His Holiness Shares his thoughts on Non-violence at University of Arkansas, Receives Honorary Degree[Thursday, 12 May 2011, 9:16 a.m.]

	His Holiness the Dalai Lama is presented with an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters degree from the University of Arkansas on 11 May 2011/Photo by Russell Cothren

Fayetteville:
On 11 May 2011 His Holiness the Dalai Lama began his programme in
Fayetteville in the state of Arkansas, by visiting the Mullins Library
of the University of Arkansas where there was an exhibition of Tibetan
artifacts, scroll paintings, photos (taken by photographer Sonam
Zoksang) and a mandala of Avalokitesvara (bodhisattva of compassion), 
constructed by Tibetan monks from Drepung Loseling, were exhibited.Thereafter,
His Holiness left for the Bud Walton Arena, to participate in a panel
discussion Turning Swords into Ploughshares: The Many Paths of
Non-Violence. His two co-panelists were Sister Helen Prejean, the nun
and death-row activist whose opposition to the death penalty has won
her an international audience, including through her book, Dead Man
Walking; and Vincent Harding, whose long career in the African-American
freedom movement began with Martin Luther King, Jr. On his arrival at
the venue, His Holiness was received by University Chancellor Dave
Gearhart. Around 10,000 people had gathered to listen to this session.Chancellor
Gearhart gave his welcome remarks and appreciated the university’s
student-funded Distinguished Lecture Series for sponsoring the event.Thereafter,
Sidney Burris, director, Fulbright College Honors Programme of the
University, who was moderated the session, gave his introductory
remarks. He said that from the discussion among “a monk, a nun and a
college professor,” the audience might learn something about
incorporating non-violence in their daily life. He then invited the
panelists to make their initial remarks.His Holiness began by
outlining the fact that man is a social animal and that our individual
survival depend on the rest of the community. He said, unless it is a
turtle (which is abandoned as an egg by its mother soon after being
laid) almost all other living beings are cared for by their mother from
birth.His Holiness termed the basic human nature as being one
of gentleness. He said although aggression was also a part of our
nature, it came about as a result of our intelligence and greed. He
said medical scientists have confirmed that constant anger and fear are
bad for our health, which, he said, confirms that our basic nature is
one of gentleness.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama takes part in a panel discussion “Turning Swords into Ploughshares: The Many Paths of Non-violence” at the University of Arkansas

His
Holiness said that non-violence is basically related to action. Those
of our action that are motived by compassion are non-violence while
those coming out of hate are violence.Thereafter, Sister Helen
Pejean and Prof. Vincent Harding shared their thoughts on the issue of
non-violence based on their individual experiences. Sister Pejean
talked of her interaction with a prisoner on death row that made her
realise that the people at large were ignorant of the reality
surrounding death penalty. She said it led her to ask the question,
“Where does the imitation of violence take us?” and she has since
become a leading campaigner for the abolition of death penalty.Prof.
Harding spoke about his family upbringing by a single mother and the
environment around him that led him to begin wrestling with the issue
of non-violence. He talked about his participation on movements for
compassionate justice and non-violent social change, including how he
became a conscientious objector in the US Army. He eventually started
working with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.Both the panelists
talked about the strong impact of their Christian religion in their
approach towards the issue of non-violence.His Holiness
remarked that the testimony of the two co-panelists confirms the fact
that all major religious traditions have the same potential to promote
inner peace.Highlighting the importance of forgiveness, His
Holiness suggested that this does not mean bowing down to the other.
Rather, people need to make a distinction between the actor and the
action when dealing with the issue of tolerance. Citing the case of the
Tibetan people, His Holiness said that while we oppose and criticise
China’s action regarding Tibet, we nevertheless respect the Chinese
people and have compassion for the Chinese Communist hardliners.His
Holiness mentioned that the very nature of violence is one of
unpredictability and therefore it cannot be lasting solution to any
problem. Citing the over 200 million death due to violence in the 20th
century His Holiness said that this 21st century should be one of
dialogue.The panelists all highlighted the significance of
dialogue with the adversary to resolve issues. His Holiness recalled
meetings that he participated with victims from both sides of the
Northern Ireland conflict. He said initially there was a tense
atmosphere but after some meetings he found during a subsequent visit
that the people had become much relaxed.

