Dalai Lama apologises for ‘self-centred’ Nehru remark

[DharmaSpace]

Bengaluru: Within 48 hours of branding India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru as "self-centred," Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama apologized, saying that "my statement has created a controversy, I apologise if I have said something wrong." Speaking at a function in the IT capital to commemorate 60 years of the Tibetan government in exile, the Dalai Lama who said he had known Mr. Nehru personally, attempted to walk back from the outcry in the Congress against his criticism of India's first prime minister by lavishing praise on Mr. Nehru's move to help find a home for the thousands of Tibetan refugees who flooded into India.

The 83-year-old monk said Pandit Nehru fully backed the creation of Tibetan settlements across the country. He told the audience at a function organised by Central Tibetan Administration Bengaluru here on Friday that it was Nehru's idea to set up a separate Tibetan school as part of the settlement to help preserve Tibetan arts and culture.

 

"Immediately, he set up a committee headed by the union education minister...at that time, we wrote to different states for the allocation of some land," the Dalai said at an event called 'Thank You Karnataka.' "The best response came from the Mysore state,” he said.  “One major factor was late Nijalingappa, who extraordinarily showed concern for the Tibetan cause. He promised me he will support the Tibetan cause," the Dalai Lama added.

Then Karnataka chief minister S Nijalingappa allocated land at four different locations which resulted in five Tibetan settlements being set up in the southern state.  On Wednesday, responding to a question posed by a student at an interaction held at the Goa Institute of Management in North Goa's Sanquelim village, the Dalai Lama had said Nehru had a "self-centred attitude" to become India's first prime minister even though Mahatma Gandhi was in favour of Muhammad Ali Jinnah taking the top post at that time.   

“I felt pity when I heard that Mahatma Gandhi was opposed to Partition... There are more Muslims in India than in Pakistan, but past is past,” the Dalai Lama said.  He then claimed India's partition would not have happened if Mahatma Gandhi's wish of Jinnah becoming the prime minister had materialised. "Mahatma Gandhi wanted to give the prime ministership to (Mohammad Ali) Jinnah. But Nehru refused. He was self-centred. He said, “I wanted to be Prime Minister'. India and Pakistan would have been united (had Jinnah been made Prime Minister at the time). Pandit Nehru is very experienced. But mistakes do happen,” the Dalai Lama said.

The Tibetan spiritual leader had spelt out the Nehru analogy in response to a question from a student who sought to know from the Tibetan leader, about how one could be sure-footed about one's decisions and how to avoid committing mistakes in life. The Congress took umbrage at his statement with Congress leader  Manish Tewari rebutting the Dalai Lama's claims to say, “With great respect, his Holiness Dalai Lama is wrong that Nehru was self-centred and therefore, opposed Gandhi's suggestion of making Jinnah, Prime Minister of India. The historical record suggests otherwise. May be it would be worth his while to peruse this link."

Ruing that India has lost the 'Nalanda tradition', Tibetan spiritual leader expressed his commitment to revive ancient knowledge of Indian.  The Tibetan spiritual leader emphasised that modern India needed this ancient knowledge and hence, it should be revived.  The Dalai Lama said in the 7th century a Tibetan emperor introduced the Nalanda tradition of Buddhism based on reason and logical conclusion and had the Sanskrit texts translated into Tibetan language in 300 volumes. He rued that India has lost the Nalanda tradition. "My commitment is to revive the ancient Indian knowledge in modern India. We have already started some steps, some progress." Nalanda was the biggest monastery and Buddhist learning centre which was destroyed by medieval-era invaders.

https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/110818/dalai-lamas-repentance-nehru-was-tibets-saviour.html

The Dalai Lama is spiritually and politically astute, such mistakes could be expected of junior or new politicians.
So what is really going on with the Dalai Lama. Seems like he make mistakes then he apologizes after that. 

[Pema8]

Very true! The Dalai Lama had to handle so many communicational mistakes! He should be wise enough to avoid such diplomatic disasters for the Tibetan Community in exile but it happens again and again.

I wonder if the Dalai Lama will be more careful in the future?

[SabS]

"my statement has created a controversy, I apologise if I have said something wrong."

To me, this statement doesn't reflect an apology. "If I have said something wrong." just is not an admission to saying he is wrong. So the Dalai Lama is politically savvy in side stepping to appease while remaining on the stance that he is right.

I think he is committing all these gaffes/blunders just so he can reduce the importance of him or his role in the people's eyes, especially China. When he is no longer viewed as important, then all the more likely China will consider in allowing him to return to Tibet. I mean, the Dalai Lama is Chenrezig so how is it possible he makes mistakes without intention?

