His Holiness speaks on Buddhist science, environment, refugees and compassion in Melbourne[Friday, 10 June 2011, 4:56 p.m.]

His Holiness the Dalai Lama with Greens Leader Senator Bob Brown, his old friend and Tibet supporter/Photo by Rusty Stewart/DLIAL

MELBOURNE:
His Holiness the Dalai Lama inaugurated Quang Minh Temple of the
Vietnamese Buddhist community in Melbourne’s Braybrook suburb this
morning. A crowd of over 1,500 Vietnamese Buddhists chanted and cheered
on his arrival. Many of them were overjoyed by presence of His Holiness
in their midst and were moved to tears.His Holiness’ prayers
were followed by the chanting of Vietnamese monks and nuns. He stressed
on the importance of developing inner peace as opposed to material
wealth. He drew parallels between the Tibetan and Vietnamese Buddhist
traditions and advised the large gathering that “as 21st century
Buddhists, we should have the full knowledge of Buddha dharma. It’s not
sufficient to recite prayers to claim we are Buddhists.” This, he said,
will come from a serious study of the religion.His Holiness had
visited the old temple 15 years ago. He said the community should focus
on understanding the essence of Buddhist philosophy and that he hopes
to see the big, new building being used as a class room and not
primarily as a prayer hall.His Holiness then headed off to
Footscray, a suburb known for its diverse, immigrant communities and
addressed a rally for disadvantaged youth in the area. Youth worker Les
Twentyman, who runs 20th Man Foundation to solve homelessness and
poverty, organised this special event. A gathering, consisting mainly
of children from the local school, came to hear His Holiness speak.
Young kids from the age of 6 to 18 asked him a range of questions such
as the definition of one’s life. A donation was made from the Dalai
Lama Trust to support the charity organisation.After lunch, His
Holiness participated in a conversation with a group of refuges from
Burma, China, Vietnam and Eritrea, who have fought all odds in their
home countries and have now established successful lives in Australia.
The issue of asylum seekers is currently a subject of the Australian
political debate. His Holiness shared his personal journey as a refugee
and said one needs to look at the source of the problem to find an
answer. He said while a natural disaster could sometimes trigger a
refugee crisis, too often it is a matter of leadership and lack of
moral principles. He then shared his life story as a result of the
Chinese occupation of Tibet.His Holiness’ last event for the
day was a reception hosted by federal Greens MP Adam Bandt. He was also
met by long-time Tibet supporter and Greens leader Senator Bob Brown.
His Holiness talked on the subject of moving cities towards a
sustainable future, during which he expressed his deep passion for
ecology. When asked what makes a good city, His Holiness said he would
like to see more greeneries and less of cars on the road. “With sincere
efforts and by using modern technology, we can save our earth,”
concluded His Holiness.–Report
filed by Tsering Kyinzom Dhongdue, Research & Government Relations
Manager, Australia Tibet Council. On assignment by Tibet Information
Office, Australia, and Dalai Lama in Australia Ltd