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INTERFAITH
FROM THE HEART
His Holiness The Dalai Lama and Father Laurence Freeman, Dec. 2005
    I returned recently from a quick visit to Belfast where I was privileged to
    attend the 2005 WCCM Way of Peace- an event initiated by our Community
    which includes an ongoing dialogue between His Holiness the Dali Lama
    and Fr Laurence our Director. Previous events with the Dali Lama have
    been held in India, Italy and the JM Seminar in Northern Ireland in 2000. The
    theme of this visit was The Spiritual Dimension of Peace.

    It was an incredible few days-ones I'll always treasure. I felt very honoured
    to accompany Fr Laurence to welcome the Dali Lama on the airport tarmac
    on a crisp( very cold for an Aussie!) Belfast morning. We arrived at his
    reception in the city to the wonderful welcome by the renowned Ray of
    Hope Choir made up of children from a wide cross section of Ulster
    Schools. Their singing was so angelic that it brought tears to many eyes
    including His Holiness.

    We drove through spectacular coastal scenery to the picturesque
    Corrymeela Centre at the northern tip of Ireland where we could almost see
    Scotland. The Corrymeela Community consists of people of all Christian
    traditions who are committed to the healing of social, religious and political
    divisions in Northern Ireland and throughout the world. The Dali Lama paid a
    great tribute to its work for peace over 40 years and to its founder Rev Ray
    Davy a sprightly 90 year old. The Dali Lama led a discussion on Peace and
    Reconciliation with members of the Community.

    The following day he opened the Mediation Northern Ireland Centre at which
    the noted Irish poet Michael Longley recited his poem Ceasefire. It was a
    sobering but extremely moving moment as he concluded - ''I get down on
    my knees and do what must be done and kiss Achilles hand, the killer of my
    son"

    The Director of the Centre Brendan Mc Allister, himself a meditator,
    responded to the Dali Lama's call for compassion to be nurtured in
    Northern Ireland. He said '' The architecture of the peace agreement, no
    matter how sophisticated in it's design, is but an empty shell if the spirit of
    peace is absent from our lives.''

    Fr Laurence and the Dali Lama then met with the Leaders of the different
    political parties who freely exchanged views with His Holiness. They also
    met and had a dialogue with 150 Civic Leaders. The final event was the
    Service of Meditation at St Anne's Cathedral where leaders and
    representatives of different religions met with His Holiness and Fr Laurence
    and dialogued with them. They also met with the leaders of the Irish
    Meditation Community. Fr Laurence and the Dali Lama both spoke
    passionately on The Power of Prayer and the event was videoed so we
    hope to be able to offer this resource soon. It was so inspiring and moving
    to be with over 1,000 people of all religious beliefs meditating for universal
    peace. There were also another 400 standing outside in the freezing cold.
    Our thanks to Inge Relph and Phil McQuillan, the Northern Ireland
    Coordinator whom you all know. They oversaw all the planning and
    implemented the vision of the visit in just under a month.

    Pauline Peters
    December 2005
Pauline together with Fr Laurence and His Holiness, the Dalai Lama in Northern Ireland, December 2005