Taipei Times: As the local media has reported quite a few times, this is a very spiritual trip and it will focus a lot on Buddhist teachings.
Gyaltsen: When His Holiness first visited Taiwan, the tremendous interest in Buddhism, particularly toward Tibetan Buddhism, left a very deep impression on him. Moreover, over the years, many followers from Taiwan have come to Dharamsala, India -- despite the poor transportation facilities there -- to listen to His Holiness' teachings. They have been persistently inviting the Dalai Lama to visit Taiwan to teach.
PHOTO: CHEN CHENG-CHANG, TAIPEI TIMES
TT: How different are the Taiwanese followers from his followers in the West?
Gyaltsen: Although there is a great devotion toward Tibetan Buddhism among the Taiwanese, it seems that practicing Buddhism purely through devotion is not enough.
Apart from the belief, it is also quite important to study the philosophy so as to be able to better realize the true meaning of Buddhism. Since this is so critical, His Holiness, on this second visit, will spend a lot of time introducing the original philosophy of Tibetan Buddhism at greater length and detail to the Taiwanese followers.
Therefore, His Holiness will have four days of teachings and two days of initiation. Out of nine days, a full seven days will be spent on teachings and initiations. We call this trip purely spiritual in nature -- not because China continues to remain highly suspicious.
TT: The Dalai Lama's last visit to Taiwan really helped to popularize Tibetan Buddhism and culture in Taiwan.
Gyaltsen: It is quite true that many Taiwanese have a very strong attachment toward Tibetan Buddhism, but there does not seem to be an equal emphasis on the studying and the practicing of Buddhism. This is the reason why His Holiness finds it extremely important to give Taiwanese followers a clear introduction to the Tibetan Buddhist philosophy.
TT: His Holiness will give a public talk on Ethics in the New Millennium on Sunday. What do you think he will say?
Gyaltsen: During his public talks all over the world, His Holiness usually focuses mainly on ethical issues. Journalists often ask him about the motivation behind His Holiness' frequent travels abroad.
His Holiness often says he has three goals. First, he believes he has a responsibility ... to spread the message of compassion and kindness. His Holiness believes compassion is not just a Buddhist or a Christian idea -- but is a basic human value -- which is acknowledged as a source of peace and happiness, by everyone regardless of religious beliefs and nationalities. This is what His Holiness calls "secular ethics."
The second goal is that as a Buddhist monk, it is extremely important to improve relations between the members of different faiths. As has happened in the past and is also true of the present, religious conflicts have created a lot of violence, which runs counter to the basic idea of religion. And that is quite saddening. Therefore, His Holiness has made it a practice to meet and hold dialogues with other religious leaders whenever he visits abroad.
Third, His Holiness believes as a Tibetan and in his position as the Dalai Lama, he should explain the Tibetan situation to those interested.
TT: Is it true Vice President Annette Lu (
Gyaltsen: Yes, the organizers have invited the vice president to the gathering.
TT: Do you think His Holiness will have anything to do with the Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission (MTAC) when he is here?
Gyaltsen: When His Holiness first came here, we did not have anything to do with the Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission. There will be no contacts with the MTAC this time. This is quite a long and complicated problem -- even the previous KMT government knows that the Tibetans are quite troubled by the MTAC.
But it is quite difficult to solve the problem overnight. The DPP government also fully understands the situation and is very interested in resolving the predicament. Taiwan's government as well as public share the same aspiration -- which is to have better ties with Tibetans and help Tibetans. Since our basic understanding is the same, we believe in the future we will have better ties with Taiwan.
TT: His Holiness the Dalai Lama is going to meet with the President Chen Shui-bian (
Gyaltsen: This is a spiritual and cultural trip. But whenever His Holiness visits abroad, for instance to Europe and the US, members of the parliament and the heads of the state usually meet with His Holiness. So it is not that His Holiness' meeting with President Chen Shui-bian is something special.
Since His Holiness also met with several leading officials when he came here in 1997, so based on that old friendship, he may also meet with other personalities including former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝). We have also been receiving lots of requests from various people in Taiwan [who want] to have a private audience with His Holiness.
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