His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Conversation with Richard Gere

good morning who yamaja Tashi Delek thank you everyone it's wonderful to be here and privilege to welcome you all to this very special event I'm selling Chamba exactly Director of International Campaign for Tibet in Europe it is truly an honor for me to making this very brief introduction today how deeply approach innate we are here in this room in this lifetime to be in the presence of one of the greatest world leaders of our time the 14th Dalai Lama the questions look at the evolution of things actually work came from inside your holiness we are profoundly grateful to your leadership your wisdom your compassion and for your vision of a world in which conflict is resolved through dialogue where religious harmony replaces religious strife and where the oneness of humanity is respected it is needed more than ever in a world driven by conflict and tyranny our nonviolent part is not a passive process educause courage your holiness you cause us to follow your example the International Campaign for Tibet this is our guiding light a city was founded to fulfill your vision and this year we commemorate 30th anniversary for serving Tibetan people and your holiness the acedia community now worldwide of a hundred thousand strong connects caring individuals who have for Tibet and peace and justice across the world starting from Washington in with one office in 1988 under your inspiration your guidance your holiness today we have offices in Amsterdam Berlin Brussels and staff in London and in Dharamsala as the largest diverse support group we are working to keep the Tibet issue alive on the world stage to support your Holiness's efforts for a negotiated solution for Tibetan people we are active at the United Nations directly challenging Chinese attempts to block support for Tibet we work in Tibet we work in a European Union which you have always admired as a symbol of peace and unity we work at the highest levels from the White House to Foreign Ministries of course Europe we engage our supporters ensuring the voices of Tibetan people inside a heard a city campaign for the release of political prisoners knowing the importance of solidarity and compassion for those who can feel most isolated we have helped to secure humanitarian assistance for Refugees and development program for Tibetans inside and outside Tibet we work with the younger generation of Tibetans training and mentoring the Future Leaders of Tibet we briefed journalists worldwide and our reports and research had helped to shine a spotlight on the appalling situation inside Tibet in Tibet China has instituted increasingly hardline policies that underlying undermine Tibetan culture and religion there's a deep climate of fear with even very young children being indoctrinated in Chinese Communist Party propaganda since 2009 more than 140 Tibetans have set fire to themselves and act emerging from the anguish of oppression but even so during all these years the Tibetan people's spirit is not crushed in particular the young generation is continuing the challenge to the misguided policies of the Chinese government we at International Campaign for Tibet are determined to meet the new challenges we face in serving Tibetan people and Your Holiness we must find new ways to tell the best story a concerted effort inside and outside Tibet is needed now for a lasting solution for Tibet we must build stronger international support for Tibet with like-minded countries across the world with institutions but also with individuals working all together towards this common goal let us rejoice in your Holiness's presence and rededicate ourselves knowing as the Indian political leader Jaya Prakash Narayan said many years ago I caught East Ebert lost forever no a thousand times no Tibet will not die because there is no death for the human spirit finally I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of international campaign for Tibet to wish your holiness a long life and may all your aspirations feel fulfilled thank you thank you dear friends now I have the privilege and honor to invite His Holiness Dalai Lama and Richard Gere chairman of International Campaign for Tibet to start a 25-minute conversation his holiness and we just know each other very well and have developed or the past decades a very special friendship relationship they meet as often as they can whether in United States here in Europe in India very church attends his own his talks and teachings despite their different lives and backgrounds both of them share a lot of common values and ideas and have very complimentary understanding of the world I'm sure that you will notice this this very strong intellectual and human connections between them Richard does not need a long introduction as you I'm sure you know his incredible commitment to support Tibetan people from many decades as a Buddhist and the close friend of his holiness he just has played a very unique role to promote peace justice dialogue to resolve the issue of Tibet which unfortunately very far from being resolved for me as a Tibetan it has always been an honor and inspiring to see his life commitment have chosen on the sight of truth and justice and I hope that you will also feel inspired and enjoy their conversation as we at the International can be every bit we do every time we listen to them thank you your holiness okay I guess I guess I'm running with it does it sound okay can you hear me first of all welcome everyone and this is an extraordinary group here I really had no idea how many people would be here and what extraordinary energy and I didn't want to think that today Sunday even even so no work nobody I think this is ice okay we we