His Holiness the Dalai Lama Concludes Sweden Visit, Arrives in Copenhagen[Sunday, 17 April 2011, 11:00 am]

His Holiness the Dalai Lama addressing the 250 selected 13 – 19 year old students at a question& answer session at the Lund City Hall/Photos by Lotta Gyllensten/Office of Tibet, London

LUND,
SWEDEN: On his last day of the three day visit to Sweden, His Holiness
the Dalai Lama met with 250 students in the City Hall of Lund. During
the last year the students, from 60 schools in 50 cities around Sweden,
have worked together with the organisation IM-SOIR to raise money for
school projects in the Himalayas.His Holiness was interviewed
by Mr Victor åberg, a former IM-SOIR volunteer at a school in
Kathmandu, Nepal, and the questions were based on things the students,
aged 13-19 years, wanted to ask His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The
students got to know how a “typical day at home in Dharamsala” looks
like and what His Holiness´ favourite food is. When asked what His
Holiness would do if he were “neither the Dalai Lama, nor a monk”, His
Holiness answered “I would be a tractor driver”. The students
were also told to remain sceptical and investigate and to think more of
the mind than on material matters, since “kissing a diamond gives no
response”. When asked what can be done about teachers beating students,
His Holiness answered that “Someone else´s mind can only be controlled
by reason and affection, not by beating. If you constantly show a
person affection and concern, this person is more likely to change his
behaviour”.After the student meeting His Holiness the Dalai
Lama took part in the Sunday service in Lund Cathedral, to which he was
welcomed by the bishop Ms Antje Jackelén and Mr Håkan E Wilhelmsson,
dean of Lund Cathedral and chairman of the board of IM-SOIR. Inside the
cathedral over 1.000 people waited to hear His Holiness speak.“Peace
and love, the essence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama´s message, is
something that unites us, no matter what we believe in or where we
live” said Ms Lena Sjöstrand, assistant vicar before welcoming His
Holiness. The Sermon was held by the bishop Ms Antje Jackelén, who
finished the sermon by saying “In this Holy Week, the passions flow
together into compassion; compassion that gives birth to strength, love
and happiness. The guest we are glad to have with us today, the Dalai
Lama, has thought about compassion more than many of us”. She then
invited His Holiness to greet the congregation with a message on
compassion.His Holiness the Dalai Lama stood up, in front of
the altar and said: “Respected spiritual sisters and brothers, I feel a
great honour to participate in this special sermon, since it promotes
religious harmony”. He also told the congregation that the faith should
not remain just in the church, where it would not have much effect, but
be spread everywhere.The final stop of the visit to Sweden was
at the head office of the Swedish host IM-SOIR, where His Holiness took
part in a short lunch with the IM-SOIR staff. Mr Bo Paulsson, General
Secretary at IM-SOIR, thanked His Holiness for having come to Sweden.
His Holiness responded by thanking IM-SOIR for all their work with and
for the Tibetans and the Central Tibetan Administration. Before
leaving, a picture was taken in the garden of His Holiness surrounded
by the IM-SOIR staff.At the conclusion of lunch, His Holiness
the Dalai Lama departed from Lund to Copenhagen, via the road bridge
connecting Sweden with Denmark. –Report by Anna LjunggrenMore photos:

His Holiness the Dalai Lama with interviewer Victor åberg at meeting with students, Lund City Hall, on 17 April 2011

His Holiness the Dalai Lama addresses the gathering at the Sunday service in Lund Cathedral

His Holiness the Dalai Lama with IM-SOIR staff at the conclusion of His Holiness’ Sweden visit