Dalai Lama Enlisted To Change Islam Image

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SAN FRANCISCO, April 17, 2006, (UPI) -- The Dalai Lama met in San Francisco

with prominent Muslim dignitaries to seek ways to improve their faith's

declining image in the West.

"The 90 percent of the Muslim world that is moderate and peace-loving wants

to overcome the radical ideologies of the rest," said Dan Kranzler, one of

the gathering's sponsors. "If there is anyone in the world who can cheat the

odds and make that happen it's the Dalai Lama."

The Dalai Lama is the spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet, but Islam has

no similar central authority to unite its members. Muslims around the globe

interpret the faith differently and are more divided among themselves.

The summit was a measure of the concern among moderate Muslim leaders and

scholars about religious extremism and increasingly negative views of their

faith arising from Western concerns about terrorism, The Los Angeles Times

reported.

"Islam is one of the world's great religions and it carries, basically, a

message of love and compassion," the Dalai Lama said. "Those people who

claim to be Muslims, if they create bloodshed, that is not genuine Islam."

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TIME, Saturday, Apr. 15, 2006

Tibet's spiritual leader speaks

The Dalai Lama's schedule is usually set seven years in advance, but the

Tibetan spiritual leader made a rare change to his plans in order to attend

a San Francisco conference convened by Muslim leaders to discuss religious

tolerance. His Holiness, as Tibetans call him, spoke with Time's Amanda

Bower about Islam, his hopes to return to his homeland after 47 years in

exile, and his hobby of tinkering with timepieces.

TIME: What was so important about this conference that you changed your

schedule to attend?

THE DALAI LAMA: I have two major commitments. Number one is the promotion of

human values - not because of religious belief, but because of biological

reasoning. We need peace of mind. Peace of mind is good for health, good for

community, good for family, and also for physical growth. A peaceful mind is

more proper. A disturbed mind, harmful. My number two commitment, as a

believer, is for harmony among the different religious traditions. In the

last 20, 30 years, I made these two commitments whenever I had the

opportunity. As far as the promotion of religious harmony is concerned, I

think I made some contribution, at least between the Tibetan Buddhist

community and our Christian brothers and sisters. I think we have very good,

close understanding. For example, there are many Christian practitioners now

showing their respect and understanding about Buddhist concepts, as there is

among Buddhists now an appreciation of Christian contribution for the

betterment of the world and humanity.

Personally, from my childhood, there is a Muslim community in Lhasa [Tibet's

capital] for the last four centuries. Very peaceful. Very gentle. No

quarrels. Nowadays, in the outside world, sometimes people get the

impression Muslims are more militant. I think that is wrong. I think these

wrong impressions must be eliminated. They are no good for the world.

[Islam] is one of the important world religious traditions that we must

respect.

TIME: But everyone gathered here is a moderate. Do you think the extremists

who have been giving Islam a bad name will listen to what you have to say?

THE DALAI LAMA: [Laughs] I don't think they will listen. In my Buddhist

community, the radicals don't listen... But our attempt is to try to explore

the same values, send messages, and make them known to other people. Some

mischievous people always remain. Doesn't matter. It's a mistake to

generalize the behavior of a few individuals to the whole tradition. Since

11th of September, some Muslims really carry some violence, including

terrorism. This should not be considered representative of the whole Muslim

faith. A few mischievous individuals are everywhere, among the Hindus, among

the Christians, among the Muslims, among the Buddhists.

TIME: China's President Hu Jintao is visiting the U.S. at the same time as

you are, and you have urged your supporters here not to demonstrate against

him. Why?

THE DALAI LAMA: Since we already have some official contact with the

Chinese, we believe it is very important to create impressions that we are

very sincere, we are fully committed.

TIME: Two weeks ago, the Chinese government said it would allow you to visit

your homeland, which you fled in 1959, if you abandoned your pursuit of

independence for Tibet. But haven't you long said that you want autonomy,

not independence, for Tibet?

THE DALAI LAMA: Oh yes. The world knows the Dalai Lama is not seeking

independence. The world knows. Still the Chinese do not know. [Laughs]

TIME: Do you have any heaviness of heart about giving up hope for Tibetan

independence?

THE DALAI LAMA: No. It's not necessary. Of course the present situation, in

reality, I think that 99% of the Tibetan population is very, very unhappy.

Every year, I think more than 10,000 Tibetans come to India. Some escape,

some with permission. Every single Tibetan, when you meet them, is crying,

complaining, including some Tibetans who have high level positions and are

party members. I think many foreigners who visit Tibet and who have some

close contact with local Tibetans also get the same impression. There are a

large number of police forces there.

Why? Too much suspicion, too much fear. If what the Chinese government

claims is true, there's no need for security like that. This is very bad,

not only bad for Tibetans, but also for the People's Republic of China as a

whole.

