The voyage to France of Tenzin Gyatso, better known as His Holiness the Dalai Lama, has drawn plenty of comment, good and bad. Loved or loathed, at 73, the Nobel Peace Prize winner likes to present himself as a simple Buddhist monk. But he has become a global celebrity. Before heading back to India, his home in exile for 50 years, the Dalai Lama spoke to euronews, and explained some of his views on life.

Below is the english translation of an interview/article with Ai-WeiWei - the man who designed the Bird's Nest.

 Ai-WeiWei, What is your view on the recent unrests in Tibet and the
reaction of the western world during the past few weeks?

As an observer, I believe the information presented both in the West
and in China have to a certain degree revealed incorrect information.
There were no in-depth coverage on the cause. Aside from accusing
each other, both sides did not have actual communication on these
riots. Regrettably, looking back into our history, an obvious
distinct character is the lack of public discussion. We live in a
society where ideology is severely controlled, especially when it
comes to the issues of the ethnic minorities. The problem cannot be
solved if the majority of the Han people look upon the minorities as
the slaves whom are freed by us. The actual situation is much more
complex. They have their own religion, their own cultural heritage
and their own way of thinking. The Tibetan are now simplistically
being blamed and scolded for infringing the law. I do not think this
can solve the problem, because this will only deepen the hatred
amongst the Han people and the ethnic minorities, thus further deepen
their gap.

The plight of the Tibetan people, whose cultural and religious heritage has been steadily undermined since their country was invaded by the Chinese government in 1950, has become a cause celebre for the likes of Richard Gere, Mia Farrow and K.D. Lang. At the center of that effort has been Robert Thurman, an influential and prolific American Buddhist scholar and activist who is a long-time friend of the Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader in exile.

Thurman, 66, the Je Tsong Khapa professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University, has devoted his life to the study and preservation of Tibet's unique cultural heritage. He is the author of several books on Tibetan Buddhism and the co-founder, along with Gere, of New York's Tibet House. Thurman was chosen as one of Time magazine's 25 most influential Americans in 1997.

At a time when the world has been particularly focused on Tibet since the territory erupted in mass protests this spring, Thurman has come out with a new book, "Why the Dalai Lama Matters," to present his view on how the conflict can be resolved. In the book, he argues that establishing Tibetan cultural and religious autonomy — while keeping Tibet as a part of China — is a benefit to Tibet, China and the world at large. I caught up with Thurman last week while he was visiting the Bay Area on a book tour.