Dalai Lama

'Dalai Lama instigating self-immolation bids'

Lhasa: Tibetans are committing self-immolations at the instigation of Dalai Lama, a top Tibetan official has alleged. "Since March 2012, there have been some cases of self immolation of monks at the instigation of the Dalai Lama," Tonga, Director general of Ethnic, Religious, Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs Committee of the People's Congress of Tibet Autonomous Region, told a group of visiting foreign journalists.

He, however, said that all these incidents have taken place outside Tibet. "No local residents in Tibet Autonomous Region have self-immolated so far. These incidents have taken place in neighbouring Tibetan-inhabited regions," he said.

"We have utmost respect for the lives of people. This instigation is bad. The immolation cases only happened quite recently. These are planned and instigated," he said. According to Tonga, some of these immolation bids are planned by anti-social elements, some are led by people who have isolated life and do not understand matters of the world and society.

"Some are done by underprivileged people. I have gone through these cases and these are mainly because there is a conspiracy going on," he claimed. Over 100 Tibetans have committed self-immolations, according to the overseas Tibetan groups....more    

Refrain from statements denigrating Dalai Lama: US to China

Washington: Asking China to refrain from making statements that denigrate the Dalai Lama and Tibet's unique cultural, linguistic and religious traditions, the United States has said the Tibetans be permitted to express their grievances freely. "We have asked the Chinese Government to refrain from statements that denigrate the Dalai Lama and Tibet's unique cultural, linguistic, and religious traditions," the State Department spokesman, Patrick Ventrell, told reporters at his daily news...  

Corruption India's biggest problem, says Dalai Lama

The Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama on Monday said that corruption is India's biggest problem and it is making the country weak. "Leaders like Mahatma Gandhi sacrificed their lives for country's independence but today politicians are misusing their powers. Common people are facing corruption in there daily life," the Tibetan leader said. ...  

Pope's decision to resign must be realistic: Dalai Lama

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Thursday expressed hope that Pope Benedict XVI will continue to be available for the benefit of the people despite his resignation. ...  

Footnotes from Jaipur Literature Fest

In 2012, going by the press coverage, the Jaipur Literature Festival had one guest who couldn't show up thanks to threats from fundamentalist Muslim groups, Salman Rushdie, and another guest, Oprah Winfrey, who did get there. This despite the very tangible presence of luminaries such as Michael Ondaatje, Richard Dawkins, Tom Stoppard, Lionel Shriver, Ben Okri, David Remnick, and a galaxy of others. ...  

Himachal tells centre to bear cost of Dalai Lama security

Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday again raised the issue of expenditure the state is incurring on the security of Tibetan spiritual leaders, the Dalai Lama and the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje and asked the central government to bear the expense. ...  

Dalai Lama's visit to Kumbh cancelled due to security reasons

The proposed visit of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama to the Maha Kumbh congregation in Allahabad has been cancelled due to security reasons, a senior Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader said on Sunday. ...  

China makes arrests as self-immolation by Tibetans continue

Chinese authorities are responding to an intensified wave of Tibetan self-immolation protests against Chinese rule by clamping down even harder - criminalizing the suicides, arresting protesters' friends and even confiscating thousands of satellite TV dishes. The harsh measures provide an early indication that the country's new leadership is not easing up on Tibet despite the burning protests and international condemnation. ...  

'Tibetans inciting self-immolation to be charged with homicide'

Beijing: As the self-immolations in Tibet continued unabated, China has brought a new law under which anyone caught helping someone self-immolate would be held liable for "intentional homicide", a regulation officials hope will bring down such cases. According to a regulation recently drafted by the Ministry of Public Security and the judicial bodies, people who plan, organise, incite or help others perform self-immolations will be tried for intentional homicide, state-run...  

Better to wait and watch new Chinese leadership: Dalai Lama

Bangalore: Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama on Tuesday said it would be better to wait and watch as to how the new team in Beijing following the change of leadership of Chinese Communist Party would address the struggle of the Tibetans for liberation of their homeland. "At this moment, it is too early to say definite... but system is such that one or two individuals cannot do much, so better...  

