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India Dalai Lama Gives £1.1m Templeton Prize Money To Charity

Jan 6, 2005
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3,762
Metro-Vancouver, B.C., Canada
BBC, UK News - 14 May 2012 Last updated at 08:24 ET

Dalai Lama gives £1.1m Templeton Prize money to charity

Prize givers said the Dalai Lama "offers a universal voice of compassion"

The Dalai Lama has said he will give away to charity £1.1m in prize money being awarded to him.

The Tibetan spiritual leader is receiving the annual Templeton Prize in London for exceptional contribution to "affirming life's spiritual dimension".

About £900,000 will go to Save the Children in India, with £125,000 set aside for The Minds and Life Institute.

Money will also go towards a fund to educate Tibetan monks about science.

The 76-year-old is being awarded the prize for encouraging "serious scientific investigative reviews of the power of compassion", and its potential to address world problems.

The John Templeton Foundation said he was chosen for exploring these issues - which are key themes of his teachings - with people beyond his own religious traditions.

A service will be held at St Paul's Cathedral in London between 13:30 and 16:00 BST to mark the occasion.

A million pounds is a big donation, even for an organisation of the size of Save the Children. The charity's chief executive Justin Forsyth said it would go a long way in India, where £100 will train a health worker, and another £100 employ him or her for a year.

But what makes the gift even more valuable for a charity competing for donor money is that it comes from the Dalai Lama. It represents recognition from a religious superstar.

The Dalai Lama - the man regarded as an "enlightened being" by millions of Buddhists - has the bearing and presence of a holy man, and a diffident charm to go with it.

Now freed of his political leadership of the Tibetan government in exile, his status as "conscience" for the international community has, if anything, been enhanced.

The Dalai Lama said his generation was now placing its hope in future generations, and by implication organisations such as Save the Children. It is publicity money could barely buy.

It is the 40th anniversary of the Templeton Prize, which was established in 1972 as a global award honouring a living person who affirms "life's spiritual dimension" - whether through insight, discovery, or practical works.

It also comes with a £1.1 million prize, making it the largest annual monetary award given to an individual.

Foundation president Dr John Templeton said: "With an increasing reliance on technological advances to solve the world's problems, humanity also seeks the reassurance that only a spiritual quest can answer.

"The Dalai Lama offers a universal voice of compassion underpinned by a love and respect for spiritually relevant scientific research that centres on every single human being."

The Dalai Lama, 76 - who was born Lhamo Dhondub - won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 and is believed by Buddhist followers to be the reincarnation of an ancient leader who epitomised compassion.

Other people to have received the Templeton Prize include fellow Nobel laureate Mother Teresa, first recipient of the prize in 1973.

Speaking at St Paul's Cathedral ahead of Monday's service, the Dalai Lama warned British people against feeling "hopeless" and "helpless" in the face of economic troubles.

He also revealed that he wrote to David Cameron following last August riots to express his "condolences".

'Murder plot denied'

Meanwhile, China has denied claims that it had plotted to kill the Dalai Lama.

The exiled spiritual leader told the Sunday Telegraph newspaper of unconfirmed reports that Chinese agents were training Tibetan women to assassinate him by putting poison in their hair - for him to touch during blessings.

China's foreign ministry said the accusations were groundless and were being spread to attract public attention.

A spokesman said: "Wearing a religious cloak, the Dalai Lama has been engaged in international anti-China separatist activities."


source:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18057519
 

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Harry Haller

Panga Master
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Jan 31, 2011
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I can understand why he gave it away as it would not set a good example ,imagine the headline,Buddhist in a Bentley, Lama in a Lamborghini or the Monk in a Mercedes .

maybe he was trying to balance out the following

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...dhist-monks-caught-playing-poker-7737831.html


Half a dozen leaders of South Korea's largest Buddhist order have been forced to resign amid a scandal in which monks were caught on video drinking, smoking and playing poker for high stakes at a memorial event for a dead Zen master.

The head of the Jogye order, which has around 10 million followers, or about a fifth of the nation's population, made a public apology yesterday promising "self-repentance".

The scandal erupted just days before Koreans observe a national holiday to celebrate the birth of Buddha, the holiest day of the religion's calendar.

But rather than preparing for the holiday, South Korea has been glued to television screens as channels show secretly taken footage of the senior monks' high-jinks at a luxury resort in the south-west of the country.

Rather than turning their thoughts to the master who had died, around eight monks can be seen drinking, smoking and playing cards at a lakeside resort. Gambling is forbidden in South Korea except at licensed casinos and racecourses. Some of the monks involved were believed to be abbots.

Prosecutors were called in after another senior monk made a complaint. That monk, Seongho, who uses one name told Reuters: "Basically, Buddhist rules say don't steal. Look at what they did, they abused money from Buddhists for gambling."

He said that during the monks' 13 hours of gambling, the stakes were as high as 1bn won, or around £540,000.

The behaviour of the supposedly abstemious monks, who were filmed on 24 April, has led to Korean media speculation about a power split within the order. Seongho said he had obtained a thumb drive that contains a video clip from a camera hidden in the hotel. He reportedly would not say who his source was because of recent threats made against him.

In his complaint, he said he had come forward to call for an investigation because he believed the senior monks would not be punished unless the issue was made public.
 

Gyani Jarnail Singh

Sawa lakh se EK larraoan
Mentor
Writer
SPNer
Jul 4, 2004
7,706
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KUALA LUMPUR MALAYSIA
latest DHADRIWALLAH scandal sweeping the Internet with the baba buying 2 hrs to 5 hrs long space on satelite TV..ChardikalaTime TV, MH1 etc etc..to put his story across...and the opposition on U-tube/sikh internet tv channels...
 
Jul 18, 2007
147
456
London
Gyani Ji, definitely money talks and he has a lot of it. He broad casted on UK Sangat TV and their programming information said "False Allegations" lol.

I know there are some youtube videos expose's but they are generally about the aftermath of run in's with these deray's, I haven't see nothing concrete that would leave these pakhandi's speechless with no excuses.

But yes I agree most people don't want to know the reality - its too much to admit they have been following a pseudo saint for "x" amount of years!
 

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