Surajkund, India: Speaking at the sixth International Conference of Tibet Support Groups on November 5, His Holiness the Dalai Lama advised China that Tibetans' language and cultural heritage is as important to their lives as material comfort.
Addressing an audience in Surajkund, near New Delhi, India, His Holiness asked "those narrow-minded Chinese brothers and sisters" to consider the Tibet issue in a more holistic way, saying that human rights violations are symptom of "negative attitude towards Tibetan cultural heritage, including language".
"I think Tibetan Buddhism is the most complete, richest of Buddhist traditions that exist in Tibetan language," he said, adding that Western scholars consider translations of Tibetan-language texts to provide the most reliable information on Mahayana Buddhism.
His Holiness recounted a meeting with a Tibetan medic who had a good salary, good accommodation and whose children were receiving a good education. Despite these material advantages, the medic had an overwhelming sense of unhappiness.
"When he mentioned that, tear comes," His Holiness said, "so those Chinese leaders should know, just provide some house or better facility is not solution, not answer, in solving this sort of problem. Show respect to Tibetan culture."
