Dalai Lama 'optimistic' after 'century of violence'

Sunday, August 21, 2011

AFP

HELSINKI — Tibet's exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama said on Saturday he was "optimistic" about the course of humanity after a "century of violence".

Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama waves to supporters during his visit in Helsinki, Finland, on 19 August 2011.(AFP/Lehtikuva/Roni Rekomaa/Finland)

"I'm optimistic humanity becomes more mature," the 76-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate said while speaking at a conference on Tibetan culture in Espoo, in western Finland.

"Last century, we had lots of inventions, lots of developments. In the meantime, we had the biggest number of people killed of violence," the Dalai Lama said.

So much so, that the 20th century became "a century of violence", the spiritual leader said.

But "everywhere in the world, people got disgusted", he said noting that this was best demonstrated by the anti-nuclear weapons movement.

"Last century, nobody talked of ecology until the later part. In the early part (of 20th century), people thought simply of material development," the Dalai Lama said.

Current problems, such as terrorism, "come from the past", he added.

To avoid these traumas, the Dalai Lama said efforts must be made towards educating the young.

The leader, whom Buddhists believe to be the reincarnation of a past lama, also said the world needed population control.

"The best birth control is more monks," he said before breaking into laughter.