The subtle voice of the Dalai Lama

ND Batra, The Statesman, Asia News Network, Calcutta

A day after the Sept. 11 horrific terrorist attacks, the Dalai Lama had urged President George Bush to ponder whether a violent response was the "the right thing to do and in the greater interest of the nation and people in the long run." He still maintains, as he said in an interview with the Associated Press, that the non-violent approach is the best method and "in the long run more effective" in dealing with global conflicts.

He has not given up his faith that one day China would change its attitude toward Tibet and grant it genuine autonomy, even though China is relentlessly pushing Han Chinese to settle in the ancient Buddhist land and destroying its culture. China is building a railroad to Lhasa, the seat of Tibetan Buddhism that is being rapidly brutalised into a major tourist attraction. "Not necessarily intentionally, but unintentionally, cultural genocide is taking place," he said.

China is in a hurry to assimilate the Tibetan youth into its overheated economy by pouring billions of dollars in new construction projects, thus, defacing Tibet, as the world has known it for hundreds of years. Overwhelming Tibet's fragile spirit with excessive materialism seems to be China's strategy in dealing with the Dalai Lama's undying faith in non-violence and international religious diplomacy.

But during his current 20-day visit to the U.S., where he is drawing enthusiastic crowd, the Dalai Lama said that sometimes violence may become necessary to help "protect the rest of the civilisation, democracy," as it happened in some wars, for example, World War II and the Korean War. Even the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan might be justified as "some kind of liberation." He isn't sure about Iraq, though, leaving that judgment to history.

Isn't it surprising that while Indian political leaders eschew meeting with the Dalai Lama for whatever flimsy diplomatic reasons, Bush and his top officials should embrace him with open arms? Whatever you might say about Bush, you cannot but praise him for his moral courage, taking up a stand, taking action in the teeth of opposition and be ready to face the consequences. Sometimes moral courage necessitates violent action as well as willingness to understand people who disagree with you.

Since the Chinese invasion and occupation of Tibet (1951) and the Dalai Lama's escape to India (1959), Americans have been slowly awakening to the spiritual immensity and beauty of Buddhism. Millions follow some aspect of Buddhism without giving up their own traditional Christian or Jewish upbringing. And on every visit to the U.S., the Dalai Lama endears himself to the American people.

As the American people buy more and more Chinese toys, electronic goods and furniture, their understanding of Tibet's cause for freedom to preserve its ancient culture too has been increasing, thanks to the way of the Dalai Lama, the way he presents his message of Buddhist compassion wrapped up in gentle laughter and with total absence of hatred or rancour.

The Dalai Lama has not lost his faith that one day China would give up its Tiananmen attitude toward Tibet. This kind of faith, too, requires tremendous moral courage as has been displayed by the Dalai Lama throughout his life. In an interview with Zhang Jing of VOI Mandarin Service (http://www.savetibet.org), the Dalai Lama spelled out clearly his vision of Tibet as an autonomous region of China that has a "meaningful self-rule. That is actually the best guarantee for preservation of Tibetan culture and environment." Mark his words: It is not only the culture that he is worried about but also the ecology of the region, the fragile geography, which is being destroyed by senseless colonisation of the Himalayan region.

In concrete operational terms, what the Dalai Lama has in mind is a decentralised federal political structure for China, not very different from China's "One country, two systems," though he sees it the way India's political structure has been functioning since Independence. The Dalai Lama's statement is a tribute to India's political genius and is worth quoting (sic): "China, like India, is a huge country with lots of ethnic peoples. Some states in south India and north India have different languages, different customs, different habits.... But all are under the Indian republic, a federal republic. So I think, (irrespective of) whether one is from south India or north India, they are all considered Indian.

That's how the Dalai Lama sees the future of China. By seeking freedom and autonomy for Tibet, truly speaking, he is seeking freedom for all the Chinese people, whether they live in the mainland, Hong Kong or Taiwan. A nation is rarely blessed with a soul like the Dalai Lama.

The writer is professor of communications, Norwich University, Vermont.