Moscow: A gathering held at the spacious hall of the Open Center was organised by Office of Tibet, Moscow, Youth Association of Moscow Buddhists and Save Tibet Foundation to celebrate 27th Anniversary of the Nobel Peace Prize conferment on His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Several hundred people both Buddhists representing various Dharma centers as well as general public, attended the event in Moscow, Russia.
Speaking at the event honorary representative Telo Tuklu Rinpoche called “the Art of Happiness” after the famous book by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and stressed the importance on non-violence and peaceful resolution of the conflicts that His Holiness the Dalai Lama has been advocating all over the world. He drew public’s attention to more recent cases of human rights violations in Tibet describing in details a grim situation with Larung Gar learning centre that is facing a dramatic reduction of its monastic community.
“After their houses are demolished, these thousands monks won’t have permanent homes and a place to study. Where would they go? They are not given accommodation or compensation, other monasteries will not be able to accept them”, said Telo Tulku Rinpoche. He also reminded the attendees of 145 cases of self-immolations in Tibet with the recent one happened on 8 December 2016 on the eve of the Human Rights Day.
“Although a single case of self immolation during so-called Arabian Spring drastically changed the situation in the Middle East, in Tibet we have 145 cases of self-immolations in protest to the human right violation and the world is still silent”, said Telo Tulku Rinpoche.
He also touched upon the situation in Syria saying that we should never forget that the refugees that have been forced to leave their homes in conflict zone are just like us, they also want being warm and cozy in winter and have a relaxing shade in summer.
Telo Tulku Rinpoche quoted His Holiness the Dalai Lama saying in one of his books:
“To remain indifferent in the challenges we face is indefensible. If the goal is Noble, whether or not it is realized within our life time is largely irrelevant. What we must do is to strive and preserve and never give up”.
At the end of the event Telo Tulku Rinpoche and Geshe Tenzin Khechok, a visiting Buddhist scholar who has been teaching in Moscow by the invitation of Drepung Gomang Centre, recited prayers of peace, harmony and prosperity in the world and happiness of the attendees and all sentient beings at large.
-Report filed by Office of Tibet, Moscow-