'India is a model to the world for religious harmony'

Kochi: Tibetan spiritual leader, Dalai Lama, on Sunday said India, where different religious traditions "live harmoniously", is a model to other parts of world, and should continue to keep this tradition. "India is a model. Different religious traditions live peacefully and harmoniously. Please keep this tradition," Dalai Lama said at the valedictory of the year-long celebration of the 1,960 year-old Malankara Orthodox Syrian church in Kochi. Describing India as 'Arya...  

Kerala: Dalai Lama to inaugurate Sivagiri pilgrimage

Kochi: Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama will inaugurate the Sivagiri Mutt's 80th annual pilgrimage at Varkala on November 24 and attend a host of functions during his two day visit to Kerala. The Nobel laureate will be chief guest in the Catholicate Centenary celebrations and the anniversary function of the Orthodox church here on Nov 25, a press release said. The spiritual leader will give a private audience at a...  

Acts of self-immolation are in principle non-violent: Dalai

Dharamsala: Tibetans committing self-immolations were in principle practising non-violence as they had the courage to sacrifice their own life for a cause they believe, Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama said on Sunday. "I consider these Tibetans burning - certainly these people have courage and determination to sacrifice their own life, so they can easily harm other people - but I think these people, although they practised a little bit of...  

China blasts 'hypocrisy' of Dalai Lama

Beijing: China has criticized the Dalai Lama's "separatist activities" in Japan and alleged collusion with Japanese right-wing forces in a new attack on the Tibetan spiritual leader. "Dalai's poor performance again revealed his reactionary nature of betraying his motherland and splitting China apart under the disguise of religion," foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Monday. According to Xinhua, Hong was responding to reports of the Dalai Lama using "Senkaku", the...  

Dalai Lama to visit Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama will visit Kerala on November 24 in connection with the 80th annual pilgrimage season of Sivagiri Mutt at Varkala near Kollam. Hundreds of spiritual leaders from different Mutts would participate, Sree Narayana Dharma Sanghom Trust general secretary Swami Rithabharananda told a press meet here on Monday. Besides Dalai Lama, Philipose Mar Chrysostom Mar Thoma Metropolitan, Dharma Sanghom Trust president Swami Prakashananda and Kerala Assembly...  

China blames Dalai Lama for self-immolations in Tibet

Beijing: China on Wednesday blamed the Dalai Lama for the spate of self-immolations taking place in Tibet against Chinese rule, saying they were "instigated" by the exiled spiritual leader's clique. "To our knowledge most of the self-immolation cases are closely instigated by Dalai group", Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hong Lei said, while replying to questions on over 50 self-immolations, many of them by monks and nuns, in the recent months...  

Watch: Rare visuals of Dalai Lama's escape in 1959 from Tibet to Tawang

Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh was the battle ground, which saw the 1962 Sino-Indian conflict. But exactly three years before that in 1959, it was in Tawang itself that the Dalai Lama had arrived after his escape from Tibet. Here is a look at the rare film footage of that escape. After a 15 day trek, on 30th March in 1959, 24-year-old Dalai Lama crossed over to Tawang in the Northeast ...

Dialogue only way to resolve any issue: Dalai Lama

Srinagar: Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, who is on a private visit to Kashmir, on Saturday said dialogue is the only way to resolve any issue as violence is in no one's interest. "Kashmiri people should live peacefully and if there is any problem, dialogue is the only way (to resolve issues). Violence is in nobody's interest...peaceful way is essential," the Dalai Lama told reporters after visiting the Tibetan...  

Censorship in China morally wrong: Dalai Lama

Dharamshala: Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has criticised the Chinese government's censorship policy as morally wrong and said 1.3 billion people of China have a right to know the reality. "Totalitarian regimes like China's have for several decades depended far too much on cruelty, so fear and distrust are part of their atmosphere. This is why they try to conceal reality," the Nobel Peace laureate said. "The 1.3 billion...