Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, 16 April, 2012 - On his final
full day during this visit to Hawaii His Holiness the Dalai Lama spoke
on warm-heartedness to a very receptive and positive gathering of
students and blessed Hokule’a, a Polynesian canoe that will be departing
on a worldwide voyage in 2013 to draw awareness to Hawaiian culture.
In the morning, he visited the Kailua High, one of four public high
schools that service the Windward District of Oahu Island on which is
located Honolulu. Ms. C. Suzanne Mulcahy, complex superintendent,
Hawaii State Department of Education; Ms. Kathryn Matayoshi, State
Superintendent of Hawaii State Department of Education; Principal
Francine Honda; and two student representatives, Norma Joy Agbisit and
Isaac Hein, received him at the school. Students performed a Hula dance
to welcome His Holiness.
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| Students from Kailua High School
welcome His Holiness the Dalai Lama to their school with a Hula dance on
Oahu, Hawaii, April 16, 2012. Photo/JHook/Civil Beat |
In her welcome remarks, Superintendent Matayoshi
said given certain positive development in the school, it was chosen to
host the event. She added that in preparation for the visit of His
Holiness the school had developed a new curriculum to learn more about
His Holiness, Tibet and Buddhism. Saying she had the opportunity to
attend the public talk by His Holiness yesterday, Superintendent
Matayoshi said his message of compassion is both powerful and personal.
His Holiness then began his remarks titled
“Cultivating Unbiased Compassion.” Speaking in Tibetan first, he thanked
the State Education Department and school officials for providing him
the opportunity to have this discussion with the students. His Holiness
then switched to English saying that was the “formal’ part of his
remarks. He said the reason why he spoke in Tibetan briefly was to let
the gathering have a taste of how Tibetan sounds. He said he had also
done this, as he knew the Hawaiian people were much concerned about
their language. He said the Tibetans had a written script that is one of
the oldest.
His Holiness said he always felt very happy mixing
with young people, the younger generation. He said time is always
moving and that no force can stop it. Past is past and only some memory
remains. However, the future is yet to come and to some extent we can
shape the future, he said. But simply thinking about the future is
wrong and people should make effort during the present for a happier
future.
His Holiness talked about a non-violent and peaceful approach to
securing a better future and said ultimately it is related to the mind.
He added that mere education or intelligence were not enough. He said
since man is a social animal, an individual’s future depends on that of
the community. He joked that if we made a lone educated person reside on
a small isolated island, the individual will ultimately perish despite
his education.
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His Holiness the Dalai Lama of
Tibet addresses students at Kailua High School on the topic of
Cultivating Unbiased Compassion at Kailua High School on Oahu, Hawaii,
on April 16, 2012. Photo/Eyes of the Island Photography
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He said there was the need to understand the
new reality that one’s future was dependent on others. He said even if
people wanted to be selfish and think of oneself alone, there is a way
to be a wise selfish (that also benefits others) rather than being a
foolish selfish.
He told students that people above the age of 40 were members of the
20th century, and that the future is very much on the shoulders of the
generation to which the students belong. Saying that the time of his
generation was almost ending, His Holiness told the students that their
time was just beginning as they belong to the 21st century.
He urged the students to take action to bring about concrete changes
saying realchange on this planet cannot be achieved merely through
wishful thinking. He said for effective action will power was needed
and that there was no guarantee that human intelligence can be
constructive. He said that with warm heartedness, technology could be
utilized to help for positive results. Otherwise, human intelligence can
also utilize technology to bring about unthinkable disasters like the
September 11 tragedy.
His Holiness talked about cultivating genuine compassion that is
without attachment. He said too much attachment; whether to one’s own
faith, race or country, prevents one from seeing the reality that is
beyond. He said everyone had the capability to generate this.
His Holiness said this needed being educated accordingly and he
appreciated the fact that the school had programs that aimed at such an
education. His Holiness then answered questions from students. They had
compiled eight questions from 850 questions through a month-long
vetting and voting process. The process involved students from each
grade level drafting questions, and then voting on them.
