As soon as I said this, I recalled the tragic situation in Tibet in which the Chinese were virtually assuring the final destruction of traditional Tibetan culture through the policy of population transfer of ethnic Han Chinese into Tibet. I felt very awkward, wondering if my words were causing the Dalai Lama to feel sadness or pain by reminding him of the current crisis. But he gave no indication of this, his demeanor unchanged—alert, attentive, listening.
