Conflicts can only be truly solved through dialogue - THE DALAI LAMA -- Ascending Light

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Date Posted: 07:46:06 10/26/07 Fri
Author: Weird_Enigma
Author Host/IP: 172.165.48.176
Subject: Conflicts can only be truly solved through dialogue - THE DALAI LAMA

Find peace within for a nonviolent world
Conflicts can only be truly solved through dialogue, reconciliation
THE DALAI LAMA
Washington Post

Brute force can never subdue the basic human desire for freedom. The thousands of people who marched in the cities of Eastern Europe in recent decades, the unwavering determination of the people in my homeland of Tibet and the recent demonstrations in Burma are powerful reminders of this truth. Freedom is the very source of creativity and human development. It is not enough, as communist systems assumed, to provide people with food, shelter and clothing. If we have these things but lack the precious air of liberty to sustain our deeper nature, we remain only half human.

In the past, oppressed peoples often resorted to violence in their struggle to be free. But visionaries such as Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King have shown us that changes can be brought about nonviolently. I believe that most of us wish to be peaceful. Deep down, we desire constructive, fruitful growth and dislike destruction.

If we are truly serious about reducing violence in our society, we must deal with the roots of violence, particularly those that exist within each of us. We need to embrace "inner disarmament," reducing our own emotions of suspicion, hatred and hostility.

Furthermore, we must reexamine how we relate to the use of violence in today's profoundly interconnected world. Successfully solving a problem quickly with force is often achieved at the expense of the rights and welfare of others. One problem may have been solved, but the seed of another is planted.

We need to embrace a more realistic approach to dealing with conflicts, an approach that is in tune with a new reality of interdependence. The very idea of total victory for one's own side and the total defeat of one's enemy is untenable. In violent conflicts, the innocent are often the first casualties. Today, the only viable solution to human conflicts will come through dialogue and reconciliation based on the spirit of compromise.

The role of religion

I believe one of the root causes of our problems is our inability to control our agitated minds and hearts -- an area in which the teachings of the world's great religions have much to offer.A scientist from Chile once told me that it is inappropriate for a scientist to be attached to his particular field of study, because that would undermine his objectivity. I am a Buddhist practitioner, but if I mix up my devotion for Buddhism with an attachment to it, my mind will be biased toward it. A biased mind never sees the complete picture, and any action that results will not be in tune with reality.

If religious practitioners can refrain from being attached to their own faith traditions, it could prevent the growth of fundamentalism. It also could enable such followers to genuinely respect faith traditions other than their own. While one can adhere to the principle of "one truth, one religion" at the level of one's personal faith, we should embrace at the same time the principle of "many truths, many religions" in the context of wider society. I see no contradiction between these two.

I do not mean to suggest that religion is indispensable to a sound ethical way of life. In the end, whether one is a believer or a nonbeliever, what matters is that one be a good, kind and a warmhearted person. A deep sense of caring for others, based on a profound sense of interconnection, is the essence of the teachings of all great religions of the world. In my travels, I always consider my foremost mission to be the promotion of basic human qualities of goodness -- the need for and appreciation of the value of love, our natural capacity for compassion and the need for genuine fellow feeling.

A small, fragile planet

When I first saw a photograph of Earth taken from outer space, it powerfully brought home to me how small and fragile the planet is and how petty our squabbles are. Amid our perceived differences, we tend to forget how the world's different religions, ideologies and political systems were meant to serve humans, not to destroy them.

Today, more than ever, we need to make this fundamental recognition of the basic oneness of humanity the foundation of our perspective on the world and its challenges. From the dangerous rate of global warming to the widening gap between rich and poor, from the rise of global terrorism to regional conflicts, we need a fundamental shift in our attitudes and our consciousness -- a wider, more holistic outlook.

The 20th century became a century of bloodshed; despite its faltering start, the 21st century could become one of dialogue, one in which compassion, the seed of nonviolence, will be able to flourish.

Large human movements spring from individual human initiatives. Each of us can inspire others simply by working to develop our own altruistic motivations -- and engaging the world with a compassion-tempered heart and mind.
The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is the spiritual leader of Tibet. Since 1959, he has been living in Dharamsala, in northern India, the seat of the Tibetan government in exile.

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