The Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama in an online news conference hosted by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan from his headquarters at Dharamsala in India Wednesday said he wants India as his home for the rest of his life and he prefers even his death in India.
He said there’s complete freedom and religious harmony in India and it is a very good tradition. India is a very free country and he really enjoys living here, he added.
Dalai Lama said (verbatim): Now last few decades of experience, I really enjoy my position here in India. So this now Kangra, my modest permanent residence, Pandit Nehru choose, and I really enjoy it here. I can communicate with everybody from parts of the world. So very free.
“And Dharmshala, Kangra the height not very high, not very low and very suitable for my health. And also you see, some snow mountains and some lakes and some forests, I love this place. So when I met Swaran Singh (someone prompted Manmohan Singh), you see, once now many years ago when I met him, then I expressed, I want India is the home of the rest of life and even my sort of death, I prefer India. I express that way, ” he continued.
“Anyway, India has complete freedom and religious harmony. Very good tradition. All major oldest traditions. The followers of all richest traditions exist in India. So very good harmony. According to my views, India is a very suitable land, so from here, whatever way I make some contribution regarding promotion of peace through inner peace and religious harmony and also the preservation of Tibetan culture from here, I can do much. So I really enjoy, happy in India, ” he responded to a question at the conference.
Tibet’s spiritual leader the Dalai Lama criticized the leaders of China on Wednesday saying they “don’t understand the variety of different cultures” there and there is too much control by the main Han ethnic group.
Though the Dalai Lama has stated that he has no plans to meet China’s leader, Xi Jinping, he has stated that he would want to return to see old friends as “I am becoming older” – but would avoid Taiwan since ties between the two countries are “very touchy.”
Since fleeing Tibet in the aftermath of an uprising in 1959, the Dalai Lama, a supremely important figure in Tibetan Buddhist tradition, has been residing in India as a refugee.
He advocates for Tibetan welfare while continuing to advocate for diplomatic approaches to discussions with China about Tibetan autonomy and the protection of Tibetan culture, particularly Tibetan religious rights.
(With inputs from agencies)
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