When it was revealed in January that the Dalai Lama would be visiting Glastonbury Festival, a lot of people were curious as to what kind of “performance” he would be giving. In reality, he just gave a message of peace and love, but the Chinese government is unhappy.
Diplomatic sanctions were placed on the Dalai Lama after his visit with David Cameron in 2012, effectively cutting off relations between the two nations. However, the Dalai Lama’s position as a harbinger of peace has not kept him from participating in the festivities.
In an interview published on the Dalai Lama’s website, he said of his invitation to the festival:
If an invitation comes I am happy to accept it. I’m one of the 7 billion human beings alive today. And I believe we all have to make the welfare of our fellow human beings our concern. We are social animals; we all depend on each other. Whenever I get the opportunity, this is what I try to share with people.
As of now, there has been no formal recourse from the Chinese government, though China has “warned the organisers of the popular British music festival that inviting the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama to visit would be viewed as an anti-China activity.”
A little late now, isn’t it?
Source: Shanghaiist