Activities by His Holiness the Dalai Lama “In our struggle for freedom, truth is the only weapon we possess.” While speaking of himself as a ‘simple Buddhist monk’ , Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, is the most well known Tibetan in the world, To many non-Tibetans he is a charismatic figure who both symbolizes and embodies the Tibetan liberation struggle, as well as being a Nobel Peace Laureate. The Tibetan people believe that he is the embodiment of Chenrezig, the Buddha of Compassion. Prior to invasion by the PRC, the office of the Dalai Lamas was the highest political and spiritual authority of the country. Since fleeing into exile, the Dalai Lama has worked hard to build the basis for a separate and democratically elected political leadership within the Tibetan exile community. He travels abroad primarily in his role as a pre-eminent religious teacher and scholar within the Vajrayana Buddhist tradition. 109 He frequently travels abroad as a respected world religious leader, and has been invited to the Vatican in Rome, was a key figure in the World Parliament of Religions in 1993 and is active in most global religious forums for peace. He is sometimes treated in the countries he visits with the ceremony reserved for visiting heads of state. When so treated, the PRC usually launches retaliatory actions against the offending state, accusing them of ‘meddling in the internal affairs of China’ 110 The Dalai Lama generally, out of consideration to host countries, steers clear of making solely political speeches, but always refers to a Buddhist basis for peacemaking. He has gained global appreciation for his lifelong condemnation of violence as a means for resolving disputes and the promotion of dialog as the only way to overcome problems. Through joint activities of the Nobel Peace laureates, he has helped mobilize campaigns on other pressing issues, such as the international trade in arms- a form of livelihood proscribed by Buddhist precepts. In his combined role as religious leader, delegate of peace and representative of Tibet, the Dalai Lama has placed a special emphasis in visiting countries physically and politically close to China, including Mongolia, Japan, Taiwan and Thailand in his attempt to influence China through the goodwill of others. Broadcasts of his speeches on religion in Taiwan could be received in many mainland coastal provinces and had a positive impact for many mainland Chinese people who had otherwise only heard of the Dalai Lama as an enemy of the state through PRC media. These broadcasts helped to undermine the counter-Tibetan propaganda which the PRC produce for their own people. In what he describes as ‘the middle way approach’ to resolving the conflict between the Tibetan exile government and Beijing, he has proposed a Five Point Peace Plan for Tibet. m m m m m
Transform Tibet into a zone of peace. Stop China’s population transfer policy; Respect human rights and democratic freedoms; Restore and protect the natural environment; and Commence earnest negotiations with China on the future status of Tibet.
He has maintained that he is ready to begin talks on the future of Tibet without preconditions at any time. X
36 Truth is Our Only Weapom: The Tibetan Nonviolent Struggle