H.H. the Dalai Lama Inaugurates the Third Peace Jam Conference
Published: Tuesday, 11 April, 2006
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| His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Betty Williams |
Dharamsala, 5 April 2006 (Tibet.net)
- His Holiness the Dalai Lama inaugurated the third Tibetan Children
Village (TCV) students Peace Jam conference this morning at the TCV
hall.
According to a Peace Jam mission statement "Peace Jam is
an international youth outreach programme built around 12 Nobel peace
laureates who work personally with youth to pass on the spirit, skills
and wisdom they embody."
"The goal of Peace Jam is to inspire a
new generation of peacemakers who will transform their local
communities, themselves, and the world."
The Nobel laureate
Betty Williams was the guest of honour at this conference. Betty
Williams received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1976 for her work against
violence between Roman Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland.
She shared the Nobel Peace Prize with fellow Northern Ireland peace
activist Mairead Corrigan.
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| TCV students and staff |
In
his inaugural address, His Holiness the Dalai Lama appreciated and
thanked the peace jam coordinators for organising the peace education
for youth. He urged them to conduct such a move in communities having
problems and help to find a community-based solution to the problems of
violence.
His Holiness said that every human being needs
happiness and want to get rid of sufferings. For this we should not
exploit others. Instead we have to develop a sense of love, compassion,
empathy, forgiveness, and tolerance for others. Through this we can
maintain peace within our community and ourselves.
His Holiness
said that we do not have to learn or invent compassionate feeling. It
is within us from our birth. We have to develop that emotion, feeling
and a sense of brotherhood.
Though they are many problems caused
by natural disasters in this world but most of the problems in this
world are man-made. We are capable and blessed with thinking power. If
we use our thinking power in a positive way then we can of course find
a solution to reduce natural disasters, His Holiness said.
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| Peace Jam coordinator |
"The
Compassionate feeling, love, and tolerance contribute to making a human
being healthy, balanced and it will also enable us to sleep soundly.
And it is a secular ethics," His Holiness said.
His Holiness said that the solution to all the community-based problems have to be solved peacefully through dialogue.
After His Holiness' address, Betty Williams gave the keynote address and opened the floor for question-and-answer.
Present
at the opening ceremony were president and co-president of the Peace
Jam conference, students and staff of the TCV. The peace jam conference
will close tomorrow.