try to make these later in the day but it costs more later in the day so we have to do them in the morning aside you know whenever I see a group like this I'm always there's a poem by a Japanese poet kobayashi Issa a very simple poem that under cherry trees there are no strangers and I always have that feeling around his holiness is that he is our great cherry tree and that sometimes half a million people strangers in normal life come to see his holiness but under the cherry tree of his holiness we all become friends very quickly he has that in unique ability to find that common denominator of lifeforce joy love that animates us and I've never failed to see that happen anywhere in the world whether it's been in in India of course we're literally half a million people will show up in Bulgaria or Siliguri or Ladakh or wherever and immediately we're all in a very small close family friendship or if it's in America or Europe South America and Mexico I've seen incredible things there with his holiness I'm here today as the chairman of the International Campaign for Tibet so I think the talk we'll have this morning which will be about 25 minutes will focus on the situation and has it's evolved since the 50s and the present but I'd love to have his holiness she with us his view of how this the the situation has evolved how it's changed and eventually the the situation as it is now in China and also in Tibet and how it relates to that that dynamic as well as the international dynamic I think if we have time I'd like to get into also his holiness his feelings about this rather crude form of nationalism which we're seeing evolved around the world now is very unpleasant and crude nationalism tribalism so we'll see how far we get in this talk we have about 25 minutes did it so your holiness just to start with the evolution of the International Campaign for do that this to the best of my knowledge it came from three people originally Lodi Gary Rinpoche and Van Walt was I think was in that first group - and Michele bhajana came to you with an idea probably in around 1988 and from my own side we had just started Bob Thurman and I had just started to bet house and I was becoming much more politicized at that time but do you remember what your vision was or your hopes and dreams for ICT and the international political movement to help with Tibetan people of course very important because I think as far as six million Tibetan people's determination is concerned very strong but we need support from outside world so therefore this organization I didn't right from the beginning very very active first day I think I feel it is very important Tibetan struggle not just politically he I didn't know more and more people including many scientists this is realize the knowledge which we kept over thousand years originally come from India these knowledge some website describing those knowledge which come from originally common India mainly an oriental tradition over thousand year we kept now today these tradition available only in Tibetan tradition so that besides sort of Buddhist practice or Buddhist thing but psychology and philosophy like a condom physics and then logical approach these things I consider I think the treasure of world I think so therefore Tibetan issue very much it is that if the better issue is just political then I will not already know I till some of them may know 2001 I retired from political responsibility all political civil matter as they carried by a limited political leadership so I retired but as far as the responsibility for preservation of Tibetan Buddhist culture this ancient knowledge the tradition I really feel something really worthwhile to preserve and there is real potential to share more human being so I think they my very concept the sense of responsibility of global responsibility actually come from UCD but it's tradition we always say and try a central being as some other sentient being so so this organisation as I ICT very very helpful they make clear about Tibetan issue so it is very very useful thank you and including you yourself right from the beginning you really I think fully involved by yourself so I really appreciate thank you thank you now I remember being in Bodhgaya in 86 I think it was he's held them aside I met him in Dharamsala in 1982 and I had been a student of Zen at that time Japanese Buddhism and it completely captured me and I had a daily Buddhist practice which was a wonderful thing to establish but when I met his holiness in the Tibetan community in Dharamsala my life radically changed obviously and I I saw the fullness of the possibilities of of taking the teachings of the Buddha very seriously in in the 360 degrees of what his teaching was and that the ability to completely transform one's mind and one's life was it was we were capable of that kind of incredible and complete transformation so it said certainly set me on a path but when we met I remember very clearly in 1986 and I was on my way leaving bought gaya and I was brought to your rooms and you said to me at that point you know we need a lot of help us Tibetans and we need to rely on our friendships in the rest of the world and I think was it in those years where you realized that the the Tibetan dilemma the paradigm had to be internationalized to really help the people inside of Tibet that it couldn't be kept as a small dialogue within Asia that it had to be internationalized and that really was the root of the the impulse to create international campaign for Tibet which with searing John phones just said we have offices all over the world now and I think are doing extraordinary work your holiness could you talk to us there's so little that we know about what's going on inside of Tibet and the lives