Dalai Lama advocates democracy, freedom for the world: Sri Lankan professor

Colombo [Sri Lanka], July 28 : The Dalai Lama, one of the most admired spiritual leaders, is an icon who advocates democracy and freedom not only for his country but also for the world, a Sri Lanka-based professor said.
On the 87th birthday of the spiritual leader, Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka's Ven Prof Lenagala Sirinivasa said that the Dalai Lama is a role model to everyone who wants to see a positive difference in the world, Daily Mirror reported.
The Dalai Lama relinquished his role as the spiritual leader of more than 7 million Tibetan Buddhists because of the Chinese aggression and has lived in exile for 60 years, he said.
Sirinivasa also said that the Dalai Lama has inimitable characteristics of a divine presence on earth such as not losing composure, a sense of humour, altruistic tendencies, simple childlike nature and relentless hard work to achieve global and national commitments.
His achievements over his exile would need many pages to record, he added.
During the recent events conducted by the Dalai Lama over the years, many people have witnessed his simple childlike nature, capacity to laugh aloud without any trace of concern or worry while engaged in grave global issues and threats, his unreserved pure, willful, sacrificial love that intentionally desires another's highest good and his equilibrium and blissfulness at all occasions, the publication said quoting Sirinivasa.
He mentioned that the simplistic nature of Dalai Lama was evident during his address at a symposium at the Cambridge Union, and added that his outlook on fellow human beings and his approaches to the contemporary world is visible in his lectures and discourses in world capitals.
Even during extreme aggression, Dalai Lama advocated policies of non-violence, the professor said adding that the spiritual leader has received more than 84 awards, honorary doctorates, and prizes since 1959 for his messages of peace, non-violence, inter-religious understanding, universal responsibility and compassion.
Spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has three main commitments in his life. The first includes promoting human values such as compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, contentment and self-discipline, the publication reported citing Sirinivasa.
The second includes promoting religious harmony and understanding among the world's major religious traditions, he added.
The Sri Lankan professor added that the third commitment of the Dalai Lama, who is a Tibetan, is to preserve Tibet's Buddhist culture as a culture of peace and non-violence and protect the natural environment of Tibet.
Sirinivasa also said the Dalai Lama believes ancient Indian understanding of the workings of the mind and emotions, as well as mental training such as meditation, are of great relevance today and can be combined with modern education.