His Holiness Dalai Lama Awarded Honorary Citizenship of Paris
Published: Monday, 8 June, 2009
Paris, France, 7 June 2009 - This afternoon His Holiness received the diploma of Honorary Citizen of Paris from Mr Bertrand Delanoë, the Mayor, at a ceremony held in the historic building of the Hôtel de Ville (City Hall). After greeting His Holiness as he arrived by car in the inner courtyard of the building and accompanying him up the magnificent central staircase, Mr Delanoë said it was his great pleasure to honour His Holiness with this title, which symbolises the spirit of Paris—freedom, human rights, dignity, and dialogue amongst peoples and cultures. He reaffirmed his solidarity and understanding of the Tibetan people’s struggle for justice and their own identity. At the same time, he added, he has been able to maintain fraternal relationships with his Chinese counterparts and the people of China. His Holiness thanked the Mayor for this award, which corresponds to his three main commitments: as a human being, as a simple Buddhist monk, and as a Tibetan. He praised the decision of the Mayoral Council in attributing the prize, which he said will bring enormous encouragement to his people at a moment when their situation is even more difficult than it has been for many decades. He also urged the mayor to maintain and strengthen his relations with his Chinese colleagues and the Chinese people, while at the same time standing firm by the principles of justice, human rights and dialogue. The Mayor extended an invitation to His Holiness to visit Paris whenever he wishes, and recalled with pride that since his first meeting with His Holiness in 2003 he has been to China twice. The honorary citizenship title came in the form of a diploma on which are inscribed the words: “Tenzin Gyatso, XIVth Dalai Lama, is elevated to the dignity of Honorary Citizen of the City of Paris. Signed by Bertrand Delanoë on this seventh day of June, 2009”. After receiving the traditional white scarf (which His Holiness explained was itself a symbol of cultural exchange, being derived from an Indian tradition, woven in China, and bearing Tibetan calligraphy), the mayor then accompanied His Holiness back to the courtyard for his departure by car.
His Holiness’ had begun his second day in Paris this morning by addressing a crowded hall of some 800 people, mostly Tibetans along with Mongolians, Bhutanese, Nepalese and members of other Himalayan groups. Speaking with great openness and frankness, he encouraged all those present to uphold their own culture, language and spiritual tradition. For the Tibetans within Tibet conditions continue to be very difficult since the problems in March 2008, and there is little hope of progress through dialogue with the Chinese government, he said. Nevertheless, he has not lost his confidence in the people of China, and urged Tibetans to cultivate friendly and truthful relationships with ordinary Chinese people whenever possible, just as he himself has been doing in his travels around the world. Truth is the Tibetans’ greatest resource, he said, and in the long run would be more than a match for brute power; the vast majority of ordinary Chinese people simply do not know the truth about Tibet. Indeed, wherever they went, Tibetans should remember that they are ambassadors for their culture, and behave accordingly as good citizens of their adopted countries of residence. Their culture was precious for many reasons, particularly as a vehicle of Buddhist literature and learning, and Tibetans should not simply identify themselves as Buddhists through blind faith, but make the effort to read, study and investigate the vast corpus of literature, notably the Kangyur and Tengyur, which is their heritage, as well as a precious resource for the world in general. He stressed the great importance of education, the lack of which (despite the great efforts of the XIIIth Dalai Lama) was one of the principal reasons why the Tibetans had lost their country. The Tibetans must ensure the upholding of their own culture and their place in the world, said His Holiness, to an audience visibly moved by the presence, energy and sincerity of their universally appreciated leader.
His
Holiness’ visit has been the subject of extensive media coverage in
France. All of the major TV and radio channels, the printed press, and internet
news sites have carried reporting of his activities and speeches. This morning
His Holiness answered questions from a conference of selected journalists.
