This week the Dalai Lama, who is known worldwide for his statements on compassion, might have forgotten his own teachings. In an interview to the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, he said, "Europe, for example Germany, cannot become an Arab country. From a moral point of view, too, I think that the refugees should only be admitted temporarily. Germany is Germany. There are so many that in practice it becomes difficult."
The big problem is not the Dalai Lama saying that refugees should be admitted temporarily, although that statement is problematic as well, but what he said before that, which is not only dangerously close to racism but also ties in the right wing and nationalist view in Germany and Europe at large. Germany alone took in one million refugees last year.
Ironically, the Dalai Lama and his followers are refugees themselves. The current and fourteenth Dalai Lama has been living in India since 1959, after the people of Tibet started protesting against China's claim on their land. Around 1,20,000 Tibetans live in India.
The video above is a news report about the first arrival of the spiritual leader of Buddhism in India. The 23-year-old had then been forced to leave the capital of Tibet, and arrived in Tezpur, Assam.
The Dalai Lama did also have some compassion to spare. "When we look into the face of every single refugee, especially the children and women, we can feel their suffering. The goal should be that they return and help rebuild their countries."Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
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