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Hawaii State Teacher of the Year
Chad Miller kicked off the student Q&A with His Holiness the Dalai
Lama at Kailua High School at Kailua High School on Oahu, Hawaii, on
April 16, 2010. Photo/Eyes of the Island Photography
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The first questioner asked if we have all
reasons like compassion, patience, love, etc. to be good people, why was
it so hard to be a good person. His Holiness responded that nothing
was easy to achieve. Even to become a professor one had to make years of
efforts. He said there was the need for sustained enthusiasm towards
this objective that has to be continued for a long time. Giving his own
example, he said although he began his study at the age of six or
seven, he did not have any interest in it until the age of 11 or 12.
Nevertheless, his study continued despite his dislike of it and he is
able to appreciate that effort now.
The second question was, in this time of political unrest leaders
around the world promote many things. However, many haven't taken action
to fulfill their promises. Can words be taken seriously?
His Holiness responded that it would depend on the character of the
individual. If the person was honest then the words can be taken
seriously. He said there was a lack of respect for moral principles in
today’s world with money being given much importance. Also, peace has
become like a slogan. He said, in some countries, peace for example, has
come to mean some pigeons being released. He said this is not only
confusion but also is somewhat violent to the pigeons.
His Holiness said something was wrong with the modern education
system. He said in the past in Europe when the educational institutions
were established the tradition was for the church to take care of
imparting knowledge in moral ethics. Given the situation then, this was a
well-balanced approach. Then gradually the church’s influence
diminished and family values declined. Therefore, he felt there was a
need to impart moral education. But trying to do this through religious
faith was complicated as choosing a particular religion will not cover
all people. He therefore said adopting a secular approach was a better
alternative.
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His Holiness the Dalai Lama
answering questions from students during his visit to Kailua High School
on Oahu, Hawaii, on April 16, 2012. Photo/JHook/Civil Beat
|
His Holiness said there was a role for the
media in holding the leaders to their words. He said the media should be
like the elephant that can smell in all directions through its long
nose.
Another student asked, “At Kailua High School we value learning
through confusion. When you are confused, what thinkers and other
external sources do you turn to in order to find clarity?” His Holiness
responded saying he wanted to quote the Buddha in that you are your own
master. He said one should read books, think and analyze. He said
Buddhists talked about three ways to gain knowledge. First was through
hearing from the teacher, which meant relying on information from
others. The second way was to analyze and contemplate. The third type
was then to familiarize, which comes without effort. His Holiness said
whenever he was in a dilemma he adopted this approach
Another question was, “Is too much compassion dangerous because it
makes us vulnerable? For example, if I gave a homeless person money, but
he attacked me because I refused to give him more, did my unbiased
compassion make me vulnerable?”
His Holiness said if you let someone take advantage of you
continuously then this is harmful to that person in the long run.
Compassion, he said, does not mean you bow down to others. He added that
forgiveness and tolerance does not mean that you accept others’
wrongdoing. He said one needed to differentiate between the actor and
the action.
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| His Holiness the Dalai Lama, along with his translator and student Jeremiah Taleni
enjoying a moment of laughter with the audience at the conclusion of
his talk at Kailua High School on Oahu, Hawaii, on April 16, 2012.
Photo/JHook/Civil Beat |
His Holiness
concluded by advising the students to have a positive and optimistic
approach towards life. He said until the mid-1950s there was a feeling
in the world that war was unavoidable. But with the fall of the Berlin
Wall people saw serious danger being reduced and talks about
demilitarization increased. He said more people are starting to look
seriously into inner peace. Scientists are also beginning to see a
connection between the state of one’s emotion and the health of one’s
body. He said there was thus clear sign that human being was becoming
more mature.
Following his talk, His Holiness was presented with a canoe paddle and a peace quilt the students had made.
School authorities reported positive reaction from the students to
the event with His Holiness. "It was so moving. I think what it's done
is it's a confirmation of all the work we've put into Kailua High School
for the past 10 years," the school’s ethnic studies teacher Amber
Makaiau was quoted as saying. "I don't know if there's a bigger reward
than having the Dalai Lama come and say that he's appreciative or has
recognition of the work that we've been doing to promote peace and
tolerance and compassion. It was emotionally overwhelming, in a positive
way," the teacher added.
