Friday, May 24, 2013

His Holiness was in Washington D.C. on the invitation of the University of Maryland. Sensing his interest in meeting the Muslims of America, the Marist College of New York and Washington based Institute for Gilgit Baltistan Studies co-hosted a lecture on inter-faith harmony on May 7, 2013 which was addressed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The participants belonged to different interfaith NGOs situated in Washington D.C. We also ensured that all sects of Islam, like Shias, Sunnis, Sufis, Alevis, Ahmadis and Ismailies were represented in that room. His Holiness spent forty-five minutes with us. Afterwards, he moved to the auditorium to address the audience on Islamic Sufism and Buddhism. Our dear friend Lobsang Chophel introduced the group members to His Holiness before the lecture. His Holiness spoke about promoting humanity and showed concern about the growing gap between the rich and the poor. He stressed on having compassion for people of other faiths. He called himself a son of India because India nourishes his body and mind through the food he consumes and the knowledge he receives from the Nalanda scriptures.On behalf of our group and Marist College, John Thomas Pinna presented a framed picture and a DVD movie which would remind His Holiness of the times when Tibet was still a free country. The DVD was produced by a broadcaster, journalist and photographer, Lowell Thomas, who had visited Tibet before the Chinese occupation and filmed his meeting with His Holiness in Lhasa. His Holiness liked the gift very much and desired to meet our group again. In the end, John Pinna thanked HH Dalai Lama for his presence.