Archive for March, 2013

My encounter with the Dalai Lama

Madhurkankana Roy about her meeting with Dalai Lama in Delhi last Sunday:
There was immense positivity felt in the room. His graceful presence ushered in happiness, a smile on everyone’s face. Awestruck by his presence, the energy generated was beyond comprehension.

“Smile Legacy”

By Madhurkankana Roy. New Delhi, India

The legacy of Swami Vivekananda is relevant to India at a time when the Indian society in particular and world at large is redefining itself to changing times and becoming more just and equitable.

Commemorating 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Swami Vivekananda, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations had organised for an interfaith conference titled 'One World Religions: Diversity, Not Dissension’ to understand the essence of religious faiths and how ‘Religion should be a weapon for self-transformation as well as transformation of the society’ in this age of religious animosities.

Spread out over three days, the conference had magnanimous personalities in the likes of His Holiness Dalai Lama, Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, Rev Mpho Tutu, Dr.Karan Singh and others following nine different faiths, address member audience.

My association with the Conference happened at a professional level. Initially it was more like any other conference organised by ICCR and that my participation would solely be for coordination purpose. With much work to finish I was not really looking at some spiritual upliftment of the self. It was more like a task to be finished successfully. However things started moving at a different pace as the conference gradually moved towards the Valedictory function on the 9th of March 2013.

I was asked to be at the reception for receiving guests. The multipurpose Hall of India International Centre was almost full. The fully packed house reverberated with anticipation, eagerness of people wanting to listen to His Holiness Dalai Lama. As the clock struck 10, the fleet of security vehicles arrived, and after them followed a white sedan. It stopped just in front of the Hall. A man stepped out of the car. People flocked towards him. His Holiness had arrived. I had once read somewhere that his mere presence has touched and transformed millions of lives. Perhaps I was one of them. I was awestruck by his presence. I did not know how to react. His aura almost pushed me to a trance like state for a few moments, until I felt a sudden adrenaline rush and I walked towards him. Amidst the crowd, I saw him smiling at me. He forwarded his right hand. I looked at his eyes and his eyes spoke to me. They had the expression “I am glad to meet you”. I felt blessed.

And he walked ahead of me. I followed.

There was immense positivity felt in the room. His graceful presence ushered in happiness, a smile on everyone’s face. Awestruck by his presence, the energy generated was beyond comprehension. Like the Buddha himself, His Holiness too, with his ever-smiling face, reaches out to people in ways that connect to their individual mental dispositions, abilities, and everyday realities.

His Holiness spoke about Buddhism, co-existence with other faiths, self criticism and reasoning. As was discussed in the Conference, his main concern along with others present there, was how to arrive at a common platform of universal brotherhood. He emphasised on Love and Compassion as the primary weapon to win hearts across the globe. Indeed everyone of us sitting there that day were hit by the weapon of his smiling face. The radiance of his compassionate face transported us to a different level of consciousness.  His humour is the hallmark of His Holiness and speaking in plain simple English, without mincing words, he made the philosophy of life and living so easily understandable. His words weighed and deep and yet so light that they seemed to be flying up to the shining eternity.

My short stint with His Holiness made a huge impact on me. His presence, shaking hands, infused some kind of calmness in me. My unstable, restless mind, felt a kind of peace within, that it was almost like a healing touch. His smile was infectious! I carried it forward, as if I had to preserve and promote his legacy to share a smile as long as I lived.


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When you are motivated by the desire to transcend suffering, to get out of a difficult situation, and to help others to do the same, you become a powerful source of energy that helps you to do what you want to do to transform yourself and to help people.

11 MARCH 1990
THE DAY LITHUANIA WOKE UP
FROM ITS 50 YEAR NIGHTMARE

Lithuanians rejoice over their newfound independence, 11 March 1990.
Here from Pilies Street in Vilnius Old Town.

By Aage Myhre, Editor in Chief
aage.myhre@VilNews.com

11 March 1990 is one of the most important days in Lithuanian history. It was on this day 23 years ago that the Lithuanian parliament declared renewed freedom and independence for Lithuania, after the country had been occupied by the Soviet Union since World War II. 124 Parliament delegates voted for the declaration, while six were absent.

In that same session, the Parliament elected Professor Vytautas Landsbergis, the leader of the liberation movement Sajūdis, as Parliament President. He won over the Communist Party leader Algirdas Brazauskas with a 91 to 38 vote.

11 March 1990 became a milestone in Lithuania's history because the Lithuanian politicians that day clearly demonstrated the country’s willingness to again become free and independent. Although it took another 18 months before the international community approved the nation’s independence from the Soviet occupying power, it was the 11 March actions that made it clear to the world that Lithuania no longer accepted to be incorporated into a system and a Commonwealth it had been involuntarily incorporated into when the World War II drew to an end.

11 March 1990 was in many ways the day when Lithuania’s new freedom began, and we must believe that this country now will remain free and sovereign forever, based on democratic principles and values corresponding to those having been developing in Western Europe after World War II ended in 1945.

