Tibet: Dalai Lama Receives Nonviolence Award
His Holiness, along with Nelson Mandela, receives an award from the
Below is an excerpt from an article published by Phayul:
At an elaborate function this evening at the House of Commons, the London-based Institute of Jainology (IOJ) gave their first ever Ahimsa Award to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual and temporal leader, and Mr. Nelson Mandela, the former President of South Africa. Ahimsa is the Indian term for non-violence.
The finely decorated thick glass memento award in recognition of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s “valuable contribution towards non-violence” was presented by the Chief Guest Rt Hon Hazel Blears, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, to Mr. Tsering Tashi, who received it on behalf of the Tibetan leader. Mr. Tashi is the Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama for
Before the presentation of the award, the event presenter Ms. Pooja Jain told the gathering of parliament members, religious representatives, diplomats and members of the Jain community that the IOJ trustees’ decision to award its first Ahimsa Award was based on through research findings and achievements of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for leading the non-violent Tibetan struggle for liberation from China. Ms. Jain said His Holiness the Dalai Lama was the first Nobel Peace Prize winner to be also recognised for his effort to promote the environment in the world.
The highlight of the programme was the message from His Holiness the Dalai Lama that was read by Mr. Tsering Tashi. His Holiness in his message said that it is because of the practice of non-violence that the Tibetan people’s cause was gaining more support from the international community as well as from the Chinese people.
“I believe that more and more people around the world, including many Chinese, are coming to a better understanding of and support for the just cause of
His Holiness said that the realisation that we are all basically the same human beings, who seek happiness and do not want suffering, is very helpful in developing a sense of a warm feeling of love and compassion for others. He said it is also essential “if we are to survive in this ever-shrinking world we live in” and once again appealed to the world to support the Burmese people’s peaceful struggle for freedom and democracy.
“As I write this message, rapidly changing events in
There was much appreciation for His Holiness’ message. […]