Budapest, Hungary, 17 September 2010 - Mayor Gabor Demsky welcomed His Holiness the Dalai Lama on his arrival at the Budapest airport. The City Hall made the airport VIP Lounge arrangements. Mayor Demsky had first met His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 1992.
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Mayor Gabor Demsky welcomes His Holiness the Dalai Lama on his arrival at the Budapest airport.
Photo/Gáti Kornél |
The small Tibetan community of about 10 Tibetans and Mongolians along with hundreds of Hungarians welcomed His Holiness the Dalai Lama in front of the hotel. The security arrangements for the visit were very tight.
On arrival at the hotel, His Holiness told a Hungarian TV station that he remembered the October 1956 Hungarian revolution while he was still in Tibet. He said he admired the spirit of freedom and felt in solidarity with those Hungarians.
Tomorrow His Holiness the Dalai Lama will give teachings on An Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism with special emphasis on Eight Verses of Training the Mind written by the eleventh-century Tibetan master Langri Thangpa. This is one of the most important texts from a genre of Tibetan spiritual writings known as the lo-jong, literally meaning ‘transforming the mind’.
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His Holiness the Dalai Lama is greeted in traditional fashion on his arrival at his hotel in Budapest Photo/Gáti Kornél
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These famous verses deal with the practices associated with cultivating the method aspect of the path such as compassion, altruism, aspiration to attain Buddhahood, and so on. The eight verses deal with the practices that are directed towards cultivating the wisdom aspect of the path.
The 22,400 tickets for the two days teaching have been completely sold out with another 14,000 people from 74 countries having registered to watch the teaching live on the internet.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama will address the invited Members of the Parliament and other guests at the Upper House of the Hungarian Parliament on September 20. The Tibetan leader will also address the faculty and students of Central European University on the same day.
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Mongolians living in Hungary holding traditional ceremonial scarves wait to receive His Holiness the Dalai Lama on his arrival in Budapest. Photo/Gáti Kornél
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Hungary's connection with Tibet dates back to about 200 years with Hungarian scholar and pioneer of Tibetology Alexander Csoma de Kőrös bringing out the first Tibetan-English dictionary in 1824.
This is His Holiness’ seventh visit to the country with the first one being in 1982. His Holiness will leave for Passau, Germany on September 21.
