Buddhists here in Syracuse have been concerned about the unstable conditions internationally which have lead to the recent uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia. Spiritual guidance from His Holiness the Dalai Lama at this delicate time in world history regarding these events has therefore been welcomed here.
The Tibet Sun has reported "Egypt, Tunisia demos 'in Gandhi spirit': Dalai Lama", http://bit.ly/e5dEEp. On Friday the Dalai Lama commented that the recent popular uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia sat firmly in the tradition of non-violent protest espoused by the likes of India’s independence icon, Mahatma Gandhi. The Dalai Lama went on to say the principles which Gandhi advocated had inspired US civil rights leader Martin Luther King and South Africa’s Nelson Mandela against apartheid.
During a visit to the financial capital of India in Mumbai the Dalai Lama also said “Many years ago, from the Philippines up to Chile, popular peaceful movement really brought a lot of change. Now the same thing has happened in Egypt and Tunisia without a single shot from the demonstrators. So, things are changing. They are following the principle of non-violence.”These peaceful anti-government protests which began last month in Tunisia and spread to Egypt resulted in hundreds of thousands of people taking to the streets and successfully demanding the ouster of presidents Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and Hosni Mubarak.
Unfortunately there were some sporadic incidents of violence, mainly between pro- and anti-government factions as the authorities tried to shut down the protests with force. The Dalai Lama went on to say the world “really needs” to learn the principle of peaceful protest after many bloody wars in the last century. He commented at a conference at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel “We should not consider non-violence as a sign of weakness but rather a sign of strength.” In 2008 deadly terrorist attacks in Mumbai killed 166 people.
The Buddhist community here in Syracuse is of course behind the thoughts of the Dalai Lama regarding these recent events in the Middle East. And everyone here has taken interest in the following comment by the Dalai Lama: “The 20th century became a century of bloodshed… If that immense violence, including the use of nuclear weapons, had brought some kind of peace to the world, maybe there would have been some sort of justification. But that was not the case… The 21st century should be the century of dialogue… in order to create a more peaceful society.”
Mandel News Service: http://www.mandelnews.com
