His Holiness, The Dalai Lama
brings his message of compassion as the source of happiness and
calls for a "genuine autonomy for Tibet"
By Heidi M. Pascual
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UW-Madison Chancellor John Wiley welcomed His Holiness with a generous introduction, enumerating The Dalai Lama's
achievements and insights into his earlier four visits to UW, including a meeting with top neuroscientists engaged in the research
on the effects of meditation on brain functions, emotions and physical health.
His Holiness, The Dalai Lama's public talk, "Compassion: The Source of Happiness"
(Edited for conciseness and clarity)
On happiness
There is no disagreement. We all want a happy life. We all do not want suffering. It is our basic right. By nature, we feel pleasure,
joy, pain, suffering, discomfort. We want positive things. Even plants have the capacity and the right to exist. I think every form of life
has the capacity and the right to exist. In our case, it's not only to merely exist, but to exist with a happy and a meaningful life. That's
our basic right. So, since as human beings we have this marvelous human brain, "happiness and satisfaction" are different from
how those are perceived by animals. I think we human beings have different levels of joyfulness and happiness, as well as pains
and sufferings. Other species of mammals, however, experience feelings mainly on sensory level, such as pleasure or
unpleasant experience or feeling.
Ours is mainly on the mental level, which is basically more complex because of our intellect. This intelligence, this marvelous
brain, creates the capacity to remember about a long time past. Particularly, with the help of written scripts, our memory of the past
becomes clearer. We also have this unique capacity to visualize and imagine the future for our children, grandchildren, and great
grandchildren in the next century. It is good that you have a very long memory and good power of imagination and vision, but there
are also those things that cause disturbances in your mind. For example, our present generation is happy; they have no problem,
but thinking of previous generations many centuries ago, what happened? One example, there was one occasion in Frankfurt,
Germany; a meeting of many people from different ethnicities, including Native Americans. (I have close relationships with Native
Americans and I also respect their traditional concepts of taking care of the Earth, and the importance of respecting nature.) One
representative of the Native American group gave a very long speech that seemed to bore everyone. I was bored, too. The
message in that long, boring speech was about the past, how European White people came to America and killed many Native
Americans. In essence, today, in this century, in this civilized world, should all White people be expelled in America? That kind of
thinking and vision came from long, past memory. So I think that when he reflected on that century-old event which caused the
disturbance in his mind, he was unhappy.
And because of the ability to imagine, people worry too much about tomorrow or next week, or next year, or next decade, or next
century. Because of that, your calmness is completely destroyed. There is no way to cure that when you rely purely on external
means. It is very difficult. Taking drugs and alcohol is a temporary relief, and with drugs, your mind becomes more confused. In
our daily life, there is already too much confusion, so more confusion is not necessary. If you do surgery to remove part of the
brain, we become robots with no feelings. That is also not good. Just like animals, you just eat, sleep, and reproduce. It will give
you a very simple life, which is also not good.
So I prefer a more colorful life. It is better. Meantime -- through a certain way of thinking, a certain mental attitude, utilizing our
intelligence in such a way to reduce the mental disturbances -- we can have calmness and satisfaction despite difficult
surroundings. That's wise. The big question mark is whether or not this is possible. According to research, mental level
disturbances may be reduced through training of the mind.
Religious faith
For at least 3,000 years, when you look at the history of human evolution, every society has had the presence of religion. The
reason for that is, as human beings, when we encounter in our life certain situations which are beyond the capacity of our physical
point of view, when you reach a certain situation where the solution to the problem is beyond that capacity, then we seek some
form of comfort and trust in some higher power. So any religion has the potential to help at that level. The source to combat mental
disturbances is actually our inner values, such as compassion. With compassion, is the spirit of forgiveness. All religious
traditions have the same messages -- love, compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, discipline, and contentment.
Today, people are divided into sections: some still feel the value of religion and religious faith; some have no particular interest
in religion. Because of the importance of love and compassion, we must accept the importance of religion. Sometimes, there is a
tendency to look at this question of the role of religion in extreme terms. For example, because 'we recognize the value of
compassion, forgiveness, love, tolerance, and so forth, therefore, we must embrace religion as a foundation for that.' That is one
extreme. Now the other extreme is: because 'I have no interest in religion myself, I should not pay serious attention to the value of
love, tolerance, compassion, self discipline and so forth.' People seem to think these are the two options. Some religious
believers think that moral ethics must be based on some form of religious faith. I think that is too narrow. I feel, and I think also --
and some people share that same view -- that there are those who are totally without religious beliefs but they promote human
values such as compassion and forgiveness.
Actually, this is secular ethics. Secularism -- some interpret -- means rejection of religion. India's constitution, for example, is
based on secularism. Secularism doesn't mean rejection of religion, but respect of all religions and respect of non-believers.
Therefore, secularism doesn't necessarily mean rejection of religion, but "without religious involvement." So secular ethics -- even
without talking about religious faith, but simply through education -- tries to promote the importance of love and compassion.
