Interveiw with Dalai Lama in Thailand (2/19/93)

THAILAND - PART TWO OF DALAL LAMA INTERVIEW AIRED (FEB. 19) PAC RIM 
INTELLIGENCE REPORT - (Suuhichai Yun) We will show you the second 
and final part of the interview with the Dalai Lama who arrived in 
Thailand two days ago to join six other Nobel laureates to pressure 
the Burmese Government to release the opposition leader there, Aung 
San Suu Kyi. The Dalai Lama left yesterday after a short 27-hour 
visit to Thailand. 

(Unidentified person) Your Holiness, do you think besides the Nobel 
laureates' effort, do you think what kinds of roles Burma's 
neighbors should play in helping Aung San Suu Kyi? 

(Dalai Lama) I don't know. That's up to you, the Thai, Thai 
Government, Thai people. You know better. (laughs) 

(Sutthichai Yun) Your Holiness, apart from Burma, what is your main 
concern around the world now? 

(Dalai Lama) Now, in Africa state, in Africa continent, really I 
think, the starvation, and also the problem of AIDS-that also I 
think is very serious. Then, of course, the former Yugoslavia, a 
civil war, really .... They showed many emotions, really, become out 
of control. Then some other .... Then it's the former members of the 
Soviet Union, member countries of the Soviet Union. 

That also is one concern for me. The totalitarian... the communist 
totalitarian system which has collapsed. One way, that's good. That 
is a most welcome thing. At the same time, as a result, the old 
system diminished, or collapsed. The new appropriate, or the sound, 
the new, sound system not yet developed. So there, between there, 
there is so much care for the situation there. So that also really 
is concern about me ... the concern for me. Then initially, as a 
Tibetan, as Dalai Lama, also there is a concern about my own 
country. 

(Unidentified person) One last question... Your Holiness, what is 
the next campaign you are going to launch? 

(Dalai Lama) I don't know. (laughs) At the moment, I don't know. 
(laughs) Generally, as a human being, you know, as a human being, I 
am always concerned about the problem of motivation. As a Buddhist, 
from... , and also, you see, sometimes, I introduced myself as a 
Buddhist psychologist. So, from the Buddhist psychologist, from that 
viewpoint, I consider the motivation is the most important factor. 
So every human action, whether it has become positive or negative, 
must depend on motivation. So therefore, they must take every care 
about the problem of motivation. For that is the Buddhist 
messagekaruna, compassion. It's the basic thing for sincere 
motivation. So with the realization, all (word indistinct) being, if 
not at least all human being, as brothers and sisters, as a member 
of one human family. With that, it's the sense of responsibility, 
the sense of concern for all others. It's the key thing. So the 
promotion of the human compassion and the sense of involvement, 
sense of global responsibility. Now that I feel the entire of our 
future very much depend on this motivation. So here the various 
different spiritual traditions have special responsibility, and 
particularly the various Buddhist, we have our special 
responsibility the Buddhist message, the message of love and 
compassion, and the message of Buddhism (word indistinct). Now these 
two things are very very relevant in modern time. And I think the 
future of humanity, I think, for that, these two Buddhist messages 
can be very important role. 

(Sutthichai Yun) The last question Your Holiness ... 

(Dalai Lama) So, so I'm quite sure, the Thai as the Buddhist 
brothers sisters, you can make great contribution in this respect. 

(Sutthichai Yun) Last question, Your Holiness. What is the future of 
Buddhism compared to human rights and dictatorship? 

(Dalai Lama) Of course, all religions have the potential to help 
humanity, to help world peace. And, meantime, particularly Buddha 
Dharma, since Buddha Dharma, is very much based on investigation, or 
reasons. So therefore, for certain scientific-minded people, the 
Buddhist message is more suitable. So therefore, the Buddha Dharma, 
I think, can be important role for future. And also here, because 
sometimes I feel, I notice, you see, through my own, some kind of 
investigation, that today about (words indistinct) of human beings. 
It seems we can divide three groups. One group, and that's a 
majority. They, in their daily life, hardly know religious faith. 
They may claim Buddhist, or may claim I'm Christian, I'm Muslim, but 
in actual day-by-day social life, I think very little religious 
influence or religious, how say, practice. That's the majority. 
Their main concern is money. Nothing else. Then one group, a small 
group, that I think deliberately against religion. That one extreme, 
what call, usually I call extreme atheist. Because I should..