ダライ・ラマ14世
スペシャルインタビュー
藤田理麻のダラムサラ旅日誌

3月9日
　朝8時半、猊下の邸宅の前へ。すでにグループ謁見に出席する人々の列でごった返している。メディア担当秘書にテキストメールを出して到着を知らせると、すぐに秘書が出てきて手招きをした。空港にあるようなセキュリティチェックブースを通り、ボディチェックを受けたあとは、バッグの中身をすべて細かくチェックされた。リップスティックのキャップまで取り、中を調べるほどの入念さだ。
　謁見の部屋に着くと、僧侶が入ってきて「気を楽にして」と気遣ってくれた。僧侶たちは毎日猊下の身の回りのお世話をしているチームで、猊下のことを誰よりもよく知る側近たちだ。温厚で、肉体的にも屈強な人が多い印象がある。
　猊下が中庭から入ってこられた。秘書が「今朝の個人謁見の一番はリマ・フジタです」と報告すると「ああ、そうか！」という明るい声が廊下越しに聞こえた。カタ（敬意を表す挨拶のときに使う白いスカーフ）を両手に部屋の入り口で猊下をお迎えし、「またお会いできて光栄です」と挨拶すると、猊下はニコニコしながら「おお～！」と私の手をやさしくとってくださった。外で立ちっぱなしで多数のグループ謁見を終えたばかりの猊下はタオルで汗を拭きながら少しお疲れの様子だ。猊下は、さあ、始めましょうというジェスチャーをされた。それから秘書に、秘書は全員すぐに集まるようにと指示を出した。通常、謁見につく秘書は1人だ。このインタビューには、なぜか側近2人に秘書5人、通訳1人が勢ぞろいした。

　質問は一昨日のチェックで4つに絞られていた。猊下の幼少時代、思春期から壮年期、熟年時代、老年時代についてひとつずつ伺う。猊下は2歳でダライ・ラマ13世の転生者として発見され、4歳のとき、家族から離れ、厳格な僧侶たちと「暗く冷たいポタラ宮殿」で暮らし始めた。幼い子どもにとっては自然な失敗をしても、周りの僧侶から容赦なくしっ責されたと自伝には記されている。

理麻「猊下はつらい幼少時代を過ごされましたね。夜はベッドで泣いたりされましたか？ お母さまに『おうちへ帰りたい』とダダをこねたりなさったのでしょうか？」
――この質問に対する猊下のお答えは、予想を覆すものだった。

猊下「私の幼少時代はとても幸せなものでしたよ。母は慈悲深くやさしい女性でした。父は少し気の短い人でしたが、私は愛情あふれる家庭で育ちました。ポタラ宮殿に移る前にしばらく住んだノルブリンガ宮殿では家族も近くに住み、母にもちょくちょく会えました。同い年の子どもの友達はいませんでした。私の仲よしはキッチンで働いていた料理人たちと清掃係の人たちでした。彼らは私に率直に接し対等に扱ってくれました。本気で怒ったし、本気で笑って遊んでくれました」

――猊下の表情が、和らいできた。猊下はいつも切り替えが早い。私は過去の謁見のときにも、猊下が一瞬にして気持ちの切り替えをなさったのを見たことがある。「みな、大人でしたが子どもみたいでしたね。彼らとよく、目あてのものを走って素早く取りあうゲームをして遊びました。花とかの場合は『ダライ・ラマに勝たせてやれ』と容赦してくれるのですが、クッキーのようなお菓子となるとみなが本気で走り出し、私に勝たせてくれませんでした。わっはっは～」

――猊下はよく「かっかっか～」と茶目っ気たっぷりに笑う。舌をぺろっと出して「エッヘッヘ～」とすることもある。それにしても、幼少時代が楽しかったとおっしゃったのは、とても興味深い。つらかったことは忘れてしまい、楽しかったことだけを覚えておられるのだろうか。それとも、絵本にはつらかったことよりも楽しかったことを描いてほしいのだろうか。猊下が楽しそうに思い出話を続けようとすると、秘書のひとりが「次の質問を」と合図をした。このあとも謁見が複数あるため、秘書たちは時間に厳しい。最近は海外訪問をなさらなくなった猊下への謁見の要望は多く、15分もらえればよいほうとも聞いていた。

March 9
At 8:30 AM I arrived at HHDL’s residency where hundreds of people had already lined up for the morning group audiences. I texted the media secretary, and he came out to let me in right away. After walking through the security check-in booth (just like the ones you see at airports) and undergoing a full body check, a security staff meticulously went through my bags. She even opened the lipstick cap to check inside.
When I arrived at the audience room a very tall monk came in and said to me, “Relax” with a sympathetic smile. He was one of the personal attendant-monks who serve HHDL on a daily basis. There is a team of carefully selected monks with a thorough understanding of how to take care of HHDL. I have the impression that they are all physically strong and have gentle personalities.
HHDL came inside after several group audiences in the courtyard, and the media secretary informed HHDL in the hallway, “Your next audience is with Rima Fujita.” “Oh, yes!” I could hear HHDL’s cheerful voice. I greeted him with a kata (a white ceremonial scarf) at the entrance of the room and said, “Your Holiness, I am so happy to see you again!” HHDL took my hand and gave me a glowing smile. He seemed a little tired after the group audiences outside, where he kept standing for a few hours. He wiped his face with a towel, took a deep breath and gave me a cue to start the interview. He then told a secretary to bring all the other secretaries to join. Audiences are usually attended by one secretary. For some reason, the whole team of two attendant-monks, five secretaries and an interpreter were gathered for this interview.
My questions had been narrowed down to four by the media secretary yesterday - one each from HHDL’s childhood, adolescence, middle-age and his later years. At two years old, HHDL was discovered as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama, and at four years old, he was taken away from his family to live with the austere monks at the “dark and cold” Potala Palace. HHDL describes in his auto-biographies that the monks were so strict that they would punish him even if his mistakes were naturally those of a child.

Rima Fujita （RF）: Your Holiness, you had a very difficult childhood. Did you ever cry in bed at night? Did you ever ask your mother to take you back home?

— His answer took me by surprise.

HHDL: My childhood was very happy. My mother was a very compassionate woman. My father had a short temper, but I grew up in a very loving family. Before living at the Potala Palace, I was living at the Norbulingka Palace where my family had lived nearby, so I was able to see them very often. I had no friends of my age. My friends were the cooks in the kitchen and a sweeper. They treated me equally and honestly as a genuine friend. They would get angry with me, they would laugh with me and play with me.

— HHDL’s facial expression began to soften. It is amazing how he can shift his mood instantly. I have seen him do so at my previous audiences with him.

HHDL: They were all adults, but acted like children. We played this game often - we would run and compete to get whatever we had put over there. If it was something like a flower they would say, “Oh, let the Dalai Lama win” and they would let me get it. If it was a cookie, however, they would seriously run and didn’t let me win at all! Ah, hahaha!!!

— HHDL often roars with joyous laughter like a mischievous child, sometimes even sticking his tongue out. It is indeed fascinating that HHDL describes his childhood as a happy one. Has he forgotten the lonely and painful memories, and only remembers the joyful ones? Or does he want this book to share nothing but his happy memories? As HHDL continued telling me funny stories about his childhood, one of the secretaries gave me a cue to move on to the next question. There were several other audiences scheduled after mine, and that made all the secretaries anxious about the time. I was told that, nowadays, one is lucky to have 15 minutes with HHDL as he travels less and the demand on his time is even greater than before.

14