Buddhists in free world urged not to forget those still suffering in Chinese ruled Tibet

(TibetanReview.net, Nov08, 2017) – The Honorary Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama for Russia, Mongolia and CIS countries, Telo Tulku Rinpoche, was among the participants from 47 countries at the 7^th world Buddhist summit, called the Supreme World Wide Buddhist Conference, in Sri Lanka from Nov 2 to 7. The President Mr Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe of Sri Lanka were among those who gave the opening remarks.

Telo Tulku Rinpoche told the gathering how Buddhism came from India to Tibet and then to Mongolia and Russia.

On the sidelines of the 19^th national congress of the Communist Party of China, held in Beijing from Oct 18 to 24, a Chinese leader had claimed that Buddhism came to Tibet from nowhere else but China and should be sinicized further. Tibetan Buddhism was a special religion “born in our ancient China. It’s a Chinese religion. It didn’t come in from the outside,” Reuters Oct 21 quoted Zhang Yijiong, executive vice-minister of the United Front Work Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and who heads the department’s Tibet working group, as saying.

In his speech Telo Tulku Rinpoche has further explained: “As Russia and Mongolia have suffered under the rule of Communism where many monasteries were destroyed and thousands of monks were forced to give up their monkhood, imprisoned, tortured and assassinated in the 20^th century, we are very fortunate to have gained our freedom to revive, redevelop and rebuilt after the collapse of the soviet Union. But, in today’s time, we must not forget our Buddhist brothers and sisters in Tibet who to this day continue to suffer under the hands of the Chinese communist government.”

Referring to the ongoing tragedy in Tibet,  he has said: “We must not forget those who continue to suffer under communism, whose basic human rights are being denied and I pledge to our Buddhist brother and Sister to stand with Tibet in Solidarity and Pray for the Tibetan people so they may gain their freedom in the nearest future.”

Telo Tulku Rinpoche, the spiritual head of the Kalmyk republic of the Russian Federation, was reported to have continued to address the tragedy in Tibet despite being reminded by the chair of the session not to touch upon politics.

Telo Tulku Rinpoche has presented to the President of Sri Lanka a Tibetan Buddhist statue on behalf of the Tibetan People during a reception hosted by him at his official residence for all the delegates.