Middle-Way Approach Is In Best Interests Of China, Affirms His Holiness the Dalai Lama  [Monday, 22 February 2010, 1:55 p.m.]

Larry King during an interview with His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Los Angeles: In an exclusive interview with CNN’s Larry King on Sunday, His Holiness the Dalai Lama underscored that his “Middle Way Approach
for seeking a mutually beneficial solution to the issue of Tibet within
the framework of the People’s Republic of China is in the best
interests of China”.  His Holiness started his second day in
Los Angeles with a forty-five minute interview with Larry King on
popular talk show – Larry King Live. King started off by asking about
His Holiness’ meeting with President Obama and asked what His Holiness
wanted from Obama. His Holiness answered that he stated his three main
commitments: promotion of human values, promotion of religious harmony
and the Tibetan issue. His Holiness said he had “requested
President Obama to urge the Chinese government for dialogue and contact
with the Tibetans, and requested help, such as scholarships, for
Tibetans in refugee communities as well as Tibetans in Tibet”. Larry
King asked His Holiness if America could maintain good relations with
China while at the same time supporting Tibetan independence. His
Holiness answered that “there was no contradiction in keeping good
relations with China and supporting Tibet because they were not seeking
independence but a genuine autonomy. Our concern is basic rights for
the six million Tibetans inside Tibet”. “Every Tibetan wants a
modernised Tibet and to remain part of China can ensure this,” His
Holiness added. His Holiness called his approach the Middle Way
Approach and stressed, “Our approach is in the best interest of China”.Highlight of Day’s Other ProgrammesEarlier
at 8:45 am His Holiness met with board members and staff of the Whole
Child International. His Holiness held a brief informal question and
answer session with sponsors of Whole Child International. There were
around sixteen people including Cher and Chris Rock. They asked His
Holiness’s opinions on topics ranging from leadership ethics to
childcare to cultivation of inner peace. In his answers, His Holiness
stressed that not just money but values such as freedom and free
information were very important. He said, “In order to utilise human
creativity properly, you need free information without censorship or
restriction.”  Later in the afternoon His Holiness gave a
public talk to almost 6,000 people on ‘Cultivating Compassion and Needs
of Vulnerable Children’ at Gibson Amphitheater, Universal City. The
talk was organised by Whole Child International, and focused on
cultivating compassion and inner peace. Renowned singer Sheryl Crow
sang three songs. In his address, His Holiness said the 20th
century was a crucial century for human history. In the 20th century,
people created wonderful technology and human society became very
advanced in some ways but on the other hand, over 200 million people
were killed in this century. “In ancient times,” His Holiness said,
“destruction of your enemy meant victory for yourself.” Now it’s
different; the destruction of your enemy is the destruction of
yourself. His Holiness stated that therefore disarmament was very
important. He made a distinction between two types of disarmament:
external and internal. His Holiness said, “Without internal
disarmament, change is not lasting. Therefore, cultivate compassion.”  His
Holiness particularly emphasised the “role of education in developing
compassion so that intellectual development is concurrent with moral
development”. His Holiness urged that children should be taught the
value of compassion when they are small. His Holiness said that Tibetan
parents teach their children not to kill insects and the children grow
up to value all life. If children do not value insect life, that can be
a slippery slope to devaluing all life. His Holiness also pointed out
that compassion reduces blood pressure, tension and stress, and induces
sound sleep and good digestion. His Holiness said, “The real healing
power is compassion.”  During the question and answer session,
His Holiness was asked how parents should teach privileged children to
understand how lucky they are. His Holiness remarked that there is a
question of how to introduce the value of compassion in a modern
education system, and a pressing need to teach values in a secular way
to children from kindergarten to university.  His Holiness was
also asked if he planned on going back to Tibet. His Holiness said
there was “always a desire to return,” but the Chinese leadership,
which slanders him and calls him an enemy, would have a hard time
justifying to its citizens why His Holiness was let inside the country.
So His Holiness said he was trying to improve his relationship with the
Chinese government. He reiterated that the issue of Tibet is not a
Dalai Lama issue, but the issue of the Tibetan people.  Tomorrow His Holiness travels to Florida where he will give two public talks. –Reporting by Tenzin Dickyi, Office of Tibet, New York. Editing by Lobsang Choedak