HH the Dalai Receives Warsaw University Medal for Promoting Peace and Ethic
Published: Thursday, 30 July, 2009
Warsaw, Poland, 28 July 2009 (Office of Tibet, London) - His Holiness the Dalai Lama's first public engagement for this current visit to
Poland took place this morning with a talk at the University of Warsaw on "Value
of Education & Universal Responsibility". The university's new
and modern hall was packed with its members of staff, students and invited
guests and more than 100 members of the public watched His Holiness' talk on
live television feed in a separate room.
Prior
to the public talk, His Holiness was welcomed by the University Rector, Prof
Katarzyna Chalasinska-Macukow who thanked the Tibetan Nobel Peace Laureate for
accepting their invitation to visit and address the university students, staff
and the general public.
His
Holiness in his talk said that the real purpose of education is to lead a
meaningful and happy life and that this should permeate within the family,
society and ultimately to the whole of humanity. His Holiness also
spoke about the importance of moral values and said that a compassionate person
was found to be happier and had a healthy state of mind.
The
Tibetan spiritual and temporal leader also stressed that education with
warm-heartedness brought inner strength, self-confidence and that such a person
was able to deal with other people much more openly and truthfully. He said basically we are all same human beings who want happiness and do
not want suffering. Differences based on
nationalities and race was not that important because even at an individual and
family level we have many differences and way of
thinking.
His
Holiness said that so long as human beings remain there are bound to be
differences and this is why he believes in the importance of Universal
Responsibility for the larger well being of the humanity as a whole. His Holiness said the best way to overcome differences is through
dialogue and understanding the view point of the other person.
The
Tibetan leader later answered questions from the audience ranging from the
current global economic crisis to the recent demonstrations in Eastern Turkestan
and how young student journalists can help highlight the issue of Tibet.
His Holiness expressed his appreciation for the Polish people for their
good motivation to help and support Tibet and asked the Polish people to visit
Tibet to find out whether the official Chinese statements of the Tibetans inside
Tibet enjoying a happy life was true or not.
The
public talk event concluded with the University's Rector presenting His Holiness
with the Medal of the University and citation that said that the Medal of the
University was being conferred to His Holiness "in recognition of His Holiness'
great contribution to education for peace and ethics based on love and
compassion and for being a great moral inspiration to the world
community."
In the
afternoon, His Holiness the Dalai Lama visited the Warsaw Rising Museum where
the Director of the Museum Mr Jan Odakowski showed His Holiness around the
exhibition which recounts the story of the Warsaw rising of 1944 against
occupation. His Holiness' presence at the Museum drew a large contingent of
Polish media and many members of the public. Following the tour, His Holiness
signed the Museum's visitor book and also answered a few questions from the
assembled media.
His
Holiness said the visit to the museum was moving and showed how much sacrifice
the people of Poland had to make to regain their freedom and
independence. He said he admired their determination of the Polish
people and their sense of solidarity with other oppressed people in the world,
including the Tibetans.
His
Holiness later in the afternoon opened Ven Dr Tenzin Jangchub's Tibetan Herbal
Health Clinic Co Ltd, the first such clinic in Warsaw in the presence of some
Polish medical figures and invited guests. This was followed by an impromptu visit to the Church of St Stanislaw Kostka at the
invitation of Father Czelaw Banaszkiewicz. Upon arriving at the church, His
Holiness laid a khatak at the tomb of Father Jerzy Popieluszko who is revered in
Poland for his sermon's calling for the country's freedom during its Communist
era and who was murdered by Communist's security agents in
1984.
The
Tibetan Nobel Peace Laureate earlier attended an official lunch hosted by the
Mayor of Warsaw, Ms Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz and the Chairwoman of the Warsaw
City Council Ms Ewa Malinowska-Grupinska. Tomorrow His Holiness will be awarded
the honorary citizenship of Warsaw at a function in the Royal Castle that is to
be also attended by the former Polish President and Nobel Peace Laureate Mr.
Lech Walesa.
Throughout
the day's engagements, His Holiness spoke of the respect which he held the
Polish people for the strength and determination that they have shown in their
struggle for freedom and in establishing democracy following a long period of
authoritarian Communist rule. Where ever His Holiness went there was a large
outpouring of support and
respect towards His Holiness from the Polish public. The media too followed His
Holiness at all these events.
