Melbourne, Australia, 10 June 2011 (By Tsering
Kyinzom Dhongdue) - His Holiness the Dalai Lama inaugurated Quang Minh
Temple of the Vietnamese Buddhist community in Melbourne’s Braybrook
suburb this morning.
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| Vietnamese Buddhists welcome His
Holiness at Quang Minh Temple in Melbourne, Australia, on 10 June 2011.
Photo/Kunchok Gyaltsen/DLIAL |
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.
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A young girl at the youth rally
asking His Holiness the Dalai Lama a question in Melbourne, Australia,
on 10 June 2011. Photo/Kunchok Gyaltsen/DLIAL
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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 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.
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His Holiness the Dalai Lama with
Greens Leader Senator Bob Brown, his old friend and Tibet supporter in
Melbourne, Australia, on 10 June 2011. Photo/Rusty Stewart/DLIAL
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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.
