In local visit, Dalai Lama takes firm stance on China

The 73-year-old Dalai Lama alternated between stern finger-pointing and boyish laughter as he fielded questions from the news media at the Charles Hotel. At first, he appeared fatigued, but he became increasingly animated over the course of the 40-minute news conference, and as he rose to leave, he abruptly turned back to offer a lengthy explication of the meanings of home and of hope in answer to a reporter's shouted question about whether he ever expected to set foot in Tibet again.

Perhaps the most pointed moment of his remarks came when the Dalai Lama, seated in front of images of doodles and notes drawn by President John F. Kennedy, appeared to compare the United States to China, citing the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq alongside his criticism of China's repression of Tibetan demonstrators last year.

"I love Mr. Bush . . . as a human being - very straightforward, very nice person," the Dalai Lama said, referring to former President George W. Bush. "Some politicians, some leaders, that I met were a little bit distant. He is not like that, he become very close friend. So I love him."

But, he added, in somewhat halting English, "as far as his policies are concerned, sometimes I think different. . . . President Bush, I think out of sincere motivation, bring democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan, sincere motivation, but the method: use more force, so counterproductive.

"So, exactly, the Chinese case also. For temporary, short method, sometimes they use these violent methods. How can violent method solve problems? Never. Never."

Discussing the current American stance toward the Tibetan cause, the Dalai Lama said he perceives "more or less the same policy" by the Obama administration as that of Bush. He praised President Obama as "straightforward" and for trying to reach out to nations with whom the United States has had tense relations. He said he did not agree with critics who have charged that the Obama administration has soft-pedaled human rights concerns.

But the Dalai Lama, who in 1989 received the Nobel Peace Prize for his insistence on nonviolence in the struggle by Tibetans for greater freedom, also acknowledged that he is not meeting with Obama during his current trip to the United States, and said he is not certain that his request for a meeting with the president in October will be granted.

"The People's Republic of China is the most populous nation, and economically now is very important, therefore China must be in the world community . . . good relations is very essential," he said in discussing why the United States should press China on human rights. "Meantime, principles such as human rights and religious freedom and Democracy and freedom of speech and freedom of press - these are matters of principle, so while you are engaging the economy . . . you should be firm."

The Dalai Lama, who is the spiritual and political leader of Tibetan Buddhism and has led a government in exile in India for 50 years, offered warm remarks about Harvard University, which he first visited in 1979, and will visit again today with a speech at The Memorial Church and a tree-planting ceremony in Harvard Yard. He has cultivated a relationship with Harvard because of a perception that many the nation's future leaders study there.

During this visit to Boston - the Dalai Lama's sixth trip to the region - he will also dedicate a new ethics center, named after him, at MIT; will discuss the relationship between meditation and psychotherapy at a Harvard Medical School-sponsored panel discussion; and will host two large public events, including an introductory course in Buddhism, that are expected to be attended by as many as 13,000 people on Saturday at Gillette Stadium.

"I doubt there is a single Tibetan in Boston who won't be there - this is a huge deal for Tibetans to see His Holiness," said Dhondup Phunkhang, a spokesman for the local Tibetan community, which numbers about 600. "Tibetans in Tibet risk their lives to see him, so of course we who live in a free country should go."

At yesterday's news conference, the Dalai Lama, asked whether, after 50 years with no success in his quest to win greater autonomy for Tibet, there is any reason for hope for the Tibetan cause, acknowledged that, "if we look at issues locally, then, it is almost hopeless." However, he said, "if you look from a wider perspective, there is real hope."

He offered several reasons for hope, including "Tibetan spirit," which, he said, "remains very strong" despite the passing of the generation that remembers the Tibetan uprising of 1959. He also cited "big change" in China, calling China's ruling party "a Communist party without Communist ideology" and labeling it as "capitalist-authoritarian-communist, something like that."

He then offered a quick review of six decades of post-revolutionary Chinese history, suggesting that the priorities of the Chinese government have changed over time, and that "this shows the Communist leadership have ability to act according to new reality."

"Their ambition is to become superpower," he said. "It is right. It is deserved. [But] what is lacking is moral authority. So in order to carry more effective rule on this planet, China needs to get the world's trust, respect. Without that, it's difficult."

The Dalai Lama said several times that his quarrel is with the Chinese government, not the Chinese people.

"We are not anti-Chinese," he said. And he said he was pleased that several hundred Chinese writers penned articles critical of China after last year's arrests of Tibetan protesters.

"These are positive signs," he said. "I feel more optimistic. "

As for whether he will ever see Tibet again, the Dalai Lama said, "Oh, yes."

Michael Paulson can be reached at mpaulson@globe.com.