The exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader spoke at a human rights foundation’s awards ceremony honoring a foundation that fights torture. He said he enjoyed a U.S. tour that began in San Francisco on Sept. 5 and took him to Washington, D.C., Bloomington, Ind., and Boston. He last came to this country in 1999.
“I’m leaving with a feeling of some contribution regarding peace of mind, I think,” he told an audience of more than 300 at the Hilton Hotel Wednesday.
The Dalai Lama spoke at a ceremony awarding the $1 million Hilton Humanitarian Prize to the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims. The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation recognized the Denmark-based foundation for establishing support centers for torture victims and creating a database to document torture worldwide.
The Dalai Lama called such work “a spiritual act of compassion and loving kindness.” He said that compassion, not violence, should always be the response to the suffering of humans at the hands of others.
The exiled leader offered final wishes for his audience: “Peace. Happy life. Happiness so much depends on our own way of thinking.”
The Dalai Lama fled Tibet for India in 1959 after a revolt against Chinese rule failed. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for nonviolent resistance to Chinese rule.
He seeks greater autonomy for Tibetans while keeping the region part of China. Beijing demands he publicly renounce any claim to Tibet’s independence, and says he is welcome back as a religious leader but may have no political role.
