Statement of His Holiness the Dalai Lama on the Twenty-Sixth Anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising Day, 10 March 1985
The 10th March this year marks the 26th anniversary of our National
Uprising. As we remember our long and glorious history, our brave
people and our rich cultural heritage at this important moment in our
history, let us also remind ourselves of the responsibility that we
share for the future of our people and rededicate ourselves to this
common cause and pledge that each one of us will sincerely contribute
to the best of our ability to achieve this goal.
During the past 26 years, although the vast majority of our people have
been living in our own country, they were completely deprived of all
basic freedoms and hence had to undergo untold suffering. On the other
hand, while those of us in exile have been separated from our own
country and scattered in alien surroundings, it has not been necessary
for us to live in the state of fear and tension that our fellow
countrymen have had to experience. This is not to say that our exile
has not been without its own trials and tribulations. In short, we are
living in one of the most difficult and trying periods in our history
and this generation has had to face unprecedented suffering. But as our
old Tibetan saying goes: “if the root has not dried, the tree is not
dead”; our situation is not without hope. And, since there have been
positive developments to give us cause for hope, it is of utmost
importance that we must not lose heart but find the strength and
courage to make a firm pledge to persevere in our struggle.
A concrete achievement of our people in exile has been that we have not
only managed to overcome our temporary problems of livelihood but we
have also managed to preserve our national identity and our patriotism.
And most important of all, our efforts to preserve our cultural
heritageparticularly the teachings of the Buddhahave yielded
encouraging results. With these achievementsduring the past quarter
centuryit has been possible for us to show to the world at large that,
given the opportunity, Tibetans can be creative, industrious,
resourceful and most of all we can manage our own affairs. It has also
been an opportunity to demonstrate some of our enduring national traits
of honesty, fair-mindedness and the ability to face our problems with
equanimity. So wherever there are Tibetans, people from every walk of
life have come to consider us a good natured and cultured people.
Moreover, we have also managed to create a new awareness and
understanding of our civilisation as a whole and the Buddhist
philosophy in particular. These are achievements that can be counted to
our credit. Although there are not many Tibetans in exile, in view of
the fact that we have maintained our national identity and our culture,
we have been able to arouse renewed interest and concern for our people
and our situation. These developments have also helped to bring about
positive changes in many areas inside Tibet. By any standards these are
no mean achievements and based on this experience, it is important that
we should strive harder in the future with greater determination.
One of the factors that has contributed to our success during the past
two and half decades is the feeling of the fundamental oneness of
mankind, the human compassion manifested in the noble tradition of
helping those in needirrespective of the differences in race,
language, religion and culture. In our case alone this is evident from
the interest, sympathy and assistance that we have received from the
government and people of India, from various international voluntary
organisations, religious groups and the large number of individuals. I
would, therefore, like to take this opportunity to express once again
our deep appreciation and to say that their help and kindness will
always be remembered with gratitude.
I do not wish to repeat what I have said about the period before
1978-79. For there is nothing but sorrow connected with those years.
Since then, however, conditions have improved slightly. Our people
inside Tibet are no longer dying of starvation. Even with regard to our
culture there have been some improvements in the facilities for the
study of Tibetan language. Similarly, in spite of continued
difficulties, it is now possible for family members and relatives from
inside and outside Tibet to visit one another. We welcome these
positive changes.
The basic issue of Tibet is both complicated and deeply rooted in
history. So, there can be no immediate and simple solution to our
problems. Nevertheless, factors like truth and human determination are
important. Moreover, the situation in the world is always changing and
will not remain the same.
In ancient times, the problems of one country were seemingly of no
concern to the other nations and often remained unknown to them. But
today, when the world is becoming smaller and more interdependent,
events even in a remote region arouse the concern and attention of the
rest of the world. This is because what happens in one country affects
the overall global situation. Based on their own past experience China
has also realised that it cannot remain isolated from the rest of the
world. As a result, they have been compelled to adopt new ideas and
policy. So, compared to the conditions a few years back, there has been
some progress in their fundamental policies. But in order to achieve
genuine happiness in any human society, freedom of thought is extremely
important. This freedom of thought can only be achieved from mutual
trust, mutual understanding and the absence of fear. On the other hand,
if we only pay lip service to noble sentiments but continue to harbour
hatred and ill will within our heart, sooner or later there is bound to
be confrontation. In the case of Tibet and China too, unless we can
remove the state of mutual fear and mistrust, unless we can develop a
genuine sense of friendship and goodwillthe problem that we face today
will continue to exist.
It is important for both of us to learn about one another. While the
Chinese have forced their point of view regarding the issue of Tibet
upon the Tibetans, they have continued to ignore the real fact
concerning Tibet. It is now for the Chinese to act according to the
enlightened ideals and principles of the modern times; to come forward
with an open mind and make a serious attempt to know and understand the
Tibetan peoples view point and their true feelings and aspirations.
This, I feel, is very important. It is wrong to react with suspicion or
offence to the opinions that are contrary to ones way of thinking. It
is essential that differences of opinion be examined and discussed
openly. When differing viewpoints are frankly stated and sensibly
discussed on an equal footing, the decisions or agreements reached as a
result will be genuine and beneficial to all concerned. But so long as
there is a contradiction between thought and action, there can never be
genuine and meaningful agreements.
So, at this time, I feel the most important thing for us is to keep in
close contact, to express our views frankly and to make sincere efforts
to understand each other. And, through eventual improvement in human
relationship, I am confident that our problems can be solved to our
mutual satisfaction.
My prayers for the well-being of all sentient beings.
The Dalai Lama
March 10, 1985