His
Holiness also talked about his opposition to death sentence saying that
it punishes the person and not the action. He said the real effective
way would be to deal with the action. His Holiness said right from an
early age, around 1945-46, when he learnt about the death sentence from
the Nuremberg Trials, he had been much saddened.  He said that he was
also a signatory to the campaign for abolition of the death sentence
launched by Amnesty International.Following lunch, His Holiness
briefly addressed a luncheon during which lauded the American
democratic values. Citing the cases of impeachment trial of President
Clinton (His Holiness called him “another close friend”) as well as the
trial of the former Indian Prime Minister, Narasimha Rao, His Holiness
said that these indicated that only in a democratic society was there
no difference between a president and a beggar.  His Holiness referred
to the budget crisis and the near shut down of the Federal government
in the United States and the risk of unemployment to several officials
and said that Americans should not be deterred by these economic
challenges. His Holiness also thanked the University for its decision
to have a Tibetan girl student this year.His Holiness then went
back to the Bud Walton Arena, for the public talk on “Non-Violence in
the New Century: The Way Forward.” Prior to the talk the University
conferred an honorary degree on His Holiness.Chancellor
Gearhart in his welcome remarks said that the University was “humbled
to partner with the Dalai Lama in spreading his message of
non-violence.”  He recognised the contribution of Sidney Burris and
Geshe Thupten Dorjee, who teach at the University for working on the
visit of His Holiness as well as for the TEXT Project, or “Tibetans in
Exile Today,” an oral-history programme designed to record the stories
of Tibetans currently living in refugee settlements in India. The
project focuses on the Tibetans who left their country in 1959, but
still have vivid memories of traditional Tibetan culture. He also
announced the University’s partnership with the Tibet Fund to have a
Tibetan student at the University.Chancellor Gearhart invited
University of Arkansas board of trustees chairman Carl Johnson and
University of Arkansas System President Alan Sugg to join him the
presentation. Chancellor Gearhart remarked,  “Honorary degrees are
conferred on individuals who have achieved extraordinary distinctions
in the sciences or the arts or public affairs. Recipients of the
degrees are exceptional individuals who have demonstrated their
appreciation of and dedication to the ideals and purposes of the
University. It is my distinct pleasure and great honour to present H.H.
the Dalai Lama for his promotion of basic human values, secular ethics
in the interest of humanity, for fostering inter-religious harmony and
welfare of the Tibetan people.”Dr. Johnson then announced the honorary degree. The Citation read.“University
of Arkansas. To all to whom these presents may come. Greeting. Be it
known that in recognition of his exalted character, his eminent
attainments in arts and letters, his devotion to truth, duty and the
welfare of society, the Board of Trustees of the University of Arkansas
have this day conferred upon Tenzin Gyatso, His Holiness the Fourteenth
Dalai Lama the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters with all the rights
and privileges pertaining thereto. Fayetteville, Arkansas, May 14,
2011.”

His Holiness the Dalai Lama addresses a small gathering of during a break before his public talk at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on 9 May 2011

