PM Julia Gillard Refused to Meet with the Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama Supports Woman 'Dalai Lama'
His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, is in the country today for speaking engagements in Sydney, Adelaide and Darwin but Prime Minister Julia Gillard had refused to meet with him.
ABC was able to schedule an interview with the Dalai Lama. In some part of the interview, host Leigh Sales asked His Holiness what was his interpretation of PM Gillard's refusal to meet with him.
The Dalai Lama said, "OK. No problem. My main concern is meeting with public because my main commitment, main interest is promotion of human value, human affection, compassion and religious harmony. The Prime Minister I think not much in these things. If I have some sort of political agenda and ask Prime Minister, then Prime Minister sort of decline seeing me, then I feel disappointment, but I have nothing to ask her.
The Dalai Lama spoke so calmly yet cheerfully. He was then asked if he had to sometimes fake being happy and calm. He promptly said no and explained that, "As a Buddhist practitioner and also I always telling people you should be honest, truthful. Then, automatically, you're act can carry transparently. If you hear self-centered attitude, then saying compassion, then there is contradiction. You cannot carry transparently so you have to pretend something."
He was then asked if he sometimes have to restrain emotions like anger, sadness, and irritation. He said, "As a human being, anger is part of our mind. Irritation also part of our mind. But you can do - anger come, go. Never keep in your sort of - your inner world, then create a lot of suspicion, a lot of distrust, a lot of negative things, more worry."
Days before the Dalai Lama's 10-day visit to Australia, it was perceived that he was showing strong support for PM Julia Gillard against her political rival Tony Abbott in what Australia dubbed as 'gender war.' Hence, Australia was expecting that PM Gillard will be agreeing to meet the Dalai Lama.
The Dalai Lama said that, "If the circumstances are such that a female Dalai Lama is more useful, then automatically a female Dalai Lama will come. In that respect, biologically, females have more potential. Females have more sensitivity about other' well being. In my own case, my father, very short temper. On a few occasion I also got some beatings. But my mother was so wonderfully compassionate." This was quoted by Australia's AAP news agency.
The coming of the Dalai Lama in Australia coincided with two of the most recent controversies involving Pm Gillard and Opposition's Tony Abbott.
Earlier this week, Pm Gillard's supposedly speech on abortion laws became an opportunity for her to criticize Mr. Abbott's decision to wear a blue tie.
She was quoted saying that "a prime minister - a man with a blue tie who goes on holidays to be replaced by a man in a blue tie; a treasurer who delivers a budget wearing a blue tie, to be supported by a finance minister, another man in a blue tie. Women once again, banished from the centre of Australia's political life."
Days after the controversial comment, a copy of a sexist menu making fun of Pm Gillard's body parts, served in Coalition's fundraising event was being circulated around social media networks.