Seeking Tibetan Freedom is Pro-Chinese Activity - Samdhong Rinpoche

Question: Asking for freedom for Tibet is considered by the Chinese as an anti-China activity.

Samdhong Rinpoche: Asking for freedom is not an anti-China act. It’s pro-China activity. We are trying to have more freedom for the Chinese people. We are trying to have more respect for human rights and we want them to have more respect for different cultures. How does it become anti-China activity? We are not seeking separation. We are not seeking independence. We are only seeking freedom. And, freedom is a birthright of every human being.

From an interview with Samdhong Rinpoche by Sheela Bhatt.

Photo courtesy of Barry Beckett.

From an Interview with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, 2007

Question: Your Holiness, what would you say to the Western “Buddhists” for whom the Tibetan political issue is completely distant from the religion, which they have so enthusiastically adopted?

H.H. the Dalai Lama: (lively and with determination) – Oh, that is wrong! Tibetan freedom is very much linked with the Tibetan Buddhism. Without Tibetan freedom, the Tibetan Buddhism cannot survive.

From an interview with a Polish newspaper, Dharamsala, April 4, 2007