His
Holiness then began his talk by saying that he regarded the degree as
an appreciation of his contribution to the society. He said as he was
nearing the age of 76, he would continue to dedicate the rest of his
life for the causes for which the degree was awarded. He joked that it
was his hope that the award will not be wasted.His Holiness
said he came from the Roof of the World or the Land of the Snows. He
said there are those who call him a God King or a Living Buddha and
that these were nonsense. He said it was also nonsense for those who
were calling him a demon. He said he was just a simple Buddhist monk
and he remembered this even in his dreams.He said while talking
here he was not thinking of himself as a Buddhist monk but as a human
being. We are all human beings and everyone wants happiness, he said.
He then said mere sensorial satisfaction did not define happiness and
that there was the need for a deeper mental level satisfaction. For
this there was the need to cultivate inner values, he said. His
Holiness then said the real sense of inner value is human warm
heartedness.He said those individuals who received warm
heartedness and affection when they were young developed a more
positive outlook than those who did not receive them. He referred to
the kindness he received from his mother from a very young age, which
even made him a bit “bossy.” He talked of pulling his mother’s ears
while riding on her shoulder to lead her to the direction he wanted to
go. He also recalled a Jewish teacher whose lesson about looking at the
adversary in the image of God had a positive impact on his Palestinian
students in their outlook towards the soldiers at the Israeli check
posts.His Holiness said thus it was common experience that
people who have received affection are much happier adding that
constant fear, anger and hatred are eating our immune system.He
said the 20th century had seen extraordinary innovation but at the same
time it had witnessed much violence. Highlighting non-violence, he said
that people needed to understand the importance we are all
interdependent. Destruction of neighbour is a destruction of the self.He
said it was through action that we could bring about peace in the
world. His Holiness said peace did not mean that there would be no
problems in the world. His Holiness concluded by calling for
the promotion of a culture of dialogue and said that there was the need
for educational institutions to promote the awareness of
warm-heartedness.His Holiness then answered several questions
collected via the Internet. When asked what did he value most from all
his travels, he responded that he valued his freedom and his informal
nature. Asked about his view on the Arab Spring, he said that these
were the sign of desperation. He said the world belonged to humanity
and not to governments, kings or spiritual leaders. Egypt, he said,
belonged to the Egyptian people and not to any particular leader.To
a question whether he had learnt to drive a car, His Holiness responded
in the positive saying that there were three cars in Lhasa from the
time of the 13th Dalai Lama and he had asked for these to be repaired
(as they had been lying unused for a long time) by drivers who were
brought from India. Once, at the age of 17 or 18, when the driver was
not there he drove a car within his residential compound but had an
accident when he closed his eyes to avoid a tree branch. Asked about
the feeling of Tibetans in Tibet in not being able to see him there,
His Holiness said that the ordinary Tibetans very much wanted him to
return but that the intellectuals appreciate the fact that he was
living in a free world.  He said although a new generation of Tibetans
had come up in Tibet the Tibetan spirit was very much strong.In
response to a question on the impact of three rivers of Tibet to
downstream regions like Burma, etc, His Holiness talked about the
importance of the Tibetan plateau on the environment and how many
people are affected by any changes there.His Holiness also
responded to another question about his devolution of political
authority saying that he felt very proud to end a four hundred century
old tradition of political rule by the Dalai Lamas. He said he found it
a bit hypocritical for him to hold on to his dual position while
telling others that religious institutions and political institutions
should be separate.  His Holiness said he had said in the past that the
Chinese Communist Party could take a lesson from the 150,000 Tibetans
in exile in terms of transformation of authority.  The People’s
Republic of China deserved to be a super power but that can come about
only through gaining respect and trust from the international
community, he said, adding that military force only brings about fear.
He said the 1.3 billion people in China have the right to know reality
and to judge for themselves without censorship or distorted
information.  He, however, said the change in China should be gradual
as an overnight change would be chaotic.To a question on how
peace can be cultivated when there are lot of problems, His Holiness
suggested that one should develop inner strength. Giving his own
example he said that with such a development the problems would be
momentary while there was inner calm. He likened this to the situation
of an ocean where on the surface there was active movement on account
of the waves but beneath that the water was calm.His Holiness
then concluded by saying that if people found anything useful from his
talk today they should think over them and try to implement them. The
over 12,000 people in the audience gave him a standing ovation.In
conjunction with the visit of His Holiness the Dalai Lama several
Tibet-related activities were being held in Fayetteville. The Mayor of
Fayetteville Lioneld Jordan, who received His Holiness on his arrival
yesterday, remarked to the press that “The city of Fayetteville is a
very welcoming and diverse place where we serve all people. The beliefs
of the Dalai Lama go hand in hand with what this city stands for.”Mayor Jordan had declared this week as Tibet Week and 11 May as Dalai Lama Day.The
University of Arkansas in Fayetteville was the sixth University that
His Holiness had visited during this current trip. His Holiness arrives
in Newark in the state of New Jersey for the last leg of his programmes
in the United State.