At the ongoing Tibetan festival in Ahmedabad, the Dalai Lama said he is both a feminist and a humanist
AHMEDABAD: The moment he holds your hand, you can't help but believe that there is goodness in this world; goodness enough to make the staunchest cynics among us re-evaluate their stance. The Dalai Lama is an unassuming, modest man who goes out of his way to put people at ease.
And his laughter is contagious. Even while discoursing on serious topics, his legendary sense of humour is ever apparent, and he deploys it with frequency.
"My penchant for laughter might well be genetic," he says. "My siblings laugh as much as I do; apart from a brother who can be quite serious at times. I think as a people, Tibetans are more jovial by nature than most. This is a natural form of resilience. People in West don't laugh nearly enough - neither do some Indians, for that matter."
"Barriers aren't natural. We impose them. I never distance myself from people; whether that person is President Bush or a leper. There is in us all the same capacity for compassion, the same mental potential to understand the nature of our reality," he says, adding that this is the reason he finds it so easy to relate to people.
Recently, he spoke about the possibility of the next Dalai Lama being a woman. "As far as reincarnation in the form of a woman is concerned — it is not a new phenomenon. None of the Dalai Lamas thus far have been women, but that might be because the need of the hour was different. If a woman is more useful to 'Buddhadharma' and Tibet, in the present context, I see no reason why she can't be the Dalai Lama.
And as I often say, if the next Dalai Lama is a woman, she will be much more attractive than the present one," he says characteristically.
About whether he is a feminist or a humanist, the Dalai Lama says, "I think I am both. At the dawn of humanity, human beings were all considered equal. With the need for physical protection came the necessity of physical strength, which men have more of.
This led to the oppression of women. However, with the concept of education the mind was now privileged over mere physicality, and with that became available a new equality for the sexes. Today education alone isn't sufficient. Compassion is what is called for, and I believe women naturally have more of it. They are more sensitive to suffering. Women's role in humanity is now more important than ever before.
To a query whether his 'middle-way approach' which seeks autonomy for Tibet as opposed to freedom from China effectively puts paid to any chance the coming generations of Tibetans have of seeking complete independence, he said,
“Tibet has always belonged to the Tibetans. It always will. The future of this country depends solely on their wishes. Materially, Tibet is a very poor country. Spiritually though, we are one of the most advanced nations.”
“If the Chinese treated Tibetans fairly and allowed them the freedom to practice their religion and perpetuate their culture, I'm certain the Tibetans would not want to break away from them, for they know that being a part of China will aid the material and technological development of our nation. In fact, this is the reason we altered our demand for freedom into a demand for democratic autonomy.”
“However,” he says, “that is not the case. Since Tibetans are mistreated horrendously, over 95% of the country's population resents the Chinese imposition.Even were I to sign an agreement with China right now, this resentment would not disappear till China's attitude towards Tibet changes.
Ideally, Tibetans should be vested with the authority of every aspect pertinent to Tibet —except for defense and foreign affairs.”
s_harmony@dnaindia.net
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