The Hindu : Dalai Lama's move to promote peace

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 15, 2003

International

International

Dalai Lama's move to promote peace

By Vaiju Naravane

Paris Oct. 14. It was a sold-out event. Over 12,000 fee-paying people — devotees, admirers, spiritual seekers or just plain curious — crowded the Bercy stadium in Paris for a week-long study seminar with the Dalai Lama, the Tibetans' spiritual head.

Buddhism is the fastest growing religion in France. It is estimated that over 5 million French persons have either converted to Buddhism or are attracted by its tenets. The ever-smiling, charismatic personality of the Dalai Lama is not foreign to this upsurge in popularity. Buddhism has now become France's fourth most-practised religion, behind Catholicism, Islam and Judaism.

At a press conference in Paris on Monday, the Dalai Lama called for the establishment of a group of "people of goodwill" to help promote peace in Iraq. Speaking to reporters here, he said he planned to discuss the initiative with the former Czech president, Vaclav Havel, on a visit to Prague next week.

The group, which would be made up of scientists, intellectuals, philosophers or religious personalities, could go to Iraq "to look for and propose a solution", he said.

He said a similar initiative could be organised for resolving the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians.

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