His Holiness the Dalai Lama begins an eleven-day visit to Australia and New Zealand with a talk on ‘Our Future: Who Is Responsible?’in Sydney on Monday, 30 November 2009.Photo by Jamie Williams

Sydney: His Holiness the Dalai Lama arrived in Sydney this morning at the start of an eleven-day visit to Australia and New Zealand. The
visit, which carries the theme “Our Future: Who is Responsible?” will
see His Holiness give a two-day teaching in Sydney on “Awakening the
Mind”, public talks in Sydney, Auckland, Hobart and Melbourne, attend a
conference on “Mind and its Potential” with some of the world’s top
neuroscientists and give the closing address at the Parliament of the
World’s Religions in Melbourne. The visit also coincides with the 20th
anniversary of the conferment of Nobel peace prize on His Holiness the
Dalai Lama on 10 December.His Holiness received a warm welcome
at Sydney airport from members of Australia’s 600-strong Tibetan
community and was later greeted at his hotel with a traditional Tibetan
performance.At a packed midday press conference His Holiness
outlined his two lifelong objectives -promoting human values and
promoting religious harmony – and underlined the interdependence of all
humans with each other and with the environment.Asked about
global warming and the upcoming UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen, His
Holiness talked at length about our responsibility to the global
environment and to future generations. Referring to Tibet as the
earth’s “third pole”, His Holiness also explained why the Tibetan
environment is crucial to the wellbeing of more than a billion people
in Asia, noting that the Indus, Ganges, Mekong, Yellow, Yangtze and
other of Asia’s great rivers all begin in Tibet. His Holiness said that
protection of the global environment must take precedence over matters
of national interest and that politicians must make finding a solution
to climate change their number one priority.”Sometimes their
number one importance is national interest, national economic interest,
then global issue is sometimes second. That I think should change. The
global issue, it should be number one.”His Holiness said he was
encouraged that world leaders have started taking the issue of climate
change more seriously but did not pre-empt the outcome of the
Copenhagen summit.During the hour-long conference His Holiness
also spoke of the importance of a free and objective media to a
healthy, democratic society. He encouraged members of the press to help
educate the public by always investigating thoroughly and looking
behind surface appearances. Asked whether he would like to return to
Tibet, His Holiness, while recognising the problems this would
currently pose to the Chinese Government, reiterated that he was ready
to do so as soon as he was given a green signal.Finally, asked
for a message to the youth representatives attending the Parliament of
the World’s Religions in Melbourne next week, His Holiness emphasized
the critical role for today’s youth in shaping the 21st century and
encouraged them to think with a holistic and long-term perspective.Tomorrow His Holiness begins his two-day teaching in Sydney on Nagarjuna’s Commentary on Bodhicitta.–Report filed by Dr. Simon Bradshaw, Campaign Coordinator, Australia Tibet Council