BRUSSELS: His Holiness the Dalai Lama arrived in Brussels, the heart of the European Union, on 7 September. He was received at his hotel by 350 Tibetans who gave him a rousing traditional welcome.
His first engagement the next day, 8 September, was to give an interview to Francois Mazure, Editor-in-Chief of the Belgian television channel RTBF. Mazure’s first question referred to the theme of the forthcoming Mind & Life conference—Power and Care. He wanted to know how these two ideas can work together. His Holiness told him power is to do with ability. It’s about being effective. But power can be constructive or destructive. Care, however, is about respecting others’ lives, rights and well-being. It’s good when power is used for benefit. He continued:
“It’s because compassion is related to human life, to our survival, to human society that it is part of the message of all religious traditions. Today, we 7 billion human beings are facing all sorts of problems as a result of education systems and lifestyles oriented towards material goals, while only religion gives a sense of inner values. And yet not everyone is interested in religion and even among many who are some are not very serious. Only by improving education can we reach all human beings.”
When Mazure referred to recent terrorist attacks in Europe, including here in Belgium, and asked what His Holiness had to say to those who are angry, he replied that Tibetans too have faced difficulties and some are angry, but he tells them that anger brings no solution and disturbs your peace of mind.
He spoke of writing to President George W Bush, who he counts as a friend, the day after the September 11th tragedy. He said he conveyed his sympathy but also expressed the hope that any response would be non-violent. He said he feels that if the Iraq crisis had been approached in a non-violent way, the situation would have been much better today. He reiterated that the use of force creates more difficulties than it solves. He added that it is unhelpful to refer to Muslim terrorists or Buddhist terrorists and so forth, because once people engage in terrorist violence they have ceased to be proper Muslims, Buddhists or whatever faith they claim.
In the context of the violence of the two world wars that ravaged Europe in the 20th century, in the course of which millions were killed, he remarked that the formation of the European Union was a sign of maturity.
“The key to making a better world,” he said, “is creating a more complete education system, which includes training in compassion and concern for others. Recent scientific findings that show basic human nature to be compassionate is a real source of hope.”
Mazure asked His Holiness whether the next Dalai Lama could be a woman and whether more female leaders would be good for the world. His Holiness confirmed that some years ago he told a Paris magazine that if it would help, a female Dalai Lama was quite possible. He also remarked that today we have nearly 200 nations in the world. If their leaders were women, he said, there’s a good chance there would be less killing going on.
His Holiness agreed that ecology is extremely important because the effects of climate change and the increased frequency of natural disasters are affecting us all. He assured Mazure that he had not retired in 2011 because he was discouraged or for any other negative reason, but because since coming into exile he had worked to establish democracy among Tibetans.
“Since I completely retired from my political responsibilities in 2011 I’ve been able to dedicate my efforts to the preservation of Tibet’s rich Buddhist culture, our Tibetan language and the natural environment of Tibet.”
Towards the end of their conversation, His Holiness told Mazure, “When I die, I pray I’ll be reborn where I can be useful.”
– Sourced from dalailama.com –