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His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of
Tibet climbs aboard the Hōkūle‘a to bless the voyaging canoe at Kualoa
Regional Park on Oahu, Hawaii, on April 16, 2012.
Photo/Eyes of the Island Photography
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Following lunch, His Holiness went to the
Kualoa Regional Park to bless the voyaging canoe Hokulea in preparation
for its round-the-world sail in 2013. He was received with the
traditional blowing of horns and chants. Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle
was present at the ceremony. Polynesian Voyaging Society President
Nainoa Thompson expressed his gratitude to His Holiness for coming to
consecrate their canoe. Following the recitation of prayers, His
Holiness offered a Khata, Tibetan scarf, for the canoe and also boarded
it to personally bless it.
Thereafter, accompanied by Mayor Peter Carlisle, His Holiness met
with the press and answered some questions. When asked about the more
than 30 self-immolations of Tibetans, His Holiness said these were very,
very sad developments. He said we have to look at the causes and
conditions and these are related to the difficult experience of the
Tibetan people for the past 50 to 60 years. He said the late Panchen
Lama had publicly stated in 1989 that although Chinese rule had brought
some development, the damage done to Tibetans had outweighed the
benefits.
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His Holiness the Dalai Lama with
Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle during a meeting with the press on Oahu,
Hawaii, on April 16, 2012. Photo/JHook/Civil Beat |
His
Holiness said things worsened thereafter. The resentment among Tibetans
was met with suppression. In the 1990s one Chinese Party Secretary
banned the teaching of Tibetan classics in Tibet University in Lhasa.
Some Tibetans even opined that some sort of semi-Cultural Revolution was
happening. These were the immediate causes for the Tibetan uprising in
2008, His Holiness said. He said suppression continued, many monks and
nuns were arrested and some disappeared.
Referring to the ruthless Chinese attitude towards Tibetans, His
Holiness said they seemed to be worshippers of the gun, somewhat like
what Chairman Mao Zedong had said about power coming from the barrel of
the gun. His Holiness felt the time had come for the Chinese
authorities to really investigate the causes into Tibetan resentments.
His Holiness said when Chinese demonstrated the authorities were
more lenient whereas when Tibetans or Uyghurs demonstrated the response
was tougher.
His Holiness however said that there were hopeful signs. He referred
to Prime Minister Wen Jiabao’s call for political reform and his
warning about the risk of Cultural Revolution returning and the
subsequent dismissal of Bo Xilai who is said to be a hardliner.
His Holiness said resentment among Tibetans was not just in the
Tibet Autonomous Region but also in other provinces where the majority
of Tibetans live. He said Tibetans have a language and a script that
were completely separate from Chinese or Indian. Tibetan language was
being considered the best language to explain Buddhist philosophy, he
said. His Holiness outlined this environment under which the situation
was developing in Tibet.
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His Holiness the Dalai Lama speaking with members of the media on Oahu, Hawaii, on April 16, 2012.
Photo/JHook/Civil Beat
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His Holiness was asked how one should approach
the presence of American military in Hawaii. He responded by saying
that a specific political party did not control the American military,
as also of India. The US is a democratic country and every individual
had the freedom to express views. He recalled being asked about the
presence of American military during his trip to Okinawa. He said he had
responded then that looking solely from a local level, it was sad and
the military force should withdraw. However, one should take a global
perspective. He said North Korea had a secret society. Then there was
China. He said until there is a situation where there was brotherhood
and sisterhood and complete mutual trust some military presence was
needed.
When asked about a weakness in Western society, His Holiness said
not just in the West but also throughout the world corruption was
becoming a new cancer. He said since the disease of corruption was
universal, the countermeasure to deal with it also needed to be
universal. He then talked about his view of adopting a secular way to
promote secular ethics.
Following this session with the press, His Holiness returned to his hotel.
His Holiness departs Honolulu for San Diego in California on April
17, 2012 arriving there in the evening. His programs will begin on
April 18, 2012.
