World Tibet Network News Wednesday, May 13, 1998

The words of the Dalai Lama (THE CAPITAL TIMES) 05-11-98

Last fall, the Dalai Lama addressed the "Forum 2000'' Conference in Prague. The speech he gave summarized his views on an array of significant issues, while offering insights into the ideological impulses of the leader of Tibetan Buddhism.

Today, The Capital Times, which has long supported the Dalai Lama's campaign for self-determination for his native Tibet, as well as his initiatives for peace and social justice, reproduces a portion of that speech, in anticipation of the visit this week of the Dalai Lama to the Madison area: Today's world requires us to accept the oneness of humanity. In the past, isolated communities could afford to think of one another as fundamentally separate. Some could even exist in total isolation. But nowadays, whatever happens in one region eventually affects many other areas. Within the context of our new interdependence, self-interest clearly lies in considering the interest of others.

Many of the world's problems and conflicts arise because we have lost sight of the basic humanity that binds us all together as a human family. We hing genuine world peace and preserving the bountiful earth, what can we do? Beautiful words are not enough. Our ultimate goal should be the demilitarization of the entire planet. If it were properly planned and people were educated to understand its advantages I believe it would be quite possible. But, if we are to have the confidence to eliminate physical weapons, to begin with some kind of inner disarmament is necessary. We need to embark on the difficult task of developing

love and compassion within ourselves. Compassion is, by nature, peaceful and gentle, but it is also very powerful. Some may dismiss it as impractical and unrealistic, but I believe its practice is the true source of success. It is a sign of true inner strength. To achieve it we do not need to become religious,

nor do we need any ideology. All that is necessary is for us to develop our basic human qualities.

Ultimately, humanity is one and this small planet is our only home. If we are truly to help one another and protect this home of ours, each of us needs to experience a vivid sense of compassion and responsibility. Only these feelings can remove the self-centered motives that cause people to deceive and misuse one

another.

No system of government is perfect, but democracy is closest to our essential human nature; it is also the only stable foundation upon which a just and free global political structure can be built, So it is in all our interests that those of us who already enjoy democracy should actively support everybody's right to do so. We all want to live a good life, but that does not mean just

having good food, clothes and shelter. These are not sufficient. We need a good motivation: compassion, without dogmatism, without complicated philosophy, just understanding that others are our human brothers and sisters and respecting

their rights and human dignity. That we humans can help each other is one of our unique human capacities.

We accept the need for pluralism in politics and democracy, yet we often seem more hesitant about the plurality of faiths and religions. It is important to remember that wherever they came from, all the world's major religious traditions are similar in having the potential to help human beings live at peace with themselves, with each other and with the environment. For centuries, millions of individual followers have derived personal peace of mind and solace in times of suffering from their own particular religious traditions. It is evident too that society in general has derived much benefit from religious traditions in terms of inspiration to ensure social justice and provide help to

the needy.

Human beings naturally possess diverse mental dispositions and interests. Therefore, it is inevitable that different religious traditions emphasize different philosophies and modes of practice. Since the essence of our diverse religious traditions is to achieve our individual and collective benefit, it is

crucial that we are active in maintaining harmony and mutual respect among them. Concerted efforts to this end will benefit not only the followers of our own faith, but will create an atmosphere of peace in society as a whole.

In the world at present, if we are serious in our commitment to the fundamental principles of equality, which I believe lie at the heart of the concept of human rights and democracy, today's economic disparity between the North and South can no longer be ignored. It is not enough merely to state that all human beings

must enjoy equal dignity. This must be translated into action ...