The 14th and incumbent Dalai Lama (born Tenzin Gyatso on July 6, 1935), the Tibetan spiritual leader who is currently living in exile as a refugee in India, has claimed that China wants to establish contact with him “officially or unofficially“. In the third week of July 2023, the Dalai Lama told reporters in the northern Indian town of Dharamshala that Beijing was ready to discuss the Tibet issue with him. According to the spiritual leader, China has seemingly realised that the spirit of the Tibetan people is quite strong. The monk hinted that he, too, was ready to meet the Chinese officials in an attempt to resolve the crisis.

Interestingly, the Dalai Lama claimed that the people of Tibet would not seek Independence, stressing: “We are not seeking Independence, we have decided for many years that we remain the part of the People’s Republic of China… Now China is changing. The Chinese, officially or unofficially, want to contact me. I am always open to talk. Now China also realises that the spirit of Tibetan people is very strong. So, in order to deal with Tibetan problems, they want to contact me. I am also ready.“

Acknowledging that China has been undergoing changes, the Dalai Lama said that his followers decided to remain a part of the People’s Republic of China. Earlier in April (2023), the Dalai Lama reportedly requested individuals to cultivate wisdom and compassion while discussing the current situation in Tibet during the Global Buddhist Summit 2023 in the Indian capital of New Delhi. He also stressed on the importance of a broader perspective in facing crises, saying that crises would provide courage and resilience, apart from transforming adversities into opportunities.

At the same time, the Dalai Lama recalled that the top political leadership in Beijing has always treated Tibet badly. Still, he is ready to meet the Chinese officials, as China is historically a Buddhist nation. “I am angry with no one, not even those Chinese leaders who have adopted a harsh attitude towards Tibet. Indeed, China has historically been a Buddhist country as witnessed by the many temples and monasteries I saw when I visited that land,” he told the press.

The Dalai Lama believes that the knowledge of Tibetan culture and religion can surely enlighten the Global Community. “I believe there is knowledge within Tibetan culture and religion that can benefit the world at large. However, I also respect all other religious traditions because they encourage their followers to cultivate love and compassion,” he added. The spiritual leader further said: “According to indications in my own dreams and other predictions, I expect to live to be more than 100 years old. I have served others until now and I am determined to continue to do so. Please pray for my long life on that basis.”

The Dalai Lama stated: “I was born in Tibet and I bear this name ‘Dalai Lama’, but in addition to working for the cause of Tibet, I have been working for the welfare of all sentient beings. I have done whatever I could without losing hope or allowing my determination to flag.“

It may be noted that the Dalai Lama has been running a separate Government in Tibet since 1951. The Chinese Government wanted to arrest him for demanding Tibet’s autonomy. However, the spiritual leader managed to flee Tibet in 1959, and took refuge in India. The Tibetans are still staging protests, demanding Tibetan Independence, in different parts of the globe. In such a situation, the possibility of a meeting between the Dalai Lama and the Chinese officials is considered very significant.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das