolian and Himalayan Buddhist Communities, His Holiness attended a luncheon reception, which was hosted by the American Himalayan Foundation (AHF), a non-profit organization dedicated to helping the people and ecology of the Himalaya.

Actress and member of the AHF Board of Director Sharon Stone welcomed the gathering and spoke about AHF’s projects in Tibet. She said in 1995 at the suggestion of His Holiness the Dalai Lama AHF began developmental projects in Tibet and since then have build 33 schools, 24 bridges and helped orphans and elders. She said currently AHF had three urgent projects; building a school hostel, construction of a bridge that will benefit 3000 villagers, and establishing a drinking water system that will benefit 2000 Tibetans. She then introduced a video that detailed these and other AHF projects to help the Tibetan people.

AHF Chairman Richard C. Blum spoke next and gave a background to his personal involvement with the Tibetan people. He said 30 years ago at the invitation of his wife Dianne Feinstein (then mayor of San Francisco) and him, His Holiness the Dalai Lama had visited San Francisco (during his first ever visit to the United States). Since then he said AHF had been assisting the Tibetan people, including those in Nepal. Blum then invited His Holiness to make some remarks.

His Holiness began by expressing his deep appreciation for the very constructive work that AHF was undertaking throughout the Himalayan region. He said the people along the Himalayan region although they may be Indian or Nepalese citizens share the same Tibetan cultural and spiritual heritage. He said that today even though the Tibetans are homeless yet the many Tibetan monastic institutions in India are serving the monks and nuns of the entire Himalayan region. He said those Himalayan people who trace their ethnic origin to Tibet are today paying interest in finding their original root as well as in their spiritual heritage.

His Holiness said in the future if the situation in Tibet does not change Tibet may be finished but that the Tibetan spirit will continue as it was strong. He talked about the increasing support for the Tibetan people in the Chinese community. Since March 10 last year, he said there were over 400 articles in Chinese written by Chinese all of which were sympathetic to the Tibetan cause and critical of the Chinese Government’s policy.

His Holiness said that he had been telling the Himalayan people that it was their responsibility, too, to help in the survival of the Tibetan Buddhist culture as it was beneficial to them. He urged the AHF to continue its involvement in projects with these communities.

Referring to projects inside Tibet, His Holiness said that I always welcome any help in Tibet in the field of education and health. He said although in the bigger towns there were some facilities in these fields the remote areas of Tibet was being neglected. He said any help that can be rendered in these areas would be of immense benefit.

Following the luncheon, His Holiness departed for the University of California in Berkeley’s Greek Theatre to give a public talk on “Peace Through Compassion”, jointly organized by UC Berkeley’s Blum Centre for Developing Economies and the AHF. His Holiness was welcomed by Chancellor Robert Birgeneau on his arrival at the venue.

Report prepared by Bhuchung K Tsering of ICT