Calgary Presents Its Iconic Cowboy Hat to welcome His Holiness the Dalai Lama[CBC NEWS]Thursday, 1 October 2009, 9:03 a.m.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama, wears a traditional white cowboy hat, native leather mitts and a traditional native eagle feather he received as welcoming gifts at the Calgary airport in Calgary, Alberta, 30 September 2009. The White Hat ceremony is a Calgary tradition reserved for dignitaries and is a symbol of Calgary’s hospitality, and the eagle feather is a gift by the natives to only the highest dignitaries. REUTERS/Pool (CANADA RELIGION IMAGES OF THE DAY)

Calgary:
His Holiness the Dalai Lama has returned to Calgary for the first time
in nearly 30 years, accepting an honorary degree from the city’s
largest university and a white cowboy hat from the mayor.His
Holiness also brought his message of peace to a crowd of more than
15,000 at the Pengrowth Saddledome on Wednesday afternoon, giving a
public address as part of a two-day visit to the city for a University
of Calgary conference called NOW.His Holiness spoke to the audience of peace not only on a global, national and family level, but on a personal one.”We
can say violence is generally speaking out of anger, hatred. Peace is
out of compassion. So therefore, genuine peace [comes] through
compassion. In other words, external, long-lasting genuine peace mostly
comes through internal peace.”His Holiness also joked with the
audience that he has no healing power, as demonstrated by his need to
have gall bladder surgery last year, but later spoke of his quick
recovery.”Not because of my healing power, but because of my peace of mind,” His Holiness said.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama is greeted by members of the Tibetan community in Calgary.  (Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press)

‘Provide maximum affection’His
Holiness the Dalai Lama took questions from the audience, including one
by an expectant father on what one principle the leader believes a
child should learn above all.”Difficult question. I don’t
know,” His Holiness said to laughter. “But as soon as your child born,
please provide maximum affection.”A high school student asked
the world figure how he saw himself, to which he answered: “A simple
Buddhist monk…. I’m just another human being. We are same physical,
same mind, same emotion. We are same.”University of Calgary
president Harvey Weingarten presented an honorary law degree to the
Dalai Lama during the Saddledome event.”He has touched the
hearts and minds of leaders in politics, religion and business, as well
as those of everyday people who search only to find happiness,” said
Weingarten.His Holiness the Dalai Lama thanked the university and with a giggle admitted he had been a “lazy student.”Canadian Olympic gold-medal swimmer Mark Tewksbury, actress Sandra Oh and local Tibetan dancers were also part of the event.

Natives from Alberta give His Holiness the Dalai Lama (R), a traditional eagle feather upon his arrival at the Calgary International Airport in Calgary, Alberta, 30 September 2009/REUTERS/Pool (CANADA RELIGION POLITICS)

Welcomed with a cowboy hatEarlier
in the day, Mayor Dave Bronconnier plopped the city’s iconic white
cowboy hat on His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s head during a welcoming at
the airport.”Presentation of gifts on behalf of the citizens of
Calgary are not intended to be political symbols at all. This is a
welcoming gesture … recognizing an international spiritual leader,
one who advances education, philanthropy and works towards world
peace,” Bronconnier said Tuesday.The mayor also presented a
white hat later Wednesday to a former president of South Africa, F.W.
de Klerk, who is also in Calgary for the conference.