As far as the future is concerned, look at the European Union. In the past

centuries, those nations talked most about their sovereignty. Now, today,

the common interest is more important than each individual nation's

sovereignty. Tibet is a landlocked country, a large area, small population,

very, very backward. We Tibetans want modernization. Therefore, in order to

develop Tibet materially as a modern nation, Tibet must remain within the

People's Republic of China. Provided Chinese give us a full guarantee of

preservation of Tibetan culture, Tibetan environment, Tibetan spirituality,

then it is of mutual benefit. [Besides] foreign affairs [and] defense [are]

all the things which Tibetans can manage by themselves. Tibetans should have

the full autonomy.

TIME: As a hobby, you like to collect and repair watches. It seems an

unusual thing for a Tibetan monk to do.

THE DALAI LAMA: Many Tibetans, including many monks, like wristwatches. I

think monks are more fond of watches than lay people. Lay people have a lot

of other things. [Laughs] I don't buy them for myself, they are all

presented by other people.

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Public release date: 20-Apr-2006

Contact: Amanda Whibley

a.whibley@uws.edu.au

61-29-678-7084

Madonna made those little red Kabbalah bracelets cool for five minutes, and

Tom Cruise talked up Scientology, but Buddhism firmly remains the religion

du jour for Westerners looking for respite from a greedy, violent and

stressed out world, according to a University of Western Sydney expert.

Dr Cristina Rocha, an ARC postdoctoral fellow with the UWS Centre for

Cultural Research, is the author of 'Zen in Brazil: The Quest for

Cosmopolitan Modernity', being launched today.

Dr Rocha says increasing numbers of Australians, like those in other Western

countries, are shying away from their religion of birth and instead adopting

'spiritualities of choice'.

"Buddhism is attractive because it provides a powerful antidote to the

stress, greed and violence of today's world," says Dr Rocha.

"Buddhism is now the fastest growing religion in Australia, growing 80 per

cent between the 1996 and 2001 census. Interestingly, this surge is not only

due to migration, but also to large numbers of Australian's converting to

Buddhism.

"People from Western cultures are drawn to Buddhism because it is seen as a

'feel good' spirituality - not tied to a particular church or central

leader - and is associated with peace, love, happiness, justice and

enlightenment.

"Westerners find it gives them tools to cope with the day-to-day, and helps

them detach from the rampant consumerism and stresses of their busy lives."

She says Western society's eagerness to embrace Buddhism stands in stark

contrast to its misunderstanding, distrust and fear of a religion like

Islam, which is labelled by Western media as 'violent' and linked to

terrorism.

"One of the reasons for this is the fact the Dalai Lama received a Nobel

peace prize in 1989 for his peaceful resistance against the Chinese invasion

of Tibet," says Dr Rocha.

Dr Rocha says Western society's flirtation with Buddhism was boosted in the

1960s, thanks to increased levels of migration and exposure to other

cultures, and the flower-child generation's willingness to explore things

spiritual and alternative.

However, it's grown into a full-blown love affair over the last few years,

fuelled along by influential Hollywood stars, the media, and other

Zen-loving celebrities.

The fascination has even been given a label by commentators - 'Tibetan

chic'.

"Western culture's exposure to Buddhism is so much greater now. Books by the

Dalai Lama are bestsellers, and people flock to see and hear him speak as he

travels the world. In recent years there have been many movies like 'The

Little Buddha', 'Kundun', and 'Seven Years in Tibet', and non-Hollywood

films like 'The Cup' and 'Samsra'," says Dr Rocha.

"Celebrities like Richard Gere and the Beastie Boys have used their status

to bring attention to the plight of Tibet and its struggle against China;

and actress Uma Thurman's father, Robert, who is now a professor at Columbia

University, was the first Western Tibetan Buddhist monk and an interpreter

for the Dalai Lama."

According to Dr Rocha, increasing numbers of Westerners today want to

construct their own spiritual practice; a 'pick and mix' of religious

elements that suit them best.

"In contrast to Asia, the way Buddhism has been adopted in the West has

meant that individualism is emphasised. Western followers regard meditation

as the main practice of Buddhism," she says.

"Westerners see meditation as something you can do alone, any time,

anywhere; as if there's no need for a temple, or a priest or monk. This

enables an individual to embark on their own spiritual quest for

enlightenment."

Dr Rocha says the extent of Buddhism's reach into other cultures is best

illustrated by the Brazilian experience, which is the focus of her book.

"Brazil is one of the most predominantly Catholic countries on the planet,

yet Buddhism has been experiencing a surge in popularity among the urban,

cosmopolitan classes over a number of years," she says.

"In the 1990s, Buddhism in general, and Zen in particular, were adopted by

national elites, the media and popular culture as a set of humanistic values

to counter the rampant violence and crime in Brazilian society."

'Zen in Brazil: The Quest for Cosmopolitan Modernity' will be launched

tonight by Associate Professor Ghassan Hage, from the University of Sydney.

The launch is sponsored by the Japan Foundation and the UWS Centre for

Cultural Research (CCR).

WHEN: Thursday 20 April 2006 TIME: 6.30pm WHERE: Japan Foundation, Chifley

Plaza, Shop 23, Level 1, 2 Chifley Square, Sydney.