I can very well imagine that many of the 1990 politicians signed the declaration act with trembling pens. They knew what power they challenged, and were fully aware of what reprisals they and the people they represented could expect from the big bear in the east. The Soviet Union was not a superpower to tease or irritate, and they knew that they would not be treated with kid gloves if the bear decided to strike back, reacting to the severance requirement they signed that day.

But they signed. They were brave. Without their signatures on the document shown below, it is quite possible that Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia still today would be unfree republics under the 'protective' bear paws.

Lithuania’s independence declarations of 1918 and 1990 were both signed by wise and courageous political leaders who did not want to accept that their beloved homeland should remain occupied.

They deserve our respect and gratitude!

ABOVE: Seimas, 11 March 1990, the day Lithuania re-claimed its independence.
BELOW: The same Parliament Hall today. 

11 March 1990 

11 March 1990 is one of the most important days in Lithuanian history. It was on this day 23 years ago that the Lithuanian parliament declared renewed freedom and independence for Lithuania, after the country had been occupied by the Soviet Union since World War II. 124 Parliament delegates voted for the declaration (copy below), while six were absent. 

In that same session, the Parliament elected Professor Vytautas Landsbergis, the leader of the liberation movement Sajūdis, as Parliament President. He won over the Communist Party leader Algirdas Brazauskas with a 91 to 38 vote. 

11 March 1990 became a milestone in Lithuania's history because the Lithuanian politicians that day clearly demonstrated the country’s willingness to again become free and independent. Although it took another 18 months before the international community approved the nation’s independence from the Soviet occupying power, it was the 11 March actions that made it clear to the world that Lithuania no longer accepted to be incorporated into a system and a Commonwealth it had been involuntarily incorporated into when the World War II drew to an end. 

11 March 1990 was in many ways the day when Lithuania’s new freedom began, and we must believe that this country now will remain free and sovereign forever, based on democratic principles and values corresponding to those having been developing in Western Europe after World War II ended in 1945. 

While this March day 23 years ago was the beginning of the new time in and for Lithuania, the day was also symbolising that nearly 200 years of tragedies of and for this country had come to a final end. 

Through more than 500 years, from the 1200s when King Mindaugas declared Lithuania one nation, until it was occupied by the Russian Empire in 1795, Lithuania had been a proud and free nation, through some 300 years also one of the world’s greatest powers, stretching from the Baltic to the Black Sea (known as the Grand Duchy of Lithuania). 

The 123 years of occupation from 1795 to 1918, however, became a long and sad chapter for Lithuania, since much of the good qualities this nation once represented in the world community were attempted to be systematically broken down by the Russian Empire occupants. 

When Lithuania at the end of World War I (1914-1918) on 16 February 1918 again could declare itself a free nation, most Lithuanians probably believed that the newly won freedom would remain, but sadly, the new freedom lasted only for 22 years. Vilnius and the surrounding area was occupied by Poland already in 1920 and remained under Polish rule until the Second World War started in 1940, and Kaunas was therefore the capital of Lithuania for the years 1920 – 1940.

Nevertheless, Lithuania grew to become a strong nation during the interwar years, guided by, among others, the most famous Lithuanian leader of those days, President Antanas Smetona. 

World War II and the years just after became extremely tragic for Lithuania, when the nation was torn apart under alternate German and Russian occupation, and virtually all the large Jewish population was wiped out, and Lithuania thereby lost a population group that had meant so much for this nation since the 1300s. 

Also, during the war, tens of thousands of Lithuanians fled to the west, many who today live in the United States, Australia and other countries. Lithuanians were also exposed to extremely tragic abuse from Stalin's Soviet troops and his secret police (known as the KGB), when more than a hundred thousand Lithuanians were deported to Siberia and other areas in the Soviet Union where many of this country’s great citizens were killed or died during very shameful and cruel conditions. 

Already during the WWII years a strong resistance movement occurred, known as the Forest Brothers, who until the middle of the 1950s fought a heroic struggle against the Soviet power from their hiding places in the Lithuanian forests. It is suggested that around 20,000 Lithuanians and 70,000 soldiers from Stalin's Red Army and the KGB were killed during those post-war years. 

Lithuania became in 1990-1991 the first country that managed to detach itself from the Soviet Union. Latvia and Estonia followed soon after. We should all today be proud that this little country so bravely dared to stand up against the powerful Soviet powers. We should all be extremely happy that this little nation again enjoys freedom and democracy under the principle of equality for all its citizens, and we should be happy about the fact that 11 March 1990 was the day when Lithuania could finally put behind itself nearly 200 years of atrocities and suffering for its people – a people that had deserved so much better due to its proud history. 

The Lithuanian Independence Act from 11 March 1990.

Spring in Vilnius!

It is 8th of March, the International Women’s Day and the beginning of spring in Lithuania. Still snow and ice many places, but the melting process is now obvious. Spring is here!

Photos: Aage Myhre

Two young representatives of the world’s women, in Vokiečių g. in the heart of Vilnius Old Town.

It's starting to turn green on the slopes around Gediminas' Tower.

The danger of avalanches from the old town roofs is now over. Here a rooftop views of
St. Catherine's Church and the Europa Tower on the other side of River Neris.