For His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso,

It is a great honor to have you here at our university and in the capital of our exile. Just as Dharamsala, India is the seat of the free Tibetan people in exile so is Miami to the free Cuban people. The Tibetan people's struggle for an independent and free Tibet is an inspiration to all of us who have lost our homeland. On the 6th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre your words inspired dissidents not only in China, but in Cuba as well. As you yourself have stated, "everyone appreciates truth and respect for it is really in our blood." We believe that you have spoken great truths about the basic nature of humanity, and we, with our limited faculties, struggle to understand them.

Yet some are easier to understand than others. We understand through our own experience that brute force, and terror no matter how extreme can never subdue the basic human drive for freedom. We see it in the eyes of men and women who spent decades in prison for their beliefs enduring torture, and worse.

We Cubans have seen throughout our recent history that " violence can only breed more violence and suffering," as it has for us this past century and a half of violent struggle and revolutions. Our greatest poet, writer, and leader of independence Jose Marti spoke of non-violence on a spiritual level in the 19th century in his poem I Cultivate a White Rose [Cultivo Una Rosa Blanca]:

I cultivate a white rose
In July as in January
For the sincere friend
Who gives me his hand frankly.

And for the cruel person who tears out
the heart with which I live,
I cultivate neither nettles nor thorns:
I cultivate a white rose.

We've had and continue to have difficulty fully embracing the teachings of Marti's spiritual nonviolence. When you state, "I pray for all of us, oppressor and friend, that together we succeed in building a better world through human under-standing and love," some of us have found it difficult to apply this outlook which is necessary for reconciliation and peace. Intellectually we comprehend both the truth behind it, and its necessity for a lasting and just peace, but at a deeper more emotional level it is much more difficult to embrace these truths, and to sustain them through the struggle for freedom.

Yet, the example of the Tibetan nation and its endurance of great trials and tribulations serve as an example to people everywhere. We will continue to pray for the freedom and independence of Tibet. We will also pray that your visit will provide us, by your own example, with the strength to, "generate love and compassion, even for those we consider our enemies."

With our prayers and good wishes,

Yours sincerely,

Susana Mendiola
President

Viviana Mendiola
Treasurer

Marco Alonso
Secretary

John Suarez
Coordinator

Free Cuba Foundation
Graham Center 340
Florida International University
Miami, FL. 33199
http://www.fiu.edu/~fcf/