Renowned Hollywood star and chair of the International Campaign for Tibet, Richard Gere, who is in Dharamshala for the 90th birthday celebration of the 14th Dalai Lama, on Thursday, said extraordinary culture of Tibet does not just belong to Tibet anymore but it belongs to the world and it is a jewel.
Richard Gere, who is the best-known supporter of the Dalai Lama and his people, addressed the inauguralsession of international Tibet Youth Forum in Dharamshala.
“The maturity of Tibetan culture that has evolved over these last almost 1,500 years, is a huge responsibility and it is not for the faint of heart, it is for lions and tigers. It’s not for a refugee community, it is for successful people who have the same motivation as His Holiness the Dalai Lama for all sentient beings. That’s the beauty of this culture,” Gere said.
Addressing around 100 Tibetan youngsters from 15 countries, Gere, who has vigorously advocated for human rights of the Tibetan people and the preservation of Tibetan culture, said, “In many ways this Tibetan culture is the jewel and the lotus flower of this planet. I want to see this jewel emerge everywhere. The lessons that you have all learned in this culture: how to live together? How to embrace each other? This is way beyond politics. It is way beyond nationhood. It is universal and even beyond the concepts of something like ‘universal’. No centre and no boundaries. The essence of what you are standing for and bringing it into the world. Now, as incredible messengers of that is a huge responsibility.”
“Someone asked me recently, what are you going to feel like on your deathbed? I said, I am not going to be thinking about movies for sure. I really would like my kids to be proud of me that I have done something meaningful in the world. The conduit of me doing something meaningful in the world has really been through His Holiness Dalai Lama, through the Tibetan cause and through the visionary possibilities of Tibetan culture,” Gere said.
{{/usCountry}}“Someone asked me recently, what are you going to feel like on your deathbed? I said, I am not going to be thinking about movies for sure. I really would like my kids to be proud of me that I have done something meaningful in the world. The conduit of me doing something meaningful in the world has really been through His Holiness Dalai Lama, through the Tibetan cause and through the visionary possibilities of Tibetan culture,” Gere said.
{{/usCountry}}The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the 14th Dalai Lama, on Wednesday reaffirmed that the 600-year-old institution of the Dalai Lama will continue and announced that the Gaden Phodrang Trust would decide on his successor.