[Tuesday, 21 June 2011, 7:27 p.m.]

DHARAMSHALA: His Holiness the Dalai Lama today returned to Dharamsala after a very successful visit to New Zealand and Australia.

Hundreds of Tibetans and well-wishers accorded warm welcome to His Holiness on his arrival in Dharamsala this morning.

Kalon Tripa Prof Samdhong Rinpoche and Mr Penpa Tsering, the speaker of the Tibetan Parliament, received His Holiness the Dalai Lama at the Kangra Airport. The justice commissioners, deputy speaker of the Tibetan Parliament and Kalons welcomed His Holiness at his residence.

The first leg of His Holiness the Dalai Lama's journey took him to New Zealand where he participated in the memorial service for the victims of earthquake in Christchurch.

The second leg of the journey took him to Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.

In all these cities His Holiness gave public talks, opened a new Vietnamese Buddhist Centre, gave extensive interviews to the Australian media, met with Tibetan and Mongolian Buddhist communities and gave teachings on the Boddhisattva's Way of Life' by Shantideva. He also met with the Chinese community organised by the Chinese-Tibetan Friendship Group.

In Canberra, His Holiness visited the Australian Parliament and held private meetings with members of the Parliament. He also met with the Australian Parliamentary Group for Tibet. His Holiness attended a reception hosted in his honour by the Australian Paramilitary Group for Tibet in the presence of members of parliament, senators and the diplomatic corps present in Canberra.

In Brisbane, His Holiness participated in an event titled “A conversation with the Dalai Lama – Values in Leadership, Environmental Thinking and the Action Required.”