University of Marburg confers Honorary Doctorate on His Holiness the Dalai Lama[Tuesday, 3 August 2009, 8:55 a.m.]

His Holiness the Dalai Lama receives the certificate of the honorary degree, left: the President of the Marburg University, Prof. Dr. Volker Nienhaus

Marburg, Germany: Holiness the Dalai Lama received an honorary doctorate from the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Culture of the University of Marburg in Germany on Tuesday. Since its inception in 1845, the Department of Indian and Tibetan Studies in Marburg has always been fairly small, but quite productive. Prof. Dr. Jürgen Hanneder of the Faculty said in his laudation, that it is quite unknown in this context, that His Holiness the Dalai Lama himself made the first contact to Marburg in the seventies to change the situation, that is, by offering to send lecturers of Tibetan to Marburg. Prof. em. Dr. Eckhard Bangert (Bhikkhu Pāsādika) said: “As for the scientific achievements and merits relating to H.H. the Dalai Lama and his ushering in a tremendous advancement of knowledge, education and, in particular, of Indo-Tibetology, one essential precondition for these facts and developments should be mentioned which, again, was due to His Holiness, namely the drafting of a constitution for the people of Tibet. He made this momentous decision fifty years ago, soon after his departure from Tibet and arrival in India, thanks to his great perception of the changing circumstances of the modern world and also having certainly been keenly aware of the historical Buddha’s preference for democratic and republican principles as can be gleaned from the canonical juridical texts pertaining to monastic discipline.”His Holiness the Dalai Lama addressed a gathering of around 330 guests, explaining his three life commitments followed by a question and answer session.In the afternoon, His Holiness the Dalai Lama departed from Marburg for Lausanne, Switzerland where he will give teaching on “The three principle aspects of the path” on 4 August 2009. In Lausanne, His Holiness was received at the airport by representatives of Tibetan organizations based in Switzerland as well as by the organizers of the teachings, the International Rigdzin Community. In front of the hotel, His Holiness was greeted by about 200 people with a traditional Tibetan welcome ceremony.More pictures:

His Holiness the Dalai Lama leaving the hotel in Frankfurt

A cavalcade escorting His Holiness the Dalai Lama on the way from Frankfurt to Marburg, Germany

His Holiness the Dalai Lama signing the Golden Book of Marburg

His Holiness the Dalai Lama addressing the guests during the conferment of Honorary Degree of the University of Marburg

His Holiness the Dalai Lama signs the Golden Book of the western German town of Marburg.

A procession of cars escorting  His Holiness the Dalai Lama is seen at Lausanne, Switzerland

His Holiness the Dalai Lama receives traditional welcome in front of a hotel in Lausanne, Switzerland

Representative for Central and Eastern Europe, Mr Tseten Samdup, escorts His Holiness theDalai Lama on his arrival at hotel at Lausanne, Switzerland, on 3 August.

Swiss National TV interviewing His Holiness the Dalai Lama on the first day of his Switzerland visit