Friday, June 13, 1997

San Francisco Chronicle

Don Lattin, Chronicle Religion Writer

What's it like to be a "God King" and "Living Buddha" to have a title describing you as nothing less than "Holy Lord, Gentle Glory, Eloquent, Compassionate, Learned Defender of the Faith, Ocean of Wisdom"?

"That's nonsense," replied the Dalai Lama. "Some people believe I have some kind of magic power. They use words like 'Living Buddha.' Those are wrong ideas. I describe myself as a simple Buddhist monk, no more, no less."

Then the Dalai Lama, sitting before another packed auditorium at the University of California at Berkeley, let out one of his infectious from-the-belly giggles, sounding more like Tiny Tim than a God King, and another audience fell madly in love with him.

Yesterday's venue was Zellerbach Auditorium, where the Dalai Lama was interviewed on stage by Orville Schell, dean of UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism.

You don't have to listen to the Dalai Lama many times to figure out that it's not what he says, it's the sing-song way he says it. His magic is his honesty. It's his simple human joy, his utter and complete lack of pretension. Maybe that's why Tibetans simply call him "Kundun" or "the presence."

Asked if he was ever sorry that he couldn't marry and have children, the Dalai Lama said he has met many childless couples who were very sad over having no children. He said he has also met many couples who constantly complain about their children.

"No," he replied. "I feel very lucky."

The Dalai Lama was born as Lhamo Dhondrub in a tiny village in northeastern Tibet on July 6, 1935, a poor, peasant child on one of the most remote mountaintops on Earth. When he was two years old, he was recognized by Tibetan religious authorities as the reincarnation of his predecessor, the 13th Dalai Lama.

In 1950, at the age of 15, he assumed full political power and began his lifelong dance of diplomacy with the People's Republic of China. In 1959, Chinese troops crushed an uprising in Tibet, forcing the Dalai Lama and 87,000 refugees into exile in India, where they remain today.

"Sometimes I worry, worry, worry such responsibilities," he said yesterday. "But I try to turn that into more determination for Tibet and to carry the Buddhist teachings."

The Dalai Lama called a renewed Chinese campaign against Tibetan language and religion "cultural genocide."

"Time is running out," he said. "The world is changing rapidly, but interest is also rising about Tibet."

China's imminent takeover of Hong Kong and its embrace of Western-style development and industrialization has left the Dalai Lama wondering what's really going on in Beijing.

"What is China's real ideology?" he asked. "Are they just after money? Is it different from capitalism?"

During his U.S. tour, the Dalai Lama said he has noticed the huge gap between the rich and poor and wondered whether China is going down the same path.

"Here I see the homeless people, even old people who can barely walk, with very sad looks on their faces," he said. "When I see this, my devotion to socialism increases."

The Dalai Lama says he remains committed to "genuine autonomy, not independence" in Tibet.

"All my efforts have been for reconciliation," he said. "History is history. Forget the past and look forward. Generations change, but the Tibetan spirit is even stronger," he said. "I'm optimistic that things will change in Tibet. Whether or not that is blind faith, that's what I think."