Quotes

I told President Obama the leaders of the Chinese Communist Party are missing a part of the brain - the part that contains common sense.

Censorship is an unrealistic method that actually develops distrust and suspicion. The Chinese judicial system must be lifted up to the international standard of judiciary systems. Then these one billion people can have some kind of protection.

[on his impression of China's President Xi Jinping, 2014] He is courageously tackling corruption, quite effectively. Fearlessly. But real development must take place in rural areas. It is not a solution to build new, big cities.

[on the influence of Facebook and Twitter] It depends on how you use them. If the person, himself or herself, has a certain inner strength, a certain confidence, there is no problem. But if an individual's mind is weak, then there is more confusion. You can't blame technology. It depends on the use of technology.

Getting older is its own beauty: more experience to share with other people. If you age but then still feel bitter because you are not able to do lots of things you could when you were young, that is silly, unrealistic.

Europe belongs to the Europeans. Refugees should return to their native Countries and rebuild them.

Buddha himself told us "Do not believe my teaching on faith, but rather through thorough investigation and experiment". So if some teaching goes against reason, we should not accept it.

[on alcohol and drugs] The ability to judge reality is something very unique. Our brain is something very special. So if that is damaged, that's awful. So alcohol and drugs are very bad.

[on homosexuality] Sexual organs were created for reproduction between the male element and the female element - and everything that deviates from that is not acceptable from a Buddhist point of view.