Mental attitude
As I mentioned before, we want a happy life. We want a successful life. Success and happiness must depend on our mental
attitude. Although materially we may be successful -- with lots of money, lots of fame, lots of facilities, lots of friends -- these are
not genuine. These are friends of money and friends of power. The longer someone remains in power, the more friends he has. If
he's no longer in power, he'll have less friends. One with fortune will have lots of smiling 'friendly' faces; when the fortune is gone,
try to make a phone call, and there will be no answer. At the same time, such a person is a very unhappy person.
Internal way of thinking is very, very crucial. What emotions bring us inner peace? What emotions disturb our peace of mind?
A happy mind is very difficult to achieve when emotions of anger, hatred and jealousy are present. Usually, frustration and anger
come from fear. To reduce fear, one needs a positive will and confidence. Genuine will is based on honesty and self-confidence.
Compassion brings us inner strength. Inner strength reduces fear or sense of insecurity. Fear, anxiety, stress, and frustration
are very bad for our physical body. They disturb our body element. A scientist told us that anger eats our inner system while some
emotions -- such as compassion -- strengthen our immune system. Some emotions are very destructive, some are positive. So,
we choose, and without human intelligence, we cannot do that.
Compassion
Can we develop these positive emotions such as compassion, or affection, or a sense of concern? Like any other emotion,
compassion is not independent. Emotions interlink. Compassion, or sense of concern, also operates in different levels of
intensity or strength. Sometimes, there is a sense of concern, but if you feel more superior over another who is experiencing
difficulties and you feel pity, that is not genuine compassion. There is an element of closeness in compassion, and that feeling
entirely depends on one's attitude and being. Genuine compassion is based on recognition of others as human beings, not on
others' behavior.
Actually, we develop unbiased compassion from birth. Our body needs human affection, and fortunately, we human beings start
our lives with our mother and we are nurtured by her milk. We remain as infants for a very long time, when we are very vulnerable.
The mother's care is indispensable. Without mother's care, or without the care of someone like our mother, within a few days we
will die; and without mother's milk, our physical human being and development of the brain suffer. The physical touch of the
mother also plays a part. That's nature. (His Holiness then talked of how animals and insects are left to fend for themselves after
their eggs are hatched.) In such case, I don't think nature creates affection. Human nature, however, has that element of affection
and the young is dependent on mother's care. The child is happy, enjoys his sleep; when he is separated from his mother, he is
unhappy.
My mother is very very compassionate, not only with her own children but also with other children. She would always cry
whenever she sees bad things happening. She's very, very kind. But my father is not like that. I also got some beatings from him.
Anyway, those who were under a mother's full care can have a lifelong warm-heartedness. Those who were cared for by mothers
have a potential for compassion. Anyone who came from a flower? Or from the sky? (laughter) That's the very beginning of
compassion — affection and happy life. So it's really worthwhile to keep that experience in our life. If our mental state is more
calm and happier, then our daily mood becomes more positive, even with disturbances or bad news. It's like having a strong
immune system. Also like the ocean, waves may sometimes be strong, but without much serious traces underneath.
Good mood is very important. The mind should be more calm, so that anger and hatred may be easier to ward off.
Compassion, love and other positive emotions are very positive for your physical well being, but much depend on our own views.
Most important, by birth, biologically we have the seat of compassion or warm heartedness, the source of a happy life. Make use
of it to ultimately find happiness.
What do you think? Did I make any sense? (Prolonged applause)
Answers to questions from the audience
1) As a mother of two children, how can I teach them to be good human beings in this world when they are surrounded by
senseless acts of violence, such as what we recently witnessed at Virginia Tech University?
HH: As a mother, you should provide maximum affection to your children. I have no actual experience taking care of children.
Maybe it would be very nice for me to do that for a few hours; but longer than that, I don't know; I'm not very sure (laughter, applause)
2) What is your typical daily routine? Do you have any hobbies?
HH: No special routine. Of course, as a practitioner, the day starts at 2:30 in the morning, in my case 3:30. I do some meditation
and some prayers. Then, of course, I'd have breakfast! As a Buddhist monk, I have no dinner; after lunch, there is no solid food,
but sometimes if I feel hungry, I eat some biscuits. Buddha is very kind, so I'm sure he gives me permission to eat some biscuits.
In some countries, they're really very strict: No solid food after lunch, so the next morning, I'm always very, very hungry. So,
breakfast is very, very important. My younger brother tells me, the main reason I wake up early is not because of prayer or
meditation but because of breakfast. I tell him it is true. But as a practitioner, I utilize the rest of the day doing more meaningful
tasks. When the day begins, I make some preparation to have a strong determination in order to shift my mind, to make some
impact. Nothing special. Meditation takes four hours, then I do some work, and if there's not much work, I read and study mainly
Tibetan script which I learned from the past to refresh my mind. Then I read print or listen to some media and in the afternoon, I
meet with different people. Sometimes the meetings are very useful, sometimes not that useful.