of Tibetans inside Tibet and how that has evolved when you left in 1959 obviously there was chaos no one knew exactly what was going to happen at that point and could you describe a little bit about your thinking as you left Tibet in 1959 and went into exile in India what you saw as the future of Tibetans in exile but also the ones who had to remain inside of Tibet Lhasa Sophia's is a situation sometimes very serious and including torture kidding very very serious but sometimes live comparatively Marlene for example during Cultural Revolution or just provoke a solution around 56 the open revolt started from isn't Apache come then that was the crisis spread undo area naughty stupid 1958 so a lot of people kill many people no arrests so like an early 80 my might there was a direct contact with Chinese government as a result you see we have the opportunity sent some feta finding mission so after they returned they told me some of their own sorrows the village they made for male tour or male population of much because okay fight so very search but no then the after culture revolution particularly when cuiabá become party secretary then things really much change so then after we among in China proper eventually Sangamon event happen so then the a policy become more hardliner so in Tibetan area also then some of these hardliner they are very short-sighted narrow-minded so they in the I separate Tibetan identity including language and Buddhist knowledge they consider threat source of threat of separation so accordingly they really carry systematic policy in many area they distribute restriction study Tibetan and then these become honest tree you see they start political education so very difficult but then more suppressive policy Tibetan become more harder including younger generation so then channels during Jiang Zemin Marie gentlemen president then we develop some targeted contact comparatively things little better so like that sometimes say Kota much difficult sometimes labeled better but economy is concerned now in many Tibetan area new buildings new house and positive I think the economy facility I think that improve that also good now my main concern is the environment issue one my Chinese friend ecologist he wrote article mentioned the global warming from effect from Tibetan Plateau through global warming as much as South Pole and North Pole so he described Tibetan Plateau is third Pole so we didn't need special salute her City care about environment and in some Indian ecologist they say Tibet high altitude dry climate once damaged the ecology it take longer for revival recovery recovering by nature therefore it is very important take special care I usually telling my Indian friend we are supplier of water to millions of Indian whole northern India and also China also very adorable and then the whole river also through madam and then some River which go through India all these ultimate sauce is Tibet so taking care or now already there are signs they snowfall reduce and even done sauna 1960 summer I come to terms Allah as the god of India arranged that winter lot of snowfall then easier less restless now these days during winter snowfall in my place very was a very less accepting high mountains so there's clear sign and global warming you should know that and also the rainfall the precipitation in them so is is off the scale but it has radically changed in the last 10 years 15 years right right so after I retirement from political responsibility - he doesn't know but I fully committed regarding Tibetan cause I chose ecology environment issue and then most important is preservation of Tibetan knowledge as I mentioned earlier Oh something I really feel they are very useful but this society I have your own water education nothing but when we meet scientist and many scholars the ancient knowledge which come from India I study from childhood when I study I was very very lazy student I have no interest this subject but gradually I realized or the knowledge which I learned from childhood oh really useful so my translator he ex-monk so he also find is very useful these knowledge they learn in in big monastic institution so I really serve as a fully committed preservation of this knowledge and now fortunately now China become I think the biggest number of Buddhist population around 400 millions Buddhists and many of these Buddhists really showing genuine respect and genuine interest about Tibetan Buddhist tradition which they realize pure tradition authentic tradition of Nalanda so some Chinese scholar they describe Tibetan another tradition Buddhism but it was Buddhism it's very scientific sort of religion you want to explained a little to this group Nalanda with that tradition you explain better well as other news has been talking about Nalanda for for many decades now as really the source of Buddhism and that's where all the great scholars were there was the greatest university of its time eighth century ninth century 10th century the greatest minds of Asia came to Nalanda to study and it was a vast university walled city university that one of the interesting things about it it had gates at the cardinal points and they put their best debaters the greatest minds in each of those gates and you had to win a debate with one of those debaters those great minds to be allowed admission into Nalanda they were really an extraordinary visionary place of learning of excellence on all all levels but that's the tradition that His Holiness really speaks about him and and he teaches so they like Nagarjuna and Arya Sangha and so on this great master they are writing we still use as a textbook we study firstly this route text learn by heart memorize then each word explained by teacher according commentary