London May 10 – Five years ago, The Tibetan Peace Garden, the only Tibetan monument built in the heart of London, was officially opened by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. This year marks the fifth anniversary of the Tibetan Peace Garden. The visiting monks from Tashi Lhunpo monastery together with musicians and artistes of the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA) from India are taking part in the anniversary.
The Tibetan Peace Garden, appositely situated in the grounds of the Imperial War Museum, carries a message from His Holiness the Dalai Lama. His message is inscribed on a stone pillar in four different languages – Tibetan, English, Chinese and Hindi.
The message reads “We humans are passing through a crucial period in our development. Conflict and mistrust have plagued the past century, which have brought immeasurable human suffering and environmental destruction. It is in the interests of all of us on this planet that we make a joint effort to turn the next century into an era of peace and harmony. May this Peace Garden become a monument to the courage of the Tibetan people and their commitment to peace. May it remain as a symbol to remind us that human survival depends on living in harmony and on always choosing the path of non-violence in resolving our differences”.
Commissioned by the Tibet Foundation, the Tibetan Peace Garden honours one of the principal teachings of His Holiness – the need to create understanding between different cultures and to establish places of peace and harmony in the world.
With this unique Tibetan landmark, we hope to create a deeper awareness of the Tibetan spiritual leader’s thoughts and words. The Garden is intended in some small way to embody the Zones of Peace, which he has imagined around the world.
Since its inception in 1985, Tibet Foundation, a UK registered charity (no. 292400) has been working towards creating a greater awareness of Tibetan culture and understanding of Buddhism and to help Tibetans through education, healthcare and development projects in India, Nepal and Tibet. The Foundation is also helping the Mongolian people in Mongolia to revive their Buddhist tradition.
The Tashi Lhunpo Monks and artistes from the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts will be giving anniversary concerts on the evenings of 12th and 20th May, respectively. The monks will perform Sacred Music and Dance whilst folk artistes present traditional Tibetan songs, dance and music in their colourful costumes. The concerts will be held at the Conway Hall.
For further information about their performances and the work of Tibet Foundation, please contact Tsering Passang on +44 (0)207 930 6001 or visit www.tibet-foundation.org.
