Published by: World Tibet Network News, Sunday - May 11, 1997

HONG KONG, May 8 (AFP) - China has nothing to fear from Tibetan Buddhism

and should come to the conference table to discuss the problems, a Buddhist

spiritual master said here Thursday.

Sogyal Rinpoche, author of the best-selling "The Tibetan Book of Living and

Dying" said it was "unfortunate" that Beijing had interfered in the choice

of the Panchen Lama, the second highest Tibetan Buddhist leader after the

Dalai Lama.

China issued a clear warning for Tibetan officials to break all contacts

with the exiled Dalai Lama on Wednesday by convicting a senior monk of

treason for sharing information about a Beijing-sponsored search for a

young boy as the "reincarnation" of the Panchen Lama.

Chadrel Rinpoche, head of the Chinese team that searched for the new

Panchen Lama, was sentenced to six years in jail for plotting to split

China and leaking state secrets by colluding with separatist forces abroad,

Xinhua reported.

The sentence stems from Beijing's fury in May 1995 when the Dalai Lama

publicly named the new Panchen Lama ahead of China.

"I think he simply was sending the names on the lists of the candidates of

the young Panchen," Sogyal Rinproche said.

China's actions are "very unfortunate, because there (are) already

precendents, clear guidelines, a very clear way of choosing the Panchen

Lama," he said after a luncheon speech at the Foreign Correspondents Club.

"It is unfortunate that the Chinese have interfered in some respects." If

the normal process for the spiritual search had been followed "it may have

created even greater understanding between the Chinese and Tibetan people,"

he added.

"I really hope there could be hope for dialogue, because I think it is high

time we sat down at the discussion table."

"From time to time they (the Chinese authorities) have made overtures, but

sometimes... it doesn't seem to be substantial. I hope they will realize

the sincerity of his holiness (the Dalai Lama).

He said while conditions in Tibet were "not really the best today," they

were not as bad as during the Cultural Revolution of the '60s and '70s.

The Tibetan author compared the situation in Tibet with the former

situation in South Africa, saying President Nelson Mandela embodied many of

the Buddhist teachings.

"Nelson Mandela is very much teaching sympathy. I hope in much the same way

as has happened with South Africa that Tibet will soon find a light of the

day," he said.