Asked where his main hopes now lie in these difficult times, His Holiness again
explained that he had few expectations of results from dialogue with the
Chinese government, all of his openings and proposals having been summarily
blocked and dismissed. But he has not lost faith in the Chinese people, and has
taken all opportunities to discuss Tibet with Chinese scholars and thinkers
wherever he can, as he had done yesterday in Paris. There has already been a
noticeable diminution in Chinese diaspora demonstrations against him when he
travels, and it has been encouraging to see some 400 articles on Tibet
appearing in Chinese internet media, all critical of government policy and some
advocating Tibetan independence. The Chinese government would do well to take
these considered evaluations of policy seriously and adopt a more realistic
approach, for the Tibetans’ spirit and determination is strong and harsh
repression has only made it stronger. Since the first generation to experience
the Chinese take-over, two subsequent generations have expressed their
discontent in waves of unrest (in the 80s and last year), and this is sure to
continue as long as the Tibetans are deprived of freedom. Yet the Chinese
continue to try to control Tibet through force and deceit, as was apparent in
last year’s unrest—for which (like the events of 1987 and 1988)
there is considerable evidence that it was manipulated, intensified and even
orchestrated by the Chinese themselves. Asked whether Tibetans are frustrated
with the non-violent approach, His Holiness replied that almost all Tibetans
agree that non-violence is the only way forward. He pointed out that even the
Tibetan Youth Congress, despite its rejection of his Middle Way approach of not
seeking full independence for Tibet, entirely shares his commitment to non-violence.
His Holiness was asked about his successor, and explained that the solution
favoured by a majority of those taking part in the discussions held in
Dharamsala last year, to avoid the interference in the selection process on
which the Chinese government has staked much hope, was that of choosing his own
successor according to the long-existing tradition of ‘ma-dé
tul-ku’ or ‘emanation prior to death’. He added that many of
the younger generation of highly qualified Lamas will certainly play an
important role in assuring continuity during such a transition. In terms of
political leadership, a democratic process is already in place and his own
position is now one of being in semi-retirement; the future role of the Dalai
Lama as an institution lies in the hands of the Tibetan people. Asked about
Burma and North Korea, His Holiness replied that he was ready to join other
Nobel laureates in another meeting to put pressure on the Burmese leadership
for change, but doubted that such a meeting could take place when most Asian
countries (like those in Europe) are so ready to allow a powerful China to
influence what they do and do not do. North Korea is unlike Burma in that its
totalitarianism is so deeply institutionalised; but any progress towards
resolution of its enormous problems will be impossible without Chinese
willingness.
This afternoon a huge crowd of some 8,000 people thronged the Bercy sports auditorium for a public talk by His Holiness on ‘Ethics and Society’. His Holiness was introduced by Robert Badinter, the celebrated French lawyer, author, politician, and champion of human rights, whom His Holiness considers his long-time friend and an important supporter of the Tibetan cause. His Holiness, having mentioned the short period of ill health he underwent last year and assured the audience that his recovery had been swift and complete, spoke of his own experience of the great benefits of compassion and inner peace in dealing with all situations, however difficult. Love and compassion have profound effects on health, and indeed their sources lie on the biological level, especially that of motherhood. Emotional and physical stability in adult life are determined to a large extent by the care and affection each of us receives from our mothers; love and affection sustain many physical functions and particularly the immune system as well as having an obvious importance in human relations, while hatred and anger have deeply destructive effects on one’s own body, as well as alienating and harming others. Based on these considerations, it is clear that ethics can be seen in a biological context, and as such need not be asssociated with specifically religious concepts. Indeed, as such a huge proportion of the world’s population has little or no deep religious interest, it is important to establish a system of ‘secular ethics’ to complement ethics based on religious belief, whether theistic or (like Buddhist practice) non-theistic. A recognition of the biological benefits of having a compassionate, warm-hearted approach to others, and the recognition of others as having feelings and rights no less important than one’s own, can form a powerful basis for the development of such secular ethics, he said. Furthermore, this approach can and shoul be applied by all of us on an individual level. It is no use waiting for the building of a more compassionate society in any other way than each of us applying these ideas first in our own minds, then in a family context, and then in wider and wider circles like the ripples on a pond. No-one, said His Holiness, should feel he or she cannot contribute. After answering a number of questions, His Holiness was applauded by the audience in a prolonged and enthusiastic standing ovation as he left the auditorium.
Tomorrow, His Holiness returns to India.
- Reported by Bureau du Tibet, Paris, France
