Dalai Lama attracts
audience of 10,000
August - September 2007
NZPA via Yahoo!Xtra News June 17, 2006
The Dalai Lama has praised New Zealand's nuclear-free policy, saying the actions of a small country had made a big contribution to humanity and the world.
The Dalai Lama made the comments to a sold-out audience of 10,000 people at Auckland's Vector Arena this afternoon.
Speaking on compassion, humanity and spirituality, the Dalai Lama received a standing ovation as he arrived on stage before speaking for 1-1/2 hours.
The Dalai Lama's visit to New Zealand has been surrounded by controversy over whether Prime Minister Helen Clark should officially meet him when he travels to Wellington this week.
It is a diplomatically sensitive issue because China objects when any government representative meets the exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader.Click here to find out more!
Miss Clark met the Dalai Lama "by chance" at Brisbane Airport on Thursday but has said she does not plan to catch up again when he visits Wellington.
Miss Clark confirmed she had a 10-minute discussion on non-political issues with the spiritual leader in an airport lounge before they boarded the same flight from Brisbane to Sydney.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has said he intends to meet with the Dalai Lama on Tuesday, in his capacity as leader of New Zealand First.
The Dalai Lama today made it clear that when it came to politics, he supported left-wing parties, a comment which drew strong applause from the audience.
People needed to pay attention to their inner-self and promote unbiased love and compassion, he said.
"Everyone has the right to achieve a happy life, a successful life."
Money and materialism had its limitations and could not make people happy by itself, he said.
Speaking with the occasional help of an interpreter, who prompted him with words and phrases when the Dalai Lama became tongue-tied, the audience clearly revelled in his sense of humour and directness.
Auckland city mayor Dick Hubbard, who introduced the Dalai Lama, was told to "sit down" on a sofa on the stage and was singled out on several occasions by the Dalai Lama, much to the audiences delight.
At the end of his talk, the Dalai Lama abruptly looked at his watch and said "I think that's all".
Several questions were taken from the audience, who wanted advice on matters ranging from how to teach good values to children to whether it was wrong to talk about a work colleague who was doing a bad job.
When asked what made him happy the Dalai Lama said "nine hours sleep".
The biggest response from the audience was when the Dalai Lama praised New Zealand's nuclear-free policy, calling the late David Lange "marvellous" for his courage in the face of international pressure.
The Dalai Lama
speaks in Auckland tomorrow before travelling to Wellington.