The Dalai Lama made a special trip from Dharamsala to the Indian capital New Delhi on December 1, 2017 to meet with former US President Barack Obama, who was on a visit to India.

Kasur Tempa Tsering, who is the India and East Asia Coordinator for Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama (and a member of ICT’s Board of Directors), told DIIR media that “His Holiness was very happy to meet his fellow Nobel laureate and also a friend”.

He added, “During the 45-minute meeting, both spoke about promoting compassion and altruism in human beings. His Holiness remarked that although basic human nature is compassionate, the materialistic orientation of education today tends instil a sense of selfishness and self-centeredness, while not doing enough to discourage the sense of ‘us’ and ‘them’ that leads to conflict. Both peace laureates discussed the kind of future they envision for the world.”