Dali Lama-APTN news

肺腑之炎

HOLLYWOOD STAR HOPES TIBET FREEDOM IS NEAR

Richard Gere  was in New Delhi (Wednesday 18th Dec) to hear Tibetan spiritual leader The Dalai Lama deliver the valedictory address at the end of a week long Tibetan festival of compassion.

Hundreds of Tibetans, religious leaders and monks filled the seats and aisles of the hall in central New Delhi, while others watched the proceedings on screens outside.

The Dalai Lama urged that compassion and tolerance should be the guiding principles in a world increasingly torn by strife.

Security was tight for the Tibetan leader, who heads a government in exile of the Tibetan people in India. The Dalai Lama began his speech in the Tibetan language, but switched to English for the main text of his speech on the theme of compassion.

Richard Gere, a long standing campaigner for the Tibetan cause, was also present. A Buddhist for over a decade, Gere was banned from the Oscars once after making anti-China comments on air at the 1993 ceremony.

He said he hoped that the recent contacts between representatives of the Dalai Lama and of China would lead to genuine talks and would result in greater contacts between the two sides.

The Dalai Lama presented a "Light of Truth" award to the people of India, who he said had offered unconditional support to the Tibetans when they fled their homeland and had helped Tibetan culture and traditions flourish in safety.

The award was instituted by the International Campaign for Tibet, the advocacy group chaired by Richard Gere.

Noted Indian Classical dancer Sonal Mansigh performed at the conclusion of the week long festival.

After Chinese communist forces occupied Tibet in 1951, the Dalai Lama fled to India after a failed uprising in 1959. He set up a government in exile in Dharmsala, a Himalayan town in northern India, from where he leads a global campaign for the restoration of the political rights of the Tibetan people.

In recent months, the Tibetan leader's representatives have established contacts with the Chinese leadership as a first step toward an agreement on the future of Tibet.