Dalai seeks India help, says it is Tibet’s ‘guru’

By Asit Jolly

Chandigarh

Nov. 20: The Dalai Lama has admitted that a resolution to the vexing Tibetan situation is "complicated". The Nobel Peace Prize winner and spiritual leader of the Tibetan people made the statement on the sidelines of the largest-ever conclave of exiled Tibetan leaders who have been called to McLeodganj to chart a fresh course of action on the future of their homeland.

Speaking at a special function at the Rotary Club at Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh, he said of the three commitments of his life, resolving the Tibet situation was the most "complicated".

He listed "the promotion of compassion and love as a human being and promoting religious harmony as a Buddhist monk" as his other two, relatively more straightforward, commitments.

Significantly, the Dalai Lama sought India’s help in helping to resolve the Tibet situation. He said: "India and Tibet have the relationship of a ‘guru and chela’ (teacher and disciple), and when chela is in trouble, the guru must look after him."

The spiritual leader had earlier publicly expressed his disenchantment after the consecutive failure of as many as eight separate rounds of talks between his emissaries and representatives of the People’s Republic of China.

The Tibet situation has been simmering for the last half century, almost ever since the Dalai Lama was forced to flee his homeland along with his followers after the failed 1959 uprising against the People’s Liberation Army. He has since made McLeodganj his home and headquarters of the Tibetan government-in-exile.

Asked about his deliberate decision to stay away from the ongoing week-long conclave that has drawn considerable participation from the global Tibetan diaspora, he said: "I made it clear earlier that if I attended the meeting I may have made some comments. My presence could have hampered the free expression of opinions of the participants. So I am keeping away from the November 17-22 conclave."

But all of Tibet is anxiously awaiting the Dalai Lama’s post-conclave address on Sunday, which is likely to be coloured by the range of opinion delegates there articulate on the future of their homeland, now under Chinese rule.

Cloistered in his monastery, the monk has been regularly receiving summaries of what is being said at the 15 separate sessions by the 680 delegates.