mainly wrote by Indian Island master masters then also the Tibetan master I think that book which translated from India mainly Sanskrit then Pali true all together about three hundred volumes sometimes I easily see telling people when I give some sort of lecture on Tibetan we should not consider these 300 books something sacred book and still shaky of Shiva not only as an object of worship so these are the texts we should study these books so so this amount about 225 or something the volume road by Nylander masters really excellent so interval Edition is someone who say and not much study they carry some rituals I openly telling them that are outdated if you simply carry Richard like that that unfortunately become keeping blind faith no now reasoning reasoning debate very important so about no more than I think 40 years I appeared all Tibetan monastic in honest monasteries should stop even those who say traditionally not studying these books should start study so they most of them listened that and then none erase non-social they should study equally so now two years ago about 20 as a non squishy Ashima that's the highest academic degree in the Tibetan tradition so then now really I want good news the whole Himalaya Himalayan the Buddhist population they say they set up one committee so their goal is try to each monastery in Himalayan range should be Learning Center wonderful wonderful so therefore now these things whether you are believer or non-believer I believe different religion okay that's personal matter but as far as a knowledge psychology and like condemned physics now this just knowledge now these days I'm telling you see people in our modern education the education about hygiene of physical there now should include hydrogen of emotion that's very important I think we were passing through some kind of crisis of emotion that basically the human being according scientists compassionate human nature more compassionate logically we are social element we all received maximum affection love from our mother without that you can't survive and then constant anger fear eating our immune system yes we see give more haughtiness very useful for our health so these are the reason basic human nature is more compassionate therefore if now the problem is existing our education so-called modern education only oriented about material value not being I think at all rare attention about our inner value oh so so I give it an issue from dead aspect I feel very important well absolutely we're we're all beneficiaries of the Tibetan diaspora in many ways the tragedy that has befallen Tibetans in Tibet has forced these extraordinary beings into the rest of the world and have brought their ideas to us and the ideas that are coming in to education for sure I know there's pilot programs around the world that are using a lot of Tibetan techniques of emotional transformation and working with the mind but also in the realm of science and physics and your holiness would you speak to that some of how this has evolved there's dialogue between you and science Western science and how I mean I've been part of this also in obviously tipton Jim PI's is the chairman of mind in life the two of you have seen this evolution of Eastern practices Eastern science Eastern exploration and how its interacting with Western ideas and approach to the ideas of consciousness consciousness reality emotions etc they speak to that a little bit about the how that's evolved and where we are now I can you to speak I know you but as Mitch mentioned you let me let me set the stage for this because this started mind and life started in 1982 was it was about them and it was a a these dialogues and interactions that take place in Dharamsala that His Holiness is residence and it started as maybe four or five six days of talks with world-class scientists and in different areas of behavioral sciences physics etc and it was essentially for His Holiness to interact with these ideas at a high level but they would always evolve into something more than anyone ever realized as these ideas would would clash initially but then they would find a way to get larger and more inclusive and now these these dialogues are happening all over the world and has become part of the the norm of science dialogue now in a quite extraordinary way when it had been marginalized and really was peripheral and as holiness has been in the center of that in his ability to to move from a completely Eastern point of view of exploration in terms of consciousness and mind to a Western idea as well I'm curious and we don't have that much more time but the sticking block between Eastern Sciences and Western Sciences is can there be consciousness outside of the brain outside of material and this is always comes to this point with you and scientists where you agree to disagree but how do you think that we'll ever be able to bridge that distance and our sort of contact or discussions with scientists mainly for fields cosmology the essentials of the concept already mentioned somebody's test all graces they come from five elements then dissolve into the space come and go come to go so it's already mentioned but more details like Big Bang we can learn from scientist then new biologic Tibetan medical system more knowledge about a physical condition although in our practice is a certainly yoga practice also you see mentioned about the different element of the body and the differential or say channels like that then Casa physics quantum physics quantum physics is concerned I have keen interest so I have some discussions with many scientists about quantum physics maybe discuss one here one ancient one three Indian nuclear physicist now he no longer she once told me controversies in the West something