Tokyo – The past 20 November, The Dalai Lama was welcomed to theNational Diet Building, seat of the japanese parliament, to address the entire group of parliamentarians. He was greeted upon arrival by Eriko Yamatani, president of the committee that invited him, and the veteran parliamentarian, Hiranuma. They attended 150 parliamentarians of 8 political parties and the secretaries of others 50 who could not attend.
“Respected brothers and sisters, – said the Dalai Lama – I am extremely happy to be here once again. I would like to express my deep gratitude to everyone who made this meeting possible.. You have expressed warm feelings of friendship and deep concern, so I would like to thank you… Throughout human history we have tended to divide people into “them”” and “we”, which inevitably leads to conflicts. On the human level, there are no true bases for such divisions; we are all part of “us”. This is not that there are no differences between us, but they are secondary to the fact that we all belong to one human family, living on this blue planet that is our home. We need an effort to build a peaceful and happy human community.”
The Dalai Lama expressed his firm hope that the century 21 be a century of peace. He admitted that there will continue to be problems as the world's population continues to grow., as the effects of climate change become more drastic, and as is natural, disasters multiply. But we have to face such problems together.
“Japan is one of the most modern nations,” he added. – It is one of the prominent countries in Asia and is a country whose religious traditions place great value on peace. I hope you will join me in the desire to build a more peaceful world, Which is why I'm going to try to promote the idea that we 7 Billions of human beings belong to a human family.”.
“As you can see, I am a Buddhist monk and it pains me when conflicts seem to be fueled by religious differences.. This is what seems to be happening between Buddhists and Muslims in Burma. It's very sad. I have appealed to the Buddhist monks there, when conflicts break out, Let them remember the face of Buddha. I am convinced that if the Buddha were there, would offer protection to those Muslims who are under threat… ”
“…Regarding the new Chinese leadership, Many friends have told me that it seems to be more practical and realistic. President Xi Jinping is taking a tough line against corruption and in this he appears to be a man of courage and action. The recent third plenary meeting highlighted the needs and concerns of the rural population and the working poor, which includes a judicial system functioning at international levels. “The Chinese people are very hard-working and realistic and it is because of them that there is hope for the future.”.
When standing up to leave, His Holiness's attention was caught by the Tibetan flag near his desk. He said he would like to tell a story. During one of his meetings with Chairman Mao Zedong in Beijing in 1954, Mao asked if Tibet had a flag. When His Holiness cautiously answered yes, Mao responded: "GOOD, "You must wave it next to the national flag.".
That's why today, despite Beijing hardliners' claim that the Tibetan flag is a symbol of "separatists", the Dalai Lama feels he has Mao Zedong's personal permission to carry it and wave it.
