Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh) [India], July 3 : Hollywood actor Richard Gere, who is in Dharamshala ahead for the 90th birthday celebrations of the 14th Dalai Lama, address the the International Tibet Youth Forum on Thursday.
Gere, who is also the chairman of the board of directors of the International Campaign for Tibet, highlighted the role of Tibetan culture and how the Tibetan youth can spread the message of compassion around the globe.
Speaking to media persons, the 'American Gigolo' star said , "This is not a one lifetime commitment, this is many lifetimes of commitment. I feel Tibetans have been highly abused for many, many decades by the Chinese communist party, but this is something that is for everyone, a sense of peace and compassion. If we have any problem, we can talk to each other and we don't have to fight, we can solve the problem..."
A video message of the Dalai Lama from 2023 was also played here during the inaugural session, in which he emphasised the essence of compassion in Tibetan Buddhism and culture.
Around one hundred participants have come here from fifteen different countries around the world. They were very enthusiastic to see Richard Gere among them.
Dukten Kyi, the organiser/ joint secretary department of information and international relations (DIIR) told ANI, "This is the international Tibet youth forum , this is the third in the series so we have started it in 2023 and we have come up with the international platform where we would have come up with one hundred young Tibetan participants from all over the world to come together mainly to deliberate to learn from senior members of Tibetan community who have for generations struggled and contributed to the Tibetan freedom movement as well as there are several trainers that we have invited so that is to equipped the participants with necessary skills so this is mainly to deliberate and discuss among them how to go ahead with Tibet advocacy in the near future."
Tibetan youth from different countries are taking part in the three-day event, from July 3- July 5.
While the Dalai Lama's birthday falls on July 6 as per the Gregorian calendar, festivities began on June 30 in accordance with the Tibetan calendar. The event has been attracting spiritual leaders, dignitaries, and well-wishers who have been arriving from different parts of the world.
Gere is among the prominent people who have congregated in Dharamshala for the occasion that is attracting global spiritual leaders, dignitaries and well-wishers.
During the event at Nechung Monastery, Gere shared earlier, "We're here in Dharamshala to celebrate His Holiness's 90th birthday, his good health, his strength and compassion. Nechung is one of my oldest friends... this monastery is very important to me and my son."
"He's been to my home in the US. He's also very close to my son, and it's always a delight being here. I've seen the pleasure of being here many times, so I feel like I have a connection with Nechung now. It's always a delight being here," Gere said.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor