Transparency, freedom of press stepping stones to democracy, His Holiness tells Chinese community[Monday, 13 June 2011, 9:27 a.m.]

His Holiness the Dalai Lama with members of Chinese-Tibetan Friendship Group of Melbourne, Australia, on 12 June 2011/Photo/Rusty Stewart/DLIAL

MELBOURNE:
His Holiness the Dalai Lama has told a gathering of Chinese community
in Melbourne Sunday that transparent governance and freedom of press
are stepping stones for China to embrace democracy.His Holiness
met with a large group of Chinese youth, Buddhists and democracy
activists on his fourth day in Melbourne. Many of them are members of
the Chinese-Tibetan Friendship Group in Melbourne, which was
established on suggestions from His Holiness the Dalai Lama on a
previous visit.He said the Tibet-China relationship spans over
1000 years. “As far as Buddhism is concerned, it flourished in China
long before Tibet. So the Chinese are more senior students of the
Buddha,” he said. On the political front, His Holiness
reiterated his position on seeking autonomy within China. He said, “We
should resolve the issue through friendship and mutual cooperation.”His
Holiness told the Chinese gathering that he is proud to show the
Chinese government on what he has done in achieving a genuine Tibetan
democracy, adding it is now the Chinese Communist Party’s turn to
retire after being in power for 60 years.However, he made it
clear that it is not his expectation that China would change into a
democratic country overnight. He said, “China is a big country and is
not used to democracy. It is good to take go on that path gradually.
The first step to take could be to be more transparent and more open.
It should start with allowing freedom of press and work towards stop
spread false information.”His Holiness was touched by the warm
reception from the Chinese community. A group of Chinese women recited
a prayer song in Tibetan for him. He told them it was the same prayer
that he has been reciting every single day since his childhood.Earlier
in the day, His Holiness met with the members of Tibetan, Mongolian and
Bhutanese communities. He told the audience that “we should be 21st
century Buddhists. By this, I mean we must have full understanding of
the Buddha dharma.”He encouraged the Tibetans living in
Australia to pay special attention in preserving our culture. He said,
“We are in exile not because of a natural disaster or a civil war. We
left our country because of a foreign occupation. It is our duty to
keep our rich and ancient heritage alive.” Refuting any speculation
over his devolution of political power, His Holiness told the Tibetans
in the audience to “be assured” that he has not given up on Tibet. “I
have taken my decision in the long-term interest of the Tibetan
people,” said His Holiness.His Holiness then headed off to
start his second day of teachings on Bodhisattva’s Way of Life. After
completing chapter 9 on wisdom, he drew attention to chapters 1 (The
Benefits of the Awakening Mind), 4 (Conscientiousness) and 8
(Concentration). He spoke at length on emptiness, nirvana, the
Four Nobel Truths and other central Buddhist concepts. Speaking in both
Tibetan and English, His Holiness again showed his remarkable prowess
as a Buddhist teacher, communicating these profound concepts not only
in a manner accessible to Tibetan and Western minds alike, but highly
relevant to the modern world.–Report filed by Tsering Kyinzom Dhongdue