Friday, February 27, 2009

The Dalai Lama: Non-Violence Cannot Tackle Terrorism

Dalai Lama: Non-Violence Cannot Tackle Terrorism (Press Trust of India)

The Dalai Lama, a lifelong champion of non-violence, on Saturday stated that terrorism cannot be tackled by applying the principle of ahimsa (the avoidance of violence) because the minds of terrorists are closed. "It is difficult to deal with terrorism through non-violence," the Tibetan spiritual leader said in Delhi. He termed terrorism as the worst kind of violence which is not carried out by a few mad people but by those who are educated. He said the only way to tackle terrorism is through prevention. The head of the Tibetan government-in-exile left the audience stunned when he said "I love President George W. Bush." "I told him 'I love you but some of your policies I oppose'," said the spiritual leader.

and this back in 2005:
Dalai Lama says 'too early' to tell impact of Afghan, Iraqi wars
From the Middle East Times. Great things sometimes emerge from great suffering . - The India Diaires - www.sirensongs.blogspot.com

EDINBURGH -- The Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Saturday said that it was "too early" to determine the impact of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, while saying that sometimes armed conflicts bring about positive results. World War II and the Korean war, although causing massive destruction, "eventually they brought some positive effects", said the exiled Buddhist leader during a public discussion on ethics in the Scottish capital. The 70-year-old said that "the Second World War protected western values and civilization".

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The Dalai Lama is clearly quite different from Mahatma Gandhi, who felt the world was wrong to fight against Hitler, and who thought the Jews should die as an act of satyagraha.