His Holiness the Dalai Lama departed on a fifteen day, five-nation tour of Europe on October 8.
During the trip, His Holiness visited Latvia, Switzerland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Italy, spending two to three days in each nation, giving teachings on a number of Buddhist texts as well as public talks on issues such as secular ethics, nonviolence and global responsibility. He met politicians, religious leaders and other intellectuals, participated in various dialogues, granted audience to Tibetan refugees and supporters and received a number of honorary awards.
The Dalai Lama began his tour of Latvia with a two-day teaching on Dharmakirti’s Commentary on Dignaga’s Compendium of Valid Cognition organised by the Save Tibet Foundation (Moscow) and Saglabasim Tibetu (Riga), which was attended by 4,500 people. His Holiness recounted his first visit to Europe in 1973, remarking that he was impressed by the collaborative efforts of the European Union and its ability to put the needs of the collective above the needs of individual nations. He connected this to the Buddhist philosophy of not putting your own individual happiness above that of others.
Throughout the two days of the teaching, His Holiness touched on the disruptive emotions of anger, attachment and emptiness. Regarding emptiness, he said: “The Dalai Lama is not my body; he is not my mind, but nor is he separate from them. When we analyse in this way, we find nothing. We conclude that we exist by way of designation.”
His Holiness met parliamentarians and Tibet supporters from the Baltic States, stressing to them the vital importance of Tibetans maintaining their culture and identity in spite of increasing pressures. He said that even small things such as Tibetans in Lhasa abandoning tsampa [roasted barley: a traditional Tibetan dietary staple] in favour of Chinese rice should be of concern to the community. While in Latvia, His Holiness had an informal meeting with several Russian intellectuals.
His Holiness arrived in Bern, Switzerland, on October 12. The Chinese government sent a warning to the Swiss government regarding the visit. According to Regula Buchmüller, head of the city of Bern’s foreign relations and statistics office, the Chinese government “registered its dissatisfaction” with the Swiss Foreign Ministry.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama speaking about dialogue and solidarity in Bern, Switzerland Photo/Manuel Bauer
His Holiness received a warm welcome at the House of Religions where hundreds of Tibetans and Mongolians gathered to greet him with song and he participated in an inter-religious dialogue there with Christian, Hindu, Islamic, Buddhist and Alevi leaders, saying: “I’m very happy to be here. As a Buddhist monk I’m committed to fostering inter-religious harmony but here you are making a practical effort to bring that about by allowing a deeper understanding and mutual respect to grow.” They discussed topics such as the similarities between the Hindu and Buddhist religions and the difficulties faced by the Muslim community after the incidents of September 11, 2001. He completed his time in Switzerland with a speech to a crowd of 1,400 in the Kursaal Arena on the need for dialogue and solidarity in the global crisis.
On arriving in Slovakia His Holiness met the official Slovakian Parliamentary delegation and members of the Tibet Group.
Lubomir Bajanik of Slovak TV interviewed His Holiness and asked him what makes him seem so happy all the time.His Holiness replied “Peace of mind. I always try to look at things from a wider perspective. Looked at from different angles, problems don’t look so severe. I’m committed to contributing to making a happier, more peaceful world, so it’s better to be optimistic.”
His Holiness spoke at Comenius University before having lunch with His Excellency, Andrej Kiska, President of Slovakia. In the afternoon he addressed an audience of over 4,000 in the National Tennis Centre and back at his hotel, he met members of the Tibetan community.
On October 17, His Holiness arrived in Prague where he spoke to Czech TV24, Czech radio and the Czech News Agency reiterating that dialogue is the only solution to the crises in the Middle East. More than 2,500 people gathered to greet him and show their support in Hradcanske Square, waving Tibet flags and photographs of His Holiness.
His Holiness was presented the Honorary Citizenship of the City of Milan
Photo/Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL
His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s five-nation trip was concluded in Milan, Italy with teachings on The Three Principal Aspects of The Path and Tsongkhapa’s In Praise to Dependent Origination and a public talk on The Source of Genuine Happiness on October 22. The Chairman of the Council of Milan, Lamberto Bertolè, presented an Honorary Citizenship of the City of Milan to His Holiness at the University of Milan-Bicocca.
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