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His Holiness
the XIV
Dalai Lama
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"The September 11th, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center
and the Pentagon were deeply shocking and very sad.
I regard such terrible destructive actions as acts of hatred, for
violence is the result of destructive emotions.
Events of this kind make clear that if we allow our human intelligence to be
guided and controlled by negative emotions like hatred, the consequences are
disastrous.
"How to respond to such an attack is a very difficult question to answer.
Of course, those who are dealing with the problem may know better,
but I feel that careful consideration is necessary and that it is
appropriate to respond to an act of violence by employing the principles of
non-violence. This is of great importance.
The attacks on the United States were shocking, but retaliation that
involves the use of further violence may not be the best solution in the
long run.
"We must continue to develop a wider perspective, to think rationally and
work to avert future disasters in a non-violent way.
These issues concern the whole of humanity, not just one country.
We should explore the use of non-violence as a long-term measure to
control terrorism of every kind. We need a
well-thought-out, coordinated long-term strategy.
I believe there will always be conflicts and clash of ideas as long as human
beings exist. This is natural.
Therefore, we need an active method or approach to overcome such
contradictions.
"In today's reality the only way of resolving differences is through
dialogue and compromise, through human understanding and humility.
We need to appreciate that genuine peace comes about through mutual
understanding, respect and trust. Problems within
human society should be solved in a humanitarian way, for which nonviolence
provides the proper approach.
"Terrorism cannot be overcome by the use of force because it does not
address the complex underlying problems. In fact
the use of force may not only fail to solve the problems, it may exacerbate
them and frequently leaves destruction and suffering in its wake.
Likewise, acts of terrorism, especially involving violence, only make
matters worse. We must condemn terrorism not only
because it involves violence but also because innocent people fall victims
to senseless acts of terrorism such as what the world witnessed on September
11th.
"Human conflicts do not arise out of the blue.
They occur as a result of causes and conditions, many of which are within
the protagonists' control. This is where
leadership is important. It is the responsibility
of leaders to decide when to act and when to practice restraint.
In the case of a conflict it is important to take necessary
preventative measures before the situation gets out of hand.
Once the causes and conditions that lead to violent clashes have
fully ripened and erupted, it is very difficult to control them and restore
peace. Violence undoubtedly breeds more violence.
If we instinctively retaliate when violence is done to us, what can
we expect other than that our opponent to also feel justified retaliating.
This is how violence escalates.
Preventative measures and restraint must be observed at an earlier stage.
Clearly leaders need to be alert, far-sighted and decisive.
"In today's world expectations of war have changed.
It is no longer realistic to expect that our enemy will be completely
destroyed, or that victory will be total for us.
Or, for that matter, can an enemy be considered absolute.
We have seen many times that today's enemies are often tomorrow's
allies, a clear indication that things are relative and very inter-related
and inter-dependent. Our survival, our success,
our progress, are very much related to others' well being.
Therefore, we as well as our enemies are still very much
interdependent. Whether we regard them as
economic, ideological, or political enemies makes no difference to this.
Their destruction has a destructive effect upon us.
Thus, the very concept of war, which is not only a painful
experience, but also contains the seeds of self-destruction, is no longer
relevant.
"Similarly, as the global economy evolves, every
nation becomes to a greater or lesser extent dependent on every other
nation. The modern economy, like the environment,
knows no boundaries. Even those countries openly
hostile to one another must cooperate in their use of the world's resources.
Often, for example, they will be dependent on the same rivers or
other natural resources. And the more
interdependent our economic relationships, the more interdependent must our
political relationships become.
"What we need today is education among individuals and nations, from small
children up to political leaders to inculcate the idea that violence is
counterproductive, that it is not a realistic way to solve problems, and
that dialogue and understanding are the only realistic ways to resolve our
difficulties.
"The anniversary of the tragic events of September 11, 2001 provides us with
a very good opportunity. There is a worldwide will
to oppose terrorism. We can use this consensus to
implement long-term preventative measures. This
will ultimately be much more effective than taking dramatic and violent
steps based on anger and other destructive emotions.
The temptation to respond with violence is understandable but a more
cautious approach will be more fruitful."
The Dalai Lama
Dharamsala, India
September 1, 2002
Lama Surya Das writes on
September 11
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