Dalai Lama: “Democracy, but gradually”

The Dalai Lama met the press in Zürich, Switzerland, on Friday, the first day of the Mind and Life XX Conference – Altruism and Compassion in Economic Systems. The conference is scheduled to explore economic systems that reward fairness and co-operation and addresses the most urgent societal and environmental issues.

A journalist asked if the Dalai Lama wanted to teach managers meditating methods. The cheerful answer (translation from the Neue Zürcher Zeitung‘s (NZZ) report in German: “My knowledge about the economy is zero. The experts’ explanations are much more fruitful than mine. In this field, my words are only bla-bla-bla.”

Switzerland accepted the first Tibetan refugees fifty years ago, writes the NZZ. It was his duty to thank the Swiss people, the Swiss government, and the Swiss Red Cross for the help they had provided in a difficult situation, it quotes the Dalai Lama. .

Asked about China, the Dalai Lama advocated a gradual introduction of democracy. Trying it in one go had led to great chaos in the Soviet Union – but more transparency and a free flow of information between the different population group was essential. Censorship led to a lack of mutual understanding between the different nationalities.

So far, China had become a global power in economic and military terms, but was lacking moral authority and respect. Lifting censorship would be a step to create more trust.

Reacting to the death of Poland’s first couple and many other Polish officials and passengers in a plane crash on Saturday, spokesperson Thubten Samphel expressed the Tibetan government-in-exile’s sympathy with the families of the victims and the people of Poland today, talking to newagency IANS.