Reykjavik, 1 June: Over a thousand Icelanders listened to the Dalai Lama’s lecture at Hallgrimskirkja, a prominent church in Reykjavik, Iceland, where the Tibetan leader is paying a visit for the first time.
The 1989 Nobel peace prizewinner is in Iceland on the invitation of the Bishop of Iceland, His Grace Karl Sigurbjornsson, to address a special inter-faith gathering “peace and prayer”. This public inter-faith event was attended among others by representatives of various faiths.
Welcoming the Tibetan leader, Bishop Sigurbjornsson lauded the Dalai Lama’s peace initiatives and promotion of religious harmony in the world.
“The suffering of your people and country, Tibet, from which you had to flee fifty years ago, has touched a deep cord in our hearts. We Icelanders are a small nation cherishing our freedom and we can identify with the pain of oppression. In a world of escalating violence, hate and retaliation your witness to the way of peace, compassion and reconciliation has been beacon for us all,” the Bishop said.
The Bishop further said that they wanted to pay their respect and gratitude to His Holiness for “your work for understanding, tolerance and love between peoples, nations and religions”, adding, “That is a message our world needs to hear and take to heart.”
Speaking on the occasion, His Holiness said he was pleased that his first visit to Iceland had an inter-faith event that was in tune with one of his three commitments; promoting inter-religious harmony.
“Only through cultivation of inner peace can we attain lasting and long-term peace in the world. All the religions and faith have the same potential to promote peace,” His Holiness said, adding that “Religion must be the method to solve problems and not create problems”.
Iceland is a small country inhabited by only 300,000 people and the country is reeling under a major economic crisis. Many in Iceland believe that His Holiness’ visit could not have come at a better time to give a sense of hope and wisdom to the that money alone cannot bring about happiness. “It is apparently with this in mind that the organizers of His Holiness’ public talk tomorrow has suggested “Compassion, Value and Happiness” as the topic for the public talk,” said the Office of Tibet, which is coordinating the visit.
Earlier in the morning, His Holiness met with the Ambassador of India and members of the visit Organising Committee and volunteers. He also gave an interview to Iceland’s oldest newspaper Morgunbladid and addressed a “meeting with the press” where he answered questions ranging from the Tibet issue to his impression about Iceland, which he said, enjoyed a clear blue sky like Tibet which he fled fifty years ago after Chinese invasion.
His Holiness will visit the Parliament of Iceland at the invitation of the Parliament’s Speaker, Mrs. Asta Ragnheidur, to address members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. He will also be visiting the University of Iceland to participate in an educational seminar with top academics especially in the field of philosophy and religious studies. He will also meet Iceland’s Minister of Environment and Minister of Health.
“The fact that government ministers and other political leaders are approaching us for meeting with His Holiness clearly show their regard for the warm public mood and positive response to His Holiness’ visit to Iceland”, Tsering Tashi, the London-based Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who is part of the entourage, said.
based on a report by Office of Tibet
