Perth, Australia, 19 June 2011 (By Tsering Kyinzom
Dhongdue) - His Holiness addressed a sell-out crowd of 14,500 people at
the Burswood Dome in West Australian capital Perth this morning. He
spoke on "Spirituality in the Modern World" at his last "public
conversation" as part of the 2011 Australian tour.
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His Holiness the Dalai Lama
speaking to the audience of over 14,500 at his public talk in Perth,
Australia, on 19 June 2011. Photo/Rusty Stewart/DLIAL
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"The world has made great material developments in
20th century and in the last decade of 21st century. What is now needed
is advancement in spirituality," said His Holiness, adding, "it should
be taught as a subject from kindergarten to university." He noted
spirituality however is not just based on religious faith - a view
widely held in the west. By arguing this narrow definition excludes
non-believers, who make a substantial population in the world, he
defined spirituality as essentially being moral ethics or inner values
such as compassion.
His Holiness further added, "Every human being has
the ability to show compassion through our common experience of the love
we get from our mother. It is by use of human intelligence that we
understand the long-term benefit of this inner value."
In what has become an increasingly popular
Australian protocol, a local Aboriginal man gave a Welcome to Country
performance to His Holiness at the opening of his public talk. His
Holiness spoke for the treatment of indigenous people in Australia and
said they should also make the effort to seek out a modern education
whilst preserving their culture.
At the closing of the public talk, Dalai Lama in Australia Ltd, the
organiser of the visit, reported to Hs Holiness that 65,000 people have
attended his events across four cities in the last 11 days. Another
100,000 watched live webcast of the visit's public events. A photo
exhibition depicting His Holiness' life journey that began in the lead
up to his visit will continue for the next few weeks. In the first of
its kind, His Holiness will appear in top-rating Australian reality TV
show MasterChef. It will be on air in the coming weeks.
At lunch, His Holiness met with a group of business leaders in West
Australia, the state with the strongest trade ties with China. He also
took an opportunity to meet with the local Tibetan, Mongolian and
Bhutanese communities.
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His Holiness the Dalai Lama
watching Luka Bloom perform during the "Songs for the Dalai Lama"
concert in Perth, Australia, on 19 June 2011. Photo/Rusty Stewart/DLIAL
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The day concluded with the "Songs for the
Dalai Lama" concert. Some of the big names in the music industry have
given their time to celebrate His Holiness' journey and support Tibetan
charities. They include Tim Rogers, Tex Perkins, Baby Animals, Katie
Noonan's Elixir Trio, Lior with String Quartet, Adalita, Old Man River,
Luka Bloom, Lyrics Born and The Nobel Funk Off. Tibetan musician Tenzin
Choegyal and the Gyuto Monks of Tibet also performed during the 6-hour
concert. Luka Bloom, the Irish folk singer who has been travelling on
His Holiness tour, sang his song "As I wave goodbye" for the last time
with a group of musicians.
His Holiness made a brief appearance at the concert. He commended
the artists for their work and encouraged them to spread the message of
peace and compassion through their music.
His Holiness leaves Australia tomorrow morning.
