By Tenzin Sangmo
New Delhi, April 26 – His Holiness the Dalai Lama returned home after His two week tour of the United States wrapped up at the Colgate University in Hamilton, New York April 22. This was his first visit to the US since the recent disorder in Tibet. Seeds of Compassion, a Seattle based group set up by the Kirk Foundation in association with Ven Tenzin Dhonden organized the five day Seeds of Compassion Gathering April 11-15, Seattle, Washington.
His Holiness presided over the gathering and gave an insight into understanding the real benefits of compassion and how to inculcate it in everyday life. The talks also included discussions on scientific research into compassion, business philanthropy, inter-faith dialogue and nurturing kindness in children. His Holiness ended the five day event with a panel discussion on spirituality and compassion with South Africa’s Archbishop Demond Tutu, a fellow Nobel Peace Prize Winner. The Dalai Lama was also conferred with an honorary degree by the University of Washington. The Seeds of Compassion conference drew in some 150,000 people from across the United States.
The Dalai Lama attended two more conferences at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and Colgate University in Hamilton, New York from April 19-22.
The Dalai Lama welcomed offers of possible dialogue from the Chinese authorities with His envoys after weeks of protests over China’s policy of aggression towards ethnic Tibetans in Tibet and repeated demands from international communities to hold meaningful talks.
Speaking to media upon arrival in the Indian capital, New Delhi, on Friday, the Dalai Lama said he welcomes the offer if it is for serious dialogue but he said it will not be meaningful if the 2 sides were to meet only as a matter of formality.
However today, China’s media kept up its attacks on the Dalai Lama with the state press accusing him of destabilizing the Himalayan region.
“The vilification of His Holiness must be stopped by the Chinese authorities because these attacks hurt the sentiments of Tibetan people very deeply,” exile Tibet government spokesman Thubten Samphel told AFP
The continuation of the vilification was “unnecessarily provocative,” Samphel told AFP by telephone from Dharamshala.
His Holiness has left for Dharamsala this afternoon via Gaagal.
