The Dalai Lama at City Convention Centre in Imphal on Wednesday, October 18.
Imphal, October 18 (IANS) There are no Muslim or Christian terrorists because terrorists are no more religious once they embrace terror, Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama said on Wednesday.
"People cease to be Muslim, Christian or any group the moment they became terrorists," the Dalai Lama said at a public reception here on the second day of a three-day visit to Manipur.
The Tibetan leader also said that he does not like the "America first" slogan of US President Donald Trump.
A strong votary of non-violence, the Nobel Prize winner said violence does not solve any problem.
"India, which has a tradition of 1,000 years of non-violence, could ensure world peace by reviving the ancient knowledge."
According to him, almost all the problems people face today were "our own creation".
He underlined the need to control emotions. Anger weakens people's immune system and as such was bad for health, he warned.
"Out of seven billion people on earth, six billion are children of god while one billion are non-believers."
Problems around the world can be solved through dialogue, said the Dalai Lama, who has lived in India since fleeing his homeland in 1959 and who is hated by the Chinese Communist regime.
India with her ancient knowledge and education could ensure world peace, he said. "China has also potentialities except for the Communist ideology."
The spiritual leader said that the widening gap between the rich and poor was morally wrong. "This gap is visible in India and Manipur also."
In his speech, the Dalai Lama recalled how he came to India as a refugee 58 years ago. India is also home to some 100,000 Tibetans.
‘Dream of Asian Union with India, Japan and China as members’
Imphal, October 18 (PTI): Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama today said he dreamt of an Asian Union with India, Japan and China as its members.
The spiritual leader, who arrived here yesterday on his maiden visit to Manipur, asserted that India would make steady progress if people overcame their differences with humanism.
Speaking to journalists at the City Convention Centre in the state capital here, the Dalai Lama reminded them of their responsibilities. “Media persons have a huge responsibility of educating people, bringing in a sense of oneness, handling corruption and criminal activities,” he said.
The revered leader also said that he hoped to see an Asian Union, comprising India, Japan and China, some day.
“I am an admirer of European Union, African Union and Malaysia Union. I dream of an Asian Union with India, Japan and China as members,” he said.
Asked about the conflicts and insurgency in the northeast, the Dalai Lama said problems existed all over the world and people should address their concerns patiently.
Citing the hostile relationship which had consumed the European countries, prior to the Second World War, he remarked that all countries had suffered devastating consequences in the conflict and then looked forward towards a common development, ultimately leading to the birth of the European Union.
The spiritual leader also recalled his interaction with India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru during the Tibet uprising in 1959 and said the leader had insisted that he talked to the Chinese government to resolve conflicts.
He said Tibet was no longer seeking separation or independence from China.
Later in the day, during a civic reception programme, Assembly Speaker Y Khemchand, who had invited the Dalai Lama to Manipur, said the message of religious harmony and peace should be imbibed into human conscience to resolve conflicts in multi-ethnic states. The spiritual leader also said that the world was changing as people were moving at a rapid pace for materialistic gains, thereby forgetting the inherent values of life.
Security personnel had been carrying out strict verification and frisking processes, and combing operations in view of the Dalai Lama’s visit.
