Temples of Sri Lanka

WE STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE DALAI LAMA

By Most Ven Dr Madampagama Assaji Anunayake Thero

 

The World’s Buddhist population, Buddhist religious leaders, internationally renowned Buddhist followers, and admirers across the world have been shocked, highly perturbed, and deeply grieved over the recent malicious and very mean efforts of sections of the international media, apparently under the influence of anti-Buddhist, anti-religious, atheistic elements, to tarnish the image of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama – the world’s most recognized and revered Buddhist leader and teacher – by releasing calculatingly doctored video footage to portray him as a paedophile. The Buddhist community all over the world has reacted very strongly stating that the Dalai Lama’s act, in terms of the age-old cultural traditions of the Buddhist people of Tibet, to demonstrate pure love and compassion, has been misconstrued and taken mean advantage of by some, calling themselves as representing the modern mind. They are persons always immersed in impure and lustful thoughts, accompanied by homosexual and pedophilic tendencies, and capable of stooping down to very unimaginable low levels for monetary gains even at the expense of damaging the status and reputation of people of even the calibre of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, the protestors have stated. These media personnel have proved that they are capable of tarnishing the names of great and sublime souls like the Dalai lama using modern technology and the media for their gains. Many of the protestors have explained that in Tibetan traditions and culture, a kiss or a “po” on the lips given by elders to little children and by young children to elders is very common and a sign of pure, unabashed love. What was missing in the high and deliberately doctored video footage was that the boy’s mother was present at the event, sitting near the Dalai Lama. The event, took place in late February at His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s monastery in Dharamshala, when 100 young students attended.

In Tibet, sticking out your tongue has been a traditional way of saying hello. There are hundreds of thousands of different cultures, traditions, and practices amidst the different nations, races, and peoples of the world. Some of them may be incomprehensible, unpalatable, and strange to outsiders who are not familiar with them. In Tibetan culture sticking out the tongue of an elderly person is his unconditional love for a young one, explained to those familiar with Tibetan culture.

The 87-year-old Dalai Lama has visited most of the world’s nations, convened hundreds of meetings; visited thousands of villages and remote locations; has attended many world summits and forums; and has been interviewed by hundreds of journalists in his lofty mission of taking the message of the Buddha. There has never, ever been a single comment, remark, or report to blemish his image and this is the first time that such a meaningful effort has been made with ulterior motives. Reports have revealed that a 77-year-old Tibetan mother has been weeping ceaselessly and has lost sleep for several days after such a malicious campaign was unleashed to bring disrepute to His Holiness, the Dalai Lama.

Many efforts were made in the past to tarnish the name and reputation of the Dalai Lama but this has been the worst attack so far made in the seven decades of the life of this Tibetan mother and so many others like her, to demean and damage the Tibetan faith and Tibetan way of life. This malicious attack comes in the wake of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, having announced the selection of an eight-year-old US-born, Mongolian boy as the 10th Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa Rinpoche, the third most important spiritual leader in Tibetan Buddhism, which has shocked the atheistic communist administration who were hoping to have their selections of such significant religious positions in Tibet. The anti-Buddhist, anti-religious, and anti-democratic communist ‘big bully’ has now stooped down to the lowest levels of manoeuvring to tarnish the image of the Dalai Lama as the leading and recognized Buddhist spiritual leader in the world.

Earlier this year, China blocked the Dalai Lama’s prospective visit to Sri Lanka and branded him as a ‘separatist’ merely because he, as the temporal and spiritual leader of the people of Tibet, has been voicing and fighting for the independence of Tibet from Chinese military invasion and has been active in his Mission of taking the Buddhist doctrine to every nook and corner of the world as the most renowned and recognized Buddhist spiritual leader of the world.

We ardently believe that the entire Buddhist world and national leaders as well as religious leaders would join hands, before too long, to lodge their protests against the malicious efforts to tarnish the holy image of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the childlike, pure, sublime soul who stands and works for world peace, brotherhood, harmony, compassion and unconditional love among fellow humans.

You might also like
en English
X
X