[Alex]

His Holiness the Dalai Lama is just too good at this political game. Only His Holiness can get away with making such a negative comment on such a sensitive issue. This is how good the Dalai Lama. This is what you expect from someone that has 13 lifetimes of political experience.     

His Holiness definitely making these mistakes deliberately. He is enlightened, he is Chenrezig. For his whole life being a politician, he rarely slips. These times, the comment that he slipped on is very big and sensitive in nature. It was as if His Holiness is trying to make India and everyone angry at him.

[PrajNa]

His Holiness the Dalai Lama is just too good at this political game. Only His Holiness can get away with making such a negative comment on such a sensitive issue. This is how good the Dalai Lama. This is what you expect from someone that has 13 lifetimes of political experience.     

His Holiness definitely making these mistakes deliberately. He is enlightened, he is Chenrezig. For his whole life being a politician, he rarely slips. These times, the comment that he slipped on is very big and sensitive in nature. It was as if His Holiness is trying to make India and everyone angry at him.

His Holiness can get away with making such a negative comment because the Indian government respects him as a Guru, a holy man. Not everyone is so respectful, many Indians are not happy and protested on social media about the Dalai Lama's comment. Many Indians are already not happy with how ungrateful the Tibetans are. See their comments and frustration here: http://www.dorjeshugden.com/all-articles/indians-express-the-truth-about-the-dalai-lama-and-the-tibetans/

[Pema8]

It is true that the Dalai Lama is much respected and has done a lot for the Tibetan community and many others. But recently it seems that he acts a bit out of what we would expect from such a wise man.

I guess we need to wait what happens next as the Dalai Lama wishes to go back to Tibet and I wonder if he leaves the CTA behind in India???

[Tracy]

The Dalai Lama keep making offensive statements again and again. This time it is a statement made to his host country, India. What is more upsetting is, he made this comment to his good friend Prime Minister Nehru. Did he forget how Nehru welcomed him to India?

If it was not because of Nehru, the Dalai Lama and the Tibetans would not have a place to go and they would be homeless. Who in the Himalayan region had the capacity to accommodate the Tibetans? When the Tibetans came to India, Nehru was very kind to give them the lands to rebuild their home and had never asked them to integrate.

After 60 years of receiving kindness from the Indian government, the Dalai Lama is now saying Nehru was a self-centered person? That is very ungrateful. Why can't the Dalai Lama and the Tibetans do something real to repay the kindness of the Indians? The Tibetans should stop condemning China and help India to establish a better relationship with China, this is more practical.

[Rowntree]

Very true! The Dalai Lama had to handle so many communicational mistakes! He should be wise enough to avoid such diplomatic disasters for the Tibetan Community in exile but it happens again and again.

I wonder if the Dalai Lama will be more careful in the future?

This is not a question of being more careful or not. It is about the Dalai Lama and his strategy. It is just illogical for the Dalai Lama to slip. Everything the Dalai Lama do and say is carefully thought out and crafted for the scenarios he has on his mind. Otherwise, how would you explain he suddenly condemn Nehru at this juncture, not earlier or later? The Dalai Lama is up to something. We'll see if it is part of the plan for him to return to China soon.

[Alex]

His Holiness the Dalai Lama has over 13 lifetimes of experience in politics. It is impossible for him to make a mistake like this. Buddhist revered His Holiness the Dalai Lama as the Buddha of compassion, Chenrezig. This means that he is an enlightened being. Enlightened Beings have perfect wisdom and compassion and certainly will not make mistakes.

Everything His Holiness the Dalai Lama does is deliberate and there will be a bigger cause behind it. But no matter what he did, we can rest assured that his motivation is to benefit. Even though sometimes we will not be able to understand the reason behind his actions that may seem to be negative at first, we have to have faith in His Holiness because we do not have the wisdom to understand the full picture.

Enlighten beings work in mysterious ways sometimes due to their ability to see into the future. They always work for the long-term and ultimate benefit for all sentient beings and not short-lived happiness that we all pursue in our daily lives. The reason why he chose to criticise Nehru may be related to all the other mistakes that he made recently. His Holiness is certainly planning on a bigger move which could be returning to Tibet which was mentioned by himself on several occasions.

[SabS]

Very true! The Dalai Lama had to handle so many communicational mistakes! He should be wise enough to avoid such diplomatic disasters for the Tibetan Community in exile but it happens again and again.

I wonder if the Dalai Lama will be more careful in the future?

This is not a question of being more careful or not. It is about the Dalai Lama and his strategy. It is just illogical for the Dalai Lama to slip. Everything the Dalai Lama do and say is carefully thought out and crafted for the scenarios he has on his mind. Otherwise, how would you explain he suddenly condemn Nehru at this juncture, not earlier or later? The Dalai Lama is up to something. We'll see if it is part of the plan for him to return to China soon.

