Reports on His Holiness' visit to Glasgow:
Christian leaders too welcome His Holines to Glasgow
GLASGOW, 31 May: The much liked ongoing visit of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Glasgow was also welcomed here today by leaders of the majority Christian community. In a pre-scheduled audience arranged through the Office of Tibet in London, the Leaders of Glasgow Churches Together presented the Tibetan spiritual and temporal leader with a formal letter of greeting welcoming him on "your historic visit to our city."
"We recognise your significant role and standing in the promotion of
spiritual and religious belief and practice in our contemporary world. We
welcome your visit as an opportunity to promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all peoples, faiths, cultures and societies," said the
letter addressed to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and which was signed by
representatives of the Church of Scotland, Methodist Church, Roman Catholic Church, Scottish Episcopal Church, United Free Church of Scotland and United Reformed Church.
The Archbishop of Glasgow, Most Rev Mario Conti, told His Holiness that just as he has learned about Christainty during his exile life so have they
learned about Buddhism and Tibet, thanks to his being in exile. He said the
tragedy that has befallen Tibet has given them the opportunity to learn more
about Tibet and the Tibetan culture and Buddhism.
His Holiness also granted an audience to representatives of the eighteen
Tibetan Buddhist and Bon groups which under the banner of the Dharma Network had invited him to give the 29 May - 1 June public talk and teachings in Glasgow.
Tomorrow before concluding the fifth and final session of the teachings, His
Holiness will be giving the Mitrukpa Initiation during the morning session.
On 2 June, His Holiness will be Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. The
programme there include a visit to the Scottish Parliament where he has been
invited to give the traditional Time for Reflection address concentrating on
the themes of Wisdom, Justice, Compassion and Integrity. This event and the
proceedings in the parliament will be broadcast live on the Scottish
Parliament website: www.scottishparliamentlive.com
The highlight of His Holiness' 2-3 June visit to Edinburgh and the ancient
Scottish capital of Dunfermline will be the meetings with thousands of
school children who under the aegis of the Fife City Council have for the
last many months been learning about him and Tibet.
"His Holiness is providing a platform for reflection and discussion on
citizenship, values, ethics, peace, spirituality, religion, politics, the
environment and other critical issues as well as disarmingly simple matters
to do with our everyday lives," says the press release issued by the
Edinburgh Inter-Faith Association at whose invitation His Holiness will be
visting the two cities.
- Tsering Tashi (Office of Tibet, London)
------------------
Glasgow teachings
begin, representatives of various faiths call on His Holiness
GLASGOW, 30 May:
His Holiness the Dalai Lama's
teachings on
Kamalashila's 'Middle Stages of
Meditation' and
Togme Sangpo's '37 Bodhisattva
Practices' that
began today was attended by about 5000
people - a figure
beyond the expectations of the
organiser, Dharma
Network Limited, a non-profit making
organisation formed
of eighteen Tibetan Buddhist and
Bon groups in UK.
"Dharma
Network are deeply grateful to His Holiness
the Dalai Lama for
kindly accepting their request to
give these
teachings in Glasgow," said an announcement
accompaying 'Root
Texts and Prayers' for the teachings
on Meditation.
The public talk and
teachings organised by the Dharma
Network is open to
all.
"His Holiness'
programme will have something for
everyone,
regardless of their familiarity with
Buddhism," the
Dharma Network announced on its
website, adding
that the public talk that His Holiness
gave yesterday to
about 9500 people "will give
everyone a chance
to consider the moral and ethical
challenges we face
in the 21st century."
The teachings
concludes on June 1 with the Mitrukpa
Initiation and
offering of long life puja for His
Holiness by the
organisers.
Following the
conclusion of the second session of
today's teachings,
His Holiness grated an audience to
representatives of
the Glasgow Forum of Faiths. Lead
by Councillor Irene
Graham of the Glasgow City Council
and Chair of the
Glasgow Forum of Faiths, those who
called on His
Holiness included representatives from
various Christian,
Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Jewish and
Bahai groups.
