Our struggle for truth will continue even without Dalai Lama
Monday, 21 January 2008, 12:15 p.m.
 His Holiness being received at Tagore Hall in Ahmedabad |
 His Holiness addressing Tibetans in Tagore Hall in Paldi, Ahmedabad |
 Secretary Thubten Samphel speaking to Tibetans gathered at Tagore Hall in Ahmedabad, 19 January 2008 |
 Kalon Kesang Y Takla addressing the Tibetans at Tagore Hall in Ahmedabad |
Ahmedabad: “Our struggle is to
keep alive our unique identity and cultural heritage, which may not be
fulfilled in this lifetime and the Tibetans should be prepared to
continue this struggle even without Dalai Lama” His Holiness the Dalai
Lama told a mammoth gathering of Tibetan community at Tagore Hall in
Ahmedabad on Saturday morning.
His Holiness said, “Tibetans should put their best effort in
spreading the awareness about the Tibetan identity and its unique rich
cultural heritage among the local Indian communities,” adding “We are
the spokesperson of our fellow Tibetans living in Tibet, who are
suppressed to express freely under the communist regime of Peopleïž’s
Republic of China.”
“We should never forget our identity and should put our best effort to
uphold the moral and ethical values which is the essence of our unique
identity,” His Holiness told more than 1000 Tibetans who have come from
Gujurat and Rajasthan.
His Holiness said, “We should wear the pride of having a thousand years
old history and civilization and a script which is recognised as one of
the oldest and has its origin from India.
“With this pride, we should concentrate on modern education to catch up
with Chinese, which we have neglected and derelict in the past, because
of which they have termed us backward.” His Holiness added.
To the Tibetan students studying in colleges in Vadodara near
Ahmedabad, His Holiness underlined the importance of putting efforts
particularly in taking up studies in various specialised fields.
His Holiness also urged the students to uphold the moral behaviour of
being a Tibetan and set a good example of moral values to the local
Indian communities. While speaking on Tibetan Buddhism, His Holiness
said, the growing awareness in initiating classes and debate on the
introduction of Tibetan Buddhism across Tibetan settlements is a
healthy approach towards preserving our religion – as Tibetan Buddhism
does not mean merely reciting prayers and conducting rituals.”His
Holiness further said we should feel proud of our commitment to non
-violence based on the Middle-Way Approach in resolving the issue of
Tibet.
His Holiness lauded the peaceful response of Tibetans in Lithang in
Tibet, in the aftermath of Chinese authorities suppression of freedom
of expression and slapping of arbitrary harsh prison sentences.
His Holiness added: “Our struggle is based on non-violence and truth
since we have an established democratic form of governance in exile
community.”
Kalon Kesang Y. Takla, Kalon for the Department of Information and
International Relations gave a briefing on the evolution of the
Middle-WayApproach to resolve the issue of Tibet.
She underlined that Tibetans should understand the meaning of
Middle-Way Approach and particularly the younger generation must learn
it through various publications of the Department of Information and
International Relations.
The Kalon also spoke on the democratisation of the Central Tibetan
Administration. The Kalon concluded by expressing happiness and lauding
the efforts of Tibetan community in spreading the awareness about
various aspects of Tibetan cultural heritage during the ongoing Tibet
festival, which received very large media coverage.