After I arrived in India, I tried to become vegetarian in 1965, and we're trying to promote vegetarianism, but once in two weeks, a
eat a little non-vegetarian things. I sleep about eight, nine, sometimes 10 hours. That's part of my rest. I have a busy day and long
hours of sleep. So I'm very happy!
3) What can we do to help Tibet?
HH: (Pause) Of course I appreciate your question and your concern. Since the end of 2000, we renewed the talk with the Chinese
government. So we're trying to find a mutually agreeable resolution -- that means we're not seeking independence. In respect to
our past history, according to this reality, Tibet as a landlocked country had a materially backward and small population. Modern
education and trainings are otherwise lacking, meanwhile every Tibetan wants a modernized Tibet. Therefore, as far as material
modernity is concerned, Tibet will get greater benefit to remain within the government of the People's Republic of China. At the
same time, we also have a very unique cultural heritage and rich Buddhist tradition and beautiful and delicate environment.
Therefore, we need a special arrangement regarding preservation of Tibetan spirituality and Tibetan environment.
The present arrangement, the so-called "autonomy," is actually only on paper. In reality, all decision makers are people who
have no idea about our culture, Tibetan spirituality, and the delicate situation of the Tibetan environment. The present situation is
actually no guarantee for their preservation. The concern exists only outside of Tibet. The problem with Chinese officials is that
their only concern is political. A few years ago, one party secretary in the autonomous region of Tibet said that the source of threat
of Tibetan separation is Tibetan Buddhism. So accordingly they put some restrictions, and imposed the "political education" of
monks and nuns. Political education is OK, but in reality, political education to the Chinese government means "criticism of the
Dalai Lama" and absolute loyalty to the Communist Party. Those who don't criticize the Dalai Lama are expelled from the
monasteries. There are lots of contradictions in their pronouncements.
I often meet with Tibetans from Tibet (who faced some risks for doing so) including some old retired officials or party members.
I met one Tibetan Communist Party secretary who was in that position for 40 years, and I told him jokingly, "Since you are a
communist, then you should not practice Buddhism." He answered, "Yes, I've been a communist for more than 40 years; but no
single day did I have some kind of doubt toward Buddha nor The Dalai Lama." So even those old Communist Party members, in
some cases, ideologically genuine communists, still have very strong Tibetan Buddhist spirituality. I think that in modern Tibet,
95% of Tibetan people are just like that.
I always tell Chinese leaders that their policy should be realistic. I feel that to deal with the problem, we're not seeking
independence but a special arrangement, a genuine autonomy which the Chinese constitution provides.
The Tibetan problem between our Chinese brothers and sisters must be resolved between us. Our sympathizers are very
helpful in finding a meaningful solution, but the final solution must be between Tibetans and Chinese. We are not seeking
independence. Please give us meaningful autonomy, so that the People's Republic of China will have the stability, prosperity and
harmony which the President is stressing. So to our friends here and our Chinese brothers and sisters here, my approach is for
stability, prosperity, and harmony.
Thousands of people from all over the United States
converged in Madison for three days, May 2-4, to listen to
the teachings and public talk of His Holiness, The 14th
Dalai Lama, the spiritual and temporal leader of the
Tibetan people. Tenzin Gyatso, the Dalai Lama, is believed
to be the reincarnation of Avalokiteshvara, the 13th Dalai
Lama and "Buddha of Compassion," according to Tibetan
tradition.
As the world knows, during the 1959 popular uprising in
Lhasa against China's invasion, the Dalai Lama escaped
to India where he established a government-in-exile. To
this day, more than 120,000 Tibetans have left their
ancestral land to follow him. The Dalai Lama has
established autonomous agricultural settlements and
Tibetan schools in India which offer Tibetan language,
history, religion, and culture. His reputation as a man of
peace and outstanding intellect has reached outside the
confines of India. He has received awards and recognition
consisting of honorary doctorates and fellowships. He also
received a Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, in recognition of his
nonviolent struggle to liberate the people of Tibet, and his
constant message for world peace.
His Holiness came to Madison upon the invitation of Ven.
Geshe Lhundub Sopa, founder and spiritual leader of Deer
Park Buddhist Center in Oregon, Wis. Hundreds of Tibetan
Americans of all ages, not only from Wisconsin but also
from other states helped local Tibetans organize events
and cultural performances
(Above photos) At the Veterans Memorial
Coliseum
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(Above photos) At the
UW-Madison Kohl Center
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around the Dalai Lama's visit.
For two days, His Holiness conducted experiential teachings of Lama Tsongkhapa at the
Veterans Memorial Coliseum, highlighted with Tibetan prayers. On Friday, the last day, he gave a
public talk at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Kohl Center, titled "Compassion: The Source of
Happiness."
Tibetan American performances at the Masonic Center on May 3, 2007
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