Canada
makes Dalai Lama a citizen
10 September 2006
VANCOUVER - Canada’s minister of citizenship
and immigration personally
presented the Dalai Lama with Canadian citizenship Saturday
in this western
Canadian city.
Monte Solberg presented a framed certificate to the smiling
Dalai Lama
before a cheering crowd of 12,000 who came to hear the Tibetan
Buddhist
leader and Nobel peace laureate speak on ”Cultivating Happiness.”
“You are a leading champion of human dignity,
and we recognize the qualities
which make you a Nobel Peace Prize recipient,” said Solberg.
“The values you
preach, of peace, kindness, and the values of humanitarian
kindness, are
values that we aspire to.”
Canadian Parliamentarians unanimously voted
in June to bestow honorary
Canadian citizenship on the Dalai Lama. Only two other foreigners,
humanitarian leader Nelson Mandela of South Africa and diplomat
Raoul
Wallenberg of Sweden, have received that honour.
China, which calls the Dalai Lama a dangerous
“splittist” and alleges that
he is working toward Tibet’s independence from the People’s
Republic of
China, strongly objected to Canada’s move.
On July 27, the Chinese foreign ministry issued
a statement calling Canada’s
decision to honor the spiritual leader with citizenship
“absurd.”
“It is clear what kind of person the Dalai
Lama is,” said that statement.
“It is absurd to bestow an honorary title on him.”
The Dalai Lama, 71, fled Tibet in 1959, when
China took over the region
known as “the roof of the world.” He has since lived in
exile in Dharamsala,
India.
The Dalai Lama visited this Canadian city
for four days of public dialogues
with youth, scientists and the public, to promote the international
Dalai
Lama Center for Peace and Education, which is scheduled
to open in 2009.
Solberg called the decision to locate the
peace centre in Vancouver “a
testament to Vancouver, which with its successful blending
on western and
eastern cultures is leading the way for Canada and the rest
of the world.”
“We know we will be held to a much higher
standard, your Holiness, and we
will reflect your message of kindness,” said Solberg.
The Dalai Lama appeared weary after spending
two days on stage in dialogues
about education, compassion and mental health with teenage
students,
international scientists and public leaders.
Nevertheless he gave an animated talk for
75 minutes about happiness.
“Deep inside, deep down, I know you,” said
the Dalai Lama. All humans feel
the same emotions and desires, he said, and differences
are mostly
artificial.
“People make a distinction, between eastern
or western, this race or that,
between Christians, Muslims, Hindus,” he said. “But mentally,
emotionally,
physically we are the same.”
“Everyone has the right to have a happy life,
a happy future, a possible
future.”
In response to a question about how to promote
world peace, the Dalai Lama
said parents should “bring up your children to have compassion,”
because
world peace will follow from individual inner peace that
fosters family
peace, community peace and eventually world peace.”
The audience in the packed arena gave the
Dalai Lama a standing ovation at
the end.
Before the even began, there was an
unexplained delay of about 15 minutes.
While waiting, the Vancouver crowd spontaneously broke into
singing the
national anthem, “O Canada.”
AFP
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