TORONTO – A crowd of about 600 supporters, many dressed in traditional Tibetan dress, greeted the Dalai Lama with songs and dancing when he arrived in Toronto Saturday afternoon. He’s expected to speak to 5,000 faithful at the city’s Sky Dome Sunday.
The Dalai Lama is expected to confer the Kalachakra Initiation for World Peace. The ceremony “is the largest Buddhist ritual and initiation regularly conferred by His Holiness the Dalai Lama,” the Canadian Tibetan Association of Toronto says.
“It is traditionally given to large groups of people assembled from around the world and is considered a special blessing for those who participate and for the environment in which it is given.”
He will also give a public talk Sunday afternoon.
Before coming to Toronto, the Dalai Lama addressed a sold-out talk in Ottawa Saturday afternoon where 10,000 people heard him speak about “Living Peace.”
His themes were more spiritual than political, and the tone was often humourous.
Also present at the Ottawa Civic Centre was singer Alanis Morissette who performed and introduced the Dalai Lama as a man of “vision, warmth, humour and grace.”
On Friday, he met Prime Minister Paul Martin for an hour. The two men talked about human rights, in general and in Tibet, said Martin.
