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Change starts within, Dalai Lama stresses
Spiritual leader counsels 'inner disarmament' as key to peace
Andrew Thomson and Kate Jaimet
CanWest News Service
Monday, October 29, 2007
CREDIT: Chris Wattie, ReutersThe Dalai Lama speaks at an event hosted by the Canada Tibet Committee in Ottawa.
OTTAWA ( Canada )-- An "inner disarmament" of the human soul that replaces jealousy and hatred with compassion and a holistic world view is the first step towards peaceful coexistence, the Dalai Lama told an arena full of spellbound listeners Sunday.
No better option exists for an interconnected world facing man-made threats that range from terrorism and dictatorships to climate change and nuclear weapons, the leader of Tibet's exiled community and Nobel laureate told about 9,000 people gathered inside Ottawa's Civic Centre during a relaxed, humour-filled talk.
"The problems which we are facing, including Tibet, ultimately they are here," he said, pointing at his heart. "First inner disarmament, than outer disarmament."
The Dalai Lama will meet Monday with Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Parliament Hill as his three-day visit to Ottawa continues. Their conference will mark the first time a Canadian prime minister has publicly hosted the controversial Buddhist monk in an official venue. Former prime minister Paul Martin met him in 2004, but it was at a private function at the home of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Ottawa.
The public got their turn to hear the Dalai Lama Sunday, as the 72-year-old spent nearly two hours talking about the day's theme: Global Citizenship through Universal Responsibility. Included was a call for young Canadians to serve in the developing world.
Countries, even continents, could exist in relative isolation during previous centuries, he said. But globalization means "destruction of another part of the world is (the) destruction of yourself," and "the concept of war is out of date."
Dialogue and compromise is the answer, the Dalai Lama argued. "We all come from our mother's womb," he said. "Therefore we all have the same potential for compassion."
The Dalai Lama's speech had concrete political elements as well. He pointed to the European Union as a successful anti-war device on a traditionally blood-soaked continent. But nationalists in the crowd were no doubt flustered by his assertion that the EU's integration model should one day spread to Africa, Latin America -- and between Canada, the United States, and Mexico.
He also pledged support for pro-democracy monks under attack by Burma's military regime, urged the West to show patience towards Russia, and promoted closer contact with Iran.
Aside from emphasizing the need for better health and education for Tibetans, the Dalai Lama spent little time discussing his homeland. That will likely change at Monday's meeting with Harper, causing concern on both sides of the Pacific.
While foreign heads of state, such as U.S. President George Bush and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, have greeted the Dalai Lama as a revered foreign dignitary, the Chinese government views him as an agitator calling for the independence of a region integral to their country.
Last week, spokesmen from the Chinese Embassy denounced Harper's decision to host the Dalai Lama. "On one hand they say they recognize Tibet is a part of China, and on the other hand he is receiving him in an official venue in an official capacity," said Sun Lushan, a counsellor with the embassy. "This will give people a wrong signal."
The Canada Tibet Committee responded by issuing a statement urging the federal government to adopt six priorities regarding Tibetan autonomy, including a negotiated settlement with the Chinese government, residency for exiles, and raising environmental concerns with the Chinese authorities.
Conservative Senator Consiglio Di Nino further provoked the Chinese Embassy recently by saying China would "huff and puff" but predicted the visit would have little consequence to Canada's strong economic relationship with its second-largest trading partner.
The diplomatic abrasion comes at a time when ties between Canada and China, had shown signs of healing after a rocky start under Harper's Conservative government. In recent months, there have been ministerial-level meetings between both sides and a meeting between Harper and Chinese President Hu Jintao at the G8 summit in June.
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Change starts within, Dalai Lama stresses
Spiritual leader counsels 'inner disarmament' as key to peace
Andrew Thomson and Kate Jaimet
CanWest News Service
Monday, October 29, 2007

OTTAWA ( Canada )-- An "inner disarmament" of the human soul that replaces jealousy and hatred with compassion and a holistic world view is the first step towards peaceful coexistence, the Dalai Lama told an arena full of spellbound listeners Sunday.
No better option exists for an interconnected world facing man-made threats that range from terrorism and dictatorships to climate change and nuclear weapons, the leader of Tibet's exiled community and Nobel laureate told about 9,000 people gathered inside Ottawa's Civic Centre during a relaxed, humour-filled talk.
"The problems which we are facing, including Tibet, ultimately they are here," he said, pointing at his heart. "First inner disarmament, than outer disarmament."
The Dalai Lama will meet Monday with Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Parliament Hill as his three-day visit to Ottawa continues. Their conference will mark the first time a Canadian prime minister has publicly hosted the controversial Buddhist monk in an official venue. Former prime minister Paul Martin met him in 2004, but it was at a private function at the home of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Ottawa.
The public got their turn to hear the Dalai Lama Sunday, as the 72-year-old spent nearly two hours talking about the day's theme: Global Citizenship through Universal Responsibility. Included was a call for young Canadians to serve in the developing world.
Countries, even continents, could exist in relative isolation during previous centuries, he said. But globalization means "destruction of another part of the world is (the) destruction of yourself," and "the concept of war is out of date."
Dialogue and compromise is the answer, the Dalai Lama argued. "We all come from our mother's womb," he said. "Therefore we all have the same potential for compassion."
The Dalai Lama's speech had concrete political elements as well. He pointed to the European Union as a successful anti-war device on a traditionally blood-soaked continent. But nationalists in the crowd were no doubt flustered by his assertion that the EU's integration model should one day spread to Africa, Latin America -- and between Canada, the United States, and Mexico.
He also pledged support for pro-democracy monks under attack by Burma's military regime, urged the West to show patience towards Russia, and promoted closer contact with Iran.
Aside from emphasizing the need for better health and education for Tibetans, the Dalai Lama spent little time discussing his homeland. That will likely change at Monday's meeting with Harper, causing concern on both sides of the Pacific.
While foreign heads of state, such as U.S. President George Bush and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, have greeted the Dalai Lama as a revered foreign dignitary, the Chinese government views him as an agitator calling for the independence of a region integral to their country.
Last week, spokesmen from the Chinese Embassy denounced Harper's decision to host the Dalai Lama. "On one hand they say they recognize Tibet is a part of China, and on the other hand he is receiving him in an official venue in an official capacity," said Sun Lushan, a counsellor with the embassy. "This will give people a wrong signal."
The Canada Tibet Committee responded by issuing a statement urging the federal government to adopt six priorities regarding Tibetan autonomy, including a negotiated settlement with the Chinese government, residency for exiles, and raising environmental concerns with the Chinese authorities.
Conservative Senator Consiglio Di Nino further provoked the Chinese Embassy recently by saying China would "huff and puff" but predicted the visit would have little consequence to Canada's strong economic relationship with its second-largest trading partner.
The diplomatic abrasion comes at a time when ties between Canada and China, had shown signs of healing after a rocky start under Harper's Conservative government. In recent months, there have been ministerial-level meetings between both sides and a meeting between Harper and Chinese President Hu Jintao at the G8 summit in June.
© The Vancouver Sun 2007