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Dalai Lama to be awarded highest US civilian honour

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Press Trust of India

Washington, May 27, 2006

The US Senate has passed a resolution to award the Congressional Gold

Medal - the country's highest civilian honour - to Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th

Dalai Lama, in recognition of his "enduring and outstanding contributions to

peace, non violence and human rights".

The Senate passed the resolution prior to adjourning for a week long recess.

A similar legislation has been enacted by the House of Representatives. The

Senate legislation introduced by Senator Diane Feinstein of California had

the backing of 75 Democrats and Republicans as co-sponsors.

"The Dalai Lama has struggled for half a century to better the lives of the

Tibetan people - armed only with his compassion, courage and conviction. In

doing so, he has been a shining light to all those fighting for freedom

around the world, " Senator Feinstein remarked as the Senate Banking

Committee recently approved the Gold Medal Act.

"I cannot say how much it means to me that three quarters of the Senate have

put the daily battles aside to come together to say that this man deserves

our nation's highest civilian honour -- the Congressional Gold Medal" he

added.

Past recipients of the Gold Medal include Pope John Paul II, Mother Teresa,

and Nobel Peace Laureates Elie Wiesel and Nelson Mandela.

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Dalai Lama says he does not want separation from China

IRNA, May 31, 2006

Brussels, Belgium -- The Tibetan spiritual leader, Dalai Lama, said Wednesday that he was only seeking autonomy for Tibet and not separation from China.

"We are not seeking separation," he told a press conference at the European Parliament in Brussels after meeting European
Parliamentarians.

But he demanded autonomy for Tibet to preserve an 'ancient culture and an anchoring of the Buddhist tradition'.

The Dalai Lama is currently on a week-long visit to Belgium to speak on Buddhist spiritual values.

He stressed on the importance of religious harmony for the well-being of a society but also lamented the violence caused in the name of religion.

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Tutu urges China to give Tibet "rightful autonomy"

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By Jeff Mason

BRUSSELS, Thu Jun 1, 2006 (Reuters) - Nobel Laureate Desmond Tutu called on

China on Thursday to grant Tibet its "rightful autonomy" after years of rule

by Beijing.

Tutu said China was an emerging "potential" superpower and urged it to be a

"superpower of morality".

"I want to call on the president and the government of China: please do the

right thing," he said at a ceremony in Brussels, where he received an award

from the Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader.

Tutu won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his peaceful opposition to white

rule in South Africa.

"His holiness (the Dalai Lama) and the people of Tibet are on the winning

side. One day ... they will be free," he said.

The former Anglican archbishop jokingly asked the crowd whether they thought

God regretted that the Dalai Lama was not a Christian.

"I give great thanks to God for having created a Dalai Lama," Tutu said.

"You see, God is not a Christian."

Tutu drew laughs for his description of the modest Tibetan leader as boyish

and mischievous.

"I have to warn him: shhh! Try to behave yourself," he said. "I have to try

to make him behave properly like a holy man."

The Dalai Lama thanked Tutu for his backing. "The way he has expressed his

support is something that is very important for us and it gave us some

courage," he said.

Communist troops invaded Tibet in 1950 to cement Chinese rule, and the Dalai

Lama fled nine years later after a failed uprising. Beijing considers him a

traitor.

"Tibet continues to face a very difficult situation indeed," he said.

The Dalai Lama presented the "Light of Truth" award from the International

Campaign for Tibet to Tutu and the Herge Foundation, which honours Georges

Remi, the creator of Belgian comic book character Tintin.

The book "Tintin in Tibet" had made it possible for many people to learn

about his country, the Dalai Lama said.

While in Brussels the Dalai Lama updated European Union lawmakers and

Belgian ministers on secret negotiations between Tibet's

government-in-exile, based in the Indian hill town of Dharamsala, and China.

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Dalai Lama Quote of the Week

Now, as [in the past], the concept of a transcendent god as creator has a powerful and inspiring impact on the lives of those who believe in it. The sense that their entire destiny lies in the hands of an all-powerful, omniscient and compassionate being leads them to try to understand the workings and key message of this transcendent being. Then, when they come to realise that this transcendent being embodies love and infinite compassion, they try to cultivate love and compassion towards their fellow beings as the qualities through which to express love for their creator. They also gain confidence and inspiration through a sense of intimacy or connectedness to this loving, transcendent being.

