Unshaken faith in Chinese people on Tibet[Tuesday, 21 December 2010, 9:20 a.m.]

His Holiness the Dalai Lama arriving at Mani Chokhor Ling Monastery at Buddha Park, in Ravangla, Sikkim, on 19 December 2010/Photo by Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL

DHARAMSALA:
His Holiness the Dalai Lama has reiterated that his faith in the
Chinese people on the issue of Tibet remains unshaken, saying that many
Chinese intellectuals and Buddhists fully support the Tibetans’
middle-way policy towards achieving genuine autonomy. “It
would be difficult to many Chinese to support our call for complete
independence, but our present middle-way policy which is not “we win,
you lose” kind of stand, would be beneficial to both China and Tibet,”
His Holiness the Dalai Lama said in his address to Tibetans in Ravangla
in India’s northeastern state of Sikkim.“Since the peaceful
protest occurred in Tibet in March 2008, Chinese scholars have written
over 1,000 articles out of which about 200 were penned by those in
Mainland China. All these are 100 per cent in support of our Middle-Way
policy and critical of the Chinese government’s wrong policies on
Tibet,” His Holiness said.His Holiness said a recent survey in
China has showed that the country has the largest number of Buddhists
in the world totaling more than 300 million.“Until recently, I
have been receiving an un-ending stream of about two to three and
sometimes about ten Chinese visitors from the mainland China. During
such meetings, with tears in their eyes they beseech me not to forget
the Chinese people. Many of them said to me as Chinese they feel
ashamed and express apology over the suffering inflicted on Tibetans by
the Chinese government, which shows that truth is on our side,” said
His Holiness the Dalai Lama.His Holiness said the Chinese
people have great pride in their culture and as a Buddhist nation there
are tens and thousands of monasteries and monks in China. Buddhism
flourished in China some 400 years before it came to Tibet, but the
kind of eminent Buddhist scholars with their great works available in
Tibet at that time were very rarely seen in China. When I meet Chinese
scholars and talk with them, their standard of knowledge is very poor.
As for me, I feel low in my standard when I come in front of a top
scholar in Buddhist studies. But my knowledge is not poor when compared
with the Chinese Buddhist scholars who come from China. Therefore, it
is very important that we should always keep our identity as Tibetans
and feel proud of it, he said.“More than sixty years have
passed since the People’s Republic of China invaded Tibet, but it has
failed to crush the strength and determination of Tibetans either
through gentle coaxing or through brutal repression,” His Holiness said.Speaking
of his impression of the declining moral behaviour of Tibetans in the
exile community, His Holiness urged the Tibetans on the need to be
careful on this front and to maintain friendly relations with the local
Indian people. His Holiness was on his fifth visit to Ravangla
Tibetan settlement from 18 – 19 December. He left for the state capital
Gangtok on 20 December.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama acknowledge the crowd after his talk at Buddha Park, in Ravangla, Sikkim,  on 19 December 2010/Photo by Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL

–Based on report filed by Sheja Editor Kelsang Khedup from Ravangla