Rediff On The NeT: Dalai Lama says 'mistake' if Karmapa can't stay: AFP

The Dalai Lama has warned India it would be making a "terrible mistake" if it did not allow a teenaged high lama who fled Tibet to remain in the country.

The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader's warning regarding the 14-year-old Karmapa Lama was contained in a letter dated January 18 and released to the media on Friday.

"It will be a terrible mistake, both for India's image as well as in substance, if the Karmapa is not allowed to stay on in India," the Dalai Lama wrote to former Lok Sabha speaker Rabi Ray, who lives in Bubaneshwar, capital of the eastern state of Orissa.

The Karmapa, who heads one of the four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism, arrived in the northern Indian hill town of Dharamsala on January 5, after a dramatic trek out of Tibet across the Himalayas.

In his letter, which Ray chose to make public, the Dalai Lama said he understood the "cautious stand" of the Indian government, which has so far sidestepped the issue of whether to grant the Karmapa political asylum.

New Delhi is caught between its tradition of support for Tibetan exiles and a desire to improve relations with Beijing, which recognises the Karmapa and was deeply embarrassed by his escape. India is home to some 100,000 Tibetans.

India's Minister of State for External Affairs Ajit Panja said this month that New Delhi was confident of settling the issue amicably with China.

The Dalai Lama said he was convinced the Karmapa had escaped to India because it was not possible for him to pursue his religious education and practices in Tibet.

"We have clear evidence that contrary to superficial appearances there is much restriction and suppression of religious freedom in Tibet," he said.

The Dalai Lama admitted an internal rift within the Karmapa's Kagyu sect had "complicated" the situation. One faction of the Kagyu lineage recognises another boy as the "true" Karmapa, and is bitterly opposed to the new arrival -- recognised by Beijing and the Dalai Lama -- being enthroned at the sect's headquarters at the Rumtek monastery in northern Sikkim state.

"Despite this, I believe if the young Karmapa can remain above these factions and concentrate on his studies, he will definitely be able to make a considerable contribution not only to his own traditional lineage but also to Tibetan Buddhism in general," the Dalai Lama said.

©AFP 2000 All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed. All reproduction or redistribution is expressly forbidden without the prior written agreement of AFP.


	HOME \| NEWS \| AFP \| REPORT