new but in India over two thousand six hundred years already developed the quantum physics the concept of under physics already there it is true so when we discuss with count of his system you see it seems to see we have better knowledge than the scientists one thing then then the psychology as far as a psychology is concerned I think of Buddhist psychology highly advanced advanced I usually describe Indian psychology ancient Indian psychology but the Buddha himself protection of ancient Indian tradition so Indian psychology I think start I think more than three thousand years so therefore psychology is concerned knowledge about - concerned you see the many scientist as it is really very very easy to learn from our knowledge like that then they did the late 20th century this is scientists only brain beside brain nothing now gradually the causes a day experiment people some people who really have the deeper experience through meditation then through training mind or meditation affect the brain or constitute effect on the person particularly on the explained in terms of neuroplasticity brain plasticity so therefore now some brain specialists now they begin to accept there is another factor which is at our brain so that we call consciousness consciousness not that so so that and when I all say they start daro with scientists about 40 years ago say I express my desire to some my friend on Westerners who follow to a new Buddhism then some of them won't me be careful science is killer of religious faith so therefore be careful then I started with it sort of day today god no no with the sort of Buddhist teaching or my follower should not accept my teaching out of faith but rather terror investigation and experiment so therefore I thought no problem then I start so now eventually I think the scientific knowledge not much effect sort of Buddhist knowledge knowledge solid Buddhist faith I think the blues tradition some effect through scientific the scientist mind all right we're unfortunately being told our time is up I could do this forever and ever and ever but it's holiness has given us I think almost half an hour of his very precious time which we thank him for there's so much more to talk about I would ask everyone here to please remember the people inside of Tibet and how difficult their lives are right now please think about them please see if there's some way that you can help them the International Campaign for Tibet is a vehicle that you can trust that will help them inside and outside of Tibet so please keep those Tibetans in your thoughts and in your hearts and your holiness thank you so very very very much I know you're about to start your public talk Daria oh yeah it's all one talk to his holiness it doesn't matter came to the sir good morning everybody does it work good morning everybody my name is Matteo Makati I'm the president of the international campaign for Tibet and here is Yun Anderson who's the chairman of ICT Europe and a longtime supporter of the Tibetan people thank your holiness thank you Richard the International Campaign for Tibet on the occasion of our 30th anniversary is honored to offer a grant of $50,000 towards the promotion of your holiness core message of the importance of secular ethics which is a great inspiration and service to humanity ICT will make thank you ICT will make this grant to the Dalai Lama Institute for higher education which is based in Bangalore in India the fund will be specifically allocated towards the Institute special curriculum on secular ethics aiming to educate future Tibetan generations in these Universal moral values this offering is in recognition of your holiness lifelong dedication to peace and non-violence your consistent efforts to promote Sakura ethics the dynamic leadership which you have provided to the Tibetan people and which is an inspiration to the international community your holiness we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your wisdom and compassion which are a strong motivational force for all of us in cultivating such an attitude towards a better future for all the International Campaign for Tibet Rotterdam September 16 2008 [Applause] thank you okay could you say could you say thank you my name is Krista mangers man as board member of ICT I very much like to thank his holiness for being present during this ICT event today I remember very vividly 30 years ago I was in Tibet and what struck me most about the Tibetans is their commitment to non-violence and their determination to preserve their culture their language and their religion and of course their unwavering love for His Holiness the Dalai Lama and some of us individuals from all over the world met in Tibet and we became friends and we were convinced at that time that if enough information about the situation in Tibet reached the outside world the issue would be resolved peacefully through dialogue and His Holiness would be able to return home now 30 years later at the core of I cities work is really to bring out the facts about the situation in Tibet so if you feel inspired by this beautiful conversation and by everything you see and hear today please join this movement become engaged become active and do your part to preserve this beautiful culture language religion of Tibet and environment of course [Applause] with this I would like to end this ICT event and it is my great honor and pleasure to invite his holiness to now give his public talk on why compassion is necessary in our troubled world thank you [Applause]

Channel: Dalai Lama

Views: 229,088

Keywords: dalai, lama, richard, gere, conversation, talk, tibet, international, ITC, rotterdam, netherlands, 2018

Id: bkRgYRA7JnA

Length: 52min 16sec (3136 seconds)

Published: Sun Sep 16 2018