Perth, Australia, 18 June 2011 (By Tsering Kyinzom
Dhongdue) - His Holiness touched down in Perth this afternoon for the
final leg of his Australian tour. After a five-hour flight from
Brisbane, His Holiness headed straight to Freemantle Town Hall for a
public reception hosted by Senator Scott Ludlam, Member of Parliament
Melissa Parke and Mayor Brad Petitt.
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His Holiness the Dalai Lama arriving in Perth, Australia, on 18 June, 2011. Photo/Rusty Stewart/DLIAL
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His Holiness shared his three main commitments in
life to an intimate, packed audience. He also talked about his interest
in studying the relationship between Buddhist science and modern science
and said Tibetan monasteries have institutionalised science education
in the last few years. A local Aboriginal dancer and activist welcomed
him with a traditional song with his didgeridoo. Moved by his
performance, His Holiness spoke for equality and human rights for the
indigenous people in this country.
Senator Ludlam and Ms Parke are members of the
All-Party Parliamentary Group for Tibet and have visited Dharamsala as
part of the first Australian parliamentary delegation in 2009. Both the
parliamentarians have since taken great interest in promoting the Tibet
issue both inside and outside the Australian parliament. The proceeds
from the event have gone towards supporting the work of Tibetan
Children's Village in Dharamsala.
Two weeks before His Holiness' visit to Perth, the Chinese
consulate-general has reportedly put pressure on state members of
parliament not to meet the Dalai Lama. In his media release, Senator
Ludlam said, “As strange as it may seem that the Chinese government is
terrified of a 76 year-old Buddhist monk, this is not the first time
they’ve tried this tactic. It would be useful for them to explain why
they are urging democratically elected members of Parliament to not hear
His Holiness speak.”
Tomorrow will be His Holiness’ last day in Australia. He will speak to over 11000 people on “Spirituality in the Modern World”
