The Dalai Lama turns eighty on July 6, 2015. To recognize and celebrate this milestone, we are producing an album to honor the Dalai Lama’s vision of compassion, non-violence and peace. It is a moment for musicians and the world to show their appreciation for the Dalai Lama, what he represents and the benefits received from both his teachings & Tibetan culture.
Proceeds from the album will be used to help preserve and promote the wisdom of the Dalai Lama & Tibetan culture. This project is a gift to the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan people and future generations around the globe.
Featuring music by
The Art of Peace Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded on the Dalai Lama's belief of "Universal Responsibility." Regardless of nation, culture or religion, our compassionate and benevolent treatment of one another is an essential path for discovering our deepest peace and happiness. By understanding our common humanity our actions will transform the world in beneficial ways.
Grounded in the Dalai Lama's vision of nonviolence, we engage the world in a proactive way. Where there is violence, our voices must be heard. Most people embrace peace and compassion as guiding principles of life. It is only when we speak through a unified voice that the strength of compassion and nonviolence can be fully harnessed. We want to lend our voices to these efforts.
For 2,500 years the world has studied the Chinese classic, "The Art of War." We believe that humanity is at a point where we can now only progress through "The Art of Peace.
Over the last 50 years, Tibetan culture has fed a spiritual renaissance in the West. The Dalai Lama's universal message of compassion, tolerance, non-violence and self-awareness, has become a profound spiritual inspiration for countless millions of people world-wide.
Tibetan cultural, however, is under dire pressure, both in Tibet and those living in diaspora as refugees. This a critical point in history with the potential loss of one of the world's great cultural treasures.
Tibet’s 6 million inhabitants have traditionally been of a common ethnic identity. For 1,300 years they have had their own unique culture and government. Tibetans share and language and a culture whose religious roots are Buddhist.
In 1950, China's Liberation Army invaded Tibet, calling it a “peaceful liberation” , based on a recent belief that Tibet was part of its territory. Although the young Dalai Lama remained the nominal head of Tibet as a ‘national autonomous region’, he was effectively coerced into accepting Beijing's rule. In the spring of 1959, following many independent uprisings by the Tibetan people against Chinese rule, the Dalai Lama was persuaded to flee by advisors who feared for his life. After a arduous escape over high Himalyan passes, the Dalai Lama and a party of about 90 Tibetans reached India where Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru gave them permanent asylum.
Today, the Dalai Lama is still the spiritual leader of Tibet. The Dalai Lama believes in:
The Dalai Lama has created a five point peace plan for Tibet, making it a ‘zone of peace’, including a call to end Beijing’s efforts to resettle the country with ethnic Han Chinese. His position on Tibet is that, “Tibetans would have full responsibility for religion, trade, education, environment and other domestic affairs. China would handle Tibet's foreign affairs and defense.”
Among many other awards he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, honorary Canadian citizenship in 2006 and the U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor in 2007
The Art of Peace Foundation and its partners have many projects either underway or ready to begin. Feel free to read about them below."
UK based Meridian Trust nonprofit preserves and disseminates Buddhist culture and traditions on film and video. The Dalai Lama is the patron of Meridian Trust and believes the efforts of preserving Tibetan culture and teachings are vital for the Tibetan people and culture.
The Meridian Trust has an archive of over 2,500 hours of footage that focuses primarily on the endangered traditions of Tibet. For over 30 years they have filmed teachings and talks given by leading Buddhist teachers, including the Dalai Lama and his teachers. They are in the process of making these teaching available to all people of the world by translating and digitizing this extensive library and making it available on the web for future generations.
In addition to supporting the preservation and promotion of Tibetan culture, our primary vehicle for achieving nonviolent change is to initiate and support campaigns that promote freedom of speech, freedom of the press and freedom of expression.
To learn more about the political situation in Tibet please visit SaveTibet.org and TibetFund.org.
We partner with cultural preservation and human rights groups. It is essential to rally support for those whose voices are for peace.
We are requesting the ability to email you a few times a year to support petitions. Joining our email list helps us affect positive change in the world. We invite you to provide your email information - we will contact you sparingly and only when urgent action is needed.