By Tenzin Monlam
DHARAMSHALA, July 26: Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama has said that the Tibetans in the free world must become the voice for the Tibetans inside Tibet who have been muted under the Chinese oppression.
Speaking to Tibetan public and students at the TCV School in Choglamsar on Tuesday, the exile Tibetan leader said, “We Tibetans who live freely in exile need to speak up for the Tibetans in Tibet, who are unable to speak for themselves. I don’t have any criticism to make of the Chinese people in general. I have no resentment towards the Chinese people for what’s happened to us, but among hard-line Chinese officials there are many who are rigid and narrow minded.”
The Tibetan leader said the Chinese government can not control their minds of the Tibetans through use of force. “Employing all kinds of measures to subjugate Tibetans, they have tried to eliminate our identity. However, while physical controls can limit physical movements, they can’t control their minds,” the 82-year-old spiritual leader said.
The Tibetan spiritual leader also recalled the event leading up to his decision of adopting Middle Way Approach instead of complete freedom in 1974. He said, “In our early years in exile we approached the UN. However, Nehru was clear that we would have to deal with China directly. He told me that neither the UN nor the USA would go to war with China over Tibet. Consequently, in 1974 we decided not to make independence our goal.”
Reiterating his commitment to the Middle Way Approach to resolve the issue of Tibet, the Tibetan leader said many Chinese intellectuals support MWA including late Liu Xiaobo.
The Dalai Lama who has been in Ladakh for over a month is scheduled to give Shantideva’s A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life (chodjug) at Shiwai tsal Teaching Ground from July 28 to 30. On the last day, His Holiness will be conferring a long life empowerment.
