Indian Defence Review

Superficially the Chinese may have more confidence on the basis of money power, military power, but in terms of real substance the situation in China is full of problems.

Ahimsa is very much related to greatly respecting others rights, respecting others views, and hence religious tolerance is still very much alive. These are the real treasures of India and set a really good example for six billion human beings. Northern Ireland and Afghanistan, even Pakistan, are constituted by similar religious groups – but within those groups there is still conflict between Sunni and Shia, Catholic or Protestant etc.

So when we see these scenarios – look at India. Not only there are different religions, home grown religions, but there are also religions that have come from outside and they all remain equally peaceful. I think that is really India’s greatness. This should serve as an example to the rest of the world. India should adopt an active role for the development of ahimsa not only in religion, but at every level. Sometimes, I jokingly tell my Indian friends what I repeat here also – in the past when you conducted the freedom struggle through non-violence led by Mahatma Gandhi, many western leaders felt that this is passivism, a sign of weakness. Now, today more and more people are genuinely attracted to Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violent struggle. I give one example – Nelson Mandela. In spite of his earlier views, he later totally dedicated himself to non-violent principles. And also in many conflicts, people now more often use the language of peace non-violence, or cooperation etc.

So, to cope with the increased interest from the outside world, India must produce more ahimsa. India exported a great deal of ahimsa – now she has exported so much, nothing is left in the old country – and that is a mistake. So more export should mean more production. Not through government regulation, but through education and also through example. That’s very important.

There is also the point about ethics in the public arena. Sometimes newspapers report corruption – the scale of corruption, even in this country, as is now taking place – makes me really sorry, really sad. India should set a good example to the world. This country is not only one of the longest surviving old civilisations, but also retains a really strong cultural ingredient about compassion and non-violence.

India has the ability to make a combination of modernisation and traditional values.

Now let me deal with some typical questions that I face:

How can the concept of Gandhiji’s satyagraha be applied for world peace in practical terms in areas of conflict?

Ans.  Certainly Gandhian methods are very relevant and can work but they also depend on the circumstances. When Gandhi used these non-violent methods in this country at least at that time the British imperialists all over the country had established a basically, free society with an independent judiciary. In these circumstances Gandhian methods were easier to use. The former Soviet Union and today’s China have totalitarian regimes where the party is above everything. There is no genuine law and no free information, so they present greater obstacles for the practice of Gandhian methods. But basically yes, certainly, they can be used.

Will there be a solution to the Tibet problem in my lifetime and are the Chinese more confident than before?

Ans.  Superficially the Chinese may have more confidence on the basis of money power, military power, but in terms of real substance the situation in China is full of problems. The Chinese leaders know that, so I feel that if present leaders wisely handle these problems they will allow gradual change. If change occurs suddenly, it will create chaos on a large scale. That is in nobody’s interest. So they need gradual change, a smooth transition to deal effectively with their many problems. If the Chinese leaders use common sense and watch these problems closely and learn from reality they will find their old methods are not succeeding, are not practical and some more human way is needed to deal with these problems.

Will I accept the Tibetan Autonomous Region as Tibet?

Ans.   Now we are not seeking independence but just a political system which will guarantee our unique cultural heritage and environment. Tibetans in other Chinese provinces face similar difficulties relating to the environment, degeneration of their culture, loss of their language – so I describe myself as a free spokesman for all Tibet, since the entire Tibetan population is facing similar problems. The Chinese constitution provides autonomy according to size of the community. The Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture was the first autonomous region and the constitution accepted these different Tibetan ethnic groups, and also Mongolian and some other minorities – the Constitution provided these people the same rights – but then like in Szechwan there are problems. In Szechwan province there are more than a hundred million people.

“¦ May be they showed no interest because there is no oil! Now the Chinese are finding some oil in Tibet.

In such a dense populated province there are around one million Tibetans. It is very difficult for them to preserve their culture, their heritage, so that is why we are asking Chinese government that society as a whole should emphasise harmony and the importance of unity. Thus, these different ethnic groups will also have the right to better unity and better harmony. And it is a fact with regard to historically central Tibet, TAR that most scholars in Buddhist philosophy, mainly come from other parts of Tibet. Thus through centuries Tibetan Buddhist culture has been transmitted by the entire Tibetan peoples with a natural unity – only now they are politically divided. That is unnecessary. This does not mean we are seeking independence in the long run – separateness – no. We will remain within the People’s Republic of China and all groups should have the same one administration in which all have a stake.

How better or worse have ethics in public life become in India, China, US and rest of the world? Have things improved since 1960, or become worse?

Ans.   I don’t know. We need to do some close research work to arrive at an answer. My experience is more and more people are showing interest in spirituality such as businessmen, scientists, politicians – that I know. But the real differences I do not know – we need more research. At least among Indian politicians I noticed in the papers recently that some politicians are now going to jail – that is one clear sign of improvement!

We try as individuals to practise compassion and co-existence and we try to spread them in the community in which we live. Yet we face problems like the forcible occupation of Tibet or in the past there have been events like the destruction of Nalanda, an ancient Buddhist University – How should individuals deal with these grave injustices? Individually we practice compassion towards our neighbours, but when we face large-scale injustice how should individuals react?

Ans.   Compassion brings tolerance – we practise compassion but it does not mean simply giving in to the other person – or giving approval to the other person’s misdeeds if someone takes advantage over you as you practise compassion or humility. It is important here to distinguish between action and actor. Forgiveness means – do not develop anger or hatred towards the actor, maintain a compassionate attitude – keep respect for people.

On our side there is no change though the Chinese government is indulging in more serious criticism and more suppressive policies inside Tibet ““ in spite of that we are fully committed to our policy.

For example, we deliberately try to keep our genuine respect and compassionate attitude towards our Chinese brothers and sisters. Those Chinese individuals who are given to perpetrating brutalities on the spot, even for these persons we must have compassion. That is the meaning of forgiveness. That does not mean you accept their wrong actions. So far as action is concerned, we have to take counter–measures. Actually, if you let them continuously practise wrong actions, it eventually harms them, not only from the Buddhist or karmic viewpoint but it also harms their society. Wrong actions eventually give a bad name and these people go down. It is very bad for society as a whole. To criticise and take appropriate action is actually helping them. Not out of anger but respect and sense of concern about them. So the real meaning of forgiveness is – do not develop negative feelings towards that person who is the doer or actor.