His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Switzerland

Tuesday, 2 August 2005

His Holiness arrived from South Tyrol early this morning. The day’s program began with a meeting with 15 members of the Swiss Parliamentary Group for Tibet. His Holiness took the opportunity to thank them for their support for Tibet and asked for their continued support in his efforts towards finding a mutually agreeable solution to the issue of Tibet.

His Holiness thanks switzerland as he starts his visit(Keystone)

The Parliamentarians asked him a variety of questions including the Gormo-Lhasa railway project, population transfer, environment etc. The Parliamentarians assured His Holiness of their continued support to create greater awareness of the Tibetan situation and their efforts to urge Beijing to accelerate the ongoing dialogue to find a solution.

This was followed by a Meet the Press at which media representatives from Germany, Spain, USA and Austria were also present. His Holiness opened the meeting outlining his three commitments to promote human values, religious harmony and the rights of the Tibetan people. He also appreciated the enormous interest and concern that the public in general and in particular the media is showing to him and the Tibetan issue.

To a question about the support of the Swiss Government, His Holiness said “If you are hungry and find even a small amount of food it is very good”. He also said that Switzerland has helped “behind the scenes”.

His Holiness also said that whatever perceptions people may have of him, in so far as he is concerned, he is just a simple Buddhist monk.

After the Meet the Press His Holiness took part in an inter-religious meeting at Einsiedeln, a historical catholic seminary. His Holiness was received by Abbot Martin Werlen on the door steps of the church. The church hall was packed to its capacity of over three thousand people, in addition to about 1000 people who greeted His Holiness outside the church.

This was His Holiness’ second visit to the Benedictine Abbey of Einsiedeln. His Holiness spoke on the importance of such gatherings to promote closer harmony among various religions. He further emphasized the need to keep one’s own faith or religion. Abbot Martin Werlen was lavish in his appreciation to His Holiness for not only accepting the invitation to visit Einsiedeln but also making the interfaith prayer service such a wonderful success.

Wednesday, 3 August 2005

The first event of the day was the conference of the University of Zurich on neuroscience. His Holiness was welcomed by Dr Kevan Martin, professor of neurophysiology.

His Holiness in his opening remarks said that he has been interested in four aspects of science, viz. cosmology, neuroscience, quantum physics and psychology. He divides Buddhism into three elements: Buddhist science, Buddhist Philosophy and Buddhist Practice.

Prof. Jurg Kesselring gave the first presentation. His topic was the relation between neurobiology and spirituality, and he posed the question of whether the two fields contradict each other or whether they are complementary.

The next presenter was Dr Lutz Jancke, professor of neurophysiology and a specialist in the effect of studying music on the plasticity of the brain. Professor Roger Nitsch was next. He is a professor of molecular biology and the Director of psychiatric research. He presented some of the latest findings regarding the debilitating disease of Alzheimer.

Finally, Dr Rolf Pfeifer spoke on his focus on artificial intelligence and specifically on the connection between the brain, the body and the environment of robotics. His Holiness was totally engaged in the fascinating presentations of the scientists and at the end of each always had insightful questions for the scientists.

The conference was informal and the audience came away from the dialogue with a good understanding of the neuroscience of the brain. The conference was followed by a luncheon reception hosted by the Zurich Canton government at the Rector’s room at the Zurich University.

His Holiness then left for the Kaufleuten Hall where he was welcomed by Dr Martin Brauen, the director of the Ethnographic Museum. Dr Ulrich Kloeti of the University of Zurich, and Ms. Dorothee Fierz, President of the Zurich Canton also gave welcome speeches.

The main event was an interview of His Holiness conducted by Roger de Weck, a well known media personality. It was the most interesting session. His Holiness started by saying how pleased he was in Zurich.

After the intense heat of Rimini, Italy, he was very happy to arrive in Zurich yesterday. The weather was pleasantly cool and drizzling and He felt right at home. His Holiness talked about his views of his predecessors and told the audience about his dreams of the second and the Fifth Dalai Lama. He also speculated on the possible identity of the Fifteenth Dalai Lama.

He said that a woman would have as good a chance of being selected as a man and that his incarnation is likely to be found in a free country in order to continue the work he has started in His lifetime.

He also gave the audience some ideas about the method by which the next Dalai Lama could be selected. He reiterated his belief that the institution of the Dalai Lama could be abolished in some future time if that is the wish of the majority of the Tibetans.

All in all it was a fascinating session and one that enthralled all present. Then His Holiness attended the exhibition of the 14 Dalai Lamas and toured the exhibition hall with Dr Brauen, the curator. His Holiness was pleased that many rare and seldom seen thankas and bronzes were in the exhibition. He then walked up one floor to the photographic exhibition of Mauel Bauer, the photographer whose book, Journey of Peace on His Holiness was recently published.

The last event of the day was an interfaith prayer meeting held by the Forum of Religions and the City of Zurich broadcast live by Swiss National TV. His Holiness and the representatives of five major religions took part in the service.

Five young children representing the five religious traditions set free a dove each as a symbolic gesture and read out the peace messages. His Holiness expressed how pleased he was to join this prayer meeting in the City Square, Zurich, and once again stressed the importance of developing inner peace as the basis for building a happy and contended life.

Tomorrow morning his Holiness meets Pascal Couchepin, Federal Councillor for Interior Ministry and Culture, followed by a day-long symposium on Fear and Anxiety at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH).