To Trigger a Spiritual Tsunami in China

[Guest guest]

"If this movement continues, it may trigger a spiritual tsunami in

China. The time would have come to perform the Kalachakra on Tiananmen

Square."

 

http://www.newindpress.com/Sunday/sundayitems.asp?id=SEG20060309064627&eTitle=In\

sight&rLink=0

A Year of Peace and Justice

 

Sunday March 10 2006

The New Indian Express

 

Claude Arpi

 

When I think of the Dalai Lama, two images come immediately to mind:

First, his address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg in June

1988. On that day the Dalai Lama elaborated on his earlier Five Point

Peace Plan for Tibet: "We are living today in a very interdependent

world. One nation's problems can no longer be solved by itself.

Without a sense of universal responsibility our very survival is in

danger. I have, therefore, always believed in the need for better

understanding, closer co-operation and greater respect among the

various nations of the world…" Taking the example of Europe, he added:

"Out of the chaos of war, those who were once enemies have, in a

single generation, learned to co-exist and co-operate."

 

The second is when I was interviewing him a few years ago. When I

asked the Dalai Lama: "Can you envisage a day when you will perform

the Kalachakra Initiation on Tiananmen Square in Beijing?" He replied:

"Oh, yes. In fact, after the events in Tiananmen Square (in 1989), I

felt that one day in the future, I would like to perform one

Kalachakra initiation on Tiananmen in order to purify the area and

help the people who died. This desire or `vision' is still there with

me."

 

Let us come back for a moment to the first image: that day in

Strasbourg, the Dalai Lama made a tremendous sacrifice. In one stroke,

he renounced independence for his country and accepted to remain under

the People's Republic of China (provided Tibet gets a `genuine

autonomy'). One of his collaborators narrated an interesting anecdote

to me. When the proposal was being finalised, it was shown to Jimmy

Carter, a close friend of the Dalai Lama. The former US President took

care to carefully read the Strasbourg Proposal; he spent nearly one

hour pondering over each word. At the end, the Dalai Lama's messenger

was asked: "What is the Dalai Lama's bottom-line?" The answer was:

"This is his bottom-line". The messenger had to explain that the

Tibetan leader considered himself "neither a politician nor a

diplomat"; he was a simple monk, not ready to play the usual

diplomatic games.

 

His honesty and sincere search for a peaceful compromise was to create

a lot of problems for him. Most Tibetans could not understand why

their dream of an independent Tibet had vanished. Though they could

not oppose the incarnation of Avalokitesvara, the Saint Patron of

Tibet, old and young alike were deeply disturbed. The decision was

also painful for the Dalai Lama who realised his people's anguish,

torn between an allegiance to their spiritual leader and their own

legitimate aspiration for freedom. Most of the older generation had

violently fought against the Chinese invaders in the 1950s. How could

they now reconcile to be part of a nation which had subjugated them?

The younger ones had never seen their country, it was a distant dream,

but only this hope to go back to a free Tibet one day, sustained their

lives in exile. As believers of ahimsa, there was no question of

taking arms against Beijing, but why to abandon something they

believed to be their right?

 

This choice of the Dalai Lama was a turn in the Tibetan freedom

struggle and it shows the charismatic leader's dedication to the

larger cause of world peace. Suddenly, he was not only fighting a

battle for his country, but combating for a larger cause, the human

cause. He believed that if he could start this type of candid and

straightforward dialogue process, it would become a powerful model for

other conflicts in the world.

 

Now the second image: The Dalai Lama performing the Kalachakra on

Tiananmen Square; for centuries, especially during the Yuan and Manchu

dynasty, China had been a Buddhist nation. The successive Dalai Lamas

and several other important Tibetan religious leaders have been the

Gurus of successive Chinese Emperors. This `vision' of a Kalachakra

Initiation in Beijing is in continuation with this century-old

tradition. It appears still to be a distant dream, but in the recent

years this vision has come closer to reality.

 

China witnesses today a renewal of interest in her ancient roots and

particularly in Buddhism; and this, not only from the common people

but from the Communist leadership also. In June 2004, former President

Jiang Zemin was reported to have visited the famous Zhantanlin Temple

located in north China's Anhui province. The monastery abbot

personally lit up three joss sticks for the then strongman of the

People's Liberation Army, who followed the religious rites. Jiang is

said to have stayed almost an hour at the temple.

 

This is not a unique example. More and more Chinese visit Tibet and

perform the parikrama around Mount Kailash or around the Central

Cathedral in Lhasa. It is murmured that Prime Minister Wen Jiabao and

his wife are Buddhist adepts.

 

Such a long way from the days Mao Zedong used to visit the Dalai Lama

in his Guest House in Beijing and give him lectures on "a poison

called religion". That was in 1954, when the Dalai Lama was 19 years old.

 

His political journey towards freedom (or autonomy) has still not

progressed very far. The present generation of Chinese leaders does

not even have the courage to meet the Tibetan leader and discuss their

differences like the Great Helmsman used to do some fifty years ago.

However though the Dalai Lama has sacrificed Tibet's independence, his

message of love and compassion has spread on the planet. It is more

needed than ever in the past.

 

It is where these two images meet. On one side, a respected world

leader's sacrifice trying to break new paths while giving away what is

personally so dear to him and his people, and on the other side, the

same leader inspiring millions by preaching the highest ethics.

 

Because even in China more and more people, influenced or not by the

Dalai Lama, but sick of following Deng Xiaoping's empty slogan: "to

become rich is glorious" have started to believe in these values. They

are seeking a deeper and more sustainable reality which was not

foreign to the ancient Chinese tradition.

 

If this movement continues, it may trigger a spiritual tsunami in

China. The time would have come to perform the Kalachakra on Tiananmen

Square.

 

And the Tibetan leader's sacrifice will not have been in vain.