On a day to day basis there has been as usual deep concerns among Buddhists in Syracuse about the reported oppression of fellow Buddhists in Tibet. I overheard some Buddhists from Syracuse commenting while strolling along Onondaga Lake recently that they felt the USA should not have recognized China because China does not respect the basic human rights of Buddhists. I replied that as a fellow Buddhist I agreed and felt the situation was very sad.
The Dalai Lama too appears to agree with Buddhists from here in Syracuse that there remain as always serious
problems in dealing with China. Phayul.com has written "China needs to learn from India's democracy: Dalai Lama",
http://bit.ly/gNyHq2. I along with other Buddhists here in Syracuse have been looking towards the Dalai Lama for answers to the dilemma on how to deal with China's oppressive policies in dealing with Buddhism. Perhaps a respect by China for India's democracy where the Dalai Lama lives and works from would be a good start.
The Dalai Lama has recently commented "In India, because of the rule of law, there is harmony in society, which has different languages and scripts. Democracy in this country is very deeply rooted not because of the country's poor conditions, but because of transparency." And noting that the military occupation of Tibet will not solve problems the Dalai Lama has said "in China, there are state secrets. People in China should learn from India's experience." And he stressed that the world trend was the rule of law, transparency, fairness, honesty and respect for human values.
Buddhists here in Syracuse are also distressed about China's policies and agree with the Dalai Lama that China has been going counter to the trends and needed to learn from India about democracy among people of different languages and ethnic backgrounds. The Dalai Lama has gone on to comment "I laughed when I heard the Chinese government had called me a splittist. I take pity with the Chinese hard-liners. They are harmful to their future."
The Dalai Lama has also commented that he feels confident that he will live up to the age of 113, and that he would visit Beijing, witness a free Tibet and pass on his political power to an elected leader. And the future of Tibet he has said "My position is clear: autonomy. The international community supports us because we use peaceful means to call for our country's autonomy." The Syracuse Buddhist community shares the concerns of the Dalai Lama about China and joins him in prayers for a brighter future in dealing with China.
Mandel News Service: http://www.mandelnews.com
