Dalai Lama Tour

Dalai Lama donates $100000 to youth charity during Melbourne visit

Twentyman burst into tears and almost fell off a stage, tearing his pants in the process when the holy Tibetan leader made the shock offer with the giant top-up to his 20th Man fund.

“It's a great day for the western suburbs. It equals the 1954 Premiership of the Bulldogs,” Mr Twentyman declared.

The fund aims to tackle homelessness and poverty, with education, sport and counselling help.

Mr Twentyman said the Buddhist leader was midway through a morning Footscray talk when he announced his cash donation.

“He just said, ‘I’d like to contribute to your charity. I want to make a donation of $100,000.

“I almost fell off the stage. People had to grab the chair and push it back.”

“It was all in Tibetan so I didn’t understand it at first’,” Mr Twentyman said.

“I split my pants open and had to go home and change.”

“Braybrook boys don’t cry, but I was very teary.”

Mr Twentyman said the crowd of nearly 500 local youths, school children and community workers erupted in cheers.

He said the group had been “riveted” by the hour-long talk in freezing weather, “something I’ve never seen in 30 years of youth work and 10 years of school children”.

Mr Twentyman said the cash would be enough to help 1000 more students back into school, with more available to help homeless youth get a meal over the coming year.

He said it was the biggest ever single donation his charity had ever received and joked he would consider converting to Buddhism as a result.

“I tell you what, it could be a bit cold with a shaved head as a monk, but at lot of what he says makes a lot of sense,” Mr Twentyman said.

He said the Tibetan leader happily fielded questions on the meaning of life, telling youths they were meant to enjoy life, and suggested they should avoid drugs and alcohol as a way of avoiding misery.

Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade Local MPs Bernie Finn and Marsha Thompson were on hand to witness the stunning offer, and to see the Dalai Lama give his blessing to the Dogs before their game with the Saints on Friday.

Dalai Lama says it is time act on refugees

A few hours later the Dalai Lama had Australia in his sights as he issues a plea to "smaller nations" to make a bigger impact on the global refugee problem.

White House mum on Dalai Lama meeting ahead of scheduled visit ...

June 28, 2011 - Washington

The Dalai Lama is scheduled to lead a high-level Buddhist teaching tour to the US next week, but the White House has remained silent regarding the spiritual leader's visit.

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who has met with the U.S. president in almost every visit to Washington since 1991, is scheduled to arrive at Washington DC on July 6. Such a meeting would allow him to discuss the political situation in China and explain his decision in March to step down as Tibet's political leader.

Tommy Vietor, spokesman for the National Security Council, however, said that the White House has no announcement regarding the Dalai Lama's visit, Politico reports.

A White House meeting would require a delicate juggling of American interests and Chinese demands.

Barack Obama 's relationship with the Dalai Lama got off to a rocky start in October 2009, when Obama became the first US president not to host the Tibetan leader at the White House since 1991.

The administration cited a scheduling conflict, but many observers believed the meeting was put off to avoid aggravating the Chinese government before Obama's trip to Beijing.

Now pressure is building on the president to host the leader at the White House a second time around to make amends.

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