Councillor Graham on behalf of the group
expressed their
admiration for His Holiness' effort in
promoting peace and
inter-religious harmony and
presented the
Tibetan Nobel Peace Laureate with a
framed copy of the
forum's declaration.
His Holiness also
gave an audience for the Mongolian
community in UK
lead by Ambassador Davaasambuu and
Unurmaa Janchiv
representing the Mongolian Community
in UK. About 300
Mongolians attended the audience.
There were also a
few members from Inner Mongolia and
the Buryatiya
community.
- Tsering Tashi
(Office of Tibet, London)
------------------------
Thousands welcome His Holiness in Glasgow
GLASGOW, 29 May: Thousands of people, lead by the Glasgow City Council's Lord Provost, extended a very warm welcome and applauded as His Holiness the Dalai Lama entered the podium of the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre here to give the much awaited talk on "Inner Peace, Outer Harmony."
Earlier in the day the city's highest elected executive received the Tibetan leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner at the airport after his arrival from London where he was met by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the British Foreign Secretary, Prince Charles, Opposition and Conservative Party Leader, Members of Parliament and representatives of the British and international media at the invitation of the Foreign Press Association.
Welcoming His Holiness to the city before the start of the public talk, the
Lord Provost spoke about the benefit of hearing His Holiness to both the
Buddhists and non-Buddhists.
"To those who are Buddhists and who have not before heard you in person,
today presents a joyful and momentous occasion. To those of us present today who are not Buddhists, we too very much look forward to
your talk for we know that it will provide to us a unique opportunity to
listen to the teachings of one who is rightly regarded as one of the
greatest role models and one of the most noble peace-makers of our age," the Lord Provost said.
In her introductory remarks, the Lord Provost also referred to the welcoming
mood of the city at the news of His Holiness' visit.
"I know that I speak for each member of this nine-thousand-strong audience
when I say that your four-day visit to Glasgow has been one of the most
eagerly-awaited of any religious or public figure for many years. The
anticipation of your visit has been reflected in many of our newspapers and
broadcast media for quite sometime," she said.
His Holiness in his talk spoke about how we are all the same human being who want happiness and do not want suffering. He said that open-minded with a warm heart is a source of happiness whereas narrow-mindedness is a source of problems.
With regard to religious believes, His Holiness advised that it is better to
follow one's own religious tradition.
"Changing religion is not easy," he said. He, however, said that is would be
useful to learn from other religious traditions with an open mind.
His Holiness also said that materialism alone was no guarantee for a happy
life as otherwise we would not see people who are billionaries and yet
unhappy.
His Holiness also noted that transformation of a person can only be achieved
through proper analysis and practice and not through meditation and by
"closing eyes."
The talk was followed by a question and answer session that was lively and
the audience also took delight in His Holiness openess and frankness with
which he answered each question. His reply to the last question with a
short "I don't know" answer brought spontaneous peals of laughter from the
audience which left none to doubt the unmistakable presence of His Holiness
the Dalai Lama of Tibet in Glasgow.
From tomorrow, His Holiness will be giving his three days of Buddhist
teachings at the same Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre. The public
talk and teaching is at the invitation of Tibetan Buddhist and Bon
organistions in UK. His Holiness' visit to Glasgow will be followed by a two
day visit programme in the Scottish capital Edinburgh and the old capital
Dunfermline.
While in London, at literally all his meetings and engagements, His Holiness
focussed on his three commitments in life. These were:
1. Promotion of good human values, which as a fellow human being he wishes
to pursue for the rest of his life.
2. Promotion of religions harmony, which as a religious person he also
wishes to pursue for the rest of his life.
3. Working for the Tibet issue for which he has a moral responsibility
resulting from the Tibetan people's faith and trust in him and which he
wishes to pursue until the day of return to Tibet with a certain degree of
genuine freedom.
- Tsering Tashi (Office of Tibet, London)
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Last updated: 8-June-2004