An eight person delegation from the STSSC arrived home safely on August 8 th
after a successful fact finding mission in China and TAR. The
delegation headed by STSSC´s chairman Mr. Sonam Jamyangling left Sweden
on July 22 nd and visited Beijing , Qinghai and Yunnan provinces, and
TAR where they had discussions with government representatives on
Education and Environmental issues.
23/11 -
The delegation was received at the Stockholm airport late afternoon by
School Society representatives and taken to their
hotel.(representatives from The Chineses Embassy also came to welcome
them). At the hotel the society`s secretary Mr. Lobsang was installed
in His Holiness living quarters as a round-the-clock attendant during
the whole duration of the visit.
24/11
– The delegation spent the whole day in the town of Uppsala , hosted by
Professor Urban Hammar. Uppsala is famous for its university which the
delegation visited and had some fruitful discussions with a professor
in Sanskrit. They also did some sightseeing.
In the evening they attended a welcome dinner hosted by Soenam Jamyangling , chairman
of the School Society.
25/11
This whole day was set aside for private individual and group audiences
with His Holiness. His Holiness met with eminent Lamas, monks and nuns,
and lay practitioners, the majority of whom had travelled from abroad
especially to meet him. He also met with many of the Tibetan community
living in Sweden .
26/11 In
the afternoon His Holiness held the opening speech for the School
Society`s gala performance being held at the Berwald Concert Hall to
celebrate the Society´s successful completion of 108 Schools &
Libraries in the rural areas of Tibet. Many dignitaries were present
among the 700 strong audience. Several famous Swedish artists
performed, and among the Tibetans who performed were two of the
delegation members from Tibet . The concert was rounded off with His
Holiness, the artists, and the audience chanting the well known 4-line
prayer `Wherever the precious Bodhicitta has not arisen, may it
arise…etc´.
27/11 In the
morning His Holiness gave an Amitayus Long-Life Empowerement in the
aula of the International English School to approx.150 participants.
His Holiness informed everyone that the empowerment was normally only
given once every 12 years in connection with the Monkey-Year Teachings
and that this was his gift to Sweden . After lunch in the school dining
room His Holiness and the delegation were taken on a tour of the school
facilities.
28/11 The
delegation visited the School Society´s new premises, The House of
Tibet. After lunch His Holiness led the formal inauguration ceremony,
cutting the ribbon at the stairway leading to the assembly hall. The
assembly hall is for both meditation practices and lectures and houses
1,000 Green Tara statues. His Holiness led the monks in prayer to
formally inaugurate the room in front of an audience of 70 invited
guests. Later the guests were entertained by a Swedish singer and the
two delegation member artists from Tibet .
29/11
The delegation went sight seeing in the old town area of Stockholm
before a farewell lunch together with the School Society´s board of
directors. In the evening they were hosted for dinner by the Chinese
Embassy.
30/11 The delegation departed for Poland.
The majority of our funding was initially granted by the Swedish
International Development Cooperation Agency ( SIDA ), especially in
the first and largest project to date situated in the village of
Katsel. However, as the mutual vision of the Swedish and U.S.
organisations has grown we have tried to locate alternative sources of
funding. 
