I believe deeply that we must find, all of us together, a new spirituality.

We believe in self creation. That's why Buddhists believe in the Four Noble Truths.

Chairman Mao once said that political power comes from the barrel of a gun. He was only partly right: power that comes from the barrel of a gun can be effective only for a short time. In the end, peoples love for truth, justice, freedom, and democracy will triumph. No matter what governments do, the human spirit will always prevail.

To foster inner awareness, introspection, and reasoning is more efficient than meditation and prayer.

Looking at various means of developing compassion, I think empathy is an important factor: the ability to appreciate others' suffering.

Up to now my involvement in the Tibetan freedom struggle has been part of my spiritual practice, because the issues of the survival of the Buddha Teaching and the freedom of Tibet are very much related. In this particular struggle, there is no problem with many monks and nuns, including myself, joining.

Try to improve. Don't expect too much, but don't feel discouraged either; keep up your enthusiasm; you will make progress.