Wroclaw, Poland, 22 September, 2010 - Upon
arrival in Poland on
September 22nd His Holiness was greeted by Mr. Rafal Dutkiewicz, mayor of the
city of Wroclaw
of which His Holiness is honorary citizen for two years.
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His Holiness the Dalai Lama received by the Mayor of Wroclaw at the airport on September 22nd, 2010.
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Later on,
His Holiness visited the exhibition commemorating the 30th anniversary
of Solidarity movement which transformed first Poland,
then Central and Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union
and finally the whole post cold war order.
Among the people
waiting for His Holiness was a former bus driver – one of the people who
started the historic strike in Wroclaw
in the year 1980. "What did you feel at that moment", asked His
Holiness. "Desperate urge to do something to change things for
better". "And anxiety?" "Yes, we all felt fear, but it just
had to be done".
From the exhibition, His Holiness went to the Hall of People. Everyone interested in his message received invitations free of charge. His Holiness was introduced by Mr. Dutkiewicz as a champion of freedom, love and compassion. He also requested His Holiness to "feel the touch of warm feelings and support of thousands of citizens of Wroclaw. Touch of solidarity". His Holiness answered that this experience was always a part of all of his visits in Poland.
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| His Holiness the Dalai Lama giving a public talk in Wroclaw on September 22nd, 2010. |
His Holiness explained his three "life commitments" in terms of solidarity: with all human beings on this planet in (as a promotion of basic human values); with the followers of other religions (as a promotion of mutual understanding and respect); as well as with the inhabitants of Asia (as a mutually acceptable solution to the issue of Tibet). His Holiness emphasized that it is not only important for six million men and women of Tibet, since protection of the fragile environment of the Plateau with its glaciers and rivers is vital for over one billion of human beings in different countries; and promotion of democratic values sadly lacking in a modern day China focused almost solely on material profits despite social ills like corruption, will help to achieve real stability of this country, as well as stability and peace in the region by easing tensions between two most populous nations caused by huge military presence in Tibet. His Holiness was greeted by the eight thousand people who packed the hall and there was a standing ovation when His Holiness left.
After the lecture, His Holiness received members of Polish Parliamentary Group for Tibet who arrived from Warsaw to meet him. His Holiness asked them to engage their Chinese counterparts not only with economic issues but also with basic democratic values like rule of law, freedom of speech and transparency, which would help PRC to gain international respect and trust, enabling it, as it rightly deserves, to play important, responsible role in this world.