Although, metaphysically speaking, Buddhists reject any notion of a transcendent creator or god, some individual Buddhists do relate to certain higher beings, such as the goddess Tara, as an independent and real being with power over their destiny. For these practitioners Tara is their sole refuge, their greatest object of veneration and their trusted guardian and protector. What this suggests is that the inclination to seek refuge in an external source is something deeply natural for us as human beings.

But it is also clear that for other people the metaphysical concept of a transcendent being is unacceptable. Questions form in their minds, such as: who created the creator--in other words--where does the transcendent being come from? And how can we posit a true beginning? People with this type of mental disposition look elsewhere for explanations.

--from Lighting the Way by The Dalai Lama, translated by Geshe Thupten Jinpa, published by Snow Lion Publications

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Chenrezig Empowerment

3-Day Om Mani Padme Hung Retreat

Led by His Holiness Kyabje Trulshik Rinpoche

( English & Chinese translation Provided)

** Chenrezig Empowerment **

Date:

8th June 2006

(Thur)

7pm - 9pm

** 3-Day Om Mani Padme Hung Retreat **

Date:

9th?1th June 2006

(Fri - Sun)

9.30am - 9pm

Venue:

Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery

Ven. Hong Choon Memorial Hall, 4th Floor

Registration:

Registration is required for full-timers participants

taking up the Chenrezig Empowerment and the full 3-day retreat.

For part-timers, you are welcome to attend at least a session of the retreat.

To register:

?/FONT> Reception, Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery
88 Bright Hill Road, Singapore 574117

?Awareness Place
#01-63, Bras Basah Complex

?nbsp;thru internet www.kmspks.org

Admission is free.

Light meals & Night Transport to Ang Mo Kio MRT station will be provided.

For further enquiries

6849 5300

Jointly organized by

Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery

Dzarong Thubten Donga Choling

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ABOUT His Holiness KYABJE TRULSHIK RINPOCHE

His Holiness Kyabje Trulshik Rinpoche, who is 83 years of age, is regarded as one of the most learned and respected living masters of the Nyingma tradition in Tibetan Buddhism. He is one of the main Teachers to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, to whom he regularly imparts rare teachings and transmissions and has also ordained many thousands of monastic followers throughout Tibet.

He was also a very close disciple of Extraordinary Master, the late Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche and the late Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. As the closest and most realized disciple of the latter, Kyabje Trulshik Rinpoche became the spiritual heir and eventual holder of his visionary teachings and transmissions.

For many years, His Holiness Kyabje Trulshik Rinpoche has been actively teaching Dharma in several western countries including the United States of America, France, Switzerland, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Despite his tight schedules to fulfill his duties as a spiritual guide for all beings without exception, Kyabje Rinpoche commits himself to regular solitary retreats, hidden in the Himalayan Mountains. Kyabje Rinpoche spends 9 months of a year in solitary retreats, continuously praying for world peace and harmony and also for the happiness of all sentient beings.

H.H. Trulshik Rinpoche giving empowerment to H.H. Dalai Lama

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Chenrezig Empowerment

Kyabje Trulshik Rinpoche has kindly agreed to endow the Empowerment of Chenrezig (Avalokiteshvara), known as ¡°Jowo Thukje Chenpo - A Beacon to Dispel the Gloom? This is one Teaching which is very much encouraged by Kyabje Rinpoche, as it was a Terma Teaching revealed by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, and it is specially connected to sentient beings in this degenerated age.

3-Day Om Mani Padme Hung Retreat

Kyabje Trulshik Rinpoche will give commentary on the practice of Chenrezig and host the group practice for the recitation of the Mantra of Great Compassion - Om Mani Padme Hung.

The 3-day Teaching and Practice Sessions will show the participants how to transform their mind through the Buddhist method of mind training and cultivation, so that they will experience peace, love and wisdom in a practical way.