Haha! Wonder if the Dalai Lama is trying to get himself deported from India! Usually the deportee will be transfered back to the last port of departure and Voila! Its Tibet for the Dalai Lama. Oh course, now its under China and somehow I don't see China accepting the Dalai Lama back as a deportee. Maybe India will speak to President Xi in one their meetings? As an exchange of something really ludicrous maybe? Somehow I do feel sorry for the Dalai Lama. Ever since his exile in India, the Dalai Lama had only ever been a 'Pawn', one way or another.

[Drolma]

Could the offensive comments made by the Dalai Lama part of the bigger picture plan? They said the Dalai Lama imposed the ban to protect Gelug lineage and to spread Dorje Shugden practice.  This may sound illogical but if we examine in detail, it actually makes sense.

Which is the most 'famous' protector in the world now? Because of the controversy, Dorje Shugden is very well known. Because of the ban, the Chinese government welcome the Dorje Shugden lamas and they support Dorje Shugden monasteries knowing that they are not connected to the Dalai Lama at all. The Dorje Shugden monasteries and Dorje Shugden Lamas are doing very well in China.

People nowadays like to read about controversial topics, the ban is perfect to attract them to learn about Dorje Shugden. People may not know about the story of other protectors but there is so much information about Dorje Shugden. By learning the origin of the protector, their faith for Dorje Shugden will grow stronger and they will be firm in their belief. They will also start to learn what Buddhism and Dharma is all about.

[Alex]

Very true! The Dalai Lama had to handle so many communicational mistakes! He should be wise enough to avoid such diplomatic disasters for the Tibetan Community in exile but it happens again and again.

I wonder if the Dalai Lama will be more careful in the future?

This is not a question of being more careful or not. It is about the Dalai Lama and his strategy. It is just illogical for the Dalai Lama to slip. Everything the Dalai Lama do and say is carefully thought out and crafted for the scenarios he has on his mind. Otherwise, how would you explain he suddenly condemn Nehru at this juncture, not earlier or later? The Dalai Lama is up to something. We'll see if it is part of the plan for him to return to China soon.

Haha! Wonder if the Dalai Lama is trying to get himself deported from India! Usually the deportee will be transfered back to the last port of departure and Voila! Its Tibet for the Dalai Lama. Oh course, now its under China and somehow I don't see China accepting the Dalai Lama back as a deportee. Maybe India will speak to President Xi in one their meetings? As an exchange of something really ludicrous maybe? Somehow I do feel sorry for the Dalai Lama. Ever since his exile in India, the Dalai Lama had only ever been a 'Pawn', one way or another.

I disagree that His Holiness has been only a pawn ever since he is in exile in India. His Holiness the Dalai Lama is a seasoned politician. Yes, it is true that India may have used him against China but His Holiness may have done it the other way around too. They have been using each other for many years but now that India has no reason to provoke China anymore, the value of the Tibetan card has dropped tremendously.

This is why we can see India starting to put less priority over Tibetan matters and even sent a memo out to its government officers to tell them to avoid Tibetan events and functions. I am sure His Holiness had sensed it and that is why he is desperate to get on China's good side so that he can return to Tibet before India decided to throw them out.

Recognising China's Panchen Lama is one of Dalai Lama's way of getting into China's good books. He also mentioned it a few times on several different occasions where he wants to go for pilgrimage to Wu Tai Shan and then maybe visit Lhasa. It is very clear that His Holiness wants to go back now.

[SabS]

Could the offensive comments made by the Dalai Lama part of the bigger picture plan? They said the Dalai Lama imposed the ban to protect Gelug lineage and to spread Dorje Shugden practice.  This may sound illogical but if we examine in detail, it actually makes sense.

Which is the most 'famous' protector in the world now? Because of the controversy, Dorje Shugden is very well known. Because of the ban, the Chinese government welcome the Dorje Shugden lamas and they support Dorje Shugden monasteries knowing that they are not connected to the Dalai Lama at all. The Dorje Shugden monasteries and Dorje Shugden Lamas are doing very well in China.

People nowadays like to read about controversial topics, the ban is perfect to attract them to learn about Dorje Shugden. People may not know about the story of other protectors but there is so much information about Dorje Shugden. By learning the origin of the protector, their faith for Dorje Shugden will grow stronger and they will be firm in their belief. They will also start to learn what Buddhism and Dharma is all about.

