Rev. Danny Fisher

At this difficult moment for the Tibetan people, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama gave forty-five minutes to Newsweek interviewers Melinda Liu and Sudip Mazumdar at the headquarters of the Tibetan government-in-exile in Dharamsala, India. You can read excerpts from the interview here. These are some of the highlights:

NEWSWEEK: Do you think Chinese officials still hope their problems in Tibet will disappear after you pass away?

The Dalai Lama: I don’t know. I totally disagree with the view that the Tibet struggle will die, and there will be no hope for Tibet, after the Dalai Lama passes away. Both inside and outside [Tibet], the older generation may go away, but the newer generations carry the same spirit. Sometimes it’s even stronger. So after my death a younger generation will come up.

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NEWSWEEK: What’s the difference between what’s happening now and the turmoil of the late ’80s in Lhasa?

The Dalai Lama: At that time it was mainly in Lhasa areas. And, yes, it is a factor that images can be seen elsewhere. But it is mainly the [extent of Tibetan] grievances. Today even Tibetan monks in Chinese areas carry Tibetan flags. I am quite surprised [by the prevalence of Tibetan dissatisfaction in areas far from Lhasa]. Now the entire Tibetan people have strong feelings. If [Chinese authorities] truly treated the Tibetans as brothers and sisters and as equals, giving them trust, then this would not happen.

NEWSWEEK: Even privileged Tibetans who are in elite minority universities in Chinese cities such as Beijing and Lanzhou have organized vigils and peaceful protests. Why?

The Dalai Lama: Yes, yes—if they’re not satisfied you can imagine how nomads feel. I occasionally meet affluent Tibetans who are economically sound, who have good housing. I met one such person who first told me he had no worries. Then he confessed [he felt] mental anguish, and then he began to cry. As Tibetans they feel some kind of subtle discrimination by the Chinese.

NEWSWEEK: Are you worried about the possibility of greater violence after you pass away?

The Dalai Lama: Yes, I worry about that. As long as I am alive, I am fully committed to amity between Tibetans and Chinese. Otherwise there’s no use. More importantly, the Tibetan Buddhist cultural heritage can eventually help bring some deeper values to the millions of Chinese youth who are lost in a [moral] vacuum. After all, China is traditionally a Buddhist country.

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NEWSWEEK: Some images of the recent casualties have been graphic and disturbing. Have you seen them? What was your reaction? We heard you wept.

The Dalai Lama: Yes, I cried once. One advantage of belonging to the Tibetan Buddhist culture is that at the intellectual level there is a lot of turmoil, a lot of anxiety and worries, but at the deeper, emotional level there is calm. Every night in my Buddhist practice I give and take. I take in Chinese suspicion. I give back trust and compassion. I take their negative feeling and give them positive feeling. I do that every day. This practice helps tremendously in keeping the emotional level stable and steady. So during the last few days, despite a lot of worries and anxiety, there is no disturbance in my sleep. [Laughs]