In this video welcome to dalailamamatters.com, Robert Thurman introduces Why the Dalai Lama Matters and offers a positive vision.

Hi! I’m so happy you came to my website. Thank you for coming here. The fact your here means you are interested in Tibet, in the Dalai Lama and you’re interested in the future of the world. And you’re taking a peek into what is a positive view.

One of the problems — the biggest one we face maybe — in the environment, the political situation, is the issue of being afraid and being desperate. But you came here, because even subconsciously if you don’t know if already, the Dalai Lama is someone who is happy and feels we can manage this.

Positive vision, the Dalai Lama says we can make peace, make dialogue. Here, have no fear. The Dalai Lama is not afraid, he has been subjected to genocide of his people have for 50 years but he is not afraid. He doesn’t blame the people; they are part of a confused ideology, a mistaken machinery and therefore running over some people. You don’t think you’re committing genocide when you run over a pile of ants with your car. You didn’t see they were there.

He sees it in a positive light. He offers a positive approach to the Chinese leaders, and he matters because if peace can be made in a nonviolent attempt to make Tibet a zone of peace, a nonviolent liberation struggle, that means all the violent ones can be made peaceful. They can start struggling non-violently and come up with solutions. Because we are clever; we can make solutions if we don’t kill the other person who has to help us with the solution. That’s what we’re talking about here, in Why the Dalai Lama matters.

We’re talking about it in the context of the Tibetan movement itself and overcome the idea it would be easy for China, in their interest, to help Tibet be free. Of course it’s in Tibet’s interest. Also, it’s in our interest as Americans to let it be free, to have China be more happy by not being colonial, not harming other people and therefore not oppressing people.

All of these things fit together, that’s what we talk about in the book, a positive vision. Which is the true secret for you to be happy and have a positive vision about America, the environment and your own life, your own livelihood, your profession. Is that we get the idea of we can and we don’t succumb to fear and terror.

Roosevelt said, what should have been said at 9-11, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” That’s what the Dalai Lama says. Fear leads to anger and hatred and then the other people have to be afraid of that, and it’s an infinite cycle. Jesus said that. Hatred will not overcome hatred. Don’t hate your enemy. Love your enemy. Buddha said hatred will not overcome hatred.

Only love will overcome hatred. Only tolerance will overcome hatred. Only patience will overcome hatred. That’s what your encountering here and in this book and my website. It’s a Yes We Can to China and a Yes We Can to Tibet, Yes we can to India. To Afghanistan. to everyone. To you. Thanks for coming.