Obama promised to carry forward peace after me: Dalai Lama

Former US President Barak Obama promised to Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama that after him, he would carry forward the promotion of world peace and non-violence, said the elderly Buddhist monk on Monday.

"I told him 'After me, you should carry forward the promotion of world peace and non-violence, and he (Obama) promised," the Dalai Lama, who would be meeting Obama again this year in India, told a delegation led by American-Indian author Deepak Chopra at his residence here.

He further said that his plan is to hold a meeting with Indian Nobel peace laureate Kailash Satyarthi in Delhi this year, which will eventually finalise a Nobel laureates' gathering.

"Obama will definitely come to the meeting," he said.

The Nobel Peace Laureate also remembered his friend, former US President George Bush, with whom he would connect instantly as friends.

About the relevance of ancient Indian tradition, he said: "India is the one country that has the potential to combine its ancient knowledge with modern education for the wider benefit of the world at large."

He drew attention to the elimination of nuclear weapons throughout the world.

"We should not only rely on the United Nations, on a public level, there should also be some movement calling for denuclearisation.

"India particularly should lead these efforts in this and also in promoting religious harmony," he said, adding that it should be more active in the promotion of religious harmony, "ahimsa" (non-violence) and demilitarisation.

About the world leaders whom he admires most, the Dalai Lama named leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, India's first president Rajendra Prasad and former German Chancellor Willy Brandt.

The Dalai Lama has been holding his teachings most of the time in nearby McLeodganj, where the government-in-exile is based.

McLeodganj is a quaint town in Himachal Pradesh about 500 km from New Delhi. It is home to thousands of Tibetans who found a second abode to preserve their unique faith, culture and identity.

--IANS

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