And I would like to add, the people will learn from the true and pure Lamas who never gave up on their Gurus even in such abusive times of the DS ban. They stuck true to their lineage practices and kept spreading the precious Dharma without breaking their vows at all. These are the Lamas to learn from as they carry the blessings from the times of Buddha Sakyamuni. Their courage and bravery to withstand such pressure and abuse from the Tibetan Leaders and followers are much to be admired, valued and gain inspiration from. Thank goodness for these great Lamas.

One request though, can these great Lamas please stand up to help lift the DS ban? Geshe Kelsang Gyatso had been so active until suddenly all activities stopped, H.E. Tsem Tulku Rinpoche stood up to promote and debunk CTA's allegations with logical clarity respectfully and H.E. Zasep Tulku Rinpoche who in his autobiography stated the truth of Dalai Lama's escape from Tibet and the issue of DS ban. If all the other DS Lamas were to unite, it would swiftly bring down such illogical ban on such flimsy allegations that so easily were debunked by Tsem Rinpoche. The Dalai Lama should really lift this ban to help in his wish to return to Tibet as he would be seen as magnanimously compassionate and able to accept the truth instead of stubbornly clinging to the mistake. After all, the Dalai Lama had recognised the 11th Panchen Lama is a real incarnate although chosen by the Chinese government.

[Alex]

Could the offensive comments made by the Dalai Lama part of the bigger picture plan? They said the Dalai Lama imposed the ban to protect Gelug lineage and to spread Dorje Shugden practice.  This may sound illogical but if we examine in detail, it actually makes sense.

Which is the most 'famous' protector in the world now? Because of the controversy, Dorje Shugden is very well known. Because of the ban, the Chinese government welcome the Dorje Shugden lamas and they support Dorje Shugden monasteries knowing that they are not connected to the Dalai Lama at all. The Dorje Shugden monasteries and Dorje Shugden Lamas are doing very well in China.

People nowadays like to read about controversial topics, the ban is perfect to attract them to learn about Dorje Shugden. People may not know about the story of other protectors but there is so much information about Dorje Shugden. By learning the origin of the protector, their faith for Dorje Shugden will grow stronger and they will be firm in their belief. They will also start to learn what Buddhism and Dharma is all about.

And I would like to add, the people will learn from the true and pure Lamas who never gave up on their Gurus even in such abusive times of the DS ban. They stuck true to their lineage practices and kept spreading the precious Dharma without breaking their vows at all. These are the Lamas to learn from as they carry the blessings from the times of Buddha Sakyamuni. Their courage and bravery to withstand such pressure and abuse from the Tibetan Leaders and followers are much to be admired, valued and gain inspiration from. Thank goodness for these great Lamas.

One request though, can these great Lamas please stand up to help lift the DS ban? Geshe Kelsang Gyatso had been so active until suddenly all activities stopped, H.E. Tsem Tulku Rinpoche stood up to promote and debunk CTA's allegations with logical clarity respectfully and H.E. Zasep Tulku Rinpoche who in his autobiography stated the truth of Dalai Lama's escape from Tibet and the issue of DS ban. If all the other DS Lamas were to unite, it would swiftly bring down such illogical ban on such flimsy allegations that so easily were debunked by Tsem Rinpoche. The Dalai Lama should really lift this ban to help in his wish to return to Tibet as he would be seen as magnanimously compassionate and able to accept the truth instead of stubbornly clinging to the mistake. After all, the Dalai Lama had recognised the 11th Panchen Lama is a real incarnate although chosen by the Chinese government.

It is so true. Dorje Shugden ban has been a real test to everyone. From the ban, we can see clearly who is the one with good guru devotion and who is the one will give up their Guru for eight worldly dharmas. Many centres, lamas, and students give up Dorje Shugden practice that is given by their lama to be politically correct. Many give up the practice because eventually, life and practice became really difficult for a Dorje Shugden practitioner when the whole community around you turned against you.

Those who persevere through the ban are those who have very good Guru devotion, loyalty and their spiritual practice is very high. It is not easy to practice Dharma and especially in a world where everyone is against your practice. They are not making it easier but much harder to stay true to our practice and our Guru. Hence, this ban is an extremely good test to see who is the real practitioner here and who is not.

It is not hard to believe that in the DS world, there are many high lamas like Kyabje Trijang Chocktrul Rinpoche and Zasep Rinpoche are still practising Dorje Shugden. However, very few of them are outwardly speaking up for Dorje Shugden practice. There is only one from what I see and what Sabs saying is true. Only Tsem Tulku Rinpoche is fearlessly fighting for Dorje Shugden's lineage and practice. If other lamas joined in and actively and outwardly fight for Dorje Shugden, the ban would have come down much earlier.