Brisbane, Australia, 15 June 2011 (By Tsering Kyinzom
Dhongdue) - His Holiness the Dalai Lama reached Brisbane this morning
to begin the Queensland leg of his Australia tour. Upon landing, he gave
his blessing to Shevaune Conry, a local woman with Multiple Sclerosis
who inspired the creation of Youngcare, an organisation looking after
young people in aged and nursing homes.
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The Suncorp Piazza, venue for His Holiness the Dalai Lama's public talk in Brisbane, Australia, on 15 June 2011.
Photo/Rusty Stewart/DLIAL
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His Holiness began his day with media interviews
and later met with members of Tibetan, Mongolian and Bhutanese
communities at his hotel in the city. His message that "China controls
our country, but not our minds and while we live in exile, it is our
duty to tell the world about Tibet" left the small Tibetan community
with a strong sense of responsibility. Addressing the members of all
three communities, His Holiness stressed on the importance of promoting
the Buddhist culture of love and compassion.
In the afternoon, His Holiness gave a public talk
on the the spirit of never giving up, a topic of immense value and
relevance to the Queensland community devastated by massive floods
earlier in the year. The event was organised by local charity
organisation Karuna House. It drew a diverse crowd of over 2000 people,
including many youngsters.
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His Holiness the Dalai Lama
greeting a young women after his public talk in Brisbane, Australia, on
15 June 2011. Photo/Rusty Stewart/DLIAL
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As His Holiness arrived at the open-air venue,
everyone rose on their feet. The crowd was deeply moved by His Holiness
who blessed a number of disabled people standing to greet him near the
stage. His Holiness said that the Queenslanders have shown the true
spirit of a community helping each other, when hit by one of Australia's
worst natural disasters in recent times. He quickly added this goodwill
and generosity should transcend our geographical borders.
His Holiness was delighted to know that a large
number of students from high schools and universities are part of the
public forum. He said, "We saw a lot of bloodshed in the past century.
The youth now have a large role to play in creating the 21st century one
of peace. However, peace is not just freedom from violence. Peace
encompasses love and compassion." The universality of His Holiness'
message resonates with all levels of Australian society. After listening
to His Holiness' talk, Jane Roach, a teacher and a Brisbane local,
said, "I am not a Buddhist, but the Dalai Lama is a messenger of hope
and optimism." 14 year-old Adam Brown thinks, "the Dalai Lama is cool".
State health minister Geoff Wilson welcomed His Holiness to the event
and gave his note of appreciation for speaking to the people of
Brisbane.
His Holiness will be in Queensland for the next two days. He will spend tomorrow at Chenrezig Institute in the Sunshine Coast.
